First Baptist Church Laredo
7-21-19 Celebration Sunday

      • Psalm 113:1–3CSB

  • Rising
  • Our God
  • Jesus Firm Foundation

      • 1 Peter 1:3–4CSB

  • Living Hope
  • If you are just joining us, we are in a summer message series about the names of God. Our theme verse is taken from . Read it with me.
    Deuteronomy 10:17 CSB
    17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe.
    I have said this before, but it is a good reminder. When you see the word “LORD” in small caps, the writer is using the proper name of God “Yahweh”. God’s name is Yahweh. The reason the translators used the small caps “LORD” is because of the holiness and reverence they have for God’s name. In , God reveals His covenant name as

    YHWH or Yahweh - יהוה

    This Hebrew verb for “to be,” expresses the absolute and ultimate nature of God. This word is transliterated into English characters as YHWH, which is the tetragrammaton, or combination of four letters without vowels used to represent the name of God. The word was likely mispronounced as the word “Jehovah”. We don’t use Jehovah as the name for God for that reason. When we see LORD written in all caps, this a reference to Yahweh, the name for God’s true and complete “to be” nature, both sovereign and divine. This word expresses God in His fullness, Lord and Creator. This is the closest rendering to the original Hebrew Old Testament.
    This morning, we are going to look at a name of God that uses the tetragrammaton in combination with another word to further reveal God’s nature and character to us. Open your Bibles to .
    This story may be a familiar story to you, but just in case you are unfamiliar with the story, let me give you a quick re-cap. God had promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations. There was a major challenge to this promise becoming a reality. Abraham had no children with his wife Sarah and they were well pass the baby making years. Then, a miracle happened and God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and Sarah. Isaac was born to them when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 91 years old. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine having another child right now, much less if I were 100 years old!
    ​
    In any case, it was a miraculous event and Issac, the son of promise, was born. Then, one day, God spoke to Abraham. Most likely, Isaac is a teenager at this point. He was at least old enough and strong enough to carry firewood on his back, as we will soon read. The story is recorded for us in . Open your Bible’s to .
    God spoke to Abraham and gave him a very disturbing command.
    Genesis 22:2 CSB
    2 “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
    I can’t even imagine receiving this command from God, could you? You might think, “But God, you just gave me a miracle child and now you want me to offer him as a sacrifice to you?” You might think, “God, I can’t believe you are demanding human sacrifice.” In the worship of many false gods, human sacrifice was part of the rituals. It was not uncommon for people at this time to offer their children as sacrifices in exchange for prosperity. Sounds much like why so many abortions are performed today. The second most common reason for abortion is that they can’t afford a child. In essence, the child is sacrificed for economic reasons. Not too go too far down the rabbit’s hole this morning, but this is why we as believers need to put our dollars and votes where our beliefs are. We believe abortion is wrong; therefore, we need to fund and vote for people and organizations who are helping support and care for these vulnerable women. Back to Abraham. So many thoughts could have been plaguing Abraham’s mind, but do you know what he did? He obeyed God. He got up early the next morning and made preparations for the journey to Mount Moriah.
    It was a three days journey from where Abraham was to Mount Moriah. Three days to think about what was going to happen. Three days to be full of stress and anxiety. This was no impulse decision. This is not a knee-jerk reaction. Abraham had plenty of time to think about what he is going to have to do.
    Then Issac, who by this time understood how sacrifices work, asked his father a question while they were traveling up Mount Moriah.
    Genesis 22:7
    Genesis 22:7 CSB
    7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
    Look at Abraham’s response.
    Genesis 22:8 CSB
    8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.
    ​
    You might be thinking, “How could he say that? He knew what God had told him to do.” To understand what Abraham is really saying, you need some knowledge of the Hebrew language. When Abraham said, “God himself will provide”, he is literally saying “God will see to it”. We might say it this way, “Don’t worry about it. God is going to take care of it.” Abraham was completely convinced that God would take care of it. God will take care of the details. He didn’t know exactly what God was going to do, but he fully trusted in God. He made the will-full, conscious, and physical decision to be obedient. Abraham had so much faith in God, he thought that if he was obedient to the heavenly command, God would raise his son from the dead.
    Hebrews 11:17–19 CSB
    17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.
    Hebrews 11:18–19 CSB
    18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.
    Hebrews 11:19 CSB
    19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.
    Hebrews 11:1
    This story is so full of drama, sometimes we read it quickly and miss the tension in the story.
    ​
    ​
    Genesis 22:9–10 CSB
    9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
    Genesis 22:
    Picture it in your head. Abraham had the knife in his hand and has made the mental and emotional commitment to slaughter Isaac. He would cut his throat and watch his son bleed out. Get this, Isaac allowed himself to be put on the altar. He was at least a teenager, if not a young adult. He could have run or fought his father, but he submitted to his father. At this point, as far as Abraham knew, he was going through with it. He loved his son and he was completely confident in God’s power. He knew that he had to obey God and if he did, God had the power to raise his son from the dead. He had never seen God do that before, but he had no doubt whatsoever in what God could do. To be able to have this much confidence that God will see to it, you must first know you are doing God’s will and be completely confident in God’s power to provide.
    Genesis 22:11–14 CSB
    11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.” 12 Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”
    ​

