1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:06,280 Is where I stand. I stand beneath the Lord of 2 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:14,640 Jesus, please for me, always in love. 3 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:23,640 How can it be the Lord of Jesus please for me? 4 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:41,680 Let's pray together. Father, we thank you that every 5 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:48,040 song that we sang to this evening, every word that we will 6 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:52,040 hear from this book is true. It's all true. 7 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:58,120 We acknowledge that we are indeed sinners, rebels, wayward, 8 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:01,800 and lost sheep. But you brought us home because 9 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,680 you sent the Great Shepherd who laid down his life for the 10 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,560 sheep. We pray, Lord, that you would 11 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:13,800 use this service to to reign our hearts in and to remind us what 12 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,480 we are celebrating here is the most important thing about our 13 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:21,600 lives, the most important news that this world can ever hear, 14 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:24,880 and the most blessed hope that anyone can have. 15 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,520 Be with us, Lord, as we continue in this service, in Jesus name 16 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:31,240 we pray. Amen. 17 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:32,520 Amen. You may be seated. 18 00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:44,240 Thank you. I found myself today praising 19 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:48,800 God for His wonderful Providence over this church. 20 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:52,440 Many of you know that we are in a transition as a ministry, as a 21 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,200 family. In a few short weeks, we'll be 22 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,920 in our brand new permanent home. And there's been a lot going on 23 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:00,440 in the background. There's been a lot of 24 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:06,280 preparation and conversation and praying and planning, and yet we 25 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,280 find ourselves in the time of the year where most churches 26 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:13,080 take this weekend to meditate and reflect on what's most 27 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,800 important. And I praise God that we find 28 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,520 ourselves at this time, even though there's so much going on 29 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:25,000 for this church, being brought back to what matters the most. 30 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:29,920 This is all about the gospel. This is all about the Son of 31 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:34,040 God, Jesus Christ, the living One who lay down His life for 32 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:38,120 us. What took place 2000 years ago 33 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:44,560 was not confined to that time. And what I mean by that is God 34 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:49,640 and His great mercy and power prepared generations for what 35 00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:52,800 Christ would accomplish 2000 years ago. 36 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:58,760 He had summoned and empowered prophets of the one true God to 37 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:04,240 provide and preach and to preserve prophecies and precise 38 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:08,280 predictions concerning the various aspects and the nature 39 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:10,560 of Christ's substitutionary death. 40 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:16,160 And more than that, His vicarious death was foretold 41 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:21,360 through shadows and types, pictures and events, and even 42 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:26,400 people who point to the greatest fulfillment, the ultimate 43 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,400 fulfillment in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 44 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,960 God has preserved records of this and what we know to be the 45 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:37,440 Bible. And one of the clearest scenes, 46 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,000 one of the most impressive stories, which is a true story 47 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:48,880 that foreshadows who Christ is and what he would do, is in the 48 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:54,880 story of Abraham, called by God to sacrifice his son Isaac in 49 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:59,120 Genesis 22. What's most often emphasized is 50 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:05,080 Abraham's impeccable and inspirational unreserved 51 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:10,320 obedience and faithfulness to the most difficult exhortation 52 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:12,160 and instruction that he can receive from God. 53 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:17,480 And so what's usually brought up from that chapter is look at how 54 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,959 faithful Abraham was. Look how he passed the test. 55 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:21,839 And this is how you and I can be faithful. 56 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:23,400 And that is wonderful. That is true. 57 00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:27,320 But I want to use this time to remind you that the success of 58 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:32,680 that story, the impact of that moment, would be lost without 59 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:38,080 Isaac in the story. Isaac in that story is a picture 60 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:42,840 of Jesus Christ. Abraham in that same story is a 61 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:47,400 symbol, is a metaphor, is a foreshadowing of God the Father. 62 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:52,600 And today, this isn't really a sermon, if you'd like to call it 63 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:53,680 that. That's OK. 64 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:55,760 I want to use it more as a time of reflection. 65 00:04:55,760 --> 00:05:00,800 And I want us to look simply at some things about Isaac that 66 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:03,400 will have each of us here who have an honest understanding of 67 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:08,840 the Bible saying that's Jesus, that's Christ, that's my Lord, 68 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,680 that's my Lord mentioned thousands of years before he 69 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,600 even entered into the world. And so really, we are going to 70 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,280 just get a glimpse of the masterpiece of this chapter. 