We'll open our Bibles to James
chapter 2. Tonight, as quite recently, I
brought a message from one verse of scripture. That was my text. And I'm going to do it again
tonight, from James chapter 2. Verse 23, and we'll use this
as our text. Just 26 words, one sentence,
but what a powerful, awesome promise. James 2 verse 23, and the scripture
was fulfilled with saying, Abraham believed God And it was imputed
unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. The friend of God. Several times
in the scriptures, Abraham is called the friend of God. In fact, three times. In 2 Chronicles,
he's called Abraham, my friend. And Isaiah 41 verse 8, again,
the friend of God. And here in this text, Abraham
is called the friend of God. That word friend there means
beloved or much loved. Abraham was beloved of God. So Abraham is called the friend
of God. Now that's a mighty high honor,
isn't it? just about the highest honor
you can imagine. And I can't attain to it. It would be idle for me, or you,
to even dream of being called the friend of God. And yet, this is true. Of all who love God and who are
loved of God, They're not only sons of God, that's what James
said, he said, Beloved, behold what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us that we should be called sons of God. Sons of God. Well, here in John
chapter 15, turn over here just a moment to John 15, the Lord
Jesus not only calls us sons of God, But he calls us his friends. So we're on good ground here
when we talk about being the friend of God. In John 15 verse
12, John 15, 12, this is my commandment,
that you love one another as I loved you. Greater love hath
no man than this. that a man lay down his life
for his friends, and you're my friends." What did he say? You're my friends. The Lord Jesus
Christ said, you are my friends, just like Abraham called the
friend of God, so I'm not too far off base, am I? We're friends of Christ. That's
what he said, you're my friends. If you do whatsoever I command
you, henceforth I called you not servants. The servant knoweth
not what his Lord doeth. The servant is not taken into
the counsel of the master, but the friend is. I called you friends. For all things that I have heard
of my Father, I have made known to you. Friend of God. So that's what my text says here
in James 2, 23, and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham
believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and
he was called the friend of God. And our Lord said, you're my
friends. You're my friends. He calls us not only his friends,
but his sheep. My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me and I give them eternal life and they'll never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father gave
them me. No man is greater than my father
and my sheep. But I want you to turn to the
book of Malachi. The book of Malachi and the Lord
Jesus calls us by another pet name here in Malachi chapter
3. He calls us his friends, he calls
us his sheep, he calls us his jewels, his treasures. Listen to this. Over here in
Malachi chapter 3 verse 16, listen. Then they that feared the Lord
spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard
it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them
that feared the Lord, and that thought on his name. And they
shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I
make up my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spares his
own son that serves him." What a relationship! My friends, my
my jewels. You know, I thought about this
Peter, the Apostle Peter. The Apostle Peter wilted under
trial, denied his Lord. And the Apostle Peter had trouble
accepting the Gentiles into his fellowship. Had a lot of trouble
with it. The Apostle Peter struggle with
the right of circumcision. And the Apostle Peter had a pretty
good conflict with the Apostle Paul. But the Lord Jesus said,
he's my friend. I love him. I love him in spite
of himself. That's how he loves us. He's
my friend. He's my friend. And David behaved
like a fool. But David, the Lord said, is
my friend because he's a man after my own eye. And all these
prophets and apostles that I read about and read from, all of these
apostles and prophets and men and women of God are only men
and women at their best. They're still men and women.
