The Lord Will Provide | Genesis 22 | Good Friday Service | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (4/3/26)

And everyone, I wanna welcome you brothers and sisters and friends and guests to Maranatha Bible Church for our Good Friday service here tonight. It is our delight to share this next hour with you as we exalt Jesus Christ in everything that we do. Allow me to open us up by reading a portion of scripture from that great book of Romans. Romans chapter five starting in verse one. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame. Because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Four, while we were still weak. At the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for the righteous person, though, perhaps for a good person, one would dare even to die. But for us and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. Four, if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life? More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received reconciliation.

We worship Jesus Christ. We worship him for everything that he has done, everything that he has accomplished, and most of all for who he is. What the crucifixion is, make no mistake, the crucifixion is not a time where we remember a martyr who died for his beliefs. Example of what sacrificial love means. No.

That is not what the crucifixion is about. It's so much more glorious than that. Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, brother, sister, we have salvation. We have reconciliation with God. We have peace with God, justification, propitiation.

Christ took the penalty that we deserved. And so now through faith in him, we have eternal life. And tonight's service will will be more contemplative. It will be more meditative. But make no mistake, we are not despairing tonight.

We are not mourning tonight. We do everything with serious joy. As Christians, we are sorrowful because we have to come face to face with what our sin has wrought. But as Christians, we are always rejoicing because Jesus Christ is greater than our sins. Let's pray.

Father, we come before you tonight in humility. Lord, in weakness and need, we need you afresh, Lord. We are needy people. But Lord, we come to you tonight with confidence, with joy, with adoration. Because you are our God and we have peace with you through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tonight, may you receive all the glory. And tonight may every person in this room encounter you afresh. Lord, may you comfort those who are mourning. May you bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted. And yes, Lord, may you even for that person tonight bring them from death into your marvelous light so they might enjoy eternal life.

To you be the glory. Always Lord. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Church, will you please stand and sing with us tonight?

Hour, while the sun's light filled, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he

breathed his

last.

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you that every song that we sang to this evening, every word that we will hear from this book is true. It's all true. We acknowledge that we are indeed sinners, rebels, wayward, and lost sheep, but you brought us home because you sent the great shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. We pray, Lord, that you would use this service to to reign our hearts in and to remind us what we are celebrating here is the most important thing about our lives, the most important news that this world can ever hear, and the most blessed hope that anyone can have.

Be with us, Lord, as we continue in this service. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. You may be seated.

Thank you. I found myself today praising God for his wonderful providence over this church. Many of you know that we are in a transition as a ministry, as a family. In a few short weeks, we will be in our brand new permanent home. And there's been a lot going on in the background.

There's been a lot of preparation and conversation and praying and planning. And yet, we find ourselves in the time of the year where most churches take this weekend to meditate and reflect on what's most important. And I praise God that we find ourselves at this time, even though there's so much going on for this church, being brought back to what matters the most. This is all about the gospel. This is all about the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the living one who laid down his life for us.

What took place two thousand years ago was not confined to that time. And what I mean by that is God in his great mercy and power prepared generations for what Christ would accomplish two thousand years ago. He had summoned and empowered prophets of the one true God to provide and preach and to preserve prophecies and precise predictions concerning the various aspects and the nature of Christ's substitutionary death. And more than that, his vicarious death was foretold through shadows and types, pictures and events, and even people who point to the greatest fulfillment, the ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. God has preserved records of this in what we know to be the Bible.

And one of the clearest scenes, one of the most impressive stories, which is a true story that foreshadows who Christ is and what he would do is in the story of Abraham called by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. In Genesis 22, what's most often emphasized is Abraham's impeccable and inspirational, unreserved obedience and faithfulness to the most difficult exhortation and instruction that he can receive from God. And so what's usually brought up from that chapter is look how faithful Abraham was, look how he passed the test, and this is how you and I can be faithful. And that is wonderful. That is true.

