Messianic Perspectives

Liz Ayala: There is so much to learn about our father's love, much more than just an intellectual understanding. We'll talk about it today right here on Messianic Perspectives. Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctive first century Jewish point of view. I'm Liz Ayala. Today our Bible teacher, Pastor L. Runge, is discussing the love of our heavenly father. I'll be back at the close of the program to tell you about our special offer. And now here's Pastor Runge.

Albert Runge: I've started a series of messages on the love of our heavenly father. In my first message I spoke on God's yearning love to have children. He created us to be his children, but our original parents made the fatal choice to follow the enemy of God, the serpent. Therefore, humanity fell into sin and death. In the generations that followed the fall of mankind, God lost entire generations with only a few exceptions. There was Abel who offered up an acceptable blood sacrifice, but was murdered by his brother Cain. There was Enoch who walked with God and was not found because God took him.

There was Noah and his three sons and their wives that were saved in the ark, but the entire generation of their day was lost in the flood. Then Abraham came along who decided to trust God. God called Abraham his friend. And as you know, friends tell their friends their most guarded secrets. It is because love communicates. God revealed to Abraham his plan of sacrificial love to redeem mankind. In Genesis 22, God asked Abraham to imitate his supreme sacrifice of his only beloved son. It was a severe test of faith, but Abraham obeyed. This is what happened.

One day without any prior warning, God spoke to his friend Abraham. Abraham knew the voice of God, so when he spoke to him, Abraham said, Behold, I am here. In other words, I am listening and I am ready to obey. God asked his friend for an unbelievable sacrifice in verse two. Look at this. 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 you of. His only son? Why did God say that?

What about Ishmael? Now we know that Ishmael was a son of the flesh, and Isaac was the son of the promise. But I think there is a deeper meaning here. God was inviting Abraham into his secret plan of offering up his only begotten son in the land of Moriah. He was going to offer up his son as a sin sacrifice. Abraham did not argue with God because he had total faith in his divine Lord. He did not delay or tell Sarah what he was going to do. Look at Genesis 22 verse three. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took the two of his young men with him and Isaac his son and cut the wood for the burnt offering and rose up and went into the place of which God had told him.

Notice that Abraham was to go in the land of Moriah, which was a three day journey to a particular mountain that God told him about. On the third day of his journey, Abraham arrived in the land of Moriah and looked in the distance and saw the mountain. How did he recognize that specific mountain? Let me tell you how he recognized the right mountain. He saw the sign of the skull on the side of the mountain. God had sculptured on the side of that mountain the sign of death. Abraham saw a rock foundation that looked like a skull.

I saw it myself when I was outside of Jerusalem in a garden on that mountain called Golgotha, God's only son whom he loved was crucified to defeat sin and death for us. Look at Genesis 22 verse five. And Abraham said unto his young men, his servants, abide here with the donkey and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and we'll come again to you. Notice these words. Notice Abraham was going alone with Isaac to the top of the mountain to worship God. Some of us think that worship is only in singing songs of praise.

True worship goes deeper because true worship leads to sacrifice and obedience. Abraham was going to tie Isaac up, lay him on the altar, stab his knife into the heart of his beloved son and then burn his body. Remember what God said to Abraham, Take thy son, thine only son whom thou lovest and offer him up as a burnt offering. That was not an easy test of faith for Abraham because he did not know what God was doing. He did not understand that this was to be a prediction of God's offering up his only beloved son.

After all, Isaac was the promised seed that Abraham had waited for many years. His birth was a miracle and through Isaac all the families of the earth were to be blessed. Through Isaac the Messiah was to come. Notice what Abraham said to his servants, I and the lad will go up yonder and worship. And now notice these words and come again to you. Listen. We will come again to you. Listen to how the New Testament uh speaks about these words in Hebrews 11 verse 17. By faith Abraham when he was tested offered up Isaac. And he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said, In Isaac your seed shall be called.