71 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:23,160 And I'll tell you this, if we wanted to, we can go through 72 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:24,720 every single verse of that chapter. 73 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:28,600 And if we did, we'd be here for a very long time because every 74 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,360 verse in that chapter virtually points to Jesus Christ. 75 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:35,880 I make that argument. But we won't be looking at every 76 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:37,560 verse. We can't do that tonight. 77 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:39,200 But I want us to consider a few things. 78 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:44,520 So I heard some Bibles flipping through the pages earlier at the 79 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,680 opening of the service. Can we do that again as we go to 80 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:52,080 Genesis 22, take our Bibles and go to this very known text and 81 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,560 meditate on a few things that will be very helpful for our 82 00:05:54,560 --> 00:06:02,600 worship tonight? I want to look at three things 83 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:07,480 about Isaac that reflect Jesus and the first thing I want us to 84 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:09,880 consider is the significance of Isaac. 85 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:12,320 Let's read the first 2 verses together. 86 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,080 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, 87 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:23,280 Abraham, and he said, here I am. He said, take your son, your 88 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:28,240 only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, 89 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:31,600 and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the 90 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:33,280 mountains, of which I shall tell you. 91 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:42,000 You and I should stop in our tracks when we read how God 92 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:52,000 describes and designates Isaac. He tells Abraham, your son, your 93 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,240 only son, Isaac, whom you love. Now this should strike us. 94 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:57,720 Why? Well, for many reasons. 95 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:00,520 One of the main ones, practically speaking, is that we 96 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:02,960 know that Isaac is not Abraham's only son. 97 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:09,040 We have Ishmael, who was already born, who was virtually a young 98 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:13,280 adult at this point, and yet he is designated. 99 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,040 Isaac, at least is designated as his only son. 100 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:17,560 Why? Why is that? 101 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,120 For the same reason why Jesus is referred to as the only son in 102 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,040 John 316. You know, many critics and 103 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:29,680 opponents of the deity of Christ will unfortunately point out 104 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,320 that the title Son of God for Christ is not that meaningful, 105 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,520 because it seems as though the Bible tells us there are many 106 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:40,080 sons of God. In Job 16 we learned that the 107 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,760 angels are referred to as the sons of God, and Romans 814 108 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:46,000 Those who put their faith and trust in Christ, and who are 109 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,960 indwelled by the Holy Spirit are known as the sons of God. 110 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:54,720 And so Christ may be more important than others, but not 111 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:58,440 that special being deemed as the Son of God. 112 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:04,160 But you have to understand that the word only in the Bible is 113 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:10,280 not limited to a numeric term or description of quantity Only in 114 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:16,520 the Bible at times can also mean something of uniqueness value. 115 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,880 You know, in Hebrews 11/17, Isaac there in the New Testament 116 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:27,160 is also referred to as Abraham's only son, and that word in the 117 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:30,760 Greek is monogan S It's the same word in John 316. 118 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:35,080 And the actual meaning of the word is one of its kind, 119 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:43,799 significant, set apart, special. And that is what we find here 120 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:45,680 with Isaac. This is what God seems to be 121 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:47,320 conveying, that he is your only Son. 122 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:49,720 He's the Son of the covenant. He's the Son whom I will make 123 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,120 the promises that I made to you become a reality. 124 00:08:53,120 --> 00:09:00,240 He is significant. And what's so special for us to 125 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:04,840 consider here about the only Son whom is who is loved, is that 126 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:12,960 this emphasizes just how massive this request is for God to make 127 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:18,440 this call. Is Abraham having to give up his 128 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:23,560 most cherished, his most, his most prized, his most beloved 129 00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:33,240 thing they could ever offer? And the question I had was, why 130 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,720 ask for him? You made this man wait so long 131 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:41,400 to have him, and he built all these memories with him, and his 132 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:45,280 hope is so strong, and he's rejoicing in your faithfulness. 