Abraham: Father of the Faith
Hebrews 11:8-12; 17-19
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLsGh1gYFjQ
As I was wondering and seeking about what to talk about next with you, the issue of faith came back, especially seeing how the mask mandate has once again been instituted within the U.S., but also how we looked at this topic in our year-long series in 2020 on faith, hope, and love.
But the series I believe the Lord would like us to journey down is the faith of our forefathers, those who sometimes have been called the heroes of the faith as outlined in the book of Hebrews, the 11th chapter.
Now, there’s quite a few names listed in this chapter, as well as many more whose deeds and lives are recorded but never mentioned by name. Now, I doubt if I’m going to hit each one of these, but there are some notable people listed whose lives can help us as we live out the type of faith that pleases God, as the writer of Hebrews says that without faith it’s impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
Now, to most in the Christian faith, this title for Abraham, that is, “Father of the Faith,” is familiar, and it may be because his faith is something that we not only identify with but aspire towards.
Now, in Hebrews we are introduced to four specific choices Abraham made “by faith,” and from these choices we’ll learn a little bit about how faith works and how to develop this kind of faith.
Now, I know this is scary to a lot of people, but what we need to remember is that Abraham never began with this level of faith. Instead, he developed it throughout the entirety of his life. And through Abraham’s life, we’ll see how that kind of faith develops through the struggles and hardships Abraham experienced, just like the struggles and hardships we experience. You see, God develops faith through our struggles and even through our missteps.
When I went to seminary, one of the professors asked, “When we’re told to increase our faith, how is that faith increased?” Well, there were all sorts of answers, and as I was hearing all these answers, I was kind of chuckling to myself. When the professor saw me, he said, “Okay Lee, how does our faith increase?” And I answered, “Though times of hardships and trials,” which is exactly how faith became my number one spiritual gift.
So, what was it in Abraham’s life that helped to develop his great faith, and what can we learn to help us develop ours?
Abraham Stepped Out by Faith
“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.” (Hebrews 11:8 NKJV)
Abraham lived in a place called Ur. Today, this is the area of Iraq. But his father took them from there to the city of Harran, which today is in the country of Turkey. But while Abraham was there, all comfortable and secure, with family and friends, God came and said, “Hey Abe, I want you to move to a place you’ve never heard of.”
Now, just so you don’t think I’m taking too much liberty in my paraphrase, look at what the Bible says about this call. The Lord said the Abraham, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-2 NKJV)
But notice that the Lord never named that country, and yet, even though Abraham had no idea or clue as to where this place was, or what it was even like, it says that he believed and trusted in God and stepped out by faith and left, eventually arriving in the Land of Canaan.
If we want to develop such a great faith, this is where we must start. We must be willing to step out by faith. Now, a lot of the time we let the fear of the unknown keep us from doing something great. We have this thing that unless we have all the facts and answers in advance, then we’re not going anywhere.
But to have such great faith like Abraham, we must be willing to do what God says. Abraham had no idea where he was going, but he knew that God was telling him to move, so he moved. Often, we say, “Lord, I’m willing to have faith, but could I please have a signed contract with an itinerary.”
But life doesn’t always come with guarantees, or with an agenda attached.
So, how do we take this first step. Maybe this is why some of us are here today, or are listening to this message on-line, because maybe God has already spoken to our hearts, or is about to speak something to our hearts about what He is calling us to do. Maybe it involves a relationship, schooling, family decision, job, or some kind of move.
And please understand, it isn’t something that we particularly want or are after. Maybe it’s like when we want to get married, so we believe God is calling us to get married to so-in-so, because we think they’re cute. Or maybe we are one of those antsy people who just need to move from place to place, or maybe we want to go somewhere to get out a certain situation and so we use the faith card.
What I have found is that God generally is telling us something that is opposite, like when we don’t want to go, or we may want to go and God tells us to stay. The last thing I wanted was to move away from my family and friends and the church I helped to start, but God said go, but I didn’t know where, and Mesquite was literally the last place on my radar.
