the title of Jehovah and we're going to be looking at not just that name Jehovah but some names that are added to it that describe the Lord to us. Of course that name Jehovah we saw last week speaks of God's self-sufficiency. He is the great I am. Nobody made God. Nobody sustains God. He simply is. I think we talked about him last week as the only one who is unplugged. The rest of us run on the power, the strength, the ability, the life that God gives us. Without Him, we could not exist. But He exists in and of Himself. He is eternal. He is all-powerful. He is worthy of all reference. And we could go on and on, just on that one title, Jehovah. But what I particularly want you to see in this study as we go forward in the next five, six messages, the hope that we can have in the name Jehovah. Why is this a wonderful name? You know, if all we had was that name Jehovah and that description of God that we've looked at so far, could we rejoice in Him? Certainly we would we would we should be bowing before him and acknowledging his glory his greatness being all-powerful But can we who are sinners? rejoice That the Holy God has all things in the palm of his hands and will without fail accomplish his eternal counsel You know that ought to make us flee in terror really I mean if all we talked about God being all-powerful and eternal and holy and righteous and we stopped there We have to say weak. This isn't a God we can rejoice in But what we want to see is he is a God that is good merciful and loving To sinful man to all of his people to all who would seek him. He is all-powerful to bless me forevermore That's what makes His name so wonderful, so worthy of our joy. And the name we're going to look at this morning is Jehovah Jireh. Now some people interpret it, there's kind of a difference of interpretations, I'm obviously not a Hebrew scholar, but some people look at it and say, it means the Lord who sees. who observe something. Others say it's the Lord who is providing. And you know those kind of go together. In fact, C.H. Spurgeon in a sermon on this title, he defined it as the Lord who sees to it. Because the Lord never just sees something. He doesn't just look at it and say, oh, that's interesting. He's always working. You know, God's always doing something. His hand is always moving. There's never a situation, certainly, where there is a wicked person, and he says, oh, they're wicked, and he just moves his attention elsewhere. No, his wrath is upon them, and he will surely judge them. But there is also never a situation where he looks at one of his people, and he sees them in need, and he says, nah, I'm busy. No, he provides. He is the Lord who provides for the needs of his people. Jehovah provides. That's what we want to see today. And the narrative behind this, really one of the most amazing, one of the most powerful portions of God's Word. I've read it many times over. I've preached on it once, maybe twice since I've been here. I don't know. But it never ceases to grip my heart. grab me, especially when I put myself in Abraham's shoes here in Genesis 22. Really, this is a narrative that is beyond, I think, the imagination of man to come up with. Hollywood couldn't make this stuff up. No one would invent a good God that would give the command that He did and the way that Abraham responded and the way, the wonderful way it turns out. It's a beautiful, powerful story. But more than that, it's not here to entertain us. It's not really a story. It's a lesson, a history that's here to teach us this, Jehovah Jireh. It's to teach us this truth that there is a Lord who provides. And for us, this is here so we apply it to our life. So you can sit here this morning and take in this word and you can think about the needs that you have spiritually and physically. And you can see perhaps the failure and the weakness in you to accomplish those needs and despair wants to creep in. But this wonderful truth, I hope it grips your heart, gives you hope both to the sinner and to the believer. There is a Lord who provides. Oh, what a wonderful name, Jehovah Jireh. I hope you can rejoice with me in it today. So let's look into this narrative. We see, first of all, a terrible command. And that sounds weird, wrong even, to say that God ever gives a terrible command. And really, He can't say that. He's a good God. He doesn't give bad commands. From the standpoint of man, though, it certainly seems that way. It seems terrible. Genesis 22 verse 1 and it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham Here's a test and said unto him Abraham and he said behold here am I? and he said take now thy son thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest and get thee into the land of Moriah and offering there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I tell thee of Now if ever we were going to say God did something wrong I Which he doesn't, but if we wanted to try to make a case, it might be right here. How could God not have made a mistake here in this command? How could he not be acting wrongly in this situation to give such a task to Abraham? You know, nothing is more important in our lives, perhaps our spouses, but besides them, none other than our children. You know, I've got four of them. They grip your heart like nothing else. You got one little sick girl this weekend, and boy, it just breaks my heart. I see her there with her flushed cheeks running a fever and laying there and not running