Hebrews 11:17-22 Monumental Faith

Welcome Message

Good morning everyone! So glad to be back up here to share with you this morning. Go ahead an turn in your Bibles to Hebrews Chapter 11 starting in verse 17. Thats Hebrews Chapter 11 starting in verse 17.

Before we begin I’d like to share a short story with you

Several years ago, my family and I lived in Northern Virginia just 20 miles or so from Washington DC. Now you can’t live that close to the national capital region without making it a point to visit the city. So, Corrie and i decided to take the kids, we only had Grace and Gwyneth at the time, load them up in my truck and make the trip.

Now, if you have ever been to Washington DC, you probably know that making a trip to DC is a challenge. Although it is only 20 miles, the traffic is SO horrible that it can take 3.5 - 4 hours just to make the drive. In fact, the traffic is so bad, that many people who work in DC don’t actually come home during the week. They just stay in the city and drive home on weekends.

Fortunately, on this day, it is only going to take us 2 hours with traffic to make it.

I’m sitting in my truck, annoyed that I let Corrie talk me into this. Especially because I am literally, SITTING in my truck on I-95. We aren’t moving. We are stopped in a traffic jam. In fact, the traffic is so backed up and there are so few exits between where we lived and Washington DC, that it was not uncommon to see people hopping out of their cars to use the restroom in the median of the 8 lane super-highway that is I-95.

The kids are in the back, complaining about the trip, hungry, bored and restless. Corrie is sleeping soundly.

I think that this is a waste of time. What can possibly be so interesting about a bunch of old buildings and statues dedicated to men long since dead? I convince myself that it will be educational for the kids so I should try to make it through.

Finally, we arrive. And as we are unloading the kids, I realize, it is HOT. Maybe not Northern Louisiana in August Hot, but hot enough that I know this is going to be a rough day for the kids, and me.

Now I’m really not looking forward to this.

So I start pushing the stroller as fast as I can toward the Lincoln memorial praying to myself that maybe Corrie will think that one memorial is enough and will let us go home.

But then, I see it. Perched atop a mountain of stairs, like an ancient roman temple, marble pillars rising up from the ground like beams of bright white light. To my right is the reflecting pool, gently flowing in the breeze. It’s enormous. I knew it would be big, I’ve seen the pictures of Martin Luther King Junior delivering his famous “I have a dream speech” from the steps of the memorial to what seemed to be an endless ocean of people. The imported Japanese Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom with their pink and red flowers - they are the most beautiful trees I have ever seen. And there, far off in the distance like an arrow pointing to heaven is the Washington Monument.

The massivness of the monuments is accentuated by the normal everyday sight of people walking, running, riding bicycles and ducks swimming in the reflecting pool.

My breath is taken away.

We continue throughout the memorial gardens and visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the obsidian black wall carved with the names of the more than 58,000 people who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. It is somber and I find myself standing numbly as I see old men sitting in wheelchairs by the names of their buddies. Some speaking quietly, others weeping softly, others just sitting there silently.

We walk through the korean war veterans memorial where ghostly figures of men bundled in thick winter clothes patrol forever through the gardens. It is eerie and even a little frightening.

I’ve completely forgotten about the heat, and the fussing children.

Before this day, I knew the memorials held an important historical significance to this nation. But now, they have gripped me and brought me face to face with the enormity of the deeds of men and women who have shaped my history. I now understand the importance of memorials. They are not just for teaching history abstractly, but for showing us the significance and impact the actions of heroes have had on OUR personal history, AND hopefully, teach us to emulate them.

And this leads me to our scripture for today. But before we begin, let me pray.

Prayer

Father, we worship you for your incredible power, and we thank you that you have chosen to give us the gift of faith that empowers us to live lives pleasing to you. Thank you for your word, and for the people who have gone before us who you have used mightily to accomplish your purposes - despite their flaws. We offer ourselves to you today, and ask that you would use us to advance your kingdom here on earth.

Scripture

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

This is God’s Word.

Exposition

Today’s passage picks up where Jesse left off last week describing the faith of some of the most famous people in recorded history.

