Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000018
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01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:14 Our Father in heaven, we thank You for the wonderful day that 01:19 we have received from Your hand. 01:21 We thank You for life, not only physical life, 01:25 but spiritual life. 01:26 We thank You for the book of Genesis. 01:29 It's so important in these last days. 01:32 We ask that as we study another episode from this wonderful 01:37 book, that Your Holy Spirit will be with us to instruct us, 01:40 to teach us the things that we need to know 01:43 as we live in these last days. 01:45 We thank You for hearing our prayer 01:48 for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. 01:52 I'd like to begin our study today at Genesis 1:26, 28, 02:02 Genesis 1:26, and then we'll jump down to verse 28. 02:08 There are four points that I want to underline in these 02:13 two verses as we begin our study. 02:15 Verse 26 says: Then God said, Let us make man in our image, 02:23 according to our likeness: and let them have dominion... 02:30 That's the first idea that I want us to notice: dominion. 02:33 That means kingship, rulership. 02:36 Let them have dominion. 02:37 And then it speaks about the territory. 02:40 Second point: their territory. 02:42 It says: over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, 02:48 over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping 02:54 thing that creeps on the earth. 02:56 Two points: 1. God gave man dominion. 03:01 2. His dominion was exercised over planet Earth. 03:07 Now we want to notice also verse 28, verse 28. 03:13 It says: Then God blessed them. 03:15 This is the third element that I want you to notice. 03:18 God blessed them, and God said to them, 03:20 And God said to them... 03:22 Fourth element... Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth... 03:29 And then the same idea is repeated as at the beginning 03:33 of verse 26... and subdue it: have dominion over the fish 03:37 of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living 03:41 thing that moves on the earth. 03:44 Four ideas: 1. Dominion 2. The territory, the earth. 03:50 3. The blessing. 4. A multiplicity of descendents. 03:59 And, of course, the idea was that the descendents would 04:02 be holy and righteous, just like Adam and Eve. 04:06 But then sin came into the world, and Satan took the plan, 04:14 which belonged to God, and ruined it. 04:18 The devil took dominion over the earth. 04:21 The devil took over the territory of the earth. 04:26 Instead of the blessing three times in Genesis 3 and 4, 04:29 we find the word curse. 04:31 And instead of filling the earth with a race of righteous 04:36 and holy people, the Bible says that the earth was filled with 04:40 people, but it was a violent and iniquitous race like Satan. 04:45 And so the fourfold plan of God was spoiled. 04:50 Instead of man having dominion, Satan took dominion. 04:54 Instead of man owning the earth, Satan stole the earth. 04:57 Instead of the blessing came the curse. 05:00 And instead of a multitude of holy descendents, 05:03 there was a multitude of a corrupt race, which eventually 05:07 led to the worldwide flood. 05:09 But God had set forth a plan to recover these four things 05:17 which Adam and Eve, and their descendents lost. 05:21 And what we want to study in our lecture today is how God 05:27 revealed the way in which He was going to restore dominion, 05:32 restore the earth, restore the blessing, 05:36 and restore a multitude of righteous people, 05:41 filling the whole earth. 05:43 Now in order to understand how God was going to counteract what 05:47 the devil had brought in, we need to go to Genesis 22, 05:52 which will be the central chapter of our study 05:56 in our lecture today. 05:57 This is the famous story of the almost sacrifice of Isaac. 06:03 Because we know that Isaac was not actually sacrificed. 06:10 Now I'm going to go through this story quickly, and I'm going to 06:13 underline certain points in the story which are very important 06:17 for what we're going to talk about in the second half of our 06:22 study, or the second half of our lecture. 06:24 So pay particular and special attention to the details 06:29 that I'm going to mention in the first half, because we're going 06:32 to do a parallel in the second half of our study. 06:36 The first thing that we need to realize is that when Isaac was 06:40 born Abraham was an old man. 06:45 He was actually 120 years old according to scripture. 06:50 So we have an individual whom we might call the ancient 06:55 of days, who has a son. 06:58 And, by the way, that son, according to Galatians 4, 07:03 was born by the intervention of the Holy Spirit. 07:07 You can read there in Galatians 4. 07:10 It says that Isaac was born according to the Spirit, 07:14 whereas Ishmael was born according to the flesh. 