Love Worth Finding

Guest (Male): Jesus Christ is clearly illustrated in the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac. Listen to Adrian Rogers.

Adrian Rogers: Think of what must have been going through Isaac's heart as he sees his father go up without a lamb, only with his own son up to that place of sacrifice. Think of what must have been in Abraham's heart.

I know when my first son was born, I ceased to think so much of the love of Jesus, and I thought more of the love of the Father. I thought how it must have moved the Father's heart to give his only Son to die upon that cross.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring profound truth simply stated by pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers. In part one of today's message, we analyzed the parallels of the story of Abraham and Isaac and the story of Jesus Christ: their miraculous births, their names, and their Father's affection.

Once we see Isaac as a foreshadowing of the Savior to come, we can understand God's request for Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice. If you have your Bible, turn to Hebrews chapter 11. We'll begin in verse 17, as Adrian Rogers concludes this powerful message, "A Dress Rehearsal for Calvary."

Adrian Rogers: What I'm going to do right now is give you a portrait of Jesus that is found in the Old Testament. Actually, a prophecy of his coming crucifixion on the cross. I want you to see it and believe it, and then I want you to ask yourself this question, "What does that mean to me today? What does it mean to me personally?"

Number one, the first thing I want you to see is the special person who is described. Now, the person who is described is Isaac, but you're going to see that Isaac is a picture of Jesus. Look, if you will, in Genesis 22:1 and 2.

And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt, that is, test Abraham, and said unto him, "Abraham." And he said, "Behold, here I am." And he said, God said, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

Isaac, therefore, becomes a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Isaac was born of a miracle. Jesus was born of a miracle. Put in your margin, Isaiah 7:14. "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Isaac was loved of his Father. Genesis 22:2. "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest." In Genesis 22:16, he's called Abraham's only son. Compare that now to John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish."

We think about God loving the world, but friend, I want you to know that God loved his Son before he loved the world. John 5:20. "For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth." Isaac was offered up as a sacrifice. Jesus was offered as a sacrifice. Genesis 22:2. "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell thee of." And again, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son."

Isaac was raised from the dead. Genesis 22:4. "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off." God said to Abraham, "Abraham, take your son and offer him as a burnt offering." Abraham takes his son and he counts the days. One, two, three. He comes to the place where the offering is to be made.

In Abraham's mind, for three days Isaac was dead. From the day that God said, "Abraham, take him and offer him," until the day that Abraham got him back, in Abraham's mind, he was dead. Abraham received him from the dead. Now, what is the Gospel that you and I preach? That Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and was raised again the third day. First Corinthians 15:3 through 4.

Abraham received Isaac back in a figure. God the Father received Jesus back literally. So, what we're talking about here is a special person. Isaac represents, prefigures Jesus. Have you got that? Then move to the second thing. Not only a special person, but I want you to see a specific place that is designated. I want you to see how this comes together.

Now, look in Genesis chapter 22:2. "And he said," God said, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Now, he didn't just say, "Go offer him." He said, "I have a specific place."

Now, look in Genesis 22:4. "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off." The name Moriah literally means "foreseen of the Lord." The place is not incidental, the place is not accidental. It is the same place that Jesus would one day pour out his life's blood.

Put down Luke 22:23. "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him." Not a place, the place, the same place. Now, we've talked about a person, we've talked about a place. Now, let's talk about the purpose that is designated here.

Genesis 22:2. "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." This speaks of the cross, when Isaac was to be offered in that same place that Jesus was to die.

Think of the suffering of the cross that is pictured. Look, if you will, in Genesis 22:4 through 8. "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off, and Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you."

Now, Abraham says, he's going to be slain, but we're both coming back. You talk about faith. "We're going to go worship and come again to you." And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, "Father." And he said, "Here am I, my son." And he said, Isaac said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is a lamb for the burnt offering?" And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." So they went both of them together.

Think of what must have been going through Isaac's heart as he sees his father go up without a lamb, only with his own son up to that place of sacrifice. Think of what must have been in Abraham's heart. I know when my first son was born, I ceased to think so much of the love of Jesus and I thought more of the love of the Father. Though both are infinite in their love.

