Would you turn with me to the book of Genesis, chapter 22? Book of Genesis, chapter 22. Hear now the word of God. Now it came to pass after these things that God tested. Abraham. And said to him, Abraham. And he said, Here I am. And then he said, Take now your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son. And he split the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, stay here with the donkey and the lad and I will go yonder and worship and we will come back to you. So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac, his son. And he took the fire in his hands and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here I am, my son. And then he said, look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamp for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, my son, God will provide for himself the lamp for a burnt offering. So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told them. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order. And he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And so he said, Here I am. And he said, Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him, for I know now that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place, the Lord will provide, as it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord it shall be provided." Two weeks ago we heard our Pastor Ryan speaking about the Gospel according to the Old Testament. And there's no greater place in the entire Old Testament where the Gospel is displayed, as in the words that we just read together tonight. It tells us of the story of Abraham, a man who out of the blue was called to leave his family, leave his land, leave his country, inheritance, and for the promise of a land and of a seed far away. And he was in a constant suspense over the fulfillment of this promise. His sacrifice of faith indeed was great. But after all this testing, was it over now? He thinks, the storms are blown away, and when all seems to go all unwell, sacrifice your son. It's easy to obey when all is well, but now, what is this? The grievous command that the father must see his son die. The son of the promise. The son that he awaited for so many years. Just now that he sent Ishmael away. Just now that he's left with no other heir. Now that Sarah had miraculously conceived a baby in old age. Now that Abraham is as good as dead. The promise has been delayed because of the mistakes on Abraham's part. And now that finally there is this young Isaac who was the fulfillment of all of the promises, here comes the final greatest test in Abraham's life. Sacrifice your son. There's something far more frightening than the command. That the father of that son has to be the executioner in this parade to death, in this funeral procession. The father of all the faithful becomes the monsters of all fathers? Slaying his own son? The point of such narrative is not to speculate on the reason for this command. After all, didn't the Old Testament prohibit human sacrifices? And yet this episode, it's prefaced by this word, and God tested Abraham. The purpose behind this command is the testing of the faith of Abraham. That faith which we saw this morning is completed by works. James 2 verses 21 and 22 tells us clearly. James 2 chapter 2 verse 21 says, Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with His works? And by works, faith was made perfect. This is the faith that works itself out in a complete surrender and sacrifice of His only Son, beloved Son. When we give up all things, God is able to provide replacement. And the precious faith is tested by fire and grows. Not only that, but in the New Testament we are told in Hebrews 11, 17, 19 that Abraham believed and obeyed because he believed that God was able to raise his son from the dead. And in fact, he received Isaac as if some sort of resurrection. But first, the death of our will must take place for the overflowing of all blessings. The contrast between the promise of God and the providence of this hard testing. Abraham must test his faith to the point to kill the root of that same promise. If Isaac dies, the Gospel dies. And he receives him back as if from some sort of resurrection. Abraham, in this episode, is enacting that same relationship between the Father and the Son that later on will come and give His life on the cross for our behalf. How can the Father slay His own Son? Because God so loved the world that He gave His Son. And yet, there is a test. A total test. After all this life of Abraham, the test comes. Some translation says, tempt. But we know that James tells us God tempts no one. Here the idea of this is testing. This word actually stands for allowing hardship or trouble in a circumstance in order to see the specific reaction and outcome. And what is it that needs to be tested? If not, the faith of old Abraham. So that endurance and character and hope and love and patience bring to completion and perfection. of this saint through suffering. This is not just any sort of test. This is the highest test in the entire life of Abraham from which God gets the glory. Because Abraham has to feel upon his skin what actually God will do in order to accomplish and grant the redemption that Abraham, that Isaac, that all of us stand in need of. Take your only son, your beloved son, the son you waited and waited for years. Now you are bringing him to that Mount Moriah, which is the same mount where later on the temple will be built. And this is the