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welcome to everyone it's good to be back in the house of our God you can turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Psalms Psalm 99 for our call to worship psalm 99. I'll begin reading in verse 1 the Lord Reigns let the peoples he dwells between the Lord is great in Zion and he is high above all the peoples let them praise your great and awesome name he is Holy the king's strength also loves Justice you have established Equity you have executed Justice and righteousness and Jacob exalt the Lord Our God and worship at his footstool he is holy Moses and Aaron were among his priests and Samuel was among those who called upon his name they called upon the Lord and he answered them he spoke to them in the Cloudy pillar they kept his testimonies in the ordinance he gave them you answered them O Lord Our God you were to them God who forgives though you took Vengeance on their deeds exalt the Lord Our God and worship at his Holy Hill for the Lord our God is Holy amen well please turn with me in your hymn books to Psalm 23. Psalm 23 be as in bravo will stand as we sing together 23b [Music] lies [Music] my eyes [Music] foreign [Music] together let us pray our blessed God and Holy Father we thank you for the Lord's day we thank you for the privilege to gather in the house of God with the people of God on the day of God and we pray that you would be glorified and honored in this glad hour we ask that you would be merciful and gracious to us that you would promote in us that that right reverence to such a great and holy God as we are reminded by the psalmist we acknowledge that you are Majestic and glorious and righteous we acknowledge the works of your hands even creation and Providence and and Redemption we see your wisdom and your power and your goodness so clearly displayed in each of these works as well we Marvel at the grace of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for his life of obedience his death as a sacrifice and substitute and his resurrection again that third day we bless you that he ever lives to make intercession for us even now as he's enthroned at the right hand of God most high and we do look forward to that coming again in glory to judge the living in the that we thank you for the Forgiveness of sins and the imputed righteousness of Christ that is received by faith alone and we thank you for the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit who guides and directs and leads us each and every day we confess our sins to you even now as we come into this place as we acknowledge your majesty and Holiness we are mindful of our own remaining corruption the Apostle tells us to let our conduct be worthy of the gospel and yet we find as he says elsewhere this principle in US of this remaining corruption in us the flesh lusts against the spirit the spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary to one another so God forgive us and cleanse Us in that precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ further conform us unto His Image and and grant us Grace and strength to persevere to pursue those things that are pleasing in your sight we pray as well for any and all who are dead in their trespasses and sins that you would awaken them through the proclamation of your truth here and elsewhere we pray that the Holy Spirit would attend to the preach teaching of the word and that you would be pleased to call Sinners out of Darkness into Marvelous Light and may they Proclaim your excellencies and your glory as well father we pray for the temporal needs in our congregation we think of the ladies who are not well we commend them to you into the word of your grace we pray for our sister Esther that you would bless her and watch over her and give her help and strength as well we pray for surely that you would just undertake on her behalf in terms of the decisions to be made and the therapies to undergo we just pray that you would uphold her God and give her daily grace for daily need as well we pray for our brother Don that you would look with favor upon him give wisdom to the doctors and just give Grace to him Lord God to continue to rejoice in the Savior even while he is not well physically and God for the other needs in our local church there are many to be sure and we know that you are a God who cares for us and we have that great encouragement from the Apostle Peter to cast our burdens upon you knowing that you care for us and God what a great thing to rejoice in what a great thing to contemplate that the god of of absolute sovereignty and glory and power The God Who made this world looks upon each and every one of his Saints and looks with favor upon them in their condition May these things strengthen and encourage our weary hearts and may you continue to build us up in our Most Holy Faith we pray for the church in Surrey we thank you for Pastor Mike and pray for the blessing of God upon that Ministry we pray as well for Ryan and Armstrong we thank you for this dear brother we thank you that cam had the opportunity to preach there we pray father that the Saints would have been greatly encouraged and God continue with the Brethren and Dryden thank you for that report this morning we pray that you would Grant to them all that they stand in need of and that they would shine his lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and that in that place they would hold forth that word of Truth and that you would bring Sinners to be saved Saints to be edified and strengthened and encouraged and God may you indeed establish a faithful Church in that part of Canada we pray as well for John and Malena we thank you for this dear brother and sister in Honduras and for the church that they participate in we pray God that you'd bless the elders there grant them Grace as they continue to minister in that City and we pray father for your your gospel to go forth in that part of the world and God be gracious to other churches here in our community we thank you for those we have alliance with we thank you for those brothers that are Faithfully proclaiming the truth as it is in Jesus we pray that you would bless them and their churches and cause your your glory to be known in this city and throughout this nation Lord God we stand in in need of of great Mercy from on high we certainly live in a day similar to what the prophet Isaiah saw in in Judah at his time when men call good evil and evil good and we we pray that you would send your word that that you would be pleased to save more and more people and do a great and glorious work for your name's sake in this land and be gracious to the brothers and the sisters throughout the world we think of church Planters we think of evangelists and and pastors and and missionaries that you would cause them to continue to proclaim the cross of Jesus Christ as well God we pray for the persecuted church that you would look with favor upon your weary Saints your battle weary Saints and and hold them up and sustain them and strengthen them we think in particular of our dear brother Peter and Myanmar God the work that he has had to undergo the various things that he has been called upon to do the the wisdom that is necessary for such a a Monumental task we give all praise and glory to you for your daily sustaining Grace in his life we pray