Hebrews chapter 11. We will read verses 17 through
19. Verse 11, 17 through 19. By faith, Abraham,
when he was tested, offered up Isaac. And he
who had received the promises was offering up
his only begotten son. It was he to whom it was
said, In Isaac. your descendants shall be called.
He considered that God is able to raise people
even from the dead, from which he also received
him back as a type. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.
Father, we come to you this Lord's Day. Father,
we do. We come with open hearts and faith forward.
And we ask that... The ancient words that you
have given to us would impart their truth. Father,
we ask that the Spirit of God would accompany
and bless the ministry of the Word of God mightily
at this time. Lord, work in our hearts to sanctify
us and build us up. And Lord, we ask that you
would pierce the hearts of unbelieving men and
show them their desperate need. For faith. We
ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. You
may be seated. I am no prophet. And I am not
the son of a prophet. And I know something for
sure. That is true of every single one of us.
And something that will be true. Of every single
one of us. And I don't have to be a prophet.
To know these things. Because they are so abundantly
clear. In God's holy word. So what is it that
I know? With such certainty. It is that every
single believer. In Jesus Christ. Has and will.
Experience. trials in their lives. Every single
believer will have their faith tested and tried
and refined and purified in this life through
divine design. By ordained difficulties, struggles,
and trials in this life. It is the common lot
of God's people in this world to endure fiery
ordeals with purpose and by design. Our forefather
in the faith, Abraham, he was not exempt from
this. In our text today we find what is likely
the exemplary act of faith in the Old Testament.
That legendary scene on Mount Moriah where Abraham
brings his son to offer him up as a sacrifice
to God. He wasn't offering up Ishmael. He was
offering up... the son of promise. Today we're
going to consider the testing of Abraham's faith.
We're going to examine his faith as it was tested.
We're going to consider the difficulties which
were introduced to his faith. We can imagine
the hardship, the heartaches. that were introduced
into Abraham's life as a result of this trial
that came upon him. And then lastly, we will
consider what Abraham concluded by faith in this
trial. Beginning with the first, the testing
of Abraham's faith. We read this in verse 17.
By faith, Abraham. And then here it is. When
he was tested. In Genesis chapter 22, the narrative
of these events, it's clear. God tested Abraham.
These were unique circumstances ordained and
intended and brought about and required by God.
with purpose in the life of the patriarch. It's
uniquely and distinctly identified as a test,
as a trial. Now, in some older translations of
the Bible, the word trial is actually stated
as temptations. Now, we have certain ideas about
what temptations are. They're when sin or things
outside of us appeal to or lure us to sin. They
draw out the sinful desires within us. But the
way it's used here, and this biblical concept
of trial and testing, it's not talking about
temptation. where God is tempting you to sin.
No, it's the James chapter 1 sense in which the
author is speaking. James chapter 1 says this,
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter
various trials, knowing that the testing of your
faith produces endurance. Then we read in verse
4, And let endurance have its perfect result,
so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
in nothing. It's speaking about growing believers
in spiritual maturity. And that trials refine
and test their faith, their character. It brings
about certain results. It produces certain things
in our lives. And they are ordained by God's
sovereign hand. That's the sense in which Abraham
is tested in Genesis chapter 22 and Hebrews chapter
11 where it's speaking of that trial. This is,
we could say, I believe, the trial of... His
faith. He's gone through. Tests. And trials.
Throughout his walk with the Lord. But this is.
The. Trial. Of his life. This is the. Test. Of
whether or not. His faith is sincere. And genuine
and true. Whether or not. he will trust and obey
God, even when he can't make sense of things
in human terms. This is the test of Abraham's
life. There are many other examples in the Bible
of testing or of trials that are ordained by
God. We could think of Joseph. Joseph went through
many, many trials in his life, did he not, brothers
and sisters? A significant portion of his life
was trial and testing. And what were those trials
and those tests, what were those fiery ordeals
doing in Joseph's life? They were bringing about
God's purposes. They were preparing the man for
what God had in store for him to deliver his
people and to bring his people into Egypt so
that a greater deliverance could take place so
that God could bring them out of Egypt and call
them as his own. We read in Psalm 105, verse
19, regarding Joseph. Starting in verse 17, he
sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold
as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters,
chains. He himself was laid in irons until the
time that his word came to pass. The word of
the Lord tested him all throughout his life.
