I want to come back then to Genesis chapter 22 and in this chapter much can be learned from Abraham and his life in this portion of our segment of his life here before us. Lessons of faith, eternal perspectives, lessons of self-denial that speak to us very vividly. And you may, if you have time, consult Robert Canlish in his sermon on this chapter. It's very edifying in those ways. Yet, as he remarks as well, near the end of his own sermon, with the help of the New Testament, we do find some more that Abraham was dealing with than we've just mentioned. We see that Abraham rejoiced to see the day of Christ, and he saw it, and was glad. I think this is one of the places, at least, Candliss thinks this is the place where Christ is referring to in the life of Abraham, where he saw something special, something more than the other Old Testament saints perhaps would have seen. It seems that Abraham did have some signal or particular view of the day of Christ that others did not. The way Christ refers that to the Jews in John 8, that he saw his day and was glad. He says in these ways, in this rejoicing that Abraham had, at least three things that he saw of Christ. He saw Not only the substitution of a lamb, a ram for Isaac, but he saw that man is condemned. He saw that there is a resurrection. Tonight, since we are in the table of the Lord here, communion table, we'll just focus upon the sacrifice that was provided here in Abraham's experience. You see, in this chapter, Abraham had with him his son. His son, by God's own appointment, was to die. He was a marked man for death. His death must occur, according to this passage. It was a trial. It was a temptation of Abraham. It was a proof. if you will. He said, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest. 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. Isaac was marked out for death. You see here, do we not, the common lot of man. Wages of sin is death, Paul tells us. Not only so, before in Romans he tells us that, he says that all have sinned. They don't come short of the glory of God. Do you see yourself there tonight? The Bible says we all have sinned, we all are in that category. If we all are in that category of sinners, those that have not hit the mark, have missed the mark of righteousness. There are those then that have some wages that will be paid. They will not be slack in paying those out to death. They're just physical, but eternal. I'm saying here, you can see that there is this idea of marked victims, marked out for death. Is this slaying of Isaac? For as Abraham knew, it must occur. Slaying of you and me for sins must occur. The law says what? The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Like in the Garden of Eden, Adam was told, eat of this tree. The day you eat of it, you shall die. It's something that must happen. It's a necessary occurrence. Ephesians says that by nature we are all children of wrath, even as others. The wrath of God coming upon us in the last and final analysis will put us into that hell we spoke of this morning. That everlasting fire prepared for the angel and his devils and all those who follow them and their ways of unbelief and wickedness. We have this idea here, man of those that are condemned, those that are marked off for death. And yet, there was a substitute found. Notice there in verse 13 and 14, this is after God said, you know, stay your hand, don't touch your son, don't do him any harm. It says, Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his thorns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 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." If Isaac was to stay alive, if the condemned is to stay alive, there must be found a suitable substitute. Notice that this substitute came from God. God had that ram there. Jehovah Jireh, it shall be seen or it shall be provided in the mount of the Lord. Abraham even had faith that says in this place that God provided a lamb. He provided this lamb, this substitution for those that are condemned to die. There's no other way to escape the law of sentence. honors Him, not what these hands have done, can save this guilty soul. Not all, even our tears, our good works, our sighs, our good intentions, let alone being better than someone else, or something else. There's a necessity here to have a substitute, one that can interpose, as it says here, one that is in the stead of us, in our place, God has ordained such a one. It is Jesus Christ. As we think about His body and blood tonight, think of His person, He was the God-Man. He said we are the children of wrath, even as others. What kind of wrath is that that we are subject to? It's an infinite, it's eternal, it's even an unchangeable wrath directed against those who He's determined to destroy. If there is one that can sustain the attack, if you will, the leveling down, the putting down of wrath upon him that is only that God-man, any other human body would be destroyed. This is a sufficient Savior that meets your exact need. Again, think about your nature as a child of wrath. Think about your substitute has interposed himself willingly. This ram God had caught here by his horns, the thicket. Some references there to even the covenant between God and Christ and his voluntary entering into that covenant to be the mediator. I don't want to push that, but the point is this though, yet Christ is that ram, he is that lamb, and he did voluntarily put himself in that place to sustain your liability. And he did it so that God's wrath is now extended for you. Believe it. the sacrifice that is in our place. Remember what Romans says, two places not far from each other, Romans 4 and 25, who was delivered for our offenses. And then down