But here we see the wonderful power of faith. Faith sees the invisible. Faith sees the impossible. That's the power of faith. It trusts in God to do what humanly cannot be done.
And when there is that kind of faith present, God acts on behalf of that faith. Welcome to Grace to You, the Bible teaching ministry of John MacArthur. I'm your host, Phil Johnson. Perhaps you find it easy to believe that God is loving, that He cares about you, when you have money in the bank, when your health is good, and when your family is happy. But what about when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, even when you lose your job or you face persecution from non-believers?
How can you trust God in times like those? Consider that as John MacArthur continues a series called "A Faith That Pleases God." It's an in-depth look at how men and women in Scripture, sinners just like you and me, saved by God's grace, demonstrated faith, even in amazingly difficult circumstances. And today, John's going to look at Abraham and how his faith endured what John considered to be the greatest trial of the Bible. With that lesson, now here's John. The scope of the writer, as I've been telling you in this particular section of the Book of Hebrews, is to prove that the doctrine of salvation by faith is an ancient doctrine.
If salvation is going to be by faith, then it has to be modeled in Abraham, because Abraham is the central contact point between God and the revelation of His redemptive plan. What we see in Abraham is analogous to our own faith experience. Let me give you five features of faith that show us the completeness of Abraham's faith.
So here is Abraham, God's promise never seen by him in his life. He never owned land, wandered through Israel, Canaan as a tent dweller. But never abandoned his faith in a future promise. That's the faith that endures, and that's the true kind of faith. Enduring faith is the only real saving faith.
He could be patient in the land of Canaan. He could be a nomad there. He could wander for all the years that he did, because his sights were set on the heavenly city. Ezekiel 48:35 says, "The name of that city will be." I love this name. The Lord is there.
The Lord is there. It is named for the main occupant. The Lord is there. He did what Colossians three two says we have to do. He set his affections on things above and not on things on the earth.
He was patient with things below and he had lots of struggles below. He was patient with all of it because his mind was not fixed on satisfaction that comes in this life. He was looking for something far beyond this.
So what do we learn about the life of faith? It begins with a pilgrimage of faith, which means when God calls you, drop everything, separate from the world, and you follow, not exactly knowing where God is going to take you, but knowing that He has promised you a future and promised you heaven in the future and promised you fellowship with Him in the future, and off you go. The pilgrimage of faith then is going to call for the patience of faith as you endure the issues in this world. By keeping your eyes on the world to come. Thirdly, you look at the life of Abraham and see the power of faith.
Verse eleven. This is kind of an interesting verse. By faith, even Sarah herself. This is the NAS. How it reads: By faith, even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered him faithful who had promised.
Therefore, there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that. As many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
Now you do remember, don't you, the initiation of God's conversation with Abraham regarding this covenant? Go back for a minute to the twelfth chapter of Genesis. We we cannot overlook that in our study. In the twelfth chapter of Genesis, the Lord says to Abram at the beginning: "This is his initial call. Go forth from your country, from your relatives, from your father's house to the land.
I'll show you. I'll make you a great nation. I will bless you. It's not just a place; it's a people. I'll make your name great.
You'll be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I'll curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed." So there is this promise that there is going to be a blessing, not only of a land to be possessed, but a people to be born out of his loins. This is the promise of God.
So he is waiting for a place, and he is waiting for a people.
Now the problem is, he and his wife are old. And they've never had any children, so we all know that. But here we see the wonderful power of faith. Faith sees the invisible. Faith sees the impossible.
That's the power of faith. It trusts in God to do what humanly cannot be done. And when there is that kind of faith present, God acts on behalf of that faith. Now let's go to verse eleven for a minute. Sarah is Abraham's wife.
She's a good wife. I'll give her credit for that. First Peter three five and six says she called her husband Lord. That's good. We don't want to we don't want to diminish the quality of this wifely perspective.
She called her husband Lord. She got that part of the marriage. But there is nothing in the scripture that ever talks about her faith. In fact, if you look at the story of Sarah, she demonstrates anything but faith. She is just full of doubt.