you would continue to protect him that you would watch over him and that you would cause them to flourish and to know the the joy being found in Jesus Christ and we pray these things in the name of the Lord Jesus amen we can turn with me again in your hymn books to Psalm 138 Psalm 138 a as in Alpha will stand as we sing together thankfulness and gratitude to our God [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] number three [Music] for you please [Music] answer me my soul and praise is [Music] thank you and praise [Music] God [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] we could turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Genesis Genesis chapter 22 for our meditation tonight before the Lord's Supper Genesis chapter 22. the history of interpretation this has been referred to as The Binding of Isaac I'll read verses 1 to 19. we'll pray and then we'll look at this particular instance in Holy Scripture so Genesis 22 beginning in verse 1. now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham and he said to him Abraham and he said here I am then he said take now your son your only son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you so Abraham Rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son and he split the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the play so far off and Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey the lad and I will go Yonder and worship and we will come back to you so Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son and he took the fire in his hand and a knife and the two of them went together but Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said my father and he said here I am my son then he said look the fire and the wood but where is the Lamb for a burnt offering and Abraham said my son God will provide for himself the land for a burnt offering so the two of them went together then they came to the place of which God had told him and Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood and Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham Abraham so he said here I am and he said do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son your only son from me then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked and there behind him was a ram caught in a Thicket by its horns so Abraham went and took the RAM and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son and Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide as it is said to this day in the mountain of the Lord it shall be provided then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven and said by myself I have sworn says the Lord because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son your only son blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the sea shore and your descendants shall possess the Gate of their enemies in your seed all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice so Abraham returned to his young men and they Rose and went together to Bear Sheba and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba amen well let us pray our gracious God and Father we thank you for what we find In this passage of scripture Abraham told to take his son his only son and offer him up as a sacrifice certainly we see the connection between God the father and God the son the only begotten son of the Father the one beloved by the father was ultimately delivered up for us men and for our Salvation we thank you we pray that you would guide us now in our thoughts concerning this passage of scripture and may it draw from us worship and praise and adoration to such a great and glorious God that has provided the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world again forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness and guide us by the presence and power of your Holy Spirit and we pray in Jesus name amen well obviously a sober passage of scripture very serious situation going on with reference to Abraham so I want to look first at the presentation of the test the author tells us this is a test for two reasons one to indicate that God does not demand child sacrifice but as well too to show us something of the faithfulness and Fidelity of Abraham so we'll look at the presentation of the test in verses one and two secondly The Obedience of Abraham in verses 3 to 10 and then finally the approval by God in verses 11 to 19. so let's look first at verse one notice it says now it came to pass after these things we ought not to miss the connection here between this chapter and chapter 21. Abraham has already undergone grief in terms of his family remember that he cried out for a a seed and then one that would be the inheritor of his of his promises and he wanted it to be Ishmael and God said no it's not going to be Ishmael rather it's going to be Isaac but nevertheless he loved Ishmael he had that son by the Bond woman Hagar well in chapter 21 he is sent away he is banished he is gone he is removed from the presence of Abraham and again a very difficult situation for a man when you look at Chapters 21 in chapter chapters 21 and 22 realize I don't want to get too psychological with it but Abraham was a real man with real flesh and real blood and real affections and a real love for the the the seed that came from him so he loved these Sons already in chapter 21 he has to part with Ishmael and here in chapter 22 he is told that he is going to part with Isaac so that's the connection notice as well it says in verse 1. now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham James tells us that God doesn't test people well the Bible uses that word test or Temptation in two particular ways one is a solicitation to do evil and that's what James is referring to in the other instance it's a test somewhat like we see in a passage like this now you would say it's evil to kill your son but again we are being forewarned that that is not the intention in this particular chapter the author alerts the reader to the fact that this is in fact a test but Abraham doesn't know this as far as Abraham is concerned he is trusting God he is walking by faith and he is doing what he is called to do one commentator a Jewish commentator actually says this information is imparted to the reader not divulge to Abraham in order to remove any possible misunderstanding that God requires human sacrifice as such therefore the purely probative nature of the Divine request is emphasized now the reader knows that the son will not be slaughtered so again we're told in verse one we're alerted that this is in fact a task but Abraham does not know this information notice as well the location it says in verse 2 then he said take now your son your only son when God speaks concerning Isaac to Abraham that's how he refers to it your son your only son the one whom you love again reminiscent in light of the New Covenant of the only begotten son of the Father the Beloved by God even Jesus Christ Our Lord so notice go to the land of Moriah now Moriah would be the place where David would build an altar the threshing floor of Arana in order to atone so that God's Wrath would not be spent on Israel that's second Samuel uh 2 15-25 actually don't think it's two I think it's probably 24. I just have a misprint in my notes but as well it's the future site of the temple in Jerusalem so Moriah is