I thought how it must have moved the Father's heart to give his only Son to die upon that cross. Think of how much the Lord Jesus suffered. Think how much God the Father suffered as it is pictured here. Think of the suffering of the cross, think of the suffering of the cross. Look in Genesis 22:9. "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."

Use your sanctified imagination. Here's the altar. Here's the wood. Here's the torch. Here's the knife. Abraham says, "Come here, son. Hold out your hands." And Abraham begins to bind those hands. I remind you that Abraham is well beyond 100 years of age. I remind you that Isaac is not a child as we sometimes see pictured. Isaac is a strapping young man.

He could have easily outrun the old man. He could have taken the old man and bound him. But he presents himself to be bound. Do you know what Jesus said? "No man takes my life from me. I lay it down of myself." Here you see the Son submitting himself to the Father.

They said of Jesus, "He saved others, himself he could not save." They were so wrong. He saved others, himself he would not save. He could have come down from that cross, but he did not. Notice in Genesis 22:6. "And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son." Wood is a symbol of humanity. It speaks of the wood of our wickedness being laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

As you see Isaac bearing that wood going up this mountain that Jesus would one day die on, think of John 19:17. "And he, Jesus, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called Golgotha." Isaac goes up that mountain bearing the wood upon which he was to die. Jesus goes up the same mountain, bearing that wooden cross upon which he was to die.

Think of the sacrifice of the cross that is pictured. Abraham has a knife, and he has a torch, and he has ropes. The cord speaks of the binding power of sin. The knife speaks of the bleeding power of sin. The fire speaks of the burning power of sin, because the fires of God's wrath would burn themselves out upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, we've talked about the purpose, which was sacrifice. Now, I want you to think about the promise that's declared here. We've talked about a person, we've talked about a place, we've talked about a purpose. Now let's look at a promise. In Genesis 22, beginning in verse 11. Abraham is about now to sacrifice Isaac. Isaac has laid down his life. He has become one with his father. His father now is about to make this offering, accounting that God the Father is able to raise him up.

Genesis 22:11. "And the Angel of the Lord called out unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! And he said, Here am I. And he said, The Angel said to Abraham, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 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 upon the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place," now don't you miss this, this is the whole sermon, "Jehovah-Jireh: as it has been said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen."

Now the figure changes. The knife does not fall upon Isaac, who is representing the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the picture changes, and Isaac now represents us. And there is a ram caught in the thicket. As I've told you before, this ram, crowned with thorns. His horns locked in a thorny thicket, is taken, and this ram becomes a substitute for Isaac. Isaac gets up off the altar, and the ram is slain in his stead. And the knife did not fall that day upon Isaac, because one day it would fall upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, Isaac had asked his father, "Father, where is the lamb?" Abraham said, "God will provide himself a lamb." And God did. Do you remember what John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus coming? "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." When Abraham saw what God did, when Abraham saw that ram that was to take the place of Isaac, and give Isaac back to his bosom, give Isaac back as it were from the dead to Abraham. Abraham named that place, "Jehovah-Jireh!"

Now what does that mean? It means the Lord will provide. Now, friend, listen to me. I don't know what need you have. The Lord is there to provide that need. The Lord will provide. And that day, what was he going to provide? Himself a lamb. Where was he going to provide it? "In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen." When is he going to provide it? "It shall be seen." He's talking about the day when Jesus Christ would die upon the cross.

Now, what does this mean to you today? Are you ready to apply it to your heart? If there were ever a promise, ever a promise that God would have been tempted to renege upon, ever a promise that God might be tempted not to keep, it would have been the promise to send Jesus. If there were ever a time when God would say, "I changed my mind," that would have been the time.

But I want you to put down this verse. It is very important because it sums it all up. It is Romans chapter 8 and verse 32. "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Do you get the logic there in Romans 8:32? "He that spared not his own Son."

Now, when Abraham is taking Isaac up, at the last moment, God said, "Abraham, don't do it." God spared Abraham's son, but God did not spare his own Son. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the one who is prefigured and prophesied here in Genesis chapter 22. God provided himself a lamb. It doesn't say that God would provide a lamb for himself. God becomes the lamb. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. God provided himself as a lamb.

