Bound Isaac

GEN 22:5-18 ESV

Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided."  And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord , because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."
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You've been blessed by God because of this very difficult episode.

" for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

Jesus is the lamb provided as a sacrifice by God instead.

Jesus is God's only son.

Look at what the author of Hebrews says Abraham was thinking as he prepared to sacrifice Isaac.

Hebrews 11:17-19 ESV

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Now consider God the Father. Think about his offering of Jesus. Think how God planned to raise Jesus from the dead. See how Jesus is the lamb that God provided.

John 1:28-29 ESV

These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Do you fear God?

What are you withholding?

What is God asking you to give?

Who will be blessed by God when you obey God by giving?

God's promise of forgiveness.

Matthew 26:26-28 NASB

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you;  for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

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Many times Jesus told his followers that he would suffer and die. 

Jesus was with his followers eating a special holiday meal. The holiday celebrated the time God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt. Long before Jesus was born, God sent Moses to rescue his people from Egypt's evil ruler Pharaoh. God told Moses a terrible judgement would come to every home that did not put lamb's blood on the door posts of their house. If God's angel saw the people obeyed God and that they put lamb's blood on the door posts then they would be saved from the terrible judgement. When the God's people survived the judgement God said they needed to hurry and leave Egypt the next day. So God said make bread without yeast. God said you will not have time for the bread dough to rise. God told his people to remember that day by celebrating every year with a holiday called Passover. It is called passover because God's judgement passed over the house with lamb's blood on the door posts.

Jesus was eating the Passover holiday meal with his followers. During the meal it was traditional to eat special flat bread that was made with no yeast. The people did this to remember God's promise to rescue them and because they had to  leave in a hurry. At the Passover celebration the people would drink wine to remember the blood of the lamb that was put on the door posts.

Jesus said the bread and the wine had a new meaning. Now when his people celebrated together they would remember that Jesus died to rescue his people like the lamb in Egypt. On the cross Jesus body was broken and his blood was shed for his people.

Jesus said these were new promises from God. God promised to forgive many people's sin because Jesus died and faced God's terrible judgement.

When we remember God's promise together, we can be sure that because of Jesus' death we are forgiven.

Jesus died to forgive your sin!

Will you remind someone today?