Genesis 22:1-14
THE LAMB ON MOUNT MORIAH
Intro: There are several places in the Bible that I would
describe as holy ground. This chapter is one of those
places. In fact, there is too much good stuff here to
even hope to get it all preached in one message.
Therefore, I want to look into these verses this morning
and try to catch a glimpse of the Lamb.
Last Sunday, we saw the Lamb in the story of Cain
and Abel. Today, I would like for us to see the Lamb on
Mount Moriah. As we move through this great story
from the life of Abraham, I hope we will see that there is
something far larger in view here. I hope we will see
today that there is a clear portrait of the Lord Jesus
Christ and of the price He paid for sinners.
As this story unfolds this morning, I ask you to give
the Lord your undivided attention. Allow Him to speak
to your heart today and let Him have His way in your
life.
This is a chapter that is filled with great blessings.
Allow me to share a few of them with you as we look at
The Lamb On Mount Moriah.
I. V. 1 WE ARE TOLD OF A GREAT SAINT
A. His Name - The man's name is "Abraham". It
means "Father of a multitude." When the Lord
first called this man to follow Him, his name was
"Abram". That name meant "Exalted Father."
Yet, at that time, Abram was 75 years old and he
was childless. As Abram began to follow the
Lord, the Lord changed his name to "Abraham".
When he had no children, his name was "Exalted
Father". Now, he has one child and God calls
him "Father of a Multitude." Imagine the
reaction of those around Abram when he
announced the name change.
While some surely laughed at this old man
and his strange name, that name was, in fact, the
promise of God to Abraham. While he only had
one son, the Lord promised him that he would
have many more, "Neither shall thy name any
more be called Abram, but thy name shall be
Abraham; for a father of many nations have I
made thee.", Gen. 17:5.
By the time we arrive at today's text, Abraham
has two sons. The first, Ishmael, has already left
the home, Gen. 21:9-21, and Isaac, the son of
promise, who was born when Abraham was 99, is
the only one there.
(Ill. While people may have mocked this man of
God, he placed his trust in the Lord. Even though
he only had one son, Abraham looked ahead to
a time when the Lord would keep His promises!
My friends, this is what saved Abraham's soul.
Simple faith in the Word of the Lord, Gen. 15:5-6,
"And he brought him forth abroad, and said,
Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if
thou be able to number them: and he said
unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he
believed in the LORD; and he counted it to
him for righteousness."
Friend, that is how salvation worked then, and
it is how salvation works today! You hear the
promise of God and you accept it by faith! That
is what saves the soul, Rom. 10:13; Acts 16:31;
Rom. 10:17.)
B. His Nature - Notice that as soon as the Lord
speaks, Abraham responds. This tells us a lot
about this great man of faith. He has his ear
tuned to the voice of the Lord. He is literally
waiting for orders from headquarters. Here is a
man who is literally living by faith, Rom. 1:17.
Here is a man who lives his live for the will of
God.
(Ill. What a lesson for those who claim to love the
Lord Jesus Christ! Most of us are so busy
listening to the call of the world and the flesh that
we cannot even hear His voice when He does
speak to us!
What are you living for this morning? Is it
wealth? Is it family? Is it job? What has your
attention today? Don't you think men should be
listening for the voice of the Lord? I think so!
After all, He is the only voice in the world today
that is speaking the truth. He holds the way of
salvation for you if you will listen to Him!)
(Ill. After all these thousands of years, Abraham is
still viewed as a great saint of God. He is revered by
the Jew, the Muslim and by the Christian. He is
called by name 284 times in the Word of God. Why?
Because he believed God! What about you? What
legacy are you leaving behind? Where is your faith
this morning?)
I. We Are Told Of A Great Saint
II. V. 1-5 WE ARE TOLD OF A GREAT SACRIFICE
A. V. 1 The Challenge - The Bible tells us that the
Lord "tempted" Abraham. This was not a
temptation to do evil. The Lord is never a party to
sin, James 1:13. This is a trial or test of
Abraham's faith. There is no doubt that Abraham
loved Isaac, v. 2. There can be no doubt that
Abraham loved God. Just look at his life from
chapter 12 until this time. He has proven his love
over and over again. After all, he left his home,
his country, and his family all because God called
him to do so. He journeyed as a stranger in a
foreign because he loved the Lord. Now, he
about to prove the depths of his love for the Lord
God.
(Ill. It is one thing to trust God while waiting on a
promise to be fulfilled and quiet another thing to
trust Him when He asks us to give that thing back
to Him. Abraham had waited for 25 years for
Isaac to be born. Now, Isaac is somewhere
around 15 or even older. He is the fulfillment of
all the promises God ever made to Abraham, and
yet the Lord asks Abraham to give him back to
God. What a test of this man's faith! Abraham has spoken of his faith in the Lord
for years. Now, he is given the opportunity to
prove his love for the Lord.)
(Ill. On the surface, this may seem like a cruel
thing the Lord is doing. However, we know the
outcome! God is demonstrating that there are
some people who love the Lord more than
anything else in this world. Even more than
themselves or their families. God is also painting
a picture of His love for humanity. This picture
will become clearer as we move through these
verses.
