Shadows to Substance: Isaac - DJ Dickerson

Certainly is good that we could be here

today. Uh as I made mention before the

Bible class, I'll make mention again. Uh

I'm having I had to go to the doctor

yesterday for some they determined it

was a uh my scapula is not happy with

me. Uh so I've had some spasms that uh

every once in a while if I wse I'm not

having a heart attack. So I I just want

to make that clear. That has been

checked. I'm good. Um, but the the pain

I'm just uh I said just bear with me if

I if I kind of take a moment to take a

breath. Um, that's what's going on. But

with that being said, our study

continues and our shadows to substance.

Our shadows to substance. And I I

believe what we have noticed already in

the last few lessons that we have

considered and studied together in the

Bible is one continuous divine story

from beginning to end.

And although the Old Testament and the

New Testament are, you know, we say,

well, they're divided into Old and and

New.

Both the old and new are two sides

really of one eternal plan.

And what we've noted when we talk about

shadows and we see this in the New

Testament when we talk about the shadows

is something that has again we we might

think of the words mysteries mysteries

that were laid to be revealed. you know,

might not see the complete picture and

what we see in the shadows of the Old

Testament, but we see the the

correlation

later on in the New Testament and we see

the connection and it's absolutely

stunning as you study these. And I

appreciate so much the interest as we've

continued and and the enjoyment that

you're receiving out of this out of this

study and and the the light that

sometimes catches. It's like this is

pretty neat, right? Um but some have put

it the Old Testament conceals

what the New Testament reveals. Now when

when we study the Old Testament again we

we got to understand we're not simply uh

reading history. We are reading prophecy

in picture form for uh that God has

given us. and and God through inspired

events and lives was painting shadows

of the greater realities to come in

Jesus Christ.

One of the verses that we have noted

numerous times throughout this series of

lessons is is what again we've talked

about uh about food, drinks, festivals,

new moons, Sabbaths, those types of

things. But what he said in verse 17

says which are a shadow of things to

come but the substance is of Christ. Now

we have considered a couple of these

shadows already from the Old Testament

uh that certainly painted an amazing

divine portrait for us. But but among

those divine shadows, uh I I believe

that none is more touching and profound

than the story of Abraham and Isaac. Uh

on the surface, it's a father tested by

God

and a son willingly

laid upon the altar.

Now, I want us to go to the book of

Genesis. And we're we're going to, of

course, flip back and forth as we have

uh throughout this series because again,

shadows, Old Testament, and then the

substance, the New Testament.

But as we look at this,

when we look closer at what's going on,

it becomes a a picture of God the Father

offering his beloved son, Jesus, for the

salvation of the world.

So for this morning we will consider in

our next lesson of shadows of substance

with that of Isaac who was a type and

shadow of Christ.

So in this lesson what we're going to do

is we're going to journey up the

mountain with Abraham and Isaac and

we're going to see in their story the

foreshadowing of Calvary itself.

So the first thing I I I believe is

important to note when we're studying

about this in the shadow is a very

distinction that's made of of of of

or similarity rather with that of Isaac

who is also known as the promised son.

Okay. So go to Genesis chapter 17 and

Genesis 17 · chapter mention

look at verse 19. We'll start there.

Genesis chapter 17 and verse 19.

Genesis 17 · chapter mention

Then God said, "No, Sarah, your wife

shall bear you a son, and you shall call

his name Isaac. I will establish my

covenant with him for an everlasting

covenant, and with descendants after

him." Now, if you understand, of course,

even look further as we think about the

covenant that uh God made when God first

told Abraham that he would have a son

through Sarah. What was Abraham's

response to that? They react. Well, he

laughed, didn't he? Um, well, Sarah did

the same thing, didn't she? She laughed.

Why was that? Well, because humanly

speaking, that was impossible. Abraham

was 100 years old. Sarah was 90. But but

God here here's something very

interesting that we note throughout the

scriptures that God specializes in doing

the impossible. The birth of Isaac was

not the result here of of human

strength. It was the result of divine

promise. And and here we have really our

first shadow cast forth. The shadow that

we see is Isaac was a child of promise

born miraculously of God's power. And

then you go to the New Testament, you

think about Jesus. Again, we make this

one pretty easily, don't we? We make

this one. Luke 1:35. And the angel

Luke 1:35

answered and said to her, "The Holy

Spirit will come upon you and the power

of the highest will overshadow you.

