4. Abraham’s Faith

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Hymns: RHC 323 Trust and Obey, 416 Wherever He Leads I’ll Go, 327 All Things Work Out for Good 549 When We All Get to Heaven

 Hebrews 11:8-10 (KJV)

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abraham’s Faith

OUTLINE

(1) An Obedient Faith (v8)

(2)A Steadfast Faith (v9)

 

INTRODUCTION

Life with God finds its test and rest in the believer’s faith in God. To take God at His Word and to live by His Word is the blessed life with God. Although the physical sight may tell a contrary message with the spiritual insight, may the Lord help His people to learn to surrender their will to God’s will and taste of the eternal good of abiding in God’s will.

The Bible says in 2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

2 Samuel 22:33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

God’s plan to save sinful men scattered throughout the earth in nation states since the time of their scattering at the tower of Babel (Gen. 11) was to reach the nations by the witness of a nation, the nation of Israel. And the ultimate purpose of God was to bring forth the nation’s foremost Son, Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of the world. All who look to Jesus’s obedient life and death, fulfilling perfectly the Father’s will, by Whom He was sent, shall be saved from eternal separation from God in hellfire and find eternal fellowship with God in heaven.

Abraham was the man chosen of God to enact this redemption plan through the descendants of Shem (Gen. 10:10-32), the foremost son of Noah, the man of faith, with saved his family by the ark in which he condemned the living in his generation to God’s judgment for spurning God’s gracious plan to save sinful men in Genesis 6-9. Recall, we said the Chinese character:

船

Genesis 12 begins with the call of Abram or Abraham to live a life of faith. A great test to uproot his family and to travel together for more than 800 miles cross the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia, from a living a comfortable city life to live a nomadic life in the land of Canaan, to fulfilling God’s plan to make a nation of His own people, Israel, who will be the recipient of His living oracles, the laws of God, for the blessing of all society of people through the ages, by these good laws. This plan will make more than 500 years to fulfil. It will be beyond the lifetime of Abraham to see this fulfilment. He is called to live this life of faith without in his lifetime, as it were, receive tangible tokens or rewards for his faith.

Recall Abel saw God’s approval in receiving his blood sacrifice and Noah saved by the ark, tangible rewards, but for Abraham, his reward was the promise that God gave to him in His Word of a future reward beyond his earthly life.

10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

We, too, in our lifetime, are given the promises of faith, life with God in the heavenly Jerusalem that will descend from heaven (Rev. 21). This world that we live in will ultimately be destroyed.

As God revealed to the Apostle Peter, who, like Abraham, lived a life of faith, faced a martyr’s death for faith and salvation in Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:1-15a This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation…

These are the same promises that we receive out of God’s Word and called to live out as Noah did, as Abraham did. What distinguished Abraham’s faith? It was an obedient faith (v8) and it was a steadfast faith.

(1) An Obedient Faith (v8)

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Genesis 12 gave the record of Abram’s obedience. Genesis 12:1-7 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.    

Abram did not question God and refused to obey God’s call to leave the comforts of his home but obeyed not knowing where he was going. God led him to step by step from place to place to do His will with no visible fulfilment of God’s promises to him in his lifetime. That is faith! He trusted God to direct His way by His revealed Word and He took God at His Word and faltered not!

It was a faith, an obedience that enabled him to endure suffering and hardship and even privation. He knew that He was walking in the centre of God’s will for his life because God directed him in clear ways.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

 And in Proverbs 3:1-4 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

 Did Abraham struggle to obey God’s will? We can see that he did. But faith gave him the victory.

We notice in Genesis 12:2-3, God promised His blessings upon him and he must have believed God for he acted upon God’s promise.

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Our Lord Jesus says in Matthew 16:24-27 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

The Apostle Paul understood it when he wrote in Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

 The Apostle Paul denied himself, was willing to nail himself, the fallen flesh, to the cross daily, to follow Christ. He knew that the flesh profiteth nothing.

Philippians 3:7-12 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Dear friends, can you see the preciousness of this life of faith with God or are you still not surrendered to God in particular areas of your life, one foot with the Lord and the other foot in the world? This is a dangerous and precarious state to be in. Danger is right ahead.

Abraham was promised an inheritance from God which will only be fulfilled in the lives of his descendants more than 400 years later.

Genesis 15:13-14 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

The cross that Abraham had to bear was to live a stranger’s life in a strange land and to die a stranger in the land of his inheritance. He will not see the establishment of the nation of Israel in his lifetime. He was fulfilling only a part of God’s overall plan of redemption but he lived in obedience to the promises of God.

 

(2) A Steadfast Faith (v9-10)

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

There is an anchor to Abraham’s faith. It was the future promises of God to him that he will dwell with God in the new heaven and new earth. Abraham understood the consequences of spurning God’s Word and the steadfast faith of Abraham in obeying God all his life, sojourning in Canaan, having no proper home, his family suffering together, demonstrated his conversion and proved his faith by his works, a willingness to suffer loss for Christ’s sake receiving by it an eternal reward.

Abraham esteemed the eternal more than the physical. He will not gain his little earthly kingdom and forsake the greatness of the eternal kingdom.

He was willing to see the eternal and value it more than the physical comforts of this life.

