Genesis 22:8 "And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." Genesis 22 is one of the most significant and profound chapters in all of Scripture, in terms of its narrative, power, and place in redemptive history. It records God's command to Abraham to offer up his beloved son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. This account reveals the heart of the Gospel long before its full manifestation in Jesus Christ. It proclaims God's sovereign will, His gracious provision, and His redemptive purpose—even through trial and suffering. God commands Abraham to take Isaac, His only son, the son of promise, and offer him as a burnt offering. Isaac is not merely any child; he is Abraham’s "only son" ( Genesis 22:2) , the one whom he loves, and the one through whom the covenant promises were to be fulfilled (Genesis 21:12). The command is staggering. Yet, we must understand that God is never arbitrary in His dealings. In His sovereignty, He ordains even the most painful trials for His glory and the good of His people. Despite the severity of the command, Abraham rises early, prepares for the journey, and begins the long trek to the land of Moriah. The narrative records that he took “two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son” (Genesis 22:3), showing Abraham’s prompt and unwavering obedience to the word of the Lord. This reminds us that God never tests without purpose, and never without first preparing His servant. Abraham had walked with God for many years and had witnessed His faithfulness time and again. His trust in God's promise and character had been shaped through trial and God's particular revelation of Himself to Abraham. The journey to Moriah took three days—a detail that foreshadows the time between the death and resurrection of Christ. In Scripture, the number three often speaks of divine completeness and fulfillment. Moriah was also the mount on which Solomon would later build the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1) , the mount where the LORD Jesus would lay down His life on the cross, outside the camp (Hebrews 13:13). Abraham’s statement to his young servants is remarkable: “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5). Abraham fully believed that Isaac would return with him. Though commanded to offer his son, the LORD kept Abraham believing the promise that through Isaac his Seed would be called (Genesis 21:12). The inspired Word tells us: “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead.” (Hebrews 11:19 ) As they ascend the mountain, Isaac notices something missing. He says, “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7). This question is central to the narrative and deeply important in what is vital to God the Father . It echoes through redemptive history and finds its ultimate answer in the words of John the Baptist: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Abraham’s response is both immediate and prophetic: “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8). Abraham not only declares the sufficiency of God’s provision, but the sureness of Him providing for Himself what is satisfactory to His law and justice. This is not a vague hope, but a confident trust in Jehovah-Jireh , "the Lord who sees and provides." God's provision is not dependent upon our understanding or effort—it is rooted in His sovereign grace. In verses 9 and 10, we witness Abraham’s obedience come to full expression. He builds the altar, lays the wood in order, binds Isaac, and places him on the altar. This was a moment of unspeakable agony, yet Abraham proceeds in faith, trusting in God's promise and purpose. He believes that even if Isaac must die, God would raise him again (Hebrews 11:19). Isaac’s role here must not be overlooked either. He is not a helpless child. He is old enough to carry the wood and question the absence of a lamb. His submission points us to Christ, Who “humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Isaac is a type of Christ—the willing Son, obedient unto death—though ultimately spared. Christ, the true Son, was not spared but delivered up for us all (Romans 8:32). At the critical moment, the Angel of the LORD calls out: “Lay not thine hand upon the lad” (Genesis 22:12). Abraham’s God-given faith is affirmed, and God provides a ram caught in a thicket—a substitute in Isaac’s place. This substitution is not incidental; it is central. It points to the heart of the Gospel: the Lord Jesus Christ taking the place of guilty sinners, bearing their judgment, satisfying divine justice, and reconciling them to God (Colossians 1:22). Abraham calls the name of the place Jehovah-jireh , meaning “The LORD will provide” (Genesis 22:14). The Lord’s provision was not only for Abraham, but for all His elect people throughout redemptive history. The Lamb was foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19–20), and in the fullness of the time, He came to give His life as a Ransom for many (Galatians 4:4-6). Finally, God reaffirms His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 22:15–18) . As Abraham believed God and acted in faith, the Lord confirms His promise: that Abraham’s seed would be multiplied, and that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. This promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the true Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16), through Whom salvation has come to the ends of the earth. Genesis 22 is a glorious picture of sovereign grace. It teaches us that God is sovereign in His tests, faithful in His promises, and gracious in His provision. It foreshadows the cross of Christ, where the Father gave His only begotten Son as the sacrifice for sinners. In Christ, we behold the true fulfillment of Abraham’s words: “God will provide himself a lamb.”  Let us, like Abraham, trust in God's provision, knowing that He Who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, will also freely give us all things (Romans 8:32).

