In Acts, Chapter 2, the Apostle Peter told the Jewish people that when they killed Jesus, they killed the promised Messiah. But then Peter gave them the good news that Jesus had been raised from the dead and would therefore be able to bring in the promised Jewish kingdom. To prove his point, Peter quoted a prophecy of King David, saying: You will not leave my soul in the grave, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. (Acts 2:25-27).
Peter knew that David's words in Psalm 16 were not written about David because David's body did see corruption in the grave. As Peter said: Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet . . . he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in the grave, nor did His flesh see corruption. (Acts 2:29-31).
The apostles were greatly encouraged by this prophecy which was given by King David a thousand years before Jesus lived on the earth. Today, the hope of Christian people is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the fulfilled prophecies of the Old Testament still stand as a potent confirmation of our faith. Jesus said, I've pitched my tent in the land of hope (Acts 2:26 The Message), and because Jesus Christ is alive today, we too can pitch our tents in the land of hope.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2 NKJV).
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Living in Victory
When the nation of Israel made a covenant with the Lord at Mt. Sinai, God told them that He would give them the land of Canaan as their inheritance. But what was God planning to do with the Canaanites who were already living in that land? His plan was to drive the Canaanites out of the land a little bit at a time. God said: And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. (Exodus 23:28-30 NKJV).
People often come to God in faith and expect Him to rid them instantly of all their demons, even though those demons have had the opportunity to flourish unhindered over many years. It may be that victory over those demons and the claiming of the promised land will take years of dedicated warfare, but the victory is assured and well worth the effort.
When Joshua was ready to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land, God said: No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. (Joshua 1:5-6 NKJV).
Jim Roberts, Peace Church, Indiahoma, OK
http://www.ok-peacechurch.org
People often come to God in faith and expect Him to rid them instantly of all their demons, even though those demons have had the opportunity to flourish unhindered over many years. It may be that victory over those demons and the claiming of the promised land will take years of dedicated warfare, but the victory is assured and well worth the effort.
When Joshua was ready to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land, God said: No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. (Joshua 1:5-6 NKJV).
Jim Roberts, Peace Church, Indiahoma, OK
http://www.ok-peacechurch.org
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
FORGIVENESS
In the 1993 movie, Groundhog Day, Bill Murray plays the part of a man who lives the same day over and over again until he learns some important lessons. Day after day he wakes up to exactly the same circumstances as the day before. His hedonistic exploits result in extreme frustration, but even his attempts at suicide cannot deliver him from the day in which he is trapped.
This is a great illustration of what happens when we refuse to forgive. Ephesians, Chapter 4, says: Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. (Ephesians 4:26 NKJV). If we refuse to forgive, the sun will, in a figurative sense, never go down on our wrath.
The scriptures declare that God gets angry when he sees sin and violence, but He never allows His anger to overshadow His love or His forgiveness. Some sins seem truly unforgivable to us, but when Paul encourages us to forgive, he is not talking about justice; he is talking about healing. Every victim of injustice has a right to a period of anger, but every victim also has the opportunity to heal through the love of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Paul goes on to say: Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32 NKJV).
This is a great illustration of what happens when we refuse to forgive. Ephesians, Chapter 4, says: Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. (Ephesians 4:26 NKJV). If we refuse to forgive, the sun will, in a figurative sense, never go down on our wrath.
The scriptures declare that God gets angry when he sees sin and violence, but He never allows His anger to overshadow His love or His forgiveness. Some sins seem truly unforgivable to us, but when Paul encourages us to forgive, he is not talking about justice; he is talking about healing. Every victim of injustice has a right to a period of anger, but every victim also has the opportunity to heal through the love of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Paul goes on to say: Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32 NKJV).
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Congratulations to the Graduates
During this time of the year our mailboxes fill with graduation announcements. Some announce a graduation from high school. Others announce a graduation from college or from postgraduate studies. Regardless, graduation is always a time of much anticipated celebration.
As it turns out, God's plan for mankind includes several graduation events. The first graduation was when God gave the Law of Moses which took mankind from individual revelation to a documented, systematic study of God's perfect righteousness. However, even that level of education was fairly elementary compared to the revelation of God that came through Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ came, it was time for mankind to graduate to the next level of the divine curriculum.
The Apostle Paul said: Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24 NKJV). The Apostle John said: For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17 NKJV). Jesus said: You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV).
Therefore, to all those who have graduated from the Law to enter by faith into a study of the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, I say congratulations. May you enjoy success and victory in your chosen profession.
As it turns out, God's plan for mankind includes several graduation events. The first graduation was when God gave the Law of Moses which took mankind from individual revelation to a documented, systematic study of God's perfect righteousness. However, even that level of education was fairly elementary compared to the revelation of God that came through Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ came, it was time for mankind to graduate to the next level of the divine curriculum.
The Apostle Paul said: Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24 NKJV). The Apostle John said: For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17 NKJV). Jesus said: You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV).
Therefore, to all those who have graduated from the Law to enter by faith into a study of the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, I say congratulations. May you enjoy success and victory in your chosen profession.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Be of One Mind
When the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi, he said: Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (Philippians 2:1-2 NKJV)
Time and time again, the Bible tells believers to dwell together in unity. This is one of God's top priorities, and it should be a top priority for every believer. Jesus said, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35 NKJV).
When Paul said, be of one accord and of one mind, what mind was he talking about? He goes on to explain: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV).
If we, as believers, humble ourselves to do the will of God as the Lord Jesus did, we will have no problem dwelling together in unity.
Time and time again, the Bible tells believers to dwell together in unity. This is one of God's top priorities, and it should be a top priority for every believer. Jesus said, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35 NKJV).
When Paul said, be of one accord and of one mind, what mind was he talking about? He goes on to explain: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV).
If we, as believers, humble ourselves to do the will of God as the Lord Jesus did, we will have no problem dwelling together in unity.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Evaluate Without Judging
Jesus said, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (Matthew 7:1-2 NKJV). I once heard about a lady who told her pastor that her greatest talent was seeing the faults in others. Her pastor wisely advised her that the Lord would be very pleased if she were to bury that particular talent. (See Matthew 25:25). Jesus clearly taught that we love one another, even to the point of loving our enemies.
However, Jesus was not saying that it is inappropriate for believers to evaluate the spiritual condition of others and their deeds. The Apostle Paul said, "Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things." (1 Corinthians 2:15 NLT). He went on to say, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV).
When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he said that believers should "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." (Ephesians 5:11 NKJV). Obviously, to be obedient we must identify the unfruitful works of darkness and then be bold enough to expose them in a spirit of love and concern. "God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love — like Christ in everything." (Ephesians 4:15 The Message).
However, Jesus was not saying that it is inappropriate for believers to evaluate the spiritual condition of others and their deeds. The Apostle Paul said, "Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things." (1 Corinthians 2:15 NLT). He went on to say, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV).
When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he said that believers should "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." (Ephesians 5:11 NKJV). Obviously, to be obedient we must identify the unfruitful works of darkness and then be bold enough to expose them in a spirit of love and concern. "God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love — like Christ in everything." (Ephesians 4:15 The Message).
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Genesis (Part 29)(BST 1-18-09)
Genesis (Part 29)
Bible Study Time 1-18-09
(From James Roberts 3-9-97)
Bible Study Time 1-18-09
(From James Roberts 3-9-97)
In Genesis, Chapter 11, we saw that Abraham moved with his family from Ur of the Chaldeans to Haran, and last week in Genesis, Chapter 24, we saw that Abraham instructed his servant to go back to Haran to find a wife for Isaac. This servant was not to take a bride for Isaac from among the Canaanites, and he was not to take Isaac back with him to Haran. Instead, he was to journey by himself back to Haran to find a bride for Isaac from among Abraham's kinsfolk.
In Genesis, Chapter 24, we see the literal, historical account of how this servant went back to get Isaac's bride. We see how the Lord directed him to the very person whom God had chosen for Isaac, and as we read between the lines of scripture, we can imagine the things that this servant must have told Rebecca as he pled on Isaac's behalf.