So, when you look at this verse, you have to ask the question: How can it say, "By faith, even Sarah herself received ability to conceive"? There is nothing in the scripture that says anything about Sarah's faith. The phrase here, and I want to just do this for you because it's important. The phrase here, literally, that that phrase that says "received ability to conceive," is literally "catabolain spermatos." Catabolain means to throw down; hence, the depositing of the seed, male seed. This is telling us then that she received the deposit of the male seed, even beyond the proper time of life.
She then can't be the subject of the sentence because she's the recipient. She's the indirect object of the sentence. The seed is the object, and it's given to her. What is the inclusion of Sarah here? The best explanation of that is that it's what could be called a dative of accompaniment.
If you know anything about dative language in the Greek, you can do a whole lot with the dative. And she is an accompanying reality for obvious reasons. You've got to have a wife to bear the child. The verse would be better placed in this kind of language. By faith, he.
Because the pronouns are assumed here, by faith he, with Sarah, received the power to lay down seed, deposit seed, even beyond the proper time of life, since he counted him faithful, who had promised. In other words, what it is saying is that by faith God gave Abraham the power to impregnate Sarah. The faith is not Sarah's. The faith is Abraham's, because he believed. He is a man of faith.
How strong is his faith? Go back to Romans four for a minute. Romans four, and we're really studying Genesis from the New Testament vantage point. Romans four nineteen. Without becoming weak in faith, because this promise was so impossible, go back to verse seventeen.
God says, "I'm going to make you a father of many nations." Even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which doesn't exist, that's what's going to. That's what it's going to take. Going to have to give life to this dead body. In hope, verse eighteen. Against hope, he believed.
I mean, it was just no way humanly. He believed, without becoming weak in faith. Verse nineteen, he contemplated his own body now as good as dead, since he was about a hundred 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, and then it brings in that statement from Genesis fifteen six.
Again, it was credited to him as righteousness. Here's here's the man who is justified, who has righteousness imputed to him. This man who has an unwavering, undying faith in the face of absolute impossibility.
So back to verse twelve, Hebrews eleven. Therefore, there was born even of that one man, and him as good as dead at that. As many descendants has the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. By the way, that's part of the promise recorded in Genesis fifteen five, Genesis twenty two seventeen, Genesis thirty two twelve. And that's of course a hyperbole in one sense, but it simply means that the people that are going to come out of his loins are innumerable—all the millions of Jews born because of the faith of that one man.
What do we say about the power of faith? Then, that it is the power of faith that accomplishes the impossible. God makes promises that cannot be fulfilled on a human level, and fulfills them to those who believe in Him. For us, it's not so much the miracle power as it is the power to be used by God in the miracle of conversion, in the miracle of spiritual ministry, of life-transforming help, in the use of the gifts of the Spirit, in the use of the power of the Spirit, in the one another's of the fellowship of the body. Faith is the ignition switch to spiritual power that makes us useful and allows God through us to do the thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold kind of harvest.
So Abraham exhibits the pilgrimage of faith: separation from the world, obedience to the Lord. The patience of faith—he waits for God's time, focused on heaven, and never distracted because he doesn't receive it on earth. He demonstrates the power of faith, and that is the ability to do what, on a human level, is impossible. Impossible.
Well, quickly, number four. Let's just call it the perseverance of faith. The perseverance of faith. Verses thirteen, and I'll go down at the beginning of verse sixteen. All these died in faith.
What do you mean? All these goes back to the three that have been mentioned in this section: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The covenant promise to Abraham was repeated to Isaac in Genesis twenty-six. It was repeated to Jacob in Genesis twenty-eight that they would receive a land and a heavenly city. They would have an earthly inheritance and a heavenly one.
They all died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them. With the eye of faith, having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth, for those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. And there again, we find the perseverance of faith.
It's very much like the patience of faith. Faith is patient to. Endure and endure all of the lack of fulfillment in this life, because it has its focus on the promise that lies ahead. They never saw it, but then look at the end of the chapter, verse thirty-nine. All these heroes of faith gained approval through their faith and didn't receive what was promised.
That's the whole story of the chapter, because God provided something better for us.
So that apart from us, they wouldn't be made perfect or complete or whole. The promise was sure because God could be trusted, and they persevered in this faith, looking to that heavenly city.