a very significant place in terms of biblical geography Moriah is the place of sacrifice Moriah is the place where God's Wrath is atoned for and that's the place where he is told to take this young man Isaac so notice then with reference to the test the specific object in involved the willingness of Abraham go back for just a moment at the end of verse 1. so God tested Abraham and said to him Abraham and he said here I am then he said take now your son your only son whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer them offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you so the willingness of Abraham is seen there here I am but the severity of the demand take now your son and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you for those of us who've been going through the Wednesday night bible study we're on a bit of a Hiatus right now but we'll notice that or we remember that in Leviticus chapter 1 we find what the burnt offering is that is a whole offering that is when the offered the the victim is Holy and absolutely consumed and so Abraham knowing this understood the ramifications and the implications of this particular request by God most time notice what he does does not do he doesn't resist God he doesn't reject God he doesn't say no to God but he makes preparations to obey God and to walk in faithfulness before him so the burnt offering is a very serious situation in fact listen to John Gill he says this was Dreadful work he was called to and must be exceeding trying to him as a man and much more as a parent I want to make these observations along the way again not to psychoanalyze Abraham not to put him on our couch and to see what makes him Tech but rather as an Exemplar of faith faith is Faith even in the midst of hardship faith is Faith even in the midst of adversity faith is Faith even in the midst of Affliction we can't say well I'm going through this I'm going through that I'm going through this so I'm just not going to go to church I'm just not going to read my Bible I'm just not going to pray I'm not going to go to the Lord's Supper because after all I'm suffering I'm Afflicted I'm having hardship brethren we need to remember that many people people before us and many people at our present time go through distress and difficulty in Affliction the like that we don't the likes that we don't even know and yet they maintain Fidelity look at the history of the Christian Church look at the subject of martyrdom look at what the people of God have undertook on behalf of their commitment to the Lord most high they didn't whine they didn't Rumble they didn't complain rather they steadfastly set their face like a flint to follow after Jesus wherever he bid them go and I think this is a very helpful lesson for us as we observe Abraham in the midst of the Furnace of afflict yet he nevertheless walks in faith before his God so again back to guilt he says this was Dreadful work he was called to and must be exceeding trying to him as a man and much more as a parent and a professor of the True Religion to commit such an action for by this order he was to cut the throat of his son then to rip him up and cut up his quarters and then to lay every piece in order upon the wood it and then burn all to ashes and this he was to do as a religious action with deliberation seriousness and devotion puts in a different light when you contemplate it from that particular vantage point this isn't an empty sort of formalistic religious exercise this is a whole soul commitment to the true and living God it makes us attending worship attending church look like a walk in the park and yet so many times we can't be bothered we've got other things to do we've got other commitments we've got other issues or we've got other problems learn from the father of the faithful to obey God no matter the circumstances to obey God no matter the difficulties to obey God no matter what may come our particular way Abraham is a faithful man Abraham walks by faith and not by sight and that's evidence here in The Binding of Isaac so notice secondly The Obedience of Abraham in verses 3 to 10. we'll note first the preparation this must have been a difficult task for the this patriarch in terms of preparing for this activity you know how that is you've got a difficult thing you've got to do you get the butterflies in your stomach you get that response physically to the very difficult thing that you are facing you're filled with anxiety and hardship and woe and you possibly worry about everything that's going to come your way I don't know the psychology of Abraham but if he's like any other man any other father any other parent he certainly has that distress all around him at this crunch time so notice with reference to his preparation verse three so Abraham Rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey same pattern that we saw in 21 14 notice when he banishes Ishmael so Abraham Rose early in the morning and took a bread and a skin of water and putting it on her shoulder he gave it and the boy to Hagar and sent her away then she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba he does the same thing here in verse 3 of chapter 22. so Abraham Rose early in the morning saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son and he split the wood for the burnt offering it's intriguing he does the most difficult task last usually we get everything prepared and then load the car and then off we go he loaded the car and then did the last and most difficult tasks notice he rose early in the morning saddled his donkey took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son and then he split the wood for the burnt offering that's the most difficult part of this transaction that would for the burnt offering is going to be that wood that consumes his son his only son the son whom he loves so he puts that off as it were and I think that indicates something about times of uh of distress we oftentimes don't think in our uh in our right Minds I'm not suggesting he's out of his mind but if you think about the book of Lamentations I want to kind of illustrate this I think this is something about The Human Condition the book of Lamentations is a genius literary piece the five chapters or five chapters are all alliteration so basically each verse starts with a Hebrew letter and it goes from a to the end of the Hebrew alphabet so there's four chapters that are 22 verses for the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet the fifth chapter I may be a chapter off I didn't look at this beforehand but the fifth chapter is 66 verses so you've got a a a b b b b b b uh CCC that sort of a thing actually GGG if we're going to the Hebrew alphabet and then the last chapter there's none of that not at all why because distress does that to us we like to have everything in order we like to have everything in its place but when the crunch time comes we kind of lose our minds a little bit again I'm not suggesting this with reference to Abraham but the pattern is interesting he gets everything ready except for that wood he waits till the very end because I think that wood represents the gravity of the situation now notice the particular Journey that they take the end of verse 3. it says Anna Rose and went to the place of which God had told him then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the