Well, church, today we're going to pause on our series and
revelation, and I want to just share with you something that
I've been meditating on, and I want to talk to you today about
faith, trusting God, what that looks like.
And it's common that when this topic is addressed, there is one
very common passage that is referenced in the New Testament,
arguably the most famous when it comes to this subject of faith,
Hebrews Chapter 11. And you can turn there if you'd
like. Hebrews 11 is quite amazing
because when it comes to faith, it grants us a very concise
definition of it, but it also gives us an extensive catalog of
what faith looks like. It spends way more time
demonstrating it than defining it.
And one of the ways that it does this is that the Holy Spirit
grants us notable figures from redemptive history that manifest
what trusting in God should look like, and they do so within
their unique contexts and circumstances.
But if you pay even more careful attention, you'll see that out
of this list of people, there are 16 of them who are
explicitly named. And out of the 16, eight of
them, exactly half of the total number are found in the book of
Genesis alone. Seven men, one woman.
Now we don't have the time to discuss all the potential
reasons for that, but one subtle motive, I believe, of the author
of Hebrews is again, he is dealing with these Jewish
Christians who are overcome by the temptation of returning to
the law as their basis of relating rightly to God.
They want to embrace again the Levitical system, and he is
pleading with them eloquently and theologically why that would
be a grave mistake. And so one of the things that he
does even in Hebrews 11 is that he shows them how even from the
beginning, what God was looking for all along is simple, ongoing
trust in him. And he does this masterfully,
even with this list of names, because again, eight of them are
found in Genesis. And Genesis clearly predates
what the establishment of the law.
And so he even plucks from individuals from before the
floodlight. How much how much far back can
you go to show? Do you see it?
Do you realize it what God was searching for what God is asking
of his creation, those who are crowned in his image is faith.
And and that's just one of the things that make the book of
Hebrews an absolute masterpiece. But that's not the main point of
this passage. Just one of them, I believe,
like a diamond. The author takes faith and he
elevates it before the eyes of his readers, and he wants to
show them the different facets of it that make it genuine.
And one of the ingredients, one of the elements that showcases
the faith that truly pleases God is that it is a faith that
endures. It's ongoing, it's constant.
And he illustrates this by reminding them of Abraham.
And so let's read now from verse 8 down to verse 10.
I want you to see what the Holy Spirit says about this man.
By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance.
And he went out not knowing where he was going.
By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign
land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the
same promise. For he was looking to the city
that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Let's pray together, Lord. Just reading these verses
excites our souls, but as we attempt to explain them, oh
Lord, move us in a deep way, change us.
We pray that every thought would infuse greater grace to our
faith and that we would align ourselves to true faith, and in
this case, a faith that endures, that you may be pleased with
what you see in here in our lives.
We ask these things by the help of your Holy Spirit and for the
glory of the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we
put our faith in. Amen and Amen.
I want to ask you something. Is this the only time that
Abraham is presented to us in the New Testament as a prototype
of faith? Answer no.
Paul and James are noted for using Abraham in their letters
to communicate to their readers of what faith looks like.
But interestingly, both Paul and James reference the same Hebrew
verse, the same Old Testament reference to make their main
point. It's in Genesis 15, verse 6, and
you don't have to turn there. It's easy to memorize really,
that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as
righteousness. Now we would think, as the
author of Hebrew now Hebrews reintroduces Abraham to us, that
he would do the same. He would fall in the same
direction as as what we find in the letters of Paul and James.
But he doesn't. To our surprise, he doesn't
reference Genesis 15-6 at all, and there is a reason for that.
And the main 1 is this, that both Paul and James as they,
yes, reference that verse, which is a very strong and compelling
verse. They're doing so because they
are trying to make an argument and illustrate points around
justification by faith, that we are made righteous before God
because of our simple trust and what he has said about himself,
what he said about his Son, and what that faith, that justifying
faith, actually should do in US. The author of Hebrews, however,
is not talking about justification by faith.
You can draw principles of justification by faith from
these verses, but that's not the main point.
He wants to look at a different component of sincere faith.
And here with Abraham, he wants to show that true faith is
something that perseveres in the face of conflict and challenges
that that that faith might cause in your life.