And man at his best state is altogether vanity. But all of
them have one thing in common. They believe God. They believe
God, and He loved them. Yes, He loved them, and they
loved the Savior. It says in Hebrews 11, by faith,
no other way, not by works, not by deeds, not by merit, by faith. Abel obtained witness that he
was righteous. By faith, Enoch was translated
that he should not see death. God called him home. By faith,
Noah warned of God of things not seen, built an ark, spared
his household, and became an heir of righteousness. By faith, Abraham looked for
a city whose builder and maker is God. By faith, Sarah received strength
and conceived when she was over ninety years of age, because
she judged him faithful who promised. died in faith. And that's what I lay claim to
right now. I believe God. I believe God. He says they all
died in faith, having seen the promises, been persuaded of them,
embraced them, and confessed that they are pilgrims and sojourners
to the city of God. An old-time preacher once wrote,
this business of faith, this business of faith, it's
not faith to stop the mouth of lions that is my great concern,
but it's the faith to trust God and to put a watch on my mouth
and stop my doubts and fears and murmurs. That's the faith
I need. It's not faith to move mountains,
that's my great concern, but daily faith to cope with all
the little hills of my own making. That's the faith I need. That's
it. It's not faith to build an ark,
that's my concern. It's faith by the grace of God
to enter the ark he's already prepared and sit down and rest
and find in him a hiding place from the wind and a refuge from
the storm and rivers of water in a dry place and the shadow
of a great rock in a weary land. believed God, and it was imputed
to him for righteousness, and he's called a friend of God. And looking at this man and his
faith, and the characteristics of faith, I want you to turn
to Genesis 22, and let's see some of the characteristics of
this saving faith, this redeeming faith, this God-given faith,
this faith that calls me in the friend of God. Let's see what
about several characteristics of this faith. In Genesis 22
verse 1, the first thing I see is true faith, genuine faith
will be tried. It'll be a trial. It says here,
and it came to pass after these things. After these things, what
are we talking about? After all these other trials.
He didn't come to know the Lord until he was 75 years old. And
all the trials that this man went through, amazing. The Jews
used to talk about the eight, the seven or eight trials of
Abraham. And then after these things,
after all these trials, God did prove Abraham. And God said to
him, Abraham, he said, behold, here I am. You know, we're going
to have these trials. Faith is going to be tried. Let
me just turn to this scripture right here and read it to you. Faith is going to be tried. It
must be tried. Beloved, think it not strange,
some strange thing concerning the fiery trials which are to
try you, as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice
inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that
when his glory shall be revealed, you'll be glad of all these trials. and troubles and tribulation,
you'll be so glad with exceeding joy. The Bible says when Abraham
was old and full of days, a hundred and some odd years old, the Lord did try him. You know,
one might think, well, Abraham, the warfare is over for you.
The trials are But that dear man, in these very
last days, was called upon to endure the greatest trial he
ever faced. That's right. The Apostle John was over 90
years of age when he died, and he spent his last days in exile
on an island alone. The Apostle Peter The Lord told
him what kind of death he would die, by which he'd glorify God. And you know what it was? He
was crucified upside down. The Apostle Paul, after all these
journeys, tribulations and trials, spent his last two years in a
Roman prison. Yes. faith will be tried. Second thing
about this faith I see in verse 2. Faith loves the Son of God. That's right. Devoted to the
Son of God. And God said, verse 2, Abraham,
take now your son. Now, I want you to look at every
word of this verse here. Take now your son. Take now thy only son, Isaac. Take now thy son, whom thou lovest,
and get thee to the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt
offering upon one of the mountains, which I'll tell you of." Is there
any doubt in anybody's mind, any doubt in any regenerated
mind anywhere in this building about whom the Father is talking
here? Any doubt about who he is? He's
not talking about Isaac. He's talking about Christ, that's
right. Sure he's referring to Isaac,
and Isaac will be brought as an offering, but he's talking
here about the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, who is this? It's the
true son. Take now thy son. God's son is
a son in a way that nobody else is a son. in a way which no one else is
a son. He's the Son of God. And listen,
take thy Son, thy only Son, that's Christ, thy only begotten Son, whom you love. The Father loves
the Son. Now you write that down. The
Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hands. God has given him the preeminence. He's the Son of God. But then
the Lord says, and out of his great love and great compassion,
he offered his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice
for sin. And that's the way God identifies
his love for us. That herein is love. Herein is
love. Talk about a mother's love. Love
my mom. Do you love yours? But there's
no comparison. Herein is love. A father's love. Oh, how a father loves his children. But there's no comparison. Talk
about the love of a friend, of whatever you want to. Herein
is love. Not that we love. Not that we
love God. He loved us, gave his Son to
be a propitiation for our sins. And this love of God for his
Son and for us in his Son will transcend all earthly love. It will transcend all earthly
love in his time. I add that for us because we
have to have that in his time. That's when it will transcend
all, and that word transcend says go beyond, go far beyond. This love that God Almighty has
for his son will transcend all human love, all earthly love,
all love. Job proved it when he buried
ten children and lifted up his eyes and said,
the Lord gave and the Lord had taken away. Blessed be the name
of the Lord. There's not one person who can
say that in that situation, and that's a believer. Only one. Only one. All right, here's the
third verse. Faith will be tried, faith is
devoted to Christ, and faith is obedient. Verse 3, and Abraham
rose up early in the morning. Abraham got his orders from the
Lord God. He got his orders. God told him
to take his son to the certain mountain, Mount Moriah. Three
days journey. Sacrifice him. What did Abraham
do? He immediately obeyed God. Early in the morning. Early in
the morning. He saddled his eyes. He got two
of his young servants that worked for him. He woke up Isaac, told him to get ready, we're
leaving. He claimed the wood, he went out and got the wood
for the burnt offering. He got the fire and he said he
rose up and he started. No delay, no argument. God's word to Abraham left no
room for an argument, left no room for delay. I wish every
preacher would just come to that place. What God says, whether
I understand it or not, whether I agree with it or not, it's
the word of God. Rise up and start moving. He rose up and left. Now he probably,
if he's like we, And he was like us. But it must have gone through
his mind just in thought. But Lord, you said Isaac was
my heir. Isn't that what you said? But Lord, I sent Ishmael away.
