A Picture of Christ's Death

We have just taken communion to observe our Lord's death, to give a picture, an illustration, something that resembles, something that really is an object lesson of his death. We take these symbols, a piece of bread, small piece of cracker, which symbolizes our Lord's body that was broken for us. We take this juice which symbolizes our Lord's blood, which was shed for us as he poured out his life's blood and actually died for us. And we symbolize, we picture our Lord's death. There are many pictures also in the Bible of our Lord's death, particularly in the Old Testament. Many pictures that form wonderful parallels to the New Testament description of our Lord's death. Some of them are actual types. That means they were intended by God ahead of time to serve as pictures. For instance, the Old Testament sacrifices. A type is usually identified as such in the New Testament, in the New Testament book of Hebrews, identifies the Old Testament sacrificial system as being representative of the death of Christ. It was intended by God to show that picture. There are other stories in the Old Testament, which just by their very nature serve as illustrations, beautiful pictures. There are lots of parallels, lots of likenesses between those stories and the death of Christ. We want to look at one of those stories this morning. It's found in Genesis chapter 22. So if you have your Bible open to Genesis 22, please follow along as I read the first 14 verses. Very familiar story. One time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, Abraham, here I am, he replied. Then God said, take your son, your only son, Isaac whom you love, and go to the region of Mariah, sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about. Early the next morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you. Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father, Abraham. Father? Yes, my son, Abraham replied. The fire and wood are here, Isaac said, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son and the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. The angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven. Abraham, Abraham, here I am, he replied, do not lay a hand on the boy, he said, do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. Abraham looked up and there in a thicket, he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place, the Lord will provide and to this day it is said on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided. What a beautiful picture, wonderful picture of our Lord's death for us. In fact there are three figures in this story that pictures the death of Christ. Three separate figures, they are easily identified, you know that picked them out as we read through the story. This story using those figures, those real historical characters does picture for us the death of Christ. The first figure obviously is the father, Abraham. Abraham represents the father giving his son. There are so many beautiful parallels here between what Abraham did in giving his son Isaac and what the father, God the father did in giving his son Jesus. If you will note once again the details in the story, first of all Abraham gave abundantly verse two. He gave abundantly. Then God said, take your son, your only son Isaac. The Abraham is not called upon to give of his treasure or of his time. He's not even called to give an offering of one of his best lambs or one of his best bulls. This is an abundant sacrifice. This is a request that seems to go above what could be expected of him and that is to give his son. This was an abundant offering. He gave his best. He gave the very best he could give. That's what God was calling upon him to do. And when God gave us that which would provide the gift for our salvation, it was his best. It was his son. God was not just saying from heaven, I love you and I will just de facto make a statement of forgiving your sin. God was not saying I will send an angel to cover your sin. And God gave, he gave abundantly. He gave the unthinkable. He gave his only son. And so just like Abraham, God gave his son to be the sacrifice for our sin. But not only does Abraham picture and illustrate the father in that way. Not only did he give abundantly, he gave affectionately. There is a sense in which the way God asks him to present this offering reminds Abraham of the dear affection he has with this boy. Notice three things God says to him. He says to him in verse two, take your son, your only son. He emphasizes this is his only son. And no doubt in that is all that Abraham knows about why that son was given. This is the son through whom God will fulfill all of his promises that he has made to Abraham. The promise of descendants, the promise that that descendant will grow into a great nation and that nation will bless the whole world. All of those promises are wrapped up in this only son. This is the son of promise. This is the son of Abraham's love. Not only does he say your only son, he mentions his name, Isaac. Isaac, and in a second way, reminds Abraham of the deep affection that he has for this boy. Isaac means laughter and the name was given because of the great joy that Isaac would bring to Abraham and Sarah. Yes, Sarah laughed when the angel promised that she would have a son when she was 90 years old. But that laugh of doubt would become a laugh of joy when God fulfilled his promise. And this boy