THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT<br> <br>

PROGRAM AIR DATE – 3-15-15

<br> <br>

LESSON TITLE:  “ISAAC.”<br> <br>



WELCOME<br> <br>

      ISN’T IT GREAT TO KNOW GOD AND TO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF GATHERING TOGETHER AND PRAISING HIS NAME ON THIS WONDROUS LORD’S DAY?  THANKS FOR JOINING US ON THIS SPECIAL DAY.  WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU THIS MORNING FOR THIS TIME OF OFFERING TO GOD.  HOW BLESSED WE ARE IN THIS COUNTRY TO HAVE THE FREEDOM TO ASSEMBLE THIS DAY AND TO GIVE THIS TIME TO OUR CREATOR.  IT IS MY HOPE AND PRAYER THAT WE WILL EACH DO OUR PART TO MAKE THIS TIME OF WORSHIP ACCEPTABLE IN GOD’S SIGHT AND ACCORDING TO HIS WILL!  NOW AS WE BEGIN TO FOCUS OUR THOUGHTS ON GOD, WILL YOU BOW WITH ME BEFORE HIS THRONE IN PRAYER.   <br> <br>

       PRAYER:  OUR GOD AND FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS DAY AND FOR THE MANY BLESSINGS OF LIFE - AND THE PRIVILEGE THAT WE HAVE TO BE CALLED YOUR CHILDREN AND TO BE SERVANTS IN YOUR KINGDOM. FATHER, WE THANK YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE GIVEN US YOUR DIRECTION, YOUR PATH, YOUR WAY - IN THE WORD; THE BIBLE - AND THEREFORE WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE SHOULD DO AND HOW WE SHOULD GO. AND FATHER, IN DOING THIS, WE KNOW WE CAN BE FOUND PLEASING IN YOUR SIGHT THUS BEING RECIPIENTS OF YOUR GRACE, LOVE, AND MERCY. FATHER, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO WORSHIP YOU. MAY WE DO SO IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH EXACTLY AS YOU COMMAND. AND FATHER, WHEN THIS LIFE IS OVER GIVE US A REWARD, A REWARD OF HEAVEN; A MANSION THERE PREPARED FOR THE FAITHFUL WHEN WE HAVE BEEN FAITHFULL OURSELVES IN THE END. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY, AMEN.<br> <br>

      WE HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR IN THIS LIFE AS WE ARE SO BLESSED BY GOD.  SUCH HAPPINESS IS OFTEN CONFUSED WITH THE FACT THAT THIS EARTH IS OUR TRUE HOME.  HOWEVER, IN THE BIBLE WE LEARN THAT OUR REAL HOME IS IN HEAVEN WITH GOD.   SO LET’S THINK ABOUT THIS TRUTH AS WE BEGIN WITH OUR SONG OF THE MORNING.  WON’T YOU JOIN IN WITH THE CONGREGATION AS WE SING TOGETHER, “THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME!” <br> <br>

      

      DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS<br> <br>

      DOESN’T IT FEEL GOOD TO HAVE KNOWLEDGE AND TO UNDERSTAND THINGS?  I DON’T KNOW OF ANYTHING WORSE THAN SOMEONE ASKING US A QUESTION AND NOT KNOWING THE ANSWER OR SOMETIMES NOT EVEN UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION.  KNOWLEDGE IS IMPORTANT.  <br> <br>

      ESPECIALLY IN RELATIONSHIP TO GOD, IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT WHICH GOD WOULD HAVE US TO. AND JUST THINK FOR A MOMENT, “WHERE DO WE GET UNDERSTANDING?”  YOU GUESSED IT, GOD HIMSELF.  READ WITH ME WHAT GOD’S GREAT SERVANT JOB SAID IN JOB 32:7-8.  “I SAID, 'AGE SHOULD SPEAK, AND MULTITUDE OF YEARS SHOULD TEACH WISDOM.  BUT THERE IS A SPIRIT IN MAN, AND THE BREATH OF THE ALMIGHTY GIVES HIM UNDERSTANDING.’”  SOMETIMES OUR EARTHLY KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE DETERMINE WHO HAS THE BEST ANSWER, BUT JOB TELLS US THAT ELIHU SAID THAT THE GREAT AND BEST KNOWLEDGE COMES FROM GOD AND HIS WORD!<br> <br>  

