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Jesus said, “Whoever keeps My Word will never see death forever.”

᛭ INI ᛭

Jesus is God. There is no other God before Him. But most people we meet today, including many Christians, are just functional polytheists—pluralistic monotheists, who believe there’s one God, who reveals itself, herself, himself, xyrself, through a plurality of names. In Bible times people believed there were many gods in the spiritual realm. Now, most believe in one god who’s got many names. The end result’s the same: If someone says “I believe in god,” we think that’s ok, and if they have a conservative, Judeo-Christian political worldview, well, that’s basically the same, right?

Even if there are so-called gods in heaven or on earth…nevertheless, for us there’s one God, the Father. From Him all things exist; we also do for Him. There’s also one Lord, Jesus Christ. Through Him all things exist; we also do through Him. (1 Cor 8:5–6)

Jesus is “Lord” means He’s “God over all blessed forever” (Rom 9), “the eternal Son of the Father” (Jn 1). This isn’t an opinion. It’s what He claims! He claims to be God, specifically the God of the Old Testament. Today, Jesus says, “Before Abraham was I AM.” “I AM” is “the LORD,” spelled with all the funny caps. That’s a stand-in for His name, usually brought into English as “YAHWEH.”

Jesus says He’s Old Testament YAHWEH, who chatted with Moses in the burning bush (Ex 3:14), who appeared and spoke all over the place in the Old Testament, even to Abraham. So, Jesus is saying He told Abraham to slaughter his son, Isaac. So, when read your Bible, as a Christian, you should follow Jesus and read “the LORD” as “Jesus.” If it doesn’t fully make sense, find me. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

So, why does Jesus tell Abraham to slaughter His Son Isaac? Well, that gets us to what Jesus does and why He says, “Whoever keeps My Word will never see death forever.”

(2. Jesus Christ is the true and better Isaac.)

Christ tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, not as some sick, twisted test of obedience. Rather, as Peter says, “so that the tested genuineness of [his] faith—more precious than gold that perishes though tested by fire—may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at Jesus Christ’ appearance.” (1 Pet 1:7) Jesus didn’t send His Spirit into Moses or any other prophet to write moralistic tales of obedience. The Bible isn’t God’s inspired version of the Tortoise and the Hair, for example. Once you’ve learned the “moral of the story,” no real need to read it again! “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Thinking and behaving like Bible stories, Old Testament ones especially, are instructions for being good, well-behaved Christians, stories for children in Sunday School and not adults, needs to perish from the entire Church! They are stories for children, God’s children of all ages! They’re stories you don’t grow out of but grow up into because they’re not about your good behavior but about Christ, your God and Savior!

Last week Christ was called “the Prophet,” the promised replacement for Moses. (Dt 18) Christ calls Himself the King greater than Solomon, the Prophet greater than Jonah. (Mt 12:41–42) Christ’s the better High Priest and sacrifice. (Heb 9) Elsewhere Paul calls Christ the second Adam (Rom 5; 1 Cor 15) and hints Christ’s the better Moses. (1 Cor 10) Christ is “greater than father Abraham.”

All the Old Testament stories foreshadow Christ. “They testify about Me,” (Jn 5) Jesus says. They preach Jesus, your God and Savior, through the events recorded in the Old Testament. Christ used real, historical people (like Abraham and Isaac) to preach what He would do. He did it through their actions and what He said to them and through them. All their words and actions tell about Him, or maybe your need for Him. That’s why Christ tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac!

Jesus is the beloved Son, the only Son of God. He would travel up the same mountain as Isaac one day. (Mount Moriah is Jerusalem. (2 Chr 3:1)) He would carry the wood of His cross to Mt. Calvary. He would willingly submit Himself, suffer Himself to suffer, be bound with nails, crucified, be forsaken by His Father, and give His life into death “as a ransom for many.” He died instead of Abraham and his son Isaac, instead of you—for all our sins He died as the true ram crowned with thorns.

