I know that all of us understand that Jesus Christ is our Savior. That his death on the cross gives us salvation on repentance. Repentance of sins is required for salvation. Today I want to talk about the promise of salvation given by God to us from the beginning to the end. Let’s start with Genesis chapter 22. The promise first given to Abraham. And verse 1 reads.
Gen.22:1] And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
[2] And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
This mountain that God will show Abraham is going to be the same mountain that our Lord Jesus Christ will be crucified on. Moriah or Golgotha as it is called in Jesus’s day.
Gen.22:3] And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
[4] Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
[5] And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you,
Abraham just said I and the lad will come back. Great faith, Abraham knew that the Lord had made him that promise of his seed being as the stars of heaven.
Gen.22:6] And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
[7] And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
[8] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Abraham told Isaac that God would provide the Lamb.
Gen.22:9] And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
[10] And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
[11] And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
[12] And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
[13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
This being The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. This being the plan of God from the beginning. Now let’s go to Isaiah 19:20 and it reads.
Isa.19:20] And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.
God promised that he would send them a savior, Not talking about Moses. Moses led them out of captivity, but it was by the hand of God. And in Hosea 13:4
Hos.13:4] Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.
None besides him. Remember Isaiah 7:14, and Matt.1:23, “Emmanuel, God with us”. Jesus is that lamb that God promised Abraham. Now let’s go to John 4 and read about the woman at the well. Some think that this is a gentile, I don’t think so and will explain why as we go. John 4:6-42 and it reads.
John 4:6] Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
This would be about 12 noon.
John 4:7] There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
[8] (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
[9] Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
The houses are divided, the house of Israel, and the house of Judah. And it was not allowed for any man to talk to a woman in the way. But Jesus being the LORD, who could say anything about him talking with his children.
John 4:10] Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
[11] The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
This well was 9 feet across and 70 feet deep. Jesus is that living water. She will see soon that Jesus is talking about the spirit, and life everlasting.
John 4:12] Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Calling Jacob her father, she knew she was of the ten tribes of Israel.
John 4:13] Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
[14] But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
This water is the Word, Logos, Jesus Christ. (John1:1).
John 4:15] The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
She hasn’t grasped that Jesus is not talking about the flesh, but the spirit. She will.
John 4:16] Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
[17] The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
[18] For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
[19] The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
[20] Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
In 1Kings 12:25-33, King Jeroboam built two golden calves. One in Dan and the other here in Samaria. For he feared the people would want to go to Judah, and he feared that they would kill him. This woman knew of the sin that king made in the eyes of the Lord.
John 4:21] Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
[22] Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
It was given to Judah for the king line. And the Massiah (the anointed One, Christ) for salvation.
John 4:23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
[24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
[25] The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
[26] Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Telling her that He was the Christ, (Messias is Massiah in Greek).
John 4:27] And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
[28] The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
[29] Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Jesus used this woman like he uses us, he sent her into her city to preach or teach the good news. That the Christ has come. fulfilling the promise God made to Abraham.
John 4:30] Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
[31] In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
[32] But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
[33] Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
[34] Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
When Jesus is on the cross, with his last breath he says “it is finished”.
John 4:35] Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
[36] And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
[37] And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
[38] I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
We are to plant the seed, the word of God. All are not the same, some plant and others harvest. But we are of the many membered body of the church, Christ being the head thereof.
John 4:39] And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
[40] So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
It was not lawful for a Jew to be with gentiles, and Christ stayed with them for two days. This tells me these people were of the house of Israel, the ten tribes of Israel.
John 4:41] And many more believed because of his own word;
[42] And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
They knew scriptures, and believed in Jesus. And knew he was that promise fulfilled. Jesus told us he has come into the world for salvation, and whomsoever believes in him shall have life everlasting. One day we shall hear great joy in heaven and praise our Lord. Let’s finish with that promise and read Rev.19:1.
Rev.19:1] And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
Salvation, as promised, is given to those that believe on Jesus Christ, believe he is God with us. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.