133 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:52,080 And now, in a very, very, very seasoned part of his life, you 134 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:53,760 were asking him to give it all up. 135 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:59,280 Why? Because God wanted to know. 136 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:01,840 Abraham, do you love me more than anything? 137 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:08,240 Am I your supreme treasure Do I mean more to you than anything 138 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,080 else I I've ever given to you even even Isaac. 139 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:14,440 That's exactly what we discovered later on in the story 140 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:19,520 peak at verse 12 with me for for a moment as Abraham is about to 141 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:24,520 strike his son with a knife. It says here he being the Angel 142 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,160 of the Lord, said do not lay your hand on the boy or do 143 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:31,680 anything to him for now. I know that you fear God seeing 144 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:35,000 you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. 145 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:39,680 Here's what's so moving about this. 146 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:47,000 God wanted to see if Abraham loved him more than Isaac, and 147 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,560 the way that Abraham was going to prove that was by giving up 148 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:57,600 Isaac. And the Lord, as someone rightly 149 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:04,800 observed in wanting to prove his love for us, did so by not 150 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:09,960 withholding his own son, but by giving him for us. 151 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:17,000 It's amazing to consider that we too, and looking at what God has 152 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,360 done with his only son, can say with confidence, I know he loves 153 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:24,440 me. I, I have absolute confidence 154 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:29,280 that he loves me because he did not withhold his son from me. 155 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:35,400 The significance of Isaac is so obvious and what's even more 156 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:37,080 clear is the submission of Isaac. 157 00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:41,560 If you look at the story and read, you don't only find the 158 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:45,440 obedience of Abraham, a faithful friend to God, but you also find 159 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:50,560 the unreserved compliance of his son Isaac. 160 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:55,840 Now many get this wrong in understanding the story. 161 00:11:56,040 --> 00:12:00,120 They think that Isaacs willingness to go along with 162 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,240 Abrahams wishes was because he was a young boy, he didn't 163 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:07,240 really have any other choice, or that he was just innocently 164 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:09,720 trusting in the leadership of his father. 165 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:13,840 And this confusion stems from the word boy being used in verse 166 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:17,480 5 and in verse 12. But the Hebrew word actually 167 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,560 denotes A broader meaning than our modern conception. 168 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,360 This is not about a little boy, 1/2 grown man. 169 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:26,720 This could actually be referring to a young adult or a teenager 170 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,400 because it's applied in the same way in many other passages. 171 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:32,840 And when you look at the internal evidence, I mean, you 172 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,520 see that Isaac is able to discern the situation, 173 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:38,920 especially as they're making their way up to the mount. 174 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,600 He realizes we have the wood, we have the fire, but where's the 175 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,480 lamb? You know what I love about that 176 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,040 part? It shows that Isaac understood 177 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,560 what it meant to sacrifice to the Lord. 178 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:54,240 Abraham taught him well, and he was old enough to carry the load 179 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,120 of wood on his shoulders. A little boy can't do that. 180 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:01,360 If you read even more carefully, you'll see by the end of the 181 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,560 story that Isaac's old enough to act independently. 182 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:12,080 So this is not a this is not a child, this is a young man. 183 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:17,720 And it makes the accuracy of this reflection and this 184 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:22,160 parallel to Christ that much more wonderful because it 185 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:27,480 reminds us what Jesus said in John 10/18 when he was speaking 186 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,480 about his own death. He wanted to clarify something 187 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:34,600 very important and he said that no one takes it from me. 188 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,720 I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it 189 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,880 down and I have the authority to take it up again. 190 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,280 Jesus Christ was not reluctant going to the cross. 191 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:50,040 He wasn't forced. He wasn't coerced. 192 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:55,600 He wasn't manipulated to do so. He desired to do so. 193 00:13:57,360 --> 00:13:59,880 He desired to do so and obeying the Father, and He desired to do 194 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:04,600 so in redeeming us. You know, this is so powerful. 195 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:05,920 But there's even more to consider. 196 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:10,280 I want you to see the language here, verse 6 of Genesis 22, 197 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:18,320 down through verse 8. And Abraham took the wood of the 198 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,960 burnt offering and laid it on it, on Isaac his son. 199 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:23,320 And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. 200 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:25,440 So they went both of them together. 