A RESPONSE Of SAVING FAITH-IV—Hebrews 11:3-40
Attention:
Faith’s response to life’s challenges.
Prisoner Alert 07/06/2012:
Asia Bibi, a 37-year-old Pakistani woman from the village of Ittanwali, was arrested by police on Friday, June 19, 2009. Asia (also called Asia Noreen) is the wife of 50-year-old Ashiq Masih, and their family is one of only three Christian families in a village of 1,500 families.
Many of the local women, including Asia, work on the farm of Muslim landowner Muhammad Idrees. During their work, many of the Muslim women have pressured Asia to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. In June, the pressure became especially strong.
On Friday, June 19, there was an intense discussion among the women about their faith. The Muslim women told Asia about Islam. Asia responded by telling them about her faith in Christ. Asia told the Muslim women Christ had died on the cross for sins, then asked them what Mohammad had done for them, according to VOM sources. She told them Jesus is alive, but Mohammad is dead. “Our Christ is the true prophet of God,” she reportedly told them, “and yours is not true.”
Upon hearing this, the Muslim women became angry and began to beat Asia. Then some men took her and locked her in a room. They announced from the mosque loudspeakers that she would be punished by having her face blackened and being paraded through the village on a donkey. Local Christians informed the police, who took Asia into custody before the Muslims could carry out their plan. She was held at the police station in Nankana city. Christians there urged the police not to file blasphemy charges, but police claimed they were under pressure from local Muslim leaders.
Seventeen months after Asia’s arrest, she was convicted of violating subsection C of Pakistan’s 295 blasphemy law - blasphemy against the prophet Muhammad - and was sentenced to death. No Christian in Pakistan has ever been executed under the blasphemy law, but in several cases,extremists have murdered Christians after their release from prison. Asia’s conviction and death sentence have brought international attention to the country’s blasphemy laws. Christians have called for Asia’s release and for a repeal of the laws, while extremists in Pakistan continue to demand that she be executed.
From: http://www.persecution.com/ (Voice of the Martyrs)
We indeed bring something of value to the table when we are saved!
Need:
The Hebrews writer sought to encourage & exhort his readers(hearers) by recounting the very practical responses which faith had wrought in their forebears/ancestors.
Saving faith yields practical responses to life, which encourage others.
What are some practical responses to life by saving faith?
How does saving faith respond to life?
Previously in Hebrews, we found 5(6) responses to life’s challenge afforded by saving faith.
Saving faith meets life’s challenge with...
1. A Particular WORLDVIEW(:3)—Concept presented 05/20/2012 with 10:39—11:3 as FELLOWSHIP
2. OFFERINGs Of PECULIAR QUALITY(:4)
3. DESIRE For GOD’s PLEASURE(:5-6)
4. CONDEMNING TRUST(:7)
5. A Particular PLACE(:8-10)
6. A Particular OUTLOOK(:11-12)
7. A Particular VISION(:13-16)
8—Saving faith meets life’s challenge with...
A Particular CONCLUSION(:17-19)
Explanation: (:17-19)
:17—“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, & he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,”
The event spoken of here is recorded in Gen. 22.
Gen. 22:1-2, 6-18—“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, & said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, & go to the land of Moriah, & offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.””.....“So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering & laid it on Isaac his son; & he took the fire in his hand, & a knife, & the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father & said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire & the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there & placed the wood in order; & he bound Isaac his son & laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand & took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven & said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes & looked, & there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went & took the ram, & offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided.” Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, & said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, & have not withheld your son, your only son--blessing I will bless you, & multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven & as the sand which is on the seashore; & your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”””
Abraham offered his only son as a burnt offering.
It took great faith to do this.
This offering was a “test” for Abraham. God designed the “test.”
Abraham was the one to whom the promises had been promised.
Abraham offered his only son, the only one thru whom the promises could be fulfilled.
:18—“of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”
God had previously revealed this truth to Abraham regarding his son “Isaac” per:
Gen. 21:8-13—“So the child[Isaac] grew & was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman & her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.””
Cf.—Rom. 9:6-13—“But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come & Sarah shall have a son.” And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac(for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.””
“Tested/Tried”—peirazw—1) To try whether a thing can be done—1a) To attempt, endeavour; 2) To try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining his quality, or what he thinks, or how he will behave himself. Strong—To test (objectively), i.e. Endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline.
“Offered up”2X—prosferw—1) To bring to, lead to—1a) One to a person who can heal him or is ready to show him some kindness, one to a person who is to judge him, 1b) To bring a present or a thing, to reach or hand a thing to one, 1c) To put to; 2) To be borne towards one, to attack, assail. Strong—To bear towards, i.e. Lead to, tender (especially to God), treat.
“Received”(See :19—komizw)—anadecomai—1) To take up, take upon’s self, undertake, assume; 2) To receive, entertain anyone hospitably. Strong—To entertain (as a guest) Used 2X.
“Promises”(See :9)—epaggelia—1) Announcement; 2) Promise—2a) The act of promising, a promise given or to be given, 2b) A promised good or blessing. Strong—An announcement(for information, assent or pledge; especially--A divine assurance of good).
“Only begotten/One & only”—monogenhv—1) Single of its kind, only—1a) Used of only sons or daughters (viewed in relation to their parents), 1b) used of Christ, Denotes the only begotten son of God. Strong—Only-born, i.e. Sole. Used 9X.