Genesis 8:21 "And the LORD smelled a sweet savor; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground anymore for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite anymore every thing living, as I have done." In this verse, we behold a moment of divine satisfaction—a sweet-smelling savor ascending from Noah's altar after the flood. It is the first mention in Scripture of an offering bringing pleasure to the LORD’s heart. But this sacrifice, though offered by Noah, was accepted not for the sake of the man, but because of Who it represented—the Lamb slain from (since) the foundation of the world, Christ Jesus our Lord. Noah’s offering was a burnt offering, wholly consumed, picturing substitutionary atonement. In the Old Testament, these sacrifices were but a covering for sin until the LORD Jesus came and fulfilled all righteousness by His obedience unto death. The first use of the word in the Bible is in Genesis 6:14 , where it is translated by the word pitch —a type of tar used by Noah to cover the ark inside and out. From this, then, comes the idea of a covering , which is a good representation of what the Old Testament sacrifices signified. Hebrews 10:4  says, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." Therefore, the meaning of atonement  as a covering is a more accurate understanding of the word in its Old Testament usage, rather than using it, as is often done, to refer to the expiation, satisfaction, or canceling of sin, which only the LORD Jesus' death accomplished. Those animal sacrifices were but types and figures of the one true Sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ would make in laying down His life. Christ's sacrifice was not an atonement—a mere covering for sin—but the actual putting away of sin, as stated in Hebrews 9:26: “But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Nonetheless, Noah's sacrifice prefigured the offering of Christ, who gave Himself “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor” (Ephesians 5:2). The fire of divine justice fell on Him as the Divine Substitute. God was forbearing with Noah—as with all those of the Old Testament who were God’s elect—not because their offerings had any merit in themselves, but because they typified the perfect righteousness and obedient sacrifice of His Son, who would pay for Noah’s complete sin debt and that of all God’s elect people throughout the Old Testament era until the cross, when the LORD Jesus came and fulfilled all Righteousness as declared in Galatians 4:4–6: “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Note the wonder of the Lord’s declaration in Genesis 8:21 : “I will not again curse the ground anymore for man’s sake.” Why? Because of some improvement in man? No! “For the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” God’s determination to withhold judgment is not based on man’s reformation, but on the satisfaction of Divine justice through the satisfactory Substitute. This is sovereign grace—God’s gracious disposition toward sinners, not because of anything in them, but entirely because of what He sees in the Sacrifice. God smells a sweet savor, not in man, but in Christ. Justice is satisfied, wrath is turned away, and mercy flows freely because the Offering has ascended and been accepted. Noah’s altar points us forward to Calvary’s cross, where the true Burnt Offering was made. Christ gave Himself willingly, and His Sacrifice rose to God as a sweet savor, perfect in love, spotless in obedience, the complete redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction before God for those sinners whom the Father chose. And God, seeing the travail of His soul, was satisfied, as it is written in Isaiah 53:11: “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” If we are in Christ, we know this: God sees us not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Him Who gave Himself in the place of chosen sinners. The curse is lifted, judgment is past, wrath is gone—because Christ has made Satisfaction of God the Father. We are “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). His offering is ever before the Father—a perpetual sacrifice that gives us complete peace and pardon forever. May this Truth ever be settled in our hearts, and our hearts ever settled and established in this Truth —Christ and Him crucified. The ground of our depravity and sin debt is no longer cursed for Christ’s sake. The fire of judgment has already fallen on Another. And now, from the cross, a fragrance rises eternally before the throne— a sweet-smelling savor.

