We open God's word in the first book Genesis chapter 22 and we'll read the first 19 verses. We read Genesis 22 verses 9 through 19. And there we read God's word as follows. and it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham and said unto him Abraham and he said behold here I am 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 where I will tell thee of. And Abram rose up early in the morning, settled his ass, took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, claved the wood for the burnt offering, rose up, went unto the place of which God had told him. Then, on the third day, Abram lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abram 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. And Abram took the wood of the burned offering and laid it upon Isaac his son, and he took the fire in his hand and the knife and they went both of them together and Isaac spake unto Abraham his father and said my father and he said here am I my son and he said behold the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for a burnt offering and Abraham said my son God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering so they went both of them together and they came to the place which God had told him of and Abraham built an altar there laid the wood in order bound Isaac his son laid him on the altar upon the wood and Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son and the angel of the Lord God unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. And Abram lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold him, a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abram went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abram called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh. As it is said to this day, in the mound of the Lord it shall be seen. And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time and said, By myself have I sworn, says the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, as the sand which is upon the seashore, and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abram returned to his young man, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. And Abram dwelled at Beersheba. this for the Word of God for us this morning. Dear congregation, Genesis 22 without any doubt undoubtedly a familiar history for us. I think that even the youngest among us know this story by heart. how God himself commanded Abraham, his servant of high age, to sacrifice his only son. And then how the angel of the Lord intervened and called Abram, Abram, Abram! And he just responded with those words, Here am I! Hineni! Here I! And the Lord gave a ram as a substitution for his son Isaac. A familiar story. But I think you agree with me that even after you have heard this story or this history many times, it still might be a bit of a perplexing story. How can God, God is good, right? He is love. How can he give the command to his servant Abraham, a loyal, obedient, faithful servant, to sacrifice his own son? That's a bit perplexing, right? I think just Children, look to your father. Even more perplexing is that Abraham was willing to offer his son. Isn't that perplexing or not? Imagine your father doing such a thing. And you wonder, is that my father? Where is his love? It is a perplexing story. It really is. It's not such a simple story. But it's also in history with deep meaning in it. Especially because it is so perplexing, it has rich lessons to teach us. Well, we all know the outcome, right? How the angel of the Lord, indeed, intervened and prevents Abraham of sacrificing his son, Isaac, with those words, verse 12, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy Son, thine only Son, from me." Do you hear those words? Now I know! And this points to the fact that indeed this whole history in Genesis 22 It's a test. It's a trial. God knew in advance what would happen. It's not a test or a trial or a lesson for God, but for Abraham and for us. For us. Those stories are often easy to listen to. Also easy in the sense that we see Abraham before us, we see Isaac and we try to see and to listen to them and see what happens with them and what they do and what they speak what they feel but it's this morning about us it's not so much about Abraham through this history the Lord will also test us this morning it is a test and a trial for us I hope this morning that you will travel with Abraham, travel with him, and will undergo the same test and trial. And I truly hope that you will, like Abraham, answer God in that test and trial, Hineni, here I am. Well, I would say, children, Put on your walking shoes, your walking sticks, and walk with Abraham this morning. Well, the theme for the sermon is the Lord will provide. The Lord will provide. In Hebrew, Jehovah jireh. Jehovah sees to it. Jehovah provides. Jehovah jireh. the Lord will provide two points of attention two thoughts first of all the impossible command so we will listen to that impossible command and maybe and not maybe certainly you will experience at certain moments in your life also things that seems to be impossible for you well okay right the impossible thing commanded and then the second thought the Lord provides for the impossible or in the impossible. The Lord provides in the impossible. Well, the first thought, the impossible command. Genesis 22 verse 1. Let's read it. And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And there the history begins with God calling Abraham by his name. God had spoken to Abraham before. You know a little bit, I suppose, the history of Abraham and his life? Well if you begin counting in Genesis 12, the first time that the Lord calls Abraham, up until this time the Lord had spoken to Abraham six times. So this is the seventh and actually last time, at least as recorded for us in God's Word, the