around the house like a wild animal, but laying there on the couch like she's half awake all day. That makes me sad. It can't help but affect you. I'd be sad seeing somebody else's child when it's your own. Boy, that gets a hold of you. Certainly as parents, you know, we we don't want to see him suffer and we would say I would take their suffering when it comes to their life Certainly, we would say I'd give up everything I had to preserve my children take me but not my child Any good parent would make that statement? But I don't think I'm wrong in saying this I think Abraham had a greater love a greater devotion to his son Isaac than perhaps anybody else that ever lived and I don't know. I mean, I love my children, but I have to say there is a very special bond between Abraham and Isaac. You see, all his life he'd yearned for a son. It was a sorrowful thing to be childless, particularly in this time. And they've had that loss, that empty place in their life, but then as he's in his older age, that hope is gone. God comes to Abraham and he gives him this wonderful promise. He's in his 70s and the Lord says, you're going to have a son. Sarah in her old age is going to bear a child to you and from that son is going to take going to come a Wonderful blessing a great people that will inherit a promised land and from that people a Savior that will bless the world What a beautiful promise 25 years pass 25 years from the time he's 70 he goes on for 25 years following the Lord intense living in a strange land That's not his own that's supposed to one day be his seeds country hoping in this promise All of it hinged on that precious boy Finally after 25 years in Genesis 21 verse 5 we see the answer to prayer. We see the fulfillment of that promise and Abraham was a hundred years old and And when his son Isaac was born unto him and Sarah said God have made me to laugh so that all That hear me will laugh with me And she said who? Would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should have given him children to suck for I have born him a son in his old age And the child grew and was weaned and Abraham made a great feast the day that Isaac was weaned Those are some happy people wouldn't you say? What a joy this brought to his life. You know that name, Isaac, it means laughter. And I think that's what it's brought. This home that had been before just kind of dominated by this quiet longing and this sorrow, this empty place in their life that they had longed for. Now it's fulfilled in Isaac, this wonderful child. You imagine Abraham, he comes home, he's been in the fields working with the servants working with the flocks, and he comes into the tent at the end of the day, he's had a hard day, maybe he's tired, and it's like his life just lights up. He comes in and there's his wife, with joy, just beaming from her face, holding that little baby boy. And he takes him up in his arms, and he's playing with him, just rejoicing in him, and his heart's overflowing with praise to God! And he thinks about the future. you know here's this child the heart of God's promises and I'm gonna get to tell him that what a blessing as he grows I'm gonna get to tell him you know our God is the true God he's Jehovah and let me tell you what he's promised and to train him up and to point him to the Lord and to see the Lord's hand on him and to know that God's gonna work in his life and the life of his children what a blessing for Abraham but now we come to our Narrative is placed in his life in Genesis 22 Isaac's not yet a man. He's just a boy probably 12 years old and the Lord says Abraham I want you to give him up And I don't want you to give him up like you gave up Hagar and Ishmael. Now that was hard, and many of you know the history behind that, how Hagar and Ishmael were sent away from Abraham, and they had to leave. That would be hard if he had to maybe send Isaac into the keeping of family, or he had to be separated from them. That was hard. It was hard for Hannah to give up Samuel to the temple and only see him once a year. But this is different. The Lord says, offer him up. I want you to take him, I want you to put him on an altar. I want you to shed his blood, take his life, and make him a burnt offering to me. I want you to kill your son. Nothing could be more abhorrent than that. There is nothing worse than that that could ever happen. It's a wicked action. In fact, this is the heart of sinful action. Human sacrifice is what Shemosh and Molech required in the eyes of the heathen wicked people that the Lord abhors, right? God values life. God gives life. God blesses life. Now He wants me to take it? And can you imagine, Abraham returns home from this horrible deed, comes into the tent and Sarah says, where's Isaac? What's he going to say? Here are all these people around him that he's told about the true Jehovah, that he's witnessed it, that he's following the Lord. And they hear about this, that his Lord, that he offered up his son. What kind of a testimony is that? How could he live with himself after this? But, you know, the toughest part of this command is to understand this, that it completely went against God's promises that He'd given. Is this not God going back on His word? Genesis 17, verse 19, we see the promise of God to Abraham. Sarah, thy wife, shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. Abraham struggled with that at one point he thought well Ishmael is gonna have to be the one and the