07:17 As you remember, Sarah could not have children. 07:21 And so the Holy Spirit worked a special miracle so that Sarah 07:26 could have this child, Isaac, the son born 07:30 according to the Spirit. 07:31 The son born according to the promise, he's also called, 07:35 in Galatians chapter 4. 07:36 Now let's go to Genesis 22 and examine several interesting 07:41 details about this story. 07:44 Genesis 22, and I would like to begin at verse 2, Genesis 22:2. 07:51 Actually, let's start at verse 1 for the context. 07:55 Now it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham, 08:00 and said to him, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 08:06 Then He said: 08:15 Now there's something wrong there, because Isaac was not 08:21 Abraham's only son. 08:23 Now the Hebrew word that is used here for only is the word 08:28 yachid, which does not mean the only, numerically, 08:34 but it actually should be translated the precious son, 08:38 the unique son, the special son. 08:43 Unique would probably be a better translation. 08:46 So God is saying, Take your unique son, 08:49 your one of a kind son. 08:53 We know that Abraham had another son who was Ishmael. 08:57 And so Isaac was not the only son numerically. 09:01 Actually, this is speaking about Abraham's special, unique, 09:07 one of a kind son. 09:09 Now I want you to notice that according to Hebrews 11:17 09:14 Isaac is called the only begotten son. 09:20 Notice the book of Hebrews 11: 17, Hebrews 11:17. 09:42 By the way, the word only begotten is one word 09:45 in Greek, monogenes. 09:47 It also means special, or unique son. 09:52 It has nothing to do with begetting. 09:54 It has to do with status. 09:56 So notice that the New Testament agrees that Isaac was Abraham's 10:02 only begotten son; his special son, in other words. 10:07 Now let's go back to Genesis 22: 2, and continue studying 10:13 the details of this story. 10:15 Genesis 22 and notice verse 2. 10:30 In other words, this is the only begotten, 10:33 beloved son of Abraham. 10:37 Now I want you to notice also Genesis 22:2 10:43 another interesting detail. It says: 10:50 ...your unique son, your special son, your one of a kind son, 10:57 In other words, Your beloved only begotten son. 11:04 Now let's stop there for a minute. 11:06 Go to the land of Moriah. 11:10 At this time Abraham lived in Beersheba. 11:12 From Beersheba to Moriah there are forty-seven miles 11:18 as the crow flies, which means that Abraham, in spite of the 11:23 fact that he was an old man, must have been in good shape 11:26 in order to make that trip in three days, 11:29 according to what this story says. 11:31 Now I want you to notice that specifically, 11:34 God told him to go to Moriah. 11:37 Now why, specifically, to Moriah? 11:40 Well, go with me to 1 Chronicles 21:18, 26, 11:49 1 Chronicles 21:18, 26. 11:56 There's a very interesting detail here that we need to 11:59 notice in order to understand why God sent Abraham to Moriah. 12:04 It says in verse 18: 12:17 Where was David supposed to build an altar? on the threshing 12:22 floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 12:25 Now why is that important? 12:27 Go with me to 2 Chronicles 3:1, 2 Chronicles 3:1. It says: 12:40 This is Solomon's temple, so called. 12:59 What was built on Mount Moriah? 13:03 What was built there was Solomon's temple. 13:06 And what was offered in Solomon's temple? 13:09 Sacrifices of animals were offered. 13:13 That means that the very place where Abraham took his son 13:17 is the place where the sacrificial system, 13:20 which pointed to Christ, was established. 13:22 On that very mountain, later on, the temple was established. 13:27 Now I want you to notice, once again, going back to 13:31 Genesis 22:2, that this was a sacrifice for sin 13:39 that Abraham was going to offer. 13:41 Notice Genesis 22:2 again. 14:00 Notice that he was supposed to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. 14:05 Now in Israel they had thank offerings, and they also 14:08 had sin offerings. 14:10 This was not a thank offering. 14:13 God was asking Abraham to offer Isaac as a sin offering. 14:18 And you say, How do we know that? 14:20 Well, because the same expression is used in 14:23 Leviticus 1:3, 4, if you'll go with me there. 14:26 Leviticus 1:3, 4. It says here: 14:32 If this offering is a burnt sacrifice... 14:37 Same expression. 14:38 ...of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: 14:43 he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the 14:48 tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. Verse 4: 15:05 So the idea of Isaac going to Mount Moriah with Abraham 15:10 was so that Isaac would be offered not as a thank offering, 15:14 but offered as a sacrifice for sin. 15:18 This was a sin sacrifice, in other words, on Mount Moriah. 15:23 Now there's other interesting details of this story. 