Undoubtedly, the servant won her over by telling her about all of the glory of Abraham, all of the riches and honor of Abraham. And then He must have told her about all of the riches and glory that Isaac would inherit because of his relationship with his father. It may have been that this servant even told Rebecca of certain events that had happened during Abraham's life and Isaac's life which would have shown the beauty of Isaac and the glory of Abraham. Whatever it was, Rebecca must have become so captivated with her thoughts and feelings for Isaac that she was willing to leave her country and her family to follow this servant back to Canaan to be Isaac's bride.
Oh, what a wonderful picture this is. This is a historical event, but in the book of I Corinthians, Chapter 10, we read that many times God recorded historical events as examples for those of us who would afterward believe. This is in keeping with what we read in Hebrews, Chapter 10, where we are told that even though the Old Testament tabernacle and temple were historical places of worship, they were also types and shadows of the Lord Jesus Christ and of His future redemptive work on the cross.
So, in Genesis, Chapter 24, we find in the mission of Abraham's servant a picture of God the Father sending the Holy Spirit to secure a bride for the Lord Jesus Christ. Someday, God the Father is going to call out a bride for His Son, the Lord Jesus, and in the book of Revelation we read about the marriage of the Lamb. We also find in the book of Matthew, Chapter 25, the parable of the foolish and the wise virgins, who were waiting for that marriage to take place.
As it turns out, many evangelical teachers, who are great Bible teachers, look back in the book of Genesis, Chapter 24, and they see there a picture of what the Holy Spirit is doing today. They say that when Abraham sent his servant back into another country to seek a bride for Isaac, this was a picture of the Holy Spirit going out among the Gentiles to seek a bride for Christ, and this would make the present day Church the Bride of Christ.
However, there is one thing missing from this interpretation. Abraham actually sent his servant back to seek a bride for Isaac from among his own kinsmen, not from among the Gentiles. In Hebrews, Chapter 11, God sheds some light on the pictures and types of Genesis, Chapter 24. Let's read in Hebrews, 11, beginning in verse 13 where the writer is speaking of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and says:
Hebrews 11:13-14 NKJV
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
God had promised all of that land of Palestine, all of the land of the Canaanites, to Abraham, and Abraham had understood and embraced those promises, but he never received the fulfillment of those promises.
Abraham looked into the future and by faith he saw the fulfillment of those promises, but while he was living in the land of Canaan, he confessed that he was a stranger and a pilgrim on the earth. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that those who make such a confession are actually declaring their desire for a homeland.
The writer then shows that Abraham was willing to wait for a future time when his hope for a homeland would be fulfilled. Verse 15 says:
Hebrews 11:15 NKJV
15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
The very fact that they did not go back to the land of their kinsmen shows that they were willing to wait for that which God had promised them. They were willing to be a pilgrim and a stranger on the earth.
They dwelt in tents, and they had no desire to build a city in the land of Canaan. They dwelt in the land of promise as pilgrims and strangers. Why? Verse 16 says:
Hebrews 11:16 NKJV
16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Clearly, a city has been prepared for certain descendants of Abraham, and this city is a heavenly city. When we come to the book of Revelation, Chapter 21, this heavenly city is plainly described. Let's begin reading with verse nine of Revelation, Chapter 21:
Revelation 21:9 NKJV
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
In Genesis, Chapter 24, Rebecca was a picture of the Lamb's wife. Rebecca pictures the bride while Isaac pictures the Lord Jesus Christ as the bridegroom, the Lamb of God. Now notice:
Revelation 21:10 NKJV
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
This verse associates Abraham with the New Jerusalem even though certain of his descendants are associated with the earthly Jerusalem.
As you will recall, the angel who came to Mary explained that her Son was going to sit upon the throne of His father, David, and that He would rule and reign over the earth. The Bible very plainly shows that the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, is going to come back to the earthly Jerusalem to rule and reign on the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
There appear to be certain descendants of Abraham who have this hope that is centered in the earthly Jerusalem. This is the earthly Jerusalem where the twelve Apostles will sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel in an earthly kingdom. However, there are clearly certain descendants of Abraham who will inherit the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, and this is the Jerusalem that will come down out of heaven from God.
Many people today speak of the New Jerusalem as if it is heaven itself, but the New Jerusalem is going to come down out of heaven. Therefore, it cannot be heaven. In spite of what the song writers say, the New Jerusalem cannot be heaven per se. The New Jerusalem is going to come from God, and it is going to come down out of heaven.
Now, let's continue in verse 11 where the Apostle John continues his description of the New Jerusalem:
Revelation 21:11-12 NKJV
11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
These twelve tribes of Israel are Abraham's kinsmen. They are Abraham's seed, his descendants. They are associated with the New Jerusalem and the Bride of Christ. John said that this New Jerusalem had twelve gates, and:
Revelation 21:14 NKJV
14 . . . the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Abraham was looking for this city and certain of his descendants are going to be connected with this heavenly city which will come down out of heaven from God. This group of believing Jews will be the Bride of Christ, and it will be made up of representatives from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve Apostles of the Lamb are going to be associated with this heavenly city.
It seems very plain to me that this is what is pictured in Genesis, Chapter 24, where Abraham's servant woos Rebecca to win her over as Isaac's bride. There are certain descendants of Abraham who will submit to the Holy Spirit and become the Bride of Christ, and they will inherit the New Jerusalem.
Those who say that Genesis 24 pictures the present day work of the Holy Spirit among the Gentiles have to deal first of all with the fact that Abraham's servant did not seek a bride for Isaac from among the Gentiles. But then they also have to reconcile their doctrine with Ephesians, Chapter 3, which declares that the truth concerning the Church of our present time was never revealed or even hinted at in the Old Testament. In Ephesians 3, Paul says:
Ephesians 3:3-5
3 . . . by revelation (God) made known to me the mystery . . .
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
The Apostle Paul had a very distinctive ministry. He was not one of the twelve Apostles who will inherit the New Jerusalem. Rather, Paul is associated with the hope of the present day Church, and his revelation concerning the present day Church was never revealed to the men of other ages.
Paul's message concerning the Church relates to the unsearchable, or untraceable riches of Christ, so that there was never even a trace of evidence in the Old Testament concerning the Church of our present age. This truth was hidden in God until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul.
So I believe that the scriptures speak of three different hopes for three different groups of believers. First, there is that hope which is destined for Abraham's earthly seed, those who look for the earthly Jerusalem. When Rebecca came out to meet Isaac, she left her kinsmen back in their homeland, and I believe that her kinsmen picture those Jews who will rule and reign with Christ on the New Earth throughout eternity.
But there is also that group of believing Jews who look for the New Jerusalem. This group is pictured in Rebecca in that she went out from among her kinsmen to be married to Isaac. These Jewish believers will be taken up out of the earth to become the Bride of Christ, and they will rule with Christ in the New Jerusalem throughout eternity.
But then there is the third hope which belongs to believers of our present age, believers like you and me who know the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Today, when people put their faith in Christ, they are added to the Church which is the Body of Christ. This is the church which God is building in heaven today. As members of this church, believers today are citizens of heaven, and our steadfast hope is that one day the Lord will call us to be with Himself in heaven, where we will ever to be with the Lord.
Well, I see our time is gone. We'll take up on our Journey Through the Scripture next week. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
In Genesis, Chapter 24, we see the literal, historical account of how this servant went back to get Isaac's bride. We see how the Lord directed him to the very person whom God had chosen for Isaac, and as we read between the lines of scripture, we can imagine the things that this servant must have told Rebecca as he pled on Isaac's behalf.
Undoubtedly, the servant won her over by telling her about all of the glory of Abraham, all of the riches and honor of Abraham. And then He must have told her about all of the riches and glory that Isaac would inherit because of his relationship with his father. It may have been that this servant even told Rebecca of certain events that had happened during Abraham's life and Isaac's life which would have shown the beauty of Isaac and the glory of Abraham. Whatever it was, Rebecca must have become so captivated with her thoughts and feelings for Isaac that she was willing to leave her country and her family to follow this servant back to Canaan to be Isaac's bride.