And so he comes to Abraham. And by teaching about Abraham,
he's essentially telling these Jewish believers who are
experiencing immense persecution, crushing social
pressure for their faith in Jesus of Nazareth as their
Messiah. Did you ever consider you Jewish
believers, of what one of your heroes in the faith had to
endure for his trust in God? Do you think it was easy for him
to go on believing? Do you understand what the
Father of your nation endured? The Father of our faith in many
respects had to undergo in his faith not just what he endured,
but more than that, how He endured it.
You see, led by the Spirit, the author wants to inspire these
readers, these Christians, and one of the ways that he's going
to do it is by reflecting on the testimonies of one of their
greatest heroes in their history, Abraham.
And we're going to benefit from it as well because this
afternoon we're going to consider 3 outcomes of true
faith, 3 realities of true faith and what it will produce in US.
And here's what it should do for US.
Number one, it will help us discern if we possess it.
Do I actually have the kind of faith in God that the Bible
speaks about? Well, Abraham's going to show
us. And if we do have it, then like
the Hebrew Christians who are receiving this letter, hopefully
it will strengthen us to remain steadfast as Abraham was.
And so the first thing that stands out from the first verse
that we read in Hebrews 11 here in verse 8 is that faith obeys
without knowing the full results.
Look again with me verse 8. When we talk about living by
faith, Abraham shows us that it is fundamentally built upon a
positive response to God's will. Look at the 1st 4 words again in
verse 8. By faith Abraham obeyed.
Faith and obedience are not the same thing.
But as you know, true faith will produce tangible obedience and
that's what's shown here to say that one, for example, trust in
the character and the expertise of their their doctor.
But every time he prescribes a medicine, you refuse it.
Well, your trust in who that doctor is is put into question,
is it not? And like manner for us to say, I
trust this God? But whenever he gives you
something to do, when he gives you a clear command or call and
you resist it or you hesitate to believe in it, your faith
equally is called into question. And so faith right here, right
away with Abraham is, is shown. It's proven through obedience
ultimately. But that's not the main
emphasis. He wants to show the extent of
Abraham's obedience. He did obey, but to what point?
Look again at the last part of verse 8.
And he went out not knowing where he was going.
Oh, that's spectacular. He obeyed, yes, but he obeyed
into the unknown. He walked into the dark.
He walked into uncertainty. And that's what the Holy Spirit
wants to under score. So you have to remember that
Abraham was called when he was in Mesopotamia.
And according to the book of Joshua, this might shock you,
but Abraham was an idolater. Abraham at one point, for most
of his young life, worshipped false gods.
And there's a point in his life where God appeared to him in
Mesopotamia, commanded him something, and granted him a
promise if he were to trust in this God, the true God.
And that's elaborated more in Genesis chapter 12, where we see
that God calls Abraham to leave his country, to leave his
kindred, to leave his father's house, and to go into the land
that he would show him. And more than that, he would
make him into a great nation. Now, those instructions for
Abraham are unique, but they do present a pattern that is
familiar throughout the Bible. This pattern that when God does
command us, he often attaches a promise with it, a reward in
this life, a reward in the life to come.
But the Holy Spirit also now instructs us and perhaps reminds
us that there is another pattern that we often miss with
Abraham's example. Yes, God, when He commands you
something, He will often remind you of a promise with it, but
also that when He commands you, the Lord does not give us exact
details of what your obedience will lead to.
True faith does not need a comprehensive map for the future
in order to trustingly obey what God asks of you and I today.
So let's great straight to the application in this.
If you're sitting here today and you find yourself hesitating to
obey God from a clear command that he has given you and
convicted you about because you feel like you have the right to
demand an explanation of the aftermath of your obedience or
all the possible scenarios of your yes and your no, I say this
in love. That is not true faith.
That's not true faith to say, Lord, I'm only willing to go
ahead if you tell me exactly what will happen when I do.
That's something foreign to Hebrews Chapter 11.
So if there is a believer listening to this and maybe
you're pursuing a relationship that God has convicted you about
because that person is unequally yoked, they don't know Christ,
they don't love Christ, and God has been pricking your heart
about that, yet you find yourself at a standstill because
you fear, well, if I end this relationship, how or when will
God bring me a believing spouse? That's not faith.
Or if you have developed this
habit now in your business dealings to do some shady things
with money because it's a steady flow of income and your
justification is, well, I'm providing for myself and I'm
providing for my family. And if I stop this stream, what
will happen to my finances? That's not faith.