plays afar up this wasn't an hour-long Journey they didn't jump in the Jetta turn on the air conditioning drive up to you know the backside of Shan and then you know act their way up there for for an hour later this was a three-day Journey this is three days to contemplate the burnt offering to contemplate your only son the son whom you love and the fact that you need to present him now as a burnt offering unto God listen to Calvin God does not require him to put his son immediately to death but compels him to revolve this execution in his mind during three whole days that in preparing himself to sacrifice his son he may still more severely torture all his own senses in other words this three-day journey is no you know walk in the park this isn't just a vacation this isn't a holiday this was wasn't Recreation time this was hardship in the mind of this patriarch who nevertheless walks by faith again Brethren the thought that wow this is a difficult to ask I I just don't think I can do it well God gives Grace and enables us to do it we need to be faithful we need to be obedient we need to be compliant and we need to understand that ultimately all things are under his Sovereign control and we will see that Abraham acknowledges that Abraham understands that Abraham knows that he walks and he talks and he moves as a man who has tried and proven that his God is in fact faithful notice the instruction given to his servants verse 4 then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off and Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey the lad and I will go Yonder and worship and we will come back to you so the isolation of Abraham he can't take the servants on this one this is between him and Isaac and God he must go it alone as well notice the psychological distancing I've said I'm not going to psychoanalyze him and I'm psychoanalyzing him but notice how he refers here in verse 5 to the lad not my son the son that I love my my only son but it's the lad here it's a bit of that distancing in terms of the the the situation at hand but then notice his expression of Faith at the end of verse 5. he says and we will come back to you he doesn't say I will come back to you he says we will come back to you what does he mean there well he means exactly what he says whatever's going to happen on Mount Moriah understanding the the specific demand placed upon Him by Yahweh in terms of a whole burnt offering he understands and recognizes by faith that he and the lad will return will the Apostle and I take it as Paul in the book of Hebrews comments in the Hall of faith in chapter 11 verses 17 to 19 he says by faith Abraham when he was tested offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son see Paul uses that language thereof only begotten son to link Isaac and Jesus to see the typology to see the prefigurement to see the foreshadowing that's going to be the bulk of the application tonight is the typology involved in chapter 22 of the Book of Genesis so he offered up Isaac and he who and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of who it was said in Isaac seed shall be called now notice what he goes on to say concluding that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from which he also received him in a figurative sense so as Abraham Journeys to Mariah with his son his only son his son that he loves and he understands the demands of the the the command and and the the demand of God in terms of a whole burnt offering he understands that if he does drive that knife into his son's heart God's able to raise him up you talk about faith and you talk about walking by faith he understood that if at Moriah I carry out this task and there's probably no if at all involved in it because Abraham does precisely what God commands he knows that if he kills him he knows that God will raise him up why because God has promise that in Isaac all the nations of the earth will be blessed that promise to Abraham that promise to Isaac that promise to Jacob that is ultimately terminated on the Lord Jesus Christ he is the Son Of Promise he is the Seed of Abraham and so Abraham understands the blessing of the world the blessing of the Nations the blessing of all families of the earth rests upon that seed and so if he is called upon to terminate that seed then God will raise that seed from the dead and so he says to the servants we will return now notice in terms of The Obedience of Abraham in verses 6 to 10 we have the actual Act of sacrifice note again the preparation verse 6. so Abraham took the wood of the burned offering and laid it on Isaac his son and he took the fire in his hand and a knife and the two of them went together now commentators speculate on how old Isaac was at this particular time I think Matthew Poole and and Usher James Usher suggested he was 25 uh late teens to early 20s he was certainly uh understanding of of the fact that there was no sacrifice or no animal victim for the sacrifice as he asks in just a moment but he had to be somewhat strong you don't load up a two-year-old with you know wood to carry it up Mount Moriah so that you can lay him down on that wood so he's obviously conscious he's a young adult he understands what's happening in terms of this particular Act One commentator with reference to the wood laid upon Isaac Gordon Wenham says the wood on Isaac's back looks forward to the moment when Isaac will be lying on his back on the wood with his father knife and hand ready to slay him thus the wording here anticipates the moment of the sacrifice itself and of course he has the fire and the knife and he understands the implications of fire knife and wood he understands what it is he has to do again just as we think about the various difficulties that we undergo well pretty positive none of us have ever had to gone through this pretty positive but positive none of us will ever have to go through something like this whatever God has in store for us it is probably not going to be this severe of a test this severe of a distressing situation this severe of a hardship and when it comes to this severe of a test in a hardship the man that God calls is the man that God furnishes with the grace to persevere in the midst of it well he's been more I always marble about that in times of you know martyrdom you see these saints that suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ you see these saints that go willingly to the Cross or to the to the stake or to the fire whatever it is that the Godless have for them and you wonder you know what I have the ability to do that I I mean I don't know I'm going to go home tonight eat a peanut butter jelly sandwich and go to bed I I don't know if on the way home somebody captured me and took me somewhere and threatened me with certain death and I don't know if I'd wander into those Flames with the kind of Gusto and relish that the the brothers of old hat we need to trust God for the grace necessary in a particular day when we have a demand or a need rather for that kind of Grace we can trust our good God to give that kind to Grace he is wise he is infinitely knowledgeable he has us under his control and if he calls upon us to suffer in a great distress we can trust him to provide what we need to go through that distress in a manner that is glorifying to him and that brings