Oh, what a wonderful picture this is. This is a historical event, but in the book of I Corinthians, Chapter 10, we read that many times God recorded historical events as examples for those of us who would afterward believe. This is in keeping with what we read in Hebrews, Chapter 10, where we are told that even though the Old Testament tabernacle and temple were historical places of worship, they were also types and shadows of the Lord Jesus Christ and of His future redemptive work on the cross.
So, in Genesis, Chapter 24, we find in the mission of Abraham's servant a picture of God the Father sending the Holy Spirit to secure a bride for the Lord Jesus Christ. Someday, God the Father is going to call out a bride for His Son, the Lord Jesus, and in the book of Revelation we read about the marriage of the Lamb. We also find in the book of Matthew, Chapter 25, the parable of the foolish and the wise virgins, who were waiting for that marriage to take place.
As it turns out, many evangelical teachers, who are great Bible teachers, look back in the book of Genesis, Chapter 24, and they see there a picture of what the Holy Spirit is doing today. They say that when Abraham sent his servant back into another country to seek a bride for Isaac, this was a picture of the Holy Spirit going out among the Gentiles to seek a bride for Christ, and this would make the present day Church the Bride of Christ.
However, there is one thing missing from this interpretation. Abraham actually sent his servant back to seek a bride for Isaac from among his own kinsmen, not from among the Gentiles. In Hebrews, Chapter 11, God sheds some light on the pictures and types of Genesis, Chapter 24. Let's read in Hebrews, 11, beginning in verse 13 where the writer is speaking of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and says:
Hebrews 11:13-14 NKJV
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
God had promised all of that land of Palestine, all of the land of the Canaanites, to Abraham, and Abraham had understood and embraced those promises, but he never received the fulfillment of those promises.
Abraham looked into the future and by faith he saw the fulfillment of those promises, but while he was living in the land of Canaan, he confessed that he was a stranger and a pilgrim on the earth. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that those who make such a confession are actually declaring their desire for a homeland.
The writer then shows that Abraham was willing to wait for a future time when his hope for a homeland would be fulfilled. Verse 15 says:
Hebrews 11:15 NKJV
15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
The very fact that they did not go back to the land of their kinsmen shows that they were willing to wait for that which God had promised them. They were willing to be a pilgrim and a stranger on the earth.
They dwelt in tents, and they had no desire to build a city in the land of Canaan. They dwelt in the land of promise as pilgrims and strangers. Why? Verse 16 says:
Hebrews 11:16 NKJV
16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Clearly, a city has been prepared for certain descendants of Abraham, and this city is a heavenly city. When we come to the book of Revelation, Chapter 21, this heavenly city is plainly described. Let's begin reading with verse nine of Revelation, Chapter 21:
Revelation 21:9 NKJV
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
In Genesis, Chapter 24, Rebecca was a picture of the Lamb's wife. Rebecca pictures the bride while Isaac pictures the Lord Jesus Christ as the bridegroom, the Lamb of God. Now notice:
Revelation 21:10 NKJV
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
This verse associates Abraham with the New Jerusalem even though certain of his descendants are associated with the earthly Jerusalem.
As you will recall, the angel who came to Mary explained that her Son was going to sit upon the throne of His father, David, and that He would rule and reign over the earth. The Bible very plainly shows that the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, is going to come back to the earthly Jerusalem to rule and reign on the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
There appear to be certain descendants of Abraham who have this hope that is centered in the earthly Jerusalem. This is the earthly Jerusalem where the twelve Apostles will sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel in an earthly kingdom. However, there are clearly certain descendants of Abraham who will inherit the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, and this is the Jerusalem that will come down out of heaven from God.
Many people today speak of the New Jerusalem as if it is heaven itself, but the New Jerusalem is going to come down out of heaven. Therefore, it cannot be heaven. In spite of what the song writers say, the New Jerusalem cannot be heaven per se. The New Jerusalem is going to come from God, and it is going to come down out of heaven.
Now, let's continue in verse 11 where the Apostle John continues his description of the New Jerusalem:
Revelation 21:11-12 NKJV
11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
These twelve tribes of Israel are Abraham's kinsmen. They are Abraham's seed, his descendants. They are associated with the New Jerusalem and the Bride of Christ. John said that this New Jerusalem had twelve gates, and:
Revelation 21:14 NKJV
14 . . . the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Abraham was looking for this city and certain of his descendants are going to be connected with this heavenly city which will come down out of heaven from God. This group of believing Jews will be the Bride of Christ, and it will be made up of representatives from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve Apostles of the Lamb are going to be associated with this heavenly city.
It seems very plain to me that this is what is pictured in Genesis, Chapter 24, where Abraham's servant woos Rebecca to win her over as Isaac's bride. There are certain descendants of Abraham who will submit to the Holy Spirit and become the Bride of Christ, and they will inherit the New Jerusalem.
Those who say that Genesis 24 pictures the present day work of the Holy Spirit among the Gentiles have to deal first of all with the fact that Abraham's servant did not seek a bride for Isaac from among the Gentiles. But then they also have to reconcile their doctrine with Ephesians, Chapter 3, which declares that the truth concerning the Church of our present time was never revealed or even hinted at in the Old Testament. In Ephesians 3, Paul says:
Ephesians 3:3-5
3 . . . by revelation (God) made known to me the mystery . . .
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
The Apostle Paul had a very distinctive ministry. He was not one of the twelve Apostles who will inherit the New Jerusalem. Rather, Paul is associated with the hope of the present day Church, and his revelation concerning the present day Church was never revealed to the men of other ages.
Paul's message concerning the Church relates to the unsearchable, or untraceable riches of Christ, so that there was never even a trace of evidence in the Old Testament concerning the Church of our present age. This truth was hidden in God until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul.
So I believe that the scriptures speak of three different hopes for three different groups of believers. First, there is that hope which is destined for Abraham's earthly seed, those who look for the earthly Jerusalem. When Rebecca came out to meet Isaac, she left her kinsmen back in their homeland, and I believe that her kinsmen picture those Jews who will rule and reign with Christ on the New Earth throughout eternity.
But there is also that group of believing Jews who look for the New Jerusalem. This group is pictured in Rebecca in that she went out from among her kinsmen to be married to Isaac. These Jewish believers will be taken up out of the earth to become the Bride of Christ, and they will rule with Christ in the New Jerusalem throughout eternity.
But then there is the third hope which belongs to believers of our present age, believers like you and me who know the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Today, when people put their faith in Christ, they are added to the Church which is the Body of Christ. This is the church which God is building in heaven today. As members of this church, believers today are citizens of heaven, and our steadfast hope is that one day the Lord will call us to be with Himself in heaven, where we will ever to be with the Lord.
Well, I see our time is gone. We'll take up on our Journey Through the Scripture next week. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Genesis (Part 28)(BST 1-11-09)
Genesis (Part 28)
Bible Study Time 1-11-09
(From James Roberts 3-2-97)
Bible Study Time 1-11-09
(From James Roberts 3-2-97)
Last week in our Journey Through the Scripture we saw that Abraham sent his servant back to the land of the Chaldeans to secure a wife for his son, Isaac. It's very interesting that Abraham did not want Isaac to go back to Abraham's homeland. This was because God had told Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldeans and go to a land that He would give to Abraham and his descendants as an inheritance.
So God brought Abraham to the land of Canaan where Abraham lived among the Canaanites. When it came time for Abraham to find a bride for Isaac, He did not want Isaac to marry one of the daughters of the Canaanites, but neither did he want Isaac to go back to the land of the Chaldeans. If Isaac had married a Canaanite woman, he might have been tempted to conform to the religious practices of the Canaanites, which were very sensual. On the other hand, if Isaac had gone back to the land of the Chaldeans, he might have been tempted to remain in that land.
So in Genesis, Chapter 24, we find that Abraham sent his servant back to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's own family members. When the servant got to the city of Nahor, he ask God for a sign to indicate the very woman that God had chosen for Isaac, and God honored his request. When Rebecca came to the well, she did precisely what had been requested in the sign.
Last week we emphasized the fact that the Jews require a sign, as noted in the book of I Corinthians. So in this passage we see that, even before there was a nation of Israel per se, we find sign gifts being introduced.