Ishmael, I loved him and you told him that he couldn't be
the heir with the son of promise under the bondwoman. And I left
him. sent him away, grieved my heart,
but he's gone. And I want to know what Salus
is going to say about all this. Or what about my friends that
I murdered, killed my sons? I don't understand it. I don't
know that that even went through his mind. It would be mine, I'm
sure. But he believed God. Faith is obedient. And like Paul said And I think
I can say this from this pulpit for these 50 some odd years,
51, 52 years. I've kept back nothing profitable
unto you. I've not shunned through covetousness
or fear or popularity to declare unto you all the counsel of God,
honestly. Faith is obedient. It's obedient
to the word of God. That's our only claim, obedience
to the Word of God. This is the Word of God, whether
people like it or not, whether they agree with it or not, it's
still God's Word. And Abraham said, let's go! I've
got nothing else to do. God spoke, let's go. Then faith,
fourthly, is patient. Now listen to this. Then on the third day, how long? Three days. God came to him,
the Lord came to him and said, take your son, your only son,
whom you love, Isaac, take him to the mount, I'll show you where
it is. He wasn't but I am pleased I'll show you where
it is. And he sacrificed him. And Abraham rose up and left.
And he was on the road three days and three nights. And it
says on the third day, He lifted up his eyes and saw the place
afar off. Can you imagine what those three days were like
to that old man? You know, God hadn't said another
word to him. We don't find any account anywhere
that the Lord kept Abraham abreast of the situation. He said, take
your son, your only son Isaac, and sacrifice him on a mountain
I'll tell you about. and he rose up and left. The Lord didn't speak again until
he spoke when he was shown in the land. No word from God. God
wouldn't speak to him until the task was performed. God will
not speak in his purpose and will until the task is performed
that he gave us to start with. I hear people say, well, I need
to know more about the word. If you'd study what you already
know and learn it, you'd give you something else. Why should
he give you anything else? People are not doing what he
told them to do to start with. He said, repent and believe the
gospel. There's no reason for God to speak until we obey him
when he speaks. And the days of travel, the sleepless
nights, The hours of prayer. But the Lord, I know this is
true, the Lord prepares his vessels for his work. That's right. He prepares his
vessels for his work through trial and time. And the faith
and the grace will prove sufficient when the time comes, but not
to live. David said, In Psalm chapter
27, listen to this, David said in Psalm 27 verse 13, how long was David on the run
from Saul? A long time. How long was David
a prisoner in the mountains hiding from Saul and from Israel? A
long time. How long did David live off the
land and in caves and in earth? He was going to be a king. But
the time of God's purpose and the trial through which God puts
his servant is determined by God. And that the grace and faith
will be proved to be sufficient when the time comes. He said,
I would have fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord. David had been waiting, I think,
14 years. Wait on the Lord. Be of good
courage. He'll strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. One day the Lord said to his
disciple, will you go away? To whom, shall we go? You're not moving. So faith is patient, waiting
on the Lord, waiting on the Lord, waiting on the Lord. Look at
verse 5. Faith is certain. Now this, I love this scripture. And Abraham said to the young
men, here's two young men taking care of the equipment and the
places where they slept and the food they had to eat and the donkeys that rode them. And Abraham
said to these young men, now, he said, you young men, abide
here with the ice. You stay and take care of everything.
You stay right here. This is Mount Moriah. They say
this is Mount Calvary, where Christ the Lord died. You stay right here, he said.
