Hebrews Lesson #27

RETURN TO SYLLABUS
HEBREWS 11:8-19
LESSON #27
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBEDIENCE AND FAITH

MEMORY VERSE: 1COR 2:5

HEB 12:2 JESUS CHRIST IS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH

HE INITIATES OUR FAITH AND PERFECTS OUR FAITH.

READ HEB 11:8-12 GEN 12:1-5 ACT 7:2-5

ABRAHAM'S FAMILY BACKGROUND:

ABRAHAM WAS PROBABLY BORN AND GREW UP IN UR.
ABRAHAM WAS PROBABLY AN AMORITE.
HIS FAMILY WAS INTO IDOLATRY. JOS 24:2-3
ABRAHAM'S FAMILY WAS PROBABLY ENGAGED IN THE BUSINESS OF DONKEY CARAVANNERS RUNNING TRADERS THROUGHOUT THE AREA. (MUCH LIKE THE TRUCKING BUSINESS TODAY). THE HEADQUARTERS OF THIS BUSINESS WAS AT UR.

GOD CALLS ABRAHAM:

ACCORDING TO ACTS 7:2 A DIFFERENT NAME IS USED FOR GOD.

GOD MIRACULOUSLY APPEARED TO ABRAHAM IN UR AND REVEALS TO HIM A NEW NAME, AND GOD PLACES A CALL ON ABRAHAM'S LIFE.

THE NAME "GOD OF GLORY" APPEARS ONLY IN ONE OTHER SCRIPTURE:

READ PSALM 29 AND PSALM 24

PSA 29 CONTAINS THE REFERENCE AND PSA 24 IDENTIFIES IT WITH CHRIST.

NOTICE PSA 29:2-3 AND VS. 10

BOTH OF THESE PSALMS ARE MILLENNIAL PSALMS THAT REFER TO THE 1000 YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST ON EARTH.

EVIDENTLY WHAT GOD SHOWED ABRAHAM WAS THE CITY OF JERUSALEM IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM OF JESUS CHRIST. (HEB 11:10)

3 ASPECTS OF GOD'S CALL TO ABRAHAM (ACT 7:3)

HE MUST LEAVE HIS FAMILY.
HE MUST LEAVE HIS COUNTRY.
HE MUST COME INTO A NEW LAND.

ABRAHAM'S 2-FOLD FAILURE: (GEN 11:31-32)

ABRAHAM DID NOT LEAVE HIS FAMILY. HE BROUGHT HIS FATHER AND HIS NEPHEW, LOT, WITH HIM.
ABRAHAM OBEYED IN LEAVING HIS COUNTRY.
ABRAHAM DID NOT GO INTO THE PROMISE LAND, BUT STOPPED AND SETTLED IN HARAN FOR 5 YEARS.
ABRAHAM'S RESPONSE TO GOD'S CALL WAS PARTIAL AND SLOW.

HOWEVER, WHEN WE GET TO THE NEW TESTAMENT, THIS FAILURE IS NOT MENTIONED. (SEE HEB 11:8-10)

ABRAHAM IS COMMENDED FOR HIS FAITH AND IS CALLED THE FATHER OF FAITH.
WE SEE THAT THE STARTING POINT OF FAITH IS NOT ALWAYS PERFECT AND COMPLETE, BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL AND PATIENT WITH US.

GOD'S SECOND CALL TO ABRAHAM IN HARAN (GEN 12)

GOD SPOKE TO ABRAHAM, CALLING HIM A SECOND TIME.
GOD BEGINS TO GIVE ABRAHAM A COVENANT LITTLE BY LITTLE.

ABRAHAM OBEYED, TAKING SARAH AND LOT, AND NUMEROUS HOUSEHOLD SERVANTS AND SLAVES. THE DESTINATION WAS KNOWN TO BE CANAAN (5).

GOD REVEALS HIS PLAN TO ABRAHAM STEP BY STEP, BUT ONLY AFTER ABRAHAM HAS OBEYED THE FIRST STEP DOES GOD REVEAL THE NEXT STEP. FAITH IS A CONSTANT RELIANCE AND A FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE, REVEALED AND PERFECTED STEP BY STEP.

FOR WHAT THINGS DID ABRAHAM HAVE FAITH?