last time, the seventh time, The seventh time, right? Number seven is always the number of fullness in God's Word. Six times the Lord had spoken to Abram. But now this is the last or seventh time. And we all feel that this must be special. It is not for nothing the last time, at least as recorded for us in God's Word, the seventh time a fullness is here and of course because it is the seventh time Abraham immediately recognizes God's voice he knew him by now as the God whom he can trust amazingly the God who reveals himself It's not a hidden God, not for Abraham, not for us, that God that reveals himself. He had proven himself abundantly in Abraham's life and I hope in your life as the living God. He's the God who lives and Abraham knew it by now experientially. Oh dear congregation, it's not enough that you know it by heart, by mind, But did you know it experientially that God is the living God? He is. And Abraham knew it. There is one difference here. This time, the seventh time, the Lord calls him by his name. That's remarkable. It's noteworthy because it is the first time. Never before the Lord called Abraham by his name. But here we hear Abraham. Abraham. And the name Abraham. In other words, not Abraham, but Abraham. You'll remember that story that the Lord gave Abraham a different name. we read that story in Genesis 17 and it is that name Abraham that sounds here and of course Abraham immediately thought back to that time the time of Genesis 17 what happened there well at that time that Abraham received a new name Abraham instead of Abraham he was 99 years old Ishmael had been born and Isaac not yet the time was still hidden in the future and then God appears to Abram that's still his name and we read then in Genesis 17 verse 1 I am and those words are important for the history in Genesis 22 again God calls him Abraham that name had been given to him in Genesis 17 and then when there when the Lord appears to Abraham in Genesis 17 we read those words I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect amazing In other words, the Lord asks Abraham, that's still his name there, Abraham, Abraham, live every day, every moment of your life before me. Take care that there is an open field between you and me. Walk before me. I want to see you. Abraham, you must see me. Every day, every hour, every moment of your life. Walk before me. Abraham, that nothing will stand in the way between me and you, not a moment of your life. I am the Almighty God. I can do the impossible. I am the living God. I am your creator. I'm your king. Walk before me, Abram, and be thou perfect. Just trust me in everything. I'll take care of you. I can do the impossible, but be perfect, Abram. Just be obedient. Abram, just trust me. just love me above all that's Genesis 17 and then a couple of verses later Genesis 17 verse 4 and 5 we read as for me behold my covenant is with thee and thou shalt be a father of many nations neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram but thy name shall be Abraham for a father of many nations have I made thee." No more Abraham that means something like my father is exalted or exalted father no from now on your name is Abraham you are the father of many the father of a multitude So that new name, Abraham, and that's important for Genesis 22, right? Because the Lord appears to Abraham and calls him by that name, Abraham. Well, that name, Abraham, is immediately connected, first of all, with a command. I am the Almighty God, walk before me, be thou perfect. And secondly, with that new name, right? you shall be called Abraham and then that rich blessing you will be the father of a multitude of many so back to Genesis 2 Abraham is called by God for the first time with his own name Abraham and he immediately recalled that God had given him that commission walk before me and be perfect." And he immediately recalled that promise. I'll make you a father of many. I'll make you a father of a multitude. You see, that's the very thing that's going to be tested here with Abraham. Will he indeed, when God asks the impossible of him, to give His only Son. Will He indeed walk before God? Will He be perfect at such a moment? And you can fill in the times in your life that God confronts you with things that seems to be impossible for you. When you are confronted in your life with impossible things, Do you respond like Abraham here in this story with obedience and trusting the Lord? Indeed. Do you walk before God and are you perfect? And do you remember God's precious promises? That's the lesson here in Genesis 22. Well, some of you could say or respond now, well, but the Lord never called me by my name I never heard my name oh yeah I think most of you probably all of you were baptized as a young child it was the first time that the Lord called you by your name already as a baby the Lord called you by your name and actually when you were baptized The Lord told you and he mentioned your name and you carry that commission with you because he told you at that very moment, be my child, walk before me, be perfect. Let's just pause here for a moment. And I suppose we were all baptized here as a young infant. And the Lord told us, how old are you now? 