Our scriptural real estate found in the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis
Genesis, chapter twenty commencing at the seventh verse and ending at the the14th
Genesis 22:7-14 (KJV)
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
Very briefly I want to reason with you on the thought
(God Will Provide )
One statement that we should be making more and more as we mature and matriculate in the faith
Is that we need to stop telling God how big our problems are.
And start telling our problems how big our God is.
Homiletician says that God is big
That He just keeps bumping into Himself
Because he's going to where he's Coming from
And coming from where he's going to
In other words
God is so Mighty until he's so high you can't. Go above him
So low you can't go beneath him
So wide you can't go around him.
That’s why theologians through the annals of antiquity cannot come up with a definitive number to the names of God.
Because when you start talking about God, you start off saying that he's wonderful.
But you can't stop there.
You have to say He's a counselor.
A mighty God.
everlasting father
Gateway to glory
Highway to holiness
The pathway to peace
Joy in sorrow
hope for tomorrow.
peace in the midst of confusion.
strength in the time of weakness.
BUT if Abraham was here he would testify that God is Jehovah Jireh
My God my provider
Because the truth of the matter is each of us can testify that It was nobody but the Lord.
And ---- if it had not been for the Lord on our side, where would we be?
Because where we are,
God brought us
what we know --- God taught us
what we have. ---God gave us
who we are. ---God made us
And If I can get 2 and I will make 3 who is not ashamed to testify He`s my Jehovah Jireh? ---My provider.
(1st point)
Because As we examine the commentary of this text
In verse nine, Isaac asked the probing question.
He says, dad, I. I see the wood, I see the fire, I even have the knife.
But where is the Lamb for burnt offering?
Verse nine says Abraham ties Isaac down upon the altar.
And verse ten reveals to us he has the knife stretched, ready to slay his son.
Notice –Notice –Notice
He's not getting prepared to slay his son.
Because He does that in verse nine.
In verse ten, by him having his hand already stretched,
he's not hours away from taking his son's life.
He's not minutes away from taking his son's life, but he's seconds away from taking his life
. And right before he takes his life,
God shows up and said, abraham, stay your hand.
And for God to show up before the deadline.
Reveals to us that sometime God doesn't show up on time, but he shows up in time.
Which suggest to us that
God is so swift that he could step in and not show up on time but still be on time.
And when I think about God showing up in time, it reminds me of a clock
You see a clock makes the sound tick tock, tick tock, tick tock
Which suggest to us that
God is so fast.
God is so swift.
God is so powerful.
That He can step in between the tick and the tock and turn our situations around.
Anybody beside me ever had a tick tock, tick tock, tick tock situation.
And God stepped in between the tick and the tock up and made a way out of no way.
That`s why the old church use to sing a song
He may not come when you want him , but He'll show up right in time.
Is it ok if i give you the Derrick White remix.
He may not come when you want him, but you'll want him when he come.
(That’s why you ought high five about three people and tell them--- he may not come when you want it, but) (you'll want him when he comes).
Because when he showed up,
Eyes hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
(2nd point)
Well not only does Isaac ask a probing question
But the text also reveals is What God provided
You see
Abraham readily replies, to Isaac question by telling him
God will provide himself a lamb for burnt offering.
But, the question is does God really provide a lamb for the burnt offering?
Because when we run through the roses, , and tiptoe through the tulips of the scripture, and we come to verse thirteen,
What we will see in the thickets is not a lamb but a ram.
And I know that many of you will take me to task about it being a ram instead of a lamb.
But if we look at the text properly,
It`s a ram and not a lamb.
And for those of you who would take me to task and say that a lamb and a ram are both sheep,
You would be correct in your assessment.
But even according to the Hebrew, there is distinctions between the lamb and the ram.
Because a lamb can be a young sheep that's either male or female,
But a ram is an adult male sheep.
And There are two different distinctions between the lamb and the ram.
Which means when Abraham said God will provide A lamb.
But God put a ram instead of a lamb.
Means that Abraham was faithful. but he wasn't flawless.