us to the end of our of of ourselves so we see this in Abraham now here comes the question of Isaac verse 7. so Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said my father and he said here I am my son then he said look the fire and the wood but where is the Lamb for a burnt offering so the end of the silence is With My Father Again probably a difficult thing when you know what's in store when you know what's at stake and you know what is going to happen listen to Calvin again God produces here a new instrument of torture by which he may more and more torment the breast of Abraham already pierced through with so many wounds yet the holy man sustains even this attack with Invincible courage and is so far from being disturbed in his proposed course that he shows himself to be entirely devoted to God hearkening to nothing which should either shake his confidence or hinder his obedience this is Faith Brethren this is Faith what is Faith well obviously believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ there will be repentance there will be that that evidence that we by God's grace have have died to sin died to ourselves we're alive now in Christ Jesus but there's that daily maturation of Faith how do we get that kind of Faith well I'm not exactly sure with reference to that kind of Faith because I don't think I have that kind of Faith but I think the way to pursue it is through the use of the means that God has ordained we don't get that kind of Faith by neglecting our Bibles we don't get that kind of Faith by neglecting prayer we don't get that kind of Faith by neglecting the corporate means of Grace we get that kind of Faith by maintaining communion with God we get that kind of Faith by asking Lord the Lord to increase our faith remember that instance in Luke's gospel when the uh Peter comes to to Jesus and he says Lord how many times should I so should I forgive my brother in a given day seven times Peter probably thought he was magnanimous in that seven times I mean how many of us you know seven times in a day well I mean for mostly all parents so we know what that's like but but but seven times in a day what does Jesus say to him no Peter not not seven times seven times seventy and the point there is not count it the point is not there well you know once you get to 7 times 70 that's 7 times 71 I'd probably not good math you cut him off and you stop that no that's not the point the point is be large-hearted be like God be gracious and generous and be forgiven do you know what the apostles say after Jesus says that they say Lord increase our faith isn't that an amazing thing in order to function appropriately toward one another we need an increase in faith in order to function appropriately before our God when it comes to tasks or hardships or afflictions or difficulties so don't so that we don't lose our ever loving mind we need an increase in faith Abraham doesn't just come to this place Abraham has grown in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Abraham has proved and tried and proven as God that he is in fact faithful and so he asks the question and then Abraham gives him a theology lesson notice specifically in verse 8 Abraham said my son God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering so the two of them went together God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering you know what Abraham's doing here he's preaching Christ to Isaac not some nebulous vague ambiguous thought of Christ but from our study in the Gospel of John the Lord Jesus says Abraham Rejoice to see my day he saw it and he was glad you know one of the pieces of evidence or one of the pieces or promises that furthered Abraham's Faith was this very instance he already had a robust faith in the coming of the Savior here this only increases it by the way of typology the fact that Isaac himself functions as what Jesus Will function as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world wena again says to Isaac it must have sounded like evasion when he says God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering he says but he said nothing and went up on the mountain which I think speaks very favorably of Isaac whatever him whatever Abraham was doing in terms of his home life he was doing it well and I think that is you know what we see in Genesis Chapter 18 with reference to Abraham if you look back at Genesis Chapter 18 specifically at verse 16 then the men Rose from there and looked towards Sodom this is the announcement of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham with them went with them to send them on the way and the Lord said shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed in him for I have known him in order that he may command his children and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and Justice that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him so we see the fruition of that in the life of advisor a young adult man understanding the implications at this point of what's going to happen or having a pretty good idea of what's going to happen I mean it was somewhat vague in the sense of a direct answer the Lord will provide for himself of the lamb for a burn to offering Isaac was certainly smart enough to realize that didn't really answer the question but I'm going to March onward with my father anyway because my father has taught me to trust in Yahweh my father has trust taught me to trust in the Living God and I'm going to follow my father up to Mariah and I'm going to undergo whatever he says now that brings us then to the actual act in verses 9 and 10. then they came to the place of which God had told him and Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order and he bound Isaac Assad and laid him on the altar upon the wood again you get no sort of indication that Isaac fought him that Isaac resisted him that Isaac said wait a minute dad that that's not what we talked about here he goes along along with it he complies with it he's he's a a willing victim as it were so this occurs and then Abraham stretches out his hand and takes the knife to slay his son so they prepare the altar Isaac is bound and placed upon the Altar and then he stretches out his hand with the knife and that brings us ultimately to the approval by God in verses 11 to 19. notice the command by God don't do it don't do it this has been a test verse 11. but the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham Abraham so he said here I am and he said do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son your only son from me so there's an urgency involved the angel of the Lord doesn't want Abraham to lay the knife into Isaac that was not the intention the intention was to test him do not lay your hand on the ladder do anything to him and then that reason for now I know that you fear God you need to understand that is written in the language or in the manner of men God doesn't acquire knowledge the way we do God does not learn discursively God doesn't sit down at the table and look at two plus two and then oh that that inevitably leads to four this is written in the manner of men it's capitulation to us in our low degree it is as it were an accommodation by God to encourage Abraham with the reality that he has successfully passed the test the Lord doesn't come to know this is written in the