Unprecedented Faith
Abraham: “Father of the Faith”
Hebrews 11:8-12; 17-19
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As I was wondering how to make the transition from our current series on unprecedented faith to our next one on unprecedented hope, the life of the patriarch Abraham came to mind.
And maybe that’s because he is the most talked-about figure in Hebrews’ Hall of Faith.
Now, there are quite a few names listed in this chapter that we have looked at in our series. But Abraham gives us the perfect story to segue from our one series in faith to our next one on hope.
Now, Abraham’s title, “Father of the Faith,” is familiar to many, and it may be because his faith is something we not only relate to but also aspire to.
In this chapter, we are introduced to four specific choices Abraham made “by faith,” and from these choices, we’ll learn a little about how faith works and how to develop this kind of faith.
Now, I know this can be scary for some, but what we need to remember is that Abraham never started with this level of faith. Instead, he developed it over the course of his life. Through Abraham’s journey, we’ll see how the faith he displayed grew through the struggles and hardships he faced, just like the ones we face. You see, God builds our faith through our trials and tribulations, not to mention our missteps and failures.
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?
1. 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 area is part of Iraq. But his father took them from there to the city of Harran in modern-day Turkey. While Abraham was there, feeling comfortable and safe with family and friends, God came and told him He wanted him to move to a place he had no idea of.
Now, just so you don’t think I’m taking too much liberty, look at what the Bible says about this call. God said, “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)
Notice that the Lord never named the country He was sending Abraham to, yet even though Abraham had no idea where this place was or what it was like, he believed and left, stepping out by faith and eventually arriving in the Land of Canaan.
If we want to build such strong faith, we must be willing to step out in faith. Most of the time, we let fear of the unknown stop us from achieving something great. We think that unless we have all the facts and answers upfront, we can’t move forward.
If we want to build a faith as strong as Abraham’s, we need to be ready to obey what God says without hesitation. Abraham had no idea where he was going, but he trusted that God was guiding him, so he took the step. Often, we say, “Lord, I’m willing to have faith, but could I please have a signed contract along with an itinerary?”
But life doesn’t always come with guarantees or an agenda attached.
So, how do we take this first step? Maybe that’s why some of us are here today—to hear the answer to this question. It’s because perhaps God has already spoken to our hearts, or is about to speak to our hearts, or what He is calling us to do. It might involve a relationship, schooling, family decision, job, or some kind of ministry.
And please understand, it isn’t something that we particularly want or are pursuing. Maybe it’s similar to when we want to get married, so we believe God is calling us to marry so-in-so because we think they’re cute or attractive. Maybe we are one of those restless people who just need to move from place to place, or maybe we want to go somewhere to escape a certain situation and therefore use faith as a way out.
What I have found is that God usually tells us something that goes against our desires, like when we don’t want to go somewhere, or when we want to go and God tells us to stay. The last thing I wanted was to move away from my family, friends, and the church I helped start, but God said to go. I didn’t know where, and Mesquite was the last place on my radar.
So, how can we become willing when God asks us to do something we’re hesitant about?
a. Look at the First Step
We should focus on taking just the first step, not the whole journey.
Abraham didn’t know the entire 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 might have gone wrong, he may never have left. We worry a lot about the unknown. It’s easy to do. We imagine all sorts of scenarios and worry before anything happens.
To understand, think about why we call a child who is just learning to walk a “Toddler.” They toddle, taking short, wobbly steps, and each step is deliberate. When they try to take several steps in a row, they often flop on their ‘bum.’
That’s what stepping out by faith is often like. If we try to take several steps without focusing on the first step, we’ll end up on our backside, or worse, flat on our face, which has caused many to become disillusioned.
If I could, let me share this one last point: 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 still made the jump. Just kidding.
Now, in addition to taking that first step, we do so by looking to God.
b. Look to God
To step out in faith, we need to trust God rather than ourselves.
Now, it would have been easy for Abraham to focus on his age, community standing, possessions, or family situation, but instead, he looked to God. Had he considered any of these other things, they would have become idols, because idolatry isn’t just about worshiping statues; it’s about putting something else above God, His word, or His calling.
Now we all have different idols. They might be the cars we drive, the homes we live in, the clothes we wear, the fame or power we seek, or even a person. But these idols are gods we create ourselves, and they have no power to change our lives. So, we need to look to God and who He is, not to anything else, including ourselves.
