An Introduction to God: The Names of God #6 — Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Who Sees and Provides

An Introduction to God is a series on the names God used to make Himself known to people after the fall, and this message turns to Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who sees and provides. The pastor walks through Genesis 22, where Abraham is asked to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah, and shows that Abraham was not staring at the sacrifice. He lifted up his eyes, saw what God saw, and found the ram God had already provided. The message continues from An Introduction to God (The Names of God) #5: Adonai and the Bond Servant.

Below you will find the full video, a structured summary of the sermon, the Scripture behind each point (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline, and practical steps for learning to see God’s provision this week.

Sermon at a Glance

This message was posted in December 2023 and ends with communion and a prayer for the coming year. The pastor opens by sharing his joy at returning from a healing crusade, where he reports seeing people get out of wheelchairs and walk again after years. Then he picks up his series, An Introduction to God, explaining that each name of God is an introduction meant to build a closer relationship.

With this message he begins a new group within the series, the redemptive names of God. These names show not only who God is, but what He does in and through His people. The first of them is Jehovah Jireh.

An Introduction to God Through His Names

The pastor explains the series title with a simple picture. If you introduce Joe and Sally by name only, they know very little about each other. Tell them what each one does, where they live and what kind of person they are, and they begin to know each other personally. That, he says, is the difference between religion and Christianity. Religion knows about God, even the stories of Jesus, but has no personal relationship with Him.

After Adam fell, God kept introducing Himself through His names so people could grow closer to Him. It was still hard, because we relate to the corrupted world more easily than to God, and fear creeps in. So Jesus came as Emmanuel, God with us, and in Him all the fullness of God was revealed. Hebrews 1:1–2 says God spoke in many ways through the prophets but has now spoken to us by His Son.

Our minds still cannot take in God’s infinite nature; we see in a mirror dimly (1 Corinthians 13:12), but when He appears we shall be like Him (1 John 3:2). God does not change (Malachi 3:6). When the presence of God seems to grow during meetings, the pastor says, it is people who open up and receive more of Him. “Faith is grown in an incubator called intimacy with God.”

Psalm 102:25–27 says the heavens will wear out like a garment, but You remain the same. Man, by contrast, is earthy and changeable, and the pastor sees good news in that. A lot full of weeds, old tires and trash can be cleared, tilled and planted with new seed until it produces food that promotes health. That is what happens when we give our lives to Jesus: old things pass away and all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The seed being sown in this series is the names of God.

The Names So Far and the Call to Be a Bondservant

Before moving on, the pastor reviews the names already taught in this introduction to God series. The table below follows his summary of each.

In the King James Version, he notes, LORD in capitals stands for Jehovah and Lord in lowercase for Adonai. Adonai is different from the other names because it describes our part. Jesus said that if you love Him, you will keep His commandments (John 14:15).

Many people first come to the Lord because life is a mess, and they serve Him out of gratitude for the change. But each of us reaches a point where we could go free, and choosing to stay out of love makes us a bondservant. Jesus Himself took the form of a bondservant and became obedient to the death of the cross, so God gave Him the name above every name (Philippians 2:5–11).

The apostles prized that title above all others. Paul opens Romans as “a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle” (Romans 1:1). James, the Lord’s half-brother, calls himself a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (James 1:1), and Peter does the same (2 Peter 1:1). From here, the pastor says, we enter the redemptive names, which show what God will do through your life as kings and priests unto Him.

Jehovah Jireh and Abraham’s Greatest Test

Jehovah Jireh first appears in Genesis 22, in what the pastor calls the most difficult place Abraham had ever been. In Genesis 22:1–2, God tests Abraham: “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love,” and offer him as a burnt offering in the land of Moriah, which the pastor explains is a mountain range. Isaac was the miracle child Abraham had waited 25 years for, and every promise was to come through him.

Abraham did not hear this out of the blue. He had walked and talked with God every day for decades and built a relationship with His word. Faith is not a static condition, the pastor says. We go from faith to faith. Mary, whom all generations call blessed, kept the angel’s words and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19). Abraham did the same with the promises he was given.

Many people want God to act while their car is still in park. Until you dwell on God’s word and say this promise is for me, you will not move. God told Joshua to meditate on the Book of the Law day and night, and then he would make his way prosperous and have good success (Joshua 1:8).

So when God asked for Isaac, Abraham did not waver. “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20). The pastor applies the same steadiness to offense. Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble (Psalm 119:165). Abraham reasoned that a God who gave him a son at 99 could raise that son from the dead. So he rose early, saddled his donkey and set out (Genesis 22:3).