      I REMEMBER WHAT PAUL SAID TO TIMOTHY ABOUT THE WORD OF GOD.  READ WITH ME FROM 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17, “ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, FOR INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE COMPLETE, THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK.”  IS THERE REALLY ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED TO SAY ABOUT THE WONDROUS WORD OF GOD? WHAT A BLESSING WE HAVE FROM OUR CREATOR! <br> <br>

      DO YOU KNOW GOD’S WORD?   ARE YOU STUDYING IT, IN ORDER TO KNOW IT BETTER, AND THUS TO BE BETTER EQUIPPED IN THE THINGS OF GOD?   CHOOSE TODAY TO STAND WITH GOD AND TO HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWERS THROUGH YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WORD.  	 <br> <br>

      OUR STUDY OF THE MORNING WILL AGAIN FOCUS ON OUR SERIES ENTITLED, “SO GREAT A CLOUD OF WITNESSES.”  AS FAR AS THE SPECIFIC MESSAGE OF THE DAY, WE WILL CONSIDER THE LIFE OF THE PATRIARCH, “ISAAC.” SO PLEASE STAY WITH US AND AFTER OUR NEXT SONG, I WILL BE LEADING US IN THIS STUDY FROM GOD’S WORD.  NOW LET’S JOIN TOGETHER IN OUR SECOND SONG OF THE DAY.  THE NAME OF THIS HYMN, “TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS.”<br> <br>

      

      

      <br> <br>

      LESSON<br> <br>

      BY RAY SULLINS<br> <br>

      WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTINUING WITH US THIS MORNING AS WE NOW GO TO GOD'S WORD AND CONSIDER ANOTHER LESSON FROM REALLY OUR SERIES ON THE GREAT HEROES OF FAITH, WHICH ARE MENTIONED THERE IN HEBREWS CHAPTER 11. WE HAVE APPROACHED THIS SERIES FROM CHAPTER 12 WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT THAT THERE SUCH A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES OF THE FAITHFUL WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE AND WHO HAVE PROVED TO US THE WAY IN WHICH WE SHOULD GO IN ORDER THAT GOD WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE IN OUR LIVES AND FOLLOWED IN OUR LIVES, BUT ALSO THAT WE MIGHT THEREFORE BE ACCEPTABLE IN HIS SIGHT. <br> <br>

      SO IN DOING SO, WE HAVE LOOKED AT NOW TOGETHER QUITE A FEW DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS WE MIGHT SAY OR EVEN CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE PROVEN THEIR FAITH IN ACTION. THE VERSE THERE IN CHAPTER 11:1-2 BEGINNING, SPEAK OF NOT ONLY THE DEFINITION OF THE IDEA THAT FAITH PRESENTS BUT ALSO THAT THE ELDERS HAD A GOOD TESTIMONY. THE NEXT CONCEPT THAT IT PRESENTS IS REALLY ABOUT HOW THAT WE BELIEVE BY FAITH THAT THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED BY THE WORD OF GOD. AND THEN WE GO FROM THERE INTO A DISCUSSION OF ABEL, REALLY THE FIRST ONE THAT WAS KILLED BY HIS BROTHER ON THIS EARTH. AND YET HE WAS A MAN WHO, BY FAITH, HAD A MORE EXCELLENT SACRIFICE. WE ALSO HAVE LOOKED TOGETHER AT THE MAN ENOCH, WHO WAS AGAIN SEVERAL GENERATIONS REMOVED - OBVIOUSLY FROM SETH, PERHAPS ABOUT 6 TO 7 GENERATIONS. AND HE AGAIN WAS ONE WHO NEVER DIED PHYSICALLY ON THE EARTH BUT WAS TAKEN BY GOD. YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE HE HAD A GREAT FAITH - HE WALKED WITH GOD. <br> <br>