So, how do we make ourselves willing when we’re asked by God to do something that we’re not so willing to do?
Look at the First Step
We need to look at taking the first step only, instead of the entire journey.
Abraham didn’t know the whole journey, he only knew the first step, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1 NKJV)
If Abraham worried about everything that could have gone wrong, then he may never have left. We worry a lot about the unknown. It’s easy to do. We build up all these scenarios and worry before anything ever takes place.
To understand, think about why we call a child who is starting to walk a “Toddler.” They toddle. They take short wobbly steps, and each step is deliberate. And when they try to take several steps in a row, they flop on their bum.
That’s what stepping out by faith is like. If we try to take several steps without focusing on the first step, then we’ll end up on our bum, or worse, flat on our face, which has caused many to become disillusioned.
One last thing, if I could, is that it doesn’t matter how old we may be. Consider Abraham, he was 75 years old when God called him, so we’re never too old, nor is it ever too late.
I read a story about a 90-year-old man who went bungee jumping on his 90th birthday. He lost his teeth, but he made the jump. Just kidding.
Look to God
To step out by faith we need to look to God instead of ourselves.
Now, it would have been easy for Abraham to look at his age, position in the community, possessions, or his family dynamics, but instead He looked to God. If he would have considered any of these others, they then would have been considered an idol, because idolatry isn’t just about worshipping some statue of a god, rather it’s all about putting something else over God, His word, or His calling.
We have different idols today. They are the cars we drive, the homes we live in, the clothes we wear, the fame or power we’re searching for, or even a person. But these idols are gods of our own making and have no power to change our lives. So, we have to look to God and who He is, and not anything else, including ourselves.
Look at the Blessing
God told Abraham that he was going to make him a great nation and multiply his family. And while Abraham had his struggles, he looked to the blessings instead.
There will be struggles. Jesus even said so saying that in this world we will have tribulation, but he also tells us of his blessing, and that we have the victory because he has overcome the world. So, what will we focus upon, the struggles and problems, or upon the blessings, that is, God’s promises and what He has already done?
Now, although Abraham stepped out by faith, the writer of Hebrews goes on to say that he also stayed by faith.
Abraham Stayed by Faith.
“By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:9-10 NKJV)
Once in the land, by faith Abraham dwelt there, even though it was foreign to him. You see, the Promise Land didn’t look all that promising. While in the land he experienced several famines where he left seeking better living conditions. But God always brought him back.
So, how was he able to stay by faith? Now, before I get there, let me just say that sometimes it’s easier to go than to stay. When we are confronted with unpleasantness, the first thing we want to do is to leave.
But, what gave Abraham the faith to stay? The writer of Hebrews gives us the answer. And that is, he built his present upon the foundation of the future.
Build on the Future
Normally, we build upon the foundation of the past, which involves both the good and the bad. But faith demands that we build upon the foundation of what God is going to do, not just only what He has done.
Note what the Lord said to Abraham
“Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:7 NKV)
And so, while at the present it didn’t look all that promising, it was for the future generations that Abraham stayed, believing God’s promise. (We’ll look more at this in a bit)
This is what Jesus did. He looked forward to what was going to happen after the cross.
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV)
We must never build upon the pains of the past, or the uncertainties of our present, but rather we are to build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and the awesome future He has in store for us, which is exactly what Abraham did.
Notice the writer of Hebrews says, that Abraham “Waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10 NKJV)
And so, while we may be going through tough times, and we may wonder if there is anything to hold on to, there is, and that is God’s promises, because God is great and will do great things in the midst of the trouble, plus, we have eternity in heaven to look forward to.
Abraham and Sarah Waited by Faith
“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.” (Hebrews 11:11-12 NKJV)
God told Abraham that not only was he going to have a child, but that he was going to be great nation as well. But to see it, Abraham had to wait for 25 years. When Isaac was born, Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was around 90.
And while he waited, he didn’t wait all that well. He saw and heard the promise, but he thought he had to work it out, rather than waiting for God. And this brings us to a very real problem we all have, which is what is going to control us, our problems, or God’s promises.