That, the pastor says, is considering God above circumstances. When the angels announced Jesus’ birth to an oppressed and overtaxed people, their message was peace on earth, goodwill toward men (Luke 2:14). God’s will for you is good. He also notes that Leviticus lists five offerings. The first three, consecration, meal and peace, were voluntary, and Abraham’s was a voluntary offering of consecration, like Jesus praying “not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). The trespass and sin offerings were mandatory, just as forgiveness is (Matthew 6:14–15).

He adds a key many miss: forgive, and then bless those who curse you (Luke 6:28). When a neighbor was openly hateful, his family left baked goods at their door every holiday, and years later the neighbor began greeting him with a smile.

Abraham Lifted Up His Eyes: Seeing What God Sees

On the third day “Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off” (Genesis 22:4). The pastor notes that Genesis says three times that Abraham lifted his eyes and looked. He was not surveying the terrain. He was entering a visionary place of faith, because Jehovah Jireh means the Lord who sees, and Abraham was becoming like Him. He was not seeing himself kill his son; he was seeing a living son who would fulfill the promise.

Hebrews 11:17–19 confirms it: Abraham concluded that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead, and figuratively he received him back. The pastor applies it directly. Someone in a wheelchair has to see himself walking. If your bank account is empty, see it full; if your body is in pain, see it well, because God forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases (Psalm 103:3). Abraham believed in resurrection before anyone had seen one, as Noah built an ark before it had ever rained.

Proverbs 4:20–22 tells us to incline our ear to God’s sayings and not let them depart from our eyes. Incline, he explains, means going uphill. Pushing a wheelbarrow on flat ground is easy, but on a hill you have to put in more strength. When things get tough, you make yourself keep hearing the promise. Abraham kept his eyes on promises like Genesis 13:16 and Genesis 26:4: descendants as the dust of the earth and the stars of heaven, all through Isaac.

That faith passed down the family line. In Genesis 32:9–12, a frightened Jacob prays to the God of his fathers Abraham and Isaac and stands on the promise: “You said, ‘I will surely treat you well.'” And because Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, the blessing of Abraham comes on us (Galatians 3:13–14). When people join hands against you, the wicked will not go unpunished, but the posterity of the righteous will be delivered (Proverbs 11:21).

Abraham’s mouth matched his vision. He told his servants, “the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you” (Genesis 22:5). The pastor’s conclusion is blunt: if you have a faith vision, you will have a faith mouth, confessing the promises of God over your life.

Isaac on the Altar and the Ram in the Thicket

In Genesis 22:6–8, Abraham lays the wood on Isaac, carries the fire and the knife, and the two go up together. The pastor pauses to correct a Sunday-school picture. Isaac was not a little boy. Scripture does not give his exact age, but he points to clues: Isaac was conceived when Abraham was 99, and Sarah died at 127, when Isaac was 37. He cites Josephus as saying Isaac was 25, Adam Clarke as suggesting about 33, Keil and Delitzsch as calling him a young man, and another commentator as describing a youth strong enough to carry the wood up a mountain.

The pastor leans toward 33, the age at which Jesus was sacrificed on the same Moriah range. That means Isaac willingly lay down on the altar. In Genesis 22:9–14, as Abraham raised the knife, the Angel of the Lord stopped him. Abraham lifted his eyes again and saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns, offered it in Isaac’s place, and named the place The-Lord-Will-Provide: “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

Here the pastor unpacks the name. Jehovah Jireh, he teaches, is “the revealing one,” more than a provider, a name taken from the Hebrew verb to see. God has seen ahead and made provision for every need you will ever face, and He did it before He created anything. In the King James wording, it shall be seen, and that same word means provided. “When we see it, it’s provided.” So when you pray, believe that you receive (Mark 11:24).

He illustrates the opposite with Pharaoh, who, asked when he wanted the frogs gone, said, “Tomorrow” (Exodus 8:8–10). He could not see it today. What are you willing to see, the pastor asks? In God’s eyes it is done; now you have to see it in yours.

The Lamb Slain From the Foundation of the World

On Moriah, the pastor says, Abraham saw beyond the ram. He saw that the Lord Himself would provide a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), and He said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). That is why, when Isaac asked where the lamb was, Abraham answered that God would provide Himself the lamb.

Peter writes that we were not redeemed with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish and without spot, foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:18–20). Before Jesus created anything, the pastor says, He promised to come as Savior and redeem mankind from all corruption and sin.

The church then shares communion. The pastor reads from the first Passover in Exodus 12:3–5: a lamb for each household, and if the household is too small, share it with your nearest neighbor. Every family is too small for Jesus, he says, because He is the Savior of the whole world, so go get your neighbors. The lamb was to be a male without defect.