201 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,680 And Isaac said to his father, Abraham, my father, and he said, 202 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,480 here I am my son. He said, behold the fire and the 203 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,960 wood, but where's the lamb for a burnt offering? 204 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,920 Abraham said, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt 205 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,640 offering, my son. So they went, both of them 206 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:43,480 together. There's a phrase repeated twice 207 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:45,400 in those verses. It's so important. 208 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:47,200 It's the last part of verse eight. 209 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,720 Look at it again. So they went, both of them 210 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:56,040 together, you find at the end of verse 6, as well as though the 211 00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:02,640 Holy Spirit wants to illustrate that the Father and the Son were 212 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:09,560 in complete harmony. Isaac, not for a moment, went 213 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,560 his own way. He didn't delay, He didn't go 214 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:15,360 ahead. He was completely In Sync with 215 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:20,480 his dad, and whatever his father said, he did. 216 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:22,880 Wherever his Father went, he went. 217 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,000 Whatever his Father asked of him, he did. 218 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:31,480 What did Jesus tell us in John 519? 219 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:36,160 That whatever he sees the Father doing, he does. 220 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:43,400 And so even in this we find Isaac reflecting, showing us, 221 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:51,240 preparing us for the greater Son who would absolutely and totally 222 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:53,040 obey what the Father asked of him. 223 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:54,160 You're saying, why is that important? 224 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:57,320 I'll tell you one reason. It's important because Jesus won 225 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:03,560 your obedience. Jesus performed your 226 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:09,480 righteousness. Every law that He obeyed, every 227 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:14,360 command that He was given on any given morning by the Father, all 228 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:18,360 of that righteousness that He accumulated, that perfection is 229 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:23,920 then now transferred to us as though we have perfectly obeyed 230 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:27,800 the Father. You see, His obedience is more 231 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,040 than just confirming His deity and His perfection. 232 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:35,000 Yes, it prepared Him to be the spotless Lamb to be slain, 233 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:39,720 absolutely. But it's also to win our 234 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:44,880 obedience, to clean our record, not just by forgiving the debt, 235 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,240 but by putting into that account righteousness. 236 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,920 So we see the submission here of Isaac. 237 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:58,160 And lastly, the substitute for Isaac. 238 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:03,920 We know the story very well. This boy is laid on the altar 239 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,680 that Abraham built and that he organized. 240 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:12,040 There's no sign of a fight. There's no wrestling. 241 00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:17,800 There's no attempt to escape. As much as Isaac's actions here 242 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,720 prove something of his obedience, the things that you 243 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:25,680 don't find in there also say something about his compliance 244 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,720 and his submission. There's no protest, is there? 245 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:39,120 There's no questioning, just total trust and total 246 00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:45,840 willingness. And Abraham, I love Abraham's 247 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:51,160 faith, all the promises in the back of his mind, that three day 248 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:55,080 journey making his way to the region known as Mariah, trying 249 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:58,040 to make sense, I'm sure of what this is all about. 250 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:02,960 And by the time he gets to the desired location, he determined 251 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:06,680 that although the promise is in this boy, the promise for 252 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:09,600 generations, the promise for the world to be blessed is in this 253 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,240 child. If God's asked me to kill him, 254 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:13,840 it means that he's going to raise him from the dead. 255 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,560 That's the only logical conclusion here, because God 256 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:20,960 keeps His word and so he's ready to go through with this. 257 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:26,120 Some think that Abraham has this understanding that God is going 258 00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:28,800 to stop him from slaying his son. 259 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:33,640 No, no, no, Abraham, we have all the reason to believe that he is 260 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,640 going to actually perform this act. 261 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:39,760 And as he's ready to do it, his hand is stayed. 262 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:42,800 The Angel of the Lord, as we read earlier in verse 12, stops 263 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:44,640 him and says, you passed the test. 264 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:47,200 I know that you fear me. I know that you love me above 265 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:50,840 all things, including Isaac. But the story doesn't stop 266 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:55,200 there. Abraham looks behind him and 267 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:57,640 there's a ram caught in the thicket. 