Genesis 18:14 "Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." In this verse, we encounter a powerful moment of divine revelation that poses a question with profound implications: “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” This question is spoken by God Himself to Abraham and Sarah, in the context of a promise that defies human logic—a promise that, in their strength, seemed utterly impossible. At the age of ninety, Sarah had long passed the years of childbearing, and Abraham, though still alive, was also well beyond the time when he could expect to father a child. Yet God, who is not limited by the natural laws He created, declares that, in His perfect timing, Sarah would indeed bear a son. The question posed by the LORD is not merely rhetorical; it is meant to stir something deep within the heart of the believer. In this single question, we are reminded of God's sovereign power and His ability to accomplish the impossible. Consider the significance of this question. God is not asking for our opinion, “Can I do this?” He is reminding us of His nature: He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the One who spoke the world into existence from nothing. As His creatures, we have limitations—whether they be physical, mental, or emotional. Not only are we created beings, but we are also fallen creatures. Our wills are not free but are bound by our depraved nature, so that, as Paul declared, “For the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do” (Romans 7:19) . Knowing our limitations, we could never say, “Is there anything too hard for our will to achieve?” contrary to the false thinking of the "Law of Attraction"—"Believe to achieve." In reality, there is only one Being who has free will, and that is God Himself, who is not limited by anything but His Sovereign will and what He has purposed. Only He cannot deny Himself. But with God, no situation is beyond His reach, no promise too grand, and no circumstance too dire. The phrase "nothing is impossible with God" expresses the truth that God, being all-powerful and all-knowing, has no limitations in what He can do. It suggests that, regardless of how challenging or impossible a situation may seem from a human perspective, God has the power to bring it to pass. This truth is rooted in Scriptures such as Luke 1:37 ("For nothing will be impossible with God") and Matthew 19:26 ("With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible"). It speaks to God's sovereignty, His ability to bring about His will, and the belief that God directs all things and grants faith to sinners of His choosing, who rest in His power to accomplish what He has purposed, with nothing hindering His will. As Daniel 4:35 declares: "And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" How does this apply to God's promise to Abraham concerning the birth of his promised child? The Context of the Promise: God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah was not just an ordinary promise; it was the fulfillment of a long-awaited hope. Through them, the covenant of God’s elect people in Christ would continue, despite their old age, infertility, and the impossibility by human standards. God's promise, therefore, came against the backdrop of the impossibility of either Abraham or Sarah contributing, other than being instruments in God's hands to accomplish His will through them. What is impossible with man is not impossible with God, should He will and purpose it. This is the essence of what makes God sovereign in the salvation or condemnation of sinners. It's not that God is waiting for sinners to come to Christ by some fictitious "free will." Sinners are just as dead as Abraham and Sarah were in their ability to reproduce. God had to reverse their deadness, not only reinstating the ability to conceive and produce a child, but also renewing their desire for one another to bring it to pass. It is His grace that reaches down to the most hopeless of sinners and draws them to Christ, making a way when there would be none. The Assurance of God’s Timing: Notice that God also says to Abraham, “At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” God’s timing is always perfect. In our impatience, we may long for the fulfillment of His promises in our time. But God assures Abraham that His promise would be kept at the appointed time. Just as God did not forget His promise to Abraham and Sarah, we can take comfort in knowing that God’s promises for us will be fulfilled in His perfect time, even if it requires waiting. God does not operate on our timelines. His sovereignty over time means that He will bring about His eternal purpose in a way that is not only best for His glory but also for our good (Romans 8:28). How often do we find ourselves in situations where we question God’s timing? But we are to trust that His appointed times are always perfect. What we deem impossible today may be the very thing that God has purposed for us tomorrow. The Revelation of God’s Power: The question, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” is not just about our circumstances; it’s a revelation of the power of God. We see this truth revealed in the life of Jesus Christ. God's will from eternity in the creation of the world is to the honor and glory of Christ as the Creator, Sustainer, Savior, and Judge. In the New Testament, the LORD Jesus asked the same rhetorical question when speaking to His disciples about the impossibility of salvation for sinners: “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God demonstrated that He has the power to overcome sin, death, and the grave—things that seemed utterly impossible for those who languished under the condemnation of God’s law and justice. As we have considered the question, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” we must respond as the LORD Jesus has taught His disciples to pray: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We therefore trust in His Sovereign power, His perfect timing, and His boundless Grace. There is nothing beyond His ability to accomplish. Whether we are facing physical, emotional, or spiritual challenges, we are not alone. The God Who spoke the stars into being, the God Who made a way for Sarah to conceive, is the same God Who works in our lives today. In those moments when doubt creeps in, when our limitations weigh heavily upon us, let us remember the Word of the LORD: “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Let us bow and respond according to His gift of faith: "No—nothing is too hard for our God," for He has purposed to accomplish what He wills. We respond with hearts full of Faith, knowing that the answer is no—nothing is too hard for our God.