manner of man the actual technical language is that it's a a an improper predication concerning God Calvin says this truly by condescending to the manner of men God here says that what he has proved by experiment is now made known to himself and he speaks thus with us not according to his own infinite wisdom but according to our infirmity the language is written to accommodate God to us so that we get it so that we understand it so that we appropriate it and so does Abraham so when it says now I know God doesn't move from a state of not knowing to a state of knowing that is impossible with reference to God God knows all things God is over all things God is omniscient so this is for us now notice in terms of the provision by God so Abraham's theology with reference to Isaac gets now a token yet's Now a type yes now some prefigurement pointing forward to the Messiah who is to come and that's precisely what you see there in verses 13 and 14. so verse 13 then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked and there behind him was a ram caught in a Thicket by its horns so Abraham went and took the RAM and offered it up for a burnt offering note this next phrase instead of his son it is a substitute it stands in the place of it takes the place off it is substitutionary atonement it is substitutionary Curse bearing so this Ram takes the place of Isaac and then notice Abraham calls that place the Lord will provide Jehovah Jireh as it is said to this day in the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided so the Lord God gives him this token for the benefit of himself for the benefit of Isaac and for the benefit of all Israel that would read concerning Messiah when we ask the question in John chapter 8 how did Abraham see Jesus day he saw it in that realm caught in the thicket he saw it as fulfilling his theology lesson in verse 8 that the Lord would in fact provide he saw it with the eyes of faith that he understood that and that carried him further and further again brethren want to keep beating us over the head but Abraham didn't have Genesis to Revelation he had Genesis you know 1 to 21 up to this point he didn't have the great body of data that we now have and yet his faith in many ways outshines us tremendously outshines the church tremendously why is that again I believe it's because he communed with God he believed the promises of God he understood they were yea and amen and the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ and then finally we see the confirmation of his promise to Abraham that he had made previous to this notice in verse 15. then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven and said by myself I have sworn says the Lord because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son your only son blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore and your descendant shall possess the Gate of their or his enemies God's enemies in your seat all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice so Abraham returned to his young men and they Rose and went together to Beersheba and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba now that's interesting language there again in verse 15. by myself I have sworn Paul picks that up in Hebrews chapter 6. he speaks of God swearing an oath we need to understand that the oath that God swears is not for God it's for us see when we stand in a courtroom and we raise our right hand and we say I swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God it is an attestation of our Fidelity to the the courtroom it is to provide for us the seriousness of the the the testimony we're supposed to give when God takes an oath or swears by himself he is truth itself this is how David addresses him he is the the Lord God of Truth Jesus describes himself or uses that I am in John 14 6 I am the way that the truth and the life kindness 1 1 tells us that that God cannot lie we ask the question can God do all things yeah he can do all his holy will but there are what John Murray calls Divine cannots he cannot deny himself he cannot lie he cannot engage in in wickedness so when he swears this oath it's for the benefit of of Abraham it's kind of like genesis chapter 15. and these two passages are utilized by James in James chapter 2. not to teach justification by works Abraham is Justified in Genesis 15 6 when he believes God and it's accounted unto him for righteousness that that faith in God that faith in the Lord Jesus is demonstrated here in Genesis 22 by his works of obedience that's how James handles it in James chapter 2. and in James or rather Genesis 15 after Abraham believes God and it's accounted to him for righteousness Abraham asks God about the nature of the Covenant promise it says how am I supposed to know that you're going to bring this about and that I will have a great multitude of descendants so God confirms it by way of Covenant he tells Abraham to take animals cut them in half put them on either side and then the parties of the Covenant walk between them the idea is the significance of this is to demonstrate that if one or both parties are Unfaithful in terms of the Covenant May whatever happened to these animals happen to them so what is that God condescends to answer Abraham's question via Covenant in Genesis 15. God condescends here to reiterate the the the the Promise by this oath of confirmation Philip Hughes comments on the Hebrews passage he says that God should bind himself by an oath is a reflection not on the Divine credibility but on the perversion of the human situation God's oath indeed though in itself redundant since his word is absolute truth is a condescension to human Frailty so again that oath is for the benefit of Abraham God doesn't need a reminder of the solemnity and the seriousness of the Covenant promises that he has entered into no God gives that for him and then the confirmation of those promises the multiplication of his Descendants the victory over his enemies and the blessing of all the nations of the Earth in Abraham's see so in conclusion the Lord calls upon Abraham to engage in a very difficult task in a very difficult task Abraham Bears up by the grace of God in terms of walking by faith and God blesses by way of confirming to him the promises that he had given so I want to suggest that we ought to observe the faith of Abraham faithful perseverance in the midst of hardship faithful perseverance in the midst of trial it's easy to be a fair weather fan right I'm not a hockey fan but I suppose it's easy to root for the Canucks when they're doing well it's not easy to root for the Canucks when they're not doing well you call that a fair weather fan the person that no longer wants the Canucks but they go after the you know the the one that's really winning well Brethren it's easy to be a fair weather Christian I mean you know as I said we go home tonight we probably aren't going to get abducted you know Boko Haram isn't going to run out of the you know from the slew of the The Hope slew and capture us and take us to some dungeon and poke out our eyes or pull out our our fingernails I mean all in all we got it pretty good right I mean there's some increasing some things that look like there's some things perhaps on the horizon there's some things to be a bit concerned about in terms of government oppression and that