The author of Hebrews recounts the Old Testament description of Abel who is said to have “pleased God” by offering a more acceptable sacrifice than his brother Cain.

The author also describes how Enoch is said to have “pleased God” before being caught up to heaven while still living. the author goes on to reason that Enoch must have had great faith, because it is impossible to please God without belieiving in Him.

He goes on to recount quickly the “reverent fear” of Noah and how through that faith, Noah built the Ark and saved his family.

He describes the Faith of Abraham through the story of Abraham leaving his family and travelling to the “land of promise” “not knowing where he was going”.

And the faith of Sarah that empowered her to conceive in her old age and give birth to the son through whom God would fulfill his promise to Abraham that his descendents would be as numerous as the sands of the seashore.

This section of Hebrews is sometimes referred to as the “Hall of Faith” because it highlights the amazing faith of some of the most impactful people in human history.

That phrase Hall of Faith is waht reminded me of the monuments in Washington DC. You’ll notice that it isn’t called the Vietnam War Memorial - no its the Vietnam VETERANS Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument etc.

The monuments are named after people not events, because people and their actions are what is being remembered.

Similarly, this passage of scripture reminds us of the amazing faith of those who have gone before us, a faith we should strive to emulate in our own lives.

This passage of scripture is also helpful to us in that it helps to define exactly what Faith is:

1. first, it involves believing in the existence of God—not simply any god, but in the one who made his will known to the fathers through the prophets and who in these last days has spoken in his Son

2. Second, faith entails believing that God rewards those who earnestly seek him.

If the previous verses leading up to todays scripture highlight some amazing acts of faith, I would offer that the stories told in today’s scripture are even more incredible.

Let’s look at verses 17 and 18

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

This passage in Genesis 22 has traditionally been called the “Binding of Isaac” among the Jews and in Jewish interpretation as the classic example of the redemptive power of martyrdom.

This passage is also an amazing example of “active faith” as described more fully in the book of James. Abraham’s actions were evidence of an incredible faith.

Here God “tests” Abraham with what may be the greatest trial possible.

God commands Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to Him. the very Isaac whom God had previously promised would be the progenetor of the entire nation of Israel with descendents as numerous as the stars!

Contrast this with the acts of faith attributed to Abraham earlier in this chapter:

Abraham:

Left his home and didn’t know where he was going

Lived in a foreign land

Lived in tents

I know many of you here are transplants from some other place - that probably doesn’t count as living in a foreign land, but getting up and leaving your home can be hard.

I’m not sure how many of you have lived in tents - I’ve done it for a while - it is definitely a shock to your system when you are used to being in a house with all the comforts of home.

But if we are honest, these things are NOTHING compared to sacrificing your CHILD. Much less your son whom you believe will carry on your legacy into the future - even more if you have been promised that your legacy will be to BLESS THE ENTIRE WORLD!

This is a HUGE sacrifice to be making - I mean it’s so huge, I can’t even imagine it. I mean I’m standing here thinking about this and trying to put myself into Abraham’s sandals and I literally can’t - it’s so foreign to me.

Now someone may be sitting there feeling uncomfortable with the idea of God “testing” us. Are we misunderstanding this passage of scripture? Does God really test us according to the Bible?

In Psalm 26:2 and 139:23 David sought God’s testing, asking Him to examine his heart and mind and see that they were true to Him.

The account of Job is a perfect example of God’s allowing one of His saints to be tested by the devil. Job bore all his trials patiently and “did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job 1:22).

In His Parable of the Sower, Jesus identifies the ones who fall away as those who receive the seed of God’s Word with joy, but, as soon as a time of testing comes along, they fall away.

James says that the testing of our faith develops perseverance, which leads to maturity in our walk with God (James 1:3–4). James goes on to say that testing is a blessing, because, when the testing is over and we have “stood the test,” we will “receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

So scripture is clear that God does Test us, and if that makes you uncomfortable, then I would suggest that you consider that Paul says that Testing comes from our heavenly Father who works all things together for good for those who love Him and who are called to be the children of God (Romans 8:28).