15:26 Go with me to Genesis 22:4, Genesis 22:4. 15:34 How long did the ordeal last? 15:38 It says there in verse 4: 15:51 Notice that this suffering and agony of Abraham lasted for 15:56 a period of three days, according to the story. 15:59 Not only that, we just read that on the third day Abraham 16:05 looked at the place and he saw the place how? afar off. 16:10 Let's go back to Genesis 22 and notice that 16:14 very important detail. 16:16 Genesis 22:4 again. 16:19 It says, Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes, 16:23 and saw the place afar off. 16:25 And then notice verse 5. 16:39 So these lads that went with Abraham, they're observing 16:42 what is happening on Mount Moriah from afar off. 16:47 I want you to remember that, there are witnesses to this, 16:51 and they're standing afar off. 16:54 Notice Genesis 22:6, another very interesting detail. 17:00 Chapter 22 and verse 6. It says: 17:10 Who carried the wood? 17:13 The wood was carried by Isaac. 17:16 The father placed the wood upon Isaac, and Isaac carried 17:20 the wood, and then he was bound to the wood. 17:24 Notice, it says in verse 6 again, So Abraham took the wood 17:29 of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took 17:34 And notice what happens with Abraham. It says: 17:38 That is Abraham took. 17:46 So we notice here that Isaac bears the wood upon which 17:51 he is going to be placed, but Abraham has the instrument 17:56 which are going to be used to slay his own son. 17:59 In other words, the father is going to slay his son, 18:02 but his son bears the wood, and then his son is placed 18:06 upon the wood. Now notice Genesis 22:7 when they arrive 18:12 at this location, Genesis 22:7. 18:42 Where is the ram for the burnt offering? 18:45 Now it's very interesting in the answer that Abraham gave that 18:50 Abraham is giving a prophetic answer. 18:53 Notice verse 8, verse 8. It says here: 19:06 For what? Now, now! 19:12 Listen to that! All these details are important. 19:26 In other words, God is going to provide a substitute. 19:29 God is going to provide a ram, or a lamb as an offering, 19:33 as a sin offering. He's saying to Isaac, 19:36 Don't you worry about it. 19:38 So they arrive at the place of execution. 19:42 I want you to notice that this is an execution. 19:44 This is not a natural death. 19:45 It says there in Genesis 22:9: 20:02 Notice that he's bound to the wood. 20:10 Can you imagine what must have been going through 20:13 the heart of Abraham at this time? 20:14 The son of the promise, the son through whom the promises 20:18 were going to be fulfilled that God made to Abraham, 20:22 and now God is telling Abraham to lift up his hand against his 20:27 own son. It must have been a terrible ordeal for Abraham 20:31 to do this. The father lifting up his hand against his unique, 20:37 only begotten, beloved son there on Mount Moriah. 20:42 And so the Bible says that Abraham raised his hand 20:47 to slay his son. Now there's a detail that is not directly 20:51 in the story, which I need to emphasize before we continue 20:56 with the story. Let me ask you, do you suppose that when Abraham 21:00 told Isaac, Now Isaac, You are the sacrifice. 21:04 You are the sin offering. 21:07 Do you suppose it could have been quite simple for Isaac 21:11 to escape from his father? 21:12 Do you think he could have escaped? of course! 21:16 Abraham was an old man. 21:18 Isaac could have said, Not me! 21:21 And he could have taken off. 21:23 But when they arrived at the place, and the father reveals 21:27 his plan to his beloved son, his unique son, and he says, 21:31 son, you are the sacrifice. 21:34 Isaac submissively places himself in his father's hands, 21:39 and he says, Your will be done. 21:43 Allow me to read you a statement in that classic book 21:48 that I've read from before. 21:49 It's a history of the Old Testament up to the time 21:52 of Solomon. Patriarchs and Prophets, page 152. 21:58 The author says this: 22:46 He said, Father, Your will be done. 22:50 And so we notice in Genesis 22: 10 that Abraham raises up 22:56 his hand to slay his own son as a sin offering. 23:01 Notice once again, Genesis 22:10: 23:14 Notice the son is on the wood. 23:16 The son has borne the wood, but the one who is going to 23:18 actually execute the sentence upon him is his own father. 23:23 And it says in verse 11: 23:48 And then we have some very significant words. 23:54 Now listen to what I'm going to say. 23:57 Isaac, we're going to find, actually is a symbol of Christ, 24:03 but he's also a symbol of us. 24:08 He's a symbol of Christ, and I'm going to explain what I mean. 24:12 He a symbol of Christ in the sense that, you know, 24:19 he's the only son, he's the beloved son. 24:21 He's going to be offered as a sin offering. 24:24 He submissively places himself in the hands of his father. 24:27 In that sense he's a symbol of Christ. 