Genesis 17:1-14 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant." When Abram was ninety and nine years old, the LORD appeared to him. Thirteen years had passed since his last recorded word from God. He had lived on the promise that God had revealed, waiting for the LORD to fulfill what He had said. Yet God had not forgotten. The covenant still stood, unbroken, and the LORD appeared again in Grace and Mercy. “I am the Almighty God,” He said — El Shaddai . The One Who has His hand on everything. Not merely in control, but ordering all things. The One by Whom we live and move and have our being. The One Who gives breath and causes even a sneeze or a cough. Here was the LORD revealing His name, His character, and His covenant purpose. Whenever the LORD has something to say to a sinner by way of Grace, it is always through the LORD Jesus Christ. This appearance to Abram was no mere vision. It was, as throughout the scriptures, a manifestation of the LORD in the person of Jesus Christ before His incarnation — the same Who walked in the garden, Who spoke to Hagar by the well, Who would later come in the flesh. He is the Almighty, the Eternal I AM, revealing Himself as the covenant LORD (John 1:1,14). “Walk before Me and be thou perfect.” Not sinless perfection, but completeness — to be whole in His presence. The call of God to Abram was not to produce something, but to be something as he walked before the Almighty. So too, Christ Himself, the true Seed, walked before His Father in perfect obedience, the fulfillment of all Righteousness. Abram is a type — a foreshadowing — of Christ. The father of many nations, as Christ is the Father of the redeemed seed given to Him by the Father before the foundation of the world. The LORD said, “I will make My covenant between Me and thee.” Those words echo through eternity. The covenant of Grace was not the work of man, but of God Himself. Abram could not produce it; he could only believe it. It was God’s “I will,” not Abram’s “I shall.” And here we see Christ again — the One with Whom the Father made an everlasting covenant before the world began. Abram’s life was a shadow of that eternal purpose. Then the LORD changed his name — from Abram to Abraham. From “father” to “father of many nations.” Though he had no child according to the promise, yet God declared what He would do. “A father of many nations have I made thee.” In Christ this is fulfilled, for as Paul said in Galatians 3:16 , “He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Through Him, nations and kings would come forth — a kingdom of priests, redeemed by His blood. “I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant.” That everlasting covenant finds its fullness only in Christ. He is the Seed. He is the Everlasting Possession. The land of promise, and the inheritance is His — and all Who are in Him are heirs together with Him. And God gave a sign — the sign of circumcision. “This is My covenant, which ye shall keep… every man child among you shall be circumcised.” On the eighth day, every male child was to bear this sign, pointing forward to that day when Joseph and Mary would bring the child Jesus into the temple, and Simeon, by the Spirit, would behold the true fulfillment (Luke 2:21-39).  There He was — the Man-Child of Promise, the Seed of the woman, the One Who would bruise the serpent’s head. Circumcision is a painful cutting away of the flesh, a shadow of the greater circumcision to come in the death of the LORD Jesus on the cross, where the flesh of sin was cut off of His people and cast away as a foreskin, never more to be seen. For Christ Himself bore the circumcision of suffering — the cutting away of sin in His flesh upon the cross. The ceremony of the circumcision of the flesh was never salvation. It foreshadowed the suffering of Christ — the baptism of His death. There on the cross, He bore the sin of His people, and it was cut away and cast aside forever. The covenant was sealed in His blood. So when God said, “My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant,” He was pointing to Christ. The covenant in His flesh, pierced and broken, by which every promise is fulfilled. El Shaddai — the Almighty God — still speaks the same word today: “Walk before Me and be thou perfect.” In Christ we are made whole. In the Mediator of the Covenant we are saved! And in His seed — the LORD Jesus Christ — we are counted among the nations of promise, the everlasting family of faith.