Lord says no in Isaac shall thy seed be called that is the child that the blessing will come from that is the child that I am giving you and that from will come that nation and from him will come that Savior look to Isaac and see in him the fulfillment of my promise all of his hopes were founded on that little boy How can the unchanging faithful God say give him up? How could Abraham trust the Lord who goes back on his word like this? But, you know, we look into the text and here, as amazing as the command, as terrible as the command was, look at the response of Abraham. In verse 3, And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and claimed the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went into the place of which God had told him. mind-boggling to me that reaction is every bit as amazing as a supernatural miracle Jesus walked on the water that's amazing Jesus multiplied the fish in the bread Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead that's amazing it's amazing though that Abraham could obey under these circumstances you know it would have at least stood to reason that we would have a chapter we'd have a chapter here that shows Abraham questioning God, maybe a full book, like the book of Job, of lamentation and crying out to God, give me an answer, explain yourself, how could you ask for something? We don't read about anything like that here, do we? Abraham says, he hears the request, he gets up in the morning, I think the very next morning, says, come on Isaac, let's go, packs everything up and he heads to Mount Moriah. Wow, what a response. And we read in verse 9, And they came unto 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. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. Whoa, you can picture that. I remember in Sunday school, they had the little flannel board. And I remember the first time I heard this story. from Mrs. Smith, my Sunday school teacher. I can picture it in my mind. She's got the altar and here's little Isaac and here's Abraham and there's the knife and I'm thinking, no! That's terrible. What's going on? This is the worst thing I've ever heard. But here it is. He's got the knife raised in his hand and he's ready to take the life of his very son. He's going to do it. The world looks at that and says, he's got to be crazy. He's got to be wicked. But you know, as we study the scriptures, we start to stop and think this through, he's not crazy. No, he knows in his heart who the Lord is. That's why he took the knife to slay his son. That's why he was ready to go through with this deed. It wasn't a wickedness in Abraham. It was an understanding that he had, a faith that he had in Jehovah. He understood, first of all, who Jehovah was. If any man came to him with this command, why you to rebuke them? How dare you even suggest that? You wicked, wicked person, get away from me and have nothing to do with it. No, my son is more precious to me than anything in this world. But here is the great I am that commands. This is God that's giving the command. this is the Creator the Sovereign Lord my Sovereign Lord you know Jehovah can never ask too much of us never you say we go through times in our life not like this perhaps we go through some times where God says I want you to give it up maybe you got a job maybe you've got you're in a situation where you've got worldly friends And the Lord says, you got to step away from that. You got to put those things away. Lord, it's too much. Jehovah never asked too much. He's worthy of all that you have. Whatever it is he asked you to give, he's worthy of it. Job even admitted this. He lost everything. He lost his money. He lost his children. He lost his health. He's sitting there in dust and ashes with boils covering his body, and yet he had the faith to say this, This is God's life. He could do with it as he seeks. This is God's. My possessions are God's. I know it's hard, and I know we want God to give us answers, and when you're in the middle of the trial, you want to get angry and bitter against God, but He has the right to do with us as He sees fit. He's Jehovah. And I think Abraham understood that. Indeed, we need to apply this to our life. Jesus says in Matthew 16, verse 24, unto His disciples, and unto us, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. If you're going to follow after Christ, if you're going to truly turn from sin and put your faith in him, that means you're saying my life is his. I place it in your hands. Where you lead, I will follow. Not that we're perfect, but that's the heart of true faith. We see the worthiness of God and we bow before Him and are willing to obey, no matter how hard the price. But there's a second thing Abraham knew. He didn't just know Jehovah, he knew Jehovah Jireh. I said this before, if it was just Jehovah, if He's just all-powerful, eternal and holy, well, perhaps we'd have reason to flee. but he's Jehovah Jireh. Notice his response here to the people around him. Notice what he's saying and you kind of get a picture of his heart and you see why he rose up early in the morning and heads right to Mount Moriah, why he could take that knife. Genesis 22 5, Abraham said it to his young men, his servants, abide ye here with the ass and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you. They're essentially telling his servants, we're coming back. Wait here, we'll both be right back. Verse 6, 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 