At this point, do not miss this lesson: real faith
is always tested! God never tested Lot. Why?
Everyone knew what Lot was. He was worldly,
selfish and foolish. He could not be trusted in a
time of testing. Abraham, on the other hand,
could be trusted! When God trusts you, He will
test you! Why? Two reasons.
1. To show you that He can take care of you in
the test.
2. To show the world that He is worthy of faith.
He does it to get glory for His name!)
B. V. 2 The Cost - The cost is almost beyond
calculation. God tells Abraham to take, and
notice how the cost is kept constantly before
Abraham, your son, your only son, the son you
love more than life itself, and offer him to Me
as a burnt offering!
Surely, this must have broken Abraham's
heart! After all, Isaac represented all the
promises of God for Abraham. In truth, to
Abraham, Isaac was life, Gen. 17:19-20! If Isaac
were dead and gone, then the promises of God
would become worthless. If Isaac were to die,
then the hopes of Abraham would die as well. Yet
we do not find him trying to negotiate with the
Lord. As we will see, this father, brokenhearted
though he was, was willing to pay the price!)
(Ill. What a portrait this paints of our great God:
the Heavenly Father! He also gave up a Son!
Notice the similarities between Isaac and the Lord
Jesus.
1. Thy son - Isa. 9:6 - "unto us a son is given."
2. Thy only son - John 3:16 - "only begotten
son"
3. Whom thou lovest - Matt. 17:5 - "this is My
beloved Son."
Yet, when the Lord looked at the plight of
humanity, He loved us so much that He willingly
allowed His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die in our
place on the cross, Rom. 5:8. Never be guilty of
thinking that salvation is a cheap thing to be
taken lightly! Your salvation cost the Lord Jesus
His life on a Roman cross. The price was pain,
agony and death, but He paid it because He
loved us - Isa. 53:3-7.)
C. V. 3-4 The Compliance - Abraham never
wavered! He simply gathered together all the
things he needed to worship God through a
sacrifice and he headed to the place that God told
him about. His heart was fixed on doing the thing
God had called him to do! What a man of faith! It
must have been a difficult journey for Abraham,
but he continued until he arrived at the place!
(Ill. What a picture paints for us of our heavenly
Father! It must have broken the heart of God to
know that the man He had made in His own
image had sinned against Him and had to die.
However, God was not deterred! He had already
formulated a plan to pay the price for mankind.
He knew what had to be done and He set out to
do it, Rev. 13:8.
You see, the Lord knew the place to which He
was leading Abraham. When He fashioned this
world the Lord knew that on that very spot, He
would ask Abraham to take the life of his beloved
son Isaac. But, God knew something else about
that place. He knew that centuries later, Mount
Moriah would become known as Mount Calvary.
He knew that His Own darling Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ would die on a cross there to save
humanity. Even though He knew, He still formed
the place! Bless His good Name! He fixed it so
Jesus would die for me!)
D. V. 5 The Confidence - When they arrived at the
place, Abraham instructed the servants to wait
while he and Isaac went to worship. He told them
that they would worship and that they would
return. There are two great truths that must be
noted right here.
1. Even though Abraham had come to this place
to kill his son, he still viewed what he was
about to do as worship! When you love the
Lord with all your heart, everything you do is
a form of worship before the Lord.
2. Abraham still had faith that even though he
was about to kill Isaac, God would keep His
promises. God had promised that Isaac
would be the father of 12 princes and of a vast
multitude, Gen. 17:20. However, Abraham
must have known that a dead man does not
father children! How can he believe that God
will keep His word? The writer of Hebrews
answers that question for us, Heb. 11:17-19,
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried,
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: Accounting that
God was able to raise him up, even from
the dead; from whence also he received
him in a figure." Simply stated, Abraham
knew that even if he killed Isaac, God would
bring him back from the dead. He believed
God!
(Ill. So it is with the Lord Jesus! God knew
that His Son had to go to the cross, but God
already knew the end of that story before the
beginning! He knew that when Jesus died on
the cross, He would not stay dead. God knew
that when Jesus died, He would raise Jesus
from the dead after three days, Psa. 16:10.)
I. We Are Told Of A Great Saint
II. We Are Told Of A Great Sacrifice
III. V. 6-10
WE ARE TOLD OF A GREAT SON
A. V. 6 He Is Working - As they head to the top of
the mountain, Abraham lays the wood for the fire
on the back of his son Isaac. Isaac is literally
bearing the wood upon which he will die. He is
carrying the burden of death upon his shoulders.
(Ill. What a picture this paints for us of the Lord
Jesus. He too labored under the burden of death.
He carried on His shoulders the very wood upon
which He was to die, John 19:17. But, there
were greater burdens that Jesus bore that day,
Isa. 53:4-6. He bore our sins, this was the thing
upon which He died, 2 Cor. 5:21. I am glad Jesus
completed the job that the Father sent Him to do!)