God was bringing Joseph through a test, a trial
to purify and refine the man and his faith. We
could think about Israel in the wilderness and
their wilderness wanderings. We read in Deuteronomy
chapter 8. We read this in verse 2. You shall
remember. All the way which the Lord your God
has led you in the wilderness. These 40 years.
That he might humble you. Testing you. To know
what was in your heart. Whether you would keep
his commandments or not. He was proving. Refining.
Israel as a son. He was bringing them through
difficulties and hardships to show them their
inadequacies, their weaknesses, their deficiencies,
their unbelief, their sin, their waywardness,
their hardness of heart, so that God would be
magnified because He is faithful to them in spite
of these realities. That God did, in fact, bring
them into the promised land. And then we also
have that famous occurrence of King Hezekiah.
If you recall, at the end of Hezekiah's life,
he thinks that near what he thought was the end
of Hezekiah's life, he became mortally ill. And
the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 32 -31 that these
things were tests. From the Lord. That it was
God trying the man. It was God proving and trying
his faith. There's all kinds of examples. The
author of Hebrews chapter 11. Has a specific
purpose in mind when he's writing these things.
He's not just randomly writing things down. He's
writing Hebrews chapter 11 and these events in
particular in verses 17 through 19 regarding
Abraham's trial to encourage and strengthen the
Hebrew Christians who were themselves undergoing
trials in their lives. who themselves were undergoing
the fiery ordeal in their lives. Their faith
was being tried by the hand of God through the
difficulties and struggles and the trying circumstances
of their lives. He's writing these things to
show them that even their forefathers' faith
was tested and their faith would be tested. Our
faith, brothers and sisters, yours and mine as
New Covenant believers, just like the Hebrew
Christians the author was writing to, our faith
will be tested and tried in this life. It is
biblically naive and ignorant to think that our
faith will not be tested and tried. the normative,
one of the normative realities in the Christian
life is trials, hardships, heartaches that have
been brought on by whatever it might be. Maybe
the trial has to do with relationships. Maybe
the trial has to do with health or physical.
or family, or marriage, or sin, or struggle,
or difficulties, or trials, or whatever it might
be. Brothers and sisters, believers in Jesus
Christ will have their faith tested and tried
in this life. They are a normal part of the New
Covenant Christian's life. James 1 teaches us
this. Have you ever considered that the difficulties
and trials in your life are not random and purposeless?
Have you ever considered that the heartache you
are wrestling through this very day has an intended
goal? Have you ever considered That the sufferings
you have endured in this life are not purposeless?
But that God actually has a divine purpose and
a divine aim and a divine design behind all of
them? We see this all throughout the Scriptures,
brothers and sisters. Part of the Christians...
sanctification and understanding and walk and
growth is learning to reorient their thinking
regarding difficulties in their lives. We don't
just come upon, or we should probably say difficulties
don't just come upon us, and we respond and react
as though they're meaningless and purposeless
and aimless. Well, this is hard. This is difficult.
This is trying. Oh, I don't like this. This is
not fun. I hate this. This makes me mad. I'm
angry. I'm all kinds of things. No, brothers
and sisters. The Bible says that these are trials
that are ordained by the living God in the life
of His children to produce and bring about greater
and further conformity to Jesus Christ. There
is purpose in your hardships in this life. In
fact, the presence of tests and trials is indicative
of God's fatherly love and care in your life.
Because He wants you to be more like He wants
more of that pleasing aroma which comes from
our spiritual sacrifices of worship. He wants
what is ultimately best for us as his people.
And he knows that it is not best for us to stay
bogged down in our sin and iniquity and transgressions.
So he refines. He purifies. He brings us through
hardships with the intended goal of making us
more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we have
to examine Abraham's faith in this trial. The
text says in verse 17, faith, Abraham offered
up Isaac. So, first thing we see with regards
to Abraham's faith is that it was operative and
active in the trial. Right? By faith, Abraham
offered up Isaac and this is a trial. Therefore,
his faith is operative, it's active, it's working.
