Believe And Hope With No Reason At All, That's The Start Of Faith - Romans 4:18-19
Romans 4:18 Abraham believed and hoped, even when there was no reason for hoping, and so became "the father of many nations." Just as the scripture says, "Your descendants will be as many as the stars."
Romans 4:19 He was then almost one hundred years old; but his faith did not weaken when he thought of his body, which was already practically dead, or of the fact that Sarah could not have children.
I. Abraham, Our Example
II. Believe And Hope With No Reason At All
III. His Faith Was Rewarded
I. Abraham, Our Example
We are always tested in these tough times, it's the last days and the LORD is near, we need to prove more than ever our faith in the LORD. Why?
Hebrews 11:6 No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.
We must come to the LORD by faith, because only true faith pleases Him. Faith came from the Greek word "pistis" which means assurance, belief, fidelity, reliance upon, abstractly constancy in such profession. So therefore, the easy way to understand is when you ran out of reason of hope, then believe and hope still for that is faith. You got no physical evidence to base your hope and belief, the world may laugh at you, let them laugh, but still hope and believe.
Our example is Abraham, He has no reason to hope that he will become the father of many nations, take a look at the facts, actually it's all contradicting to what he believes in.
Contradictory Facts About Abraham:
1. He is 100 years old
2. His body is practically dead
3. Sarah is barren, could not have any ability to have children
Even Sarah laughed at this, maybe you and I at same situation will laugh too, that's why Isaac was derived from Hebrew root word of "Jitschak" that means "laughter - to the point of mocking". Yeah, we know laughter is good medicine, but this laughter is different it tends to mock, the only reason Sarah laughed is because she has mocked Abraham, saying something deep inside her heart like "What, that's impossible for a 100 year old, almost dead body and me who don't have any ability to bear him children" that is in fact a laughable matter.
Let Abraham be our example, aside from the fact that the very person that she can count upon to support him as his partner in life mocked him, still never waivered in his faith, continued to believe and hope against all hope.
Romans 4:19 He was then almost one hundred years old; but his faith did not weaken when he thought of his body, which was already practically dead, or of the fact that Sarah could not have children.
Romans 5:5 This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us.
Romans 8:24 For it was by hope that we were saved; but if we see what we hope for, then it is not really hope. For who of us hopes for something we see?
Continue to believe in God, even if you feel like laughing.
II. Believe And Hope With No Reason At All
How can you believe if all fact are contrary to what you believe? How can you hope if your case is a hopeless case? If you said you believed and hoped, you haven't used your faith at all. Faith is not belief alone. Faith is not hope alone. It's both. Raise it up a higher level. Faith is believing and hoping against all reasons of believing and hoping. When you have done this, then your faith starts to work for you.
Ruth 1:11 "You must go back, my daughters," Naomi answered. "Why do you want to come with me? Do you think I could have sons again for you to marry?
Ruth 1:12 Go back home, for I am too old to get married again. Even if I thought there was still hope, and so got married tonight and had sons,
Ruth 1:13 would you wait until they had grown up? Would this keep you from marrying someone else? No, my daughters, you know that's impossible. The LORD has turned against me, and I feel very sorry for you."
Remember Ruth? Ruth believed she will bear a son/daughter for Naomi even Naomi without having a son to marry her. That's another example of believing and hoping with no reason to believe and hope at all. Then for her, that's faith.
Proverbs 13:12 When hope is crushed, the heart is crushed, but a wish come true fills you with joy.
It is that time, that everything else fails, your hope is crushed and you started believing and hoping, then let faith work it's way.
Ezekiel 37:11 God said to me, "Mortal man, the people of Israel are like these bones. They say that they are dried up, without any hope and with no future.
Who would believe and hope that a bunch of bones will become a huge, mighty army?
Mark 5:35 While Jesus was saying this, some messengers came from Jairus' house and told him, "Your daughter has died. Why bother the Teacher any longer?"
Mark 5:36 Jesus paid no attention to what they said, but told him, "Don't be afraid, only believe."
Jairus could have let her child died for good, but still with no reason to believe and hope, he continued to believed and hoped that his child will return to him.
Luke 1:18 Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know if this is so? I am an old man, and my wife is old also."
Zechariah never believed and never hoped so his tongue got tied up until the fulfillment of the angel's prophecy.
Acts 27:25 So take courage, men! For I trust in God that it will be just as I was told.
As God tells it so, it will be so. If God says no, it will not be so. Child-like faith is what we need during these days.
III. His Faith Was Rewarded
The more Abraham got mocked by her own wife, of all the person, I could think she could be the last to do this to her own husband, but actually she is ready to mock her old, dead body husband including her "dead" situation of not having ability to bear him children, for 100 years Abraham lived like this, so he is accustomed to the mockery of other people, he already let them alone, he never bothered arguing with them, but he, instead of weakening in faith, continued to believed and hoped against all reason of believing and hoping, and he got his reward.
Another reward, is he's added to the Hall of Faith. He got his Isaac, and he got his name included in Chapter 11, the Hall of Faith
Hebrews 11:11 It was faith that made Abraham able to become a father, even though he was too old and Sarah herself could not have children. He trusted God to keep his promise.
Hebrews 11:12 Though Abraham was practically dead, from this one man came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, as many as the numberless grains of sand on the seashore.
Hebrews 11:13 It was in faith that all these persons died. They did not receive the things God had promised, but from a long way off they saw them and welcomed them, and admitted openly that they were foreigners and refugees on earth.
Hebrews 11:14 Those who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own.
Hebrews 11:15 They did not keep thinking about the country they had left; if they had, they would have had the chance to return.
Hebrews 11:16 Instead, it was a better country they longed for, the heavenly country. And so God is not ashamed for them to call him their God, because he has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11:17 It was faith that made Abraham offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice when God put Abraham to the test. Abraham was the one to whom God had made the promise, yet he was ready to offer his only son as a sacrifice.
Hebrews 11:18 God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised."
Hebrews 11:19 Abraham reckoned that God was able to raise Isaac from death---and, so to speak, Abraham did receive Isaac back from death.
What situation we're in right now? God only knows, He allowed this for us to know how we will believe and hope in Him, continue to believe and hope never change your belief's direction, always upward and God will fulfill what He promised to you.