The true “moral of the story” is not “On the mountain of the LORD, it shall be provided” but rather “On the mountain, the LORD,” YAHWEH, “shall appear.” Christ, the true and better Isaac; Humble Son of sacrifice, Who would climb the fearful mountain, There to offer up His life. Laid with faith upon the altar, Father’s joy and only son; There salvation was provided, oh what full and boundless love. (Christ, the True and Better)

(Transition.)

That story’s the only true one. We live surrounded by another false story, a story of death to death. Where you eke out some tiny pleasure now, for only thing that awaits you is disappointment, death, darkness, nothing. We’re surrounded by death—we’re all a diagnosis away, a farm accident away, a heartbeat away from the grave. The world’s story offers no hope, and judging by our behavior and stress levels, we’ve bought into that story.

The Bible’s story is different. Christ is the story of the Bible! It’s a story of death to life, darkness to light, sin to forgiveness, crucifixion to resurrection. In fact, Abraham believed Yahweh could “even raise Isaac from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, Abraham did receive Isaac back.” (Heb 11:19)

(1.You won’t SEE death forever.)

We all see death, and all of us will taste death. We’ll experience it, go through it. But we won’t SEE it forever. One day you’ll see the inside of your own casket as you rise from it—all because of what Christ, the better Isaac, has done for you! “By His death, He destroyed Him who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Heb 2) He opened the way for you to everlasting life. “Since Christ is raised, the dead also are raised.” (1 Cor 15) You will be raised. This is the promise of Holy Baptism. There you were made an “heir of eternal life,” (Tit 3), “united with Christ’s own death and His resurrection.” (Rom 6) In the forgiveness of your sins you’ve got eternal life and salvation. As Christ says, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will resurrect him on the Last Day.”

That’s why we “keep” Christ’s Word. Not just “obey,” but guard it, cherish it. His Baptism and Supper words give promises of life, but it’s also your Bible! Disciples cherish it, by reading it, hearing it preached! Not to ask “what you can do for your God,” but “what your God has done for you.” (Jesus is your God.) How people behave with Jesus’ Word is a dead giveaway if they’re a disciple or not. Christians are baptized, Commune, and don’t despise sermons and His Word. “Whoever is of God listens to the Words of God.”

We also declare and defend His Word against to ungodly people. We tell Christ’s story, there’s no other God before Him. (He’s one with His Father and the Spirit—not Three Gods but one.) When you tell Jesus’ story expect the same fate as Him. They picked up stones to kill Him for what He said, eventually crucified Him for it. Jesus says, “‘A servant isn’t greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they’ll also persecute you.” (Jn 15:20) “The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. (Jn 16:2) ‌Whoever acknowledges me before men, I’ll also acknowledge before my heavenly Father, but whoever denies me before men, I’ll also deny before my heavenly Father. (Mt 10:32-33)

(Conclusion.)

Jesus said, “Whoever keeps My Word will never see death forever.”

Christ makes and keeps promise because He’s the LORD. The ancient creed, “Jesus is LORD” claimed Jesus both as true Caesar and God of the Old Testament. “Jesus is God” covers the same ground in our modern polytheistic America.

He’s the one who appeared to Abraham. In fact, He’s the better Isaac who died and rose for you, and gives you His life-from-death Word at Baptism, in the Bible, in true evangelical sermons, like this one, and at Communion. So, read your Bibles and tell Christ’s story. He’s the better Isaac. You’ll stand before His throne one day and each will give an account of what they’ve done. (You, too!) You won’t get sentenced to eternal life because you were obedient or more obedient than others. (Though each generation takes up the charge to be faithful.) The road to hell is paved by human obedience, and those who walk it often claim the three-letter word “god.”

No,

YOU WON’T SEE DEATH FOREVER BECAUSE CHRIST IS YOUR BETTER ISAAC.

How could you not speak of that? He’s Redeemer, and His Word has given You life and continues to. That’s how important His Baptism, Bible, ‘bsolution, body and blood—even Gospel sermons!—are! There Christ, your better Isaac, is caught and placed for you. And by Christ’s Word you won’t see death forever and by it “we know,” as the Spirit says through John, “that we’re from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and given us understanding, so that we’d know him who’s true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 Jn 5:19–20).

᛭ INI ᛭