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, Jehovah Jireh. God will provide himself a lamb for the burnt offering. And so they went both of them together. How could Abraham have this assurance? God will provide. The Lord will provide! How could he keep saying that? And I have to think he's saying that to himself the whole way. I think he gets up in the morning and he's saying, Lord will provide, Lord will provide. Alright, let's get the stuff, let's go. The whole way there, every step of the way. Lord will provide. How could he think that, though? How could he have that assurance? God didn't certainly tell him anything about a provision. When he gave the command, he said, offer him up. He didn't say, offer him up, get ready to slam, and wait until you see a ram caught in a thicket. He said, offer him up. Ah, but the Lord had previously given some promises, hadn't He? We've looked at that. The Lord had previously assured Abraham that you will have that son in your old age, and that son who is Isaac, who is that child, will be the one from whom those promises, that covenant, will be fulfilled then, and the Savior will come from. That's God's Word. That's what God had absolutely promised, and as it says in Numbers 23, verse 19, the Lord is not a man that he should lie. We can promise things and we can go back on our word. I bet you each and every one of us can maybe think of some time when we did that. I'm not accusing you, but we're sinners. And certainly we can promise some things and we can fail in our word. Not God. Lord is not a man, not a failing man that he can ever lie. He is Jehovah. He is the perfectly holy, righteous, unchangeable God. If he said it, it will happen. Abraham believed it Isaac must live Isaac must survive there must be some way in which Isaac is gonna come down off that mountain with me and Go back home with me in some way. It's gonna happen. In fact, we see this in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 17 We read by faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac essentially he didn't slay him, but he was gonna do it and And he that 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." If it takes my having to plunge the knife down into him, that horrible deed, and waiting for God to raise him up, I'll believe it'll happen. That was the strength of Abraham's faith in God's Word. God, Jehovah, will always provide what He says He will provide. Always. Without fail. He never comes short of that provision. He'll supply the need. That's what drove Him, got Him up in the morning to go there and drove Him to that mountain and caused Him the strength to go up Mount Moriah, put His Son on the altar and raise the night to slay Him. The Lord will provide. And, of course, we see a wonderful provision. There's a good ending to this story. Well, I couldn't handle it if there wasn't, but there is. God proved himself worthy of the name. Abraham gave it, but the Lord exemplified it. First of all, we see the Lord provided a substitute. Genesis 22, verse 10. Again, we read that Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called 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 that 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 instead of his son. And 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." Had Abraham ever seen something so beautiful as that ram? Boy, I heard anything so wonderful as that voice from God that says, stop, withhold your hand, take that ram and slay it in Isaac's stead. You know, he would have given, I'm sure, everything he had. to get a substitute he would have been that substitute for Isaac I don't doubt for a second he would have said Lord I'll lay down take my life instead of him but instead the Lord freely gave a substitute didn't he there is no cost to Abraham he had faith and the Lord provided a ram that's a wonderful thought but let's stop and think about this before we go on Isn't it interesting that a substitute was needed? Why did the Lord not just say, okay, Abraham, you proved yourself, you have faith, you can stop and go home. No, he had to have a substitute. That's something to think about, isn't it? The Lord says, I've given a ram, you take that ram and you offer it up in the stead of Isaac. Why is it? Well, I think because there's a very real sense that Isaac, Abraham, and every person that ever lived deserved to be on that altar. We look at this and we say, that's terrible! How dare God command Abraham to offer up his own son? But the reality is, we all deserve God's wrath, don't we? We deserve. The wages of sin is death. That's the message of the Bible. Romans 6.23 teaches us that. Hebrews 9 verse 22 tells us, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. Sin must be paid for. And it's not really just the loss of this life. It's not just losing this world, is it? It's eternal death. That's the price of sin. It's to be cast away from God forever into His judgment that never ends in the lake of fire. The world looks at that and thinks it's unjust. But if you'd see the holiness of God, you lay hold of what this word is really teaching, you'd realize we all deserve it. All of us deserve the flames of hell left to ourself. We've sinned against God. That's why Abraham didn't say, don't worry, Isaac, the Lord will change his mind. Don't worry, Isaac, the Lord will be merciful. He'll let us off. He'll see the tears in my eyes and he'll He'll say, go home. No, he said, Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide because there has to be a substitute. The penalty must be paid if the Holy God will be satisfied. Sin must be judged. Of course, we can add this. It says in Hebrews 10.4, and I know that Abraham understood this. It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin. Could the ram really pay for Isaac's sin? Was there some righteousness in that ram? Just an animal. But the ram was typical. It was a message, a promise that another was going to come. Jesus Christ says in John 8 verse 56 to these Jews who are rejoicing in Abraham as if by his self-righteousness By his goodness. He was accepted by God as if something in him made him worthy and because they're the children of Abraham They're blessed by God just because the blood running through their veins Jesus is no my friends John 8 56. He says your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad Why was Abraham saved? By faith in Jesus Christ. Because he saw in that ram and in all the other sacrifices that he made throughout his life a testimony of a Savior that was going to come and to bear the sins that he and Isaac and all of God's people have committed and pay that price fully that one day the very Son of God is going to come and be laid down upon the altar, if you will, as you hang on that cross. And the Father is going to take up the knife and He will not stay His hand, but He'll plunge it down fully. Jesus went to the cross and he endured the pain and the agony, certainly of the soldiers and the mockery of the Jews, but what he really endured was the wrath of the Father for our sins. The sins of the multitude of every believer weighed upon him in full and he paid that price in his life. Abraham saw it. When he looked at the ram, I believe wholeheartedly that he saw that wonderful hope and he thought, the Lord will provide, he's provided the ram and one day he'll provide the Savior for us. And all who look to Christ may find everlasting life. That's the promise of the gospel. And I think that's the heart of Abraham as he named that place Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. Interestingly, that's the very spot where the temple was built, Mount Moriah. That very spot where the ram was caught in the thicket and offered up in the stead of Isaac was where the sin offerings would be for centuries after made. And the Day of Atonement would take place and the high priest would take the blood of that sacrifice and go in before the Holy of Holies and sprinkle that blood in the stead of the people. All of it crying out, Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord. will one day provide the fulfillment of all of these things, a Savior will come. Let me add to this that the Lord, not only did He provide a substitute, He provided a Savior, He provided a blessing to Abraham. The Lord says to Abraham, By myself I have sworn, saith 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 in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. Now indeed The Lord asked much of Abraham's faith. Faith is hard. It was hard to trust the Lord. Certainly it was hard for Abraham to get up in the morning and to load everything up and to go to the mountain and to take up that knife to slay his son. It was hard. Yet here's a wonderful truth. The Lord always provides not only the fulfillment of what we hope for, but He provides far more than we could ever imagine. certainly far more than he ever asked, he gives. Matthew 19 verse 29 tells us, "...everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life." Yes, to be saved, it's not just a lot of people would show up at church and say a prayer and get out of hell. and even show up at church every once in a while after that. The Lord says there needs to be real repentance. There needs to be a person truly turning from their sin. A person that comes to the end of self-rule and bows before the Lord and says, you are my Lord and Savior and I will follow you the rest of my life. That's the heart of a Christian and it is hard. But boy, when the Lord really saves a person, they find what real life's all about, in following Christ. A joy and satisfaction that this world can't give, you can't purchase with money. A blessing to know whatever happens throughout my life, I am loved and cared for by the Lord. And this blessed hope that when this body fails me, when I'm laid in the grave, the Lord's going to go on providing for me and blessing me. Abraham had looked for a city that wasn't built by him. Remember what we read in Hebrews when we studied that? He didn't look for the city of Abraham built by his hands. He didn't look for just a land on earth. He looked for the city whose builder and maker is God. He looked for a heavenly city, a heavenly blessing, an eternal reward. And he experiences it even today. It was a blessing for me. I was there with Judy and Sister Mershawn. Just to hear her talk. Thank the Lord. It looks like things are going well for her and we pray she'll be home soon. You know, back before she was having the test, just to hear her say, if the Lord takes me, I'm ready to go. Just with a peace about her. That's the heart of a believer. The world can't have that. They look at the end of this life and it terrifies them. All their joys are gone. The grave ends it all. The believer says, that's when my joy is full. The Lord will provide even when this life is over. What a blessing the Lord gave to Abraham. What a blessing the