Genesis 7:2 "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female." Most of us know about God bringing the animals into the ark two by two, but what were these extra, clean beasts Noah was to take in by sevens, male and female? Here are several lessons we can draw from this. The distinction between clean and unclean beasts, being before the flood, was due to the sacrifices that Noah would need to offer to the LORD upon exiting the ark after the waters subsided (Genesis 8:20). Although Noah found grace [eternal, electing grace] in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:8) , and God prepared the ark to preserve Noah and his family alive through the judgment of the world (a type of salvation in Christ), it all could not be without the shed blood of innocent victims—typical of the sacrifice of the LORD Jesus, and the justification of the elect in His death. "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). Why clean animals? While some proclaim loudly today that in 2 Cor. 5:21, “...made Him to be sin for us...” means that He became guilty with the sin charged to Him and died guilty of the sin of His people, NOTHING could be more foreign to the Scripture types and teachings. Why the importance of CLEAN animals? It is because they typified Christ, the SPOTLESS LAMB: “... Who did NO sin, neither was guile found in His mouth...” (1 Peter 2:22). Scripture says that He died "THE JUST FOR THE UNJUST:" "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" (1 Peter 3:18 ). It does not say that He died the GUILTY One for the unjust. He was made an offering for sin only by imputation, and not by personal experience- "who knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21). The LORD Jesus was made sin (legally and judicially CHARGED with the sin of His people BY IMPUTATION, not infusion). If Christ died for our sins: He was affected BY our sin, not infected with it (Isaiah 53:3) He died FOR our sin, not IN it  (Isaiah 53:5). It was laid on Him, not put in Him (Isaiah 53:6). His soul was made an Offering for sin, not made sinful (Isaiah 53:10) He was numbered AMONG the transgressors; He was NOT a transgressor (Isaiah 53:12). It was for this reason that God was pleased to bruise Him because He was the Just, Holy, and PERFECT SACRIFICE, and thereby the JUST God and Savior. "Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the LORD? And there is no God else beside me; a Just God and a Savior; there is none beside me" (Isaiah 45:21). " The clean animals were to be taken into the ark by sevens. Isn't seven the number of perfection, pointing to the perfect work of the LORD Jesus in His death on the cross, perfectly redeeming and justifying ALL of His elect once and for all? “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...” (Romans 3:24)

Genesis 6:14 “Make thee an ark of gopher wood: rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch,” The word pitch appears only twice in the entire Bible, both times in the same verse: Genesis 6:14. The ark is a type of Christ, but what is the significance of the pitch, and why is it mentioned twice in the same verse? Interestingly, two different Hebrew words are translated as pitch. While they share the same root, they have distinctly different meanings. The first occurrence is the Hebrew verb kaphar, which means “to cover” or “to make atonement.” This in itself is a profound blessing. As a type, those in the ark were in Christ, and the application of the pitch symbolized making atonement for their sins. But what exactly be was this pitch that was to be applied? The second use of the word pitch is the Hebrew noun kopher , which means “the price of life” or “ransom.” The atonement was made with the blood of an unblemished animal sacrifice. However, this was only a temporary covering until the LORD Jesus Christ came to put away sin through the sacrifice of Himself, once for all. His death was not merely an atonement but a complete satisfaction of God’s law and justice, something the blood of animals could never accomplish ( Hebrews 10:4 ). Those on the ark were protected by this covering and were to look ahead to the day when our LORD Jesus Christ would make the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. By His death, He justified those whom His Father had given him ( Hebrews 10:10,14 ).

Genesis 13:13 "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly." Where would we have to look if we really wanted to have a good idea of how a Holy, Just God looks upon sin? You know, there are some that would say Sodom and Gomorrah was the ultimate picture of the wrath of a Holy God against sinners, in how He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." (Luke 17:29) Others would go back to the days of Noah, how the LORD destroyed the whole world sparing only eight people, as the ultimate indication of the wrath of God seen in 2 Peter 2:5, "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of Righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly." Certainly that is a chilling picture of His wrath. But, my friends, if we want to have the most vivid picture, the clearest view of how holy and just God is and how sinful we are, we must consider that He spared not His own Son, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all." (Romans 8:32) Our LORD Jesus Christ suffered beyond what any can imagine physically, "As many were astonied at Thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men." (Isaiah 52:14) But more so spiritually, "And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22:44) Christ willingly sacrificed Himself in the place of His chosen ones, suffering their agony, for their sins without one complaint, "He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7) May the Spirit keep these blessed Words in our hearts, and when we think we can't go one step further in this evil world, may He cause us to sing to Him: "Hallelujah! What a Savior!"