And finally, we need to look at the blessings.
c. Look at the Blessing
God told Abraham that He would make him a great nation and multiply his descendants. Although Abraham faced struggles, he focused on the blessings instead of potential problems.
There will be struggles. Jesus even said so. In John 16:33, He says that in this world we will have tribulation, but He also shares His blessing—while we will face problems, we shouldn’t let them overwhelm us because we have the victory since He has overcome the world.
So, we shouldn’t focus on the struggles and problems, but instead, we need to focus on 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.
2. 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 and left in search of better living conditions. But God always brought him back.
So, how was he able to stay by faith? But, 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 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.
Therefore, we need to Build on the Future
And this is where we see Abraham’s faith being grounded in his hope in God’s promises.
Typically, we build on the foundation of the past, which includes both the good and the bad. But faith requires us to build on what God is going to do, not just what He has already done.
Note what the Lord told Abraham.
“Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:7 NKJV)
And so, while it didn’t seem very promising at the moment, Abraham stayed for the sake of future generations, trusting in God’s promise. (We’ll cover this more in a bit)
This is what Jesus did. He looked forward to what was coming 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 should never build on the pains of the past or the uncertainties of our present. Instead, we are to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the amazing future He has planned for us, just as 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, we might wonder if there is anything to hold on to, and there is — God’s promises. Because God is great and will do great things in the midst of the trouble, and we also have eternity in heaven to look forward to.
3. Abraham 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)
It was God’s promise that ignited Abraham’s hope.
God told Abraham that he would not only have a child, but that he would also become the father of a great nation. However, he had to wait 25 years to see it happen. When Isaac was born, Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was around 90.
And while he waited, he didn’t wait very well. He saw and heard the promise, but he thought he had to figure it out himself instead of waiting for God. This highlights a real problem we all face: what will control us—our problems or God’s promises?
And so, during this waiting period, Abraham attempted to circumvent God’s plan. First, he did so through his servant Eleazer. When that failed, he then tried through Sarah’s maidservant Hagar. From this union, he had a son named Ishmael, whose descendants trace to many Arabian tribes. Finally, Abraham trusted in God’s promise that it would be through Sarah, and their son was named Isaac.
Now, Eleazer was Abraham’s settling for less. Basically, it was as if Abraham was telling 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, in pursuit of peace, we settle for less just to make things less stressful. You see, we’ve chosen outer peace over inner peace. Let me just say that sometimes we can settle ourselves right out of God’s promises.
Next 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?
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 arise or when our problems seem overwhelming, we need to turn to our Isaac’s, that is, God’s fulfilled promises, and let them carry us through.
And this leads me to the last step.
4. 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. And Abraham passed that test based on his hope in God’s promise.
In Romans 4:18, it says, “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.’” (Romans 4:18)
In the hope of God’s promises, Abraham had faith.
Now, within the context of the passage, I see it referring not only to the birth of Isaac but also to the sacrifice, as it says that God gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did (Romans 4:17b).
Sacrifices take great faith because they don’t make a lot of sense. Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac. And in Hebrews 11:18, we see that God told Abraham, “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 can help. I had always wanted to go to seminary, but it wasn’t until I lost everything that the opportunity arose. I was able to work, save money, and then I had the funds to go. However, God then tested my faith and asked for a sacrifice. Someone I knew needed exactly the amount of money I had saved up to keep their home, so I gave it, because of what God’s word says—that if someone asks for your cloak, give them your coat as well.
Well, I gave it all to the person, and afterward I 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.
And it is through this call to Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, that we are given a great example of the attitudes we need to make healthy faith sacrifices and, in a way, be the living sacrifices that the Apostle Paul talks about (Romans 12:1).
a. An Attitude of Obedience
When God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son, Abraham didn’t say, “No way, he’s mine.” Instead, he said, “Yes, Lord.” Reflect on Abraham’s obedience.
b. 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 Himself the lamb,” which is a beautiful foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Jesus offered Himself as that sacrificial lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Further, as I see it, Abraham trusted God’s promise so much that he believed with all his heart that, even if Isaac died, God would raise him back to life.
Conclusion
We need to be careful that when we face life’s struggles, 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 delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely 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.
And so, it was by faith that Abraham’s hope in God’s promises was realized.