In other words
Abraham made a miscalculation concerning what God would provide which says to us that we need to proceed with great caution.
Because when we began to step on the wings of our assumptions and presumptions and preclude how we think God is going to provide.
It`s important to understand
That God is sovereign,--- which means he can do what he wants to do,
When he wants to do it,
How he wants to do it,
To whomever he wants to do it to,
For however long he wants to do it to them.
Because God is sovereign.
And even though Abraham makes a miscalculation,
The ram is still a blessing to Abraham.
Because the ram prohibits, and prevents,
Abraham from killing his son and committing the second act of spiritual homicide in the holy word of God
You see
It is a blessing to Abraham that God places that ram in the thicket.
And some theologians suggest that when Abraham and Isaac make it on the mountain, that the ram had not yet made his entrance up on the mountain.
Now, here`s the shout of the day
If the ram has to climb up the mountain,
If Abraham and Isaac have to climb up the mountain, then why didn't Abraham and Isaac see their blessing?
I mean, all of them have to go up the mountain.
So why didn't Abraham and Isaac see their miracle, see their breakthrough, when all of them have to go up the mountain?
And let me suggest to you
The reason why Abraham and Isaac didn't see the ram climbing up the mountain is because while they were coming up on one side of the mountain, the ram was coming up on the other side.
In other words
While they were coming up one side of the mountain, their breakthrough was coming up on the other side.
While they were coming up one side of the mountain, their miracle was coming up on the other side of the mountain.
And some of you all are wondering this morning , why you can't see your blessing?
Why you can't see your miracle?
Why you can't see your breakthrough?
Can I tell tell you why you can't see it?
It's because while you coming up one side of the mountain, your blessing is coming up on the other side.
And that’s why you ought to put your sanctified hands together and give God some advance praise for what he getting ready to do.
In other words
You ain't got to wait to see your ram,
But you gonna praise God in advance for what he's getting ready to do.
That’s why you ought to high five your neighbor and tell your neighbor
I'm not gonna wait till the battle is over?
But I’m gonna praise God in advance that will only make since in reverse
Because your praise is the rent you pay for blessings you getting ready to occupy
I said your praise is the rent you pay for blessings you get ready to occupy.
And if the truth be told
Some of y'all late on your rent payments.
But the good news
You can catch up on your rent payments right now
That`s why you ought to Bless God name for what he's getting ready to do on your behalf.
(3rd point )
Well not only does Isaac ask a probing question
And God provided a ram instead of a lamb
But the text is also tailored to teach us
Why God sacrifice this innocent Ram in the stead of Isaac?
Because when we look, in Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 19,
It says that Abraham believed even if he had to take the life of his son, that God would raise him up from the dead.
Which would have been the first resuscitation in all of scripture.
So Why does God choose to sacrifice this ram when he could have easily raised Isaac up again from the dead?
Well i`m glad you ask
Because I’m inching to tell you
You see
The reason why God allows Isaac to live is to remind us that he doesn't want a dead sacrifice, but he wants a living sacrifice.
That`s why Paul told the church at rome
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, …that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,— …holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service
And since God wants a living sacrifice
I don`t how some of yall have the nerves to come up in God`s House and give Him
A dead praise
A dead thank you Jesus
To dead to say amen
And then have galls to try to tell somebody it don`t take all that
But God wants a living sacrifice.
And the last time I checked, anything dead ought to be buried .
And if you`re a living sacrifice up in God`s house this morning
Can you put your sanctified hands together and give God a hand of praise
Because when I think about how
He rock me to sleep last night
Woke me early this morning
Clothe me in my right mind
Started me on my way
And when I think about He hung bleed and died on a mountain call Calvary
And how they place Him in a borrowed tomb
But I’m glad that not how the story ends
Because e-a-r-l-y Sunday morning he got up
Didn’t He get up
Even though I was`nt there I believe he got up
Matthew said he got up
Mark said he got up
Luke said he got up
John said he got up
Grandma told me he got up
Even though I was there I believe
He got up with all- all- all power in his hands
Ain't he all right?
Ain't he all right?
Ain't he all right