But I wanna use this time to remind you that the success of that story, the impact of that moment would be lost without Isaac in the story. Isaac in that story is a picture of Jesus Christ. Abraham in that same story is a symbol, is a metaphor, is a foreshadowing of God the Father. And today, this isn't really a sermon. If you'd like to call it that, that's okay.

I wanna use it more as a time of reflection and I want us to look simply at some things about Isaac that will have each of us here who have an honest understanding of the Bible saying that's Jesus. That's Christ. That's my Lord. That's my Lord mentioned thousands of years before he even entered into the world. And so really, we are going to just get a glimpse of the masterpiece of this chapter.

And I'll tell you this, if we wanted to, we can go through every single verse of that chapter. And if we did, we'd be here for a very long time. Because every verse in that chapter virtually points to Jesus Christ. I make that argument. But we won't be looking at every verse.

We can't do that tonight. But I want us to consider a few things. So I heard some Bibles flipping through the pages earlier at the opening of the service. Can we do that again as we go to Genesis 22? Take our bibles and go to this very known text and meditate on a few things that will be very helpful for our worship tonight.

I wanna look at three things about Isaac that reflect Jesus. And the first thing I want us to consider is the significance of Isaac. Let's read the first two verses together. After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham. And he said, here I am.

He said, take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. You and I should stop in our tracks when we read how God describes and designates Isaac. He tells Abraham, your son, your only son Isaac whom you love. Now this should strike us. Why?

Well, for many reasons, one of the main ones practically speaking is that we know that Isaac is not Abraham's only son. We have Ishmael who was already born, who was virtually a young adult at this point. And yet, he's designated, Isaac at least, is designated as his only son. Why why is that? For the same reason why Jesus is referred to as the only son in John three sixteen.

You know, many critics and opponents of the deity of Christ will unfortunately point out that the title son of God for Christ is not that meaningful because it seems as though the Bible tells us there are many sons of God. In Job one six, we learned that the angels are referred to as the sons of God. In Romans eight fourteen, those who put their faith and trust in Christ and who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit are known as the sons of God. And so Christ may be more important than others, but not that special being deemed as the Son of God. But you have to understand that the word only in the Bible is not limited to a numeric term or description of quantity.

Only in the Bible at times can also mean something of uniqueness, value. You know in Hebrews eleven seventeen, Isaac there in the New Testament is also referred to as Abraham's only son. And that word in the Greek is It's the same word in John three sixteen. And the actual meaning of the word is one of its kind. Significant, set apart, special.

And that is what we find here with Isaac. This is what God seems to be conveying, that he is your only son. He's the son of the covenant. He's the son whom I will make the promises that I made to you become a reality. He is significant.

And what's so special for us to consider here about the only son whom is who is loved is that this emphasizes just how massive this request is. For God to make this call is Abraham having to give up his most cherished, his most prized, his most beloved thing they could ever offer. And the question I had was, why ask for him? You made this man wait so long to have him. And he built all these memories with him.

And his hope is so strong. And he's rejoicing in your faithfulness. And now in a very, very, very seasoned part of his life, you were asking him to give it all up? Why? Because God wanted to know, Abraham, do you love me more than anything?

Am I your supreme treasure? Do I mean more to you than anything else I I've ever given to you, even even Isaac? That's exactly what we discovered later on in the story. Peek at verse 12 with me for for a moment. As Abraham is about to strike his son with a knife, it says here, he being the angel of the Lord said, do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him.

For now I know that you fear God seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. Here's what's so moving about this. God wanted to see if Abraham loved him more than Isaac And the way that Abraham was going to prove that was by giving up Isaac. And the Lord, as someone rightly observed, in wanting to prove his love for us, did so by not withholding his own son, but by giving him for us. It makes you wonder if Paul's words in Romans eight thirty two stem from this story when he says that he who has not given up or not withheld and kept back his son from us, will he not also graciously give us all things?

God did not hold back his son. God gave his son. And if he gave his only son, his beloved son, will he not also give us many other things? It's amazing to consider that we too, in looking at what God has done with his only son, can say with confidence, I know he loves me. I I have absolute confidence that he loves me because he did not withhold his son from me.