You know what's wrong, you know what's in God's been telling you
about it, and in your mind you can't get yourself to make the
right choice because you just don't know what will happen if
you do. It can even come down to simple
things like baptism, a clear command in the scripture for
every professing Christian. And yet, oh, how many people who
first find it within themselves to inquire of all their family
members and all their loved ones to see if they will agree.
Let me just test the waters, no pun intended, before I actually
get in the water. Will they approve of my
decision? That's not faith.
Faith is not I will do this
because this is what it will necessarily produce.
Faith is I know the one who asked this of me and he deserves
my obedience no matter what it leads to.
That's faith, and this is a question we have to ask
ourselves. Then what led Abraham to do
this? I mean, you were in a distant
land with Pagan gods and other people who worship different
deities, and all of a sudden now you're willing to go into a
different land with no plan for your future, Just this general
kind of idea. I'll make you into a great
nation. I'll tell you how Stephen tells
us how when Stephen speaks about Abraham in Acts Chapter 7.
Go there with you, with me in your Bibles and notice what
Stephen says at the introduction of this sermon when he is
confronted by the religious leaders of his time.
I mean the sermon was so good he was killed for it.
Acts 7. Look at verse 2 with me and
Stephen said, Brothers and fathers, hear me.
The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in
Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran and said to him, go out
from your land and from your kindred and go into the land
that I will show you. This must have been shocking to
his audience. The God of glory.
You're talking me, you're telling me that God's glory
appeared somewhere apart from Israel.
You're telling me that God's glory manifested in a different
place apart from the the temple in Jerusalem?
Oh, this must have been sobering.
Yeah. God's glory is not confined to a
nation. It's not something you Jewish
people can contain, though. Yes, there is an element of
God's glory being introduced to you.
Oh, I want to show you that God's glory went somewhere else
and it appeared to a certain man who is our father.
Now, we don't know exactly how God appeared to Abraham, but all
I know from this verse is that it was glorious.
It was glorious. There was something about God's
glory. I'm sure it was a it was an
element of his beauty, of His Holiness, of His Majesty, and
maybe it was his compassion. Whatever it was, there was an
element of God's glory that compelled Abraham to move out in
faith. And I argue that's what you and
I need. If we find ourselves hesitant to
trust God because we don't know all the details on the other
side of that faith, you need to know God more.
I need to know God more. I need, I need to so understand
who He is, His heart, his mind, His ways, his consistency, so
that when he does ask me of anything, I can trustingly walk
ahead. I don't need a blueprint.
I don't need what my five year future plan is going to be.
If you give me the word, if I see it in here, I will go
because I know you. I've caught enough glimpses of
your glory. I'm absolutely persuaded that
you are trustworthy, and you are so amazing that if this is
what's going to please you, then I'll give it to you and I'm
going to believe that you'll take care of everything else.
That's faith. Faith obeys when it doesn't know
the full results of that obedience #1 number two, true
faith. If you want to deserve.
Do I have Abraham's faith? Do I have Hebrews 11 faith?
Well, ask yourself this. Does your faith make you a
Pilgrim in this world? True faith will cause you to
live more and more detached from this life, and here's how that's
communicated in Hebrews 11. Look again at verse 9.
By faith he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign
land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the
same promise, living in tents. That's what the Holy Spirit
wants to tell us about Abraham's story, at least at this point.
He lived not in a home, not in a castle, but in a tent regularly
throughout his life. How does that help us?
Well, again, by faith, he lived in tents.
And one way to understand this is that even though God promised
Abraham a land, even though God promised them a people, Abraham
didn't treat it as his final home.
He had a different perspective. Living in a tent means means he
was a nomad, he was a sojourner, he was a traveler.
The opposite of of living in a tent is being a settler, that
you plant your roots in one place, that you own property.
But for him to live in tents means something very
significant. This was a man showing us that
he traveled lightly in this world.
He understood that there was promises pertaining to this
world, but he didn't live as though this was his home.
And so he chose to live in tents.
And this must have been a very helpful reminder for the Hebrews
who were reading this. You know why?
Because the same author and the the chapter before commends them
for how they started in their faith.
They were so strong and they paid a very high price for
trusting in Jesus as their Messiah, and He reminds them of
that as they're becoming weary. Look at Hebrews 10 for a moment.