Therefore also that holy one who is be

born will be called the son of God." So

you have the shadow of Isaac who is a

child of promise, born miraculously.

Obviously substance here in Luke even

tells us that Jesus was the ultimate

child of promise who was born

miraculously by the Holy Spirit. Now

think about this. God waited until

Abraham and Sarah could no longer do

what was humanly possible so that when

Isaac was born, there would be no

question that that was the work of God.

And likewise,

when Jesus was born of a virgin, no one

could doubt that this was the hand of

God bringing salvation to all mankind.

So Isaac's birth teaches us that the

plan of salvation was crafted. It was

divinely orchestrated that just as Isaac

came through God's promise, our new

birth in Christ comes through God's

mercy and not our own. Look at Titus

Titus 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 and:es 3-7. Look at look at

what's being described here in Titus

3:es 3-7.

For we ourselves were also once foolish,

disobedient, deceived, serving various

lust and pleasures, living in malice and

envy, hateful and hating one another.

But when the kindness and the love of

God, our savior toward man appeared, not

by works of righteous which we have

done, but according to his mercy, he

saved us through the washing of

regeneration and renewing of the Holy

Spirit, whom he poured out on us

abundantly through Jesus Christ, our

savior, that having been justified by

his grace, we should become hes

according to the hope of eternal life.

Isn't that what Jesus did?

Absolutely.

So let's also know that that not only do

we see that Isaac and Jesus the promised

son but we also see something else from

the scriptures about Isaac in

correlation with that of Jesus that

Isaac was the beloved and only son. Now,

as we saw uh uh earlier in Genesis 17:1

Genesis 17:1

19, that promise that was made and again

you go to Genesis chapter 22, kind of

Genesis 22 · chapter mention

fast forward a little bit, Genesis 22,

and you look at verse 2,

and he said, "Take now your son, your

only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go

to the land of Mariah and offer him

there as a burnt offering on one of the

mountains of which I shall tell you."

I want you to notice that God how he

emphasizes the relationship. We he he

uses the word your son and your only

son. And what's he saying whom you love?

Now did Abraham have another son? He

did, didn't he? Name was Ishmael. But

Isaac was the child of promise and and

Isaac is the heir through whom the

covenant would continue. So So here we

have the shadow yet again. the father's

beloved and only son offered in

obedience to God. Now some of the

similar words that you think of uh you

find with with the father talking of

Jesus his only begotten son or he say

this is my son in whom I am well

pleased. You see words like that don't

you? Well John 3:16 is a familiar

John 3:16

passage right? It says, "For God so

loved the world that he gave his only

begotten son that whoever believes in

him should not perish but have

everlasting life." So the shadow with

Isaac is the father's beloved only son

offered obedience to God. The substance

is the heavenly father's beloved only

son offered for the sins of the world.

Now I I think it's it's apparent that

Abraham loved Isaac deeply,

but his love for God was greater.

He was willing to surrender his dearest

possession to the will of God.

One one has said the greatest measure of

love is not in what we keep

but in what we are willing to give.

Well, God proved his love not simply by

words

but by actually giving his son.

So we we can't forget here that

salvation cost heaven the father's only

begotten son. Abraham's love for Isaac

gives us just a glimpse of the father's

love for Jesus and for us and it's

beautiful in what we see. So let's talk

about Isaac this willing sacrifice as

well. You go to Genesis 22 again. Look

at verses 6 down through verse 9.

Genesis 22:es 6-9.

So Abraham took the wood of burnt

offering and laid it on Isaac his son.

And he took the fire in his hand and a

knife and the two of them went together.

But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father

and said, "My father." And he said,

"Here I am, my son." Then he said,

"Look, the fire and the wood, but where

is the lamb for a burnt offering?" And

Abraham said, "My son, God will provide

for himself the lamb for a burnt

offering." So the two of them went

together. Then they came to the place of

which God had told him. And Abraham

built an altar there and placed the wood

in order. And he bound Isaac, his son,

and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

This is a scene that I I've said many

times in preaching lessons about Abraham

and Isaac. Uh this is one that is just

astonishing, isn't it?