And so, through this time of waiting Abraham tried circumventing God’s plan. First, though his servant Eleazer, then through Sarah’s maidservant Hagar and son, Ishmael, but finally he did it God’s way through Sarah and their son, Isaac.
Now, Eleazer was Abraham settling for less. Basically, it was like Abraham saying to God, “Hey, since You didn’t do it, I’ll let you off the hook, I’ve got something else that will work.” But using his servant Eleazer is the same as us saying that we will settle for less.
Sometimes for peace we end up settling for less just to allow things to be less stressful. You see, we’ve settled for outer peace instead of inner peace. Let me just say that sometimes we can settle ourselves right out of God’s promises.
Next there was Ishmael, which was Abraham saying, “I’ll do it myself.”
But what happens when we have a Do-It-Yourself, Home Depot sort of faith?
• We start taking shortcuts. We try to find easier ways to get what we want.
• It is shortsighted, because sometimes our great ideas aren’t always that great and we fail to see what will happen down the line from the decisions we make.
• It only provides short-term solutions to long term needs. It may relieve some of the pressure but allows greater pressure to build up in the end.
• We also end up getting short changed. Abraham and Sarah wanted to build a family, but instead they almost destroyed two families in the process.
Finally, there came Isaac when they finally stopped trying to settle for less and the do-it-yourself mentality.
And so, when the pressures of the day come, or when our problems seem overwhelming, we need to go to our Isaac’s, that is, God’s fulfilled promises and let them help us through.
Now, at this point we think we’ve arrived by our faith, but there’s one more step.
Abraham Sacrificed by Faith
“It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.” (Hebrews 11:17 NLT)
Here is the ultimate act of faith. It’s when we trust the Lord with the promises we’ve received. Sacrifices take great faith because they don’ t make a lot of sense. Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac. Look at what God said about Isaac.
“Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” (Hebrews 11:18 NLT)
Now, God was never going to let Abraham go through with the sacrifice, because it would go against His word, but what God was after was to see if Abraham was willing.
Maybe some of us have been struggling and praying for years and God brings His promise but then says, “Give it back to Me,” or “Serve Me or others with the promise, and not yourself.”
Maybe part of my own story will help. I had always wanted to go to seminary. But it wasn’t until I lost everything that the opportunity presented itself. I was able work and save and I had the money to go, but then God tested my faith and asked for a sacrifice. Someone I knew needed the exact amount of money I had to keep their home, so I gave it, because of what God’s word says, that if someone asks for your cloak, give them our coat as well.
Well, I gave it and had nothing left. I was living hand to mouth through God’s grace. But then God gave me the promise through another means and took me in a direction He wanted me to go through a completely different seminary.
You see, it is through the sacrifice that we show God that we understand that it all belongs to Him in the first place.
Through Abraham we a great example of the attitudes we need to make a healthy faith sacrifice.
An Attitude of Obedience
When God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Abraham didn’t say, “No way, he’s mine.” Instead, he said, “Yes Lord.” Think about Abraham’s obedience.
• First, it was immediate. It says that the next morning he started the journey.
• Next, he obeyed intentionally. He brought everything needed for the sacrifice.
• Finally, he continued to obey. It took three days to make the trip, and every day he had to make the choice to obey.
An Attitude of Trust
What we need to understand is that Abraham was only able to do this because he trusted God. As they were walking up the mountain, Isaac said, “Dad, we’ve got the wood for the fire, but where is the sacrifice?”
Trust is knowing that God will provide. Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb,” which is a beautiful foreshadow of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Jesus provided Himself as that sacrificial lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Conclusion
We need to be careful that when we find ourselves in the struggles of life that we don’t withhold from God who is our provider. Listen to what the Apostle Paul tells us.
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 NIV)
We can trust Him with everything because He gave up everything for us.
Abraham stepped out by faith, stayed in the Promised Land by faith, waited on God’s promises by faith, and then because he had faith, he sacrificed to God all that he had been given, and God gave Him back many times over.
This then is the faith that pleases God and why we call Abraham the Father of the Faith.