Look at verse 34 of Hebrews 10. It says here, for you had
compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the
plundering of your property. Joyfully accepted the plundering
of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better
possession and an abiding one. Imagine that.
The cost of following Christ in this context with these
believers is that people knocked on the door, the authorities and
saying, oh, you've abandoned the Jewish faith.
You've abandoned the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We're taking this away from you. And now they come to Hebrews 11
and the author reminds them, do you know that Abraham lived in
tents. He wasn't too attached to his
property either. I'm sure that bless some, but
there's even more to say about why Abraham lived in tents and
why that's significant. That made him a sojourner, That
made him an exile. So you have to understand that
even his living situation communicated something to the
neighbors and Canaan. Abraham didn't walk into an
empty real estate. There were people living in the
land at the time. He had neighbors and they didn't
believe in the true God, but in their understanding of watching
Abraham's life, they knew, OK, he's just traveling by.
And that was a reflection of his spiritual condition that he was
just traveling by. He was not making his home here.
When you watch them, you realize he's living for someone and he's
living for something beyond this life.
He's living as though his treasure is not in this world.
And now that observation is brought from Genesis here in the
New Testament, and it's projected on the believers.
This is what true faith looks like.
And we find this theme throughout the New Testament, do
we not? Do you remember what Peter said
in First Peter 211 when he says, beloved, I urge you as
sojourners, I urge you as sojourners and exiles, when's
the last time you talked to a Christian like that?
I don't remember the last time somebody looked at me and said,
hey, exile. Hey, Sojourner, beloved, I urge
you as sojourners, as exiles, to abstain from the passions of the
flesh which war against your soul.
Do you see it? Do you see the connection
between being a sojourner and that being a means of
consecration and separation and purification?
It's no different with Abraham. He's living in a tent and that
radiates this truth that he was not a part of this world.
He was separate. And I want to, I want to really
reinforce this point. It's going to take us to Genesis
and it's going to take a careful eye to see something.
Let's go to Genesis. I want you to see just how
significant it is for Abraham to be living in tents and what that
says about his faith. There's a pattern in Abraham's
life. It's found in Genesis 12, verse
8. Let's start there.
Genesis 12 verse 8 reads From there he moved to the Hill
Country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent with Bethel
on the West and AI on the east. And there he built an altar to
the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.
Now go to chapter 13. Look at verse 3.
And he journeyed on from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the
place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel
and AI, to the place where he had made an altar at the 1st.
And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.
One more place. Genesis 13.
Look at verse 18. So Abram moved his tent, and
came, and settled by the oaks of memory, which are at Hebron, and
there he built an altar to the Lord.
So pause for a moment, what have we gathered so far about Abraham
living in tents #1 it showcases that true faith will cause us as
Christians to live light in this life and to also be distinct
from the customs and the convictions of those around us.
And if we don't have those two things, we don't have the faith
that pleases God. But did you see a pattern here
with with Abram, later known as Abraham?
Every verse that we read of the early movements of this man in
this new land is that he would pitch his tent and then he would
build an altar. Now, I'm sure the altar is very,
very direct in its symbolism. It speaks of worship.
Here's what we take from this number one.
Wherever Abraham went, he worshipped, no matter where, his
faith, even faith of the unknown, never diminished his
adoration of God, his love for God.
So wherever he would pitch his tent, he would also build an
altar showing us that even as you go on trusting God and don't
know the next step, one thing should be certain about you and
me. We should be worshiping.
I worship you, I trust you, I love you.
I don't love you because of my circumstances.
I love you for who you are. This is what Abraham is showing
us. But oh, do you see a pattern in
the verses that we read? Do you see the order?
What's the order? The tent was pitched first, or
at least mentioned 1st, and then the altar.
Virtually every time we see Abraham and his tent, it's found
in this exact equation which shows us what you and I can't
truly worship unless we are first separate from the world.
We have to be tent dwellers before we have altars built for
God. And there are some people who
don't build tents. They are way, way too connected
to this world, the beliefs of this world, the systems of this
world, the pleasures of this world.
And they think that they can build a legitimate altar and
offer pleasing sacrifice. You can't.
It can only come from the decision of being a sojourner.
Only exiles can build true altars to God.
