Good morning to everyone. Really getting to be like fall out there now, kind of frightening for what's coming next? 

Hey, so we're continuing our study in Hebrews 11 this morning, and we're gonna bite off a much larger section of scripture concerning Abraham. I kind of was thinking about how many more verses there are here about Abraham than there were about Noah or Abel or Enoch, but that's an interesting text, and certainly the life of Abraham is an example of faith to us. Tremendous faith. He’s used over and over in the New Testament as the premier example of one who trusted God from the time he was called all the way through his life and at some of the most amazing circumstances. 

In Romans 4, Paul says that Abraham is the father of all who believe, and in Galatians 3:7 also wrote, "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham." Abraham is the father of faith, the father of all who believe, and only those who are in Christ by faith are sons of Abraham. 

We need to keep in mind as we study that the audience to which the author writes here is a Jewish, a Hebrew audience, and to the Jewish mind, Abraham was the father of the nation. He was the greatest of the patriarchs and he was held in great esteem. The Jews had been taught and believed that Abraham was justified by works, but the truth that the author wants to bring out here is that Abraham was justified by faith; he lived by faith and he died in faith. Just as Paul explains in Romans 4 and as it is recorded in Genesis 15, Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. He was justified by faith and not by works. 

So, Abraham becomes a key example, a teaching tool to explain that salvation and a right relationship with God has always been based on faith. Thus, this serves as a great proof and encouragement to these Hebrews who also needed to come to God by faith in Jesus Christ. 

I'd like for you to turn to our text this morning. We're gonna begin in Hebrews 11 at verse 8. 

It says, "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. 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. 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. These all died in faith, not having received the promises but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on this earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind the country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten Son, of whom it was said, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called,' concluding that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense." 

I've given you three points on your outline this morning. First, we're going to look at faith for today; second, faith for the future; and third, faith in the promise. 

Now really, the author is just going to take us on a walk through the life of Abraham and the tremendous examples of faith in his life. 

At first, we see that Abraham believed God; that he had faith for today. In Genesis 12:1, it says, "Now the Lord God said to Abram, '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. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'" 

So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. We read in Genesis 11 that Terah was the father of Abram, and Joshua tells us that Terah served other gods. Abram, who became Abraham, grew up for the first 75 years of his life living in a very pagan place, serving other gods, the primary of which was the moon God. He was born and raised in Ur of the Chaldees, which is modern Iraq. 

Ur of the Chaldees was an ancient city that flourished until about 300 BC. The great ziggurat of Ur was built by Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC and it was dedicated to Nana, the moon God. The moon was worshiped as the power that controlled the heavens and the life cycle on earth. To the Chaldeans, the phases of the moon represented the natural cycle of birth, growth, decay, and death, and also set the measurement of their yearly calendar. Among the pantheon of Mesopotamian gods, Nana was supreme because he was the source of fertility for crops, herds, and families. Prayers were offered to the moon to invoke its blessing. 

When God called Abraham in Genesis 12:1 to leave his country, to leave his kindred and his father's house, everything familiar was to be left behind, and that included his religion. This call and his response, I think, is perhaps the most monumental act of faith in the life of Abraham, because he didn't really know anything about Yahweh. It wasn't the norm in his world and religion for the gods to interact with humans. He had worshipped many gods all of his life and he was centered on this moon God. 

So when the true God comes to Abraham and tells him to get up, get out of his country, leave his family, his home, his culture, his religion, I think the response is profound. Genesis 12:4 tells us that when God called him and made this threefold promise to him, he got up and departed. There was no hesitation. 

In Acts 7:2, Stephen is preaching and he says, "Brethren and fathers, listen! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives and come to a land that I will show you.' Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, he moved to this land in which you now dwell." 

What an amazing example of faith this is. Much like we saw in the life of Noah, God came to Abram and told him to get up and go. He didn't tell him why. He didn't tell him where he was going. He didn't tell him really anything except that he was going to bless him with descendants and a land that he would show him, and that he would make him a blessing to all nations. And Abram obeyed. He just got up and went, trusting God to fulfill his promise and to guide him all the way. 

This is such a great picture of coming to God in faith because in order to come to God, a man must leave behind what he has been trusting—really who he is—and this very often includes our former life, our culture, even our family. Abram left his religion, his gods, his own self-righteousness, and he simply came to God in faith. He heard the call of God, believed the Word of God, and followed in faith. 

Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him, it was imputed to him for righteousness. This example becomes the key example, the teaching point in the New Testament. We see Paul use it several times; we see Stephen quote it in Acts 7; we see James use this very passage and the author of Hebrews as well. Abraham becomes the example of justification by faith and the father of all who believe. 

Let's look at one of those passages in Romans 4, please. It's such a tremendous passage. In Romans 3:19-26, Paul has just laid out the gospel of righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ because of His sacrifice in our place. In chapter 4, he brings up Abraham as the example from the Old Testament. He says, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness." 

Listen to these words. These are amazing words in light of the religions of our world: "Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness." Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin." 

This is such an important clear passage showing that justification, salvation, is by God's grace through faith alone. It is not by works but by faith that a man can be justified, can receive the gift of righteousness from God. When a man hears the gospel, the truth, the message of the cross of Jesus—one time death in my place for my sins—and when that man chooses to put his trust, his faith in Jesus alone for his salvation, God imputes his sin to Christ on the cross and imputes his very own righteousness, the righteousness of God, to that man based on his faith alone. 

This is the example of Abraham. Because if he were justified by works, he would have something to boast about. But not before God. Just to be clear, James talks about Abraham being vindicated, his faith being vindicated before men. How can I know your faith? I can't know your heart; I can only know your faith by your works. But Paul says before God a man is only justified by faith. 

Before God, our only plea is grace, is mercy, is the gift of eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ. And Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. He had faith for today, my friends. God came and called him out from among his family, his religion, his culture. Abraham didn't have a lot of revelation, a lot of answers to his questions, a clear understanding even of where he was going or why, but he obeyed God. He followed Jehovah because he believed God. He had faith for today—just to trust, to trust and obey. 

Well, next we see that Abraham had faith for the future. Let's look at verse 9 of Hebrews 11. He had faith for the future. "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. 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. These all died in faith, not having received the promises but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 

For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind the country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 

All those years, Abraham did not realize the promise of a land and a nation. He dwelt by faith day after day, living with Isaac and Jacob, dwelling in tents as in a foreign country. Even though he was in the promised land, the promise was not realized, but Abraham's faith was anticipating, believing, knowing that God will fulfill the promise sometime in the future. 

He had faith that God was able to do what He promised and that He would bring it to pass. We see this in Romans 4 as well. Listen to verse 13: it's an amazing account of Abraham's faith. "For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect because the law brings about wrath. For where there is no law, there is no transgression. Therefore, it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." 

And then it says, "In the presence of him whom he believed—God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did." Who contrary to hope in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, 'So your descendants shall be.'"

Now listen to verse 19: "...and not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body already dead, since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to perform." 

That's the essence of faith! From a human standpoint, from the mind of a man and human wisdom, this was a hopeless situation. Abraham was a hundred years old. Sarah had been barren all her life; we read this all the way back in Genesis 11, and now she was well past childbearing age. And yet there was the promise of God—of a seed, of a child of promise, through which would come the nation and the promise of salvation through Messiah. 

He looked forward in faith, just as Paul writes in Philippians 3:20, "...for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." 

We don't see that. We haven't realized that promise. But we believe God, and so it was for those great saints in Hebrews. In verse 13 it says, "...these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on this earth." 

It's amazing to think that these great heroes of the faith listed here for us did not experience the end of their faith on this earth. They did not realize the promises, but died in faith, anticipating, waiting for the final fulfillment of the Word of God. 

Do you sense the groaning in our world? The groaning of creation, of man, of yourself? Do you have a great desire to see the fulfillment of all the promises? This is how Abraham lived, anticipating, waiting, believing—faith for the future. We live by this same faith today as we see in the New Testament as well. 

Turn over to Romans 8 with me, please. Romans 8 at verse 18, Paul writes, "...for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body, for we were saved in this hope. The hope that is seen is not hope, for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." 

We are saved in this hope. Can you imagine how much Abraham needed this hope? How he continually exercised faith in the promises of God—promises that seemed so impossible, so unlikely of a son. His name was Abram, which means “the father of one.” And God changed it to Abraham, which means “the father of many.” But he had no child. He only had a promise. But he did not waver in his faith, believing fully that God was able to accomplish what He had promised. 

This is faith, my brother, my sister in Christ—faith for today and faith for the future. And what we see in the life of Abraham is that this is all wrapped up in faith in God's promise. In verse 12 of our text, it says, "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 by the seashore." 

Abraham's entire life was an example of faith—from his call in Genesis 12, through the promise, the waiting, anticipating the promised son Isaac. But then came perhaps the greatest test of his faith in Genesis chapter 22. 