So, if we truly believe that God is GOOD and that he works all things together for the good of His chosen people, then we should not feel uncomfortable with the idea of him testing us with trials and tribulations.

Interestingly, when you read the Genesis narrative and the Hebrews description of that event, neither passage really spends much time describing any sort of turmoil in Abraham’s heart. In fact, the impression you get is that Abraham regarded it as God’s problem (so Rom. 4:20–21): ‘it was for God, and not for Abraham, to reconcile his promise and his command’.

Wow. Unlike me who can’t even imagine how horrible this would be, Abraham does not appear to be shaken at all.

How can this possibly be? Can this be the same Abraham who left the promised land for the safety of Egypt when there was a famine even though God had promised to make him into a great nation there?

the same Abraham who lied to Pharoah and King Abimelech because he was afraid they would kill him and steal his wife?

Abram who even though God promised Sarah would bear him a son, had a son with Hagar because Sarah wasn’t getting pregnant?

This Abraham whose faith seemed to be so weak is now instantly obeying an impossibly hard command from God - and doing so without hesitation or complaint?

Incredible.

How was Abraham able to do this? In verse 18 we see that Abraham considered that God was “able even to raise him from the dead”

This confidence in God is yet another example that the author of Hebrews uses to further explain what is meant by verse 1 of our chapter:

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Abraham was assured that God would fulfill His promises to Abraham. This is clear from the Genesis text where Abraham tells his servants that he and Isaac WILL return to them. Genesis 22:5

Genesis 22:5 ESV

Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

Abraham fully intended to sacrifice Isaac, AND YET he also knew that he would be returning with Isaac.

This is why Abraham’s faith is so monumental and why he has been called the greatest example of faith in the Old Testament. He had an unflinching faith in the things he hoped for - he was convinced that God would fulfill his promises to him. He had conviction in the as yet unseen promises of God.

Now as if we needed any more examples or any more convincing, the Author goes on to offer more examples of monumental faith in verses 19-22 in the stories of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

Hebrews 11:20 ESV

By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.

Isaac as we know was the son of promise of Abraham. Isaac also received a promise from God that he and his descendents would be blessed and that they would inhabit the land of promise. But, we see Isaac also dealing with some struggles of faith in his life - very similarly to Abraham. When Isaac settles temporarily in Gerar, he convinces Rebekah to lie and say she is his sister because he is afraid of getting killed because of her beauty.

Genesis 26:7 ESV

When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance.

And later at the end of his life, even though God had already said that the “older will serve the younger”

Isaac still appears to struggle with custom as he attempts to give the best blessing to Esau instead of Jacob. You can read the entire account in Genesis chapter 27 and I’d recommend you do so. But suffice to say, Isaac attempts to bless Esau in a way that would have contradicted the promises of God. Specifically we can see in verses 26-29 as Isaac believes he is blessing Esau.

Genesis 27:26–29 ESV

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed! 28 May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

However, God’s purposes will not be thwarted by the plans of men - so the blessing above which Issac intended for Esau was actually given to Jacob who conspired with his mother Rebekah to take the blessing of Esau.

When Isaac learns that his intended blessing was given to Jacob instead of Esau he is very distraught, but also understands with full conviction that God’s promises will be fulfilled.

Genesis 27:33 ESV

33 Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”

It’s important to note that the author of Hebrews does not discuss much of the details of the deception of Isaac or even give the contents of the blessing - remember that this letter was written to people who would have been very familiar with these stories, no the author is focusing on Isaac’s faith in the future blessing.

Similarly, Jacob on his deathbed blesses the sons of Joseph as his own.

Hebrews 11:21 ESV

21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.

This verse is a brief retelling of Genesis 48:1-22. It’s interesting to note the author of Hebrews chooses the blessing of Ephraim and Manassah to highlight the faith of Jacob rather than the blessings of all the other patriarchs recorded Genesis 49. It isn’t really clear why the Author chose this blessing as his example, but here are some interesting facts about it:

Ephraim and Manassah weren’t Jacob’s actual sons, they were the sons of Joseph

In the blessing, Jacob chose to bestow the greater blessing on Ephraim the younger of his grandsons rather than Manassah - similar to the way his father Isaac had blessed him over Esau, and in spite of the protest of Joseph.