sort of thing but for the most part right now none of us have been you know having to you know uh evade you know machine gun mounts on the way to to church tonight so it's very easy on the one hand to serve God when when everything's going well we need to serve God when everything's not going well we need to serve God in the midst of the Valley of the shadow of death we need to resolve with David David the psalmist I I will not fear for for thou art with me even in the valley the shadow of death God is with us and his rod and his staff they Comfort us we ought to learn from Father Abraham perseverance in the midst of difficult trials the presence of Trials afflictions and suffering even in the life of faith I mean Abraham is the father of the faithful Abraham is a man that was a a favor truly by God most high and he had problems do you think we're going to get off the hook do you think that you know with Jesus being a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief you've read second Corinthians chapter 11 and Paul's rehearsal of all he went through in terms of suffering for Jesus Christ you think that the history of Christian martyrdom suggests that that nothing will ever happen to us things may possibly happen to us and the idea is is that we don't abandon our faith the idea is that we don't say well I can't believe horrible things are happening to a child of the king and turn our backs on the cave we need to press on we need to put our shoulders to the plow and we need to go forward in faith in our blessed God and then the consequent good works when there is genuine Faith again you might meditate on this later James chapter 2 this is James's point when he talks about faith without words is dead he is suggesting or rather telling us that true saving Faith while it is alone it is the alone instrument of of of of saving uh Saving Grace it nevertheless is not alone but it's accompanied by all other saving Graces and that's what James takes up now in terms of the typology typology is a person place or event that foreshadows or prefigures something in the New Covenant could be a man Adam was a type of Jesus Paul says that in Romans 5 14. uh the temple that's a place it what stood what so that we can go back to it no it stood to point us to Jesus and now that Jesus is come we we know that blessed dwelling of God with Sinners through Jesus Christ Our Lord so so you've got places you've got events the the Passover certainly foreshadowed signified typified what Paul says in First Corinthians 5 7 that Jesus Christ Our is our Passover but in this particular passage it's riddled with types first of all the event itself it points forward to the Exodus Israel would go through uh go on a three-day journey to worship God on a mountain just like Abraham is supposed to do you start seeing Connections in the Old Testament with the Old Testament it's really glorious because you'll then realize something I've tried to remind us often when we study the gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John they're not just writing biography they're doing theology the historical narratives in the Old Testament are theology we are supposed to understand them that way we're supposed to see see that that way so as well the event pointed to the levitical sacrificial system I mean just a few you know pages that way in our Bibles we get a whole bunch of lambs we get a whole bunch of rams we get a whole bunch of animals and they're all for sacrifice to the Living God so that Israel can learn that the way of approach to a holy God is through a bloody knife and a smoking altar as well the event pointed to Calvary now in terms of the patriarch Abraham Abraham and God the Father parted with their only Sons The Sons they love their only begotten Sons they parted with them so Abraham is typologically functioning here like God the Father Abraham and God the Father parted with their only Sons to benefit the nations of the earth right this wasn't a selfish act on the part of Abraham this wasn't a selfish act on the part of God the Father it was for the benefit of the Nations the benefit of the world there was a difference however Abraham was kept from parting with Isaac the father carried it out and Paul speaks of it in Romans 8 32 this way he says he who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all thanks Paul's argument there is simple if he's done the greatest he's going to do the lesser if he's delivered up his son for you he's going to give you Grace on Thursday morning to deal with that ever whatever situation you have he's done the greater he's going to undertake on the Lesser and we have that blessed promise as well the only begotten son Isaac Isaac like Christ was the only son the only begotten son the son the father is love you have to see Isaac as a Christ type in this passage Isaac like Christ bore the wood for the sacrifice Abraham didn't carry it Abraham laid it upon his son his only begotten son so he could carry it up to Mariah isn't that what happens with Jesus he carries his cross they they fetch Simon the Cyrene they they have him help a bit but it's Jesus who Bears the cross on to that mount and Isaac unlike Christ benefited from substitutionary atonement Christ provided substitutionary atonement by actually going through with the act and then the last type is the ram the ram this non-image-bearing animal that was there for a time and gone was a type of the savior the faith of Abraham that God would provide for himself the lamb verse 8. the provision by God of the ram caught in the thicket verse 13. now I know we're inclined to think well that was pretty lucky I mean there there it is right who would have thought I mean maybe it was pretty pretty common occurrence that Rams got caught in thickets on Mount Moriah I don't know I've never been there but but I don't think it was luck I don't think we're gonna stand back and say wow what a what a stroke of you know benefit for for Abraham in this in a difficult instance and then the substitutionary nature of the ram that language is amazing and offered up offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son isn't that the nature of the Gospel he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him or the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many it was instead of Christ went as a substitute to that cross to bear the wrath of God for us the work of Jesus Christ as the only begotten and beloved Son of God the Father became flesh in order to carry out his mission to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world so that Ram caught in the thicket was in fact a type of our blessed savior and John the Baptist appeals to that in John 1 29 when he points to Jesus and underscores that Blessed Mission he's not here simply to start a new religion he's not here simply to function as an example but rather he is here to function as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and in that the people of God greatly Rejoice well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for this passage of scripture that certainly furthered Abraham's Faith certainly furthered Israel's faith and explains much for us on on this side in the New Covenant when Jesus says things like Abraham rejoiced to see my day he saw it and was glad If Abraham saw it through these types and we see it in the