It's very important to realize that God was always willing to give the nation of Israel miraculous signs to help them in their lack of faith. All through the years of the Old Testament God gave the nation of Israel certain signs to help them believe His word, to authenticate His message. Then, when the Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth, we find that He performed certain miracles that were signs to the nation of Israel. These signs were given to authenticate His claim that He was the King of the Jews. Jesus did all of the things that the Old Testament prophets said the promised Messiah would do.
At the close of the Lord's ministry, the Jewish leaders came to Him and asked Him for a sign even though He had already done thousands of miracles. In response to their request, the Lord Jesus said, there shall no sign be given you but the sign of the Prophet Jonah, for just as Jonah was in the fish's belly for three days and three nights so must the son of man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
This sign was fulfilled with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ because Christ died and was buried and was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. However, on the third day He arose from the grave, triumphant over death, hell and the grave.
Now during the time period covered by the book of Acts, the nation of Israel still had every opportunity to accept Jesus as their Messiah, and God gave the apostles many sign gifts to authenticate their message. But throughout the book of Acts, we read of Israel's rejection of Jesus as the Christ. As John, Chapter 1, says
John 1:11-12 NKJV
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
So, even though there were many Jews who did believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who did accept Jesus as the promised Messiah, the majority of the people of Israel, including those in leadership, rejected Jesus. Therefore, God's set aside His program for the Jews.
Since the calling out of Abraham, God had promised a Messiah who would establish a great earthly kingdom through the nation of Israel, but when the Jews rejected the Messiah, God set aside all of the promises that related to Israel hope of an earthly kingdom.
As a result, God established a new program for mankind, the program for the Church which is the Body of Christ. The truth concerning this program was revealed through the Apostle Paul who boldly declared that this truth was never revealed to men of other ages.
In this program for the Church, the miraculous sign gifts are strangely absent even though they were so much a part of God's kingdom program for Israel. This does not mean that God is incapable of doing miracles in our present dispensation, but it simply means that God no longer gives sign gifts to men to authenticate the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, today we do not look for signs, and we do not test God in the way that Abraham's servant did in Genesis, Chapter 24. Today, we ask God for guidance and direction in our lives, and then we study His word and trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. He is the one who reveals to us the specific will of God for our lives.
Now, after Abraham's servant realized that Rebecca was the one whom God has chosen to be Isaac's wife, he bowed his head and worshipped the Lord. Then he gave gifts to Rebecca, and she invited him back to her father's house. Once there, the servant began to explain exactly why he had come to Mesopotamia. His message was as follows:
Genesis 24:34-50 NKJV
34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant.
35 The Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
36 And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has.
37 Now my master made me swear, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell;
38 but you shall go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.'
39 And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.'
40 But he said to me, 'The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house.
41 You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.'
42 "And this day I came to the well and said,'O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go,
43 behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,"
44 and she says to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also," — let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.'
45 "But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, 'Please let me drink.'
46 And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.
47 Then I asked her, and said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
48 And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
49 Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left."
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said,"The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either bad or good.
At his point, Abraham's servant gave the option to Rebecca as to whether she would go back with him to Canaan, and having heard all that the servant said, Rebecca said, I will go.
I can just imagine what it must have been like for Rebecca as she travelled with Abraham's servant on the way back to Canaan. I'm sure she had many questions about Isaac and Abraham, and I'm sure that this servant faithfully answered all of her questions so that she grew to love Isaac, and she grew to love Abraham even though she had never seen them.
In I Peter, Chapter 1, Peter indicates that the Jews of his day were in very much the same situation as Rebecca was as she travelled to Canaan. Verse seven of that chapter says:
1 Peter 1:7-8 NKJV
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
What a wonderful illustration this was for the New Testament Jews. They actually able to see a picture of themselves as they looked back at the account of Rebecca travelling to the promised land with the servant of Abraham.
These Jews had put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who had been crucified by the Jews and then raised from the dead to enter into the glory of heaven. But now the Father in heaven had sent the Holy Spirit as the servant to God to lead them on their journey to be united with Christ. As they travelled, they had the opportunity to listen to the Holy Spirit as He spoke of the glory and majesty of the Lord Jesus. So Peter said, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, and even though you have not seen the Lord Jesus, you love Him.
Today, the Holy Spirit is still working in the world today. Like the servant of Abraham, He does not speak of His own glory and power even though He is equal with the God the Father and God the Son, but He reveals the things pertaining to the Father and the Son to those who are willing to study God's word. He reveals the glory of Christ and the riches of Christ to us so that we can even now come into an understanding of all the blessings that we have in Christ. In the book of Colossians we find that:
Colossians 2:3 NKJV
3 in (Jesus Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Even now we can begin to explore and appropriate these great treasures for ourselves. Rebecca received many presents even while she was still in Mesopotamia, and yet when she able to join Isaac and Abraham in Canaan, she finally saw all of the glory and riches of Abraham and Isaac. Then she was able to actually see all of the glorious things that she had heard so much.
I trust today that you have allowed the Holy Spirit to show you the riches of Christ, that He loved you and died for you that you might have eternal life, and that even now you can began to explore the riches of God's grace in Christ. In so doing, you will be able to love Him more and more each day even though you have not seen Him with you physical eyes.
I see our time is gone. It's been good to be with you. I trust that Bible Study Time has been a blessing to you as we have continued on our Journey Through the Scripture. Until next week, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
So God brought Abraham to the land of Canaan where Abraham lived among the Canaanites. When it came time for Abraham to find a bride for Isaac, He did not want Isaac to marry one of the daughters of the Canaanites, but neither did he want Isaac to go back to the land of the Chaldeans. If Isaac had married a Canaanite woman, he might have been tempted to conform to the religious practices of the Canaanites, which were very sensual. On the other hand, if Isaac had gone back to the land of the Chaldeans, he might have been tempted to remain in that land.
So in Genesis, Chapter 24, we find that Abraham sent his servant back to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's own family members. When the servant got to the city of Nahor, he ask God for a sign to indicate the very woman that God had chosen for Isaac, and God honored his request. When Rebecca came to the well, she did precisely what had been requested in the sign.
Last week we emphasized the fact that the Jews require a sign, as noted in the book of I Corinthians. So in this passage we see that, even before there was a nation of Israel per se, we find sign gifts being introduced.
It's very important to realize that God was always willing to give the nation of Israel miraculous signs to help them in their lack of faith. All through the years of the Old Testament God gave the nation of Israel certain signs to help them believe His word, to authenticate His message. Then, when the Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth, we find that He performed certain miracles that were signs to the nation of Israel. These signs were given to authenticate His claim that He was the King of the Jews. Jesus did all of the things that the Old Testament prophets said the promised Messiah would do.
At the close of the Lord's ministry, the Jewish leaders came to Him and asked Him for a sign even though He had already done thousands of miracles. In response to their request, the Lord Jesus said, there shall no sign be given you but the sign of the Prophet Jonah, for just as Jonah was in the fish's belly for three days and three nights so must the son of man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
This sign was fulfilled with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ because Christ died and was buried and was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. However, on the third day He arose from the grave, triumphant over death, hell and the grave.
Now during the time period covered by the book of Acts, the nation of Israel still had every opportunity to accept Jesus as their Messiah, and God gave the apostles many sign gifts to authenticate their message. But throughout the book of Acts, we read of Israel's rejection of Jesus as the Christ. As John, Chapter 1, says
John 1:11-12 NKJV
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
So, even though there were many Jews who did believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who did accept Jesus as the promised Messiah, the majority of the people of Israel, including those in leadership, rejected Jesus. Therefore, God's set aside His program for the Jews.
Since the calling out of Abraham, God had promised a Messiah who would establish a great earthly kingdom through the nation of Israel, but when the Jews rejected the Messiah, God set aside all of the promises that related to Israel hope of an earthly kingdom.
As a result, God established a new program for mankind, the program for the Church which is the Body of Christ. The truth concerning this program was revealed through the Apostle Paul who boldly declared that this truth was never revealed to men of other ages.