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 80? Please look a little bit back in your life. Did you give heed to that command, walk before me and be perfect? But the Lord also gave her its promise in baptism, I will be your father I will cleanse you of all your sins. I will bless you. I will do the impossible. I'll be there for you." Maybe some of you, I think many of you, made public confession of faith. Your name sounded again. And again, at that very moment of public confession of faith you heard You heard your own name and the Lord told you, walk before me and be perfect. And public confession of faith means that you gave the answer, here I am. In other words, Lord, I'll do so, I'll promise. And the Lord promised you, I'll help you, I'll sustain you, I'll carry you, I'll forgive in my sin, I'll be there for you. Many here are married. You heard your name again. The same thing happened. You know, and actually every time you hear God's Word, you hear your name. Because God is speaking to you. Maybe you don't hear your name explicitly, but the Lord speaks to you. He commands you. He begs you. Also this very morning, walk before me, be perfect. And he promises, I'll bless you. I'll bless you abundantly. You see, this is already a sermon, right? Just one word in the story of Genesis 22. And this one word, this one call, Abraham, and you'll fill in your own name. And it's all sermon. Let's proceed from here. What was Abraham's response? Abraham! Well, we have read his response, verse 1b, Behold, here I am. In Hebrew it says, it's just one word, and that one word says, Hineni. Hineni means literally translated, here I. Hine is here. Hine or see, here or see, I. Here I. Hineni. Here I. In other words, Lord, You call me by my own name, Abraham. I recall that command. Walk before me and be a bride. I recall your precious promises. Ineni, here I. Lord, here am I. I don't have to tell you anything, Lord. Lord, you know my failures. I failed. I felt, Lord, when I traveled to Egypt, I felt traveling with Sarah to Abimelech, what I felt in my life. Hineni, Lord, You know Your servant, but there is also that other side of it. Lord, You know Your servant. You know that I love You. I love Thee. Lord, I'm hungry and thirsty for thy righteousness. Hineni. Lord, I know it's that battle here in my life. I want, but I can't. I want to do the good, but I do the wrong things. Hineni. Here I am. Amazing, right? You see what happens here, what happens here is that Abraham opens up his whole life and he gives his whole life to the Lord in spite of who he is. It's like a prayer, take my life and let it be concentrated to Thee. We are reminded of the first time that the Lord called Abram, right? It was Abram back then. Abram here in Genesis 22 had been walking with the Lord for over 40 years, around 40 years. So 40 years ago the Lord called him for the first time. For the first time, Abraham I would like to move back to that very moment that the Lord called Abraham for the first time Genesis 12 and there because there we heard a kind of command take go Abraham was still in Ur of the Chaldeans and the Lord called him there And he told him, he gave him that commission, that command, take and go. We read in Genesis 12, get thee out of thy country, from thy kindred, from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. And then the response of Abraham at that time that the Lord spoke to him for the first time was, and he took and went forth. In other words, the command there for the first time was, Abraham, Abraham, leave everything behind. Close the doors to your past life. Leave everything behind. Follow me from now on. Let go, that was the command back then, let go the past. You were a moon worshipper, but from now on you will worship me, the true God. Let go. Take and go. to the city which has foundations that heavily Jerusalem and at that very moment Genesis 12 that the Lord spoke for the first time to Abraham he was turned from a moon worshipper to the worshipper of the one true God and indeed from that moment on he let go, it passed the past was a closed book for him and his eyes were on the Lord take, go. And from that moment on, just consider this, when the Lord called Abraham for the first time, he let go his past. From that moment on he walked with the Lord 40 years. And every hour, minute, day of that 40 years, the Lord asked him Walk before me and be thou perfect. In other words, let go your present. Give your present to me. Give the present time, the present circumstance, everything that there is now into mine hands. Right? Walk before me and be upright. In other words, let go everything else. So when the Lord for the very first time called Abraham, it was, let go your past. Then he walked for over 40 years with the Lord and the Lord and again and again asked him, let go your present, give it to me. It is with me in the best hands. I am the Almighty, the Almighty. I'll bless you. And now see what is at stake here. In Genesis 22, he must give his future out of his own hands. That's at stake here. On his very high age, he had lost his past. He had lost his ego. Every present moment of his life and now he must let go his future. That's at stake here. In other words, Abraham learned to lose everything. to win the Lord not to take the fate of his life in his own hand but to walk before the Lord knowing that he is the Almighty One that sets stake here again in Genesis 22 right let's read it Genesis 22 verse 2 and he said take now thy son take take and go Genesis 12 for the first time let go your past take and go now he's almost at the end of his life and the Lord says again to him take and go take now thy son thy only son Isaac whom thou lovest Get thee into the land of Moriah. Offer him therefore a burnt offering upon one of the mountains where I tell thee of." Amazing what a command! In other words, Abraham, Abraham, I once promised you I will give you a seed. I'll make you a multitude. I'll make you a father of many. But I can only make you a father of many when you give your future in mine hands and therefore give your only begotten son to me. I can only bless you, Abraham, when you follow me, when you walk before me and are perfect. Abraham, then I'll bless you. Abraham, give your life, your past, your present and your future, your whole life to me. That's at stake here. He lost his past. He lost his life again and again every day. And now he must enter a complete