was the apple of their eye. This boy was the joy for them of their life. Isaac laughter joy. And then he says, your only son, Isaac whom you love. And Abraham is reminded in a third way of the special bond of affection that he has with this son whom you love. I know how much you love him, Abraham. Yes, that is what I'm asking you to give your son, your only son, laughter joy, Isaac, the son you love. Let us never, ever forget when we remember the death of Christ that it not only cost Jesus, it also cost the Father. Think of the Father in him giving his son. Think of the emotion involved on the part of the Father. Think of the grief the Father must feel as he watches his only son, Jesus, the one he loved, suffering in the garden, crying out, if it be thy will, allow this cup, this outpouring of your wrath which will separate me from you. If there's any other way to pay for the sin of mankind without being separated from you, please let this cup be taken from me. But nevertheless, not as I will, your will be done. You imagine the agony of a Father's heart as he watches his only son cry that prayer of agony in the garden. And then as he must, as Jesus hangs on the cross, God's only son, the one he loves, Jesus, as he must turn his back as the sin of the world is placed on his son, Jesus. Imagine the grief of the Father's heart at that separation. And as Jesus cries out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And God must forsake his son. And those hours when our sin was being punished by him. And yet as Paul says it in Romans 8 and verse 32, who did not spare his own son. He, God, who did not spare, did not hold back his own son, his only son, Jesus whom he loved, his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will he not also along with him graciously give us all things? Paul argues from the greater to the lesser if God's given the greatest gift, the most agonizing gift, his only son. How will he not also give us all things? How will he not also complete our salvation by getting us to heaven in the context of the Romans 8? So Paul reminds us that this was his only son. This was his one son, the son he loved. The Father's heart was agonized just as Jesus' heart was agonized at the cross. He gave affectionately. But Abraham also gave willingly. Notice verse 3 if you will. This unthinkable command comes from God. And notice Abraham's response in verse 3 early the next morning. Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burn offering, he set out for the place. God had told him about. There's no debating with God. There's no bargaining with God. There's no resistance of God. He just willingly obeys. And when God makes this request, Abraham does not waste any time. The very next morning, he makes preparation and he leaves for this journey. He reminds you that Jesus willingly gave his life. But the Father also willingly gave his son. I suspect that when this decision was made, an eternity passed among the Trinity. There was no debate. There was no consideration of other options. The Father, even though it hurts him deeply because of his great love for his son, he willingly gives his son to die for us. John would say it this way in that most familiar verses, John 316, for God so loved the world that he gave freely, openly graciously, willingly gave his son, not an only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. God gave willingly, he gave his son. No question, no holding back, he gave his son. Why? Even though he loved him so much and it grieved his heart to be separated from him, he gave willingly because of his love for us. He so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. That means God so loved you that he would willingly give his son. Can you imagine that kind of love? God so loved me, he so loved everybody, the world that he gave his son willingly. It is only because of that great love for us that a Father would be willing to give the ultimate sacrifice of his son. He willingly gave. Notice, not only did Abraham give abundantly and affectionately and willingly, he gave purposefully. There was some thought put into this, some forethought, some planning. Again, in verse 3, you saw it. He got up the next morning, he purposefully prepares his donkey. He prepares two of his servants to go with him. He prepares his son Isaac for the journey. He prepares wood, cuts it, prepares enough for the burnt offering. Then he prepares to leave for the journey that God has called upon him to take. There's thought here, there's planning, there's purpose in this. And I would remind you that just as Abraham planned for this journey and the event which would take place on Mount Mariah, so the Father planned for the death of his son. Christ's death was not an afterthought. It was not plan B, it was not a second option after they'd run out of options. God did not ring his hands after Adam's sin in the garden saying, oh, I didn't expect this. What are we going to do? We got to come up with something. No, no. The Bible paints the picture very clearly that there was planning and forethought. God had planned for this before the world was ever created. Look at the words of Peter as he preaches that great sermon on the day of Pentecost. Acts chapter 2, verse 23, this man, speaking of Jesus, this man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge. And you, speaking to the Jewish religious leaders, you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. What a beautiful balance of man's responsibility. Man has held responsible for putting him on the cross. But God's sovereign plan is being fulfilled through man's responsibility. God had planned for this to happen before the foundation of the world. But later the apostles were thrown in jail for preaching the gospel. The angel of the Lord delivers them. They stand back in the temple preaching. And then they're arrested. They go back to their people and they pray. In the book of Acts chapter 4, this is their prayer, part of their prayer, verses 27 and 28. Indeed, Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your Holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. Here again is the human responsibility in putting Jesus to death. But notice the next words. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. So it's not an afterthought. God had planned for this all along. And Peter would once again remind us in his epistle, 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 20. He speaking of Christ, the one who would shed his blood for us in verse 19, he was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. And John in the book of Revelation describing those who would not give into the antichrist in the tribulation time. In Revelation 13 verse 8 says, all inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast. All whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life. Now notice this next expression. The Lamb who was slain before the creation of the world. You see the plan of salvation was devised before the world was ever created. Before any humans came into existence by the creative hand of God. God had planned knowing that man would fall, knowing that man would sin. God had planned ahead of time that the death of Christ would be sufficient payment for our sins. So just like Abraham purposefully gave his son, God the Father purposefully gives us his son, but Abraham gave in one other way which is so beautiful. He gave hopefully in verse 5. He gave hopefully. Notice once they reached the place of sacrifice, verse 5 says, he said to his servants, stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. And notice what he says next. We will worship and then we will come back to you. We will worship plural, the end of the boy. And we will come back, me and the boy. Now was Abraham just trying to pull the wall over his servant's eyes? Was he lying to them? Was he just saying, I can't really explain this to you? So I'm just going to tell a little white lie, I know I'm going to leave Isaac up there. Is that what Abraham was doing? I don't think so. In fact, I know he wasn't. We might think that at first that Abraham was just trying not to explain too much and kind of cover his tracks, but for the writer of Hebrews. The writer to the Hebrews tells us what Abraham was actually thinking when he said this, describing the faith with which he offered Isaac in verses 17 through 19. He concludes that by saying in verse 19 of chapter 11, Abraham reasoned. This is what he had thought on that three day journey. It had time to think this out and pray about it. And he had reasoned and thought it through. He reasoned that God could even raise the dead. And so in a manner of speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. He was willing to give him and sacrifice him in a symbolic way. In a manner of speaking, he did receive him back from death. But what Abraham was thinking was, and evidently he had prayed and thought about this on that three day journey. I'm going to do what God tells me to do. I'm going to sacrifice my son. I can't understand it. I don't know why God would ask that of me. I know this is my only son. This is the son through whom every promise God has made to me must be fulfilled. I believe God's faithful to His promises. I believe God will fulfill these promises. I can't put those two together unless God raises him back up from the dead. And so he went with the confidence, the hope that God would raise him from the dead. Did you know that the father when he sent his son Jesus gave him in that same spirit of hope, biblical hope, not questioning what might happen, but knowing assuredly what would happen and looking forward to that. The prophet Isaiah says it so well. And his great prophecy of the death of Christ, Isaiah 53 and verse 10, yet it was the Lord's will. Notice all the letters of Lord are capitalized, which means Yahweh, Jehovah. Speaking of God the Father, it was God's will to crush him, the servant, the Messiah, Jesus, and cause him to suffer. And though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, notice the next words, he will see his offspring and prolong his days and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. So God gives his son as an offering for our sin, but it all, all while he's looking at his offspring. You know that's us. That's those of us who would trust Jesus as our Savior, become the children of God, his offspring, if you will. God in giving his son looks ahead to those who will trust his son as their Savior. And because of that, because of the bride he will win, because of those whom he will die to save, he prolongs his days, he resurrects him, he brings him back to life. And God's plan prospers, the will of the Lord prospers in his hand. So God gave his son, hopefully, looking to the future, knowing that Jesus, death would accomplish redemption for us. We would become