24:29 But Isaac was never actually sacrificed. 24:34 There was a substitute offered in place of Isaac. 24:39 In two senses Isaac is a symbol of Christ. 24:43 First in his submission, and his willingness to die 24:46 at the hands of his father. 24:48 And secondly, we're going to notice in a minute, that he also 24:51 symbolizes Christ in the fact that on the third day in figure, 24:56 he resurrected from the dead. 24:58 But when it comes to the sacrifice itself, 25:01 Isaac did not die. 25:03 A substitute was found. 25:05 Now go with me to Hebrews 11: 19, Hebrews 11:19. 25:14 Here's where we find the idea that Isaac actually 25:18 resurrected the third day. 25:19 You say, How could he resurrect if he didn't die? 25:21 Listen, in the mind of Abraham, he was as good as dead. 25:25 And on the third day Abraham got his son back alive, 25:30 in his mind. Notice verse 17 of Hebrews 11. 25:37 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac: 25:42 and he who had received the promises offered up 25:46 his only begotten son, of whom it was said, In Isaac your 25:51 seed shall be called. 25:52 Concluding, now notice this: 26:10 In other words, Isaac restored to his father alive 26:14 on the third day, symbolized in figure, the resurrection 26:19 of Jesus, who once again is in communion with His Father 26:24 when He resurrected on the third day. 26:26 So, actually, Isaac, in the mind of Abraham, 26:30 resurrected figuratively on the third day. 26:34 And so you have this marvelous story of Genesis 22. 26:40 Now my question is, Why did God give this story? 26:42 Is this only a story showing that Abraham loved God 26:47 more than he loved his own son? 26:49 Is this really even a story about Abraham and Isaac? 26:53 Or is this story far more profound than the historical 26:59 circumstances which took place approximately 1900 years 27:03 before the birth of Jesus? 27:04 Now before I answer that question we need to go back 27:07 to Genesis 22 and examine one further concept before 27:13 we do the parallel. 27:14 Genesis 22 and I would like to read verse 13. 27:30 A what? a ram. Do you know what a ram is? 27:33 It's a male sheep. 27:35 That's what a ram is. 27:48 Couldn't escape. 27:56 Instead of his son. 27:59 Was there a substitutionary sacrifice on Mount Moriah? 28:04 Yes, there was. In place of Isaac a ram was offered, 28:11 according to this. And then it says in verse 14: 28:19 Jehovah-Jireh in Hebrew. 28:30 Do you know if you look at the diagram of Solomon's temple, 28:34 so called, because it was really the Lord's temple. 28:37 You know we talk about Noah's flood, and Jacob's ladder, 28:40 and Solomon's temple. 28:42 The fact is that it was God's ladder, it was God's flood, 28:44 and it was God's temple. 28:46 But anyway, for the sake of understanding, Solomon's temple 28:50 was built in a direction from east to west. 28:59 The western wall supposedly is still there today. 29:02 And northeast of the temple was what was known 29:06 as the sheep gate. 29:08 And just outside the city, 29:11 I've been there where the sheep gate was. 29:13 Just outside the city to the north and to the east 29:16 is where they kept the sheep that they brought 29:19 for the sacrifices. 29:20 Now if you go to Jerusalem today you'll discover that what 29:23 is north and east of the temple site is the place of the skull 29:29 and the garden tomb, interestingly enough. 29:34 So geographically the very place where Abraham found this ram, 29:40 and offered him on Mount Moriah, is the place where Jesus was 29:44 taken from the sheep gate to die for the sins of the world, 29:49 which was represented by the temple on Mount Moriah. 29:52 Now the question is, did Abraham understand that this story was 29:57 far more profound than just simple history? 30:00 Notice John 8:56, John 8:56. 30:09 Here Jesus is entertaining a conversation with 30:12 the Jewish people, with a group of Jewish people. 30:15 And Jesus says them: 30:30 Did Abraham understand that this whole story actually 30:35 pointed to Jesus Christ the Messiah? Absolutely! 30:39 It says so very clearly here in John 8:56. 30:44 Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he was glad to see my day. 30:49 By the way, Galatians 3:8 says that God preached the gospel 30:54 to Abraham in the Old Testament; that God was going to justify 30:59 the Gentiles by faith. 31:00 So much for the idea that there was no idea in the Old Testament 31:06 that God was going to save the Gentiles, and He was going to 31:08 establish the Christian church. 31:10 That that was just revealed after Jesus died on the cross, 31:13 on the Day of Pentecost. 31:15 Oh, by the way, I have a Plan B for the church now. 31:16 The fact is that the gospel was preached to Abraham, 31:19 and the idea that the gospel was going to go to the nations was 31:22 already contained when God gave this experience to Abraham. 