Please in open to Hebrews chapter 11, Hebrews chapter 11, if you would stand please for the reading of the word of God, verses 17, 18 and 19, Hebrews chapter 11. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. May God add his blessing to the reading and preaching of his word, you may be seated. When the patriarch Abraham was just one year short of a century, 99 years old, the living God came down from heaven and made himself known to this great patriarch. Now to be sure God had revealed himself to Abraham on several prior occasions, but beloved there was something distinctly unique about this appearance that marked it off as different from all of the others. God made himself known that day in a way that he had never before done to any other human being. He called himself by a name that he had never used publicly before, at least in the record of sacred scripture. He said, Abraham, I am L Shaddai. I am God Almighty. First time in all of the Bible, God calls himself L Shaddai. Now the reason beloved, why this is such a big deal to us, you see, is because when God reveals himself by a new name, it is usually because he has just performed or is about to perform some kind of supernatural act that will reveal a vitally important aspect of his divine nature. He's about to manifest something about his character in a way that he has never done before, and so he assigns a name that expresses something about that act. Well then, what is God about to do to justify the revelation of himself with this new name, that he is in fact the God of all might, the God of limitless power? Interestingly enough, he says, Abraham, I want you to change your wife's name. I want you to call her Princess Sarah, because he says she's going to be the mother of many nations. Kings of peoples will come from her. I want you to call her Princess. And do you remember how Abraham responds? He falls to the ground in rip-roaring laughter. My 90-year-old wife, kings of peoples will come from her. He falls to the ground inside splitting laughter, beloved. Not in any kind of irreverence, you see, several years before, God had made this word known to Abraham as well, that he would be the father of a child and ultimately an innumerable host of descendants. But you see, to hear it now again, now that he's 99, and his wife is 90, well you see, this struck such a funny bone within him, that as he falls to the ground in reverence before Al Shaddai, he can't help but laugh uncontrollably. He wasn't such a funny daddy that he couldn't laugh at himself. I mean, the thought of such a thing, beloved, produced joy to be sure, great joy, but also quite frankly, a bit of amusement as he sees this thing coming to pass in his own minds eye. We laugh when we think about it too, don't we? 99, and 90, his response is laughter. And then a couple of weeks later, we're not told exactly how long there are three mysterious visitors that appear to Abraham, and they bring him a message from heaven. Well, if you recall the story, Abraham kind of quickly throws together a picnic lunch, and while they're enjoying this meal, the angel of Yahweh, the angel of the Lord, a pre-incarnate manifestation of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ Himself, relays a message to Abraham. He says, a year from now, your wife, princess, Sarah, will have a son. Now, where is Sarah while all of this is going on? Abraham and these three visitors are having lunch together. Where is Sarah during this time? Beautiful wife that she is. She's standing at the door of the tent in a way in which she cannot be seen, she thinks, but straining to overhear every word that's going on. Now, admittedly, for the last few weeks, things had seemed a little bit weird that her husband had come up with this new pet name, princess, princess, after 90 years, princess. But, you know, perhaps she figured that he had just finished the most recent Dobson book on how to cultivate intimacy and marriage, and so she decides not to make a big deal about this thing. Now, just humor the old guy, she thinks to herself, but when she hears that she is about to give birth to a child, how does she respond? She puts her hand over her mouth and she begins to laugh. After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure? And so here they are beloved, the father and mother of all who would come to believe, laughing both with joy and amusement at how El Shaddai, God Almighty would display his power and thus fulfill his promise. But beloved, you know the story, don't you? It was El Shaddai who had the last laugh because it was El Shaddai who said to Abraham, when that boy is born, I want you to name him laughter. I want you to name him Isaac. I am going to make my covenant with laughter, with this boy Isaac and when Isaac laughter was finally born, what does Sarah say? God has brought me laughter and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. El Shaddai displayed his great power and so kept his promise and what is the outcome? Exuberant joy, Abraham laughs, Sarah laughs and heaven laughs. Sometimes later the word of God came to Abraham again. Abraham, his response was immediate. Here I am at your service in other words. But the enthusiasm in his response beloved immediately faded when he heard God's command. Take your son, your only son, Isaac whom you love. And go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. I will tell you about can you imagine the horror that must have overcome the waves of emotional nausea beginning to churn. He knew what God was asking him to do to put his own son to death with his own hand and then to incinerate the remains as a burnt offering to God. Can you imagine beloved the internal contortions that would have been set off within Abraham like he had never felt before. It was a primitive era. I can appreciate that but it was just as repulsive to him as it would have been to you or me. It was a warrant. It was the most barbaric and inhuman thing he had ever heard of put my son to death, but there was one thing Abraham did know for sure. It wasn't a figment of his imagination. It was God's voice. The command had come from God. And so at first light on the very next morning Abraham saddled his donkey. Some and two of the servants split wood for the sacrificial fire roused eyes it from his bed. And they all began the three day journey to Mount Moriah. Can you imagine three days like that. And when he finally saw the mountain in the distance, he bid his servants to stay with the donkey because he knows they would oppose him if they see this scene unfold. Stay here. Isaac and I will go in worship and we'll return once again. And so Abraham takes the wood for the fire and he places it on the back of his strapping son. He takes the dagger for sacrifice and he slips it into his own belt. And the two of them begin his father and son the longest journey that they would ever know together. Up the ascent to Mount Moriah Isaac undoubtedly happy to be with his father Abraham increasingly preoccupied with what's yet to come. I'll be I'll be I think says unknowingly to his father the fire is here and the wood is here but daddy I'll be where is the lamb for the sacrifice where is the lamb for the burnt offering. It was a dagger into the heart of his father. And with a boulder in his throat fighting back the tears undoubtedly he says to his son God himself will provide a lamb for the burnt offering not quite knowing what that meant. When they get to the top of the mountain they begin to gather large stones and set them up so as to erect a free standing altar. The wood is then carefully laid on top of the altar so as to consume whatever had been laid upon it but let it nobody knows how old Isaac was at the time. I think very probably he was young a preteen perhaps which may account for his naivete along the journey. However old he may have been Isaac for sure most certainly cooperated as father because he could have easily outrun him back down the mountain if he so desired. When Abraham makes his intentions known Isaac begins to shutter in object dread. Both of them must have wept aloud as Isaac allowed himself to be a bound by his father even to this very day Jewish people refer to the story of Abraham and Isaac as the binding the pumping rhythm of Abraham's heart begins to intensify in both speed and forcefulness as he gasps for air as he finds himself short of breath. His eyes wet close themselves in darkness as he raises his head to the a raises his hand over his head to its apex in the air he tightens his finger around the grip of that dagger for its final plunge and then heaven speaks. The angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven Abraham Abraham here I am he replied do not lay a hand on the boy do not do anything to him. Now I know you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son your only son Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place the Lord will provide and to this day it is said on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided. Oh dear brothers and sisters God made himself known on that mountain in a new way that day that is else should I displayed his power in the provision of a sacrificial substitute and thus revealed himself to be Yahweh Ira the Lord God who will provide. What a story I mean it is emotionally wrenching isn't it I mean all week long I found myself welled up with tears in my eyes thinking about this thing playing itself out. It arouses great fear and it ends in overwhelming relief it terrifies us and then it leaves us with hope. But beloved I want to tell you this morning one of the reasons why the story of Abraham and Isaac is so powerful to us is for the simple reason that it is not an easy story to live with. As a child I can tell you this story haunted me I would open up my Bible and begin to read in the book of Genesis I come to Genesis chapter 22 and I think what is this. I mean it frightened me like no other story in the Bible it poses some extremely uncomfortable questions for us. I mean on the one hand it paints a portrait of God that is very difficult for self-centered Americans to stomach. What kind of a God is it that would demand such sacrifice on the other hand beloved it is even more disturbing because undoubtedly as you've discovered if you've read it. Is it this is a story like few other stories that has a way of turning in on you what would have I done had God come to me with such a test would have I been that faithful. Does my obedience extend that far for all of my big bold professions is my faith that strong as the images of your own children flash through your mind. Now beloved it is not my goal this morning to answer all of the questions that are raised by the story of Abraham and Isaac. My goal this morning is to explain the text that is before us 1718 and 19 of Hebrews 11 but the beauty of this text you see is that it does answer the question that may be the most practical of all. The question how did Abraham exercise such faithfulness to God in the face of such demand. That's the practical question how could Abraham do such a thing how could he be so faithful to God in light of the overwhelming nature of this demand that was laid upon him. I mean beloved I just recounted the story for you Abraham obeyed God to the letter in fact this text says if I can kind of open it up for you a little bit. When God tested him that is when God tested Abraham he offered that is Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. Now I don't want to immerse you in the technicalities but suffice it to say that the grammar here indicates two things firstly that Abraham obeyed immediately. In other words as soon as the call of Abraham the call of God came Abraham obeyed in fact literally it reads this while God was calling Abraham he obeyed while God was testing Abraham at the very moment that test was in motion Abraham was obeying. It's a very strong way of stressing the fact that he obeyed instantaneously and this is exactly right if you open up to the book of Genesis because you discover the following the command of God. The very next day at dawn Abraham and Isaac take off for Mount Mariah his obedience was immediate but there's a second thing to note here. And that is beloved that in this verb offered the author uses a tense which stresses completed action with ongoing consequences by faith Abraham when God tested him offered that is completed action with lasting consequences. Because he offered up Isaac. Now beloved you know the story you know that God stopped Abraham before he sacrificed his son but in using this kind of tense you see what the author is doing is stressing the fact that at least in the heart and mind and resolve of Abraham this was a done deal. To be sure there was horror in his heart despair in his heart unbelievable anxiety in his heart like we will never ever feel I'm sure of it but beloved make no mistake about it there was no hesitation in his resolve his mind was finished. In fact the very next phrase he who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son the author here changes the tense to indicate action that is already in process but suddenly interrupted. Now the reason why I share these little technicalities with you beloved is that so the author's burden would become very very clear to you he wants us to know that Abraham obeyed and he obeyed right now he obeyed immediately he obeyed fully he was in the very process of doing what he had already resolved to do in his heart and God stopped him. Which then begs the obvious question how could a father do this how could a father sacrifice his son how could Abraham exercise faithfulness to God in the in the light of such overwhelming demand what beloved a part of understanding the answer to this question you see is related to a perspective that you must always bring to the Bible when you read stories like this. A frame of mind a mentality the emphasis here is not that God tested Abraham the emphasis is God tested Abraham meaning what that the one who prescribes these tests is the one who operates from the vantage point of omniscience and what that means for us and a practical level beloved is that every single test that you experience in your life as a Christian every single trial every single adversity that you encounter in your life is a believer has been ordained by God and is individually customized to meet your own individual level of spiritual maturity. In other words God will not test us beyond the grace that he knows he has already given to us he knew that Abraham's faith would faith would carry him through there was not one chance under heaven that a hair on the head of that boy Isaac would be harmed you need to remember that when you read the story. We see this progression of tests emerge evolved in the life of Abraham with each one becoming quite frankly more severe than the one prior Abraham's faith triumphed when God told him to leave her Abraham's faith triumphed again when God told him that he would father Isaac but brothers and sisters please know this a faith that remains unexercised is like a muscle that atrophies.
The trials will never end in your life my Christian friend not this side of heaven adversities will not go away tests will not fade away the fact of the matter is is that the more you grow in grace and the closer you get to heaven trials will increase in both frequency and intensity. And so now God brings to Abraham the greatest test he would ever face the severity of this test was in proportion now to his faith he had walked with this God for decades but beloved what is the nature of this test really I know that probably every one of you here this morning are acquainted with this story but what's the nature of the test what what really is the essence of the test. Well on the one level yes I would agree it is a test of ultimate allegiance did Abraham's allegiance to God extend beyond that of the most intimate of family ties God was clear to him I want your only son I want that boy that you love isn't there anything else I might give you Abraham was an exceedingly affluent man. I would be glad to sacrifice all of my sheep all of the flocks the herds. I'll gladly give up all of my amassed wealth and lord if it happens to be a human sacrifice that you really want. There's my house steward L.E.A.'s are I love him but all surrender him to you but Isaac laughter there are occasions beloved when the test we face is a test of ultimate allegiance allegiance to God or allegiance to our families and the fact of the matter is if this rattles you a little bit I would encourage you to go back to the gospels because the person who speaks about this most empathically is none other than Jesus Christ himself over and over again Jesus spoke to this issue that love for God must supersede all other loves that love for family in fact must seem like hate in comparison to the love we have for God. I remember that story in the life of John Bunion the author of pilgrim progress who many of you know he was thrown into prison for 12 years for preaching the gospel. And while he was there in prison beloved he grieved so deeply for his family he loved his family and especially for one of his children a blind daughter for whom he had great affection. And at times the temptation to promise never to preach the gospel again was overwhelming because to do so would have inaugurated immediate release from prison and reunification with his family. And yet this is what Bunion wrote to God while sitting in his cell I saw in this condition I was a man who was pulling down his house upon the head of his wife and children. Yet I thought I must do it I must do it the dearest idol I have known whatever that idol might be help me to tear it from thy throne and worship only the it was a test of ultimate allegiance beloved a test that in far less severe ways I think a lot of his experience on an ongoing basis. We just tend to ignore it but there is another aspect to this test another aspect and it's at the heart of this thing it was the irreconcilable contradiction that existed between the command of God sacrifice your son and the promise of God through your son the nations will be blessed look at it. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son about whom that's how it reads literally about whom God had said to him it is through Isaac that your and let me read the literal word it is through Isaac that your seed will be reckoned will be called will be identified it is through Isaac that this seed which will bless the nations. The nations will come the command of God and the promise of God the command and the God and the promise of God the command of God sacrifice your son the promise of God there will be the seed through whom all of the nations of the world will be blessed we got a contradiction here. Moreover beloved you need to appreciate the fact that when God told Abraham to leave or he was telling him to turn his back on his past but now when he asks Abraham to sacrifice his son he's asking him to give up his future. Now what does that mean God told Abraham on a couple of occasions in the book of Genesis that through his seed the world would be blessed now what did God mean by that I don't know if you've ever traced this idea of the seed throughout the Bible but it is a it is a rewarding study beloved I'm not I'm not being facetious in any way shape or form. We're first introduced to it after the fall remember we're promised that the seed of the woman would do what crush the head of the serpent the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent and then this concept of the seed is developed a bit further in the book of Genesis when God promises to Abraham that his seed would bring blessing to the nation. Well my dear friends the seed of the woman is the seed of Abraham the seed that would crush the serpent's head is the seed that would bring blessing to the nations. And so what part does Isaac play in all of this God had promised that Isaac would be the one through whom this seed which would crush the serpent's head and bring blessing to the nations would be realized. And so what am I telling you in all of this beloved that this is infinitely more than a heart wrenching story about a father in his love for his son. Jesus Christ himself was bound up in the loins of that boy Abraham's own savior was bound up in the life of Isaac to sacrifice Isaac was to sacrifice the eternal future of the human race. This is the test it's the daddy and his son that arouses the sentiment but that's not the heart of this thing beloved. God had promised a savior through that boy and so here is the difficulty I've been given the promise of God which appears now to be completely overthrown by the command of God. What do I do do I kill the very thing that God has promised would bring blessing. Now beloved since this is a story written for us let's make this a bit more personal and contemporary. Let me pose to you a question that becomes much more intimate. How can you remain faithful to God when confronted with a test that calls for the most extreme kind of personal sacrifice. How can you remain faithful to God when obedience to in faithfulness to him requires a sacrifice of the most enormous kind. Granted it may not be the sacrifice of a child but it may demand the sacrifice of a potential spouse. It may necessitate the sacrifice of an intimate friendship. It may require the sacrifice of a means of making more money or the sacrifice of admission into a particular college or the sacrifice of a distinguished career or the sacrifice of an admired reputation. How can you be faithful to God when confronted with the test that calls for the most extreme kinds of personal sacrifices. The answer to that question beloved at least in part is by casting yourself upon two bodily important facts and the first is this. Recognize that God himself is the author of this test. Recognize that God himself is the author of this text. It's implied here stated explicitly in the book of Genesis. He says by faith Abraham when God tested him. Beloved I'm sure that Abraham reminded himself of that very thing every step he took those three days to Mount Mariah. This was not a figment of my own imagination. This was not some kind of a nebulous dream that I had. This was not the suggestion of some kind of religious person that I've known from my past. This was the voice of God and he reminded himself over and over of this. Now some of you may have a translation that actually reads by faith Abraham when he was tested in other words God does not appear specifically as the author of this text. But the verb here beloved is what we call a divine passive meaning God is the one who performs this action. And so the NIV is exactly right to include it here to clearly assign God as the author of this test. And of course if you go to the book of Genesis and read this story for yourself, this is how the whole story opens up. Genesis 221 sometime later God tested Abraham. God tested him. God tested him. Does that surprise you? It's important beloved that you understand a necessary distinction at this point. On the one hand we have to be very careful to say God never tempts people to sin. James is very emphatic with us at this point. James says when tempted no one should say God is tempting me for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he attempt anyone. God does not play with your weaknesses beloved. God does not play with your vulnerabilities God does not play with your susceptibilities towards sin. He doesn't see an area in your life to which you are uniquely vulnerable and go after that thing to arouse you to sinful thoughts or words or actions. God does not do that on the other hand. The word of God often tells us that God tests his people. Now again beloved this is not to induce them to sin rather it is to reveal their character. Not to God as though he needs to discover by experimentation what the real character of a person is. Now the test of character is a revelation for the benefit of the person being tested as well as for fellow believers who will also learn from this test. And you see beloved this is at the very least one of the reasons why we must not despise the challenges the difficulties the adversities that God brings into our lives. They are not for our own benefit. We must not selfishly regard our own trials as our own private property. But beloved this is why I have told you on so many occasions we must not think of Christianity as this isolated experience between me and Jesus. Me and Jesus me and Jesus no it's Jesus and the bride Jesus and the church of which I am but one part. And therefore when the trials come when the adversities come to be sure they will affect my own character they will develop my own character but what I must never forget is they can actually become a means of grace to other people. I would remind you today that we are sitting at the feet of Abraham learning from a faith of a man who lived thousands of years ago. And you think about it in the most practical of terms what an incredible spiritual boost it is what an incredible shot of adrenaline it is in my own spiritual life. When I watch a Christian endure a severe trial while successfully displaying steady faith in Jesus Christ I mean it's like nothing else. It's the profound influence for example of a Johnny Erickson Tata or on a more personal scale beloved a more a means that we can identify with perhaps a little bit better it's like someone in our own congregation like Mary Ann Games. What a reproof to our own tendencies toward grumbling, complaining, whining. I am making as much money as I would like my wife doesn't treat me the way I would like her to treat me my parents are like this oh my job is that you know what beloved I'll go you one step further I think that there are people that God sovereignly ordains in the body to suffer publicly. There that their place and ministry in the body of Christ is solely to display faithfulness to Jesus Christ through great adversity that their ministry is just to be here so that all of us who have lined all week long would be properly humbled and silenced. The edification and education that we glean from such saints beloved is incalculable this is not just for Abraham so what is he do beloved the command of God comes he heads for Mariah he obeys he obeys how can he obey in the face of what seems to be an irreconcilable problem the command of God in the promise of God how can he obey in the midst of this. Irreconcilable contradiction I'll tell you how by concluding that it was God's problem to solve and not his since God is the author of this test it was God's problem to reconcile it is only for Abraham to obey see beloved how is it that you can remain faithful to God when confronted with the test that calls for the most extreme kind of personal sacrifice by wrapping yourself in the realization. That God is the author of this test this test is not an accident it's not a bad piece of karma it's not fate it is not coincidence it's not that somehow God is abdicated is sovereignty and the enemy's been able to sneak in and get it me in some kind of way this test and this is an expression of God sovereign purpose in my life it is Joseph saying after 13 years in prison what you meant for evil ultimately standing behind that was the providential purposes of God God minute for good God minute for good for you this trial is not my own you see this test is an expression of God sovereign purpose in my life it is come for my good it is come for the benefit of others somehow God is appointed me to be a model of display of how a person can suffer righteously among the people of God it will serve his glory therefore at the end of the day it is but for me to obey he can reconcile the problem as he best sees fit this is how we face our tests beloved how can you remain faithful to God when confronted with the test that calls for the most extreme kind of personal sacrifice recognize that God himself is the author of this test and he is that's why you don't have to spend all your time running around afraid of the devil it's a stupidest thing Christians do run around looking for the devil behind every rock you forget the devil beloved you forget the devil you realize that everything that is brought to bear in your life has come to you as an expression of God sovereignty including the attacks of the devil to get preoccupied with the devil is to become preoccupied with a secondary source the devil gets a Joe because God ordained it to be so there's a second way we can remain faithful to God we can remain faithful to God when confronted with the test that calls for the most severe kind of personal sacrifice and that is we recognize that God has omnipotence at his disposal I love this God has omnipotence at his disposal I can't figure it out I can't reconcile the problem but God has limitless power at his disposal verse 19 Abraham reasoned that God literally was able to raise the dead remember we've been talking beloved about how faith does not mean that you check out your brain remember what we saw back up earlier in verse 11 that Abraham was unable to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise Abraham didn't check out his brain he used his brain and here we have the same thing in verse 19 in fact what's the word that's used here is an accounting term it means to to tally up numbers in a column and come to a conclusion it means to count up the reasons to weigh all of the reasons to think about something in a careful detailed in logical manner and what was the result of Abraham's careful logical rational consideration that God possessed the power to bring life from death if need be well beloved let me ask you something where did Abraham get that idea there is yet had never been a resurrection in biblical history where did Abraham get this idea that God could raise Isaac from the dead what were Abraham's pro-creative possibilities at 99 years old not that great verse 12 remember and so from this one man and he as good as what's that next word dead Abraham had experienced it in his own life Abraham God had brought life from a source that had been as good as dead you see beloved this is why I'm convinced that God waited those 24 years between the making of the promise and the giving of Isaac God waits for Abraham to become 99 so there is no issue of human power involved God waits for Sarah to become 90 so that there is no issue of human power involved this is what God always does beloved and this is why God always hurts his people this is why God always hurts his servants this is the reason for the thorn of the flesh and the life of the Apostle Paul you know why it's because powerless provides powerlessness provides the stage upon which God loves to display his omnipotence God loves to work when we are weak so we wait till Abraham's 99 and Abraham now reasons God had made a promise the blessing of the nations would come through this boy and so if it takes resurrection to be faithful to the promise then that's what God will do and friends I want to tell this is no gratuitous attempt to make Abraham look good after the fact what was it that he said to his two servants as he and Isaac began the ascent up Mount Mariah we will worship and then we will come back to you who will come back we will who are they going to worship L should I God Almighty the God who is the resurrection and the lie and so he ends by saying and figuratively speaking he did receive Isaac back from death beloved remember it was a done deal in the mind of Abraham it was a done deal he was ready to sacrifice that boy his heart had already resolved the matter and so when the angel of Yahweh stayed his hand at the final instant it was as though he had his son back from death now beloved the parallels to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ are beyond coincidence aren't they he was the one and only son the word in Greek and Hebrew means the only begotten one Jesus was the one with whom the father was well pleased he was the beloved of the father Isaac climbed the hill of Mount Mariah with the wood of sacrifice strapped to his back so to Jesus Christ claim that same climb that same mountain Mount Mariah with the instrument of his own crucifixion on his back Abraham the very father of the victim was commanded to be his son's executioner and so to it would be the father in heaven who would crush his son the only difference beloved is that the angel of Yahweh was not there to stay the father's hand for it was the angel of Yahweh himself who was on the cross no substitutionary lamb would be provided because he was the lamb of God to take away the sins of the world my friends never forget when you read that story and you're scandalized at what God demands from Abraham that God himself did what Abraham was prevented from doing Abraham's test in shadow was God's own test in reality and it was there that the character of God was displayed most profoundly in all of human history beloved it is at the cross that the character of our God is exposed for what it really is God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son and the reason why the story of Abraham and Isaac is in your Bible is so that you will in a better way be able to understand what that means he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all Romans 8 says all we like sheep have gone astray each of us has turned to his own way but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to violently assault him caught in the thicket beloved was a lamb to take Isaac's place can you imagine the overwhelming sense of joy that must have overcome Abraham and his son the overwhelming sense of joy that a lamb had been provided it's exactly what Jesus meant in John chapter 8 when he says Abraham rejoice to see my day you bet he did how Abraham and his son laughter must have laughed once again because beloved the joy of