SUNDAY SERVICE
11:00 AM 11 August 2002 THE HOLY BIBLE
The Lesson Today: “The Land of Mariah”
Old Testament Lesson today.
Obedience
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 crave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
Obedience to God’s call is the prerequisite to God’s blessing. If we are not willing to relinquish our own interests in compliance with God's call to duty, we should not expect His blessing automatically to be ours. To Abraham the Lord promised, "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2). Before these promises were realized, however, the patriarch had to prove his absolute obedience unto God. Four times Abraham endured the test of obedience and each time it was related to separation. Initially he received the divine call to leave kindred and country behind and journey to an unknown land. Later he found his nephew's herdsmen at odds with his own and Abraham had to separate himself once more from his kin. Still later this obedient servant of God found his wife Sarah engaged in a jealous battle with her handmaid and Abraham had to bid a sad good-bye to Hagar and his young son of the flesh, Ishmael. Each of these events tested Abraham's obedience to God and each was passed with flying colors.
However, Abraham was yet to undergo a final test of loyality. This was to be the fourth and supreme test of separation. The Lord 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 which I tell thee of" (Genesis 22:2).
Abraham's parents were long gone. Lot was gone. Ishmael was now gone. But as long as Isaac was alive, God's promise of blessing was yet intact. Now, however, was the son of promise be sacrificed? Was he to be gone as well? You can well imagine the consternation in Abraham's heart. He had given up so much; must he give up his only son whom he loved? Reason told him no. But Abraham immediately brought his reason into the captivity of his faith. As soon as he received God's call to duty Abraham took no counsel with flesh and blood but rose early in the morning and set out with Isaac to the land of Moriah (Genesis 22:3). True obedience neither procrastinates nor questions.
The journey was upwards of sixty miles. On the third day Abraham bid the two young men accompanying them to remain behind with the donkey while he and his son went yonder to worship. Abraham grabbed the container of fire and a knife, while the wood for the burnt offering was laid upon the back of his only son, Isaac. How reminiscent this is of Abraham's greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who also bore the wood upon which He was sacrificed as a sin offering for us (John 19:17).
Once alone with his father, Isaac pointed out that they had fire and wood but no lamb for the sacrifice. In faith Abraham replied, "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8). Yet as they came to Moriah, Abraham built an altar, laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his only son, gently laying him on the altar. As he raised the knife to slay his son, Abraham must have spent an agonizing eternity with his hand in the air. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord called out to him, forbidding Isaac to be slain. A ram was provided and Abraham offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. This totally unexpected ending to Abraham's personal ordeal prompted him to name that place Jehovahjireh—the Lord will provide.
The supreme test was over. The Lord had not tempted Abraham with evil but rather provided a proving ground for his unflinching obedience. Now Abraham could indeed be the father of a great nation and be greatly blessed of the Lord. Like the patriarch, all who hear God's call to duty must tread the path of absolute obedience before we discover the many blessings along the way. "Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD, that walketh in His ways...happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee" (Psalm 128:1-2). But we never can prove, The delights of His love Until all on the altar we lay, For the favor He shows And the joy He bestows, Are for them who will trust and obey.
Woodrow Kroll
The Offering of Isaac.
Genesis 22:1 ¶ Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 And He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship and return to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.
7 And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 And Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. 9 ¶ Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there, and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Gen. 22:12 And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place The LORD-Will-Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it will be provided.” Heb. YHWH Yireh. Can’t you read the story of our Christ in this?
This ends the reading of God’s Word in the Old Testament, today.
New Testament Study today.
God doesn't just provide for our current needs--the needs we have while we're here on this earth. He's preparing a home for us in heaven. He's working on eternity, and that's much more important than just providing for our present.
You know, several years ago I had the opportunity to visit Lisbon, Portugal, and there is a monument there to all the western European explorers who set out across the ocean, not knowing what was out there. In fact, originally the motto of Portugal was Ne Plus Ultra. "Nothing More Beyond." That was it! They thought they were the western edge of the world. And then of course, Columbus and other explorers sailed the ocean seas and they found out there was a lot more out there. So Portugal changed its motto from "Nothing More Beyond" to "More Beyond."
And you know, that's a little the way I feel when I think about what God provides for me and what He provides for you. God is not just providing for our here and now; He's providing for our future as well. Today, we want to focus on the future that God provides for people like you and me. What does He have in mind for those who have trusted His Son as Savior?
Well, there are three things I want us to note today. The first is the Old Testament promise of a new future that we have. Secondly is the New Testament fulfillment or insight we have into that new future. And then thirdly and finally, tucked right in the middle of these two prophecies, there's a promise. God makes a promise about your future.
Well, let's think first of all about what the Old Testament has to say about our future. This is Isaiah chapter 65 now. This is a seventh-century B.C. prophet speaking the words of God, talking about things he probably didn't really understand. But listen to what God says through Isaiah, Isaiah 65:17-19. Here's what he predicts: "'For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.'"
