FAITH OF ABRAHAM
Hebrews 11: 8-16
Key Verse: 8
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Last week we learnt that by faith it is possible to please God. We learnt about how we should life a life like Abel, Enoch and Noah who lived by faith waiting for the day of Jesus Christ’s coming.
Today we will be encouraged to know that God is not looking for perfect people. He is looking for faithful people who through their faith in God can be used to do great things for his glory. I pray that each of us may be commended for the faith we show in God’s promise and that we may pass the tests of life through trust and obedience to God.
Part 1. By faith Abraham obeyed and went (8-10)
Look at verse 8: “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Here, Abraham’s calling is explained in three ways: (1) God called Abraham with the promise of an inheritance; (2) Abraham obeyed and went; and (3) Abraham did not know where he was going.
Here, calling is from God. It is based on God’s promise. This is about Abraham's response to God's calling. God called Abraham when he was 75 years old. God said, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.” (Gen 12:1) God called Abraham when he was 75 years old. Abraham lived until 175 years old. Seventy-five years old still today seems like an old age. However, considering the time of his death, this is comparable to about the early 30s of people who live up to only 75 or 80 years in our time. Here it is important to think about the timing of God’s calling. God’s calling is about committing our life’s direction. People do this after they are more serious about their lives. Along with job decisions, people also make their marriage decision. These two are quite important personal decisions in life. In a similar but even deeper way, God’s calling is about what kind of life you will live before God. Thus, this sense of God’s calling is often for somewhat later years. In Abraham’s case, he was already married at the time of God’s calling. He also had basic skills for living. But accepting God’s calling is about seriously coming to God and committing one’s life to God’s purpose.
God said, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Ge 12:2-3) God’s promises to Abraham were threefold: personal ("I will bless you and make your name great"), historical ("I will make you into a great nation"), and redemptive ("You will be a blessing for all nations"). Abraham started his life of faith with God’s command and promise.
God’s calling is about God’s promise. We respond to God’s promise. Therefore, before we make a commitment to God, we need to know him. We need to understand what we are called for. Commitment involves obedience. God’s calling is about involving our life. It is more than action. It is about committing one’s life to God’s direction. This direction is clear. Yet, its details are not. Abraham received God’s calling. However, a great deal of doubt was there. In this sense, calling requires adventure.
God’s calling is not about our own happiness first. It is about God’s purpose first. Our happiness comes in the course of seeking God’s purpose first. God’s purpose is deep and far-sighted. Therefore, it is quite absolute from God’s point of view and yet from our human point of view, it seems to contain a great deal of uncertainty on our part. God promised Abraham a land he would later receive. This promise was fulfilled at least 650 years later. At the time of calling, he did not know where he was going. He was not sure of all the details about the land where he eventually settled. In spite of this, Abraham obeyed and went. Why did he do that? Abraham trusted God’s promises.
Look at verse 9: "By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise." This is about life. God’s calling is about a beginning.
Calling is about the beginning of faith. Life is about living out this calling in reality. Verse 9 speaks about Abraham’s life in two important ways: (1) By faith Abraham made his home in the promised land. Abraham settled there. He took steps to take root in the land; (2) Abraham lived in the land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived there in the land but he was not a part of the corrupt culture of the land. He was different; (3) Abraham maintained a simple and godly life style which he passed onto his son, Isaac and later to Jacob.
Let’s consider each feature of Abraham’s life in the Promised Land. How did he live? Abraham lived like a stranger in a foreign country. He was an immigrant to a new land. But he was not isolated in the land. He made his home in that land. He made friends in the land. In that way, Abraham could take deep root in the community and gain the respect and honor of the people around him. They regarded him as a “mighty prince.” (Gen 23:6) Yet, he was different from them. Abraham never forgot that he was a stranger and an alien in that land. (Ge 23:4) His son, Isaac and his grandson, Jacob, adopted a similar lifestyle to that of Abraham. They all lived in tents. In brief, they made their home in that land as strangers. Abraham lived as a stranger in a godly sense. Abraham lived in this world but was not of this world. His life style was something different from the people around them—mainly in his hope.
Look at verse 10: “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Abraham could maintain such a simple and godly life style because his hope was beyond life in this world. He was looking forward to the city of God. It is the world that God builds. It is the world where the effects of sin do not rule. Abraham was looking forward to being with God who is eternal. (Gen 21:33) The idea of life beyond this world is from God who is everlasting. Abraham began to call on the name of God after walking with God for many years.
Part 2. Longing for a better country (11-16)
Look at verses 11 and 12: “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he]considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.”
This is about Abraham’s later life. Abraham lived for many years. But even in his old years he had no son. He felt as good as dead. Abraham and Sarah became ancestors of faith when they felt like they were dead and yet trusted God. In other words, the later years of Abraham and Sarah’s life determined the kind of fruit they bore in this life.
