Hebrews 11:8-19
Abraham and Sarah waited a long time for God’s promise to be fulfilled. But it finally came when their son was born. When Kathy and I had our kids, the most exciting part of the pregnancy for me was picking the name of the child, and then using it instead of saying “baby”. Their names were significant. When Sarah’s child was born, they named him Isaac. It’s not a name that Abraham or Sarah picked out. God gave it to them. It means “he laughs”. And it’s not necessarily a compliment. Because both of them, when they first heard the promise, laughed. They didn’t believe it was possible. And to be fair, it wasn’t. They were focused on what’s humanly possible instead of what’s divinely possible. So when they finally received the child they had waited so long for, they laughed. But this time it was a holy laugh, the kind that overwhelms us when we see God come through, and we realize that he really is faithful. We can trust God.
But sometime after that, Abraham had a very hard conversation with God. Maybe you’ve had one of those before. A moment where God was asking you to do something that you did not want to do. He said “Abraham”, “Here I am” came the reply. Then the hard word: “take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” The weird thing is that Abraham doesn’t hesitate at all. Quite the opposite; he got up earlier than usual, grabbed everything and everyone he needed, and left.
After three days they came to the mountain God had pointed out. Then Isaac asked a hard question. “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Let the irony sink in. His father replied “God himself will provide the lamb for the offering, my son.” Then they continued walking.
In Hebrew narratives, we don’t often hear what people are thinking, or even feeling. That has lead a lot of people to speculate about what was going through Abraham’s mind. It’s understandable. But it’s also unhelpful. When we do that, we read our own assumptions, culture, and experiences into the Bible. And we change it. But sometimes we get a gift. Sometimes the New Testament interprets the Old Testament for us. It tells us how we should understand these stories about the people of God before Jesus. It adds comments about their thoughts or intentions that we couldn’t add on our own. And that is what’s happening in Hebrews 11. It shows us that this moment was the culmination of a life spent trusting God. A life that was built upon the promises of God. Hebrews 11:8 starts at the beginning.
By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.
Genesis 12 gives us the full story of Abraham’s call. Abraham was 75 years old, when God spoke to him and promised that he would make him into a great nation that would be a blessing to the world. But for this to happen, Abraham had to leave the comfort of his home, he had to give up the security of being with his family, and he had to go. He had to leave his old life behind. The one that he had built for himself. But by faith Abraham followed the call God had for him. That’s what faithful people do; they follow God’s call.
Faith in Christ isn’t about having all the answers. It rarely involves knowing where you will end up. But knowledge doesn’t lead to faith anyway. You can know all there is to know about God, but that doesn’t mean that you trust him. True faith shows up when you act. Abraham wasn’t just asked to go; he was asked to let go. To let go of the life he had built; let go of the confidence that came from his own resources, even the pride of being a self-built man. He had to let go, and let God take the lead. That’s what faith looks like: stepping out, letting go, and trusting God with what you cannot control.
Sometimes you will see an immediate payoff. Sometimes faith leads to immediate results. The problem is solved, the illness is gone. Other times, we have to wait a little longer. Like Abraham. He didn’t get this inheritance immediately. He had to wait.
By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Waiting is never easy. Abraham and Sarah remained childless. Without a child, how could he become a great nation? Every year that passed without a child was another temptation to let doubt sink in, to take matters into his own hands, or to grow weary of faith. And when you read Abraham’s story, he didn’t wait well. He tried to get around God’s timing by doing things his own way. When he couldn’t have a child with Sarah, he had one with her servant Hagar. But that wasn’t God’s plan. Abraham lied repeatedly about his relationship with his wife because he was afraid someone would have him killed, just so they could marry her. He had to learn the hard way to trust God. Waiting is how we learn to trust.
When we wait well our faith grows deeper. We learn to depend on God instead of our own resources. We get to see that his timing is best, and that he always come through on his promises. Abraham’s waiting refined his faith. It taught him to trust God step-by-step, even without knowing the outcome. But if we don’t wait well, it leads to spiritual apathy. When the waiting is long, it’s easy to become complacent. Prayer becomes empty routine; Scripture becomes old and uninspiring. Our passion for God’s mission diminishes. We settle for mediocrity, for partial devotion, for “good enough,” instead of giving God our all. The very waiting that could deepen our faith instead leaves us disconnected, passive, and bored in our walk with God.
The difference, is what we do while we wait. Hebrews 11 says that: “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Waiting with hope builds faith; waiting without hope tears it down. When we wait with hope we are expectant. We know that God is going to act, and we’re looking for it. We stay grateful, knowing that more is yet to come. The Hebrews author says Abraham looked forward to the city God was building, which isn’t a city here on earth. Looking forward means more than thinking about the future. It means anticipating it, expecting it, preparing for it now. Abraham’s faith was fixed on the age to come, where God will personally dwell with his people, here on earth. Through his life, Abraham learned that God’s promises are bigger than today’s problems. When we are confident in what God’s doing, we don’t need to worry about what he’s not doing. We can wait patiently, knowing our Good Father will take care of it. Like Sarah, the 90 year-old women who was told to expect a baby.