The significance of Isaac is so obvious. And what's even more clear is the submission of Isaac. If you look at the story and read, you don't only find the obedience of Abraham, a faithful friend to God, but you also find the unreserved compliance of his son Isaac. Now many get this wrong in understanding this story. They think that Isaac's willingness to go along with Abraham's wishes was because he was a young boy.

He didn't really have any, other choice or that he was just innocently trusting in the leadership of his father. And this confusion stems from the word boy being used in verse five and in verse 12. But the Hebrew word actually denotes a broader meaning than our modern conception. This is not about a little boy, a half grown man. This could actually be referring to a young adult or a teenager because it's applied in the same way in many other passages.

And when you look at the internal evidence, I mean, you see that Isaac is able to discern the situation. Especially as they're making their way up to the mount, he realizes we have the wood, we have the fire, but where is the lamb? You know what I love about that part? It shows that Isaac understood what it meant to sacrifice to the Lord. Abraham taught him well.

And he was old enough to carry the load of wood on his shoulders. A little boy can't do that. If you read even more carefully, you'll see by the end of the story that Isaac's old enough to act independently. So this is not a this is not a child. This is a young man and it makes the accuracy of this reflection and this parallel to Christ that much more wonderful.

Because it reminds us what Jesus said in John ten eighteen when he was speaking about his own death. He wanted to clarify something very important. And he said that no one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down and I have the authority to take it up again.

Jesus Christ was not reluctant going to the cross. He wasn't forced. He wasn't coerced. He wasn't manipulated to do so. He desired to do so.

He desired to do so in obeying the Father and he desired to do so in redeeming us. You know, this is so powerful, but there's even more to consider. I want you to see the language here of verse six of Genesis 22 down through verse eight. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.

And Isaac said to his father, Abraham, my father. And he said, here I am, my son. He said, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham said, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So they went both of them together.

There's a phrase repeated twice in those verses. It's so important. It's the last part of verse eight. Look at it again. So they went both of them together.

You find at the end of verse six as well. As though the Holy Spirit wants to illustrate that the Father and the Son were in complete harmony. Isaac, not for a moment, went his own way. He didn't delay. He didn't go ahead.

He was completely in sync with his dad. And whatever his father said, he did. Wherever his father went, he went. Whatever his father asked of him, he did. What did Jesus tell us in John five nineteen?

That whatever he sees the father doing, he does. And so even in this, we find Isaac reflecting, showing us, preparing us for the greater son who would absolutely and totally obey what the Father asked of him. You say, why is that important? I'll tell you one reason it's important, because Jesus won your obedience. Jesus performed your righteousness.

Every law that he obeyed, every command that he was given on any given morning by the father, all of that righteousness that he accumulated, that perfection is then now transferred to us. As though we have perfectly obeyed the father. You see his obedience is more than just confirming his deity and his perfection. Yes. It prepared him to be the spotless lamb to be slain.

Absolutely. But it's also to win our obedience and to clean our record not just by forgiving the debt but by putting into that account righteousness. So we see the submission here of Isaac. And lastly, the substitute for Isaac. We know the story very well.

This boy is laid on the altar that Abraham built and that he organized. There's no sign of a fight. There's no wrestling. There's no attempt to escape. As much as Isaac's actions here prove something of his obedience, The things that you don't find in there also say something about his compliance and his submission.

There's no protest, is there? There's no questioning. Just total trust and total willingness. And Abraham, I love Abraham's faith. All the promises in the back of his mind, that three day journey making his way to the region known as Moriah, trying to make sense, I'm sure, of what this is all about.

And by the time he gets to the desired location, he he determined that although the promise is in this boy, the promise for generations, the promise for the world to be blessed is in this child. If God's asking me to kill him, it means that he's gonna raise him from the dead. That's the only logical conclusion here because God keeps his word. And so he's ready to go through with this. Some think that Abraham has this understanding that God is going to stop him from slaying his son.