God in human flesh died. God the mighty maker died for man the creature's sin. God died at Calvary for you. Does that mean anything to you? That God laid down his own dear Son upon that altar? That the fires of God's wrath burned themselves out upon God's own dear Son because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 8:32. "For if God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up freely for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?" If you'd ask me, "Adrian, can I have your son?" I'd say, "Why should I give you my son?" "Well, I want to torture him and then kill him for some cause that I have. Will you give me your son?" "No, I would not give you my son that you might torture him and put him to death, for whatever cause."

But suppose I loved you and your cause enough, your need enough, that I were to give you my own son, that he would die in ignominy and shame, be brutalized. If I loved you enough to give you my son, and then you said, "Can I also have his computer? Can I also have his sport jacket? Can I also have his automobile?" Of course. If I did not spare the Son, would I not also with him freely give you all things?

Friend, if God gave Jesus, he's not going to hold anything else back. Do you understand that? If God gave Jesus and delivered him up freely for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? He is the God who provides. If God gave the one great gift, he's going to give all of the others.

I have proved it in life. When I needed a Savior, and I said, "Lord Jesus, save me," he provided salvation. When he called me to preach, and I didn't know how I was going to do it. My dad said, "Son, I wish I could send you to college, but I can't. I don't have the resources." I said, "That's all right. God has called me. God will provide." For eight years, seven of them married, I went to higher education, and God provided. God met my every need.

When Joyce and I walked through the valley of the shadow of death and a little baby was taken to heaven, we looked for surcease, we looked for comfort. Where would we go? He was there. And he provided the need of every heart. When I began to preach, I wondered, "What will I preach?" First three or four times I preached, I said, "Well, I preached the whole Bible. Now what am I going to do?" That was over half a century ago. "How am I going to preach?"

I stand before you to tell you that God has provided Sunday after Sunday, after Sunday, after Sunday from the deep well of his word. God provides. God provides. And one of those days when my feet touch the chilly waters of the river of death, and that day is coming for all of us if Jesus tarries. My provider, Jehovah-Jireh, will be there.

He that spared not his own Son, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? Jehovah-Jireh will provide for you. A missionary, back in the days when they sailed to the mission field, was about to get on the boat. Walking up the gangplank, the trunks had been packed. They couldn't fly home on 747 like we do today. The missionary and his family were going.

A good friend walked up to the missionary just before he got on the boat, and handed the missionary an envelope. It was sealed. And said, "Don't open this envelope. Don't ever open it until you come to the place, if you ever do, where you don't know what else to do, where else to turn. You've run out of resources. You have a need that there's no other answer to, then open this envelope." Missionary put it in his breast pocket. Most of us would have taken it out, you know, see what's in it. The missionary put it in his breast pocket.

He stayed his full tenure on the mission field. Came home, and held up the envelope. It was still sealed. Never been opened because through sickness, sorrow, tears, pain and toil, there never, ever was a time when there was not a provision, where God did not answer. His name is Jehovah-Jireh. And the God who gave the first great gift is the God who will see us through.

Now, friend, God spared not his own Son for you. God wants you to be saved. You're saved by trusting Jesus. Believe that he shed his precious blood on the cross for you, and that God raised him from the dead. The Bible says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved."

Would you pray, "Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sin. Save me. Save me today. Thank you for doing it. In your name I pray. Amen."

Guest (Male): Amen. And if you prayed to receive Jesus Christ just now, let us celebrate with you. Go to our Find God's Love page on the website and you'll find answers you may need about your newfound faith. Our web address is LWF.org/radio. Click the tab that says, "Find God's Love." Welcome to His forever family. We can't wait to hear from you today.

Guest (Male): Hi, this is Carey Vaughn and this program has been brought to you by Love Worth Finding, a nonprofit ministry showcasing the powerful preaching and teaching of Pastor Adrian Rogers. We operate solely through the generous gifts of individual supporters, just like you. To give a gift today, call 1-877-Love-God. That's 1-877-Love-God. Or write to us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38-600, Memphis, Tennessee, 38183. You can also connect with us online by going to lwf.org/radio. There, we offer helpful resources inspired by the timeless teachings of Pastor Adrian Rogers. Additionally, you can sign up for daily emails, donate to the ministry, and learn more about how to become an Ambassador of the Word. Thank you so much for listening today. Be sure to join us next time for more profound truth simply stated right here on Love Worth Finding.

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