B. V. 7 He Is Wondering - Isaac's question is one
that touches the heart! He sees the knife in his
father's hand. He feels the weight of the wood
upon his own back. He feels the heat of the fire
from the torch his father carries. Yet, there is no
lamb to offer to the Lord. So, he asks his father,
"Where is the Lamb?" Isaac knew that a blood
sacrifice was required to allow one to enter God's
presence in worship. Abraham's answer surely
did little to ease the concern that the boy must
have been feeling. But, as he studies the aged
and weathered face of his father, he trusted and
he trusted his father's God and if Abraham said
that God would provide a lamb, then surely God
would do just that.
(Ill. People today are still wondering how they can
come into the presence of God. They go to
church and see the knife, the fire and the wood,
but where is the lamb? They go into beautiful
buildings where men stand and preach sermons,
where singers stand and sing songs, where
people pray and give money, but they leave
unchanged and unmoved. They leave still
asking, "Where is the Lamb?" I want you to know
that the Lamb is here! His name is Jesus and He
has already died for you sins on the cross. He
shed His blood for you and if you will come to
Him, He will save you by His power. Wonder no
more, but come to Jesus and He will bring you
into the presence of the Lord.)
C. V.6, 8-9 He Is Willing - Notice the phrase "they
went both of them together." There is no
rebellion detected in Isaac. Amos the prophet
lets us know that men cannot walk together
unless they are agreed, Amos 3:3. Even though
Isaac doesn't understand all that is happening,
still he follows his father. Even when they arrive
at the place of sacrifice, this strong, young man
allows his father, a man who is at least 115 years
old, tie him up and lay him on an altar to take his
life. It seems that Isaac is willing to obey his
father, even unto death!)
(Ill. Again, what a picture this is of the Lord Jesus!
He wasn't forced to go tot he cross and die a
horrible death. No! He willing gave Himself up to
die on that cross! Even when He was in the
Garden of Gethsemane praying, He prayed to the
Father to allow Him to live long enough to go to
Calvary and die for sin, Luke 22:42. This is the
heart of the One Who died for you!)
I. We Are Told Of A Great Saint
II. We Are Told Of A Great Sacrifice
III. We Are Told Of A Great Son
IV. V. 11-14 WE ARE TOLD OF
A GREAT SUBSTITUTE
A. V. 11-13 It's Provision - Just as Abraham is
about to kill Isaac, God stops him! He calls to him
again and provides a substitute for Isaac. Did
God actually expect Abraham to kill his son?
Yes! Would Abraham have killed Isaac had the
Lord not intervened? Yes! It all boils down to
grace. God provided a substitute for Isaac
through His matchless, boundless grace. God
moved to provide for the need of Abraham and
Isaac!
B. V. 14 It's Purpose - The whole purpose in that
ram being there was for it to take the place of
Isaac on that altar. Abraham hadn't noticed the
ram, because he wasn't looking for a substitute,
but while he and Isaac were coming up one side
of the mountain, that ram was coming up the
other side. It arrived at the right place at the right
time. It was there to take the place of Isaac!
C. V. 11-14 It's Picture - This ram paints a
wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. You
see, every sinner, just like Isaac, was doomed to
die a terrible death. In fact, all sinners are
headed to Hell. However, the Lord Jesus Christ,
just like that ram became our substitute on the
cross.
(Ill. Put yourself in Isaac's shoes that day as his
father untied him and then took that ram, tied it
up, placed it in the wood and plunged that knife
into it. I can see the tears running down the
Isaac's face as he watched that lamb bleed to
death. Isaac knew that he was the one who
should have died, but he lived because another
had taken his place. I am sure his heart was
filled with gratitude over what the Lord had
provided for him!)
(Ill. My friends, from where you stand today, can
you see the One Who died on the cross for your
sins? Does it move your heart to know that Jesus
loved you so much that He died in your place on
the cross? Does it thrill you to know that by
simply trusting Him, you can be forever free from
the penalty of sin? Does it fill you with gratitude
to know that He died so that you could live?
Notice the last phrase in verse 14, "in the mount
of the LORD it shall be seen." That was a
prophetic statement! Many centuries later, Jesus
Christ died on that same mountaintop. He wasn't
dying just for Isaac, He was dying for you. Just
as God provided a ram for Isaac on Moriah, He
provided a Lamb for you on Calvary.)
Conc: Now, the question that must be asked is: What
are you going to do with Jesus? Isaac and Abraham
trusted that lamb to take Isaac's place. They offered it,
worshiped before the Lord and then they came back
down the mountain together. Have you come to the
place today where you are willing to come before the
Lord and trust Jesus as your substitute? Are you will to
come to Him and trust what He did on the cross to set
you free?
Yes, Jesus died a terrible death. Yes, He paid a high
price. A price, I might add, that He did not owe! Are
you going to allow His death to be in vain as far as you
are concerned? Or, will you come to Him right now and
be saved by the grace of God?
One day, you will reach the end of life. Wouldn't you
like to know that you are saved when that day comes?
You can, but only if you will come to the Lord Jesus
Christ. If you will turn to the Lamb of God and receive
Him as your Savior, you can be free today. You can
worship and go back down the mountain, alive and free
because of the One Who took your place.