Zechariah 3:4 "Take away the filthy garments from him... Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." Some think our filthy flesh will be changed into righteous flesh when we meet Christ Jesus in the air. What that really would mean, is that this evil flesh would be 'modified' or 'altered'. But no, Scripture teaches that the LORD will "take away" this prison of sin because: "...in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing..." (Romans 7:18) We will be given a "change of raiment": pristine, incorruptible and immortal as the risen Christ Himself: "...flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God... We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye... and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed... this corruptible must put on Incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1 Corinthians 15:50-54) We will be born again of the Water (Christ Jesus) and His Spirit: "Jesus answered... Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit." (John 3:3-6) His afflictions for us are to make sure we don't get too attached to this filthy rag but that we wait for our robe of righteousness: the fine, white linen bought by His blood at His cross: "...and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."

John 3:5 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." This passage in Scripture reveals the Gospel in very few Words. The essentials of salvation are all in this one line. All men born into flesh are sinners and therefore cannot enter the Kingdom of God except they are born again of Christ; the Water of Everlasting Life and born again of the Spirit of God. He is the Promise that had to come to the earth; the union of flesh and the Eternal Spirit of God; Christ the God-Man. Christ's seed, chosen before the foundation of the world, were brought to life with the Water released by His obedient death, "But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already...one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." (John 19:33-34); "I am poured out like water..." (Psalm 22:14) The Kingdom of God is Everlasting Life in Christ. His seed are born Spiritually dead in sin in our flesh. He had to give His own righteous flesh as the Sacrifice, in our place, to pay for our sin and then quicken, raise us to Spiritual Life, in Himself, by His Spirit, "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a Spiritual body...The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a Quickening Spirit." (1 Corinthians 15: 44-45) All glory and honour to our LORD Jesus Christ, our Water of Life, our Spirit of Life, our Kingdom of God!

Psalm 143:8 "Cause me to hear Thy Lovingkindness in the morning...." How beautiful the sound of Lovingkindness is! But how do we 'hear' Lovingkindness? Only from the lips of God, with His ears, by His Spirit. David's crying out in this Scripture, by the Holy Spirit, to hear the WORD, Christ Jesus our LORD; God's Lovingkindness made manifest on this earth for His sinners, for His glory. He is the WORD Who walked on this earth in the flesh at the precise time ordained in eternity. The WORD incarnate Who lived a life of perfect obedience because not one of His chosen children could. The WORD Who suffered and died on a cross meant for each of us, the Sinless One Who paid the price for our sin, the Just for the unjust. Christ Jesus is the WORD Who shed His blood unto an obedient death, in our place, the ultimate act of love from a Just and Holy God, tender toward His sheep. "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy Lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions." (Psalm 51:1) According to God's lovingkindness: His Son, our Dayspring of Life, "Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the Dayspring from on High hath visited us..." (Luke 1:78) Thanks be to our God Who sent us His Son, His Lovingkindness!