Now you could even take another word here and call it the positivity of faith. Maybe that's a better thing, because it gave them this this confidence. They they never had the fleeting thought to return. Verse fifteen, they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. This deposited in their heart a future so bright, so wonderful, so glorious that even though they were strangers, kenoi, meaning a foreigner, they are peripetesai that they were.
Persons who stay temporarily—that's peripidemos rather—persons who stay temporarily, they got it; they understood that. But so bright was the promise of God, so trustworthy was the Word of God, that they anchored their endurance and their perseverance in the future, and it gave them a positive faith to endure anything. We see this. With the apostle Paul, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. How?
Because I know there's something better waiting for me. Far better, he says, to depart and be with Christ. But I can endure anything as long as He wants me to stay here. This is the absolute confidence in future glory. Job had it, though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
Psalm 27:4. One thing have I desired of the Lord; that will I seek after. I love this that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That's Old Testament hope. That's the hope of believers.
And verse 16 ends with a stunning statement. I think one of the most stunning statements in the Book of Hebrews. Therefore. Because of this faith, this positive faith, this powerful faith, this patient faith, this pilgrim faith, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Is that stunning or what?
I'm pretty sure I give God plenty of reason to be ashamed to be called my God. I, I just imagine that Satan goes into heaven as he did in the case of Job, and he's always before the throne of God doing what, accusing the brethren, and then he brings up my name and brings up the names of any and all of us who are so utterly unworthy, and says to God, "How in the world can you want to be associated with such people?" Wouldn't you like to distance yourself from them? It is bad for your reputation. God says, "I'm not ashamed to be called their God, and I've prepared a city for them, and in that city I've prepared a room for them in my house, and I'm going to bring them here, and I'm going to glorify them, and I'm going to make them like my son, and I'm going to put them on my throne." And I'm going to bless them forever and ever and ever.
Sometimes I think we are ashamed to call God our God, but God is never ashamed to call us His children. What an amazing, amazing thought! I can't think of a higher honor. Can you? Is that the ultimate honor?
God's not ashamed to be identified with me. Before holy angels, so they lived and died in the unrealized promise of faith, and God gave them the supreme honor. God was honored to be identified with them. There's a final note, and it is a very important one. The final note, and perhaps the greatest credential of Abraham's faith.
Let's just call it the proof of faith. The proof of faith. The real test. Supreme test. Not just obedience, ah, obedience with sacrifice by faith.
Abraham, verse seventeen, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. Was that not the ultimate test? 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." Now God comes to him.
Remember the story in Genesis 22, and says to Abraham, "I want you to go up to the mount, and I want you to put your son on the altar. I want you to sacrifice your son." On the altar to me, did Abraham know about sacrifice? Absolutely, everybody knew about sacrifice. Everybody understood that was in a relationship with God by faith. Everyone understood they were sinful, that there needed to be a sacrifice, expiation, propitiation for their sins.
Everybody knew about that. They knew, but the sacrifice, Isaac. The heir, through whom all the promises would be fulfilled, how are you going to have descendants like the sand in the sea if you kill the heir through whom they will all come? Genesis twenty-two. God tested Abraham.
He said, "Abraham, he said, here I am." He said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac. Go to the land of Moriah." Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you. Abraham had killed animals many times, offered many offerings to the Lord, built altars and did that. But his son, he responds. Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, took two of his young men with him, and Isaac, his son, he split wood for the burnt offering, arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
On the third day, Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, servants who came, "Stay here with the donkey. I love this. I and the lad will go over there. Listen to this, and we will worship and return to you." Wow!
You mean he thought Isaac was coming back? You better believe he thought that. He absolutely thought that he knew that. That's how confident he was in the promise of God. How far would he go?
Took the wood of the burnt offering in verse six, laid it on Isaac his son. Isaac carries his own wood, as it were, kind of a picture of Christ carrying his cross. Took in his hand the fire and the knife. Two of them walked on. Together, Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, "My father," he said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where's the lamb for the burnt offering?" You see, they knew about the need for sacrifice.
They knew what Abel knew, and Enoch knew, and Noah knew, and all true believers knew. Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. They came to the place in which God had told him. Abraham built the altar there, arranged the wood, bound his son Isaac, laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Say, why would he do that? Why would he do that? Go back to Hebrews eleven, verse nineteen. Because he considered. That God was able to do what?