By the time Abraham reached about 99 years old, he accomplished a few things: (1) he settled and did well in the land; (2) yet he had no son. He had no real sign of God’s promise in his life.
Abraham and Sarah had one issue and it lasted for 25 years. They were too old to have a baby on their own. Both Abraham and Sarah were shaken in unbelief many times. Eventually, Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead. He knew that he could not take back his youth. Neither could his wife Sarah be a youthful woman again. Yet, he did not shake through unbelief forever. He was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. (Ro 4:18-20)
The life of faith is like a race. A good start, consistent middle process, and excellent finish are all important. An excellent finish is what determines the race. It is essential to begin this life of faith in the early years. It is important to live by faith in our middle years. But it is most important how we live by faith in the later years. Abraham lived by faith when he and his wife Sarah felt just like dead people. They felt hopeless by this time. Yet, as they lived by faith, God made them the father and mother of Isaac. God’s promise was finally fulfilled.
When Abraham was hundred years old, God gave him a son, Isaac. Through his son Isaac all his descendants spread throughout the world. He finally experienced the fulfillment of God’s precise promise. Abraham’s life is a motivation for all people who live by faith in that we learn what it means to seek God earnestly. According to Hebrews 11:6, coming to God is about God’s calling. Living is about being in God’s presence. Seeking earnestly is done even in older ages. Victory is about what we do to the end.
Look at verse 13: "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." This verse describes the hope of Abraham and his descendants. One phrase that described them was, “They were still living by faith when they died.” They did not receive all God had promised them. Abraham did not know about eternal life through Jesus Christ. He saw only a part and could not see the whole picture of God. But his vision was extended to call God, “the Eternal God.” (Ge 21:33) They did not possess the land. The people were not yet formed as a great nation. They did not see the picture of God’s mighty work through them. They only saw it at a distance. Still they were living by faith, even when they died. Faith is really knowing what we hope for and being certain of what we do not see.
Look at verses 14-16: "People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." Abraham did not look back to the country he had left. Rather, he looked forward to a better country the heavenly one. By faith they were looking forward to their heavenly homes.
Our hope in the kingdom of God provides the anchor for our soul. It is good for us to have places to return. We all put so much hope in things that are important to us pleasures, security, recognition, wealth, and accomplishments. So as passion goes, keep working on these. We then find something more interesting. In our souls we look for meaning that goes well beyond things of this world. This is based on something better that is not of this world. It takes time for us to accept it. Yet, it comes sooner than we imagine.
Part 3, The test of faith (17-22)
Let’s read verses 17-19. “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death”. More than any other instance this final exam strengthened Abraham as a great man of faith. God finally gave him a son and fulfilled his promise. But just as soon as Abraham received him God asked Abraham to give him away. Leaving your father’s household without knowing the destination seems ridiculous. But amazingly you see no complaining from Abraham. No demand for an explanation. No pleading. Actually, it’s almost peaceful the way Abraham obeyed. When Isaac asks him on the way where the sacrifice is, Abraham does not break down into tears but peacefully and with faith says, “The Lord will provide.” How could Abraham be so obedient and responsive to God?
I believe it’s because Abraham came to know God. He knew God so personally and intimately that he didn’t have to think twice about doing what he commanded. His whole life of faith seems as if it was leading up to one point: the birth of his son, Isaac. When he finally got his son he was overjoyed. But his joy was not limited to the child. His delight was in God. They had taken an amazing 25 year journey together and God had shown himself personally to Abraham. Abraham knew God was just, faithful, loving, trustworthy, powerful. Abraham’s thought process was probably like this: God said he would bring descendants through Isaac. Well, God can’t break his promises because he is faithful. So even if Isaac dies I know God is also powerful and can do the impossible. So he will have to bring Isaac back from the dead. Abraham fully submitted to God’s will because he was confident in who God is.
Man grows and knows God through the circumstances of life around him. More specifically, we know God by submitting to his will and obeying him by faith. How do we know God if we never put our trust in him or sacrificed anything for him or if we always lived in accordance with our own will? Abraham’s life of faith was a progression. Acts of obedience that revealed a little more about who God was to him. So that when the ultimate test came he was ready.
I pray each of us may grow in our faith like Abraham and come to know God very personally. This may mean challenges and struggles in life. But that’s how we come to know just how good God is. How do you know a true friend? Not in the good times, but in the bad times. God is the true God because he is sovereign and he will never forsake or abandon us.
I pray we would have seen that though Abraham wasn’t perfect and though he had human limitations, God is not ashamed to be called his God because Abraham’s enduring faith and obedience. May we too follow the example of Abraham and seek to please God. May we know God through decisions of faith. Therefore, as we prepare for Sydney uni o-week, let us pray that we may seek to please God with our heart and carry out everything by faith.
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