Genesis 48:17–19 ESV

17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

So here again we see Jacob, despite his checkered past of conspiring to steal his father’s blessing, in the end exemplifies an active faith that is assured of things hoped for - of the promises of the future - even though the circumstances seem odd and outside of custom (taking his grandsons as his sons and blessing the younger over the older) - Jacob has full confidence in God’s ability and desire to fulfill His promises to him. And again the Author of Hebrews chooses this story to reinforce his message of faith hoping for the fulfillment of those future promises.

Finally in verse 22 we see Joseph as our next example of monumental faith.

Hebrews 11:22 ESV

22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

The life of Joseph is incredible and takes up a large part of the book of Genesis. I would again highly encourage you to re-read the story of Joseph in personal study time, but by way of summary, Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob and he was hated by his brothers for being so loved by Jacob. So, they conspired to kill him, but he survived and was enslaved, ultimately being sold into service to an Egyptian man named Potiphar. After some very dramatic events, Joseph finds himself imprisoned, but then freed from prison to help Pharoah. This helping of Pharoah elevates Joseph the position of Prime Minister in Egypt and through Joseph’s leadership Egypt is saved from famine. Ultimately, he is reunited and reconciled to his family.

And now on his very deathbed, Joseph, full of faith prophesies the Exodus from Egypt, even going so far as to ensure that his bones would not be left there. As commentator Matthew Henry puts it:

“Though he had lived and died in Egypt, yet he did not live and die an Egyptian, but an Israelite. He preferred a significant burial in Canaan to a magnificent burial in Egypt.” - Matthew Henry

Joseph had such confidence in the promises of God for the future that he refused the incredible honor that he was due as Prime Minister of Egypt.

Again, despite all of the incredible stories of faith from the life of Joseph, the Author of Hebrews has chosen this particular story to reinforce his point that faith is the confidence that God will fulfill his promises for the future.

So, what then should we take away from these few and yet incredibly rich verses or scripture?

Application

God empowers imperfect people with monumental faith.

We know from our study of the old testament, that none of the people called out today were perfect. As I said before:

Abraham struggled with fear of death at the hands of Abimilech and tried to force God’s promise by having a son with Hagar, Sarah’s servant girl.

Isaac attempted to change the plan of God by attempting to bless Esau over Jacob (despite God’s explicit plan to the contrary)

Jacob conspired with his mother to steal the birthright and blessing of Esau his own brother.

Joseph struggled with pride and arrogance in his youth and had to be humbled before he could be used by God.

And yet, these four people are highlighted as having monumental faith by the Author of Hebrews.

Contrast this with how we treat our heroes today?

I mentioned a visit to the National Mall and Memorial Gardens in Washington DC and described the breathtaking Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monuments among others. Were these men perfect? Of course not - and yet for some reason we treat them as such. I remember as a kid hearing the story that Washington as a six year old boy refused to lie to his father after chopping down a cherry tree - proclaiming that he “could not” tell a lie.

Why do we insist on elevating the heroes of American history to demigod status?

One of the reasons given throughout history that you can trust what the Bible teaches is the way that it treats the heroes. In almost every case, the heroes of scripture have some very serious character flaws, but faith in God and obedience to his commands transforms them into the heroes they become.

In this way, God Himself becomes the hero, not the people themselves. We can still seek to imitate their faithfulness, but we cannot idolize them and make them the focus of our praise and worship.

This should also make us extremely glad - because if God can transform these people into titans of faith, then he can certainly do so for us as well.

So I ask you, do you recall a time where you were radically transformed by God and given an assurance of things hoped for and a conviction of things unseen? Maybe your faith isn’t as dramatic as Abrahams, but can you genuinely in your heart say with confidence that you believe in God and trust that he will fulfill His promise to save you in the end?