What is the motivating principle, the orienting
principle, the governing principle of Abraham's
thinking, life, and actions in the midst of this
trial? It's faith. By faith he offered up Isaac.
It's that which governed his thinking. It's that
which animated his actions. It was the undergirding
principle which was the basis for his acting
in the trial. It wasn't carnality or the flesh
or natural reasoning which we'll see further
down. Brothers and sisters, it was faith. Now,
we also can surmise that his faith was increasing
and growing in strength prior to the trial and
in the trial. In Romans chapter 4, we'll go ahead
and read this quickly. Romans 4, verses 18 through
21, we read this. In hope against hope, he believed,
speaking of Abraham, so that he might become
a father of many nations. According to that which
had been spoken, so shall your descendants be.
Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated
his own body, now as good as dead since he was
about 100 years old, and the deadness of Sarah's
womb. Yet, with respect to the promise of God,
he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong
in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully
assured that what God had promised, he was able
also to perform. Now, this occurrence that it's
referencing in Romans chapter 4 has to do with
the birth of the son of promise, Isaac. And the
instance that we're speaking of in Hebrews chapter
11 verses 17 through 19 has to do with the offering
of Isaac. Likely, Isaac was around 15 to 17 years
old, possibly older, when Abraham was going to
sacrifice him. So Abraham's faith at the time
of Isaac's birth was growing and strengthened.
It was fully assured that God would do everything
that he promised. And we must assume that his
faith continued to grow in strength as he aged.
As God continued to be faithful to him. That
prior to the entrance into this trial, he was
having and enjoying a vibrant faith and assurance.
And in it, it was strengthened and increased
all the more. His faith in this was obedient
faith to the command of God. And it was accompanied
by works as James chapter 2 speaks of them. Meaning
faith and works always present together. So we
know in this text that God commands Abraham to
offer up Isaac. And what does the text say? By
faith, Abraham offered up Isaac. He had every
intention. He had every fiber of his will in
action to perform this deed. His hand was raised.
He was following through. He was going to kill
his son. Brothers and sisters, he was obedient.
His faith obeyed the command of God. But we also
see that in this trial his faith is exemplary.
And that it reveals God's purpose in this trial.
Why is Abraham included in Hebrews chapter 11?
For new covenant believers to look at. And so
that we can learn from our forefather. And so
that we can understand that trials will come
upon us and test our faith. And that like Abraham,
by the grace of God and the strength of the Holy
Spirit and God -given graces such as faith, we
can persevere and endure in and through trials
in this life. He's given to us as help for us,
as a witness for us, brothers and sisters. So
what is the purpose? of this trial in Abraham's
life. And we'll see that it's the same as the
purpose for trials in our lives. Well, the purpose
in Abraham's life was faith. It was to bring
out faith. It was to reveal, to strengthen, and
to confirm his faith that God had given to him.
So what is the purpose of faith in your life,
in my life, as New Covenant believers? Well,
generally speaking, we don't know everything
that God is doing in our hardships. God is sovereign,
He is infinite, and He is eternal. His ways are
far above us. We don't know everything that God
is doing through... the trials of our life. He
could be doing a million different things at
one time in our life and in other people's lives
through our difficulties and struggles and through
our trials. But the Bible does give us some pretty
clear teaching as to what God does in and through
trials. We know from the Scriptures that trials
are intended to produce endurance. And perseverance.
We saw that in James chapter 1. We know. From
Deuteronomy chapter 8. The trials are meant to
humble us. And to drive us into reliance upon
the Lord. To show us who we are. And as we reflect
on the character of God. They are meant to grow
and strengthen. Our character. As believers,
we can see this in Romans chapter 5, where there's
almost this chain of events that takes place
for those who have come to know and come to be
at peace with God. We know from the Scriptures
that they are to manifest and purify and refine
our faith, brothers and sisters. We read in 1
Peter. Chapter 1, starting in verse 6. In this
you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little
while, if necessary, you have been distressed
by various trials, testings, as we're discussing
them. So that the proof of your faith, being
more precious than gold, which is perishable,
even though tested by fire, may be found to result
in praise and glory and honor at the revelation
of Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, what is
the purpose of trials in our life according to
1 Peter? It is to refine and purify faith in
our lives. It is to prepare us. For that great
day when Jesus Christ will return so that our
faith shines brighter. So that we are more eager.