Now that's the promise that God gives to Isaiah in Isaiah 65. Today what we hear in the city of Jerusalem is the voice of weeping and the voice of crying. Today what we see is the conflict of different ideas. But the Bible predicts--in fact God promises--a new future: not just for Jerusalem but a new future for the earth and a new future for the heavens. He says, "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth." We're looking forward to something unique and distinct, something that's different from the way heaven is today; and in fact, something that's different from the way the earth is today.
Did you know that there's an inscription inside the dome of our Capitol building in Washington, D.C? Very few people know this inscription is there. But the inscription says, "One far-off divine event toward which the whole creation moves." Now apparently some God-fearing official, when the Capitol building was built, this official ordered that inscription to be etched inside the Capitol dome, the seat of our government. It reminds us that there is a single event in the future, and the whole creation is moving toward that event. I think the new event that he's talking about is the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.
Now let's put this in context. You and live on earth today. It's been around a long time, hasn't it? In fact, we've been around a long time. Heaven has been around just as long as earth has. But the Bible tells us something is going to happen to this earth. And something is going to happen to the heavens as well.
Listen to this. This is the prophecy of Peter in 2 Peter 3:10ff: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"
Now I don't have any idea what that's going to be like. I can read: that's exactly what the Bible says. I know that it tells me that one day this earth, as we know it, will be burned up. The heavens will pass away with a great noise. That means, then, that the Old Testament promise of a new future is going to take place--because this current present, this day's earth, is going to pass away. And the heavens, as we know them, will pass away as well.
Now God never takes anything from us but what He doesn't give us something much better. Isn't that true? Have you found that out in your own life? God will give you a new heaven. God will give you a new earth. The new future that God provides for us is much better than our present. So let's focus now, not on the Old Testament prediction of this new heaven and new earth, let's focus instead on the New Testament fulfillment of that promise.
Let me take you to the last book of the Bible. It's the Book of Revelation, the last two chapters of this book: Revelation 21 and 22. Each of these chapters tell us something about the new heaven and the new earth. Revelation 21 talks about the New Jerusalem. Now remember, Isaiah 65 predicted that God would create Jerusalem a rejoicing city: that no longer would there be heard the sounds of crying. There is going to be a New Jerusalem.
Here's the description of the New Jerusalem, Revelation chapter 21, the first four verses: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea [now we just read about that--2 Peter chapter 3]. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. [And then this great promise:] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.'"
Now that tells me that God, one day, is going to create a New Jerusalem. And it's described as a city coming down out of heaven. Revelation 21 says that this is going to be the world's largest metropolis. In fact, over in verse 16 it says "The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal." Now 12,000 furlongs means it is 1500 miles long, 1500 miles wide, and 1500 miles high: 2,250,000 square miles.
You know what that means, friends? The base of the New Jerusalem, this city coming down out of heaven, the base of the New Jerusalem is two-thirds the size of the United States right now. Now I don't know if it's a pyramid or a cube (it really doesn't matter). What I do know, according to verse 12, is there will be 12 gates to this new city--named after each of the 12 tribes. Verse 19 tells me that there will be 12 foundations. These foundations will be garnished with precious stones.
And I also learn from this passage that there are some things this city does not have. For example, verse 22 says there's no temple there. There's no need for a temple because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb of God are in the city. Verse 23 says there's no more need for the sun or the moon because the glory of God illuminated it and the Lamb is its light. Verse 25 says there's no security system necessary: the gates shall not be shut at all by day, and there is no night. And then finally verse 27: there's no sin there. "But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life."
Hey, you know what, folks, that's our new home! God takes joy in providing for our future. He provides a New Jerusalem, a new place for us to live. Now I said that the description of the new heavens and the new earth can be found both in Revelation 21 and in 22.
Look at chapter 22, the first five verses: "He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life [now put that on the sticky side of your mind; I want to come back to that], which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever."
It doesn't sound too bad, does it? That's what God takes joy in preparing for those whose names are in the Lamb's Book of Life. And the names in the Lamb's Book of Life are the names of those who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and have come to God in repentance and establishing a relationship with Him again.
Now I said that tree of life, that's a mysterious thing, isn't it? The tree of life. What is the tree of life all about? Well, let me take you back to the Garden of Eden. We're going back to the bookends of the Bible now, Genesis and Revelation. Keep your hand in there at Revelation 22 because I want to come back to that in just a moment. But if you're following along in your Bible, let me show you the two trees that God placed in the Garden of Eden. Two trees.
Genesis 2:8: "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Now among the trees that God planted in the Garden of Eden there were two very notable trees. One is the tree of life. It was in the central position, right in the middle of the Garden of Eden.
And then, someplace else in the Garden was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Let's talk about that one first. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil does not mean that if you eat of this tree it produces ultimate knowledge. We know that's true for two reasons. Number one, man did not need ultimate knowledge. The law of nature was already inscribed in his heart. He understood all the things necessary for him to live a life glorious before God.