In this program for the Church, the miraculous sign gifts are strangely absent even though they were so much a part of God's kingdom program for Israel. This does not mean that God is incapable of doing miracles in our present dispensation, but it simply means that God no longer gives sign gifts to men to authenticate the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, today we do not look for signs, and we do not test God in the way that Abraham's servant did in Genesis, Chapter 24. Today, we ask God for guidance and direction in our lives, and then we study His word and trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. He is the one who reveals to us the specific will of God for our lives.
Now, after Abraham's servant realized that Rebecca was the one whom God has chosen to be Isaac's wife, he bowed his head and worshipped the Lord. Then he gave gifts to Rebecca, and she invited him back to her father's house. Once there, the servant began to explain exactly why he had come to Mesopotamia. His message was as follows:
Genesis 24:34-50 NKJV
34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant.
35 The Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
36 And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has.
37 Now my master made me swear, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell;
38 but you shall go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.'
39 And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.'
40 But he said to me, 'The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house.
41 You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.'
42 "And this day I came to the well and said,'O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go,
43 behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,"
44 and she says to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also," — let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.'
45 "But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, 'Please let me drink.'
46 And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.
47 Then I asked her, and said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
48 And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
49 Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left."
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said,"The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either bad or good.
At his point, Abraham's servant gave the option to Rebecca as to whether she would go back with him to Canaan, and having heard all that the servant said, Rebecca said, I will go.
I can just imagine what it must have been like for Rebecca as she travelled with Abraham's servant on the way back to Canaan. I'm sure she had many questions about Isaac and Abraham, and I'm sure that this servant faithfully answered all of her questions so that she grew to love Isaac, and she grew to love Abraham even though she had never seen them.
In I Peter, Chapter 1, Peter indicates that the Jews of his day were in very much the same situation as Rebecca was as she travelled to Canaan. Verse seven of that chapter says:
1 Peter 1:7-8 NKJV
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
What a wonderful illustration this was for the New Testament Jews. They actually able to see a picture of themselves as they looked back at the account of Rebecca travelling to the promised land with the servant of Abraham.
These Jews had put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who had been crucified by the Jews and then raised from the dead to enter into the glory of heaven. But now the Father in heaven had sent the Holy Spirit as the servant to God to lead them on their journey to be united with Christ. As they travelled, they had the opportunity to listen to the Holy Spirit as He spoke of the glory and majesty of the Lord Jesus. So Peter said, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, and even though you have not seen the Lord Jesus, you love Him.
Today, the Holy Spirit is still working in the world today. Like the servant of Abraham, He does not speak of His own glory and power even though He is equal with the God the Father and God the Son, but He reveals the things pertaining to the Father and the Son to those who are willing to study God's word. He reveals the glory of Christ and the riches of Christ to us so that we can even now come into an understanding of all the blessings that we have in Christ. In the book of Colossians we find that:
Colossians 2:3 NKJV
3 in (Jesus Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Even now we can begin to explore and appropriate these great treasures for ourselves. Rebecca received many presents even while she was still in Mesopotamia, and yet when she able to join Isaac and Abraham in Canaan, she finally saw all of the glory and riches of Abraham and Isaac. Then she was able to actually see all of the glorious things that she had heard so much.
I trust today that you have allowed the Holy Spirit to show you the riches of Christ, that He loved you and died for you that you might have eternal life, and that even now you can began to explore the riches of God's grace in Christ. In so doing, you will be able to love Him more and more each day even though you have not seen Him with you physical eyes.
I see our time is gone. It's been good to be with you. I trust that Bible Study Time has been a blessing to you as we have continued on our Journey Through the Scripture. Until next week, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Genesis (Part 27)(BST 12-28-08)
Genesis (Part 27)
Bible Study Time 12-28-08
(From James Roberts 2-23-97)
Bible Study Time 12-28-08
(From James Roberts 2-23-97)
Last week in our Journey Through the Scripture we looked at an incident of faith in the life of Abraham. This incident is found in Genesis, Chapter 22, where we read that God told Abraham to take his son, Isaac, and offer him up as a sacrifice to the Lord. Hebrews, Chapter 11, refers back to this incident and serves as a commentary on it.
In Genesis 22, we find that without hesitation Abraham obeyed God when God told him to take Isaac to Mt. Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice. The book of Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed God and by faith offered up Isaac. However, when we look back at the Genesis account, we find that Abraham actually offered up a ram in accordance with God's last minute instructions.
Obviously, when God saw the strength of Abraham's faith, He was willing to accept that ram as if it was actually Isaac. This is because Abraham's faith was based in the promise of God. God had previously given Abraham many promises, and He had said that all of His promises to Abraham would be fulfilled through Isaac and his descendants. In fact, when God promised Abraham the birth of Isaac, He said, You shall call his name Isaac and in Isaac shall your seed be called.
Well, Isaac had no children at the time that Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac. Therefore, Abraham knew that if God was going to be true to His word, God would have to prevent the death of Isaac or raise him up from the dead. So when God saw Abraham's faith in the promise of God, He counted the offering up of the ram as though Abraham had actually offered up Isaac and as if God had raised Isaac up from the dead.
Last week we saw that this event pictures the Biblical doctrine of identification. You and I, who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, have been counted as though we died with Christ and were buried with Him and were also raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
The book of Ephesians 2 tells us that in the mind of God we have also ascended with Christ to sit with Christ in the heavens, and this certainly does have tremendous implications for us. In Colossians, Chapter 3, Paul says:
Colossians 3:1-3 NKJV
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Now, before we leave Genesis 22, I want us to think for just a moment of another great truth that we find in this passage, and that is the great doctrine of substitution. When Abraham was ready to offer up Isaac in obedience to the will of God, God stopped him and said, there is a ram that's caught in the thicket; you take that ram and offer him in the place of Isaac.
Oh, how beautiful this is. When we compare this with the New Testament and see the application of this wonderful doctrine we see that Christ is our substitute. That ram was offered up and bore the penalty of the judgment of God which was suppose to fall upon Isaac, and in the same way, Christ died on the cross, not for His own sins, not as some great tragedy, but He died the just one in the place of, or as a substitute for, those who are unjust. Romans 5 says:
Romans 5:6 NKJV
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for (in the stead of, in the place of, as the substitute for) the ungodly.
Jesus Christ died for you. You deserved eternal punishment, eternal separation from God, but when the Lord Jesus went to the cross and cried out, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me, He was dying in your stead.
That's what it means to accept Christ as your Savior. It means to believe with your whole heart that Christ took your place, that He bore the judgment that you deserved. He died to pay the penalty for all of your sins, and when you believe that, God counts the work of Christ on your behalf so that the penalty for your sins has already been paid. On this basis, your sins are forgiven. What a wonderful truth, this doctrine of substitution.
I wonder today if there is one reading this lesson who has never truly received what Christ did on the cross, that He was really there in your stead, in your place, dying for your sins. I have believed that He died for my sins, that He took my place. I believe that Jesus Christ took James Roberts' place on the cross, and now that I have believed that, God considers all of my sins as having been placed upon Him.
Now, as we go on further in the book of Genesis, I want us to see another act of faith on the part of Abraham. In Genesis, Chapter 24, we see Abraham preparing to choose a bride for Isaac. Abraham had become old and he was living in the land of the Canaanites, but God had shown him that Isaac should not take a bride for Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites. God had obviously revealed to Abraham what He would later reveal to the whole nation of Israel, that if they took wives for their sons from the children of Canaan, they would become entrapped in the religious practices of the Canaanites.
So Abraham believed what God said, and he sent his servant back to the city of Nahor in the land of Mesopotamia to get a wife for Isaac. This servant was to get a wife from Abraham's kinsmen who were still living back in the region around Ur of the Chaldeans. Before the servant left, he asked Abraham what he should do if the woman of God's choosing should refuse to return with him to marry Isaac. In response, Abraham was very clear. He said, do not take Isaac back to Ur of the Chaldeans; if the woman refuses to return with you, you will be released from any obligation in this matter.
Abraham had been taken out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and God didn't want Abraham's seed to go back to Ur of the Chaldeans. After all, all of the promises related to the land of Canaan, and they were to be fulfilled through the descendants of Isaac. Isaac needed to remain in the Promised Land, but he was not to marry the daughters of those who lived in Canaan at that time.
