Fathers of the Faith

Text: Hebrews 11:20-22

Father’s Day illustration:

In a story about some of the worst Mother’s Day gifts ever given, the Houston Chronicle repoted a story about Jerry Maltz giving his wife an iron. He got the message when she gave him an ironing board for Father’s Day.

By faith Isaac Blessed…

By faith Jacob blessed…

By faith Joseph gave command…

Our unknown author turns his attention to what could be considered the fathers of the faith.

All three events centered around the end of their life. When men are most interested in the legacy that they will leave for their children and family.

Illustration: Next Baby After bringing their first baby home from the hospital, the wife suggested to her husband that he try his hand at changing diapers. “I’m busy,” he said. “I’ll do the next one.”

The next time the baby was wet, she asked if he was ready to learn how to change diapers. He gave her a puzzled look, then said finally, “I didn’t mean the next diaper; I meant the next baby!”

Their legacy is faith.

- We are reading about it today.

- The Jewish heritage is still intact today.

- History still speaks fo these men as fathers of faith and Judaism.

- They are the linage of Jesus himself.

Even if we would find reason to fault. In their own ways these men are human and therefore sinners.

Joseph would not have any recorded failures. But this does not mean he wasn’t a human.

Isaac’s faith was concerned with the future on an individual level; Jacob’s with the future on a tribal level; and Joseph’s with the future on a national level.

- John Phillips

I love this simple little note from John Phillips

Individual

Tribal

National

Isaac had a rather abrupt failure in the midst of this very recorded event.

Isaac Blessed - kind of…

You might remember that Isaac blew the blessing of his son. Because he really wanted to bless his oldest son Esau.

What lead to the failure.

1. He was selfish and self indulgent.

He had a meat that he liked and Esau made it.

Your family will always suffer when you first set out to please yourself.

2. He tuned out the revealed will of God.

Genesis 25:23 KJV 1900

And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger.

God had already told Rachel that Jacob was going to take the lead of the family.

But Isaac like Esau and so made the arrangements to bless his oldest son.

Yet Isaac came to the place of faith when he discovered that he had actually blessed Jacob instead of Esau. Genesis 27:33 says, Isaac trembled exceedingly. When Isaac trembled exceedingly, he was troubled because he knew that he had tried to box God in, to defeat God’s plan, and that God beat him. He realized that he would always be defeated when he tried to resist God’s will, even when he didn’t like it. And he came to learn that despite his arrogant attempts against the will of God, God’s will was glorious

David Guzik

Jacob blessed…

Two things are packed in the verse.

1. Isn’t it great that a formerly carnal and worldly man could come to the point where he looked into the life to come long enough to care for his future.

We wouldn’t say that Jacob would get a father of the year award.

But there is something about a dad that gets it. Faith is meant to be passed on.

Illustration: A father and son went fishing one day. After a couple hours out in the boat, the boy suddenly became curious about the world around him. He asked his father, “How does this boat float?” The father thought for a moment, then replied, “Don’t rightly know, son.”

The boy returned to his contemplation, then turned back to his father, “How do fish breath underwater?” Once again the father replied, “Don’t rightly know, son.”

A little later the boy asked his father, “Why is the sky blue?” Again, the father replied. “Don’t rightly know, son.”

Worried he was going to annoy his father, he says, “Dad, do you mind my asking you all of these questions?” “Of course not son. If you don’t ask questions, you’ll never learn anything!”

2. Notice that this old man is leaning over his staff worshipping.

This is a reminder of the time in Penuel that Jacob wrestled with God and held on to him until he was blessed. Here we see him worshipping that same God at the end of his life.

We are of immensely greater value if we walk with God. Because having a priority of Worshipping Jesus keeps us from being that carnal destructive force that Israel was for much of his life.

Joseph blessed…

Well Scripture never tells us of the blessing that Joseph gave.

We understand that his instructions about his bones are held to the same value of faith that Isaac and Jacob are.

But doesnt’ it make sense that Joseph would have been seen as a blessing when at his death bed he reminded the people that This is not their home. They weren’t meant to stay in Egypt. They were meant to have the Promised land.

This was 260 years removed from the original covenant with Abraham.

It would be another 400 years before the people would leave Egypt and Joseph has his eyes on the promise of God.

Christians let us remember that our families need people who keep their eyes on the big picture. This Godly thinking had something to do with the fact that Joseph didn’t spend a lot of time in heartbreak for past failures.

Let me remind you the author is making and argument for why the people of Israel should abandon religion and cling to Christ as their only hope of eternal life and access to the father.

He is connecting them nature of their faith and the faith it takes to trust Jesus Christ for salvation.

When someone has faith in Jesus Christ than he is not willing to leave Jesus at one point in his life.

This maybe the reason for the misunderstanding when it comes to Lordship salvation.

There are those that think if you don’t make Christ your Lord you aren’t saved. I don’t find the support in Scripture but I do understand being skeptical of someone that wants to keep Jesus away from controlling certain parts of their life.

Instead we find progressively that faith works its way into more and more of our life.

Notice that each generation became more devoted and overtime they were more Godly. This is what happens when faith is properly placed.

This is in contrast to when in Judges the people did that which was right in their own eyes each generation moved farther and farther from God and looked less and less like his people.

This is the nature of Faith

1. Individual

2. Tribal

3. National

real faith makes me desire to grow in faith.

real faith is something to pass on to my family

real faith makes me care about people I’ve never met before.

CIT: The Presence of Real Faith desires to give it to others.