No. No. No. Abraham, we have all the reason to believe that he is going to actually perform this act. And as he's ready to do it, his hand is stayed.

The angel of the Lord, as we read earlier in verse 12, stops him and says, you passed the test. I know that you fear me. I know that you love me above all things including Isaac. But the story doesn't stop there. Abraham looks behind him and there's a ram caught in the thicket.

And he takes that ram and instead of Isaac, he kills that ram and it becomes a burnt offering. This is this is one of the earliest depictions, the earliest sites of God showing us the truth of substitutionary atonement. But there's more than that happening here. Look at verse 14. So Abraham called the name of that place, the Lord will provide.

As it is said to this day, on the mount of the Lord, it shall be provided. This is where the famous title for God, Jehovah Jireh comes from. And many people use this scripture to speak about God's faithful provision, his providential provision. How we have nothing to fear. God will always provide.

That is certainly true. But the context suggests something much more deep, Something that we are looking at tonight concerning Christ. Notice that it doesn't say he called the Lord Jehovah Jireh. He named the place Jehovah Jireh. And Moses, who's the author of Genesis even adds this in verse 14, as it is said to this day.

So even up to the days of Moses when he came to this specific location, there were those who looked on that hilltop and said, Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. And so does Moses or Abraham rather set this hill up as a memorial of God's faithfulness? Absolutely. But the tense here and the sense here is that he's also speaking of something future.

Abraham was a prophet. And we have all the reason to believe that in this scene, in this very moment, he got a glimpse of something to come. And it's about this place. Mount Moriah has only referenced one other place in all of the Hebrew scriptures. Turn with me to second Chronicles three verse one.

This is the account of Solomon's efforts and his accomplishments concerning the temple. The permanent structure of worship where the nation of Israel would be able to meet with the Lord and have their sins covered and give to God what is his due. Notice what it said here in second Chronicles three one. Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. So Mount Moriah, wherever this hill is, is in Jerusalem.

Where the Lord had appeared to David his father at the place that David had appointed on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. So Abraham in Genesis 22, after experiencing God's intervention, after experiencing how God substituted for his son, says of this place, the Lord will provide. You come to second Chronicles three, you see a partial fulfillment of it. The very same site where the temple be built where many other animals would be offered up as a sacrifice to cover the sins of the people of God. But there's even a deeper more wonderful connection here.

Notice the clue. It says here in the second part of verse one of second Chronicles three, where the Lord had appeared to David his father at the place that David had appointed on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. God wants us as we come to this historical moment to think back to what happened with David who had his own revelation in Jerusalem at this site, deeming it the place where God's house would be built. And when you go there, you see something amazing. Let's go there.

In first Chronicles now. And look at chapter 21. What do you have here in first Chronicles 21? You have the record of David's senses bringing judgment upon the people of God. We don't have time to get into why David counting the number of military men and counting the number of his population at the time was wrong.

It has to do with his motive and his method. But a prophet approaches David to let him know you did sin, and God is going to bring judgment. And so David accepts this, but then you get a glimpse into the spiritual realm. David himself and others with him have the veil removed and he he gets some kind of insight to what's taking place behind the scenes. And it's here in verse 14.

So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel and 70,000 men of Israel fell. And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. But as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw and he relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, It is enough. Now stay your hand.

And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders clothed in sackcloth fell upon their faces. Let's gather some of these things. In Genesis 22 on Mount Moriah, you have Abraham called by God to lead his son to the slaughter. He lays his son on the altar.

He draws his knife. And as he was about to plunge it into the chest of his one and only son, the angel of the Lord says stop. Hundreds upon hundreds of years go by and David finds himself at the very same site. Judgment is released. And here he sees an angel with a sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem.

And before he drops that sword to slay the citizens and the inhabitants of the holy city, a voice from heaven commands the angel to stop. Stay your hand. Something happens hundreds of years after this point. Jesus in Mark 14, after instituting the Lord's Supper, tells us in verse 26 and verse 27 that they were ready to go to the Mount Of Olives. But before they make their way, he looks at his own disciples, and I want you to see what he says to them.