268 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:05,680 And he takes that ram. And instead of Isaac, he kills 269 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:08,800 that ram and it becomes a burnt offering. 270 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:14,360 This is this is one of the earliest depictions, the 271 00:19:14,360 --> 00:19:22,680 earliest sites of God showing us the truth of substitutionary 272 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:26,560 atonement. But there's more than that 273 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:29,200 happening here. Look at verse 14. 274 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:33,600 So Abraham called the name of that place. 275 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:38,800 The Lord will provide, as it is said to this day, on the mount 276 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:40,960 of the Lord, it shall be provided. 277 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:46,200 This is where the famous title for God, Jehovah Jireh comes 278 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:51,160 from. And many people use the 279 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,960 Scripture to speak about God's faithful provision, his 280 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,640 providential provision, How We have nothing to fear. 281 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:00,600 God will always provide. That is certainly true, but the 282 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:04,120 context suggests something much more deep, something that we are 283 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:08,200 looking at tonight. Concerning Christ, notice that 284 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,760 it doesn't say he called the Lord Jehovah Jireh. 285 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:16,600 He named the place Jehovah Jireh. 286 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:21,600 And Moses who's the author of Genesis even adds this in verse 287 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:28,040 14 as it is said to this day. So even up to the days of Moses, 288 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,840 when it came to this specific location, there were those who 289 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:35,440 looked on that hilltop and said, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will 290 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:39,800 provide. And so does Moses or Abraham 291 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,760 rather set this hill up as a memorial of God's faithfulness? 292 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,800 Absolutely. But the tense here and the sense 293 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:47,960 here is that he's also Speaking of something future. 294 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:53,960 Abraham was a prophet. And we have all the reason to 295 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:57,200 believe that in this scene, in this very moment, he got a 296 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:01,760 glimpse of something to come. And it's about this place. 297 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:08,280 Mount Moriah has only referenced one other place in all of the 298 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,680 Hebrew Scriptures. Turn with me to Second 299 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:27,090 Chronicles 3, verse one. This is the account of Solomon's 300 00:21:27,090 --> 00:21:30,930 efforts and his accomplishments concerning the Temple, the 301 00:21:30,930 --> 00:21:35,250 permanent structure of worship, where the nation of Israel would 302 00:21:35,250 --> 00:21:41,480 be able to meet with the Lord and have their sins covered and 303 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:43,600 give to God what is His due. Notice what it said here in 304 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:47,400 Second Chronicles 31. Then Solomon began to build the 305 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,960 House of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. 306 00:21:53,320 --> 00:22:00,200 So Mount Moriah, wherever this hill is, is in Jerusalem, where 307 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,120 the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that 308 00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:05,760 David had appointed on the threshing floor of Ornan the 309 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:10,800 Jebusite. So Abraham in Genesis 22, after 310 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:13,960 experiencing God's intervention, after experiencing how God 311 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:22,800 substituted for his son, says of this place the Lord will provide 312 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:25,200 you come to Second Chronicles 3 and you see a partial 313 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,880 fulfillment of it. The very same site with the 314 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,960 temple be built where many other animals would be offered up as a 315 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,240 sacrifice to cover the sins of the people of God. 316 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:39,720 But there's even a deeper, more wonderful connection here. 317 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:45,440 Notice the clue it says here in the second part of verse one of 318 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:48,040 Second Chronicles 3, where the Lord had appeared to David his 319 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:51,120 father at the place that David had appointed on the threshing 320 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:55,120 floor of Ornan the Jebusite. God wants us as we come to this 321 00:22:55,120 --> 00:23:02,440 historical moment, to think back to what happened with David, who 322 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:07,560 had his own revelation in Jerusalem at this site, deeming 323 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:09,840 at the place where God's house would be built. 324 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:14,440 And when you go there, you see something amazing. 325 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:22,160 Let's go there in First Chronicles now and look at 326 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:29,150 chapter 21. What do you have here? 327 00:23:29,150 --> 00:23:33,510 In First Chronicles 21? You have the record of David's 328 00:23:33,510 --> 00:23:37,230 senses bringing judgement upon the people of God. 329 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,640 We don't have time to get into why David counting the number of 330 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:45,560 military men and counting the number of his population at the 331 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:48,400 time was wrong. It has to do with his motive and 332 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,600 his method. But a prophet approaches David 333 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:56,880 to let him know you did sin and God is going to bring judgment. 334 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:03,640 And so David accepts this. But then you get a glimpse into 335 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,280 the spiritual realm. David himself and others with 336 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:10,640 him have the veil removed and he he gets some kind of insight 337 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:13,480 into what's taking place behind the scenes. 