31:25 Now what is this story really pointing to? 31:28 Before I tell you, I'm going to just mention the four promises 31:32 that God made to Abraham. 31:33 We're not going to read the verses. 31:35 But listen to what I'm going to say. 31:37 It's interesting that every time in the book of Genesis that 31:42 either Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob raised up an altar, immediately 31:46 after they made the sacrifice God makes the promises. 31:49 And when they don't raise up an altar, there was always a 31:53 Messianic prophecy connected with the promises. 31:56 For example, immediately after this story of Genesis 22, 32:00 immediately after, God gives Abraham four promises. 32:05 Immediately after Jacob saw that ladder between heaven 32:10 and earth, you find God giving him the promises. 32:13 What God was trying to teach is that the promises were going 32:17 to come through the Messiah, through the sacrifice, 32:21 through Him who was truly Jacob's ladder, 32:24 through Him who truly is represented by Isaac. 32:28 Now let's make the parallel between what happened on 32:33 Mount Moriah, and what happened with Jesus. 32:36 By the way, the four promises that God made to Abraham: 32:40 1. He promised that Abraham's, and his seed, 32:44 would have dominion over their enemies. 32:47 Interesting. Is that what Adam lost? 32:50 What was going to be restored through the seed? 32:53 dominion. That's in Genesis 22: 17 immediately after this story. 32:57 The second thing that God promised Abraham: 33:00 He promised him the land. 33:02 And most Christians that study this assume that God was 33:05 promising Abraham that little strip of land in the 33:07 Middle East known as Israel. 33:09 But the fact is that Abraham understood that that was 33:11 only a down payment. 33:13 That was only a little sample of what God really 33:17 was promising Abraham. 33:18 Because in Romans 4:13 it says that God promised Abraham 33:23 that he would be the heir of the world. 33:24 In Hebrews chapter 11 it says that Abraham, 33:27 and all of the other heroes up to the time of Abraham, 33:30 they did not consider Canaan their homeland. 33:33 It says that they looked for a city whose builder 33:37 and maker was God. 33:38 And when they left their country it says that they knew that they 33:42 were searching for a homeland, a heavenly homeland. 33:45 In other words, Abraham was not looking for Jerusalem 33:48 as the fulfillment of God's promise. 33:50 He wasn't looking at that little strip of land. 33:52 Actually, God was promising Abraham that he would have 33:55 dominion over all of the enemies, including the devil; 33:58 that he was going to also inherit all of the earth. 34:03 And, by the way, God also promised Abraham that 34:07 through his seed the blessing would come 34:10 to counteract the curse. 34:11 Do you see how this is counteracting what we have 34:13 in Genesis chapter 1, what we read? 34:15 dominion, the earth, the blessing, an innumerable 34:21 multitude of righteous people? 34:24 So God says to Abraham, Now, as a result of this experience, 34:29 and what it means, I'm telling you that you're going to have 34:32 dominion through your seed over the enemies. 34:34 That you are going to recover the earth through your seed. 34:38 That you are going to have a blessing come to humanity 34:43 through that seed, and that you are also going to have a group 34:48 of people that no man can number, 34:51 like the stars of heaven, according to the promise. 34:54 And so what God is telling Abraham is that what was lost 34:58 by Adam and Eve, is going to be restored 35:01 through Abraham and his seed. 35:03 Now we need to understand that Abraham 35:04 is not the key figure. 35:05 Abraham is only mentioned as bringing these things because 35:12 from Abraham comes Jesus. 35:15 Abraham could never bring these things. 35:17 The devil defeated him because Abraham lied. 35:21 Abraham was a bigamist. 35:27 Are you following me? 35:31 So Abraham is only central insofar as he's the instrument 35:36 that God uses to bring the Seed into the world, to recover and 35:40 restore that which was lost. 35:41 Now let's do the parallel of this story. 35:44 We're not going to read all of the verses. 35:45 You have them written down. 35:46 But I'm going to tell you the content of each verse. 35:48 Matthew 1:18 says that Jesus was born according to the 35:54 action of the Holy Sprit. 35:55 He's the child of the Holy Spirit. 35:58 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 36:01 According to Mark 1:11, when Jesus was baptized the words 36:08 were heard from heaven that said, This is my what?... 36:20 Furthermore, in John 3:16, that verse that everybody can repeat 36:24 from memory. The most famous verse of the Bible. It says: 36:40 So is Jesus conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit 36:44 like Isaac? Absolutely! 36:46 Was Jesus the beloved Son? 36:49 Actually, the Father said it twice in the ministry of Jesus. 