his people, his family, and he gave with that hope what a beautiful illustration of the Father. Abraham is in giving his son. But wait a second, there's a second figure in this story and that is the son himself, Isaac. Isaac in this picture beautifully illustrates the son going to death. Notice again in the story how he went as Isaac goes to that place which is appointed for him to die, he goes submissively, submissively, obedient to the Father's plan. Now I think it's important that we understand that Isaac is not a real small child in this passage. The very last verse of chapter 21 tells us that Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time. And then verse 1 of 22 starts out sometime later. Most of those who reflect and write on this passage say that Abraham or Isaac was probably a young man at this time, maybe late teens, maybe early twenties were not exactly sure, he was a young man by this time. Obviously old enough to understand what was happening to recognize that they had everything prepared for the sacrifice but they hadn't brought a land. Old enough to carry the wood for the author on his back up the hill. This is not a little boy. This is a young man. And yet there is no question of his father. The only question obviously is the one, where's the lamb? Have we forgotten something? But when his father assures him that God will provide the lamb, there is no further question. There is no indication in this story as it's recorded by Moses and Genesis. There's no indication that he ever again said anything that he ever again asked and he quit. There's no resistance. He goes to the mountain. He carries the wood up to the place of sacrifice. He allows his father to bind him and place him on that author. And there's no indication of any resistance. He willingly submits himself to what his father is doing at his age and with Abraham's age over a hundred years old by this time. He would have been able to resist if he had wanted to. No doubt he probably could have overpowered his father if he had chosen to. But he willingly submits to the father's plan. As Jesus, the son of our Heavenly Father and our Savior, cries out in the garden if it is possible let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. He willingly submits himself to the father's plan. Even so much that in a few moments after that prayer when the soldiers arrive, the temple guard arrives in the garden probably 600 strong with weapons to take Jesus. And Peter gets all bold, you know, and pulls out his sword and starts whacking away. Not very good aim, but he tried and then he whacked off the ear, the high priest servant. And Jesus says enough, stop and look at what Matthew 26 says that Jesus says next. Do you think I cannot call on my father and he will at once put it my disposal more than 12 legions of angels or Roman legions of 6,000 soldiers? Multiply by 12 through the math. He got 72,000 soldiers. So by the way, the hymn is all wrong. I could have called 10,000 soldiers. He could have called 10,000. He's the wording of that when you're seeing it next. He could have called 72,000 angels. And he says I could have called 12 legions of angels, but notice, he says, how then would the scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way? But Jesus himself, he didn't need the 72,000 angels. Jesus himself, John's gospel tells us in John 18, spoke the words, who are you here to get? Jesus of Nazareth and he says, I am. And with that declaration of deity using the Old Testament term for God, the 600 soldiers fall backwards. One more word from Jesus, they could have all been dead. Jesus didn't even need the 72,000 angels. They're just the backup plan. But he willingly, he willingly gave himself, allowed himself to be taken. He said in John 10, no one takes my life from me. I willingly give it. I willingly give my life. Jesus went submissively. But back to the story in Genesis, not only did Isaac go to death submissively, he also went silently. Again, there is nothing said in his defense. There is no cry of protest raised when the father places him on the altar. No indication of that at all in the story. Again Isaiah beautifully paints the picture of Jesus dying on the cross in Isaiah 53 when he says he was oppressed and afflicted yet he did not open his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep before it's shearers is dumb, is silent so he did not open his mouth. Now we know that Jesus did open his mouth to say some things from the cross. Isaiah's point is that he never protested. He's being led to the slaughter but it's like a lamb that doesn't even recognize what's happening to it. The meatness of a lamb, the silence of a lamb. Jesus is led to the cross and is placed on the cross and the only words he will speak from the cross are out of concern for others and demonstrating the father's purpose and plan. He will pray for the forgiveness of those who put him on the cross. He will commend his mother to be taken care of. He will cry out. He thirsts so that he can be moistened. His tongue can be moistened so that he can loudly cry out. It is finished and he will commend his life to the father, his spirit to the father. The only words he will speak will be words of explanation as to what's happening on the cross or of care for others. He will not utter any protest about what's being done to him. Jesus went silently to the cross. The father giving his son. The son going to