So the servant went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor, and he waited there outside the city by the well. As he waited, he asked God to give him a sign. He said, I don’t know which woman should be Isaac's bride, but let it be that when the woman You have chosen comes to draw water, she will offer to give me a drink and to draw water for my camels. Well, the servant waited and along came Rebecca, who did exactly as the servant had asked.
It's very interesting that Abraham's servant asked for a sign from the Lord because we read in the book of I Corinthians that the Jews require a sign, but the Greeks seek after wisdom. As God was helping Abraham's servant select a bride for Isaac, He was dealing with the nation of Israel in seed form because the whole nation of Israel was to come from Isaac. Therefore, God gave this servant a sign to help him understand the specific will of God.
Now, when the Lord Jesus Christ came, He performed many miracles as a sign to the nation of Israel. In the Old Testament there were certain works which the Messiah was to do, and these works were to be a sign to the Jews that he was truly the Messiah. Just think of all of the miracles that Jesus did. He broke the bread and the fish and fed 5000 men plus the women and children. Then afterwards He had 12 baskets of food left over. Then He said, I am the bread of life. These things were done to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
However, in spite of the miracles of Jesus, the leaders of Israel refused to accept Him as their Messiah. They refused to acknowledge His miracles, but still they came to ask Him for a sign. In response, the Lord said, only one sign will be given to you, and that is the sign of the prophet Jonah; for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, even so must the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus mentioned this sign as a means of pointing to His death, burial and resurrection. When Jesus arose from the dead, all of the Jews should have immediately known that Jesus was the true Messiah because He had indeed been three days and three nights in the grave even as Jonah had been three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. However, after three days in the grave Jesus Christ arose from the dead, triumphant over death, hell and the grave, and this should have served as a sufficient sign for the nation of Israel that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
In the book of Acts, we find the Holy Spirit using this great miracle of Christ's resurrection to prove to the nation of Israel that beyond any shadow of a doubt Jesus was the Christ. Time and time again the apostles showed that according to the Old Testament prophecies, the Christ would have to die and be buried and then raised again the third day. They declared that the sign of the prophet Jonah was the sign of the resurrected Christ. They said that Jesus was alive, and He was waiting in heaven, standing at the right hand of the Father, ready to come back, if only the nation of Israel would repent and receive Him as their Messiah.
But throughout the book of Acts, the nation of Israel rejected this message. Finally, God stopped Messianic message. Jesus Christ was no longer offered to Israel as the one who would come to the earth to establish the kingdom of God. Instead, God used the Apostle Paul to reveal the Lord Jesus as the savior of the world who serves as the Head of the Church which is the Body of Christ. The truth of this new program had been hidden from all of the prophets of previous ages.
One day, after the church is taken up to be with the Lord in heaven, God will once again preach to the nation of Israel the message of the crucified Christ who was raised from the dead and who waits in heaven to be accepted by the nation of Israel. When this message is once again the focus of God's program to the Jews, the nation of Israel will accept Jesus as their Messiah, and He will return to the earth to fulfill all of the great promises that were given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Next week, we're going to continue to look at the wooing of Rebecca for Isaac. Until that time we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
In Genesis 22, we find that without hesitation Abraham obeyed God when God told him to take Isaac to Mt. Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice. The book of Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed God and by faith offered up Isaac. However, when we look back at the Genesis account, we find that Abraham actually offered up a ram in accordance with God's last minute instructions.
Obviously, when God saw the strength of Abraham's faith, He was willing to accept that ram as if it was actually Isaac. This is because Abraham's faith was based in the promise of God. God had previously given Abraham many promises, and He had said that all of His promises to Abraham would be fulfilled through Isaac and his descendants. In fact, when God promised Abraham the birth of Isaac, He said, You shall call his name Isaac and in Isaac shall your seed be called.
Well, Isaac had no children at the time that Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac. Therefore, Abraham knew that if God was going to be true to His word, God would have to prevent the death of Isaac or raise him up from the dead. So when God saw Abraham's faith in the promise of God, He counted the offering up of the ram as though Abraham had actually offered up Isaac and as if God had raised Isaac up from the dead.
Last week we saw that this event pictures the Biblical doctrine of identification. You and I, who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, have been counted as though we died with Christ and were buried with Him and were also raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
The book of Ephesians 2 tells us that in the mind of God we have also ascended with Christ to sit with Christ in the heavens, and this certainly does have tremendous implications for us. In Colossians, Chapter 3, Paul says:
Colossians 3:1-3 NKJV
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Now, before we leave Genesis 22, I want us to think for just a moment of another great truth that we find in this passage, and that is the great doctrine of substitution. When Abraham was ready to offer up Isaac in obedience to the will of God, God stopped him and said, there is a ram that's caught in the thicket; you take that ram and offer him in the place of Isaac.
Oh, how beautiful this is. When we compare this with the New Testament and see the application of this wonderful doctrine we see that Christ is our substitute. That ram was offered up and bore the penalty of the judgment of God which was suppose to fall upon Isaac, and in the same way, Christ died on the cross, not for His own sins, not as some great tragedy, but He died the just one in the place of, or as a substitute for, those who are unjust. Romans 5 says:
Romans 5:6 NKJV
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for (in the stead of, in the place of, as the substitute for) the ungodly.
Jesus Christ died for you. You deserved eternal punishment, eternal separation from God, but when the Lord Jesus went to the cross and cried out, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me, He was dying in your stead.
That's what it means to accept Christ as your Savior. It means to believe with your whole heart that Christ took your place, that He bore the judgment that you deserved. He died to pay the penalty for all of your sins, and when you believe that, God counts the work of Christ on your behalf so that the penalty for your sins has already been paid. On this basis, your sins are forgiven. What a wonderful truth, this doctrine of substitution.
I wonder today if there is one reading this lesson who has never truly received what Christ did on the cross, that He was really there in your stead, in your place, dying for your sins. I have believed that He died for my sins, that He took my place. I believe that Jesus Christ took James Roberts' place on the cross, and now that I have believed that, God considers all of my sins as having been placed upon Him.
Now, as we go on further in the book of Genesis, I want us to see another act of faith on the part of Abraham. In Genesis, Chapter 24, we see Abraham preparing to choose a bride for Isaac. Abraham had become old and he was living in the land of the Canaanites, but God had shown him that Isaac should not take a bride for Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites. God had obviously revealed to Abraham what He would later reveal to the whole nation of Israel, that if they took wives for their sons from the children of Canaan, they would become entrapped in the religious practices of the Canaanites.
So Abraham believed what God said, and he sent his servant back to the city of Nahor in the land of Mesopotamia to get a wife for Isaac. This servant was to get a wife from Abraham's kinsmen who were still living back in the region around Ur of the Chaldeans. Before the servant left, he asked Abraham what he should do if the woman of God's choosing should refuse to return with him to marry Isaac. In response, Abraham was very clear. He said, do not take Isaac back to Ur of the Chaldeans; if the woman refuses to return with you, you will be released from any obligation in this matter.
Abraham had been taken out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and God didn't want Abraham's seed to go back to Ur of the Chaldeans. After all, all of the promises related to the land of Canaan, and they were to be fulfilled through the descendants of Isaac. Isaac needed to remain in the Promised Land, but he was not to marry the daughters of those who lived in Canaan at that time.
So the servant went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor, and he waited there outside the city by the well. As he waited, he asked God to give him a sign. He said, I don’t know which woman should be Isaac's bride, but let it be that when the woman You have chosen comes to draw water, she will offer to give me a drink and to draw water for my camels. Well, the servant waited and along came Rebecca, who did exactly as the servant had asked.
It's very interesting that Abraham's servant asked for a sign from the Lord because we read in the book of I Corinthians that the Jews require a sign, but the Greeks seek after wisdom. As God was helping Abraham's servant select a bride for Isaac, He was dealing with the nation of Israel in seed form because the whole nation of Israel was to come from Isaac. Therefore, God gave this servant a sign to help him understand the specific will of God.