in chapter 5 and verse 6, for when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. The place of For us. For our sins. For our sinful persons. Again, Jesus' blood, Jesus' body was not broken. Just to make an example. Just to... Even just to fulfill types of prophecies. But it was to transact business. In your place. that you had need to be transacted and would be and will be transacted one way or the other. Either it's Christ or it's you. For all those that do not see Jesus as their substitute, they will go directly into that wrath forever upon death. Tonight, Do you think about that? Do you look upon Jesus? Do you think about the elements of the bread, the cup? Do you think about Him? Do you think that He is the one that God has provided for your soul's peace? Are you conscious of any of your own sins? You know, we as believers are not free from sin. Your conscience as it reviews those things and it feels its guilt of not obedience to the law of God not seeking after the fruit of the spirit of not walking in the spirit as you want but more in the flesh as we murmur against God's providence to us or someone else wronging us the conscience quieted we think of this ram that have been provided for your sins. Even these sins, not that we make right of them, but we must have them cleansed. We cannot pay for them ourselves. Does it quiet your conscience? Does it make you feel then again at peace with God? When you sinned again in the same way that you thought you'd conquered the other week, the other day, the other year. Are you glad to have someone that has gone in your stead? That has stood in your place? That hung upon that cross? For the Romans, just another victim until they saw some of the things that happened. But still, they did not know the transactions of heaven. They did not know the transactions of the covenant of grace. God was laying upon Him our sins. Christ was willingly bearing them. Taking that wrath. Taking that curse. Are you glad that he hung there for you? That he endured that wrath, that curse, that judgment, so that you would not have to? That you rather could be justified and sanctified and then glorified in heaven with him? Going on to eternal life and fellowship because of the blood and the body of Christ? In other words, do you see this Lamb as provided for you? Provided for you? You know, the word Ram really comes just from the word for strength, for power, for might. Do you see Him as that for you? When you lay your sins upon Him, do you believe your sacrifice is enough? Isaac did. Isaac escaped. Isaac lived. He had no more threat upon him than he knew it. Do you know that tonight? This way, if you get assurance of salvation and cleansing, you have to look within, you have to look and see how faithful we've been, how What you understand, most probably should have made. Those things aren't good to look at in their place. But if you want assurance, you need to look out to another one, and that is that one that was in your place, the sacrifice of Christ. That one that interposed, again, between you and the wrath of God. You'll never be convinced, you'll never be assured for long, if you just look within. Your peace will be up and down, ebbing and flowing, probably more flowing away than anything. As you start to look in with the law of God, the word of God, you'll see more darkness than you wished you would see. As you look away to that one that took care of that darkness, that took care of the wrath, the curse, the judgment of God for you, you can rejoice that in the mountain of the Lord, shall be provided. You can be with Abraham looking back. Abraham rejoiced to see the day of God's Son coming. What some of these things meant. You can look back at that cross and rejoice and be glad in it. As Abraham was glad to look forward to it. See, we often, I think, miss and rejoicing in that glory because we have such a low view of sin and its punishment, its deserts. I encourage you to look back at the Elder Catechism, what does every sin deserve? Not too long, but very comprehensive. Both speaks of the things of this life and that which is to come. in reasons why it's heinous, why it's aggravated. And look again, you see that and you think about your own sins, what they deserve. Last thing is, you know, the wrath of God in this life and the life to come. If you think about that, let it sink in. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Today we have much more important questions, do we not? Our economy, our jobs, world peace, environmentalism, the rights of all the oppressed, and going down the list. The advancement of technology and the sciences, making men live longer and longer on the earth. Some of these things are fine in their place, but what is the greatest question? How shall a man be just with God? We've lost that. Even in the church. Like I said, many things are important. The church must deal with. Very many issues, but the basic issue. How shall we be just with God? How can we be right with Him? How can we enter heaven? What is the way to eternal life? How can our sins and our guilt be dealt with? I say, look to that one that was a burnt offering in your stead, that was a sweet-smelling savor to the Father, whose sacrifice, as Hebrews tells us, needs not to be repeated. Needs not to be repeated. We don't come here again to sacrifice Christ. We come to remember the one sacrifice of Christ, that perfect Lamb, that perfect Lamb of God. I encourage you then, as we come here just now to the table, to remember these thoughts, that that Lamb that God provided here is in your stead as a believer, in your place. He took all that you deserved to take, and all that you would take, save that you believed on Him. Amen.