You stay right here with the equipment. And then he said,
and Isaac, I and the lad, will go yonder and worship. What was
he going to do? He was going to go worship. What
was he going to do? He was going to worship God.
How was he going to worship God? He had to have a lamb. It had
to be slain. It had to be bloodshed. Faith is certain about this.
Abraham said, we're going there and we're going to worship God.
And then he said, and we'll be back. I will come again to you,
he said, no question about it. I believe God. That's what the
Apostle Paul said to those sailors on that ship when they were about
ready to abandon ship. And Paul said, now don't leave
the ship. Don't leave the ship because
you're not going to be saved unless you abide with the ship.
And he said, the angel of the Lord, whose I am and whom I serve,
stood by me this night. And said, Paul, I've given you
all the people on the ship, and sirs, I believe God. That'll
be just exactly as he said. And that's what Abraham was saying. What did Abraham, he said, I'm
going to take him to the mountain, and I'm going to slay him, and
offer him a burnt offering. But, I'm coming back, and he's
coming back with me. What was in his mind? I'll tell
you. Turn to Hebrews 11. I know exactly what was in his
mind. I know exactly what was in his mind. He knew that Isaac
was the heir. Isaac was the seed of Christ
from which all of Israel would spring. And that God, even if
he slew that boy, God would raise him from the dead. Abraham knew
that. He was certain of that. Listen
to Hebrews 11, verse 17 through 19. Listen. By faith, Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac. He didn't offer him up. Yes,
he did, too. In his mind, he did. In his heart, he did. He
offered him. And he that had received the
promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was
said that in Isaac shalt thou see be called, accounting, believing,
dead certain, that God would raise him from the dead, that
God would raise him up even from the dead, from which also he
did receive him in a figure. When that boy stepped off that
altar and he embraced him, he received him as from the dead,
because he'd already committed him to death. He'd already surrendered
him, already given him up. Faith is certain. That's how
certain we are about our salvation, our redemption in Christ Jesus,
it's sure. Just tell me what other application
you'll give to these verses. When you read the scriptures,
if this is not what it says, what does it say? If this is
not the gospel, what is the gospel? We know it is, it's certain.
Look at the next verse, verse 6 through 8. is taught of God. Now let me
tell you something here before I read. Isaac was not a little
boy. Isaac was a full grown man. Isaac
was the one who carried the wood up the mountain, just like our
Lord Jesus Christ carried the cross up Mount Moriah. Isaac was a big young man. Besides, how could a child be
involved in such a thing anyway. It would be bedlam. It would
be screaming and yelling and rebellion, all kinds of things.
It would be bedlam. But here's a young man, taught
of God. His father's taught of God and
he's taught of God. And they're going on a journey.
Now listen to what it says here. And Abraham took the wood of
the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. He took the
fire in his hand, and a knife, and both of them went together.
They both went together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham,
he said, My father, our little boy wouldn't know anything
about this, but the son did. Abraham's son did. And his father
said, Here, my son. Father, behold the fire and the
wood. Where is the lamb for the burnt offering? This is the first
time evidently this has been mentioned to Abraham, to Isaac,
after three days. Where is the lamb? Now, Abraham
was taught of God. There's got to be a lamb. Let's
turn to Genesis 14, just back a couple of pages, Genesis 14. Abraham was taught of God in
the sacrifice of the lamb and the blood atonement and the blood
offering and all these things. That's what God said to Abraham,
take your son and offer him as a burnt offering. So there's
been a lot of burnt offerings. And Abraham was taught of God,
and listen here, in Genesis 14, 18. And Melchizedek, king of
Salem, brought forth bread and wine. And he was a priest of
the Most High God, and he blessed Abraham. He blessed him and said,
Blessed be Abraham of the Most High God, possessor of heaven
and earth, and blessed be the Most High God which has delivered
thine enemies into thy hand, and he gave him tithes of all.
Abraham was taught of God in the sacrifices, in the sin offerings,
in the burnt offerings. He was taught of God in the priesthood.
high priest of God with Melchizedek, type of Christ, he was taught
of God. And he also taught Isaac. I'm just certain of that. Abraham
was taught of God, and Isaac was taught of God. And when Isaac
asked his father, in verse 7, look at it again, he said, Father,
behold the fire and the wood, Where's the lamb up for the offering?