And if we're not like Abraham in this sense, then not only are we
forfeiting true worship, we might be actually entertaining a
faith like Lot. You remember Lot, the nephew of
this man Abraham, whom we are observing.
You know, Lot had his own tent, right?
He did something very different with his tent, however, in
comparison to his uncle. Can I show you?
Go back to Genesis 13 with me, Genesis 13, and look at verse
10. Now Abraham, yes, his faith is
praised, but it was an imperfect faith and that should encourage
us. So the Lord told him leave the
land, but leave your family. And He didn't do that.
He brings a lot with him. Did that help Abraham?
Did that cause him problems? Cause him a lot of problems?
And here's what's happening in this chapter.
They become so prosperous that their herdsmen and their
managers are now fighting in bickering.
So they have to come to this decision.
All right, we got to go our separate ways.
And Abraham gives him the right to choose first.
Which direction do you want to go?
And notice what Lot decides in Genesis 13, verse 10.
And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was
well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord, like the
land of Egypt in the direction of Zor.
This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
You know what's so interesting here?
Before Abraham and Lot have come to this point, Abraham made a
foolish decision and going to Egypt.
Remember that? Where he went down to Egypt
because there was a famine and he had a lapse of faith, and he
takes Lot with him. But then Abraham, he's
convicted, he leaves Egypt, he returns to the altar, he returns
to his original faith, and he goes on, he moves on.
Here's the sad story. Abraham goes to Egypt.
He brings his family with them. And what I read here is that
though Lot followed Abraham out of Egypt, Egypt didn't leave
Lot. And that's a lesson for leaders.
Be very careful. Your decisions and mine we may
be able to recover from, but not those who are under our
leadership. May God help us.
He has Egypt in his heart. He looks ahead and he goes, oh,
that looks like Egypt. And even says here that it
looked like the garden of the Lord.
That's a warning to us. Sometimes things look like
they're from God and they're not.
It's like the garden of the Lord, it's like Egypt.
And then he goes on to do this. Verse 11 So Lot chose for
himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed E Thus they
separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of
Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley.
This is the part you want to highlight.
And moved his tent as far as Sodom.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked great sinners against the Lord.
God saw Sodom differently than Lot did.
Huh? But it doesn't end there.
So he's now pitching his tent in the direction of Sodom.
Bad news. It only gets worse,
unfortunately. Look at Genesis 14 in this next
chapter. There's this interesting account
of these kings going to war with one another.
One of those kings is the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Well, we find out that Lot gets himself in trouble and Abraham,
his uncle, has to rescue him. But how did he get himself in
trouble? How did he get himself in the
middle of this mess? Genesis 1411 tells us, and verse
12 as well. So the enemy took all the
possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their
provisions and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of
Abraham's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his
possessions and went their way. Oh, so he went from pitching his
tent as far as Sodom to now doing what?
Living in Sodom? He moved into the city because
he moved in, he was recognized as one of the citizens of Sodom.
So when they were conquered, he too was conquered.
It's a very dangerous thing to live in Satan's territory.
I've heard of scary stories of people who thought that they can
visit the domain of the evil one, thinking that they can
remain and come back unscathed. Sometimes you get scars that
you'll never recover from. God will forgive you, yes, but
those scars may remain So he's, he's ransacked, He's taken, and
then he's rescued. You would think you learned your
lesson, huh? You can't live in Sodom and
expect God's blessing. Oh, he doesn't learn his lesson.
Go over to Genesis 19. Now look at the first verse.
This is when the Lord had determined enough is enough.
It's time to judge Sodom and Gomorrah.
And he sends two of his angels. He dispatches them to
investigate, but more than that to answer Abraham's and
Abraham's intercession for his family.
There. Look at Genesis 19 verse one.
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening and Lot was sitting
in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to
meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth.
Now be careful, this is more than just a coincidence, A
providential thing where you know, Lot happens to be at the
gate at the entrance. And as the angels walked in,
they crossed paths. And the story goes on.
No, no, no, no, no, no gates in ancient times, in biblical
times, where where laws were determined, where judicial
matters were settled, where civil cases were clarified,
where legal transactions were established.
And you would have elders at the gate, sitting at the gate
overseeing in terms of leadership.
So what does that say about Lot? Lot sitting in the gate means he
now becomes the leader or one of the leaders of Sodom.