    God is Yahweh Jireh - Yahweh will provide or Yahweh will see to it.

    I am not sure how many of you are aware of this, but this event was a preview. Solomon would build the temple of the site of Mount Moriah. Herod would rebuild the temple on the site of Mount Moriah. Some 2,000 years later, Jesus, the Son of God, would submit to the will of Father God and be offered as the sacrifice for our sins on that very mountain. Jesus would be crucified on the north east side of the mountains of Moriah. This is a very special and holy site.
    Abraham feared the God.

    Fearing God means to acknowledge him as Lord, trust him implicitly, and obey him without question.

    God will provide. God will always provide. God will see that what you need is done. This story provides us with some important realities about how God works in our lives. The first thing I want you to remember is that God will see to it. You need to have faith in him.

    God will see to it. You need to have faith in him.

    I don’t know where you are in life or what your needs are, but God knows what you need. He knows exactly was you need. What you think you need might not really be what you need. He knows what you need and he will see to it. He will see that you, as his child, get what you need. You need to have faith in him. Faith is the key.
    Do you trust God? We literally put it on our coins, but I am not sure that we really trust God. If we trust in God, then we must obey him without question. We obey him in the small things and the major things. We obey his commands in our finances. We obey his commands in worshipping with other believers. We obey his commands to love one another and to protect the unity of the body of Christ. We obey his commands, all of them, without reservation. Let me also say this, ignorance is no excuse for disobedience. He has given us his word and he expects us to obey it.
    Let’s say I was traveling down the highway and I see those beautiful blue lights in my rear-view mirror. I pull over and the officer asks me the question, “Do you know the speed limit here?” I say, “I have no idea.” Then he says, “Oh, well, if you didn’t know, I guess you can go.” Of course not because ignorance is no excuse for disobedience. Having faith in God means obeying him without reservation.
    ​
    God is Yahweh Jireh. He will see to it. You need to have faith in him. There is another thing. I don’t want you to think that just because you haven’t received what you think you need that there is something wrong with your faith. There may be something wrong with your faith, but it also could be not what you really need or it is not the right time.

    God will see to it at just the right time.

    Notice, God didn’t provide the ram on the way to Mount Moriah. God didn’t provide the ram while they were building the altar. God didn’t provide the ram when Isaac was bound and placed on the altar. At just the right moment, in the fullness of time, God provided. God saw to it. Why wait until the last moment? It is a difference between cognition and experience. God knows everything, therefore, he knew what Abraham would do, but Abraham didn’t know what Abraham would do if he was put to a test like this. Even though God cognitively knows everything, cognitive knowledge is different that experiencing the action. Abraham needed to experience what Abraham would do.
    I have been told by lifeguards that you shouldn’t try to grab onto a person who is thrashing around in the water. There is a danger that the person will drown the lifeguard. They will grab onto the lifeguard and pull them down too. Karen and I had an experience like this. The lifeguard may need to wait until the last moment to save a life because the person needs to know that they have to trust in the ability of the lifeguard to save them.
    Many times it feels that way in our lives. We are struggling to keep our heads above water. We are thrashing around, crying out for help. Life feels so overwhelming. The next wave might be our last. Like Peter, we are sinking. Realize this and be confident. God will not allow his precious children to be destroyed. In your struggles, you are growing stronger and God’s hand is ready to move on your behalf at just the right time. God is Yahweh Jireh and he will see to it. Don’t worry. Have faith. He will give you what you need at just the right time.
    God will see to it. You need to have faith. God will see to it at just the right time and you will know it is God who did it.