338 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:17,920 And it's here in verse 14. So the Lord sent a pestilence on 339 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:23,600 Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell, and God sent the Angel to 340 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:27,920 Jerusalem to destroy it. But as he was about to destroy 341 00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:30,720 it, the Lord saw, and he relented from the calamity. 342 00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:33,960 And he said to the Angel who was working destruction, It is 343 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:40,120 enough, now stay your hand. And the Angel of the Lord was 344 00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:42,720 standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 345 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,040 And David lifted his eyes and saw the Angel of the Lord 346 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:50,200 standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn 347 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:55,400 sword stretched out over Jerusalem. 348 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,440 Then David and the elders clothed, and sackcloth fell upon 349 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:05,560 their faces. Let's gather some of these 350 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:10,600 things. In Genesis 22 on Mount Moriah 351 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:15,960 you have Abraham, called by God to lead his son to the 352 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:19,120 slaughter. He lays his son on the altar. 353 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:25,520 He draws his knife, and as he was about to plunge it into the 354 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:30,120 chest of his one and only son, the angels of the Lord says, 355 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:36,040 stop. Hundreds upon hundreds of years 356 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:40,720 go by, and David finds himself at the very same site. 357 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:47,920 Judgment is released, and here he sees an Angel with a sword in 358 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,480 his hand, extended over Jerusalem. 359 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:57,520 And before he drops that sword to slay the citizens and 360 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:02,800 inhabitants of the holy city, a voice from heaven commands the 361 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:08,320 Angel to stop. Stay your hand. 362 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:14,760 Something happens hundreds of years after this point. 363 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:23,120 Jesus and Mark 14, after instituting the Lord's Supper, 364 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:28,400 tells us in verse 26 and verse 27 that they were ready to go to 365 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:32,360 the Mount of Olives. But before they make their way, 366 00:26:32,360 --> 00:26:36,360 he looks at his own disciples, and I want you to see what he 367 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:50,850 says to them in Mark 14, verse 27. 368 00:26:54,730 --> 00:26:58,760 And Jesus said to them, You will all fall away, for it is 369 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:02,960 written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be 370 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:07,680 scattered. Where is that written? 371 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:15,720 He quotes Zechariah 13 verse 7. But what he does here in 372 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,160 Zechariah 13, seven is that he quotes the second part of it. 373 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,120 But he tells us by making this reference that He is the 374 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:26,840 fulfillment of Zechariah 13 seven. 375 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,840 Does anybody remember the first part of Zechariah 13 seven? 376 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:34,160 Well, allow me to read it in your presence. 377 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:40,320 Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, against the man who 378 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:42,520 stands next to me, declares the Lord of hosts. 379 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,000 Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. 380 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:48,840 I will turn my hand against the little ones. 381 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:54,080 Jesus was in Jerusalem when he died. 382 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:55,920 Was he not just outside the city? 383 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:58,440 Some even believe that he was on the ridges of Mount Moriah. 384 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:07,880 In Genesis 22 there was a knife ready to strike Abraham's only 385 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,760 son. His hand was stayed. 386 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:15,200 In First Chronicles 21 there is an Angel with a sword in his 387 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:19,920 hand, and he was ready to strike Jerusalem, but a voice from 388 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,960 heaven commanded that hand to go no further. 389 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:31,080 And then Jesus Christ, the Son of God appears on the scene, and 390 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:33,880 he would later be pinned to a cross. 391 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:40,360 And according to Zechariah 13, seven, the sword of the Lord, a 392 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:43,320 picture of God's justice and wrath would be unsheathed. 393 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:49,960 But this time there was no cry from heaven for that sword to 394 00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:52,680 stop. There was no halt. 395 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:56,480 There was no retraction of the outpouring of justice. 396 00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:59,720 There was no escape from this devastating blow. 397 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:10,960 The sword in Zechariah 13 seven met the Son of God and pierced 398 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:16,280 him. The law will provide. 399 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:21,000 He named that place Jehovah Jireh. 