But secondly--the whole idea that if you eat of this tree you'll know knowledge the way God knows knowledge--came from Satan. That was his claim. And Satan lies every time he opens his mouth. This was the tree of testing, however. Remember, this was the tree of which Eve ate and gave to her husband, Adam; and he also ate, Genesis chapter 3.
So one tree is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The other tree, the one we're interested in today, is the tree of life. Now I think the tree of life was in the Garden to maintain life just as it was. It was there to make sure that Adam and Eve would live forever just as they were. It preserved their health in their current condition.
That's why after Eve and Adam both ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God had to do something. Genesis 3:22-24: "Then the LORD God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever'--therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."
Uh huh, the plot thickens. You see, after Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge and suddenly they saw that they were sinners, suddenly the curse was upon them--the curse on the ground, the curse on everything--God then had to take steps to make sure they did not eat of the tree of life. Because when you eat of the tree of life, you are preserved forever exactly as you are. The tree of life was to maintain life just as it was.
Now that's important, because when you go to the other bookend (from Genesis in the beginning now back to Revelation at the end of the Bible), when you get to Revelation you learn that the tree of life is in heaven, in the New Jerusalem. And it's there for exactly the same reason it was in the Garden of Eden. In the New Jerusalem, life will be maintained forever by the tree of life.
Listen to this. To the church at Ephesus, Jesus has this message, Revelation 2:7: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." There it is again, friends, right in the middle of the Paradise of God.
And then in Revelation 22:1-2: "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." The leaves of the tree were there to maintain the constant health of the nations on the new earth.
Verse 14: "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." Hey, when God prepares a future for you, He does it right! What was lost in Genesis is regained in Revelation. It's sort of Paradise regained, if you will.
Now I said there were three things we wanted to think about today. We've looked at two of them: the Old Testament promise of a new future comes from Isaiah 65; the New Testament fulfillment of that new future comes from Revelation 21 and 22.
John chapter 14. And in John 14 there is a promise that relates to your future, that shows you how much joy God takes in providing for your future. Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go [now listen] to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
D. L. Moody said, "God never made a promise that was too good to be true." Friends, the Bible says God is planning your future. He's providing your future. Right now, Jesus is building your future--because God takes as much joy in providing for your future as He takes in providing for your present.
And you know why God is so happy about providing for your future? When you trust Jesus as your Savior, when you are born again--born from above, when you become a member of the family of God, do you know why God takes so much joy in providing for your future? It's because, friends, He's just that kind of a God. ut tucked right in the middle between the two, tucked in the middle of the Bible between these two references, is John chapter 14. And in John 14 there is a promise that relates to your future, that shows you how much joy God takes in providing for your future. Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go [now listen] to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
That's the promise of God--tucked in the middle between Genesis and Revelation. D. L. Moody said, "God never made a promise that was too good to be true." Friends, the Bible says God is planning your future. He's providing your future. Right now, Jesus is building your future--because God takes as much joy in providing for your future as He takes in providing for your present.
And you know why God is so happy about providing for your future? When you trust Jesus as your Savior, when you are born again--born from above, when you become a member of the family of God, do you know why God takes so much joy in providing for your future? It's because, friends, He's just that kind of a God.
Woodrow Kroll’s “Back to the Bible.”
A Cup of Cold Water
Matthew 10:40 ¶ “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
41 “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. Matthew 10:42 “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward.” Amen and Amen;
say Thanks.
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ taught the inerrancy of the Bible. See John 10:35 The Bible says. Read God’s Word every day and pray always for the rest of your life or until He comes. Remember the Bible is the whole Word of God and the only Word of God, nothing more and nothing less. “Faith.”
The Bible says:
A Tithe - 10% of everything God has given you. Matthew 23:23 That is a minimum. Read Numbers 28, and 29 today. Are you giving at least a tithe to the Lord? Pray for survival of the Remnant, our Church and Peace in Jerusalem.
We don’t have the money to pay the salary of the designated pastor now. As God’s stewards, We must let him go now. We can have substitute ministers for $100.00 a service while we are rededicating our “House of God. We need a builder; we need optimism!
1. What is the chief and highest end of man?
Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty
Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into Hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
Hyattsville Presbyterian Church
1704
Here Abideth Life and Believers
Who Have Been Transformed Into Living Stones
For His Building.
“The Remnant”
Dr. Samuel DeShay, Minister of Music
Bill L. Yoho, Editor
http://www.hpc.presbychurch.net/HPCPOC/New%20Site%20%/
http://www.ForMinistry.com/Church/Home.asp?SiteId=20782HPC
Pray: ‘Come Quickly Lord Jesus”
Christ is Life, Death is Gain, to be with the Lord
Vol. III, No. 33
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Kroll Bible Study