Can you imagine this? He went from pitching his tent
as far as Sodom to dwelling in Sodom to now becoming one of the
leaders of Sodom. What a contrast between him and
Abraham. Here's Abraham constantly living
in in tents. And when he pitches his tent, he
builds an altar. When he comes to new place.
Oh, I'm going to, I'm going to elevate something here.
I'm going to erect this thing. I want to worship the Lord.
And what's happening to Lot? He's walking further and further
away from the Lord. He's becoming more and more
comfortable and established and embedded in a hedonistic flesh
satisfying God hating culture. Now here's the thing, if I was
just left with the book of Genesis, I would think there is
no way that Lot is saved. Then you read Peter and second
Peter and what do you find out? That the Bible by the Holy
Spirit calls this man righteous. Have you read that?
After I when I came to that passage for the first time, I
reread it over and over and over.
Is there a different definition of righteous that I'm not aware
of? Righteous, yes.
Righteous positionally. But Lot is a picture of a
worldly Christian who is not consecrated, who's not
comfortable living in tents. He's more comfortable living in
Sodom. Can I ask you something?
Which faith out of the two reflects yours?
Are you striving more and more to be like Abraham?
That you refuse to be shackled by the sins of this life, by the
attractions and the thrills of this life that want to keep you,
that want to drag you? And notice?
It's always a slippery slope, isn't it?
It's just peeking over from a distance and you get closer and
then you immerse yourself and then you find yourself
comfortable in the company of the wicked.
Do you find your, do you find your tent?
Do you find your faith becoming stronger in the area of
believing God, loving God, looking ahead?
Or do you find yourself month after month, year after year,
being accustomed and comfortable in this age and those who
represent it? Abraham, as one said, shared the
soil of Canaan, but not the soul of the Canaanites.
And that must be true of you and I.
You know what's interesting? If you come back to Hebrews 11
verse 9, it doesn't just highlight how Abraham lived in
tents. Did you notice that?
Look again, by faith he went to live in the land of promise as
in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob.
We're talking about Abraham here, but the Holy Spirit wants
to also inform us that Abraham lived in tents, yes, but with
his son and his grandson. Now, why are we being told about
Isaac and Jacob? I think one thing that is
obvious is that we're told here that Isaac and Jacob followed in
the steps of Abraham in this regard, that they also were tent
dwellers. But remember, Abraham has the
spotlight at this point in Hebrews 11.
So this something, this says something more about Abraham
than it does Isaac and Jacob. What does it say about him what
God said about Abraham in Genesis 18?
Go there with me. This is before the Lord with the
2 angels. We're making their way towards
Sodom and Gomorrah. And the Lord asked if He should
reveal what He was planning to do to those cities, to Abraham.
But there's something in there that complements this truth.
Look at Genesis 18, verse 17. The Lord said, Shall I hide from
Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely
become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of
the earth shall be blessed in him.
Now pay attention to verse 19, for I have chosen him.
That's how the ESV renders it. For I have chosen him, that he
may command his children and his household after him to keep the
way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so
that the Lord may bring it to Abraham what he has promised
him. You see that first part of verse
19, the Hebrew word for chosen more accurately means to know.
So there are some translations that may be in the translation
that you're holding where the verse actually says, for I not
have chosen and for I know Him, for I know Him that He will
command his children and his household after him.
What a precious thing for God to say about any man or any woman.
I know that He will command his children.
I know that He will command his household.
I know that He will do this. I know that He will instruct
them. I know that he will lead them.
Does it not speak volumes of Abraham's faith?
It does. Here's what it teaches.
If faith actually makes us pilgrims in this world, it will
also shape the way we live in our homes.
How old was Abraham when he had Isaac?
According to the Bible, he was 100.
A hundred years old. That's an old dad, 100.
How old was he when he died? 100 and what, 75?
Abraham was 175 when he died, so how old would that made of?
Would that made of Isaac at the point of Abraham's death?
75 years old, right. How old was Isaac when he got
married 4040? Did he have children right away?
No. In that same chapter of Genesis
25, we learned that he was 60 when Jacob and Esau were born.
So how old would have Jacob been at the point of Abraham's death?
15 years old. So this this strongly suggests
something. They were all alive at the same
time. And even Jacob was old enough to
hear the stories of Abraham. Even Jacob was old enough to be
instructed by Abraham. Can you imagine it?
