The BBQ is U

Genesis 22:14 (NLT) — 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

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Have you ever wondered what the Bible is about? Is it a "road map" to life? And "instruction manual" on how to be a good person. If you've ever tried to read through the Old Testament I'm sure you've seen that it get's a little weird and crazy.

The Bible is actually a compilation. It's a ton of different books compiled together in one. The different books can be different genre's, biography, logs/records, architectural plans, narratives, poems, proverbs, etc. So what's it all about?

The Old Testament is Jesus Christ concealed, the New Testament is Jesus Christ revealed.

After Jesus was resurrected from the dead he appeared to two of his followers that were walking to Emmaus. They didn't recognize him at first. They thought they were talking to a stranger...

Luke 24:13–27 (NLT) — 13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.” 19 “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. 20 But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago. 22 “Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. 23 They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.” 25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

It's from this text (verse 27) that we know we can look back to the Old Testament and see Jesus through those stories.

Let's look at the story of Abraham and Isaac...

By the time that Abraham has Isaac, he is already an old man. In his youth he was a warrior that lead a band of 318 men to defeat an army and rescue his nephew, his nephews family, and all their belongings which had been plundered by the army.

Abraham had also been in relationship with God, showing/proving his faith by leading a life that depended on God.

Abraham and his wife Sarah were unable to have kids. Then once they were old and ancient (way past child-bearing years) the LORD tells them that they will have a son. But God tells them this YEARS before it ever happens. They eventually have a son and the son that they end up having through the LORD's promise was Isaac.

So...he finally gets a son and the LORD says...

Genesis 22:2 (NLT) — 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

I know it seems like God is ridiculous, asking for a child sacrifice...but bear with it for a little bit.

Genesis 22:3–14 (NLT) — 3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” 6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” 12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” 13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

At the time of Abraham, it was common for religions to offer up child sacrifices for their gods. But not Yahweh.

But why go through all that drama? And where is Jesus in this?

*Jesus like Isaac was a son born of a promise from the LORD, given many years before his birth.

*Jesus like Isaac was born to a woman who could not have conceived apart from a miracle.

*Jesus like Isaac was a firstborn son.

*Jesus like Isaac was greatly loved by His Father.

*Just as Isaac carried the wood that he would be sacrificed on (verse 6), Jesus carried the cross that He would be sacrificed on.

*Just as Isaac submitted to his father, so Jesus submitted to His Father's will, even to death.

*Jesus' Father, like Isaac's father, felt the agony of an innocent son's death

*Just as Isaac was brought figuratively back from the dead, Jesus was literally raised from the dead.

*The mountain that Abraham almost sacrificed his son on. The mountain that the LORD provided a ram as a sacrifice instead of the Abraham's son, that same mountain would become the exact place where Jerusalem was built, and God would provide the ultimate sacrifice in His Son Jesus so that we do not have to taste death.

Hebrews 9:26b (NLT) — 26 ...But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

Hebrews 9:13–15 (NLT) — 13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Hebrews 10:4 (NLT) — 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Hebrews 10:10 (NLT) — 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

1 John 4:10 (NLT) — 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.