unknown and uncertain future. It's like a black hole. His only threat to the fulfillment of God's promises is his only begotten son Isaac without that son how will God be able to fulfill the promises to make him a father of many that's impossible without Isaac and God tells him give Isaac to me but that's the way that the Lord blesses his children it is a matter of losing your life It is a matter of losing your flesh, your old life. It's a matter of giving your life, every very moment of your life to the Lord. It is a matter of giving your future with all your questions, with all your uncertainties into the hands of the Lord. Did Abraham become a father of many nations? Of course! because the Lord will always fulfill His promises. You see, this lesson is not, of course it was a lesson for Abraham, but it is a lesson for us. Every sermon you hear, preached here from this pulpit, you hear the same command, namely, repent and believe. Walk before me and be perfect. you hear the same promise, I'll give you my son, he will cleanse you from all your filthiness, he will wash you, he will give you his righteousness, impute his righteousness unto I'll give you everlasting life. I'll give you peace. I'll give you righteousness. I'll give you everything. But my command is repent and believe. And I hope that you experienced that to repent and believe is an impossible command. Because to repent means to turn 180 degrees, and it means to lose everything from yourself, your own ego, your own flesh, your own self, your own will, to lose it. It means to walk before the Lord and to focus on Him. It means to trust the Lord, to believe, right? Even when you see only impossibilities. Maybe in your life because of that sickness maybe on your deathbed but maybe also in a spiritual way because you know I can't walk before the Lord and be perfect I tried but I can't I can't repent and believe and I will bless you hold on to that promise is indeed our response one more question before I move to the second thought is your response this morning here I am, Hineni Hineni are you sitting here hungry and thirsty Hineni Lord, Lord you know Lord thou knowest everything Or are you still, you know, in your old flesh? Because you can also say hinany in a different way. Hinany! Here I am. I'll go my own way through life. I don't need the Lord and His Word. I'll sit here out of obedience, but that's it. I'll never gave my life to the Lord. I doubt whether I ever will do it. Hinany! Here I am. But this is a different hinany. Here I am, a sinner, a wretched sinner. And there he goes. Off he goes, Abram. And then verse 3. Look to that sequence of verbs in verses 3, 4, and 5. He rose up early. Complete obedience. If your only son You don't read of any objection, nothing. Were there objections in his heart? I just don't know. I have no idea. Were there questions and doubts? Might be, I don't know. But his acts are acts of obedience. He rose up, settled his ass, took two of his young men, claved the wood, rose up, went into the place and came there. you see one sequence of verbs in complete obedience well let's move to the second thought a little bit shorter thought so Abraham travels and he arrives at Mount Moriah and before he climbs that Mount Moriah Isaac asked him that question My father, I see everything is ready, I see the wood, a knife and the fire, but my father, where's the sacrifice? He didn't know. Where's the sacrifice? And that amazing response of Abraham, you know what he first of all said to his son? Hineni. Beautiful. Abraham had learned by now to say Hineni to God, to love God above all. But he had also learned to say Hineni to the people around him. He loved his neighbor and his only son. Hineni. You see, when we begin to love the Lord because He was the very first one to love us, when we are drawn by Him, to Him, by His love, and we begin to love Him, we also begin to love our neighbor. And our whole life will be marked by those words, hineni. Here I am God, here I am neighbor, spouse, sibling, child, whoever. And then Abraham proceeds and he tells Isaac, Isaac the Lord will provide. Did Abraham know how? Of course not! But he knew the Lord promised and even when the Lord will take away my son and I have to kill him he will give him back because I have his promise. That's Abraham. That's faith! Faith is holding on to the Lord, knowing that He can do the impossible He can forgive all your sins and He will forgive all your sins He can and will do the impossible! Hineni, here I am the Lord will provide well they arrive at Mount Moriah they climb that mountain right and they arrive and of course the tension mounts what will Abraham do here? What will God do? How will this story end? Well and we see in verses 9 and 10 that Abraham on the summit of Mount Moriah builds an altar he puts, arranges the wood on the altar he binds his son on the wood he stretches out his hand with a knife in it to slay his son I think it was silent there I think that even nature was silent at that very moment that Abraham was ready trusting that the Lord will provide that the Lord was able to raise him his son from the dead and in that trust He raised his hand, took that knife ready to slaughter his son. You see, it was because he loved God above all. He loved his son. But he knew the Lord will fulfill his promises and the Lord will do the impossible. What I can't do, he can. And that very moment, we all sense what happens there. At that time there, on his high eighths, it's like if Abraham's learning school comes to a fulfillment here. And here he gives everything he has, his wisdom, his passions, his rational thinking, everything into the hands of the Lord. And by doing that he is able to do the impossible and he raises his hand with a knife in it. Here at this very moment it comes to a fulfillment, right? He