400 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:29,960 Isaac didn't experience it. Thousands upon thousands in 401 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:31,880 Jerusalem and David's day didn't experience it. 402 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:40,240 Jesus experienced the sharpest sword with the strongest thrust 403 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:43,680 so that you wouldn't have to experience it. 404 00:29:49,980 --> 00:29:56,300 He took your place, and he received the blow of God's 405 00:29:56,580 --> 00:30:04,280 fierce judgement, and he took piercings physically, and he 406 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:10,120 experienced pain and suffering on levels that we dare not 407 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:16,480 explore because no mind, no matter how great it is, can 408 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:21,720 conjure up or fathom what took place in those very few hours on 409 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:32,040 that cross. The substitute for Isaac, sure, 410 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:34,920 but also the substitute for all of humanity. 411 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:40,960 And that's what we're reflecting on tonight. 412 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:44,200 That's what we're here to meditate on tonight. 413 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:48,200 It should have been you. It should have been me. 414 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:55,080 But God and his great love gave his Son and allowed the sword to 415 00:30:55,080 --> 00:31:02,320 strike him. And that's why we have this 416 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:07,360 evening every year, so that we can come into this place and not 417 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:13,080 think about what I can do for God, how I can bless God, as 418 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:17,200 important as that is. How I can become more godly and 419 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:20,280 more holy and more sanctified and more serious. 420 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:22,160 There's a time and place for that. 421 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:25,680 But what this is all about, ultimately, is what God has done 422 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:29,400 for us. This is part of the offense of 423 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,520 the gospel. You're telling me I don't have 424 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:34,440 any role to play in my salvation? 425 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:41,280 There's no punishment I have to accept, There's no record that I 426 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:44,560 have to keep. There's no sacrifice I have to 427 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:47,920 make. And for many, for millions, this 428 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:52,960 is unattractive. They want a part to play in 429 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:56,400 their own redemption. And we are Christians, strange 430 00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:01,080 creatures on this planet for many reasons, including this 431 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,200 one. Our salvation solely rests on 432 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:05,600 the one who took the sword on our behalf. 433 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:10,000 And you and I come here, yes, once a year. 434 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:16,680 But I hope every day to remember that the foundation of it all is 435 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:21,080 that He took my judgement. He paid the price for me. 436 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:26,040 He fulfilled the righteousness that I don't deserve but 437 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:31,600 desperately need. And there are so many threads in 438 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:40,760 this beautiful book that amplify that message so that you and I 439 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:42,880 would one believe it. So that we would be saved but 440 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:49,120 also rest in it. I found myself this whole day 441 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:52,280 today. Try not to allow any other 442 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:57,160 thought enter into my mind and to fix my meditation upon this 443 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:04,000 glorious truth. I am forgiven forever if you 444 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:08,280 really believe that, if I really believe that, then we're the 445 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:12,200 richest people on earth, we're the most blessed. 446 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:17,200 We have nothing to boast about in ourselves but Christ, this 447 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:22,160 great love. From the beginning He planned it 448 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:26,440 that He would take what we deserve and give us what we 449 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:30,640 don't deserve. So tonight, as we are going to 450 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:37,200 partake of the bread and the cup, please approach this table 451 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:44,120 with the revelation that the sword fell upon him so that I 452 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:49,360 can go free. Let's pray. 453 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:15,880 Father, in the sacred setting we say thank you for your love. 454 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:24,199 Abraham proved his love for you by giving his only son. 455 00:34:24,199 --> 00:34:29,280 You have shown your love for us by giving your only son. 456 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:41,280 Thank you for the the brilliance of your word that there are so 457 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:43,800 many ways to perceive and understand what took place on 458 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:45,679 the cross. And you've given us a new 459 00:34:45,679 --> 00:34:52,080 revelation of a sword, a sword that did not strike Isaac, a 460 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:58,120 sword that did not fall upon Jerusalem, and a sword that 461 00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:02,720 should have fell on each of us, but instead was aimed at the Son 462 00:35:02,720 --> 00:35:09,640 of God and Pierce them so that we can be free. 463 00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:16,440 Lord, we gladly confess in your presence tonight that as we eat 464 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:22,320 and drink of these elements, we are savoring the grace of God, 465 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:27,760 the free gift of salvation that was very costly. 466 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:33,520 We love you, Lord, help us love you more. 467 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:39,480 In Christ's name we pray, Amen. Just remain seated as we get the 468 00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:42,880 table organized. Let these lyrics and the music 469 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:46,560 wash over you and prepare your heart to come. 470 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:53,520 Not sorrowful, not guilty, but overwhelmed by His love.