36:52 Once again on the Mount of Transfiguration the words 36:55 were heard, This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him. 37:01 And Jesus is the only begotten Son. 37:04 Now He's not the only Son that God the Father has, 37:07 but He is the unique Son, the special Son. 37:10 He's the Son of the promise, the Son through whom all of the 37:14 promises given to Abraham will be fulfilled. 37:17 By the way, do you know that the sacrifice of Christ was offered 37:21 as a burnt offering, which had a sweet smelling savor to God? 37:26 Notice Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:2. 37:34 The apostle Paul says: 37:50 ...to whom? to His Father. Notice: 38:01 Now let me ask you, how long did the ordeal of Christ 38:06 and His Father last? 38:07 Matthew 12:40 speaks about the ordeal of Jesus lasting 38:16 how long? three days and three nights. 38:21 Three days and three nights! 38:23 God the Father, and Jesus His Son, agonized. 38:28 The Father struggling with the idea of delivering up His Son. 38:33 Three days, just like the in the Old Testament story. 38:39 Now let me ask you, did Jesus place Himself submissively 38:44 in the hands of His Father? 38:45 He most certainly did. 38:47 You have, for example, in the Garden of Gethsemane. 38:51 By the way, do you notice that Isaac said in Genesis 22, 38:56 My father, here's the wood and the fire, 39:02 but where is the offering? 39:05 Where's the sacrifice? 39:06 Where's the animal? 39:07 Isaac addressed his father as my father. 39:12 When you go to Matthew 26 you find Jesus saying, 39:19 My Father, if this cup can pass from Me, let it be so. 39:26 If I could escape from having to give My life from suffering, 39:32 Father may it be so. 39:35 My Father, He said three times He prays this prayer. 39:37 My Father, He says, Nevertheless, not My 39:42 will be done but Yours. 39:44 Jesus, though He could have escaped, presented Himself 39:49 into the hands of His Father submissively. 39:53 By the way, who bore the wood? 39:58 Go with me to John 19:17. 40:00 Of course all of this is no coincidence. 40:02 I say that facetiously, incidentally. 40:07 We have here prophecy, folks. 40:09 The center of this story is Jesus. 40:11 Now notice John 19:17. It says: 40:23 What was the cross made of? wood. 40:39 So who bore the wood? 40:40 Who was nailed to the wood? 40:43 Jesus, by His own consent, by His own willingness, 40:48 He presented Himself into the hands of His Father. 40:51 Now let me ask you, who actually was executing 40:55 the sentence upon Christ? 40:58 Go with me to Isaiah 53, Isaiah 53. 41:03 This is a very well known Messianic prophecy. 41:07 You see, like Abraham bore the knife and the fire, 41:11 He was the one who was going to execute His Son. 41:14 The one who turned against Jesus was His own Father, 41:17 because Jesus was occupying the place 41:19 that I should have had. 41:22 Now notice Isaiah 53:4: 41:39 Jesus suffered under the sentence of His own Father. 41:43 His Father raised His hand against Him. 41:46 And the hand of the Father was not stayed in the case of Jesus. 41:50 The Father followed all the way through. 41:53 Now why did Jesus do this? 41:55 Remember that on the mountain, the name of the mountain was 41:58 Yahweh-Yireh, the Lord will provide. 42:01 For whom did Jesus do this? Notice verse 5: 42:21 In other words, Jesus is the great substitute, 42:24 the one that was offered in our place, so that we do not have 42:29 to suffer the death sentence. 42:31 Notice 2 Corinthians 5:21 on this point. 42:36 The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21 speaks these 42:42 marvelous words. He says: 42:56 See, the One who knew no sin the Father make sin. 43:08 By the way, do you know that when Jesus suffered on the cross 43:14 there were witnesses who watched it from afar off? 43:18 Go with me to Mark 15:40, Mark 15:40. 43:25 See, this is a reenaction of the story that we find on 43:29 Mount Moriah, only what happened on Mount Moriah is a shadow 43:32 or a figure, of what Jesus did for the whole human race. 43:35 Mark 15:40 says this: 43:45 The same expression! 43:54 So there were witnesses contemplating this from afar. 43:59 What day of the week did Jesus resurrect? 44:02 The first day of the week. 44:04 But what was the day with reference to His sufferings? 44:07 It was the third day. 44:08 Did Abraham receive Isaac back resurrected 44:13 in figure on the third day? 44:14 Did we find that expression in Hebrews 11? Yes. 44:17 Now notice what the apostle Paul says in 44:19 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4, 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4. 44:27 Here the apostle Paul says this: 44:46 Do you suppose that one of those scriptures was the story of 44:48 Genesis 22, that indicated that He was going to resurrect 44:51 on the third day? Hebrews 11 seems to indicate so. 44:55 That the fact that Jesus was resurrected the third day is 44:59 foreshadowed in the story of Genesis 22. 