If not, then please brother or sister - hear my warning today: without faith, you CANNOT please God. Without faith there can be no forgiveness of sins. So please, don’t delay - right here and right now - cry out to God and ask him to give you the faith to believe in Him and trust his promises. And if you do so, please stick around today and talk with one of our elders so they can help get you connected to a group of people who will help you walk out this new life of faith.

Now to those who can say, YES I do have this faith, I do believe in God and trust his promises for the future, then my next point is:

God tests our faith for good purposes.

As I stated earlier, scripture is very clear that God tests us, and for those who love Him and are called according to his purposes, this is a very GOOD thing as the more we are tested the stronger our faith grows.

There are many examples in scripture of the positive results of being tested. The psalmist likens our testing to being refined like silver (Psalm 66:10). Peter speaks of our faith as “of greater worth than gold,” and that’s why we “suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:6–7). In testing our faith, God causes us to grow into strong disciples who truly live by faith and not by what we see (2 Corinthians 5:7). When we experience the storms of life, we should be like the tree that digs its roots ever more deeply for a greater grip in the earth. We must “dig our roots” more deeply into God’s Word and cling to His promises so we can weather whatever storms come against us. Most comforting of all, we know that God will never allow us to be tested beyond what we are able to handle by His power. His grace is sufficient for us, and His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). “That is why,” Paul said, “for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

And my final point is that:

God Preserves True Faith to the End

I mentioned above how the author of Hebrews uses very specific examples from the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph and gave several reasons why he may have done so.

However, I didn’t mention it explicitly, but something else to notice is that all of those examples from Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph took place AT THE VERY END of their lives.

How many times have we seen people who have apparently been paragons of the faith fall away at the end of their lives? I won’t mention any names because I’m sure you are already filling in the gaps in your mind, but suffice to say we see it over, and over again.

Scripture is VERY clear that IF you are truly a believer, your faith will persevere to the end. At first this sounds very scary, at least to me anyway. How in the world will I make sure that my faith perseveres to the end? I can’t even go one day without sinning either openly or in my heart!

So what do we do? We discipline ourselves, we put controls in place, we place tighter and tighter restrictions on ourselves. This will keep us from stumbling and losing our faith right?

Wrong.

In our current state there is nothing we can do to preserve our faith to the very end. Our hearts are too prone to wander on their own. Now this does not mean that we should not discipline our bodies and minds, nor does it mean that we should throw caution to the wind and expose ourselves to all manner of temptation - even a quick skimming of the Bible will reinforce this point over and over again.

What I am saying here is that we CANNOT do this through discipline and rules ALONE.

What hope do we have then?

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Paul describes the Good News of the preserving power of God here by making three points:

First, Paul reminds us that since God has begun our salvation, we can rely on Him to complete it: "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion." God always finishes what He starts, especially the salvation of His people.

Second, Paul says that God, having begun His work in our lives, "will bring it" to completion. This indicates that God not only guarantees the completion of our salvation, but is actively involved in the believer's life to bring this to pass. God works in our lives in the way a craftsman works to finish a product he has created. He smooths out the lines, sands the rough places, and puts its pieces together in proper proportion. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes:

God does not merely initiate the work and then leave it, he continues with it; he leads us on, directing and manipulating our circumstances, restraining us at one time and urging us on at another. Paul's whole conception of the Church is that it is a place where God is working in the hearts of men and women.

Third, we can see in Philippians 1:6 our certainty of successful "completion" if God's saving work truly has begun in us. Far from dreading the future, as we must if we look for signs of hope within ourselves, every believer possesses a hope that is certain for the most joyful, glorious, and holy destiny through faith in Jesus.

One of the reasons I love Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress is the portrait he paints of the eternity God has secured for every believer. Speaking of the believer's entry into heaven, he writes:

I saw in my dream the two men enter the gate. As they did, they were transfigured. They had garments that shined like gold. Harps and crowns were given them. The harps for praise and the crowns for honor. Then I heard in my dream all the bells in the city rang again for joy. It was said to them, "Enter into the joy of your Lord."

So, brother and sister, IF you can sit here today and say: “YES I truly believe in God and trust his promises for the future” then take heart you are truly saved and although trials and tribulations will come, in the end God will bring you home.

Prayer