In Mark 14, verse 27. And Jesus said to them, you will all fall away for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. Where is that written? He quotes Zechariah 13 verse seven. But what he does here in Zechariah thirteen seven is that he quotes the second part of it.

But he tells us by making this reference that he is the fulfillment of Zechariah thirteen seven. Does anybody remember the first part of Zechariah thirteen seven? Well, allow me to read it in your presence. Awake, oh sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me, declares the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.

I will turn my hand against the little ones. Jesus was in Jerusalem when he died, was he not? Just outside the city. Some even believe that he was on the ridges of Mount Moriah. In Genesis 22, there was a knife ready to strike Abraham's only son.

His hand was stayed. In first Chronicles 21, there was an angel with a sword in his hand and he was ready to strike Jerusalem. But a voice from heaven commanded that hand to go no further. And then Jesus Christ, the Son of God appears on the scene and he would later be pinned to a cross. And according to Zechariah thirteen seven, the sword of the Lord, a picture of God's justice and wrath, would be unsheathed.

But this time there was no cry from heaven for that sword to stop. There was no halt. There was no retraction of the outpouring of justice. There was no escape from this devastating blow. The sword in Zechariah thirteen seven met the Son of God and pierced him.

The Lord will provide. He named that place, Jehovah Jireh. Isaac didn't experience it. Thousands upon thousands in Jerusalem and David's day didn't experience it. Jesus experienced the sharpest sword with the strongest thrust so that you wouldn't have to experience it.

He took your place. And he received the blow of God's fierce judgment. And he took piercings physically and he experienced pain and suffering on levels that we dare not explore. Because no mind, no matter how great it is, can conjure up or fathom what took place in those very few hours on that cross. The substitute for Isaac, sure, but also the substitute for all of humanity.

And that's what we're reflecting on tonight. That's what we're here to meditate on tonight. It should have been you. It should have been me. But God in his great love gave his son and allowed the sword to strike him.

And that's why we have this evening every year. So that we can come into this place and not think about what I can do for God, how I can bless God, as important as that is, how I can become more godly and more holy and more sanctified and more serious. There's a time and place for that. But what this is all about ultimately is what God has done for us. This is part of the offense of the gospel.

You're telling me I don't have any role to play in my salvation. There there's no punishment I have to accept. There's no record that I have to keep. There's no sacrifice I have to make. And for many, for millions, this is unattractive.

They want a part to play in their own redemption and we are Christians, strange creatures on this planet. For many reasons including this one, our salvation solely rests on the one who took the sword on our behalf. And you and I come here, yes, once a year, but I hope every day to remember that the foundation of it all is that he took my judgment. He paid the price for me. He fulfilled the righteousness that I don't deserve but desperately need.

And there are so many threads in this beautiful book that amplified that message so that you and I would one believe it, so that we would be saved, but also rest in it. I found myself this whole day today trying not to allow any other thought enter into my mind and to fix my meditation upon this glorious truth. I am forgiven forever. If you really believe that, if I really believe that, then we're the richest people on earth. We're the most blessed.

We have nothing to boast about in ourselves, but Christ, this great love, From the beginning, he had planned it that he would take what we deserve and give us what we don't deserve. So tonight as we are going to partake of the bread and the cup, please approach this table with the revelation that the sword fell upon him so that I can go free. Let's pray. Father, in this sacred setting, we say thank you for your love. Abraham proved his love for you by giving his only son.

You have shown your love for us by giving your only son. Thank you for the brilliance of your word. That there are so many ways to perceive and understand what took place on the cross and you've given us a new revelation of a sword. A sword that did not strike Isaac. A sword that did not fall upon Jerusalem.

And a sword that should have fell on each of us, but instead was aimed at the Son of God and pierced him so that we can be free. Lord, we gladly confess in your presence tonight that as we eat and drink of these elements, we are savoring the grace of God, the free gift of salvation that was very costly. We love you, Lord. Help us love you more. In Christ's name we pray.

