The Faith Of Abraham
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1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Lets just take a few steps backward so that we might be able to see the bigger picture for a moment. We just need to make sure that as we zoom in and examine this scripture that we don’t lose the context of the overall message.
19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
“For he is faithful that promised” The belief in the faithfulness of the one who has promised is the very essence of faith.
If God is faithful then what He has said is trustworthy and true, what He has promised is as good as done. It is therefore, on this truth that we have full assurance of faith so let us hold fast to our profession of our faith. This is at the heart of the message of Hebrews. The author is convincing his readers to stay with Jesus don’t go back to the Law and sacrifices but continue in the faith because he is faithful that promised. This is why this book is so important for us today. Sometimes we don’t yet see the promises of God fulfilled in our life the way that we thought we would. In such times we must hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised.
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
So how do we do that? how do we hold fast to the promise when it appears that the promise is lost? The elders of the faith may have some hidden wisdom for us that we can learn from. So then lets look at the faith of Abraham.
He Obeyed During Obscurity
He Obeyed During Obscurity
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Story of going to the states
Abraham obeyed God even though they destination was unknown and the way was unclear and yet by faith he obeyed took his whole family and went.
Many of us came to Christ not knowing exactly what that entailed. Most of us did not know the path it would take us on, and none of us fully know where it will take us.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
He Trusted Through Uncertainty
He Trusted Through Uncertainty
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
After he had passed through the land of Canaan God said to Abraham I will give this land unto your seed. And yet for his whole life Abraham was a sojourner.
To be a sojourner means to dwell in a place as a stranger. Many of you know what it is like to be in a strange land as a foreigner. I’ve lived in New Zealand for longer than I have lived in the States, about 23 years, I have New Zealand citizenship, a New Zealand born wife and 4 New Zealand born children and yet the minute I open my mouth and speak, to most people I’m a foreigner.
Abraham lived in the land of Canaan where God told him to go, and God had told him that this was his land for his children and yet he was a sojourner in a strange country and this was reinforced by the fact that he as well as Isaac and Jacob, dwelt in tents. We all want to have a place we can call our own, put down roots and in Auckland it seems to be more and more difficult to achieve. Abraham never had a place to call his own he dwelt in tents in a land that God had promised to him. The only land that he ever bought was a little burial plot for him and his family.
Why is this important? why did the writer of Hebrews include this? Because of those two words at the beginning of the verse “by faith”
God had told Abraham to pack up and go to a country that He would show him. He left everything behind their whole life probably a house maybe even status as some believe that he had some sort of prominent position in Ur. And yet he gave all that up so that he could be a drifter in a strange country with no place to call his own. Why. Because God made him a promise and he believed God. I’m sure that things didn’t play out like Abraham expected because things never do. And I’m sure things took a lot longer to happen than he expected because things always do.
The Bible says that I’m righteous in Christ Jesus and yet I don’t feel righteous, the Bible says that I’m a child of God and yet sometime it doesn’t feel like I’m a child of God. It says I’m a saint and yet most of the time I don’t feel like I’m a saint. So just like Abraham sojourning in a land that God promised was his inheritance we too have been given promises that have not been fully realised. So what do we do? We do what Abraham did. By faith he sojourned even though the promise seems far away because faith is the substance of things not seen.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
What was it that Gave Abraham this stedfast faith and patience? How did he manage to keep from becoming discourage?
He Focused On The Heavenly
He Focused On The Heavenly
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Where we look is very important
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Many are trying to go through life with one eye on Jesus and the other on the world. We want to serve Christ but we also want the comforts and pleasures that this world has to offer. It is this evil eye that will fill our whole body with darkness.
Abraham obeyed God despite the fact that his future was obscure. He sojourned in tents in the land that God had given to him and trusted in the promises of God despite the uncertainty and appearance that he would not realise the promise. He was able to do these things because he he believed that the one who had promised him was faithful. and he set his eyes on something higher.
It’s easy to lose heart in this world for of darkness
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
We have need of patients that after we have done the will of God, we might receive the promise For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry
We may struggle to see our salvation now but we know that it is closer now than when we first believed. Hold fast to this faith and have a single eye looking to the return of Christ for yet a little while and he that shall come will com and not tarry .