Ephesians 1:7 "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;" The work of redemption and the work of salvation are the same thing. What is sometimes called God's saving His people in Scripture is referred to as redeeming them in other places. Therefore, Christ is called both the Savior and the Redeemer. Isaiah 49:26  states: "...and all flesh shall know that I, the LORD, am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob." The word 'Savior' is 'Yasha,' from which the Hebrew name 'Joshua' and the Greek name 'Jesus' are derived ( Matthew 1:21 ). It means 'to deliver' or 'liberate.' The word 'Redeemer' is 'Ga'al,' which means a near kinsman ( Numbers 5:8 ). Together, these words encompass the essence of the Person and work of the LORD Jesus. To deliver His people, He had to be God, because only God can deliver [Yasha]. Yet, His authority to do so was obtained by being made like His brethren ( Ga’al , [see Hebrews 2:14-18 ]). The term 'redemption' is sometimes understood in a more limited sense, as in the purchase of salvation that Christ fully accomplished at the cross ( Galatians 4:4-5 ). In this restricted sense, we can say that the work began and finished with Christ coming in the flesh [being made of a woman] and continuing through His life until His death, which culminated in His resurrection. In this sense, the purchase was completed, and the work itself, along with everything related to it, was accomplished. However, sometimes the work of redemption is understood more broadly, including all of God's work preparatory to the purchase itself and after its accomplishment. For example, 1 Corinthians 1:30  lists redemption after wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification. This is because it refers to the final deliverance of the saints from their mortal bodies in the resurrection at the end of this world ( Romans 8:23 ). The various aspects are unified, working together to achieve one purpose and produce one effect ( Romans 8:28-30 ): the salvation of sinners by the full, free, and unmerited grace of God in Christ Jesus alone. All the requirements for salvation were accomplished by Him alone. He is both the Redeemer and the Ransom, who together constitute the complete and everlasting redemption that belongs solely to Him. Jesus Christ embodies God's love and mercy. He took on human form to reconcile chosen sinners with God the Father. Through the Son's sacrificial death on the cross, He bore the punishment for the sins of those given to Him by the Father to save. The work of redemption was so thorough in shedding His blood unto death that the immediate result was forgiveness, pardon, reconciliation, and complete justification with God ( Ephesians 1:7 ). His resurrection from the dead represents the ultimate victory over sin and death, providing hope for everlasting life to every sinner whom the LORD Jesus redeemed ( 1 Peter 1:3 ). "Blessed Redeemer, precious Redeemer! Seems now I see Him on Calvary's tree, Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading Blind and unheeding--dying for me."

Colossians 4:1-6 "Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." The Grace of God directs all that we are and do. In the Epistle to the Colossians, the Spirit of God teaches that in every relationship—wives and husbands, children and fathers, servants and masters—all stand on level ground before the Master in heaven. “Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a master in heaven” (v.1). There is no distinction in grace between master and servant, husband and wife, father and child. In the world, men love their titles and positions, but in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, for all are one in Him (Galatians 3:28). The Gospel brings every sinner to see that apart from the LORD Jesus Christ and His finished work, there is no standing before God or man. The Word of the LORD in Romans speaks to this: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” (Romans 12:3–5). Christ alone is the Head. All others are members of His body, dependent upon Him. The pastor is not above the congregation; he is one sinner whom the LORD has blessed to declare His Gospel to other sinners. All the work being done is Christ’s work. The sheep are His sheep, the souls that are brought are those bought with His blood. The Spiritual house being built is His habitation, His church, His body, His glory. When we come to worship, we leave our titles at the door. The Grace of God makes no difference between the master and the servant. Every believer stands clothed in the same Righteousness, the Righteousness of God alone that Christ earned and established on their behalf. The pastor, the servant, the parent, and the child—all stand as needy sinners beneath one LORD and Master. From this truth flows the importance of prayer. “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (v.2). Before a word is spoken about prayer, we must know the God to Whom we pray. He is the Sovereign Master of all. Many think they are praying, but they pray to a god of their own imagination, one that can be persuaded or changed. That is not prayer; that is idolatry. True prayer begins with knowing the Just and Sovereign God Who reigns over all. Prayer does not change God or His will; it aligns our hearts with His purpose. A servant who rises in the morning and never consults his master is not faithful. Neither is the servant who tries to convince the master to do what he wants. True prayer gives glory to God alone. It confesses Him as The LORD, bows to His will, and seeks His Grace to submit to His purpose. Only the Spirit of God can cause the children of God to pray. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26). We are weak, and He is strong. We do not pray to inform God, but to seek His mind and will. Paul, the apostle, knowing his need, asked others to pray for him “that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ” (v.3). Even in bonds, he knew the Word of God cannot be bound. Prayer for the open door, for the opened heart, and for the opened lips—these are the true doors of ministry. It is God Who opens opportunity, Who opens the sinner’s heart, and Who opens the preacher’s mouth to declare the mystery of Christ. Prayer is intercession, watchfulness, and thanksgiving. It bows the heart in humility before the Master in heaven, watches for His direction, and gives thanks in all things. It is the confession that God is sovereign, that we are weak, and that Christ alone is worthy of all glory. The preacher, the master, the servant, and all of God’s people continue in prayer because of Who He is and because of what He has done. Through the blood shed unto death of the LORD Jesus Christ, the believer may cry unto God and be heard—not for his own sake, but for Christ’s sake alone. In Him, the importance of prayer is revealed: our need, His sovereignty, and His glory forever.