We've done this dozens of times, Father. Now where's the lamb?
Here's the answer. And Abraham said, my son, my
son, God will provide. God will provide himself. God will provide. That's a threefold
meaning there. God will provide a lamb. God
will provide a lamb. Got to be a lamb. The lamb of
God has got to die. Got to be a lamb. Passover lamb.
But God will provide a lamb for himself. Because the lamb is
offered unto God. It can't be another human being. God wouldn't accept that kind
of sacrifice. There's no way. The blood of a man cannot put
away the blood of sinners. It's got to be the blood of God.
God will provide the lamb, and God will provide for himself
a lamb unto the Lord. And this is the gist of the whole
thing. And God will provide himself
as the lamb. That's it. And that satisfied
Isaac 100%. He didn't go yelling and screaming
to that altar. He taught of God. And you'll
be taught of God, too. He that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and God is going to teach his people. And Abraham,
God taught Abraham years before. And then God taught Isaac years
before, too, but he didn't. Which lamb are we going to offer? God will provide a lamb for himself. And he'll provide the lamb, the
son of God. That was an awesome, awesome
revelation. And Isaac, probably like his
father, went to that altar in total submission. I believe he
bound him. And you know what they did when
they killed the lamb? They quartered it. And that was
a knife. They cut him in two. four parts,
and he was willing. Christ was willing, our Lord
suffered for our sins, he was willing, and Isaac was willing
too, and he didn't have to, he didn't, they bound him, but
that was, I suppose, the part of the ceremony. All right, let's
save And the seventh place is rewarded. Oh, my, my, my. Verse 8. And God, and Abraham
said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they both went, both of them
together. I'm happy with what he said.
That's all right. I'm satisfied. They both went together. He wasn't
dragging him either. He went willingly. Our people
shall be willing. And they came to the place which
God had told him of. And Abraham built an altar very
carefully, laid the wood in order, and then this 125-year-old man
bound this young 20-year-old man, bound him, and laid him on the altar, certain
that God would raise him. And Abraham stretched forth his
hay stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his
son." Abraham stretched forth his hand
and took the knife to slay his son, and I believe Abraham was
saying, Here I am, Lord. Here I am. All that I am, all
that I have, and all of my hope is laid on this altar. Man's extremity is God's opportunity
to show His grace. Abraham came to the end of everything. Here it is. This is my hope. I tell you it's a good hope that
even with will not withhold your only son. That's my hope. That's my hope. I don't think
about any other hope, or consider any other hope, or read about
any other hope, or want to hear anybody talk about any other
hope. This is the gospel. This is God Almighty sacrificing
his beloved son. And so verse 12, faith is rewarded. And he said, laying up, verse
11, an angel of the Lord called out of heaven, Abraham, Abraham,
he said, here I am. He said, Lay not your hand upon
the Lamb, neither do thou anything unto him, for I know thou fearest
God. Now, I say that word now, and
I don't know whether that's in italics or not, but God doesn't
know anything now. God doesn't find out anything
now. God knew it before. before the foundation of the
world. But what the Lord is saying here, I know, I know that you
love me. I know you fear God because you
haven't withhold your only son from me. But let me tell you
something else. Somebody else knew it too. Abraham knew it. And he might say now to Abraham,
now I know that you love me. God already knew he loved him.
Abraham thought he loved him. But Abraham's faith proved he
loved him. That's what we're talking about
today. Proved he loved him. Now, you know, now everybody
else knows too. See, this is what we've been
talking about today. Faith is not, it's faith, you can't see
faith. Faith is an inward love and affection
for God. That is revealed by the results
and by the evidence. And so that's the reason he says,
now I know that you fear God. He feared God before. He loved
God before. But faith's got to be proven.
It's got to be evidence. It's got to be shown. It's got
to be confessed. That's it. Now here's the last
word. and the song of rejoicing. And verse 13, and Abraham lifted
up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the
thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the
ram and took him, offered him up for a burnt offering in this
place instead of his son. That's what Christ did for us. He offered Christ instead of And Abraham hears his song of
rejoicing. Abraham called the name of the
place Jehovah-Jireh. Some people say that means the
Lord will provide, which it does. It also means the Lord will see
to it. He'll see to it. He always has, he does now, and
he always will. He'll see to it. Every promise
in the book. in mine and yours in Christ Jesus. All right, may God honor his
word and bless us.