Abraham sitting there in his old age and Jacob is sitting on his
knee. Let me tell you what it means to
walk by faith. Let me tell you how we got.
Let me tell you why we're living in tents.
And there's Jacob listening. He didn't get it right away.
I mean, you read Jacob's live. He, he was a troublemaker to
start with. But all those seeds of faith,
they were not in vain, huh? They were not in vain.
So here's what that tells me. This man who was a he was a
Pilgrim. He was in exile, but he lived
like it at home. You know what's amazing about
Abraham? Was he wealthy or was he not
wealthy? He wasn't just wealthy.
It says he was very wealthy. But you know what Isaac saw in
his dad? Oh, he's living for something
else. He walks with God.
Jacob, his grandson, observed that.
That's why Hebrews is telling us is that he lived in tents with
Isaac and Jacob. It was his faith wasn't private,
it wasn't weekly. It was real.
It was real to the Canaanites who said, who's that tent
dweller? He has a lot of, he has a lot of
money, a lot of herd, a lot of cattle.
But why is he living in a tent? Because he's not living like
this world is his home. And here Isaac and Jacob in the
tent, that's the real deal. That's the real deal.
They had hiccups in their own faith.
And Isaac learned some bad things from his dad, as you
know. But Hebrews praises Abraham for
his consistency and his conviction.
He was a Pilgrim in this life and it shaped the way he lived
at home. May God help us do the same.
Yes, may our faith be generational, may be passed
down. May the greatest inheritance
that you leave your children and their children is a walk with
God. Amaze them with God.
Show them the beauty of the Bible.
Show them the beauty of a holy life.
Show them how how much of A joy it is to be a part of the local
church. It's a privilege not dragging
your feet. OK, we got to get to church.
We get to go to church, we get to go with God's people and sing
to the living Christ and hear from him.
Abraham, he lived in tents. He didn't live alone with Isaac
and Jacob. Which brings us to our final
point of what true faith produces.
True faith obeys, even if it doesn't know the results.
True faith makes us pilgrims in this world.
And lastly, true faith will cause you to anticipate the life
to come. Hebrews 11 verse 10 for he was
looking forward to the city that has foundations whose designer
and builder is God. So true faith will not only stir
you to be separate from this world.
It will also cause you to yearn for the world to come.
That's how you that's how you can check the pulse of your
faith. Where do things go downhill for
lot. Remember what we read.
He lifted up his eyes and he looked into the horizon of the
Jordan Valley and he saw that it was well watered.
He thought it was like the garden of the Lord.
It was like the land of Egypt. He lifted up his eyes.
It was his perspective, it was his evaluation.
And so while Lot is looking towards Sodom, which led his
heart towards Sodom, where is Abraham looking?
According to verse 10, he's looking to another city, and
this city clearly speaks about a heavenly city.
Who's the designer of it? God.
Oh, what a city that's going to be.
No mistakes, no issues, no problems, no matter what
direction you look. It's gorgeous, it's splendid.
It's a reflection of his nature and his character.
This is where Abraham is looking.
He was looking toward and forward to the city.
And so yes, this man lived in tents, but we learn how he was
able to abide, how he was able to remain, how he's able to
become steadfast living in tents because he was constantly
looking. The eyes of his heart were
yearning. And the word for looking here is
an intense gaze, like you're looking forward to your
anticipating it, not just like, you know, glances every Sunday
when you're reminded that there's an eternity.
No, he lived looking. He lived looking.
And here's what's amazing. He's wealthy, however, he
understood that there was something infinitely more
pleasurable, infinitely more lasting, infinitely more perfect
than whatever he had in his possession.
He held things with a very loose grip in this world because his
eyes were looking to the world to come.
One of the things that you learn about Abraham, by the way, the
more I study them, the more I. The Bible has hundreds of
references to this man. It's it's a call for us to
really dig deep into his story. And here's one of the things
that I discovered recently. He always looked ahead.
He always had a revelation of what's to come, even in ways
that you might not have considered.
Do you remember what Jesus said about Abraham and John 856 when
he's been confronted by the religious leaders about his
identity, his divine identity, He makes this point in John 8
verse 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced
that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.
We don't have time to look at where, where Abraham had that
revelation, but at some point in his life, God granted this man
insight about the person and work of Jesus Christ.