FOR A PROMISED LAND (GEN 15:18)
FOR A SON (GEN 17:6)
FOR MANY PHYSICAL DESCENDANTS (GEN 13:16)
FOR MANY SPIRITUAL DESCENDANTS (GEN 15:5-6 GAL 3:26-29)
FOR A MESSIAH TO COME (GEN 15:6)
FOR AN ETERNAL CITY, THE NEW JERUSALEM (HEB 11:10)

WHAT ACTIONS WERE INVOLVED IN HIS FAITH?

HE LEFT HIS HOME IN UR AND CONTINUED TO WORSHIP GOD THE REST OF HIS LIFE WHEREVER HE WENT.

NOTICE THE ACTION IS TOWARD GOD AND NOTNECESSARILY RECEIVING THE OBJECT PROMISED. WHEN HE AND SARAH TRIED TO HELP GOD OUT BY TAKING ACTION TO HAVE A SON WITH HAGAR, GOD WAS NOT PLEASED.
HEB 11:8-10 TELLS US THE CHARACTER OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH:

OBEDIENCE -- HE LEFT UR.
ABIDED – HE SOJOURNED IN THE PROMISE LAND.
STEADFASTNESS – HE LOOKED FOR THE NEW JERUSALEM WITH HIS EYE ON GOD. HE HAD AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE.

SUMMARY:

GOD FIRST CALLED ABRAHAM IN UR. ABRAHAM IS TOLD OF A LAND THAT GOD WILL SHOW HIM, BUT THE LAND IS NOT NAMED. FIVE YEARS LATER, HE CALLS HIM AGAIN IN HARAN AND REVEALS TO HIM THAT THE LAND OF CANAAN IS HIS DESTINY.

FAITH IS A GRADUAL PROCESS OF GROWING WITH GOD.

SPIRITUALLY, ABRAHAM IS SHOWN THE NEW JERUSALEM AND THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST.

FAITH IS FOR DAILY LIFE HERE AND NOW, AND ALSO FOR THE ETERNAL FUTURE.

THERE IS AN ETERNAL ASPECT OF FAITH:

FAITH DESIRES THAT GOD BE GLORIFIED.
FAITH DESIRES THAT GOD'S OVERALL PLAN BE FULFILLED.
FAITH DESIRES THAT MANY MIGHT COME TO GOD AS A RESULT.

SARAH'S FAITH (HEB 11:11)

FOR WHAT DID SARAH HAVE FAITH?

A SON

WHAT ACTION WAS INVOLVED IN HER FAITH?

IMPLIED IS THE ACT OF OBEDIENCE AND TRUST THAT GOD IS FAITHFUL. (HEB 11:11)
WE SEE THE SAME GRADUAL GROWTH OF FAITH IN SARAH'S LIFE AS WE DID IN ABRAHAM'S. WE SEE THE SAME PATTERN OF FAILURE AT FAITH IN SARAH'S LIFE AS WE DID WITH ABRAHAM.

GOD PROMISED THEM A SON AND MANY DESCENDANTS.
SARAH'S PATIENCE FAILS, AND SHE TALKS ABRAHAM INTO HAVING A CHILD WITH HAGAR.
GOD RENEWS THE PROMISE OF A SON (GEN 17:15-16).
WE SEE THE SAME ETERNAL ASPECT TO SARAH'S FAITH (GEN 18:18).

READ HEB 11:13-16 THE ETERNAL FULFILLMENT OF FAITH

ABEL, ENOCH, NOAH, ABRAHAM, AND SARAH ALL DIED BEFORE THEY SAW THE ETERNAL FULFILLMENT OF THEIR FAITH. (13)

THE PROMISES THEY SAW FULFILLED IN THEIR LIFETIME WERE SMALL THINGS THAT PROVED TO THEM THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD. THEREFORE, THEY WOULD HAVE FAITH FOR THE GREATER FULFILLMENT TO COME OF ETERNAL LIFE.

HERE WE SEE THE PURPOSE OF GOD IN ACKNOWLEDGING OUR FAITH BY GIVING US THE ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS. IT IS TO RAISE OUR LEVEL OF FAITH SO WE KNOW HE WILL FULFILL THE ETERNAL ASPECTS AS WELL.