first burnt offering on that mount. of which many offerings will be given through the centuries in the temple. And lastly, in that same mount, the last offering of the Son will be provided. Kill Him. Give Him up. Kill the Son in whom you have all your hope. Kill Him, the one you cherish the most in your entire life. Can you imagine the piercing words In Abraham's year, this relentless requirement? Can you imagine the heaviness in the heart of Abraham? After leaving and learning of this requirement, the awkward call to sacrifice his son. His heart would have melted like Job as he learned of all of his sons who died at once. This is an instruction that points to Abraham as he looks at his son Isaac from now on as already dead. He's already marked. Street requirement. Relentless requirement. And yet, what does he do? He obeys. He silently, quickly, early in the morning, he saddles his donkey, he cuts the wood and goes for three days Imagine the conversation between a father and a son. We do not know the intensity in the eyes of Abraham, the silent prayers, the heavy steps, he smiles that Abraham was getting closer to this arena of God's judgment. The growing sense that this is the end, that my son is already dead in my heart. This prayer that Lord may give him a strength of proceeding, step after step, until he finally sees on the back this mount of curse that appears from afar in his eyes. And he turns around and dismisses now his servants. Because he knows that the moment they will see what is about to happen, they will intercede, interpose, and in outrage over this. No, this is a road that he and his son must take alone. And yet He says, we, we will come back again to you. I believe that me and my Son will come back to you. But first, He takes this wood and lays the wood on the shoulder of His Son. And here they go walking those hills, climbing. And as they come all the way to the mountaintop, Now that there's no turning back, the intensity and tension within Abraham grows stronger and stronger. Each step is so heavy to take. As he sees this mountain, now the weight is overwhelming. And yet he knows and he keeps telling himself, God told me this and I must trust Him. And he builds this altar. And Isaac helps his father. They gather stones. They place the wood. Everything in order and ready. But on the top of these hills, there's no vegetation, there's no animals. The two look around and something is missing. Something is needed. It's not there. A provisional payment must be provided. and Isaac cannot keep it inside anymore, and he breaks this awkward silence and says, Father, we have the wood, we have the fire, but something is missing. Where is the lamp? Where is the lamp? This mountain is desert. Our hands are empty. The altar is void. Where? He's the Lamb. And the Father has to answer. How should I answer? How should I answer, my son? Where is the Lamb? Where is the Lamb who will climb up this mount in ages to come with that heavy, dreadful weight of the wood from the Father slain to the Son as the way of the cross approaches. And here's the greatest statement of faith of Abraham. God Himself will provide for Himself the land. God will provide. God. And satisfied He didn't say He would provide a lamb on the mountaintop, but a lamb for Himself. So as to see justice satisfied. So everything now is ready for this sacrifice. And the drama proceeds, and in fact, it is prolonged in excruciating minutes. The Father has to unveil to His Son the real intention behind this trip. And he asks for strength inside to proceed as he takes his beloved son's arms, and he bound him, and hands and feet, and he lays him on God's altar. And notice Isaac makes no resistance. He doesn't shake or protest. His faith is present there too. He is willing. Willing to die if the Lord commanded. And so the father takes his knife with his trembling hand to lay upon the son, to slaughter his son. When all the sudden, just when the knife was reaching the sweating son, a voice from heaven calls the angel of the Lord. And he says, Abraham, Abraham, stop it. It is enough. I have come to bring divine intervention on your death and desperate surrender. Do not lay your hand on the boy. I have seen you, Abraham. I have seen your heart and your willingness to sacrifice it all. You fear God. Augustine comments on this and he says, Indeed, I have caused you to know that you fear me. Oh, the refreshing words to the brokenhearted after such dry desert of testing. The waters of life comes upon this man of God who finally sees that God's purpose was behind all of this. You did not withheld your Son, your only Son. Lift up your eyes and see my provision. A ram trapped in a bush right in front of us. This is the Lord's doing, Abraham. What you were unaware is now provided for you. The statement of faith instead of your son. On the place of Isaac, a substitute has been found. And yet this was not a lamb. This is a ram. Where is the lamb therefore? The final note of the writer tells us something about this lamb. Abraham looks around this mountaintop and says, Jehovah Jireh. Literally, the Lord sees. And He gives aid. It is a divine intervention and going down to the depths of our need and providing. And the tense here in the verb is future. Yahweh will provide in the future. On that same mountain, The Lord will provide the land who will come to take away the sins of many and provide our salvation. This is the heart of the Gospel. And Abraham believed in Jesus Christ. He