      WE'VE LOOKED AT NOAH AS WELL. AND AS WE LOOK AT NOAH WE KNOW HE, IN THE SAME LINEAGE, WAS A MAN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. IN FACT, IN HIS GENERATION ONLY HE - HIS THREE SONS - HIS WIFE AND THEIR WIVES - WERE SAVED IN THE ARK. AND BECAUSE HE PLEASED GOD, HE WAS PERFECT IN HIS GENERATION AND HE WALKED WITH GOD AS WELL. HE WAS A MAN WHO, BY FAITH, DID GOD'S WILL AND THEREFORE WAS SEEN AS FAITHFUL AND THUS REWARDED BY GOD. <br> <br>

      AND THEN YOU MIGHT RECALL WITH ME, EVEN LAST WEEK, WE WERE DISCUSSING TOGETHER ABRAHAM - AND ABRAHAM CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MORE FAMILIAR OF THE BIBLE CHARACTERS HERE OF FAITH AND STANDS OUT TO US BECAUSE HE IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE FATHER OF THE FAITHFUL. THE ONE WHO REALLY RECEIVED THAT PROMISE FIRST THERE IN GENESIS CHAPTER 12, THAT THROUGH HIS SEED, ALL NATIONS OF THE EARTH WOULD BE BLESSED. ABRAHAM STANDS AMONG THE PATRIARCHS AS ONE, NOT ONLY OF GREAT FAITH, BUT ONE WHO REALLY PROVED HIS ALLEGIANCE TO GOD. HIS COMMITMENT TO THE WILL OF GOD. AND DESPITE THE FACT HE WAS NOT PERFECT, HE LIVED A VERY RIGHTEOUS LIFE AND FOUND HIMSELF TO BE WORTHY AND ACCEPTABLE IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. IN FACT, THROUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT ABRAHAM IS USED AS THAT EXAMPLE WHO DID ACCORDING TO WHAT GOD SAID. AND THEREFORE, IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. <br> <br>

      NOW TODAY WE WANT TO CONTINUE THERE IN HEBREWS CHAPTER 11. AND YOU'LL NOTICE WITH ME AFTER THE STORY OF ABRAHAM, WHICH IS INCLUSIVE OF THE FAITH OF SARAH WHEN SHE EVENTUALLY HAD HER CHILDREN AND RATHER THAT FIRST CHILD ISAAC, AND HOW THAT SHE BY FAITH EVENTUALLY EVEN NURSED THAT CHILD AND BROUGHT THAT CHILD UP. WE SEE THAT THE NEXT PATRIARCH THAT REALLY COMES IN LINE OF THE LINEAGE THAT LEADS ALL THE WAY UP TO JESUS CHRIST IS MENTIONED TO US IN VERSE 20. AND IF YOU'LL NOTICE THERE THE BIBLE SAYS, “BY FAITH ISAAC BLESSED JACOB AND ESAU CONCERNING THINGS TO COME.” I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST OF ALL PRESENT, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN EACH OF THOSE NAMES THAT HAVE SUCH BEEN MENTIONED AND SO FAR BEEN MENTIONED, THAT IT SAYS THAT ISAAC - ISAAC, BY FAITH, BLESSED.” YOU SEE, HE BLESSED. THE VERB - ACTION VERB - TO BLESS SOMEONE. TO LITERALLY, BY SPEAKING OR ACTING TO BLESS OR BESTOW BLESSING ON SOMEONE. AND IN THIS CASE IT WAS HIS SONS. AND SO HE BY FAITH, ACTIVE BELIEF, PROVING HIS BELIEF BY DOING WHAT GOD SAID BLESSED THOSE WHO WERE TO CARRY ON THE PROMISE. BLESS THOSE WHO WERE TO CARRY ON THE LINEAGE, SPECIFICALLY HIS SON JACOB - WHO WAS ACTUALLY THE YOUNGER OF THE TWINS BUT YET HAD RECEIVED THE BIRTHRIGHT FROM HIS BROTHER AND, AS WELL, THUS THE ULTIMATE BLESSING FROM GOD. <br> <br>