Now, when the Lord Jesus Christ came, He performed many miracles as a sign to the nation of Israel. In the Old Testament there were certain works which the Messiah was to do, and these works were to be a sign to the Jews that he was truly the Messiah. Just think of all of the miracles that Jesus did. He broke the bread and the fish and fed 5000 men plus the women and children. Then afterwards He had 12 baskets of food left over. Then He said, I am the bread of life. These things were done to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
However, in spite of the miracles of Jesus, the leaders of Israel refused to accept Him as their Messiah. They refused to acknowledge His miracles, but still they came to ask Him for a sign. In response, the Lord said, only one sign will be given to you, and that is the sign of the prophet Jonah; for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, even so must the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus mentioned this sign as a means of pointing to His death, burial and resurrection. When Jesus arose from the dead, all of the Jews should have immediately known that Jesus was the true Messiah because He had indeed been three days and three nights in the grave even as Jonah had been three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. However, after three days in the grave Jesus Christ arose from the dead, triumphant over death, hell and the grave, and this should have served as a sufficient sign for the nation of Israel that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
In the book of Acts, we find the Holy Spirit using this great miracle of Christ's resurrection to prove to the nation of Israel that beyond any shadow of a doubt Jesus was the Christ. Time and time again the apostles showed that according to the Old Testament prophecies, the Christ would have to die and be buried and then raised again the third day. They declared that the sign of the prophet Jonah was the sign of the resurrected Christ. They said that Jesus was alive, and He was waiting in heaven, standing at the right hand of the Father, ready to come back, if only the nation of Israel would repent and receive Him as their Messiah.
But throughout the book of Acts, the nation of Israel rejected this message. Finally, God stopped Messianic message. Jesus Christ was no longer offered to Israel as the one who would come to the earth to establish the kingdom of God. Instead, God used the Apostle Paul to reveal the Lord Jesus as the savior of the world who serves as the Head of the Church which is the Body of Christ. The truth of this new program had been hidden from all of the prophets of previous ages.
One day, after the church is taken up to be with the Lord in heaven, God will once again preach to the nation of Israel the message of the crucified Christ who was raised from the dead and who waits in heaven to be accepted by the nation of Israel. When this message is once again the focus of God's program to the Jews, the nation of Israel will accept Jesus as their Messiah, and He will return to the earth to fulfill all of the great promises that were given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Next week, we're going to continue to look at the wooing of Rebecca for Isaac. Until that time we bid you goodbye.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Genesis (Part 26)(BST 12-14-08)
Genesis (Part 26)
Bible Study Time 12-14-08
(From James Roberts 2-16-97)
Bible Study Time 12-14-08
(From James Roberts 2-16-97)
Last week in our Journey Through the Scripture, we saw that there were three incidents in Abraham's life that illustrated his life of faith. Abraham is preeminently spoken of in the Old Testament as a man of faith. He was called a friend of God, and he was one who walked by faith.
In the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, we see these three incidents recorded. The first incident was when God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave UR of the Chaldeans and go to a land that He would show him. God said that He was going to give this land to Abraham and to his descendants after him as an inheritance. Abraham, without hesitation, acted upon the word of God, believing what God had said.
The second incident was when God appeared to Abraham and told him that he was going to have a son. Now, Abraham was 99 years old, almost 100 years old, and Sarah was past 90 years of age. Both were well beyond the age of bearing children, so when God promised Abraham a son, Abraham thought immediately of Ishmael. He said, oh that Ishmael might live before You. But God said, no, it’s not going to be Ishmael. It’s going to be a son by your wife, Sarah, the free woman, and you shall call his name Isaac.
In the book of Romans, Chapter 4, we read that Abraham did not consider his own body to be dead, but he believed that what God had promised He was able also to perform. Being strong in faith, Abraham did not waver. Abraham did not stagger at the promise of God, but he believed what God said.
The third incident we looked at briefly last week. It relates to God’s command that Abraham should take his son, Isaac, and go to a mountain that God would show him. That mountain was Mt. Moriah, where Solomon’s temple was ultimately built. So God led Abraham to Mt. Moriah, and there Abraham was ready to offer up his son as a sacrifice in obedience to what God had said.
This was a tremendous act of faith on the part of Abraham because, as we saw last week, Abraham told the young men in his company that they should stay at the foot of the mountain with the donkeys because he and the lad would go up to worship and then come back again.
He knew something. He knew that even though God had told him to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice, Isaac would be coming back down that mountain with him. Now, how did Abraham know that? Well, let’s look in the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, and we will see a commentary on Genesis, Chapter 24.
In verse 15, we find that Abraham and his sons dwelt as sojourners in the land of Canaan. This means that they did not receive the inheritance while they were living. They received the promise of the inheritance, and they dwelt in tents looking for a city that God had built, a new city, a heavenly Jerusalem, which will be discussed at length later in the book of Hebrews. But now I want you to notice in verse 15:
Hebrews 11:15-17 NKJV
15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac . . .
Here we find the writer to the Hebrews saying that Abraham offered up Isaac, but when we look back in the book of Genesis, Chapter 24, we find that Abraham was ready to offer Isaac. According to the Genesis account, Abraham had the knife in his hand, and he was ready to slay Isaac in obedience to the command of God, but God spoke out of heaven and said, don’t kill Isaac. God said, I see that you love me even more than you love your son, and therefore, if you'll just look over in the thicket, you’ll see a ram that can be offered in Isaac’s stead.
Accordingly, Abraham took the ram that was caught in the thicket and offered it up instead of Isaac. Notice, he offered the ram instead of Isaac even though the book of Hebrews says that Abraham offered up Isaac. Now, let’s talk about that. Just keep that thought in your mind as we continue in Hebrews, Chapter 11:
Hebrews 11:17-18 NKJV
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called,"
Abraham offered up his son, his only begotten son, that son through whom the promise was given which said that in Isaac Abraham's seed would be called.
Now, why do you suppose the writer to the Hebrews mentioned this little detail concerning the seed being called through Isaac? Well, this is very important to our discussion of Abraham as the man of faith. Notice as we read in verse 19:
Hebrews 11:19 NKJV
19 (Abraham concluded) that God was able to raise (Isaac) up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
God accounted Abraham’s faith as a righteous act, and in the mind of God, God saw that ram as if it had actually been Isaac. What did Abraham believe that assured him that Isaac would be raised from the dead if necessary?
Well, God had said to Abraham, in Isaac your seed shall be called. God had said this when He announced the birth of Isaac, when Abraham was past the age of begetting children, when Sarah was past the age of begetting children. God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son and they were to call his name Isaac. God said that it was going to be through Isaac that the seed would be called.
According to the book of Genesis, Isaac wasn't married at the time of this incident. Therefore, He had no children. So if God was going to be true to His word, Abraham knew that if he offered up Isaac, God would have to raise up Isaac from the dead so that Isaac could have children. Abraham knew that the promised seed had to come through Isaac. The whole nation of Israel, the multiplied seed, had to come through Isaac.
So Abraham said, well God, I’ll do what you tell me to do because I know that if you can give me life even when I am dead in terms of begetting children, then I know that you can give life to Isaac in order to accomplish Your word.
This is a great example of believing what God has said, and this is what faith really is. We walk by faith when we simply reckon upon what God has said. Today, so much of what people call walking by faith is really walking by fancy. It’s walking by feeling. People so often go simply by what they feel God wants them to do. But when we feel that God wants us to do something, it may simply be a manifestation of our own desires.
In reality, faith is a matter of going to God’s word and reading God’s word and believing God’s word. Then we yield to the Holy Spirit and let the Holy Spirit, Himself, take the word of God and guide us through the principles that are set down in the word. This is how we should determine the specific will of God for our lives.
God has a general will for each one of us, and that general will is that we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit who is dwelling within us. Then we must read and study God’s word so that God, Himself, will be able to use the word. In this way the word of God becomes a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
That’s what faith is; it is believing what God has said. We don't look for signs. We don't look for miraculous things to lead us. The Holy Spirit of God teaches us the principles of the word of God as we read and study, and then He leads us according to those principles.