Colossians 3:1-10 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

We have been given more of the eternal things than Abraham did through the revelation of God in the Bible. Shall our faith not be more steadfast than Abraham’s? Will we not set our affections on the heavenly things? Put priority in the things of God rather than the things of this earthly life? May we understand the stakes involved.

 Revelation 21:1-8 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

 Revelation 21:10-27 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Recall the weekly of 17 January 2016, the Doctrine of Hell and Heaven that gives us a glimpse of Abraham’s hope. You recall the account of Jesus that tells us of the comfort of the man Lazarus who believed God in Christ and was found in Abraham’sa bosom when he died and the man dressed in purple and fared sumptuously but knew not Christ.

The Doctrine of Hell

(A) The Nature of Hell

  • Hell is a place of unquenchable fire. (Matt. 3:12, 42; Mk. 9:43)
  • Hell is a place of memory and remorse. (Lu. 16:19-31)
  • Hell is a place of thirst. (Lu. 16:19-31)
  • Hell is a place of misery and pain. (Rev. 14:10-11)
  • Hell is a place of frustration of anger. (Matt. 13:42; 24:51)
  • Hell is a place of separation. (Lu. 16:26; Rev. 2:11; Rev. 20:6, 15)
  • Hell is a place of undiluted divine wrath. (Rev. 14:10)
  • Hell is a place prepared for Satan and his hosts. (Matt. 25:41)
  • Hell is a place created for all eternity. (Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:46; Jude 1:7) 

(B) The Occupants of Hell

  • Satan (Rom. 16:20; Rev. 20:10)
  • Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:8)
  • False Prophet (Rev. 19:20)
  • Fallen Angels (2 Pet. 2:4)
  • All unsaved people (Rev. 21:8)

In the Bible, we read of three heavens. The “First Heaven” comprises the sky that we see, the home of the clouds (Jer. 4:25; Dan. 4:12; Matt. 6:26; 8:20).

The “Second Heaven” comprises the home of the sun, moon and stars (Gen. 22:17; Ps. 19:1). The “Third Heaven” is the home of God (2 Cor. 12:2; 1 King 8:27, 30; John 14:2-3; Heb. 11:10, 16, 12:22; Rev. 21:2).

 

(A) The Characteristic of Heaven (The New Jerusalem)

  • The shape of the city – a cube (Rev. 21:16).
  • The size of the city – 1400 miles long, high and wide (Rev. 21:16b). Our earth has approximately 120 million square miles of water surface and 60 million square miles of land surface. If one multiple 1400 by 1400 by 1400, the cubic miles of the city, it is a staggering figure of 2 billion and 700 million cubic miles, which is some 15 times the combined surface of the entire earth, including both land and water area. It has been estimated that 40 billion people lived on our planet since the creation of Adam. Of this number, over 5 billion are living today. Density studies of city population assure us that every single one of these 40 billion could easily be accommodated upon just the first “foundational floor” of this marvelous 1400- layered metropolis.

 (B) The Inhabitants of the City

(1) Holy and elect Angels (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11)

(2) 24 Elders (Rev. 4:4)

(3) Church (Heb. 12:22-23; Rev. 19:1, 7-8, 21:1, 9-11)

(4) Saved Israel

(5) God the Father (Rev. 4:2-3; Daniel 7:9)

(6) God the Son (Rev. 5:6)

(7) God the Holy Spirit (Rev. 14:13, 22:17)

 (C) The Foundation of the City 

The City rests on 12 layers of foundation stones with each layer being inlaid with a different precious gem (Rev. 21:14).

 (D) The Walls of the City 

The walls of the New Jerusalem are some 216 feet high and made of jasper (Rev. 21:17-18). The walls are not for protection but for design and beauty. A 216 feet wall all around a 1400-mile high city is like an inch curb around the Empire State Building.

 (E) Gates of the City

There are 12 gates to this city, three gates on each side. On each gate is the name of one of the tribes of children of Israel. Each gate is of a beautiful white pearl (Rev. 21:12-13, 21a).

(F) Main Street of this City

The central boulevard of the New Jerusalem is of pure transparent gold (Rev. 21:21b).

 (G) The Throne within the City

Rev. 4:2,3,6a “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald…And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal...”

 (H) River of Life in this City

Rev. 22:1 “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

 (I) Tree of Life in this City

Rev. 22:2 “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

 (J) Resurrected Bodies in this Heavenly City

All resurrected bodies will reside in the heavenly city.

 (K) Activities of the Redeemed in this City

(1) Heaven will be a place of praise, singing and worship (Isa. 44:23; Heb. 2:12; Rev. 14:3, 15:3).

(2) Heaven will be a place of fellowship.

(3) Heaven will be a place of service (Rev. 7:15, 22:3).

(4) Heaven will be a place of learning the plan of God, the power of God and the person of God (1 Cor. 13:9, 10).

(5) Heaven will be a place without tears, sorrows, crying, pain (Rev.21:4).

[Summarized and adapted from Willmington’s Guide to the Bible, page 681-690]

\May this short write-up on the doctrine of hell and heaven help us in our sharing of the gospel to compel men to turn to Christ in repentance for salvation, and thereby escape the ravages of hell and experience the eternal blessing of heaven! Amen.

 

CONCLUSION

Thank God for Abraham’s Faith that is obedient and steadfast. May these be our portion too.