By Faith 2 Hebrews 11:8-12

-Faith is the key to obedience and blessing

Have you ever noticed how many keys that you have? I know that my ring seems to grow daily. I’ve got all kinds of keys and a lot that I can’t remember what they unlock. I’ve got digital keys, physical keys, and pass keys. They all have a purpose though, they get me through the door and into the place I would like to go. Faith, in important ways, is like a key. It unlocks the pleasure of God and receives the power of God. What does this kind of faith look like?

I. Faith Obeys God’s Word v. 8

Our story moves forward and we get to Abraham, a man known as the Father of the faith.

Abraham’s entire life is shaped by his faith. Here are a few critical components:

Abraham obeyed- he set aside his own will and understanding

God called- the Lord had a specific instruction

The instruction was uncomfortable- it pulled him out of what was comfortable and familiar

The promise was great- he would receive a land as an inheritance

The way was unclear- he did not know where he was going

Abraham’s faith is a model for us:

Faith is an act of obedience to God- we must set aside our own wishes and ways for His

Faith invites us to leave behind certainty- there will be much that we do not see or understand

Faith is a choice to pursue the promises of God and to believe Him

Faith recognizes that any response to God’s Word that is not a yes is a no!

We cannot afford to delay, deny, or deflect from God’s calling

We are invited to obey Him!

Sometimes, God calls us to throw away perfectly good seed!

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon Burying Corn in the Ground (Romans 6:8; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14; Ephesians 2:8)

To all appearances, the most absurd thing that ever was done by mortal man is to throw away good corn, burying it in the ground. If you had never seen or heard of its results, it would seem the way of waste and not the work of husbandry. Yet the farmer has no doubt, he longs to be allowed to cast away his seed, in faith he even covets fair weather that he may bury his corn. And if you tell him that he is doing an absurd thing, he smiles at your ignorance, and tells you that thus harvests come.

This is a fair picture of the faith that grows from experience. It helps us to act in a manner contrary to appearances, it leads us to commit our all to the keeping of Christ, burying our hopes and our very lives with him in joyful confidence that if we are dead with him we shall also live with him. Jesus Christ who rose from the dead will raise us up through his death unto newness of life and give us a harvest of joy and peace

John 12:24

[24] Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (ESV)

II. Faith Believes God’s Promise vv. 9-10

Next, we see that Abraham acts on his faith

He goes out from his homeland and he enters the land of promise

There is no turning back from this; he settles down

However, it is not easy

Abraham believes this promise from God, but he has not yet received it

He lives in the land, but as a foreigner

He dwells in the land, but in a tent

This even extends to his son and grandson; they share in an unfulfilled promise

This leads us to a question: How?

How was Abraham able to endure through this?

He was looking ahead

Think about this: Abraham’s life is nomadic. He has no home, no land, and no city

Instead of looking around, he looks ahead

What lies ahead?

There is a city, one that God has promised

God is the designer and builder of that city

What lies in front may seem desperate, but what lies ahead is hopeful

However, we cannot experience the fulfillment of God’s promise until we believe that same promise!

It was a mild October afternoon in 1982 and Badger Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin was packed.  Over 78,000 die-hard University of Wisconsin fans were watching their beloved football team take a beating by Michigan State.  What seemed odd was that as the score became more and more lopsided bursts of cheers and applause kept being heard in the stands.  It was only natural that some people began to wonder who these strange people were who were cheering while their team was being pummeled.

As it turns out seventy miles away from Badger stadium the Milwaukee Brewers were beating the St. Louis Cardinals in game three of the World Series.  Many of the Badger fans in the stands were listening to portable radios and responding to something else besides what was happening right in front of their eyes.

In THIS arena…a lopsided defeat.  In THAT arena…VICTORY!

III. Faith Receives God’s Gift vv. 11-12

Finally, the picture shifts to Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

She believes God also on a terribly practical matter

God has promised her a son, but she is well past the age of conception

However, Sarah receives the power to conceive

It was not native to her, but it was given to her as a gift

In a very serious sense, it is the reward of faith

Please note what is said about Sarah: She considered Him faithful who had promised

I really love this notion. It shows us that faith is an act of recognition of the character of God

When we trust God in faith, we demonstrate who we really believe Him to be

This gift has far reaching implications:

Through this one man (and woman) who are both well beyond child bearing years, many descendants are born

He was as good as dead, yet out of the grave of Abraham and Sarah’s union, new life begins

Our faith still receives all kinds of gifts, but there’s a pattern here that I think we need to recognize:

Faith is the stuff of miracles, when it is faith in Christ

It is only faith in Christ though, that can bring it.

Faith brings righteousness- we gain a share in Christ

Galatians 2:20

[20] I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (ESV)

Faith brings life from death- we partake in His death and His resurrection

Philippians 3:8–11

[8] Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—[10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (ESV)

Faith brings multiplication- we make more members for His body

Acts 2:46–47

[46] And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, [47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)

Is your life the life of faith in Christ?

The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott The Faith of Michael Faraday

[A] crowded gathering of distinguished scientists had been listening spellbound while for an hour Michael Faraday had lectured on the nature of the magnet. When he finished with his lecture by a novel and brilliant experiment, and resumed his seat, [the] house rocked with tremendous applause. [The] Prince of Wales (afterwards King Edward VII) rose to propose [a] motion of congratulation.

[This was] seconded, and carried by thunders of applause. [There was a] strange silence [as the] audience waited for Faraday’s reply. But [he was] gone! [The] lecturer [had] vanished!

Only two or three friends knew where. [The] great chemist [was a] great Christian. [He was an] elder in [a] little local church, and [the] hour at which [he] finished [his] lecture [was the] hour of prayer, so under cover of cheering, [he] slipped out. [He] never missed!

[Faraday] began life (1791–1867) as [a] blacksmith, then [an] apprentice to [a] bookbinder. Gradually [he] climbed [the] ladder of fame. But [he was] never too busy or proud for God. He had made great discoveries in [the] fields of chemistry and electromagnetism, but [he] knew more. On [his] deathbed [he was asked,] “What are your speculations?”

“Speculations? I have none. I am resting in certainties. I know whom I have believed.”