      IF YOU'LL NOTICE THEN ALSO IN THE TEXT HERE, ISAAC AMONGST ALL OF THEM. PERHAPS HE'S REALLY DISCUSSED LESS THAN MOST OF THE OTHERS AND REALLY IT'S BECAUSE AS WE BEGIN TO LOOK BACK INTO THE STORY OF ISAAC THERE'S NOT A LOT THAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE LIFE OF ISAAC BESIDE THE FACT THAT HE WAS AT LEAST, IT SEEMS, A VERY RIGHTEOUS - A VERY GODLY MAN. ONE WHO CONTINUED IN THE WALK OF HIS FATHER - THE STEPS OF HIS FATHER. AND WE KNOW THAT ABRAHAM HAD BEEN ONE OF THE GREAT HEROES, IF NOT THE GREATEST MAN OF FAITH IN HIS GENERATION. AND SO AS YOU THINK ABOUT THE MAN ABRAHAM THEN, I THINK WE GO BACK TO OUR TEXT THERE IN HEBREWS CHAPTER 11 AND WE SEE IN VERSE 17 THAT WE ARE TOLD THAT ABRAHAM HAD THIS SON ISAAC. AND WITHIN THE STORY THERE WE BEGIN TO SEE CERTAIN THINGS THAT ABRAHAM DID, SUCH AS OFFERING HIS SON ISAAC. SUCH AS REALIZING THAT - IN OR BY THE SEED OR THROUGH THE SEED OF ISAAC - ALL NATIONS WOULD BE BLESSED OR THE PROMISE WOULD COME. WHEN WE BEGAN TO READ ON HERE WE SEE SO MANY THINGS THAT PROVE TO US, NOT ONLY THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM, BUT REALLY THE FAITH THAT ABRAHAM BROUGHT HIS SON UP IN.<br> <br> 

      AND SO THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO THE BOOK OF GENESIS AND WE WANT TO SEE WHERE - FIRST OF ALL - ISAAC IS INTRODUCED TO US. AND THIS IS WITHIN THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM AND ALOT OF WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT ISAAC, BY THE WAY, IS ACTUALLY ENCAPSULATED WITHIN THE STORY OF ABRAHAM AND HIS MOTHER REBEKAH. BECAUSE THEY  CERTAINLY HAD HIM AND HE WAS RAISED BY THEM. AND SO ALOT OF THE STORY, IN FACT PROBABLY MORE ABOUT HIM WITHIN THEIR STORY THAN WITHIN HIS OWN STORY LATER IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS. BUT THERE IF YOU LOOK WITH ME, SPECIFICALLY IN GENESIS CHAPTER 17, RIGHT AFTER ABRAHAM HAS ALREADY HAD HIS FIRST CHILD - YET THE CHILD BEING ILLEGITIMATE BY THE HANDMAID OF SARAH - HER NAME WAS HAGAR AND THE CHILD'S NAME, YOU MIGHT WELL RECALL WAS ISHMAEL. AND IF YOU RECALL HE SEEMED TO LOVE ISHMAEL VERY WELL. AND BY THE WAY - WITHIN THAT STORY IS ONE IN OF ITSELF. FOR IT WAS SARAH WHO ACTUALLY WANTED TO HAVE A CHILD THROUGH HER HANDMAID THERE IN THIS SITUATION WITH ABRAHAM. AND THEREFORE, AFTER SHE HAD THE CHILD, WE SEE THAT IT WAS A CONTENTIOUS PROBLEM BETWEEN HAGAR AND SARAH FROM THAT TIME ON. <br> <br>

