Title: Abraham – The Prototype for Living by Faith
Prototype - a first, a typical the preliminary model of something, from which other forms are developed or copied.
Prototype- an individual that exhibits the essential features of a later type
Passage: Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. -NKJV
Abraham is the example of what living by faith, and God honoring faith looks like!
Paul makes statements like this about him, in….
Romans 4:16b to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. – NIV
Galatians 3:7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
Isaiah also states:
Isaiah 51 (NKJV) 1“Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. 2a Look to Abraham your father,
Proposition: From this passage, and from the life of this man, an in-depth thorough in depth definition, of what living by faith, in principle, looks like!
I. Living by faith, a life of faith is first of all, a pilgrimage.
Hebrews 11:8a By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.
A) Pilgrimage?
1. He was called to go out!
a) From what?
Joshua 24:2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.
i. He was summoned out of an idolatrous heritage!
Genesis 11: 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
ii. He was called out of an idolatrous place!
iii. The life of faith begins with the understanding that it is a calling out!
a) Church - ?????s?a – ekklesia- called out ones.
1 Corinthians 6 :17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Romans 1:6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
1Co 1:9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1Jo 3:1a See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
Rom 1:7a To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:
II. A life of faith, or living by faith, is a pilgrimage, pioneered (initiated) prompted by God,
A) What do I mean by that?
1. It is what is known as an “Irresistible call” or “Effectual Call”?
The Westminster Confession of Faith - Chapter X Of Effectual Calling -I. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed time, effectually to call,215 by His Word and Spirit,216 out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ;217 enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God,218 taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh;219 renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good,220 and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ:221 yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.222
i. Sometimes called the Irresistible grace of God!
a. Irresistible Grace (or efficacious grace) is a doctrine in Christian theology which teaches that the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom he has determined to save (the elect), whereby in God's timing, he overcomes their resistance to the call of the gospel and irresistibly brings them to a saving faith in Christ.
B) Where is that found in the bible?
John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me
John 6:37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
C) How does it look? How can you tell?
1. By the immediacy and obedience seen in the response!
Hebrews 11:8a By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called…
a) Called is a present participle, but that I mean his obedience was going on at the same time of the call.
b) One was it would transliterate is , “Abraham while being called obeyed.”
c) There are some amazing New Testament pictures of this…
Matthew 4: 18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Matthew 4: 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. - NKJV
III. A life of faith, or living by faith, is a pilgrimage, pioneered (initiated) prompted by God, that is based on a personal relationship…
A) It is personal:
Genesis 12 (NKJV)
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: (Personally, not to Terah’s house but to Abram) “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you And make your name great;
John 10:3b He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
B) It is privileged:
Genesis 18: 16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
1. Abraham was truly God’s Friend!
C) It is Proven!
Genesis 22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Genesis 22: 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
1. There was nothing vague about Abraham’s His relationship with God!
2. It was of such intimacy that he thoroughly understood His character and purpose. He knew that he could trust God!
3. No wonder why he is called the friend of God!
IV. A life of faith, or living by faith, is a pilgrimage, pioneered (initiated) prompted by God, that is based on a personal relationship and is empowered by God’s the promises …
Romans 4: 18a Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,
A) What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of this hoped for…
1. So your hope has to have a foundation/something substantive upon which to stand!
Q: What was it for Abraham?
a) God’s promise!
Romans 4:18b just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Steven Cole - Abraham’s faith was solidly God-centered. He didn’t believe in himself. He didn’t have faith in faith. He wasn’t an optimist who practiced positive thinking. He didn’t think, “If Sarah and I just visualize the goal and try again, we’ll succeed.” Rather, looking away from the circumstances and away from himself, he believed God and His promise, so that God got the glory.
Henry Morris -"The essence of saving faith is taking God at His Word, no matter how difficult it may seem.”
William MacDonald - "Abraham did not know how God would fulfill His word, but that was incidental. He knew God, and had every confidence that God was fully able to do what He had promised.”
Why?
William MacDonald - Because God’s word is the surest thing in the universe, and for Abraham (and as well for us) there was no risk in believing it!
Finally…
IV. A life of faith, or living by faith, is a pilgrimage, pioneered (initiated) prompted by God, that is based on a personal relationship with God, that is empowered by God’s promises …THAT is intended to fulfill the plans and purposes of God.
A) God’s Plan in the life of Abram?
Genesis 12:2b I will make you a great nation;
Genesis 12:3b And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
1. To ultimately bring forth the Messiah
B) God’s plan for us?
2 Timothy 1:9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
C) Important point?
Eph 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
1. The life of faith knows…
Psalm 33:10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
a) A life of faith knows that God’s plan ultimately prevails!
b) The reason is -
Psalm 94:11 The LORD knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile. (i. Futile – frivolous, unimportant, hollow, useless and vain!)
c) They are usually centered around the unholy trinity of me, myself and I!
LASTLY..
V. A life of faith, or living by faith, is a pilgrimage, pioneered (initiated) prompted by God, that is based on a personal relationship and the promises of God …that is intended to fulfill the plans and purposes of God, the requires obedience, patience, persistence, and perseverance!
A) Obedience?
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. 8b And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
JB Phillips- he set out in complete ignorance of his destination.
IN MY WORDS? HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS GETTING INTO!!!
F B Meyer – It was enough for him to know that he went with God. He leaned not so much upon the promise as upon the Promiser: he looked not on the difficulties of his lot—but on the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God; Who had deigned to appoint his course, and would certainly vindicate Himself.… Ah, glorious faith! this is thy work, these are thy possibilities! contentment to sail with sealed orders, because of unwavering confidence in the love and wisdom of the Lord High Admiral!
Vance Havner - When God calls us to the adventure of faith, He does not furnish a road-map in advance. (So we don’t know the where).
Vance Havner - Neither does faith know why. Habakkuk wondered: "O Lord... why?" (Hab 1:2, 3). So did Job. God did not give them explanation but revelation, and when they saw God they did not need explanation. When we see whom, the why does not matter.
Vance Havner Faith does not know what. Peter was concerned about John: "What shall this man do?" Our Lord never explains the whats: "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7).
Vance Havner -But one thing faith does know: "I know whom I have believed." (2Ti 1:12-) faith knows the whom who knows the where’s, why’s, and what’s: "For He knoweth the way that I take" (Job 23:10). Sight rests on something, somewhere; faith rests upon someone, anywhere!
How is your pilgrimage with God?
