July 23, 2006
Ministry:
Turn back for a moment to the portion we had in Isaiah 53; it’s a remarkable chapter, isn’t it? I want to go back to the end of verse 6, “and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This is a prophetic chapter. It has been fulfilled at Calvary. We have been reminded of the Lamb of God this morning, and how He gave His life for us. So this is the prophetic portion; there is also a type. Go to Leviticus 16, the great Day of Atonement. We are reminded here that Aaron had to take two goats, one to kill and one to let free. In v. 20, Aaron takes the live goat: “And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” Of course, the slain goat speaks of propitiation; the living one, of substitution. All our iniquities were put on a Substitute. Besides the prophecy and type, we have some expressions in Psalm 40. This is one of the Messianic Psalms, where we get the feelings and voice of the Lord clearer than in the gospels. “For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.” What comes to us is not only the fact that our iniquities were laid on the Lord, but that He took them on Himself and God dealt with the sinless One for our sins. He says, “mine iniquities” so that we can have the righteousness of God in Him. This is why we have come this morning: to worship our Sin-bearer and Substitute.
EG Hymn 294 – Around the throne of God in heaven Prayer • What do you do with a gift? You give it to someone. Let’s look at a few of the gifts God gives us. First, go to John 4; Jesus sat down on a well in Samaria and a woman came to draw water. Read v.10. We could say “the givingness of God,” or “God’s willingness to give.” God wants to give things to us. What has He given us? John 3:16 tells us that He gave us His Son, Jesus. Why did He give Jesus? So He could die for our sins. Now turn to Ephesians 2:8. When we accept the Lord as our Saviour, we are using the faith that God has given us. So when we are saved, we have a new life; but how do we live this life? Read John 14:16. Jesus was leaving, so He promised a comforter to His disciples. This is the Holy Spirit, whom God has also given to us as a leader and director in all things. Another thing God has given us is the Bible, II Timothy 3:16. In our country, we can buy as many Bibles as we want. Yet in some parts of the world, Bibles are forbidden. Those who have them hide them away. They may only have pieces, maybe hand-written. It is very precious to them, as it should be for us. Finally, read Romans 8:32. In our daily path, God will give us whatever we need to continue for Him. Read Psalm 103:1–5. He also provides for us whatever we have materially. So these are just a few of the things God gives us. Most importantly, as we have seen, He has given us a Saviour, when we deserved a judge.
Hebrews 11:11–16 • Last time we were looking at the times Abraham was faithful; we saw that God overlooked the failures. But in Sarah’s life, we don’t only read about the failures in Genesis, we don’t even see the faith. When God first promises her a son, she laughs, which could be considered the opposite of faith. Then she lied about it. But even though we cannot see the faith, God did. There had to be some, or the miracle would not have taken place. That faith enabled her to do whatever she had to do. That is encouraging for us: God will give us the faith we need to do whatever we have to do for Him in this life. Sometimes our tasks seem to be too much. But He will give us whatever is required if we are dependent on Him. Yes, Abraham and Sarah had the faith, but the other precious thing is that God was faithful. It is interesting to see the difference in Abraham’s and Sarah’s faith. Abraham believed what he had not seen; Sarah believed in resurrection. This brings to mind some thoughts from Genesis 15, the chapter in which God brings Abraham out on a dark, clear night. In v. 5, God says, “Look now toward heaven …” God said more, but those words are especially precious. We need faith to “look now towards heaven.” That is where our present help and our future home are. Abraham believed God, and he was counted righteous because of it. Back to our chapter, we wouldn’t put Sarah on our list of the faithful, but God did. This is the same for us: we are not anything great, but God sees even the little things. So Abraham believed, even though it was against hope, against natural reasoning. Mr. McIntire said, “Faith is not reasoning, but it is reasonable.” Faith is not a leap in the dark; we are jumping into the arms of Someone we know loves and cares for us. Someone whom we can trust. V. 12 reiterates what we saw in Genesis 15; God brought Abraham out on a dark night, with a sky filled with stars. God said, “So shall Thy seed be.” It seems that Abraham, without hesitation, replied, “Amen!” This verse has two similes: the stars and the sand. Abraham is the father of the faithful, so we are included in his children, along with hundreds of other Old Testament and New Testament saints. But his first child was Isaac, a life out of death. V. 13—Who are “these”? These are the faithful ones mentioned so far. When God promises something, He usually gives no delivery date. These are men and women who see further with faith; they do not die saying, “God has failed me.” They died in faith, believing that “what he had promised he was also able to perform.” The words used in connection with these people are powerful: “persuaded … embraced … confessed.” They embraced God’s promises and forsook everything for them, declaring, “plainly that they seek a country.” They were strangers—people who are away from home—and pilgrims—people traveling home. We see these types in I Peter 2:11. What a contrast to Cain, who was a fugitive and a vagabond, one who is fleeing home and one who has no home. We are strangers and pilgrims too. Abraham was living his life in light of the future; and that is what the Christian life is all about, living today for payoff in the future. What a lesson can be drawn from the early chapters of Genesis! And yet we are far better off than any of these! We have a future home in heaven, and we have many gifts from God (as we saw in Children’s Meeting) along our path. Abraham had something we do not have: a visit from God. But after God left, it was a few years before anything actually happened. In that time Abraham could have questioned what God actually said. We have the Holy Spirit and the Bible; we can go back to God’s promises time and time again. EG Hymn 381 – I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold, Prayer