      BUT ABRAHAM LOVED ISHMAEL AND IT'S CLEAR THAT HE LOVED ISHMAEL ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH THE TEXT. BUT WHEN WE FIND THERE THE COVENANT BEING REAFFIRMED IN CHAPTER 17 - GOD, SPEAKING WITH ABRAHAM, TELLS HIM THAT HE WOULD AGAIN HAVE THE PROMISE THAT IT WOULD BE THROUGH HIS SEED. AND THEN HE SAYS - AND YOU WILL HAVE A CHILD THROUGH SARAH. IN ANOTHER WORDS, A CHILD THAT IS LEGITIMATE. A CHILD WITH YOUR ACTUAL WIFE. WHO THEREFORE ALONE IS WORTHY TO BEAR THE BLESSING OR THE PROMISE OF GOD. AND ABRAHAM, IF YOU MIGHT RECALL THERE IN THAT TEXT AROUND VERSES 18, SAID - YOU KNOW WELL, FIRST OF ALL HE LAUGHED AND HE THOUGHT WELL HOW AM I - A MAN THIS AGE A HUNDRED YEARS OLD GONNA HAVE A CHILD? HOW'S SARAH, 90 YEARS OLD, GONNA HAVE A CHILD? THAT WAS REALLY IN HIS HEART AND HIS MIND. BUT ALSO HE BEGAN TO SAY, OH THAT ISHMAEL WOULD LIVE BEFORE YOU. WELL SEE HE SAYS I'VE ALREADY GOT A SON. WHY CAN'T ISHMAEL? WELL, ISHMAEL WAS NOT THE LEGITIMATE SON OF ABRAHAM AND SARAH, HIS WIFE. AND THEREFORE GOD SAYS NO, YOU WILL HAVE A SON. AND THERE IN VERSE 19 IT SAYS WHEN SARAH HAS THAT SON YOU WILL CALL HIS NAME ISAAC AND I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH HIM. SO WE KNOW THAT ISAAC IS THE CHOSEN CHILD OF ABRAHAM, THE LEGITIMATE FIRSTBORN SON OF ABRAHAM, WHO THEN WAS GIVEN THE PROMISE OF THE COVENANT OF GOD BEING UPON HIM AS IT HAD BEEN UP ON ABRAHAM. <br> <br>

      AND LATER, AS WE ALSO SAW IN HEBREWS, THE IDEA AS HE ALSO BY FAITH BLESSED HIS SONS, ESPECIALLY JACOB TO CARRY ON THAT PROMISE AND THAT BLESSING THAT HAD BEEN GIVEN BY GOD ALMIGHTY HIMSELF. AND SO WE KNOW THE STORY AND WE WON'T TAKE JUST A LOT OF TIME ON THE BIRTH STORY BECAUSE EVENTUALLY WE SEE THAT HE DOES HAVE THE CHILD. THE CHILD IS BORN OVER IN CHAPTER 21 AND CERTAINLY NO DOUBT IT WOULD'VE BEEN AN EXCITING TIME. NOT ONLY FOR SARAH, WHO WAS ABLE AGAIN AT HER OLD, OLD AGE TO NOT JUST BEAR A CHILD BUT TO CARE FOR THE CHILD, EVEN NURSE THE CHILD IN HER OLD AGE. BUT ABRAHAM WAS CERTAINLY ELATED, EVENTUALLY SENDING HAGAR AND ISHMAEL OFF BECAUSE OF THE CONTENTIOUS PROBLEMS BETWEEN THE TWO. AND BECAUSE ISAAC WAS CERTAINLY THE ONLY LEGITIMATE SON OF PROMISE WHO WAS TO RECEIVE THE INHERITANCE OF HIS FATHER. AND SO WE KNOW THAT GOD STILL CARES FOR ISHMAEL AND ABRAHAM ASKED BLESSINGS UPON HIM AND GOD BLESSES ISHMAEL AS A GREAT NATION AS WELL. BUT HE DOESN'T RECEIVE THAT SAME PROMISE, THAT PROMISE OF GOD - THE BLOODLINE UNTO JESUS THAT HERE ISAAC WAS BEING AFFIRMED FOR. <br> <br>

      NOW, IT'S WITHIN THAT SAME STORY THOUGH WHEN WE GET INTO CHAPTER 22 THAT WE BEGIN TO SEE SOME OTHER THINGS DEVELOP. THE THING THAT REALLY STANDS OUT TO ME PERHAPS TO HELP US SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHO ISAAC WAS AND HOW HE WAS RAISED BY HIS FATHER IS WHEN ABRAHAM IS TOLD BY GOD TO GO AND WORSHIP HIM AT A MOUNT THAT HE WOULD SHOW HIM AND HE SAYS YOU'RE GOING TO OFFER YOUR SON ISAAC. NOW IT'S AN INTERESTING STORY BECAUSE, AS WE GO AGAIN TO HEBREWS AS HE WAS CONSIDERED LAST WEEK, WE REMEMBER THAT HE WAS TOLD TO BY GOD TO OFFER HIS SON BUT HE BELIEVED THAT EVEN IF NEED BE, GOD COULD BRING HIM BACK FROM THE DEAD. WHY WAS ABRAHAM'S FAITH SO STRONG THAT GOD WOULD EVEN BRING ISAAC BACK FROM THE DEAD IF NEED BE IF HE KILLED HIM AS A SACRIFICE? BECAUSE GOD HAD SAID, THROUGH ISAAC, THROUGH ISAAC I WILL MAKE MY COVENANT AND I WILL BLESS ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH. IT WILL BE THROUGH HIS GENEALOGIES AND LINEAGE AS YOURS. AND SO IT WAS THROUGH ISAAC. ABRAHAM HAD A GREAT FAITH.<br> <br>