45:01 And, by the way, it's also foreshadowed in the story of 45:04 Jonah, where he was in the belly of the great fish 45:08 three days and three nights, and the third day the great fish 45:13 cast him out. See, he couldn't even stand this prophet. 45:17 Not even the fish! 45:18 The fish got indigestion! 45:19 Because this prophet was a bitter man, and so he spewed 45:23 him out on the third day. 45:25 And he lived in spite of the fact that he'd been in that 45:29 tomb, so to speak, for three days and three nights. 45:33 Notice Romans 8:32, Romans 8:32. 45:37 Can you imagine, folks, what it must have been like for God 45:40 the Father to raise His hand against His 45:42 own Son in our place? 45:44 The Lord will provide, as a substitute for our sins? 45:49 Notice what we find in Romans 8:32. 45:54 Here it speaks about what the Father did with His own Son. 45:58 We're told there by the apostle Paul this: 46:07 See that breathes what we find in Genesis 22. 46:18 Do you see the idea of substitution there? 46:20 Do you also see that it's the Father who is delivering up 46:24 His special Son? It says, He who did not spare His own Son, 46:28 but delivered Him up for us all, 46:34 That is with Jesus. 46:41 Who is at the center of the story of Isaac and Abraham? 46:45 At the very center of this story is Jesus Christ. 46:49 Now do you remember the four promises that 46:51 God made to Abraham? 46:52 First of all He made the promise that through Abraham 46:56 and his seed dominion would be restored. 46:59 Secondly He promised that through Abraham and his seed 47:02 the earth would be recovered. 47:04 Third He promised that through the seed of Abraham a blessing 47:08 would come upon the human race to counteract the curse. 47:12 And He promised that through Abraham a multiplicity of seed, 47:16 which no one can number, would come as a result 47:21 of Abraham and his seed. 47:22 Now let me ask you, were those promises made to the Jewish 47:27 nation, or were they made for the human race through Jesus? 47:32 Actually, the promises are centered in Christ. 47:35 You see the churches miss the point when 47:38 they center on Israel. 47:39 They say, God has to give the land to Israel. 47:41 He has to bless Israel, literal Israel, I'm referring to. 47:45 He has to restore the land to Israel. 47:48 He's got to defeat the enemies of Israel. 47:51 The fact is it's Jesus who fulfills these promises 47:54 with the whole human race, not only with one people. 47:58 Now notice Galatians 3:16. 48:02 Prophecy is not centered in Israel. 48:04 Prophecy is centered in Jesus. 48:05 Notice Galatians 3:16. 48:10 To whom were the promises made, and in whom are they fulfilled? 48:14 It says there: 48:33 To whom were the promises made? 48:34 They were made to Abraham and his seed. 48:37 And who is that seed? 48:39 That Seed is Jesus Christ. 48:42 This is the reason why the apostle Paul says in 48:44 2 Corinthians 1:20, He says that: 48:51 In Jesus. Never for Israel without Jesus. 48:56 Only fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ. 49:00 Did you know, by the way, that these four promises that God 49:05 made to Abraham will be fulfilled through Jesus? 49:07 Let me just mention several verses here, 49:11 as we draw this to a close. 49:14 Luke 1:71-73. When the birth of Jesus was announced 49:20 in the temple the Priest said, he praised the Lord. 49:26 He said, God has sent us a Seed of Abraham to deliver us 49:32 from the hand of our enemies. 49:33 So who delivers from the enemies? 49:37 F16's?, military power? No! 49:45 Through Jesus, it says, the enemies would be subdued. 49:49 By the way, that means dominion. 49:53 And Daniel 7:26, 27 says that Jesus will recover the dominion 49:57 of the whole world, and He will restore dominion to His people. 50:01 Dominion will be given to the Saints of the Most High. 50:06 God also promised Abraham that he would inherit the world. 50:11 Through whom does he inherit the world? 50:13 By divine right? Because they happen to belong 50:18 to a certain people, or a certain nation, they're going 50:21 to be given the earth, or the land? No. 50:24 This is only fulfilled through whom? 50:27 It is only fulfilled through Jesus Christ. 50:30 Because all of the promises are yea and amen in Jesus. 50:35 All of the promises have been made to Christ. 50:38 The meek shall inherit the earth. 50:41 But they inherit the earth because of what Jesus has done. 50:46 Jesus is at the very center. 50:48 By the way, who removes the curse? 50:53 Galatians 3:13, 14 says that we have been saved from the curse. 51:03 Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law, 51:07 having become for us a curse; taking our sins upon Himself. 51:15 And then verse 14 says: 51:18 That the blessing of Abraham might come upon 51:21 all those who believe. 