Amen. Just remain seated as we get the table organized. Let these lyrics and the music wash over you and prepare your heart to come, not sorrowful, not guilty, but overwhelmed by his love.

We do this as a remembrance of what Christ has done for us on the cross. Christ, the night he was betrayed, he told his disciples, his followers, do this in remembrance of me. It is for those who have been following Christ. It's for those who are Christ's disciples, this table four. So if you are and you know it, a follower of Christ have been washed in his blood, you have been walking in his light, and you know it.

Christ invites you tonight. If you are not, we'll ask you to remain seated in your seats and just observe all others who have been walking in the light of Christ, saved by his blood. That's for you. We welcome you to come. Thank you for the prize.

Thank you for the prize. Jesus, the night He was betrayed, it was his last Passover. He took unleavened bread, matzah, the bread of affliction. But now, from now on, this is going to start meaning something else. He says, now from now on, this no more a reminder of Egypt.

No. This is my body that I'm giving for you. And after he has given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and told him, eat it, all of you, in remembrance of me. Let us give him thanks. Lord Jesus, we thank you for the cross.

When we look at the cross, we see your amazing love. We see your goodness. We see your faithfulness. We see grace. We see the justice of God, we see a sin bearer, a substitute as we have heard tonight, not for one man for Isaac but for all who put their trust in you.

We see redemption. We see bloodshed for our sins. We see forgiveness at the cross. We see sinners being made perfect and justified because of what you have done for us. Our Lord we thank you for it and now as we break this bread together we remember this act of love.

We bow before you in thanksgiving and gratitude. Let's eat it together. Let's give thanks for the cup. Lord we also see a bloodshed for we know without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Millions of sacrifices were offered and blood shed throughout the ages that they could not truly remove any sin.

There was always a conscience of sin, a reminder of sin, but there on the cross by the blood of Jesus, all memory of sin is gone. Our sins are wiped out, are gone and we are set free forever. And Lord we thank you for your precious blood that was shed for each of us there on the cross. Let's train the cup together.

Genesis 22 is more than a foreshadowing of the death of Christ. It's it's so rich. I just wanna read something to maybe wet your appetite for our Genesis bible study series that hopefully we'll be doing very soon. But listen to this. It says here on verse four of Genesis 22.

On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you. Abraham knew that he was going to have to kill his son, but he also believed that he was going to come back with Isaac and return the same way that they came. On what day did Abraham believe that he was going to see his son raised?

On the third day. This is one of the instances and references I'm sure that Paul had in mind when he told the Corinthians in first Corinthians 15 that I delivered to you a first importance that Christ died according to the scriptures and was buried and rose on the third day according to the scriptures. But there's even more than that in Genesis 22. He told the two servants, we will come back to you. Right?

Have you ever considered what happened at the end of the story? Let me read it to you here in verse 19. So Abraham returned to his young men and they arose and went together to Beersheba and Abraham lived at Beersheba. I thought he said he was coming back with Isaac. We know Isaac isn't dead because God intervened and there was a substitute.

So why isn't Isaac mentioned when Abraham returned to the service? Did he not say that we will come back to you? Certainly. And it's a picture of the resurrection. But the absence of Isaac mentioned here goes beyond resurrection.

It points to ascension, that he's not here anymore. And you have to come to the Genesis Bible study to find out the next time Isaac appears in the book of Genesis. I'm sure it will move your heart. Let's thank him for now. We thank you, Lord, that the truths that we hear from this book are from your heart, or from your mind, which is infinitely wise and majestic.

Lord, we thank you that the story doesn't end at the cross. This is it does not end with awake, oh sword, and strike my shepherd. We thank you that you rose. We thank you that you ascended. We thank you that this Sunday, we will remember that Jesus is alive.

And so, Lord, bring us to that place again remembering that you are indeed the living Christ, supervising and governing all things, including our lives. And for this, we give you praise. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. If the Lord will, as we will see you in this very same room on Sunday, come ready to celebrate that our Jesus is indeed alive.

God bless you. We'll see you then. Bye bye.