Abraham places the wood. Think about on

Isaac's back. Okay. Together they climb

the mountain in silence. I can just kind

of see that. But the fire and the knife

are in Abraham's hands and the wood is

on Isaac's shoulders. And Isaac, he he

he does speak there in verse 7 when when

he said, "My father, behold the fire and

the wood, but where is the lamb for a

burnt offering?" But Abraham's reply is

quite interesting, isn't it? He says,

"My son, God will provide himself a

lamb."

So get the shadow that's being portrayed

for us here. The son is carrying the

wood for his own sacrifice, willingly

submitting to his father's will.

And it remind me of Jesus who is our

substance.

Verses 17 and 18 it says, "And he

bearing his cross went out to a place

called the place of a skull which is

called in Hebrew Goltha where they

crucified him and two others with him,

one on either side and Jesus in the

center."

Jesus certainly carried his cross of

Calvary. And what was he also doing?

submitting to his father's will. Now, I

I've always thought about this how Isaac

certainly, you know, lot lot many have

tried to give a a range for Isaac. Uh we

see the the word that your translation

may have that Isaac was a lad. Okay.

Well, a lad, you know, some guesstimated

13 to 18 and sometimes a little bit

older. But but here you have thinking

about Isaac with his father who is much

older than him. Y'all think Isaac

probably could have resisted. You think

he probably could have probably so right

now? He's strong, young, capable young

man, Abraham being elderly. But what is

Isaac doing? Isaac is obeying. He's

submitting. He's yielding in in perfect

obedience.

In Philippians 2 and verse 8,

it says, "And being found in appearance

as a man, he humbled himself and became

obedient to the point of death, even the

death of the cross."

So here we have Jesus being described

and as we know from the gospels that

that's what he did. He humbled himself

and he obeyed to the point of death.

Just like we we don't read we don't read

of Isaac struggling. We don't read him

pleading.

It's just quiet submission.

And in the same way as the prophecy

points in Isaiah 53 and:e 7

talks about Jesus himself that he was

oppressed

and he was afflicted yet he opened not

his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the

slaughter and as a sheep before it

shares a silence. So he opened not his

mouth.

This is the very description of what

Jesus did was prophesied in the days of

old that came to fulfillment that true

faith trust even when it cannot

understand. I you know Isaac trusted his

father. Jesus trusted his father. And

the question we might ask now is, can we

trust ours?

Even when his will is hard and it could

be difficult, even when obedience cost

us something that's precious,

faith submits because it knows the

father knows best.

But it's a beautiful shadow

that led to the substance of Jesus.

We see this beautiful portrait being

painted for us. Well, let's talk about

now the substitute provided by God. You

go back to Genesis chap 22 and again

notice in verses 10 through13.

Genesis 22:es 10-13.

And Abraham stretched out his hand and

took the knife to slay his son.

But the angel of the Lord called to him

from heaven and said,"Abraham, Abraham."

So he said, "Here I am." And he said,

"Do not lay your hand on the lad or do

anything to him. For now I know you fear

God since you have not withheld your

son, your only son, from me." Then

Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and

there behind him was a ram caught in a

thicket by its horn. So Abraham went and

took the ram and offered it up for a

burnt offering instead of his son.

So get this in your mind that at the

point

the moment that Abraham raised the

knife, God intervened. Lay not your hand

upon the lamb. So Abraham looked and

what did he see? He saw a ram caught in

the thicket, a substitute provided by

God himself.

So the shadow again, we have this

innocent ram that died in the place of

Isaac.

You know, it's very interesting.

Again, if you go and you look to John

John 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 and verse 29, we've seen this

passage a couple of times, haven't we?

Behold. The next day, John saw Jesus

coming toward him and said, "Behold the

lamb of God who takes away the sin of

the world."

So you have the shadow, the innocent ram

dying in the place of Isaac. And now you

have the substance as we look at the New

Testament here, the innocent Christ

dying in the place of sinners.

God revealed himself that day as Jehovah

Gyra which means the Lord will provide.

So you have Mount Mariah where Abraham

offered Isaac. What's interesting about

this, you've done any studying in this

is the same, it's the same mountain

range where Jerusalem later stood

on that same ground.

Thousand years later, another beloved

son would climb another hill

carrying the wood of his sacrifice

and the father would provide.

Not a ram,

but the lamb.

When Isaac was spared,

the ram died instead.

When we are spared, Jesus died instead.

That's something interesting about

salvation.

Salvation has always depended on a on on

substitution. The dying, the just dying

for the unjust.