Concluding that God was able to raise them up even from the dead from which he also received them in a figurative sense. Abraham believed that God was faithful and powerful enough to raise up Isaac, his son from the ashes. Abraham never doubted the integrity of God's promises or his power. Abraham and Isaac was establishing a spectacular drama of a prediction of God, the heavenly father offering up his only begotten son whom he loved, but that he would also resurrect him from the dead by which he would provide a redemption for all those who trust in him.

On the hill of the skull God's son defeated death in the bondage of sin for everyone who decides to put their trust in him. Now look at verse six of Genesis 22. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son. Remember Jesus carried his wooden cross up to the hill of Golgotha. Abraham took the fire in his hand and the knife and they both went together. And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father and said, My father. And he said, Here I am my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood.

But where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Isaac did not know up to that point of time that he was to be the sacrifice. Isaac was not a little child, but a young man. He could have resisted and run away. Isaac willingly submitted to his father even while he was being tied up with a rope and placed on the altar even though it meant death for him, for Isaac also believed in God. Isaac was a willing sacrifice, a true type of God's son. Listen to what the son of God said to his disciples in John 10 verse 17.

Therefore my father loves me because I lay my life down that I might take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This command I received from my father. The sacrifice of God's son was not easy for God the father anymore than it was easy for Abraham. Abraham was a prophet, so listen to how he answered Isaac in verse eight. And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for the burnt offering.

So they went both of them together. Abraham predicted that God would provide himself a lamb for the sacrifice. Remember the words of John the Baptist who pointed to Jesus and said, Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. What is the sin of the world? I'll tell you what the sin of the world is. The sin of the world is the unbelief that leads to rebellion against God. Abraham was fully ready to kill his son and cremate him on that altar. In verse nine, 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.

And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. You know, fortunately God is always on time. God will never have to apologize for missing an appointment. Listen to verse 11. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here I am. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. God never demands the death of our children as a sacrifice for our sins.

Parents who have lost children sometimes feel that God took their children to punish them or to wake them up to their spiritual need. No, God doesn't punish children for their parents' sins. I realize that sometimes a child's death can wake us up spiritually. God can and often turn tragedy into some good and even into a blessing. In verse 13 we need to see this very important. 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 as a burnt offering instead of his son Isaac.

This is a case of substitutionary death. The ram died in the place of Isaac. Jesus died in our place. It is important to notice that it was not a lamb, but a ram that was there because the lamb of God was yet to come. Abraham finally understood what God was telling him. Abraham, you are my father and I am a father. You love your only son and I love my only son. You were willing to sacrifice your son for me and I'm willing to sacrifice my son for you and for the world to defeat sin and death.

Look at verse 14 of Genesis 22. 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. Jehovah Jireh means the Lord will provide. What will the Lord provide on Mount Moriah? I'll tell you what the Lord did provide on the mountain of the skull in the land of Moriah. He provided the lamb for the sacrifice that we might be free with God, that we might be redeemed. The question is, Now what are you going to do with God's sacrificial love?

You can reject it, you can ignore it, you can neglect it, or you can accept it. The choice is yours because God loves us so much. He is vulnerable to us. He can be hurt by us. Don't hurt the heavenly father anymore by rejecting his love. Accept his son and God will be your father and heaven will be your home. This is my prayer for you and I I pray this and in the name of the Lord Jesus for everyone who listens that they may enter into the love of God and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Liz Ayala: Thank you Pastor Runge. You've been listening to Albert Runge, our associate Bible teacher here on Messianic Perspectives and his discussion of exploring the love of our heavenly father. You'll be glad to know we've placed the entire series on one convenient CD. It's available for a gift of just $6 or more to the ministry of Messianic Perspectives. Just ask for Pastor L. Runge's series titled Exploring the Love of Our Heavenly Father. Visit our secure online store at messianicspecialties.com to place your order. If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, PO Box 345, San Antonio, Texas 78292.

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If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. I'm Liz Ayala. Join us next time, won't you, as Pastor L. Runge continues our series of studies on exploring the love of our heavenly father right here on Messianic Perspectives. Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries of San Antonio, Texas and is made possible on this station by the free will contributions of our listeners in this area.