Lord gives to every one of His people through Jesus Christ. How much He provides for us spiritually. Three applications I want to give you as we close. Three things I just want to remind you of, and I want you to take this home with you and keep this in your thoughts. Number one, the Lord's provision is needed. It is not enough for us simply to know there is a Jehovah. The devils know there's a Jehovah, and they tremble, and they flee. One day all men will know there's a Jehovah. They'll bow and say he is Lord, but they will not have any hope. They would wish they could call for the mountains and the rocks to follow them and to hide them from the face of the Lamb. Oh, but that you would see there is a Jehovah you can hope in. There's a God that you need. You need to see this first. In fact, we can even illustrate it this way, that it's you that's laid on the altar today if you're an unbeliever. not physically, but spiritually, it's like you're on the altar of this very moment, and the knife is raised, and it's coming down towards you. C.H. Spurgeon used that imagery very powerfully when I was reading his sermon. It kind of scared me, but that's the reality. If you're lost, that's where you are. You're deserving God's wrath, and you're coming closer and closer to the day when the knife does plunge in, when God's wrath will come upon you fully, and you're cast out forever. That ought to strike you, that ought to humble you before the Lord. Ah, but what a joy. If you see your sin today, you're yearning for salvation, I can tell you Jehovah Jireh. We have needs, but the Lord provides for those needs. He has given a Savior in Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself says, I am the Good Shepherd. I am the bread of life. I am the way, the truth and the life. All who look to Him may be saved. We'll find that substitute. We'll find that salvation. The Lord's provision must be trusted. You need His provision. He has given His provision. But you need to respond by faith to Jesus Christ. The Gospel demands that. forsaking all I trust him I'm gonna turn away from all of my self-righteousness I'm gonna put away all fears and doubts and I'm gonna rest all my hopes on Jesus Christ Lord you are my hope that's what Christianity is all about trusting Christ alone and leaving this world to follow him faith is hard as I said repentance Repentance, it's so hard, it's only the grace of God that can truly bring it about in our sinful, dead hearts. But I'll tell you, when God brings it about, it's because we learn this, Jehovah Jireh. Because just like Abraham, we learn that God will provide. How can I live the life of a Christian? How can I resist my sins? How can I be what God would have me to be? The Lord will provide. How can I stand before the Holy God with all that I've done and find peace with Him and rejoice in Him one day, even be given a crown of righteousness? Through Jesus Christ, who the Lord has provided. How can I go on as a believer in all the trials and hardships that I'm facing? How can I endure this tribulation? How can I be faithful in this task? How can I overcome the weaknesses of my flesh? The Lord will provide. Oh, this is what you lay hold of on the day the Lord saves you and this is what we keep laying hold of as believers all through our life. This is the truth that keeps us going. All that can keep us going. Jehovah Jireh. As it says in Proverbs 18 verse 10, the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and is safe. That's not just that we keep repeating the name, but we know it. We lay hold of the fullness of it. We believe it. We live it. And we see it fulfilled that the Lord provides. Have you come to know that name? Can you rejoice in it? Oh, I encourage you, sinner. This is the hope that you need to see you need, but that you can have today. Look to Christ. Believer, let us not forget it. Take those fears, take those burdens, take those sorrows. Bring it to Him and know He will provide. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank You for the message You've given us today. What a powerful lesson we see in the life of Abraham. A wonderful name, He proclaims, but it's a name that You exemplified. Abraham showed great faith. But truly, it's who you are that's the wonderful thing in this narrative here. You're a God that was worthy of His faith. A God that proved Himself, that gave those promises, and a God that showed Himself absolutely worthy of that faith in the end. Oh, we're so thankful for your provision. We're thankful indeed for the life that we have physically. And for the food that you give, the freedom that we have in our country, we have much to be thankful for there, but the spiritual provision that you've given your Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins that are your people here today, that you've laid that judgment that we deserved on your only Son and did not spare. How we rejoice in this today. Give us hearts to rejoice in it more. Lord, help us as we face our life never to forget how you have provided an ever will for us as your people. Lord, I pray for the unbeliever that they'd see they need a provision, that they'd see themselves as they are a sinner facing your eternal wrath. Oh, that you would reveal to their heart your son Jesus and the real hope that is in him both today and forevermore, that they might rejoice with us in your beautiful name, Jehovah Jireh. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.