That's what we see, don't we?

But there's something else I believe

that we note here, and that is the

shadow of the resurrection.

And again, you know, we read these and

we're thinking, well, hey, there's

there's actually a pretty good bit here.

I'll get to that here in just a little

bit, some more things. But look back to

Hebrews chapter 11 or go go go to

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 11 and in the hall of

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

faith we find Abraham being mentioned

here talks about by faith again. This

was our scripture reading this morning

that brother Aiden Mosley read for us

that said about by faith Abraham when he

was tested what did he do? He offered up

Isaac and he had he who had received the

promises offered up his only begotten

son of whom it was said in Isaac your

seed shall be called. concluding that

God was able to raise him up even from

what? The dead

from which he also received him in a

figurative sense.

Abraham's faith again,

he believed that if Isaac died,

God would raise him from the dead. That

was that was Abraham's faith as we note

in Hebrews 11, as we note back in

Genesis.

Even his faith as they as they were

going up, he told those that accompanied

them, what did he tell them?

We will return. We'll be back.

You see, those are some interesting

words about Abraham's faith. Now, in a

sense, that's what happened. Cuz when

you see that word figurative sense,

Isaac really was as good as dead.

Yet, God gave him back alive.

So Isaac figuratively in that figurative

sense was resurrected from the dead.

What does that lead us to what we think

about Jesus? Well, Acts 2:4

Acts 2:4

is one of the passage says that whom God

raised up having loosed the pains of

death because it was not possible that

he should be held by it. So the

substance though is Christ literally

resurrected from the tomb.

Abraham looked into the eyes of his son

that he thought he would lose and saw

life.

The father looked into the tomb and saw

his son alive forever more.

Our faith is rooted in that same

resurrection power. The God who could

bring Isaac back to Abraham and Jesus

out of the tomb can raise us from sin

and death as well.

What a beautiful shadow and substance we

find in the scriptures.

Let's also talk about this one that

takes us back to Genesis chap 22 that we

remember that there was promise that was

made and we have the blessing through

the seed in Genesis 22 17 and 18. Look

what it says. blessing I will bless you

and multiplying I will multiply your

descendants as the stars of the heaven

and as the sand which is on the seashore

and your descendants shall possess the

gate of your en of their enemies and

your seed all the nations of the earth

shall be blessed because you have obeyed

my voice.

You know, when you look at that, you can

see Jesus in those verses. And I say

that because the promise was looking

forward to one person, and that's Jesus

Christ. Because even as you look to

what's recorded for us in Galatians 3

and verse 16, it says, "Now to Abraham

and his seed where the promise is made."

He does not say, "And to seeds as of

many, but as of one, and to your seed,

who is Christ." There you have it. Isn't

that something?

The shadow through Isaac, God's covenant

blessings continued. The substance

through Christ, God's eternal blessings

reach all nations.

What began as one man's faith on a

lonely mountain became the very

foundation for salvation of all

humanity.

Again, when you take the time and you

look at these things, it is so powerful,

isn't it?

Now, I put before you a chart.

I'm going try to reach down here and

grab this.

Uh,

you should have handouts

in the back. I know last time they went

pretty fast. They might be gone again. I

don't know. But I have these for

originals. I'll make copies for you. But

what I give you in these parallels

between Isaac and Jesus of what we have

stated, there's more.

There's more.

That both births were foretold. Both

births were miraculous. Both were only

begotten sons. Both were children of

promise. One, there's another one. Both

were mocked by their brothers. You know

that? Sure enough. Both were connected

to laws and covenants. Both were offered

by their fathers. Both were obedient

unto death. Both carried that which

would kill them. Both sacrifices took

place in the same geographic region. And

both who were sacrificed would rise

again.

So you have a chart that I put together

for you to to take home and to look at

all these parallels.

And you got the scriptures here. Again,

as I say, prove all things according to

his word. This is what we've briefly

considered this morning. The miraculous

birth promised by God, the beloved and

only son, carried wood for a sacrifice,

carried his cross, willingly submitted

his father's will. Willingly, again,

that's what Jesus did. Substituted

provided by God. Christ is the lamb of

God for us. the figurative resurrection

that was in Isaac with the little

resurrection that's in Christ, the

substance and blessing through his seed

and yet salvation through Christ as

Galatians 3 and:e 16. Abraham's love for

God led him to the mountain to offer his

son and God's love for us led him to

Calvary to offer his son.