We are more excited. We anticipate more and more
His coming. And when He comes, He finds strong,
vibrant faith in His people. And He is glorified
and magnified then. God is working through the
circumstances of the lives of His people. To
bring about these ends. Trials glorify God. By
creating a holy people that look more like the
Lord Jesus Christ and worship God more. And worship
God better. Who obey Him more and obey Him better.
Trials work in these ways in our lives. The trials
we experience are not all that different, though
they are, than Abraham's trial. We think, well,
God would never require that I sacrifice my son
to him, or my daughter to him, my beloved child
to him. God would never require. His people.
To offer themselves as sacrifices and their loved
ones as sacrifices to him. But how is it that
our trials are like Abraham's? Well, he loved
his son. He loved Isaac, brothers and sisters.
His heart's affection was set. On that boy. He
was close to his heart. Surely his heart strings.
Were attached. To the son of promise. Which he
and his wife. Had had in their old age. Almost.
But not. Miraculously. Are there not things in
our lives. That God requires of us. That we love.
Are there not necessary and essential and good
things in your life which God requires of you
at times? Does God not require those who are
closest to us at times? Are there not things
that our heart's affections are set upon so dearly
as Abraham's were with that boy? Brothers and
sisters. Our trials are not that different than
Abraham's. God is accomplishing the same thing
in our life that he accomplished in Abraham's
life. And what is that? The Lord is working in
us to loosen the heart strings within us. From
the things of this world so that we more freely
offer up to him those spiritual sacrifices and
offerings which are so abundantly pleasing to
him. Romans chapter 12 verse 1 says this. For
those of you who might think that God would never
require that of me. God would never require that
He give me a life, that I give Him a sacrifice,
that I give Him that which is dearest to myself.
Romans chapter 12, Therefore I urge you, brethren,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies
as living and holy sacrifices acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship. God
requires you, believer, to sacrifice yourself
every single day. That you give yourself wholly,
fully, and completely to Him, not holding anything
back. That you give yourself to Him because Jesus
Christ has been given to us in the Gospel. We
are no longer our own, brothers and sisters.
You are not your own man. You are not your own
woman. You do not belong to yourself. If you
are in Christ, you belong to Him. Fully and completely.
Your desires, your longing, your heart, your
mind, your money, your property, your well -being,
everything is His. And he requires all of it
from his people. We worship and we serve the
same God that Abraham served brothers and sisters.
God through trials is working to loose the strings
in our heart that are tied so tightly to the
things of this world. So that we more freely
serve and worship him in this life. Now, trials
like this that Abraham went through. Obviously,
it's going to introduce certain difficulties
into his thinking, isn't it? It's going to bring
hardship into his life and his heart, isn't it,
brothers and sisters? Think about the conflict
that this would introduce into Abraham's faith.
We read this in verse 17. When he was tested,
offered up Isaac, and he, meaning Abraham, who
had received the promises, was offering up his
only begotten son. It was he to whom it was said,
In Isaac your descendants shall be called. There's
an apparent conflict, or we could even say there's
an apparent contradiction that is introduced
into Abraham's faith. Can you guys see the conflict
in the text? Can you see the contradiction in
the text? God is requiring that Abraham offer
up the very means of his own salvation. His own
future. The command of God to offer up Isaac
seemingly is in conflict with the promise of
God that would come about through Isaac. Now,
imagine Abraham, who waited so long for his son.
Imagine Abraham who welcomed his son with joy,
and we know that his wife rejoiced at the birth
of Isaac. She laughed in faith with joy when
he was born, praising God. And now God commands
that he offer up the son of promise. This conflict
was between what God had openly and clearly commanded
and required of him and that which God had promised.
would come about through Isaac, the son of promise.