Abraham believed God explicitly, and without any hesitation he did what God told him to do. I want you to notice that as far as God was concerned, Abraham actually killed Isaac. God was able to count that which was not as though it was. Abraham did not literally slay Isaac, but when God looked at the ram, He saw the faith of Abraham, and He counted the death of the ram as the offering up of Isaac.
We also see that God not only saw Isaac as having been killed, but He saw Isaac as having been raised up from the dead. Isaac did not literally die and come forth from the grave alive, but as far as God was concerned, Isaac died and was buried and was then raised from the dead.
Now may I just say this to you? This is a great example of the Biblical principle of identification. God saw Abraham's faith, and God counted it to Abraham for righteousness. In like manner, when you and I trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe explicitly what God has said in His word about the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, God counts us as though we were actually put to death with Christ, as though we were actually buried and raised up with Christ to walk in newness of life. Then the book of Ephesians tells us that when Christ ascended back to the Father in heaven, in the mind of God we too ascended with Him so that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
Now does that have any implication for our Christian life? Well, in Colossians, Chapter 3, the Apostle Paul says that if we have been raised with Christ, we should seek those things which are above where Christ is seated, for we are dead and our lives are hid with Christ in God. He tells us that we have died, we have been buried, and we have been raised with Christ so that we can actually say with Paul, I am crucified with Christ; I have been given new life so that I can walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord Jesus.
I see our time is gone for this morning. Next week, the Lord willing, in our Journey Through the Scripture, we’re going to look the selection of a bride for Isaac. Well, until that time, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
In the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, we see these three incidents recorded. The first incident was when God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave UR of the Chaldeans and go to a land that He would show him. God said that He was going to give this land to Abraham and to his descendants after him as an inheritance. Abraham, without hesitation, acted upon the word of God, believing what God had said.
The second incident was when God appeared to Abraham and told him that he was going to have a son. Now, Abraham was 99 years old, almost 100 years old, and Sarah was past 90 years of age. Both were well beyond the age of bearing children, so when God promised Abraham a son, Abraham thought immediately of Ishmael. He said, oh that Ishmael might live before You. But God said, no, it’s not going to be Ishmael. It’s going to be a son by your wife, Sarah, the free woman, and you shall call his name Isaac.
In the book of Romans, Chapter 4, we read that Abraham did not consider his own body to be dead, but he believed that what God had promised He was able also to perform. Being strong in faith, Abraham did not waver. Abraham did not stagger at the promise of God, but he believed what God said.
The third incident we looked at briefly last week. It relates to God’s command that Abraham should take his son, Isaac, and go to a mountain that God would show him. That mountain was Mt. Moriah, where Solomon’s temple was ultimately built. So God led Abraham to Mt. Moriah, and there Abraham was ready to offer up his son as a sacrifice in obedience to what God had said.
This was a tremendous act of faith on the part of Abraham because, as we saw last week, Abraham told the young men in his company that they should stay at the foot of the mountain with the donkeys because he and the lad would go up to worship and then come back again.
He knew something. He knew that even though God had told him to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice, Isaac would be coming back down that mountain with him. Now, how did Abraham know that? Well, let’s look in the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, and we will see a commentary on Genesis, Chapter 24.
In verse 15, we find that Abraham and his sons dwelt as sojourners in the land of Canaan. This means that they did not receive the inheritance while they were living. They received the promise of the inheritance, and they dwelt in tents looking for a city that God had built, a new city, a heavenly Jerusalem, which will be discussed at length later in the book of Hebrews. But now I want you to notice in verse 15:
Hebrews 11:15-17 NKJV
15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac . . .
Here we find the writer to the Hebrews saying that Abraham offered up Isaac, but when we look back in the book of Genesis, Chapter 24, we find that Abraham was ready to offer Isaac. According to the Genesis account, Abraham had the knife in his hand, and he was ready to slay Isaac in obedience to the command of God, but God spoke out of heaven and said, don’t kill Isaac. God said, I see that you love me even more than you love your son, and therefore, if you'll just look over in the thicket, you’ll see a ram that can be offered in Isaac’s stead.
Accordingly, Abraham took the ram that was caught in the thicket and offered it up instead of Isaac. Notice, he offered the ram instead of Isaac even though the book of Hebrews says that Abraham offered up Isaac. Now, let’s talk about that. Just keep that thought in your mind as we continue in Hebrews, Chapter 11:
Hebrews 11:17-18 NKJV
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called,"
Abraham offered up his son, his only begotten son, that son through whom the promise was given which said that in Isaac Abraham's seed would be called.
Now, why do you suppose the writer to the Hebrews mentioned this little detail concerning the seed being called through Isaac? Well, this is very important to our discussion of Abraham as the man of faith. Notice as we read in verse 19:
Hebrews 11:19 NKJV
19 (Abraham concluded) that God was able to raise (Isaac) up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
God accounted Abraham’s faith as a righteous act, and in the mind of God, God saw that ram as if it had actually been Isaac. What did Abraham believe that assured him that Isaac would be raised from the dead if necessary?
Well, God had said to Abraham, in Isaac your seed shall be called. God had said this when He announced the birth of Isaac, when Abraham was past the age of begetting children, when Sarah was past the age of begetting children. God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son and they were to call his name Isaac. God said that it was going to be through Isaac that the seed would be called.
According to the book of Genesis, Isaac wasn't married at the time of this incident. Therefore, He had no children. So if God was going to be true to His word, Abraham knew that if he offered up Isaac, God would have to raise up Isaac from the dead so that Isaac could have children. Abraham knew that the promised seed had to come through Isaac. The whole nation of Israel, the multiplied seed, had to come through Isaac.
So Abraham said, well God, I’ll do what you tell me to do because I know that if you can give me life even when I am dead in terms of begetting children, then I know that you can give life to Isaac in order to accomplish Your word.
This is a great example of believing what God has said, and this is what faith really is. We walk by faith when we simply reckon upon what God has said. Today, so much of what people call walking by faith is really walking by fancy. It’s walking by feeling. People so often go simply by what they feel God wants them to do. But when we feel that God wants us to do something, it may simply be a manifestation of our own desires.
In reality, faith is a matter of going to God’s word and reading God’s word and believing God’s word. Then we yield to the Holy Spirit and let the Holy Spirit, Himself, take the word of God and guide us through the principles that are set down in the word. This is how we should determine the specific will of God for our lives.
God has a general will for each one of us, and that general will is that we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit who is dwelling within us. Then we must read and study God’s word so that God, Himself, will be able to use the word. In this way the word of God becomes a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
That’s what faith is; it is believing what God has said. We don't look for signs. We don't look for miraculous things to lead us. The Holy Spirit of God teaches us the principles of the word of God as we read and study, and then He leads us according to those principles.
Abraham believed God explicitly, and without any hesitation he did what God told him to do. I want you to notice that as far as God was concerned, Abraham actually killed Isaac. God was able to count that which was not as though it was. Abraham did not literally slay Isaac, but when God looked at the ram, He saw the faith of Abraham, and He counted the death of the ram as the offering up of Isaac.
We also see that God not only saw Isaac as having been killed, but He saw Isaac as having been raised up from the dead. Isaac did not literally die and come forth from the grave alive, but as far as God was concerned, Isaac died and was buried and was then raised from the dead.
Now may I just say this to you? This is a great example of the Biblical principle of identification. God saw Abraham's faith, and God counted it to Abraham for righteousness. In like manner, when you and I trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe explicitly what God has said in His word about the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, God counts us as though we were actually put to death with Christ, as though we were actually buried and raised up with Christ to walk in newness of life. Then the book of Ephesians tells us that when Christ ascended back to the Father in heaven, in the mind of God we too ascended with Him so that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
Now does that have any implication for our Christian life? Well, in Colossians, Chapter 3, the Apostle Paul says that if we have been raised with Christ, we should seek those things which are above where Christ is seated, for we are dead and our lives are hid with Christ in God. He tells us that we have died, we have been buried, and we have been raised with Christ so that we can actually say with Paul, I am crucified with Christ; I have been given new life so that I can walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord Jesus.
I see our time is gone for this morning. Next week, the Lord willing, in our Journey Through the Scripture, we’re going to look the selection of a bride for Isaac. Well, until that time, we bid you goodbye.
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