He perceived it clearly. He saw it, and Jesus affirms
that he saw it. And here's the part that moves
me the most. He saw it and was glad, which
teaches me that knowing certain things about the future and
believing them can impact your joy today.
So he had this perception not just of heaven, but of the
person of Christ. This man had the habit of
looking ahead and it stabilized him in the in the now.
He was able to live in tents. In this way.
Abraham constantly meditated. He constantly dreamed.
He constantly talked about, I'm sure with his son and his
grandson of this city to come. And if we want to imitate this
kind of faith that pleases God, listen very carefully.
I say this with love you and I have to look where He looks and
long for what He longs for. Do you know how I know that?
Go to Hebrews chapter 13. Look at verse 14 with me.
Hebrews 13, verse 14. The same author at the last
chapter of this book gives his final instructions to these
Hebrew Christians and notice what he says to them and to us.
Hebrews 1314 for we have no lasting city, but we seek the
city that is to come, not just Abraham.
We do you. Just a few final reflective
questions for us today. In these 3 verses we looked at 3
components of true faith, what it will produce, what it looks
like. So I want to ask you today, is
there something that God has been pressing you about a clear
command from His word that relates to a situation in your
life that you are trying to silence and suppress because you
have fear? Fear, fear of persecution, fear
of loneliness, fear of provision not being there.
You making any demands on God to know all the answers of your
obedience is not faith. And so if the Lord is calling
you to get up and leave, get up and walk in a different
direction. Oh, I, I charge it today.
Give him true faith, Abraham, like faith and believe him even
though you don't know where you're going necessarily, even
though I don't know where this is going to lead me, but I know
the one who called me. It's there in his word.
I will trust and obey. That's true faith.
Where do you find yourself inching closer and closer
towards Sodom instead of building an altar?
As you go on in this life, is your worship steady and
increasing, or do you find yourself drawn and magnetized
towards the things that grieve God's heart?
Here's one way you know the things that used to bother you.
You listen to it on whatever format, the language that they
use, the scenes that they project.
Nah, At one point you would recoil.
At one point you would look away.
Now you're like, that's it. Just keep watching.
You find your zeal for serving God, living for God, knowing
God, dwindling, Dwingling, and all these other passionate
things that are overtaking what once was so bright and strong.
And they're trivial things. They're carnal things,
borderline sinful things. You might be pitching your tent
closer and closer to Sodom, and if you're not careful, you might
be living there sometime soon. As the years go by, do you find
your heart excited and longing for that city to come?
Or is it becoming more and more dim because of all the other
things that are trying to get in the way and it clips your
vision? Ask God today to strengthen your
perception to live ahead. Abraham saw Christ's day and was
glad there is a day for us to meet Christ.
There is a revelation of Christ yet to come.
And the one who really has this kind of a faith thinks about it
and lives by it and strengthens it.
Use this message today to walk out of here with a stronger
faith for what's promised to you and I because of Christ.
Abraham, a model of enduring faith.
Let us follow him as he followed Christ.
Let's pray. Lord, we stand amazed at how you
can say so much in such a short passage of Scripture in the same
chapter. We know that faith pleases you,
so give us faith so that we could please you.
May you reveal yourself in Your glory in such a manner that it
would burn away all obstacles and hesitations to our faith.
May we not only be tent dwellers, but altar builders
that are. No matter what season of life
we're in, we will build our worship towards You and Lord.
We know that the secret ultimately to Abraham's enduring
faith was looking to the reward ahead, the world to come.
Lord, we pray that eternity would be more real to us than
this life, that the treasures and the promises of that world
to come would be more exciting than anything we inherit in this
world. Only You can help us strengthen
this perception that holds so much promise.
So Lord, today, no matter where we are, we ask for the same
thing. Give us faith.
And like Abraham, as we wait on You, help us trust in You.
Help us worship while we wait. Help every father, every mother
here bring their faith home. Model that faith before their
children. Help them be encouraged that
even Abraham was very imperfect and how he trusted you, and yet
You still honored him because his heart's desire was to do so.
So Lord, we just pray for every parent here that they would not
grow weary, they would not put into question what their faith
can do in their progeny, in their offspring.
Lord, we love you. We thank you for speaking so
clearly to our hearts. Now we speak to you in song and
rejoice for how you love us and how you speak to us and guide us
in our faith. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
I stand together. Let's worship the Lord.