What raise people even from the dead? Wow! How did he know that? Because he had been as good as dead. God had given life to him, and life through him to this son.
That's monumental faith. All his dreams were in Isaac. All the promises were in Isaac. He loved Isaac. He waited so long through this long pilgrimage for the first sign of the promise.
He knew he had sinned so terribly with Hagar, and could have thought that maybe God was changing His mind. He also knew that God's law forbade a man to kill his son or to kill anybody for that matter. He also knew that God hated human sacrifice, and always it was an animal. And he also knew what Genesis nine six said that whoever sheds man's blood by man shall his blood be shed. You kill somebody, you'll die.
Why would he do this? Why would he raise the knife? Because his trust was so great that he knew if God had to, he would raise Isaac from the dead. That's the faith of Abraham. He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which He also received Him back as a type.
Type of what? A picture of whom? Who was it who put His life on the altar and came back from the dead? Christ. A figure.
It's a par. It's the word parable. A parable. An analogy. A picture of Christ.
Only Christ really died. Isaac. Did not die. That's faith. That's faith in all its fullness.
That's faith having passed the final test. We see the pilgrimage of faith, separation from the world, the patience of faith, the ability to wait and endure without ever entering into possession. We see the power of faith. To believe God for what is humanly impossible to come to pass, we see the perseverance of faith, the positivity of faith, the focus on heaven that causes us to have a certain indifference to things in this life because we're looking to that glory to come. And the proof of faith—what is the proof of faith?
Where is the proof of faith really manifest? It's manifest in obedience that requires the ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate sacrifice. Though he slay me, yet will I trust him. Though he ask me to take my son, yet will I trust him.
That's the life of faith. You're listening to Grace to You, the Bible Teaching Ministry of John MacArthur. John's current study is titled "A Faith That Pleases God." Now, friend, perhaps you listen to today's message and you're battling doubt. You're not sure that the adjectives patient and powerful and persevering and positive describe your faith. We asked John to speak to someone in that situation.
Someone who wants a more confident faith. Here's what John said: There are just so many people who profess to be Christians who deal with doubt, and there are a lot of reasons for doubt. One very important reason is that some people who think they're Christians and wonder why they doubt aren't Christians, and their doubts. Are prompted by God to awaken them to the fact that they have a false faith. There are people like that everywhere.
I mean, there are tares that are being sown in the world. They're, they're right alongside the wheat. And if you're having severe doubts about your salvation, you start by saying, "Am I really saved? Do I love the Word of God? Do I love the Lord Jesus Christ?
Do I love the Church? Do I love God's people? Do I love obedience?" Get in touch with the real loves of your heart. Another reason people doubt is because they don't have sound doctrine. They don't know the truth of an eternal salvation.
Another reason people doubt—real Christians doubt—is because their lives are marked by patterns of sin. And if you're disobeying the Lord and walking in a sinful pattern, you will forfeit your assurance. Assurance is a gift to an obedient believer. Being sure of your true salvation is so important. You can live with real joy.
Yes, you can, friend. And to help you evaluate your salvation, to see if it's the real thing, let me tell you about John's booklet titled "Is Your Salvation Secure." It will build your assurance of salvation on the solid foundation of God's Word, and help you experience the joy that is yours in Christ. We want to send you a free copy of "Is Your Salvation Secure." All you have to do is ask for it. Get your free booklet when you contact us today. Call us at eight hundred fifty-five Grace.
Again, the title of the booklet to ask for is "Your Salvation Secure." Our number again: eight hundred fifty-five Grace. You can also request your free booklet at gty.org. And remember these daily programs and the resources that we offer free of charge every month by mail, and thousands of other free Bible study tools available at gty.org. All of them are realities because of the faithful support of friends like you. To partner with us, mail your tax-deductible gift to Grace to You, Post Office Box 4000, Panorama City, California.
Nine one four one two, or call us at eight hundred fifty five Grace, or express your support when you visit gty dot org.
Now for the entire Grace to You staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Remember to watch Grace to You television this weekend on NRB TV, or check your local Christian station for air times in your area, and then be here tomorrow as John MacArthur looks at a biblical character who endangered his wife to protect himself. What can you possibly learn from a man like that? Find out when we return with another thirty minutes of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace to You.