Turn back to that passage with me, please. Genesis 22 at verse 1. 

Genesis 22:1: "Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him, 'Abraham?' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then he said, 'Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.' So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac, his son, and he split the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 

Then on the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place far off. And Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.' So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac, his son, and he took the fire in his hand and a knife, and the two of them went together. 

But Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, 'My father?' And he said, 'Here I am, son.' And he said, 'Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?' And Abraham said, 'My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.' So the two of them went together. 

And they came to the place of which God had told him, and Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order, and he bound Isaac, his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' So he said, 'Here am I.' And He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.' 

Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son—in place of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, 'The Lord will provide.' As it is said to this day, 'In the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.' 

Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven and said, 'By Myself I have sworn,' says the Lord, 'because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and the sand which is on the seashore, and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.'" 

It's hard to even imagine this kind of faith. How do you describe it? Abraham had believed God against all odds. And God made good on His promise, giving him a son—the promised son Isaac. And Isaac had grown; he was now likely a young man at this time. And God comes to Abraham and tells him to sacrifice Isaac. 

This makes no human sense whatsoever. He’s the promised son! Now you want me to kill him? What do you do with that? Well, we see the most profound faith in verse 3. It says, "Abraham rose early in the morning." God told him to sacrifice the promised son, the one he loved, and it says, "Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey." There was no hesitation. There was no wavering. There was no doubt. 

And we read the most amazing thing in our text in Hebrews 11: Abraham was not playing when he raised that knife. He was willing to kill Isaac in obedience to God because it says that he believed that God was able to raise him from the dead to make good on His promise. 

Have you noticed something about Abraham's faith? It usually says this: God is able. God is able. This is the basis of faith: God is able, and He will keep His promises. 

So important. And so it doesn't matter what God says; it doesn't matter what God commands. Just obey Him because He is able and He will do what He says, and He only wants what is best for us. He works all things together for our good. This is faith. 

This is our faith, my friends. We've never seen anything, really. We’ve never seen Jesus. We've never seen the Holy Spirit. We've never seen eternal life. We've never seen the cross. We've never seen the resurrection. Yet we believe. We place our whole faith and trust in what God says in His Word. We know these things—these truths—and we are willing to bet our eternity on these promises because we believe that God is able and He will perform what He has promised. 

And that's why all who believe are sons of Abraham, the father of faith. We see in that passage in Genesis 22 a picture, a representation of Christ on the cross of a substitute—"Do not lay your hand on the lad." And he looks and there’s a ram caught in the thorns. And he placed the ram for a burnt offering instead of Isaac—in his place, as a substitute. God provided a substitute, a sacrifice in the place of Isaac. 

And this, my brothers and sisters, is what He has done in the fulfillment of the promise of a blessing to all nations through the seed of Abraham. He has provided a substitute for me and for you. 

Turn over to Galatians 3 with me, please. Galatians 3 at verse 5. The Galatian believers were having a little confusion about how it was they were to be sanctified, how they were to walk, thinking it was by works. 

And in verse 5, he says, "...therefore he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed.' So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. 

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.' But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for 'the just shall live by faith.' That the law is not of faith, but the man who does them shall live by them. 

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.' That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 

Brethren, I speak in the manner of men, though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, and to your seed who is Christ. And this I say, that the law which was four hundred and thirty years later cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise." 

Abraham's faith was in the promise—the promise of a substitute, a Savior, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. And our faith is the same as that of Abraham. Our faith is in Jesus, the seed, the promise. God has given to us righteousness, eternal life, salvation by promise, the promise of Jesus. And the only way we can receive this gift, hold on to this promise, anticipate its fulfillment, is by faith. 

Abraham is our example, the father of faith. He was declared righteous because he believed God. And that's the very thing that the author is appealing to these Hebrews to do in this eleventh chapter. Do like Abraham, the father of our nation. Come to God in simple faith, believing the promise. And for them, as for us today, the promise is fulfilled in Christ. Jesus is the seed of Abraham through which all the nations have been blessed. And now a man must come to Him in faith to be saved. 

This is the message of Abraham. And my brothers and sisters, this is the message that we still preach today. 

Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're thankful for these great examples in this chapter of faith, and the clarity by which You've given us Your Word to understand and know that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus. And we thank You for that promise—for that truth that we can just look to You and trust You and believe You to come to life and to live every day as we anticipate the fulfillment of the promise when Jesus will come to take us to be with Him forever. In His name, we pray, Amen.