Study in the book of Hebrews 11 (NIV) Abraham had Faith, Chapter 11, Lesson 4 Scriptures 8-19 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. 1. Abraham did step out in faith, going to a new place God had promised him; but his faith was less than perfect. This is seen by comparing Genesis 12:1-5 with Acts 7:2-4, where it is evident that Abraham first went half way to the place God called him to go, and only eventually obeyed completely. Yet now, thousands of years later, God does not “remember” the delayed obedience, only the faith. 2. Abraham lived as a “sojourner” in the land God had promised, never owning any of it except the plots that he and Sarah were buried on. Dwelt is the ancient Greek word paroikos, describing a “resident alien” - one who lives somewhere, but doesn’t have permanent status there. Because they had no permanent home, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived in tents instead of houses. They looked forward to a better city - the city which has foundations, who builder and maker is God. 3. Sarah’s faith was not perfect. She first laughed in unbelief (Genesis 18:9-15) and then she learned to laugh in faith (Genesis 21:6). Because she judged Him faithful who had promised: Faith boils down to judging that God is faithful to and able to keep His promises. It was this faith that enabled Sarah to receive strength to conceive seed. God gave the strength, but Sarah had to receive it by faith. Because of the faith of Sarah and Abraham, thousands - millions - of descendants were born. Their faith had an impact on more lives than they ever dreamed of. 4. Abraham and Sarah saw the promises afar off, willing to look at and consider the promise of God, even though it seemed so far away. They took the promise and embrace it in faith. How many times in a day do you think Abraham and Sarah thought of the God promised had them? They embraced the promise. 5. Abraham and Sarah always took the promise with the understanding that this world was not their home; that God had a better and more enduring home for them in heaven. If these examples of faith endured through difficulty and discouragement without having received the promises, how much more should we who have received those promises? 6. They seek a homeland . . . they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Walking in faith is easier when we remember that this world is not our home. It is easier when we remember that on this side of eternity, not everything is settled and every wrong is not righted. That is why they seek a homeland and a better . . . heavenly country. 7. But for those courageous enough to believe in God, and to believe in Him as real, and heaven and eternal life as real, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. We may speak of the fact that we cannot be ashamed of God; but do we often consider that God may be ashamed of us? When we do not regard God and heaven and eternity as real, there can be a sense in which God is ashamed to be called our God! 8. Abraham’s faith was great enough to know God was able to raise the dead, and that God was able to keep His promises no matter what. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac: The verb tense for offered up indicates that as far as Abraham was concerned, the sacrifice was complete. In his will and in his purpose, he really did sacrifice his son. Offered up his only begotten son: Though Abraham had another son (Ishmael, the son of his fleshly attempt to fulfill God’s promise), God did not recognize the other son (Genesis 22:1-14) - so Isaac could be called his only begotten son. 9. Accounting that God was able: Accounting means “a decisive and carefully reasoned act.” This means that Abraham calculated God’s promise worthy of confidence. 10. As far as Abraham was concerned, Isaac was as good as dead, and it was from the dead that he received him back, in a manner that prefigured the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus referred to this in John 8:56 : Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad. 11. When Abraham was confronted with a promise and a command from God which seemed to contradict each other, he did what we all should do: he obeyed the command and let God take care of the promise - which God was more than able to do! Questions: 1. Did God remembered or brought up the fact that Abraham did not completely obeyed Him? Why? 2. What does it mean that Abraham lived as a “sojourner”? 3. How did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived? 4. Was Sarah’s faith perfect? How come? 5. Was Abraham and Sarah’s promise afar off? Did they hold to that promise? Does this teach us anything about Faith? 6. How do we know that Abraham’s faith was great? 7. How was Abraham tested? 8. Are we tested in our faith today? 9. Did God recognize Abraham’s son, Ishmael? Why? 10. What does it meant “accounting that God was able”? 11. Did Abraham see Jesus coming in the flesh? 12. What lesson can we learn from this chapter about Faith? How can we apply it to the promises God has given us?
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 19:48:08 +0000
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