By Faith, Abraham...

Introduction

Today we’re continuing our series titled ‘The Faith of our Fathers’

We began by looking in depth:

The Bible Explains what Faith is: Heb. 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Without rehashing, we learned that through this verse that faith is believing something for which proof was provided

Also to the importance thereof: Heb. 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

And so as we consider Faith in God specifically, this chapter deals with the Faith of our Spiritual forefathers, AND WHAT IT MOVED THEM TO DO.

In this series of messages we have looked at:

We examined from v4 how that ‘By Faith… Abel Sacrificed’

We examined from v5 how that ‘By Faith… Enoch Walked with God’

We examined from v7 how that ‘By Faith… Noah Feared God’

Now we are on to our next fore-father in the Faith a man by the name of Abraham. Given the amount of things that are spoken of concerning this great man of faith I could have preached several messages on him alone, but I’ve condensed it down to just this one.

I want to take a moment to stress something I just said: This was a man of GREAT FAITH - henceforth, he played a great role in the history of mankind. Abraham himself wasn’t necessarily a great man - I mean he did allow his wife to be taken into Pharaoh’s court. He did submit to his wife concerning Hagar. Abraham made mistakes like the rest of us - but Abraham was a man of GREAT FAITH - and we can learn so much from examining his life.

The Title of this message is ‘By Faith, Abraham...’

Distinct from the others we have looked at so far: By Faith, Abel Sacrificed; By Faith, Enoch Walked with God; By Faith Noah Feared God - this is simply titled ‘By Faith, Abraham...’ - the reason is, the Bible gives us at least 3 different things that Abraham did - By Faith.

And the first thing that we’re going to examine is, By Faith Abraham Obeyed

I. By Faith, Abraham Obeyed (v8)

By Faith He was Dependent Upon God’s Promise (v8a)

What the writer of Hebrews is referencing here is found in Gen. 12:1-3 “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: 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: 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.”

A few things that I want you to notice here is this:

God says - ‘Go’ - and this is what I’ll do.

Notice the ‘I Will’s’

Church, when God says ‘I Will’ - then He will! These are not could, should, maybe’s… These are just promises of God! AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED IT! He simply trusted God! He took Him at His Word! Gen. 12:4 “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.”

I know this is a foreign thing in our society today: The fact that very few people faithfully do what they say they are going to do, but God does!

Abraham simply said ‘Ok God, you promised - so I’m going’

By Faith He was Dependent upon God’s Promises

By Faith He Went Despite His Ignorance (v8b)

He had no idea where he was going

Imagine that for a moment - very few have had much experience in moving period, much less moving to a different area altogether.

(Ill.) I have somewhat similar experience in that years ago, I moved:

From Sissonville to Nitro

From Nitro to NC

From NC to OH & back

From NC to Belmont

So I know what it’s like to move to an area where you have no ties and don’t know cultural differences (And there are some between states & even areas) - But here’s where the similarities end: I may not have know what to expect, but I knew where I was going! Abraham had no idea where it was God was asking Him to go! (Ill.) Imagine packing up everything you have and just driving until God says ‘ok’!

He went despite his ignorance in where he was going

He had very limited understanding of who God was

Oftentimes we have this idea that somehow the saints of old had it better off than we do - as if they knew God better or somehow had an advantage in their relationship with God so that it was easy for them to walk by faith - but lets just consider that for a moment.

We know that he understood these things:

God was a God of Instruction

He gave Adam & Noah instructions

God was a God of Judgment

God Judged Adam when he disobeyed - and the world when it was filled with sin

God was a God of Mercy & Compassion

When Adam & Eve were naked, the LORD God covered them.

When the world would be destroyed because of sin, God gave Noah instructions for the Ark

So Abraham knew some of the aspects of God - but Abraham didn’t know:

About Moses & what God did for the COI in Egypt

About God enabling David to slay a giant

About 3 Hebrew boys in a fiery furnace untouched by the fire

About God bringing the fire down upon Elijah’s sacrifice

About the deliverance of the COI time & again in the book of Judges

About Jesus’s death burial & conquering the grave!

Abraham had a very limited understanding of God compared to what we have today! YET ABRAHAM WALKED BY FAITH EVEN STILL! He still Obeyed God!

Church - Obedience is Optional, but Consequences are not

Let me ask you this church: Are you walking by faith in Obedience unto the LORD?

Are you obeying His commands to win the lost?

Are you forsaking sin & the desires of the flesh?

Have you set you mind on things above?

Are you lifting up the brethren?

Are you faithful to the House of God?

Are you giving as God has given you cheerfully?

Because we can either Obey as Abraham did and be blessed, or we can disobey and suffer loss. By Faith, Abraham Obeyed.

By Faith Abraham Obeyed. Because He Believed God, Abraham Obeyed. Secondly, By Faith Abraham became an Outcast

II. By Faith, Abraham became an Outcast (v9-10)

He was part of the ‘in’ crowd, but chose to become a stranger

By Faith Dwelt Provisionally (v9a)

That word ‘Provisionally’ (def) Temporarily. There’s two things that speak to this:

He Sojourned (def) to dwell temporarily as a foreigner

Abraham’s home was in Haran. Abraham’s father was in Haran. But by Faith he left what was comfortable and convenient to live as a Nomad. He was not the insider in Canaan’s Land. He went from being settled in Haran to dwelling in Nomadic-ally in Hebron (Canaan’s Land).

Everyone wants to be popular. Everyone seems to want to be part of the ‘in’ crowd. It’s the fascination with the Cheers theme song ‘Where everybody knows you name...’ Abraham was one that everybody knew in Hebron - but yet he chose to become NOBODY for SOMEBODY!