“Seed/Descendants/Offspring”—sperma—1) From which a plant germinates—1a) The seed i.e. the grain or kernel which contains within itself the germ of the future plants—1a1) Of the grains or kernels sown—1b) metaph. A seed i.e. a residue, or a few survivors reserved as the germ of the next generation (just as seed is kept from the harvest for the sowing); 2) The semen virile—2a) The product of this semen, seed, children, offspring, progeny, 2b) Family, tribe, posterity, 2c) Whatever possesses vital force or life giving power. Strong—Something sown, i.e. Seed(including the male "sperm"); by implication--Offspring; specifically, A remnant (figuratively, as if kept over for planting).
“Called/Reckoned”(See :16—epikaleomai)—kalew—1) To call. To cry out for a purpose.—1a) To call aloud, utter in a loud voice, 1b) To invite; 2) To call i.e. to name, by name. Strong—To "call"(properly--Aloud, but used in a variety of applications, dir. or otherwise).
:19—”concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” ”
In so doing, Abraham considered something that effected his faith & his actions.
He “concluded” that God is “able.”
He knew God was able to raise men “even” from death.
Abraham received Isaac back from certain death. This incident is a ‘type’/picture/figure from which we are to learn a great spiritual truth concerning the Christ.
Thereby our personal faith can be measured as true or false, saving or inconsequential.
“Concluding/Accounting/Considered/Reasoned”—logizomai—1) To reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over; 2) To reckon inward, count up or weigh the reasons, to deliberate; 3) By reckoning up all the reasons, to gather or infer. This word deals with reality. If I "logizomai" or reckon that my bank book has $25 in it, it has $25 in it. Otherwise I am deceiving myself. This word refers to facts not suppositions. Strong—To take an inventory, i.e. Estimate (literally or figuratively).
“Was able/Could”—dunatov—Adj.—1) Able, powerful, mighty, strong; 2) To be able (to do something). Strong—Powerful or capable(literally or figuratively); neuter possible.
“Raise...up”—egeirw—1) To arouse, cause to rise—1a) To arouse from sleep, to awake, 1b) To arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life, 1c) To cause to rise from a seat or bed etc., 1d) To raise up, produce, cause to appear. Strong—To waken (transitively or intransitively), i.e. Rouse (literally, from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or figuratively--From obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence).
“Received”(See :18—anadecomai)—komizw—1) To care for, take care of, provide for; 2) To take up or carry away in order to care for & preserve; 3) To carry away, bear off; 4) To carry, bear, bring to, to carry away for one’s self, to carry off what is one’s own, to bring back—4a) To receive, obtain: the promised blessing, 4b) To receive what was previously one’s own, to get back, receive back, recover. Strong—from a primary komew(to tend, i.e. take care of); properly--To provide for, i.e. by implication--To carry off(as if from harm; genitive case obtain). Used 11X.
“Figurative sense/In a figure/As a type/Figuratively speaking”—parabolh—N. f.—1) A placing of one thing by the side of another, juxtaposition, as of ships in battle; 2) metaph.—2a) A comparing, comparison of one thing with another, likeness, similitude, 2b) An example by which a doctrine or precept is illustrated, 2c) A narrative, fictitious but agreeable to the laws & usages of human life, by which either the duties of men or the things of God, particularly the nature & history of God’s kingdom are figuratively portrayed, 2d) A parable: an earthly story with a heavenly meaning; 3) A pithy & instructive saying, involving some likeness or comparison & having preceptive or admonitory force—3a) An aphorism, a maxim; 4) A proverb; 5) An act by which one exposes himself or his possessions to danger, a venture, a risk. Strong—A similitude ("parable"), i.e. (symbol.) Fictitious narrative(of common life conveying a moral), apothegm or adage.
Argumentation:
Rom. 4:20-25—“He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, & being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, & was raised because of our justification.”
Mat. 9:27-30—“When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out & saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened.”....”
Rom. 4:16-18—“Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead & calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.””
Eph. 3:20-21—“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever & ever. Amen.”
1Cor. 15:12-19—“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty & your faith is also empty. Yes, & we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
Why some NOT believe in the resurrection?...The Conclusions of saving faith were not met!
Isa. 59:1-2—“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
Gen. 18:13-14—“And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ “Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, & Sarah shall have a son.””
Jer. 32:16-17, 26-27—““I[Jeremiah] prayed to the LORD, saying: ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens & the earth by Your great power & outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”.....“Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”
Illustration:
Negative:
The Coast Guard attempts to rescue the victims of a capsized boat in the ocean/Coast guard helicopter hovers over the victim...Sends the rescue basket & harness by winch & cable/But...The victim refuses the basket, the harness & the hand of his rescuer!/He has reached the Particular Conclusion that the apparatus is incapable of completing its mission/A Particular CONCLUSION
Positive:
Ellinor’s trip to Iceland on a jet/Before she boarded it she & we believed the jet was able to carry her across 4-5 time zones over land & sea/She enjoyed her summer because of A Particular CONCLUSION
Application:
?Does your life speak of A Particular CONCLUSION in God?
?How do you Respond to life’s challenge?
?Is yours a Response of Saving Faith?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Asia Bibi’s wrongful imprisonment.
Action:
Saving faith meets life’s challenge with...
8. A Particular CONCLUSION(:17-19)
1. A Particular WORLDVIEW(:3)—Concept presented 05/20/2012 with 10:39—11:3 as FELLOWSHIP
2. OFFERINGs Of PECULIAR QUALITY(:4)
3. DESIRE For GOD’s PLEASURE(:5-6)
4. CONDEMNING TRUST(:7)
5. A Particular PLACE(:8-10)
6. A Particular OUTLOOK(:11-12)
7. A Particular VISION(:13-16)
Presented 08/26/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