saw Him. He literally enacted the same place what was soon to come through the cross of our Savior, who will be the scapegoat in the wilderness. And if there's something we can learn from this episode, it's ten uses of applications that I would like to meditate with you. The first one is that God's trying is more important than your trials. If something we can learn from this whole episode is that God's trying is more important than your same trials. Usually, when life seems to be smooth and go well, God comes and tests us. And He tests us by leading us through difficulties, tasks that are impossible for us. deep, seemingly impossible trials of temptation. And He invites you in those temptations to overlook the circumstances around you, which makes it impossible, according to your flesh, to believe. Because the harder is the test, the most glorious the triumph of such testing. Even if God asks you to leave everything and follow Him, You know that this cannot be a hurt for you, because He knows best. Even if I have to die and rot, I will not sin against Him. I will obey His voice. I will follow in His steps. In fact, our second point from the text is that there is an imminent cost before you and me. An imminent cost. God is calling you and me those who put their trust in Him, to a total surrender, to come to the end of ourselves, of our ego, of our agenda, of our level of Christianity, and to come to the deepest level of discipleship. That we surrender all that you are for all that He is. None of us has experienced such measure of trial that Isaac had to go through. And yet, strong faith goes hand in hand with strong trials. His commands at times is like a sword to our bones, and He pierces through. In the words of the unfaithful servant, we can say that He is indeed a severe master. He requires much of His followers to hate father, mother, and even one's own life, and follow Him. and take up our cross and follow Him. And this is a hard command for us. How can we obey? Abraham understood something crucial, something that many Christians run away from, like the plague. That is the cost of discipleship. Isaac asks, where is the Lamb? By a human standard, this makes no sense. the innocent has to die, and yet we obey, and as Isaac did obey, and we as the community of God, are we emphasizing the cost of discipleship? Or are we emphasizing like hundreds of churches around us, hundreds of Christians, this cheap grace, so Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls it, where, just believe, Just, you know, I believe in God, yes. But where is the fruit of this working faith that in Abraham brought him to a complete surrender? And our third point, therefore, connected to this, that this imminent cost, it's only possible because of His ultimate cost. Something is far greater in this analogy of the sacrifice of Isaac. We often miss that Isaac is the obedient son. He's silently bearing the weight of the wood and the shame on that altar in the same way points to Jesus Christ, the Son. He's always seeking to do the will of the Father. John 5.30 tells us, He knew and had a burden for a baptism which He needed to be baptized through the cross. And the disciples asked Him of glory and honor. And He answered, Are you able to drink that cup? The burden of the wrath of God that He has to suck in on that cross. How great was this distress of the Savior until it was accomplished. And He died in our place. He was slain in our place, the Lamb of God. This episode is opening for us the window to what happened at the cross. As the Father slain His own Son, turned His face against Him so as to achieve redemption for you and me. and bring about justice over our sin. He was obedient to death. Here is where the immolation of the Son has led us. And so our fourth point of application is that we are indeed unable to fit this requirement. We, like Isaac, had sinned. Our sin deserved death. Can faith avail that? Perhaps you faced incredible losses and you asked yourself, where is God in all of this? And yet, God in this episode is pointing us to this offspring through whom God had promised an innumerable number of descendants, the one who will die The offspring of Abraham is Jesus Christ, who died on behalf of the faithful, so that we, in our disobedience and our inability, and we cannot pay for this sin, but He makes us able to fit the requirements. Nothing, however, nothing in this life must come between you and God. Nothing must be placed above the devotion to our Lord. Christ was sacrificed exactly for that reason. To deliver us from all this idolatry and transforms us into living sacrifices. So that because of His perfect offering, we can become that living sacrifice. since the broken spirit and the contrite heart are a sacrifice acceptable to God, says Psalm 51. Are you ready to sacrifice everything in return for what Christ did for us? Not that you can compensate all the priceless gift that He has given to us at the cross. But if God asks you, are you willing And will you obey? And what motivates our willingness is the fear of the Lord. To the point that even what is precious to us, you will withhold nothing from God. We don't question His command. Christ called the disciples to forsake all and follow Him. They faced all martyrdom. All lost everything for the sake of the kingdom. Some beheaded, some crucified upside down. And He calls us to give up all things, not just almost all things. Like in the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira in Acts of the Apostles. They thought, I can get over if I just give 80%. No, the very thing that we treasure the most, friend, the hidden hide of your heart. Some of us love God. We rejoice in Him. We are actually even willing to serve Him. We will gladly offer this bull or that lamb, this vice, get rid of it or that habit. But God, who knows your heart, comes and demands, offer this one, offer that one to me. I must have your son, not your steward or your servant, not your adopted son Ishmael, no, your beloved only son. You know, so many people can say, you know, I'm a Christian, but I like to keep my stuff. I like to keep my area of influence, so to speak. And we reply to God when it comes to His requirement, Oh, I must have misheard you, God. Offer it up on the altar? Sacrifice it? Everything else but this one? If we refuse to take up our cross and follow Him, then we will miss the central piece of our Christian life. to partake in Christ's suffering. Another point of application is that your silent obedience is indeed commendable. Those who obey God heartily will often do that speedily and silently. And there are very few, very few. And when I see one, I rejoice. Think of a mother who is ready to sacrifice everything to save her child's life. Giving away a kidney or something. The profundity of the parent's love is nothing, nothing compared to what the Heavenly Father who sent His Son to be slain for us. Let us put our hand in the mouth and silently put our confidence in the Lord like Abraham did as he walked those three days through the testing over our life. That no matter how great He can be, we can trust Him. The Lord has called and I must trust and follow Him. May God give me strength to do what I must. Abraham's courageous act, despite his confusion and frightening, can show us the way. Remember that He knows your tiniest request. Whenever God commands us to do something, often many obstacles come. Our way and doubts and means fails as we are deprived of all things, and all doors seem to close before our eyes. And the only solution to our despondency is to leave things to God, to surrender to the One in whom we believe. And here's how strength is made perfect in our weakness, being made perfect through suffering. And knowing that He sees your afflictions, and He knows the tiniest. requests and provides your greatest answer. God will provide. God has provided. Despite all things that seem black before your eyes, as you give everything to His altar, the Lord has indeed provided. All things in His Son, slain for our transgression, Lastly, we learn from this episode that God's intervention is immediate. The sweetness of the heavenly intervention in the life of Abraham has this breakthrough and this applause and cheerful love is poured out upon him once he has sacrificed everything in his heart. And God comes and the refreshment that He brings to our trials. He prepares ourselves for billions of mercies flowing upon our broken nothingness. And we open our mouth and He fills it. He says to Abraham, look to the ends of the earth, Abraham, they will be yours. I will make your descendants as the stars and as the sand of the sea because you obeyed me. Compare to that moment of trial, all those blessings. overflow. And Job is restored 100 times as much as whatever he has lost. And so the disciples, when they give up everything and follow Him, He says, you will receive 100 times as much in this life. With persecution. When God sounded silent and far away, we realized that He was there. But lastly, His intervention is also not just immediate, but ultimate. While you need to be willing. Abraham, while you indeed were willing to slay your own son, I, I myself will actually slay my hand on my only begotten Son at the cross for you and your redemption. He could have called 10,000 angels to stop it. to provide a way of escape, and yet He chose to stay and obey. There, Jesus was slain not by accident, but He was smitten by God. Afflicted. The same God who tests is the one who will provide. And He has provided through His Son. And so, come to Him. Come to this Christ. If you stay still outside, if you have not surrendered your life to Him, He is calling you from the cross. Surrender. And He will provide. Take your cross and follow Him. Forsake my life in this world through the cross. The world is dead to me and I am dead to the world. I put my hand in the plow, I will never look back. Remove the stones from this well and let the living waters flow. Bind me, Lord, to the horns of your altar and I'll be a living sacrifice. I lay down everything that hinders and cry for a brand new heart. Let us pray. O God, we come tonight and we are placed before our eyes to the marvelous provision of the Son that You, O Heavenly Father, have provided for us a way of escape and the promise seed through Isaac has come in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank You that through Him we have the greatest provision. O Lord, help us. Help us to count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. That we are not called to somehow live a life of cheap grace and treat You as an appendix to our life. No, Lord. I pray for my brothers and sisters tonight, and for those who you will call into the sheepfold of your people, that we will believe and act upon our faith, so as to come under a complete surrender, a complete lordship over all areas of our life through your Son. It is in his name that we pray. Amen.