Surely, this brought about great inner turmoil,
conflict, and heartache in his life, which really
is the heart of this trial. The providential
circumstances in Abraham's life brought him to
a point where he had to reckon with God. They
brought him to a point where he was forced to
decide, will I trust and obey God, even though
I can't understand this, humanly speaking? Or
will I disobey? And disregard the command of
God. He's brought to a point. And we see that
he does in fact obey. That he obeys and he trusts
the Lord. How is this possible? He made his way
through the trial. He has sustained. How is it
possible that this man was able to obey and trust
God? Well, this leads us to the last thing. What
Abraham concluded by faith in this trial. Abraham
reasoned, I believe, In other words, he thought
according to faith. He had a wholly consecrated
rationale by faith, we could say. We read this
in verse 19. He considered that God is able to
raise people even from the dead, from which he
also received him back as a... What did Abraham
conclude? And how did he end up at this conclusion?
Well, surely it went something like this. God
has promised descendants through Isaac. He has
clearly and openly and personally proclaimed
and declared this. God has promised descendants
through Isaac. God has been faithful. God is
good. He has proven and demonstrated his faithfulness
to me time and time again. God commands that
I sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise. Therefore,
God must preserve his promise somehow. When Isaac
dies, God can raise him from the dead. That's
sanctified reasoning, brothers and sisters. That
is thinking in accordance with faith. Not in
accordance with the flesh. Or human reason. Or
carnal logic. Or merely in human ways. This kind
of thinking requires faith. So his conclusion
is correct as well. He concludes right because
the text says this. It says that he. It says.
That he even. That God is that. I'm sorry. Starting
in verse 19. He considered that God is able to
raise people even from the dead. From which.
He also received him back as a type. Now. Isaac
didn't actually die, brothers and sisters. He
was spared, correct? So how is it that Isaac
was received back by Abraham? Because he was
as good as dead. Abraham was going to kill him.
And he's received back, and the author of Hebrews
puts it this way. He was received back. In the
likeness of resurrection. Almost in a figurative
sense. Meaning, Isaac was raised. It was as though
he was raised. So Abraham's conclusion that he
draws by faith is correct. Because the author
of Hebrews confirms that he's raised from the
dead, figuratively speaking. Reasoning by faith
is what brought him through, brothers and sisters.
His conclusion is confirmed. Abraham's faith,
obedience, and perseverance in this trial, brothers
and sisters, was built on... God and his sovereign
power to raise men from the dead. His obedience,
his perseverance, his faithfulness, his preservation
through it was built on the hope of resurrection.
Faith which operates, which is active and effective,
brothers and sisters. Faith which is obedient
and... persevering and self -denying and sacrificial,
is faith that is built on the hope of the resurrection
and the power of God. It is faith which is Godward
looking, Christward looking in the gospel, and
forward looking to the resurrection that is to
come. This kind of faith is the only kind of
faith. That brings men and women through trials
by the grace of God so that they will glorify
Christ when they are found by Him. This kind
of faith is what enables the believer to live
fully and freely in this life here and now, brothers
and sisters. Abraham looked... forward. He looked
to God, recognizing that God can raise men from
the dead. Recognizing that God would accomplish
and bring about and fulfill His redemptive purposes
by His power and faithfulness. Brothers and sisters,
he's looking to Christ. We can look to God and
we can look to Christ and we can witness the
resurrection, the death, And the life. The resurrection
of Christ. And how much more. That to bolster.
Our faith. In this life. Look to the Lord Jesus.
In his death. And his resurrection. In trials.
Look to God. In his sovereign power. In hardships.
There are times brothers and sisters. In trials.
When we can't pray well. Because our mind is
so scattered. There are times in trials, brothers
and sisters, when we can't study the Word of
God because our heart is so grieving and so bothered.
I know you've been there. There are times, brothers
and sisters, when we can't focus. But brothers
and sisters, in and through the hardest of trials,
you know what you can do? You can rest in the
good, faithful, sovereign character of God. You
can trust in the resurrection, the death, the
life, the death and the resurrection of Jesus
Christ and know that if He rose from the grave,
ultimately everything for me is going to turn
out okay. We can trust in Him. So in the midst
of trials, look to the Lord in His good and faithful
character.