When you preach the Good News, the question often comes up: “But how do we look at Jesus?” Looking at Jesus means turning our attention to Him instead of to ourselves. For example, listening to sermons about Him and His finished work on the cross, talking about Him, or reading the Bible so that the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus’ glory to us.

Take, for example, the well-known story of Abraham offering up his son. Usually, when this story is told, the emphasis is on Abraham’s obedience, so that we follow his example, but then we go on looking at ourselves. On the other hand, when we reveal here the wonderful story of Calvary, we turn our gaze to His glory.

God said to Abraham: “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love… and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains” [Gen.22:2]. Interestingly, at that time Abraham had two sons, but by saying this God showed us His heart — He gave us His only beloved Son on the cross. When Abraham and Isaac came to the mountain, Abraham laid the wood of the burnt offering on his back. This is a picture of our heavenly Isaac carrying the wood [the cross] up the mountain. Jesus, like Isaac, did not go up the mountain alone. Just as Abraham was always beside Isaac, so the Heavenly Father was always beside Jesus. Jesus said: “And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me” [Jhn.16:32]

On this mountain the Lord revealed Himself as Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who provides, when He provided a burnt offering in the form of a ram. This tells us that when we receive the most important provision from God — His burnt offering, Jesus Christ — we receive everything else with Him. [Rom.8:32]

And when we look at this story beholding the glory of the Lord, the Holy Spirit who lives in us transforms us from glory to glory.