THE UNSEEN ETERNAL FULFILLMENT:

THEY DID NOT SEE THE SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST.
THEY DID NOT SEE A NATION OF PEOPLE CALLED GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE (JEWS).
THEY DID NOT SEE A SPIRITUAL NATION OF PEOPLE (ALL THE NEW TESTAMENT BELIEVERS IN CHRIST).
THEY DID NOT SEE THE NEW JERUSALEM OF ETERNITY.
THEY DID NOT SEE THE FULL POSSESSION OF THE LAND PROMISED TO ABRAHAM (GEN 15:18).

THE HEAD KNOWLEDGE AND HEART FAITH OF THESE 5 SAINTS (13):

THEY SAW "AFAR OFF" = THEY SAW THE FULFILLMENT WITH SPIRITUAL SIGHT.
THEY "WERE PERSUADED OF THEM" = HEAD KNOWLEDGE.
THEY "EMBRACED THEM" = HEART FAITH.
THEY "CONFESSED" = THEY SPOKE THEIR FAITH.

READ HEB 11:17-19 GEN 22:1-14 JAM 2:21

OBEDIENCE IS THE LIFE OF FAITH

FOR WHAT DID ABRAHAM HAVE FAITH?

GOD HAD PROMISED A MULTITUDE OF DESCENDANTS THROUGH A SON. NOW ABRAHAM WAS TO SACRIFICE THAT SON.

HE BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD RAISE UP ISAAC FROM THE DEAD. (19)

WHAT ACTION WAS INVOLVED IN HIS FAITH?

HIS ACTION WAS THE OFFERING OF ISAAC.

SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS:

BE SURE THAT IT IS GOD WHO PUTS THE PICTURE ON THE FILM BEFORE YOU ACT IN FAITH ON IT.
ABRAHAM WAS SURE THAT IT WAS GOD WHO CALLED FOR THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC AND NOT HIS OWN IMAGINATION OR THE DECEPTION OF THE DEVIL.

GOD'S FAR-REACHING PLAN:

THIS EVENT WAS TO BE A PREFIGURE OF GOD OFFERING HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST, AS A SACRIFICE FOR SIN ON THE CROSS. (HEB 11:19) THEREFORE, ISAAC IS A PRE-FIGURE OF JESUS CHRIST.

ISAAC, A PREFIGURE OF CHRIST

GEN 22:1-14 HEB 11:17-19

ISAAC	CHRIST
OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH	OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH PHI 2:5-8
ABRAHAM DID NOT SPARE ISAAC	GOD DID NOT SPARE CHRIST ROM 8:32 JOH 3:16
TO BE A BURNT OFFERING SACRIFICE GEN 22:3	HE BECAME A BURNT OFFERING SACRIFICE HEB 10:14
A RAM, A SUBSTITUTION PROVIDED BY GOD GEN 22:8,13	CHRIST, OUR SUBSTITUTE PROVIDED BY GOD HEB 10:5-10
ISAAC WAS OFFERED WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN (ABOUT 38 YRS. OLD)	JESUS WAS OFFERED WHEN HE WAS IN THE PRIME OF LIFE
HE CARRIED THE WOOD FOR SACRIFICE GEN 22:6	HE CARRIED THE WOOD CROSS FOR SACRIFICE
THIRD DAY RESURRECTION IN VIEW	THIRD DAY RESURRECTION IN FACT GEN 22:4
LOCATION OF SACRIFICE: MORIAH (JERUSALEM AREA) GEN 22:2	LOCATION OF SACRIFICE: MT. CALVARY (JERUSALEM)

HOMEWORK
HEBREWS 11:20-29

THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.

APPLICATION OF HEB 11:8-19

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT FAITH FROM ABRAHAM AND SARAH THAT WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR FAITH?

PREPARATION FOR HEB 11:20-29

READ HEB 11:20-29

CONSIDER THE FAITH OF ISAAC, JACOB, AND JOSEPH. FOR WHAT DID THEY HAVE FAITH?

ISAAC (READ GEN 27:1-4,18-40)

JACOB (READ GEN 47:27-31)

JOSEPH (READ GEN 50:22-26)

FOR WHAT DID MOSES' PARENTS HAVE FAITH? (READ EXO 1:15-2:10)

WHAT ACTION WAS INVOLVED IN THEIR FAITH?

FOR WHAT THINGS DID MOSES HAVE FAITH? (READ EXO 2:11-15 EXO 12:21-28 EXO 14:13-22)

WHAT ACTIONS WERE INVOLVED IN HIS FAITH?

MEMORY VERSE: HEB 11:25