On Mariah,

Mount Mariah, a substitute was found.

On Calvary,

the substitute was slain.

In Romans 8:32, it says, "He who did not

Romans 8:32

spare his own son, but delivered him up

for us all, how shall he not with him

also freely give us all things?"

Friends, every time we see the cross, we

see the full reality of what Genesis

Genesis 22 · chapter mention

chapter 22 only hinted at.

A father who loves so much he was

willing to give everything.

That's something, isn't it?

As we summarize the comparison between

Isaac and Jesus,

recognizing that of a genuine type and

anti-ype, use those words. We're using

shadow and substance in this series.

Relationship exists.

We see the similarities,

the numerous parallels between the two.

But if I put the quotes, sacrifices of

the sons, the decisions, the acts

themselves, the level of personal

involvement and the outcomes for both

God, for both Abraham and God are truly

remarkable. It cannot be denied. And

what we have briefly considered this

morning.

I believe the overall picture of what we

take powerfully reveals God's purpose in

using Isaac to foreshadow Jesus Christ.

It is quite interesting

that the parallels between Isaac and

Jesus, I believe, are too deliberate,

too beautiful,

and too purposeful

to be dismissed as coincidence.

Isaac's birth pointed forward to the

miraculous birth of Christ.

His obedience pointed to Jesus perfect

submission.

His near sacrifice

prefigured the cross.

And his figurative resurrection

foreshadowed Jesus's real one.

Where Abraham was stopped short,

God went the distance.

Where Isaac was spared, Jesus was slain.

And where Isaac's life was restored

again

in like figure, Jesus' life was restored

in fact.

And as Abraham named the place Jehovah

Gyra, the Lord will provide.

So Calvary stands as the eternal

reminder that God has provided the lamb

for our salvation.

Friends, the way I want to end

the lesson this morning

is that you are represented in this

story.

I'm represented in the story. And you

might be saying, did we miss it? I

didn't see my name nowhere in that

passages. But you were.

We can consider oursel the Isaac even

we might think about being bound on the

altar of judgment but God provided a

substitute

his son Jesus Christ.

The question is will we accept his

provision?

To do so,

you must do exactly what the scriptures

tell us to do in God's plan of

salvation.

Having heard the word, do you believe

that Jesus Christ is the son living God?

If you do, then you're going to act upon

that. Your faith is going to push you.

It's going to move you. It's going to

compel you.

Having believed, you repent of your

sins, confess Jesus to be his son of

God, be baptized for the remission of

those sins, and to arise and walk in of

life. As Romans 6 3 and 4 says, then

like Isaac, you'll rise from the altar

of death to walk in of life. The same

God who provided a ram for Abraham has

provided a savior for us. Don't leave

the mountain today

without accepting his gift.

Don't leave it because here you are at

the very pinnacle in regards to

decisions that you make and the

importance of those decisions.

They have heavy bearing

for salvation. I appreciate your kind

attention this morning.

And yet another shadow and substance we

have seen from the scriptures and how

beautiful it is. how beautiful it is.

You know, a lot of times I I get excited

about these lessons and I'm usually kind

of jumping around. I just can't do that

today. If it wasn't for the pain, I

probably would. I definitely would.

But I don't want you to take away the

fact that I'm very excited,

very passionate about what we have read

today

and that I hope that it will hold in

your hearts and what God has

painted for us and the wonderful plan

that's all the way back from Genesis 22

foreshadowing all of what we see come to

fruition in the New Testament for us for

us. Friends, if you're subject

invitation call this this morning,

question is being posed. Is thy heart

right with God?

Have thine affections been nailed to the

cross? Have they?

Again, I believe that in what we have

studied and and and I think we come to

understand and in in all of this is

basically what we have have noted.

We talk about our love,

we say we love God.

Remember I said this earlier, the

greatest measure of love is not in what

we keep

but in what we are willing to give.

What are you willing to give? I look at

Abraham and he was willing to give Isaac

his only. And whatever Isaac there may

be that might be in our way. There's

another way you can look at this too, we

need to give it as well. We need to

sacrifice our own selves to God. Lay

ourselves upon the altar so we again can

rise in newness of life. Whatever the

spiritual need that you may have this

morning, won't you come as we stand and

sing the song? And it's been selected.