By faith, even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful. Therefore, from one man – in fact, from one as good as dead – came offspring as numbers as the stars in the sky and as innumerable as the grains of the sand along the seashore.
It wasn’t just Abraham’s faith that mattered. Sarah was an important part of this also. That line – she considered – is important. Highlight it. It means faith isn’t just a feeling, it’s also a choice. She made a choice to see her life through the lens of God’s faithfulness, not her own limitations. When she first heard God’s promise that she would have a child at 90, she laughed. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen. But something changed in her. She came to realize that God’s word is more reliable than her own reason. That’s what faith does: it moves us from focusing on what’s humanly possible to trusting what’s divinely promised. And if we’re going to be the people of God, bringing the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection to our friends and neighbours, then we need to make that switch as well. This is the one thing that everyone mentioned in Hebrews 11 has in common.
These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. But they now desire a better place — a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Most people live with a default setting that asks, “How can I make the most of this life?” It’s the question that drives nearly every decision we make. How can I build the best career, raise successful kids, enjoy life while I can? On the surface, it sounds like the right question. And the problem isn’t the question—it’s how we answer it. We focus on what can be gained in this life, rather than what lasts into the next. We prepare our kids for the job market but forget to prepare them for the Kingdom. We build wealth we can’t keep, instead of storing away treasure for eternity. We chase pleasure now, instead of the joy that endures forever. We’re seeking a home here, instead of the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God.
These heroes of the faith lived their whole lives waiting for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham. They lived every day convinced that what God said is true, even if they couldn’t see it. That was their focus. Everything else was second. Last week Nokomis reminded us that we are first and foremost citizens of heaven. We are only temporary residents and foreigners for the here and now. Jesus is coming back to build an eternal home with us. Don’t miss out on that, because you are focused on a life for today. Instead, trust that God’s way is the best way. Make decisions based on eternity, not just tomorrow.
It took Abraham a while, but he eventually learned that truth. That baby he had been waiting for arrived! Their home was filled with laughter and joy at the promise fulfilled. Finally. But then Abraham learned that faith isn’t a place you arrive at; it’s a way you live, for the rest of your life.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, the one to whom it had been said, “Your offspring will be traced through Isaac.” He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore he received him back, figuratively speaking.
Wow. Genesis 22 tells us this story in full. It’s one of the most unsettling stories in the Bible, because we don’t get it. How could God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac? Child sacrifice was practiced by the people who lived around Abraham in Canaan, but it is explicitly condemned in the Bible. So what is happening? We get this story wrong if we think that God is testing Abraham’s obedience. The test isn’t will he choose God over Isaac. Hebrews interprets this story for us and says the test is whether Abraham believes God’s promise that Isaac will bring him grandkids, and great-grandkids. The promise wasn’t fulfilled just because Isaac was born. Isaac still needs to have kids. Does Abraham still trust God’s promises? The Hebrews author tells us that Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead in order to fulfill the promise. Nothing could shake his faith.
It is popular for critics of the Bible to point out how this event must have scarred Isaac. How could he ever look at his father the same way again? I’m not going to excuse the uncomfortable parts of this story. It should feel wrong. Parents need to protect their children. But the Hebrews passage reframes it. How could Isaac ever look at his father the same way again, after witnessing just how much he trusted God? Isaac had a front-row seat to a life that was built on trusting God. Imagine how that impacted his own faith. As a father, I know that the best thing I can do for my kids is to show them what it looks like to be a disciple that fully trusts Jesus, and holds nothing back. Abraham is our example, so that we can be an example to others.
Here’s how you can take this and apply it to your life this week. First, keep your eyes on God’s promises, not today’s problems. When life is uncertain or waiting is hard, focus on what God has said rather than the obstacles in front of you. Like Abraham and Sarah, trust that God’s timing and plan are perfect. Second, make decisions that pay off in eternity. Don’t just chase short-term gain or comfort. Invest your time, resources, and energy in what has lasting value—relationships, discipleship, and obedience to God. Lastly, leave a legacy worth following. Live in a way that points others to faith in God. Just as Abraham and Sarah became models of trust and hope, consider what your life can teach future generations about following God faithfully.
One of Abraham’s future descendants, named Solomon, would go on to build the temple on this plot of land. How cool is that? Abraham’s life of faithfulness resonated throughout history and impacted his family for generations. But it didn’t stop there. The promise that Abraham would be a blessing to all the nations was finally fulfilled when Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, but also God himself, took our sin and shame upon himself and died on the cross for our sins. God himself provided a lamb for the offering. The only truly spotless lamb to ever live. And that death brought us life. So now we too can join with Sarah, Abraham, and these other heroes of the faith to look forward to Jesus’ return, and the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God.