      BUT WE REMEMBER THE STORY THERE BRIEFLY ABOUT HOW THEY TRAVELED FOR DAYS AND THEY ARRIVED AT A CERTAIN PLACE AND HE TOLD HIS SERVANTS TO WAIT THERE. AND THEY TAKE THE WOOD THAT ALREADY HAD BEEN PREPARED BEFORE THEY EVEN LEFT THE HOUSE AND HE AND ISAAC BEGIN TO DO WHAT? HEAD UP INTO THAT MOUNTAIN AND AS THEY HEAD INTO THAT MOUNTAIN, THE SON EVEN SAYS FATHER, HERE'S THE WOOD. I KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A SACRIFICE BUT WHERE IS THE SACRIFICE? AND YOU REMEMBER WITH ME THAT THE LORD SAID: I TOLD HIM THAT HE WOULD PROVIDE AND ULTIMATELY GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT ABRAHAM THEN INSTILLED IN HIS SON - GOD WILL PROVIDE.<br> <br> 

      WHAT I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THERE FOR A MOMENT THOUGH IS - WHAT KIND OF FAITH DO YOU LEARN FROM A FATHER WHO IS FAITHFUL? WELL, YOU LEARN A FAITH THAT ACTS. ISAAC DIDN'T SAY WELL, WHAT DO WE GOT THE WOOD FOR? WELL, WHY ARE WE GOING UP TO THIS MOUNT? WHAT'S AN ALTER? WHAT....HE DIDN'T SAY THAT. HE SAID FATHER. HERE'S THE WOOD. WHERE’S THE SACRIFICE? I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO WORSHIP GOD. HE SEEMED ALMOST EAGER TO GO WORSHIP GOD. HE HAD BEEN TAUGHT BY HIS FATHER WHO GOD WAS AND HOW YOU WORSHIP GOD AND HE KNEW THE PATTERN AND PLAN FROM GOD. AND THEN EVEN, NOT JUST THE SACRIFICES, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MOMENT WHEN HIS FATHER TOOK HIM, AND BOUND HIM, AND LAID HIM ON THE ALTAR? BOY, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT WAS A TENSE MOMENT. DON'T YOU KNOW THERE MIGHT'VE BEEN SOME PLEADING AND BEGGING AND MAYBE EVEN TEARS - MAYBE EVEN FRANTIC MOMENTS - MAYBE EVEN SCREAMING BY THE SON WHEN HE WAS BEING BOUND AND PUT ON AN ALTAR. AND THEN WHEN HE ACTUALLY SAW HIS FATHER TAKE A KNIFE TO KILL HIM....WOW, WHAT FAITH! <br> <br>

      YOU KNOW, IMMEDIATELY YOU MIGHT SAY WOW - I DON'T KNOW WHY ISAAC WOULD'VE EVER WANTED TO BE AROUND HIS FATHER AGAIN OR WHY HE WOULD EVER TRUST HIS FATHER. YOU KNOW WHAT IT SEEMS THAT ISAAC LEARNED FROM HIS FATHER? WHAT FAITH REALLY IS....THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS FAITH IN GOD NEVER QUESTIONS GOD BUT DOES EXACTLY WHAT GOD SAYS. WHETHER IT MAKES SENSE TO US OR NOT, KNOWING THAT GOD IS ABLE TO DO WHATEVER HE PROMISES OR WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL IN OUR FAITH, BEING DONE AS HE HAS COMMANDED. <br> <br>