This is the same mindset of Paul: Php. 3:7-8 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”

He dwelt temporarily as a foreigner, which leads to the second reference speaking to his thought process and mindset...

He dwelt in Tabernacles

He and his family lived out of tents. - We’ll get more to this point in a moment...

By Faith, Abraham dwelt Provisionally

By Faith Dwelt By Reason of Promise (v9b)

Just as we had elaborated on previously, Abraham was willing to forsake his comfort, his home, his family simply because God promised him some things, and Abraham believed Him!

Church has God promised you anything? According to my Bible, He has! He’s Promised:

Though others may forsake us:

He’ll never leave us: De. 31:6 “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

When we are lacking:

He’ll meet our every need: Phil. 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

When things seem to go wrong:

All things work to good: Rom. 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

When we’re confused as to our path:

He’ll make them straight: Pro. 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.”

When we’re bound by the chains of sin:

He’ll break those chaind: Joh. 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

When it seems our wisdom is failing:

He gives us wisdom: Jam 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

When we’re struggling:

We’ll find rest in Him: Mat. 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

When we sin:

He’ll forgive us!: 1 Joh. 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Church, we have a God that has made us promises! And He’s able and faithful to keep those promises! Abraham dwelt because he believed that the God who promised would be a God who performed!

By Faith Held a Heavenly Perspective (v10)

There’s a reason that Abraham, his family and his servants dwelt in tabernacles. It’s because they weren’t looking to get settled on this earth. Abraham was looking and longing for his ‘forever home’.

(Ill.) Back in the old days when they opened up the west many an eastern soul took wagon trains out west to become ‘settlers’. These families would oftentimes start out small. Some of the poorer folk had dugouts - rather than build up, they’d dig out as it was easier to build just a roof instead of a house. They’d typically start out small like that or a small house. But then they would build bigger or add on as they would prosper. That is the natural inclination.

However, we don’t see Abraham do that. Abraham - though he could have put down great roots did not, because he didn’t want deep roots in this world, he wasn’t looking for permanence here, he was looking for a heavenly city! The Bible tells us: Heb. 11:13-16 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”

Church, we need to stop focusing on this mess down here, and start focusing on our forever home!

We put so much of our time, talents and treasure focusing on this physical world in which we are just sojourning in! We need to get our eyes on the prize & gain the mindset of Paul in: Php. 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

By faith Abraham Held a Heavenly Perspective

By Faith Trained His Posterity (v9c)

We notice that Abraham didn’t dwell there alone - but his children, and children’s children - Isaac & Jacob, they dwelt in tents too! Abraham demonstrated to them that the things of this world really don’t matter much!

If we are not training our children in the fact that this world is but temporary, and all that is done outside of Christ is dung, then we are failing our children. We are not simply letting them go astray, we are actively LEADING them astray.

So many parents, they want to HAVE their cake and EAT it too. They want their children to be Godly children, but they also want them to be popular. They also want them in every activity this world has to offer - and all too often, when it comes to choosing the things of God or things of this world, they are choosing the things of this world.

You will either raise Godly, Christ centered & focused children, OR you will raise your children to be not only comfortable in this world, but to love what it offers.

The Bible tells us: 1Jo. 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

We parents have an awesome responsibility to raise our children as God (who gave them to us) would have us do! Eph. 6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

By Faith Abraham Trained His Posterity

By Faith, Abraham Obeyed & he Became an Outcast. Lastly, we’ll see that By Faith, Abraham Offered

III. By Faith, Abraham Offered (v17-19)

This is referencing the story of Abraham and Isaac in Gen. 22 (Summarize the story)

By Faith Held to His Priority

By the Grace of God I have two children. I love them both more than words can say. But neither of them were promised by God unto me. I have not been told by God that either would be the head of a multitude of children (as the stars in the sky) And both of them were born unto me during my child-bearing years. Abraham’s son Isaac was given because God revived his loins at the age of 100 and opened a womb that had been barren 90 years. God Himself knew that Abraham loved his son Isaac: Gen. 22:2 “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

But what we see is that even though Abraham loved his son, he loved God more!

We need to get our priorities in order.

God needs to be first in our lives. Before our Family, before our Friends, before our Football (Metaphorically speaking)

By faith Abraham held to His priority

By Faith Trusted in God’s Provision

Heb. 11:19 “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

Do you understand what this is saying? Abraham knew that God was able to raise his boy up once he killed him.

Church let me ask you this: Is anything too hard for our God? If not, why are we constantly worried about silly stuff?

Can God not provide for you? Can God provide for your:

Health?

He has cured the blind, deaf & dumb. He has raised the dead.

Finances?

He has put money in a fishes mouth to pay the tribute unto the Jews

Food?

This is the God who fed a multitude with 5 loaves & 2 fish

Clothes?

This same God clothed Adam & Eve in the Garden

Water?

This God watered a nation from a rock

We have a trustworthy God! There is nothing you need He can’t provide!

By Faith was Provided a Substitute

Lastly, we mustn’t forget that this story is an illustration of the Sacrifice of Christ.

Judgment by God was coming down upon Isaac.

He was bound upon the altar with no hope

But God provided another who would bear his punishment and take his place.

My friend, this is what Jesus has done for you!

We are all under the Judgment of God because of Sin

We are under the Judgment where the knife could fall upon us at any moment

But God loved us enough to provide another to take our place and bear our punishment in the form of a man named Jesus!

I ask you this: We’re talking about Faith right? Is this not a God worth putting your faith in?

Conclusion