gives again his past, his present and his future into the hands of the Lord. He men me, here I am, and indeed we hear it here for the third time. Because at the moment that Abraham wants to slaughter his son, the angel of the Lord begins to speak, Abraham, Abraham, twice, with great emphasis, Abraham. And now his name sounds twice. Abraham, Abraham, and that response of Abraham, right? His hand stretched out, his knife in his hand, and then the angel of the Lord speaking, Abraham, Abraham. There he stands, and for the third time, hineni. Here I am, Lord. Speak, I'll hear. Speak, I'll do. Lord, I can't do anything else than trust Thee. You see, this is the Lord. The Lord indeed provides in impossible circumstances. He does indeed the impossible and it's remarkable that it speaks here of the angel of the Lord. This is, of course, Christ. This is our Christ, the angel of the covenant, and He appears here and he speaks to Abraham you know in time and again I hope you recognize this in your life when you stand for the impossible you hear Christ uttering your name and with uttering your name he tells you here I am I came in your flesh to save I served for you I died for you that's Christ and the moments that the road seems to be closed for us that everything you know testifies against us we see all those mountains of sins and other impossibilities then Christ intervenes from heaven and he actually says here I as the angel of the Lord. And then the angel of the Lord, verse 12, tells Abram, lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God. Did God not know before? Of course God knew before. but this was a test and a trial for Abraham this was let's say the summit of his experience at this very moment again he gave everything past, present and future into the hands of the Lord so what happened here in Genesis 22 through those impossible circumstances that were a test and a trial of the Lord Abraham learned to trust the Lord even the more now I know because this is the last time that the Lord spoke to him at least as recorded now I know I the Lord can take me away now I can die I know and when I have to enter through the river of the Jordan I know but the Lord will be there He can raise me up from the dead. He can and will do the impossible. He will provide. But it all comes down for us to what we read here of Abram, he need thee. Lord, here I am in your abundance and faith. Well, we read those things right in Hebrews 11. by faith Abram when he was tried offered up Isaac and he that has 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 for whence also he received him in a figure well we know how the story ends right? Abram lift up his hand, his eyes and he sees a ram stuck in the bushes there and Abram goes and he takes that ram and he offers that ram for a burnt offering and it says there in the stead of his son so the Lord gave a substitution he didn't have to sacrifice his son the Lord gave a substitution we end the sermon two lessons here before we say amen first of all God provides how? by giving a substitution Christ and Christ said I will enter your death I'll pay for your sins I'll enter your life I take all your filthiness upon me I'll pay in full I'll take the guilt away even more You will be closed with me. I'll give you my righteousness and my life. He is the most perfect Lamb of God. You know, we are asked every moment of our life, every present moment, walk before me and be perfect. And let's be honest, we can but God gave a substitution Christ and He walked before the Lord and He was perfect in Him is all you need that's the main lesson here when you rest away your sins or other impossibilities in your life flee to Christ He walked before the Lord and was always perfect did what we can't do and he is so willing to give all those heavenly blessings to us that's the second lesson and the last lesson Abram was blessed, we read in verse 18 in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed in thy seed Christ Shall all the nations of the earth be blessed? Who is that people that is blessed? Who are they? Who are those people that are blessed? Who are they? It are those people that say here this morning from their pew, He many, He many. that say maybe with tears in their eyes, Lord thou knowest I can't follow thee thou knowest thou sins keep coming, Lord thou knowest everything, he many but that also say Lord but thou knowest that I am hungry and thirsty for thee and I can do anything else than to flee to thee Hey, Nanny, may those words travel with us the furtherance of this day and the furtherance of our life. Amen. Let us seek the Lord in prayer and bring him our thanks. Oh, Lord, we bless thee. Oh, Lord, thou art such an amazing God. that thou hast dealings with people like Abram, Abraham, so weak in themselves, dealings with people like us, that thou writ'st this out to us, never tired of calling our name, Never tired of coming with that commission, walk before me and be perfect. Never tired of coming again with that promise, I'll wash you, I'll cleanse you, I'll bless you. Oh, Lord, such an amazing God. Lord, we stand ashamed, but also with thankfulness. Oh, we glorify Thee. Oh, we live Thee up. O Thou art our God! Thou art our God! How amazing, Lord, that we may know of Thee, the Creator of heaven and earth! O how amazing, what a privilege it is that we may know of Thee, O only-begotten Son of God, Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah! How amazing that we may know of the Holy Spirit, so willing to indwell us. Lord, we thank thee. We ask forgiveness of all our shortcomings, both in preaching and in listening. We ask thee to bring us again here later today, that we may hear thy word for a second time from the Gospel of Luke. Lord, hear us as we lift thee up. In the name of Thy Son, Jesus the Christ, Amen.