      AND SO I JUST ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THEM LEAVING THE MOUNTAIN AND AFTER THE SACRIFICE WAS PREPARED - A RAM WAS THERE AND THEY OFFER IT AND THEY ARE LEAVEING - I WONDER ABOUT THAT JOURNEY WHEN HE'S RIDING BACK ON THE ANIMALS TO HIS HOME AND THE DAYS OF THE TRAVEL THAT IT TAKES. AND I JUST WONDER WHAT WAS ON THE MIND OF ISAAC. I THINK I AT LEAST KNOW THAT HE HAD A GREAT RESPECT FOR HIS FATHER. HE SAW THE COMMITMENT TO GOD FOR HIS FATHER. AND HE NO DOUBT, I BELIEVE PROBABLY WOULD'VE BEEN TOLD BY HIS FATHER WHAT IS RECORDED - NOT ONLY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT BUT WHAT WE FIND IN HEBREWS. THAT HE KNEW IN HIS MIND THAT GOD BEING AN ALL-POWERFUL GOD - THE CREATOR OF ALL - COULD EVEN BRING ISAAC BACK FROM THE DEAD IF NEED BE. YOU SEE WHAT GREAT FAITH? <br> <br>

      YOU KNOW, ONLY IF WE HAD PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS TODAY THAT HAD THAT TYPE OF FAITH. THAT HAD THE TYPE OF FAITH THAT WOULD CHALLENGE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO RISE UP AND TO KNOW WHO GOD IS. TO KNOW WHAT GOD'S ABOUT. TO KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO SERVE THE CREATOR. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, I'M AFRAID SOMETIMES THAT WE FIND JUST THE OPPOSITE - PEOPLE WHO REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH FAITH AND THEY PUT A LOT OF THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD AND THEY PUT MAYBE THEIR JOB - THEY PUT A LOT OF THINGS BEFORE GOD. AND THEN THEY'RE CONFUSED AS TO WHY THEIR CHILDREN GROW UP AND THEY DO THE SAME THING. AND GOD'S REALLY NOT FIRST IN THEIR LIFE, AND THEY REALLY DON'T LOOK FOR A CHRISTIAN TO MARRY, AND THEY'RE REALLY NOT WORRIED ABOUT ATTENDING SERVICES, AND THEY WONDER WHERE THEY LEARNED THAT? <br> <br>

      YOU SEE, I BELIEVE THAT ISACC WAS A GREAT MAN OF GOD BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN TRAINED UP IN THE NURTURE AND ADMONITION OF THE LORD AS THE BIBLE SEEMS TO INDICATE. AND AFTER THAT, WHAT I ALSO FIND SO INTERESTING ABOUT THE STORY OF ISAAC, IS HE IS A RIGHTEOUS MAN THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE. AND AS WE SEE EVENTUALLY HIM EVEN RECEIVING A BRIDE THERE IN GENESIS 23. AND HE AND RACHEL BEING THOSE WHO COME TOGETHER AND WHO SHARE WHAT IT IS THAT GOD HAS BLESSED THEM WITH. WHAT A WONDERFUL THING! WHAT A BLESSED THING THAT THEY HAD TOGETHER THERE IN ORDER THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE THE CHILDREN OF GOD. AND BY THE WAY - THAT IS REBEKAH RATHER THAN RACHEL. RACHEL WAS THE WIFE OF JACOB. <br> <br>