death. There's one other figure in the story however and that is the ram. Here's where the illustration turns a little bit because the ram also seems to picture or at least have some parallels with our savior. At least three ways the ram pictures our savior's death. First in the sense that the ram was an innocent victim. The ram carries no guilt. In verse 13, the ram looks up and sees a ram called it by its horns and he sacrifices that ram, that animal has no guilt. An animal is not capable of committing any sin or any moral defilement for which it must be punished. It represents an innocent victim and all the Old Testament sacrificial lambs and bulls and birds and other animals that were sacrificed were given for that purpose. They illustrated an innocent victim taking the place of a guilty party. So that reason when an offerer in the Old Testament was to sacrifice an animal for sin, they would be required first of all to place their hand on the head of that animal and symbolically transfer their guilt to the innocent animal and the animal would bear their guilt. So Jesus goes to the cross as an innocent victim in the story of redemption. He has committed no sin. He is not being punished for any sin. He has done. He is the spotless Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world as John introduces him to the nation of Israel. He is the one who would come from heaven with no moral flaw in his character. No sin of action or of speech or of thought ever in his life and that innocent victim takes our place. He is not suffering for his own sin. He is suffering for hours. And that leads me to the second likeness in this ram. The ram was a substitute. Verse 13 makes it so clear. Look at the middle of verse 13. He Abraham went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering. Notice the next words. Instead of his son. This ram took the place of his son. And my friend Jesus took your place and my place on the cross. When he died, he was not dying because of his own sin. He had no sin to pay for. He was paying for your sin. He was paying for my sin. And Peter describes this so well in his epistle. First Peter, chapter 2, and verse 24. He himself, Jesus himself, bore our sins in his body on the cross. See the substitution there? He was bearing our sins in his own body when he died on the cross, not paying for his own sins, paying for hours. He was a substitute for us. He was paying our penalty. Peter says so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness by whose wounds you've been healed. And even more clearly in chapter 3 of his epistle, and verse 18, he says, for Christ also suffered once for sins. Here it is. The righteous for the unrighteous. The righteous in the place of, in the stead of the unrighteous. Jesus, the righteous one, dying in our place, becoming our substitute, taking the penalty and punishment for my sin, and your sin. He did not die for any sin of his own. He died for your sin. So he was an innocent substitute who took our place. But one other likeness between this ram and Christ himself on the cross is that its blood was shed. The blood of this ram was shed. Abraham took the knife that was intended to slay his son and sacrificed this ram, shedding its blood. And the ram pours out its life blood instead of Isaac spilling his own blood in death. When Jesus died for us, he shed his blood. We pictured that with the juice earlier. He shed his blood. His life's blood was given. He actually died for you and for me. He shed his blood for us. And in so doing, made the payment for our sin. Thank God, what a beautiful picture this is. The Father giving his son, giving abundantly, affectionately, willingly, purposefully, hopefully of Christ, the Son going to death, submissively and silently for us. And yes, the ram, picturing Jesus as an innocent lamb of God who would sacrificial give himself as our substitute and shed his blood for our sins. It leaves us with this question today. The question everyone in this room must decide before you leave. Have you received Christ as your substitute, the one who died for your sins? Have you personally received Christ as your substitute, recognizing He died in your place on the cross? Have you received Christ as your substitute, the one who died for your sins? You see, it's not enough to know the story that Jesus came and He died. You must receive Him as your Savior. You must trust Him, John 1, 12 says, but as many as received Him to them gave He the authority to become the children of God, even to those that believe on His name. Have you received Christ? Have you saved yourself? You trusted what He did for you on the cross? To be your only means of salvation? Have you received Him as your substitute, recognized that He died for your sins? Let's pray together. Father, thank you for the wonderful picture of the communion, the bread and the cup, the beautiful picture that is of our Lord's death to remind us, to visibly remind us that Jesus gave His body and shed His blood for us. And thank you, Father, for the picture and the Old Testament of Abraham giving His Son Isaac so that we might be saved, picturing the death of Jesus for us so that we might be saved. Thank you for this beautiful picture. I pray, Father, for anyone who may be here today without Christ that they would this day trust the Lord Jesus as Savior. Come to know the one who died for them. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.