He also reflects on the nursery rhyme about Mary’s little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow and which went everywhere she went, as Jesus never leaves us. God’s will for you is good. If you are bound by fear, loneliness or a lack of joy, see yourself in Christ and meditate on His promises until you see the way He sees. He crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies and renews your youth like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:4–5).

Seeing God’s Provision This Week

The message ends with a prayer declaring that God alone is Jehovah Jireh and that without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). Practical steps drawn from the sermon:

• Get to know Him, not just about Him. Spend daily time with God’s names and promises so intimacy can grow your faith.
• Take the car out of park. Pick one promise and meditate on it morning and night, as Joshua was told.
• Lift up your eyes. Picture the outcome God has promised instead of rehearsing the problem.
• Give your vision a faith mouth. Like Abraham’s “we will come back,” speak what God said.
• Forgive, then bless. Choose someone who has hurt you and do something kind for them.
• Invite your neighbors. The Passover lamb was shared; share Jesus with someone near you.

Timestamped Outline

• 0:00 Returning from a healing crusade; why the series is called An Introduction to God
• 1:16 Religion knows about God; Christianity knows Him
• 3:28 Hebrews 1: God has spoken by His Son
• 4:43 God never changes; we open up to Him
• 5:51 Faith grows in the incubator of intimacy
• 7:06 Earthy and changeable: the cleared field
• 9:28 Review: Elohim, Jehovah and El Shaddai
• 11:46 Adonai and becoming a bondservant
• 14:55 The redemptive names begin
• 16:07 Jehovah Jireh in Genesis 22
• 18:26 Isaac the miracle son; faith is not static
• 20:48 Taking the car out of park: Joshua 1:8
• 23:16 The offering of consecration; Romans 4:20
• 25:44 Considering God above circumstances
• 28:13 The five offerings and forgiveness
• 29:21 Forgive and bless: the neighbor story
• 31:31 Abraham lifted his eyes
• 32:55 Hebrews 11:17–19: seeing Isaac alive
• 35:10 Proverbs 4:20–22: incline your ear
• 38:36 Jacob stands on the promise
• 43:31 “We will come back”: a faith mouth
• 44:41 How old was Isaac?
• 48:30 The ram in the thicket
• 49:28 Jehovah Jireh: the Lord who sees
• 50:55 Pharaoh and the frogs
• 53:23 The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world
• 55:55 Communion and the Passover lamb
• 1:03:43 Closing prayer for the new year

Names of God Series

This message is part of the An Introduction to God series at NTC Ministries. Start from the beginning or continue where this one leaves off:

• First message: An Introduction to God: The Names of God, Part 1 — Elohim, the Creator Who Makes Covenant
• Previous: An Introduction to God (The Names of God) #5: Adonai and the Bond Servant
• You are here: An Introduction to God: The Names of God #6 — Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Who Sees and Provides
• Next: An Introduction to God: The Names of God #7 — Jehovah Mekaddesh, the Lord Who Sanctifies

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the pastor call these the redemptive names of God?

The earlier names in the series describe who God is, such as the strong Creator and the Covenant Keeper. The redemptive names, he explains, bring us back into right relationship and show what God will do through our lives, not just in us. Because He has made believers kings and priests, righteous and holy, these names describe what we can expect Him to do as we walk with Him.

Does seeing provision mean pretending a problem is not there?

No. Abraham knew exactly what God had asked, and Jacob openly admitted he was afraid of Esau. The pastor’s point is where you fix your eyes. Abraham looked to the promise rather than the sacrifice, and Jacob prayed, I may be afraid, but this is what You said. Seeing is choosing to keep God’s word before your eyes until it shapes what you expect and what you say.

Why did the church take communion during this message?

The sermon ends at the Lamb of God, so communion follows naturally. Jesus said to do this in remembrance of Him, and the pastor connects it to the first Passover, where each household took a lamb and shared it with neighbors if it was too small. He uses that detail to remind the church that sharing Jesus with the people around them is part of remembering Him.

Scripture References

All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:

• Genesis 22:1–2 — God tests Abraham
• Genesis 22:9–14 — the ram and the name The-Lord-Will-Provide
• Hebrews 11:17–19 — Abraham reasoned God could raise the dead
• Romans 4:20 — he did not waver at the promise
• Proverbs 4:20–22 — keep God’s words before your eyes
• Philippians 2:5–11 — Jesus the bondservant
• Psalm 102:25–27 — You remain the same
• John 8:56 — Abraham saw My day
• 1 Peter 1:18–20 — the Lamb foreordained

How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.

Watch More Messages

If this message helped you see God as your provider, there are hundreds more teachings from NTC Ministries waiting for you. Browse the full sermon archive and keep getting to know Him by name.