      BUT NOW I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT IN RELATIONSHIP TO WHAT ISAAC WAS DOING, IS THAT HE WAS A MAN WHO REALLY WE DON'T SEE A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH. YOU THINK OF ALL THE PROBLEMS LATER WITH PATRIARCH JACOB OR THINGS THAT ESAU DID THAT WERE AGAINST GOD. OR EVEN WHAT MANY - EVEN KING DAVID - WHAT THEY DID. AND THEY SINNED AGAINST GOD. REALLY IN THE LIFE OF ISAAC, ALTHOUGH IT'S VERY SHORT IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS, WE FIND VERY FEW THINGS THAT REALLY ARE A PROBLEM WITHIN HIS LIFE. IN FACT, THE ONLY THING THAT I WAS ABLE TO FIND IN RELATIONSHIP TO BEING NEGATIVE AT ALL ABOUT ISAAC, WAS WHEN HE DID THE SAME THING THAT HIS FATHER HAD DONE WHEN HE WAS IN THE LAND OF ABIMELECH AND HE ASKED HIS WIFE TO TELL HIS OR THE PEOPLE OF ABIMELECH AND THOSE THERE, THAT SHE WAS HIS SISTER - THE SAME THING ABRAHAM HAD DONE. AND SO CERTAINLY ABIMELECH WAS NOT PLEASED WITH THAT. AND CERTAINLY THAT WAS NOT THE FULL TRUTH, BUT ISAAC SEEMED TO BE A RIGHTEOUS MAN. A MAN, AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT INTO THE NEW TESTAMENT, IS A MAN WHO IS AFFIRMED AS BEING IN THAT PROPER LINEAGE. <br> <br>

      IN THE BOOK OF MATTHEW CHAPTER 1, GUESS WHO'S MENTIONED IN THAT BLOODLINE? ISAAC. THROUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT, GUESS WHO'S MENTIONED? THE FATHER - SUCH AS ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB - THOSE WHO PROVED THEMSELVES TO BE RIGHTEOUS. WHO PROVED THEMSELVES TO BE THOSE WHO ARE OF GOD, AND WHO WERE OF WHAT WERE REFERRED TO AS THE TRUE SON OF PROMISE - THE FREE SON OF PROMISE. I MIGHT ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK LATER AT THE BOOK THERE OF GALATIANS CHAPTER 4 - THERE'S SOME GREAT CHALLENGES WITHIN THAT - CONCERNING REALLY THAT CONTRAST OF SARAH AND HAGAR AND ISHMAEL AND ISAAC. AND HOW THAT YOU AND I, BEING THE SEED OF ABRAHAM; OF THE LEGITIMATE SON - THE FREE SON - TODAY ALSO SHARE AS RECIPIENTS OF THOSE, WHO BY FAITH IN JESUS, ARE CALLED THE SEED OF ABRAHAM. <br> <br>

      WELL, IF YOU THINK ABOUT THAT...WE ARE SEEDS. NOT JESUS THE SEED, BUT WE ARE A TYPE OF SEED. THE DESCENDENTS OF ABRAHAM. ARE YOU A DESCENDENT OF ABRAHAM TODAY? ARE YOU FAITHFUL IN THE SIGHT OF JESUS CHRIST BECAUSE YOU ARE TRULY A CHILD OF GOD? IF NOT, DO WHAT YOU NEED TO GET RIGHT WITH YOUR CREATOR. FOR ONLY THOSE, WHO BY FAITH LIVE ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, WILL BE SAVED IN THE END.

<br> <br>

CLOSING COMMENTS<br> <br>

      MAY I AGAIN TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.  I HOPE OUR TIME TOGETHER HAS BEEN AN ENCOURAGEMENT AND THUS A BLESSING TO US ALL.  PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE INVITED BACK TO JOIN US EVERY FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, AT 7:30, AS WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO THIS TIME OF WORSHIP BEFORE GOD!  <br> <br>

      BUT FOR NOW, LET ME ASK IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT TODAY’S LESSON?  MAYBE, YOU WOULD LIKE A FREE TRANSCRIPT OR A CASSETTE TAPE OF THIS PROGRAM?  POSSIBLY, WE COULD ASSIST YOU WITH FREE BIBLE MATERIALS OR CORRESPONDENCE COURSES?  NO MATTER WHAT YOUR NEED IS, PLEASE CONTACT US AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS:  <br> <br>

The Living Word

2540 N. Kansas Expressway 

Springfield, Mo.  65803

<br> <br>

Many of these materials are also available on our website:  

That address is: www.thelivingwordprogram.com

<br> <br>

Or if you prefer, you may call us at:

(417)869-2284  <br> <br>

      OH THE LOVE FOR GOD WHICH WE SEE IN HIS TRUE SERVANTS.  MAY WE ALL STRIVE TO BE MORE FAITHFUL TO GOD AND TO GIVE HIM OUR VERY BEST.  HEAVEN WILL SURELY BE WORTH IT ALL.<br> <br>