51:23 How is it that the blessing of Abraham comes upon all of those 51:27 who believe? How is the curse removed? 51:29 It's removed by receiving Jesus and accepting Him in my place 51:34 as He who was cursed for my sins. 51:37 The curse is removed through Jesus. 51:40 The earth is restored through Jesus. 51:43 The blessing is restored through Jesus. 51:46 Dominion is restored through Jesus. 51:49 By the way, is there going to be a great multitude of redeemed 51:52 people that no one can number, in fulfillment of the 51:55 prophecy given to Abraham? 51:57 You've read Revelation 7:9, where John sees a great 52:02 multitude which no man could number, 52:04 from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 52:09 And a little bit later on it explains how these individuals 52:14 got to be in heaven. 52:16 It says that they have washed their robes, and they have made 52:21 them white in the blood of the lamb. 52:24 So the innumerable host comes as a result of what 52:29 Jesus has done. 52:31 The removal of the curse, is as a result of what Jesus does. 52:34 It says in the heavenly city there will no longer be any 52:37 curse. The meek will inherit the earth. 52:40 The meek will have dominion over the earth. 52:43 The earth will be restored. 52:44 But none of this is given to Israel as a literal nation. 52:48 It is given to those who receive Jesus. 52:51 They are fulfilled only in and through Jesus Christ. 52:56 Now, go with me to Galatians 3:29, Galatians 3:29. 53:02 You know, there's a lot of speculation today in Bible 53:06 prophecy. People say, oh, yeah, you know, God is going to 53:09 fulfill all of His promises to the literal Jews 53:12 over there in Israel. 53:15 You know, there are people that are blessed by God. 53:18 And, you know, God has given them a multiplicity 53:21 of descendents. And God has given them the land. 53:25 And there's all kinds of talk along this line. 53:29 But let me ask you, are these really the promises given to 53:32 Abraham, which are fulfilled with the literal Jewish people? 53:34 Absolutely not! Notice Galatians 3:29. 53:38 Very important verse! 53:40 Galatians 3:29. The apostle Paul says this: 53:57 If you are what? Christ's. 54:08 I guess that disqualifies everyone in the Middle East 54:13 who rejects Christ. 54:14 Because it says clearly in this verse that those who are 54:20 Christ's are Abraham's seed. 54:22 And they inherit the promises through Jesus. 54:26 So what happened in 1948 has no prophetic significance. 54:33 And what the churches are saying is being fulfilled over 54:37 there in the Middle East is no fulfillment of any prophecy, 54:42 or any promise of God. 54:43 Because scripture says that all of the promises are Yea, 54:47 and Amen in Jesus, the Seed. 54:50 No promise is fulfilled outside Jesus. 54:53 If you join Jesus the promises are yours. 54:56 If you are not in Christ, the promises are not yours. 55:00 So is it just possible that the religious world today 55:05 is focusing in, wrongly, upon Israel as the fulfillment 55:10 of prophecy rather than those who have received Christ 55:14 as the fulfillment of prophecy. 55:16 I believe so. Now let's go to Galatians 4:6, 7. 55:25 This will be our last verse. 55:27 Galatians 4:6, 7, and actually, we'll read verses 4 through 7 55:37 so that we can catch the context. 55:39 It says here: But when the fullness of the time had come, 55:44 God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 55:49 to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive 55:53 the adoption as sons. 55:55 And because you are sons God has sent forth the Spirit 56:00 of his Son into your hearts crying out, Abba, Father. 56:05 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son. 56:10 And if, now notice this, and if a Son then an heir 56:16 of God through Christ. 56:17 What do we need to become in order to inherit the promises? 56:23 We have to become sons and daughters of God. 56:26 How do we become sons and daughters of God? 56:28 In the previous chapter the apostle Paul says that all those 56:33 who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. 56:35 He says that we are Sons of God through Jesus Christ 56:39 in verses 26 and 27 of Galatians 3. 56:42 And so we must receive Jesus. 56:45 In this way we become His brothers and sisters, 56:48 and thus through Him, we are Sons and Daughters of God, 56:50 and through Jesus, according to Galatians 4:7, we inherit what? 56:55 all of the promises of God through Him. 56:58 We will live in that land restored to the redeemed. 57:02 We will once again have dominion over the earth. 57:06 We will live in a place where there's no longer any curse. 57:09 And God's people, from every nation, kindred, tongue, 57:12 and people, an innumerable host, will be there redeemed, 57:16 and will be able to live with Jesus forever and ever. 57:21 Isn't this good news? |
Revised 2014-12-17