    You will know it is God who did it.

    He will do for you what no one else could do for you. If you could do it on your own or if someone else could do it for you, then you don’t need God to do it. God will do what only he can do. I always wondered how a ram could get his horns caught in the thicket. Then, I went to Israel and saw this.
    <show picture of sheep in a tree>
    The trees reminded me of mesquite trees, except the branches are firmer and more dense. I could easily see how a ram could get caught in a thicket, but it was God who made it happen at just the right time in just the right place. God provided another ram. In verse 13, the Hebrew actually says “another ram”. Most translations of the Scriptures miss this point when they render “a ram” or “a ram behind him.” Issac was the first ram. The ram is the substitute for Issac. God provided a more suitable sacrifice who would die in Issac’s place.
    This is important because it would happen again. Because of our sin, our rebellion against God, all of us were sentenced to death.
    Romans 6:23 CSB
    23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    Romans 5:12 CSB
    12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.
    ​
    We would have to die for our sin. It is the penalty. All of us one day would have to face death, but God loved us and didn’t want to see us die.
    ​
    Romans 5:8 CSB
    8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
    Jesus died in our place. We were supposed to die, not Jesus. He is perfect. We are the sinners, yet at just the right moment in time, Jesus came and died in our place in a place not far from where Isaac was offered all those years before. Jesus is our substitute. Yahweh Jireh has provided for our need to be forgiven for our sins through his son, Jesus. God saw to it, at just the right time. Only God could do it. You can’t do this for yourself.
    Ephesians 2:8–9 CSB
    8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
    You need to have faith. God will see to it. He is Yahweh Jireh. You need to have faith. God has provided salvation from death through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    Acts 16:31 CSB
    31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
    ​
    ​
    You are here because God wanted you here. This is a divine appointment. Today, your life can be changed. You can be forgiven. You can stand clean and holy, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, before a Holy God. No longer will you be known by the title of sinner. You will be known as a child of God. Will you accept the salvation and forgiveness God offers to you?
    If you will, pray this prayer with me.
    ​
    “Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins, make me new. I ask Jesus to be my Savior and to be the Lord of my life, first in every way. My life is not my own, I give it to you. Thank you for new life. In Jesus’ name, I pray.”
    In just moment, we are going to sing a song. I will be at the front of the worship center. If you need prayer, please come. Get on your knees before God and we will pray with you. Humble yourself before God. Our deacons will be coming forward to pray with you and for you. If you prayed to receive Jesus, please come and let us pray with you and celebrate your new life in Christ. If God is dealing in your heart and life right now, don’t let this moment pass. Bring your prayers and your needs to God this morning. Let us support you and pray with you.
    As you stand and we sing together.
    <after closing the time of invitation>
    Perhaps you didn’t come forward for one reason or another, but you really do want to talk with us about what is going on in your life. Perhaps you need help, prayer, or you just want to know more about being a follower of Jesus. I would encourage you to do one of two things. After we are dismissed, just stay where you are. One of our deacons will come and talk with you and pray with you. The other thing you can do is check one of the boxes on the Connection Card. Put it in the offering plate as it passes. We will get in touch with you this week. You see, this church exists to minister to one another. We are here to support you in your walk with God.

      • Deuteronomy 10:17CSB

      • Deuteronomy 10:17CSB

      • Genesis 22:2CSB

      • Genesis 22:7CSB

      • Genesis 22:8CSB

      • Hebrews 11:17–19CSB

      • Genesis 22:9–10CSB

      • Genesis 22:11–14CSB

      • Romans 5:12CSB

      • Romans 5:8CSB

      • Ephesians 2:8–9CSB

      • Acts 16:31CSB

  • Draw Me Nearer
  • Cornerstone
First Baptist Church Laredo
https://fbclaredo.org
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