Hebrews 11_11_12 outline

Promised - ἐπαγγέλλω ĕpaggĕllō, ep-ang-el´-lo; from 1909 and the base of 32; to announce upon (reflex.), i.e. (by impl.) to engage to do something, to assert something respecting oneself:—profess, (make) promise. (Past Tense)

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Hebrews 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,

Romans 4:19-21 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

but concluded that the certainty of God’s word far outweighed them all.

Adjective vs 11

Faithful - πιστός pistŏs, pis-tos´; from 3982; obj. trustworthy; subj. trustful:—believe (-ing, -r), faithful (-ly), sure, true. (Reliable) is God reliable

Past (beyond the season of age)

Through faith (trusting God will deliver) Sarah received her promised child, even though she lived 90 years barren. Even as old as she was, believed God who had promised. Faith is the power over the impossible. To live 90 years one way (Barren) then to say something has changed even though I know people my age are unable to bear children. She had past that age, she was barren during her child barren years. But she trusted God who is faithful.

Faith blesses Vs. 12

God’s blessing

Even as one as good as dead, Abraham was 100.

Verbs vs. 12

Sprang – became the parent of. “Born”

As good as dead – as far as the hope of founding a family

Isaac born (Gen 21:1) As He had said, and did as He had promised.

The whole world would be blessed by His seed.

Illustration: How many stars are in the sky? 1 Billion Trillion Stars in the observable universe (21 – 0’s)

How much sand on the earths beaches? seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains. (Very rough Estimate)

This hyperbole shows the vastness of the descendants that were to come from an elderly man (100 years old) and his 90 year old barren wife

God blessed me, has God blessed you.

Jewish Nation (what started out as 1 man and 1 woman grew to possibly 2 million over 430 yrs Gal. 3:17) (15 Million Jews on earth today)

Prophets (One who spoke for God)

The Bible (His descendants Except for possibly 1 Gentile Luke He may have been a Hellenized Jew)

Jesus (Every nation on earth has been blessed through Abraham’s seed Jesus)

God’s faithfulness to protect the promise. Abimelech (Gen 20:17-18)

Lapse of faith again

The promise lies on Isaac.

But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. Ge 21:12.

Application: We don’t trust in ourselves and in our capabilities, our capabilities lead to hell. We trust in the creator of the universe, the one who sustains us, the self-existent God, the promise keeping God.

The Hebrews were to trust in God’s faithfulness! He would deliver them from judgment/wrath even though they could not see deliverance in their near future, all they saw was persecution. Deliverance seems impossible because of their persecution but God’s faithfulness is not measured by lack of problems but by being delivered from His wrath once this life is over.

The Hebrews had lost sight of His faithfulness to deliver. May we never lose sight of His faithfulness.