full shining of the New Covenant and the the blessedness of the Cross and the resurrection may we be be glad as well and may we Express gratitude and praise and thanksgiving for what you have done in terms of saving us from our sins we know that it necessitated the life death and resurrection of your only begotten son your beloved Son and we Rejoice that you've included Us in this plan we ask that you would continue to encourage and strengthen our hearts as we participate in the supper tonight may we do this in remembrance of him who gave himself for us and we pray through Christ Jesus our lord amen well you can turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 26 Matthew chapter 26 we move now to the Lord's Supper just a few comments and then I'll read the section the brothers will pass out the bread and then the wine remember that the ordinance or sacrament of the supper is for believers only we're not a Believer here tonight we'd ask to take not an ordinance to convert you it's rather an ordinance to sustain and encourage and confirm the faith of God's people God's people are God's people not because they take the supper they do that as a consequence but they're God's people because by Grace they have believed and known the joy of being found in Jesus Christ as well the ordinances for believers who are dealing with their sin now this does not mean Perfection this does not mean sin last Nas because we could never take it on this side of heaven but in the passage in First Corinthians chapter 11 where the Apostle comes to deal in detail with the supper he reproves the church in Corinth and he says that whatever it is you're doing it is not the Lord's table it is not the Lord's Supper basically what they were doing in Corinth with the the haves were neglecting the have-nots there were people that had plenty there were people that had little and the people who had plenty were eating and drinking to the neglect of the people who had little Paul says that is a betrayal of the one body the body aspect of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ so we glean from that that we need to deal with our sin in fact Paul says as much we need to we need to look inward not stay in word but look in word ask the question are we dealing with sin are we seeking to maintain a conscience void of offense toward God and man and then the ordinance is a means of Grace to be sure but as we often point out the elements are not changed this isn't Roman Catholicism this isn't the mass this isn't the change of transubstantiation the bread remains bread the wine or grape juice remains wine or grape juice they signify they symbolize they emblemize the body and blood of Jesus when he says this is my body he did not mean it literally he meant it metaphorically this signifies this represents they would have never thought they were ingesting flesh they would have never thought that they were ingesting blood which was prohibited by God anyway so it is a representation it is a visible element that gives the physical people of God something concrete to sink their teeth and pun intended God gives us physical things water to represent what God does in terms of the cleansing of our hearts through the blood of Jesus he gives us bread and he gives us wine as weary pilgrims to sustain us on the way he does this to strengthen our faith he does this to build us up he does this to conform us ever more unto the Lord Jesus Christ so there's a real reason for the Bread and Wine but that real reason isn't that there's an actual change and we're engaged in a sacrifice of atonement that is blasphemous that idea of the mass is wrong Hebrews celebrates the once for all sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ it's not to be duplicated it's not to be replicated it's not to continue on and then the ordinance ultimately points us to Jesus Christ yes look at yourself examine yourself the way Paul says in First Corinthians 11 but don't stay on yourself do this in remembrance of Me Jesus says do this in remembrance of his broken body and his shed blood well if the brothers would come to pass out the bread while they do that we will sing number 276. and after they finish passing out the bread and we conclude that hymn I'll pray with reference to the bread and then we'll take that bread together so 276 please remain seated As we sing praise to God [Music] I hear the blessings [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] there is [Music] what I said yes [Music] please [Music] foreign [Music] in Matthew chapter 26 our Lord institutes the supper and we read in verse 26 and as they were eating Jesus Took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body well let us pray Our God and Father we thank you again for this provision we thank you for the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world we thank you that you have made us partakers in these Covenant promises and we give all glory to you we know it's not our works it's not our law keeping it's not our Merit by which we have Acceptance in the Beloved but it's because of what Christ has done on behalf of his people and God bless and strengthen us and help us to grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our savior and we just rejoice in this time together as a church and we pray in Jesus name amen take together we can turn to 275 and again we'll sing as the brothers pass out the wine uh the juice there's juice in the outer ring if you do not want to take wine the juice is in the outer ring wine is in the inner ring and we will remain seated in sing 275. [Music] boys [Music] years [Music] it is [Music] praise foreign [Music] foreign [Music] we continue reading in verse 27 then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins but I say to you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's Kingdom and when they had sung A Hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives well let us pray Our Father we thank you for the ratification of the New Covenant in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ we see that in Exodus 24 with the old Covenant we see that here in the supper with our lord Jesus it does reflect the promise of God in Jeremiah 31 we see the consistent testimony of Holy Scripture that Jesus Christ is in fact the one who would save his people from their sins we thank you for cleansing from sin through the Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus we thank you for the riches of your grace and we pray now that you would be glorified as we eat this bread as we drink this cup we do as a church claim the Lord's death until he comes and we praise you in Jesus name amen will take together we could take your hymn books and turn to Psalm 134 Psalm 134 will stand as we sing together [Music] everybody [Music] my friends [Music] foreign [Music] Worship in [Music] his life [Music] is crazy foreign peace who brought up our lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen father thank you for this wonderful day thank you for the people of God for the house of God and for the joy that is ours to come into the presence of God we pray that you would go with us now we pray that we would know your peace and your blessing and your face shining upon us may you keep us by your grace and For Your Glory and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation