Adrian Rogers - A Dress Rehearsal for Calvary
Take God's Word, find please if you would, the book of Hebrews chapter 11 and in a few moments we're going to look at verses 17 through 19. Now as you hold your Bible in your hand may I tell you, look at me, may I tell you there is no book like the Bible! None! None whatsoever. The book that you hold in your hand is one book and yet it is sixty-six books. There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament. There are twenty-seven in the New Testament. They were written over a period of about fifteen hundred years by at least forty different authors in three different languages, people from all backgrounds and walks of life. But when you bring them together, they don't make sixty-six books. They make one book; one book that is bound together. It has one hero, His name is Jesus. It has one villain, he is the devil. It has one theme, it is salvation. It has one purpose, the glory of God.
And so if you read the Bible anywhere, you're going to find standing somewhere in the shadows, you're going to find the Lord Jesus. And that's what we're going to see today as we look in the life of a man whose name was Abraham. He's the father of the faithful, the brightest star in the Hebrew heaven. A name that is revered around the world, Father Abraham, the father of the faithful. And we're going to look back in history, centuries before Jesus Christ was born upon this earth and we're going to find a wonderful depiction of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now look if you will at the Scripture that we have here in the New Testament before we go back to the Old Testament. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 17 to verse 19, "By faith, Abraham, when he was tried," that is, tested, "offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, 'That in Isaac shall thy seed be called.'"
Now how was he able to do this? Well, verse 19 tells us, "Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure". Now the word figure means a type, an illustration. In the Old Testament, God gave illustrations, types, prophecies, figures of that which is to come in the New Testament. Now why did God do that? Well many reasons, but one reason, friend, listen to me. It is one of the great confirmations of the inspiration of the Scripture. When you see way back here centuries, and centuries, and centuries before Jesus Christ was even born that God gives figures and types and prophecies of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only is it, therefore, a confirmation of the inspiration of the Scriptures, but correspondingly it is a confirmation of the deity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as we see Him pictured there, tucked away in the Old Testament. Don't get the idea that the Old Testament is about something other than Jesus. All of the Bible is about Jesus. It's all about Jesus. And furthermore, it is there that we might have the joy that we're going to have this morning of discovering and feasting on these things that are tucked away in the Old Testament. By the way, before we get to the Old Testament, let me give you a couple verses here to prove what I am talking about is not mere fancy.
Put down in your margin John 8 verse 56. Jesus is talking to the unbelieving Jews of His day who boasted in Abraham. And here's what Jesus said to those Jews, "Your father," talking about Abraham, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day and he saw it and was glad". "Abraham", Jesus said, "saw My day". Now I want to remind you, this was centuries before Jesus was born. Let me give you another verse, Galatians 3 verse 8, "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, 'In thee shall all nations be blessed.'" The phrase that I want to extract from that verse is, "That the Gospel was preached to Abraham". "The Scriptures foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham".
Now, having said that, let's go to this passage of Scripture. Go backward in your Bible to Genesis chapter 22. Genesis the first book. Find the first book. Fast forward 22 chapters and you're going to come to the basis of our text today in Genesis chapter 22. Now there are some things I want you to see. What I'm going to do right now is give you a portrait of Jesus that is found in the Old Testament. Are you ready for it? I want you to see and delight yourself and feast on a portrait of Jesus 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 verses 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.'"
Now, Isaac therefore becomes a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me give you about six ways or more that He is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, his miracle birth was prophesied. Go back even further now to Genesis chapter 18 and begin in verse 9 to verse 14. The angel is coming to visit with Abraham and to make a prophesy. "And they said unto him," to Abraham, "'Where is Sarah thy wife?' And he said, 'Behold, in the tent.' And he said, 'I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.' And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women".
That is, Sarah had gone through the menopause. And, "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, 'After I am old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?' And the Lord said unto Abraham, 'Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, "Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old"?'" Now here's what the angel says, "Is any thing too hard for the Lord"? I want to ask you that question. Is anything too hard for God? Of course not. "Is anything too hard for the Lord"? "At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son". Now Isaac was born of a miracle. Jesus was born of a miracle. Put in your margin, Isaiah 7 verse 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".
Not only was his miracle birth prophesied, but his birthday was preset. Look in Genesis now 21 verses 1 and 2, "And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age". Now don't miss this, "At the set time of which God had spoken to him". God not only prophesied the birth, but God prophesied the set time of the birth. Well, what does that have to do with Jesus? Put in your margin Galatians 4:4, "But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son made of a woman". Isaac was born at a set time. Jesus was born at a set time. Now, here's the third thing. Isaac's name was divinely given.
Genesis 17:19, "And God said, 'Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son and thou shalt call his name Isaac.'" Compare that to the New Testament. Matthew 1 verse 21, speaking of Mary, "And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call His name Jesus". Isaac was born of a miracle. Jesus was born of a miracle. Isaac was born at a set time. Jesus was born at a set time. Isaac was pre-named. Jesus was pre-named. Isaac again was conceived of a miracle. Genesis 18 verse 14, "Is anything too hard for the Lord"? Remember that Abraham was a hundred years old and Sarah was ninety years old when it happened.
When the angel came to Mary and said, "Mary, you're going to have a baby". Mary said, "How can this be"? Luke 1 verse 34, "Seeing I know not a man". That is, I'm still a virgin. "'How can this be?' And the angel said to Mary, 'For with God nothing shall be impossible.'" What did the angel say to Abraham? Luke 1:37, "Is there anything too hard for God"? What did the angel say to Mary? "With God nothing shall be impossible". Sometimes our Jewish friends have difficulty believing in the virgin birth. Friend, every Jew that you see today upon the face of the earth is here because of a miracle birth. Every one of them. Now, Isaac was loved of his father. Genesis 22 verse 2, "And he said, 'Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest.'"
Ladies and gentlemen, I told you last week this is the first time the word love is found in the Bible. Right here. "'Take your son whom you love.'" In Genesis 22 verse 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 verse 20, "For the Father loveth the Son and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth". Listen, he was offered, Isaac was offered up as a sacrifice. Jesus was offered as a sacrifice. Genesis 22 verse 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 verse 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 counts the days: one, two, three. He comes to the place there where the offering is to be made. Now, he takes his son and he starts up Mount Moriah to offer his son. How was he able to do that? Well, remember Hebrews 11 verse 19? He was, "Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead," now watch this, "whence also he received him in a figure". That is, 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 verses 3 thru 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 verse 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 that I want you to do it".
Now look in Genesis 22 verse 4. And, "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off". Now think with me friend about our universe. There are a hundred billion known galaxies in our universe. We don't know what's beyond that. In those great galaxies that stretch across the sky, there is one galaxy known as the Milky Way. That Milky Way is one hundred thousand light years across. That's one hundred million billion miles from rim to rim. God goes into that great galaxy out of all of the millions of galaxies and God finds one little insignificant sun, our sun. Ninety three million miles away from the Earth. And God looks there at that one sun and around that sun are orbiting a number of planets. God takes one little planet, a speck of cosmic dust called the Earth and God says, "The Earth is the Lord's." Psalm 24:1.
And then on the Earth, that globe there, God takes one land, the land of Israel. And God calls that land, "My land". And then out of that land that God calls His land, He tightens the focus a little more and God takes in that land one city, the city of Jerusalem. And God calls that city, "My holy city". And then in that holy city, God takes one hill, Mount Moriah, and in Psalm 2:6 He calls that, "My holy hill". That becomes the focal point of all of the universes. A little limestone ridge! God said, "Abraham, I will show you a place, a specific place. You take your only son. You take your only son that you love. You take him there and offer him in the place that I will show you". 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 chapter 23 verse 33, "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 verse 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 verses 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.' 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".
Now, father and son come to a point beyond which the others cannot go. "You stay here," and father and son went to commune together. That tells me of dark Gethsemane where Jesus left Peter, James and John and the other disciples and He went alone to commune with His Father facing Calvary. And, Isaac looks at his father. In Abraham's hand there is a torch, a fire in one hand. There is a knife in his other hand. Isaac can read his father's face. He begins now to know what is about to happen. 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 a 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 verse 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. Now I remind you that Abraham is well beyond one hundred 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 out run the old man. He could have taken the old man and bound him. But he presents himself to be bound.
You know what Jesus said? "No man takes My life from Me. I lay it down of Myself." John 10:18. Here you see the son submitting himself to the father. They said of Jesus in Matthew 27 verse 42, "He saved others, Himself He could not save". They were so wrong. He saved others, Himself He would not be saved. He could have come down from that cross, but He did not. Notice in Genesis 22 verse 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 about 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 verse 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 verse 11 through 14, "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 any thing 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 is 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 have told you before, this ram, 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. God did. Remember what John the Baptist said in John chapter 1 verse 29 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, Mount Moriah, Abraham named it 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. You listen to your pastor. The Lord is there to provide that need. The Lord will provide. In 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, it's time to wrap it up. There's so much I could say, I have gone too fast. But I wanted you to get the whole picture. Now what does this mean to you today? And what does this mean to world missions? Are you ready to apply it to your heart? Listen friend, 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 change 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, "Because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son".
Now you listen to me. Listen to what the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 8 verse 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"? My son, his name is Steve, my first born son. If you were to ask me, "Adrian, can I have your son"? 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 won't give you my son. I don't love you that much. No, I would not give you my son that you might torture him and put him to death. For whatever cause, I would not do that". 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 alright. 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 a 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 a 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"? If you're wondering, "Oh, if God calls me to missions, how will I do it? How will I make it? What will I do"?
I'll tell you how you will make it. 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 gang plank, the trunks had been packed. They couldn't fly home on a 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 that 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 is no other answer to: then open this envelope".
The missionary put it in his breast pocket. Most of us would have taken it out, you know to see what's in it. The missionary put it in his breast pocket; 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 that 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.
Bow your heads in prayer. Heads are bowed. Eyes are closed. 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'll be saved". Would you pray:
Dear God, I know that You love me. Thank You for loving me. And I know that You want to save me. Jesus, You died to save me and You promised to save me if I would trust You. Jesus, I do trust You. I believe You're the Son of God. I believe you paid for my sin with Your blood on the cross. I believe that God raised You from the dead. And now I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Forgive my sin. Cleanse me. Come into my life. Take control of my life and begin today to make me the person You want me to be. And Jesus, give me the courage to make it public. Help me never to be ashamed of You. In Your name I pray, Amen.