Abraham and Sarah
Hebrews 11 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsPart three of Abraham’s importance in Hebrews 11, and the writer now includes Sarah. We will be reminded that imperfect people can grow in their trust for God. We will also learn the lesson of God’s trustworthiness.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
We have learned that the writer of Hebrews has emphasized the lessons to be understood from the examples he gives.
Abel: God bore witness that he was righteous, and he offered in obedience.
Enoch: those who please God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek him.
Abraham: anticipated a future city, therefore, he obeyed God’s command and eventually lived as a temporary resident.
Learning to trust God is not something we are naturally inclined to do.
We want to rebel.
It requires humility.
We must value His word above our views of self and even our own convenience.
It also requires the careful use of the Scriptures and that we learn about God’s nature from them. (Not just His power).
As New Testament believers, that is as people who believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, we have already trusted God and His Salvation.
We also live as temporary residents in the world trusting God to fulfill His future promises.
Living as a believer, then, means more than living in the present in light of a past act of belief.
We are actively involved in learning more about God’s faithfulness so that we may understand more thoroughly why we should trust Him and why we can trust Him.
It means more than just being ethical, moral, or trying to be a good person.
It is about more than how we vote during elections.
Abraham and Sarah are good examples for us to consider.
We will work through them in the first half.
A Brief Switch to Sarah?
A Brief Switch to Sarah?
What happens in Hebrews 11:11-12 requires very careful thought, and it does not have an easy solution.
The writer gives a third “by faith” introduction with Abraham.
The natural subject of the sentence appears to be Sarah given she is introduced in the nominative, but it awkwardly breaks up the consistent focus on her husband.
The main thought shifts back to the masculine in Heb. 11:12 rather than remaining focused on Sarah.
All the verbs could be taken to carry over Abraham as the subject as well.
Sarah could be a side thought.
The Hellenistic expression, καταβολὴν σπέρματος, refers to males exclusively.
This could all be intentionally vague so the reader has to think about Sarah and Abraham together.
This, of course, was required of them.
They both learned to consider God faithful.
A Couple Who Grew In Faith
A Couple Who Grew In Faith
We need to walk through the timeline of Abraham and Sarah because it allows us to see the important points:
Gen. 11:30-12:9: from the outset, Sarah’s barrenness hangs over them.
Gen. 15:1-6
Gen. 16:1-2: The writer comments again on the failure to conceive. This implies there have been attempts at having a child, but it has not happened, yet.
Gen. 17:1-8, 15-21
Gen. 18:9-15
Gen. 21:1-7: Note Sarah’s play on the word laughter.
Gen. 22:15-18: the promise, the only time the words are used, of “as the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore.” The only time it is used in combination.
Introduction (Part 2):
Introduction (Part 2):
We have learned two theological lessons which form the foundation for understanding how to live in the world:
We believe that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
We consider Him faithful.
Learning to trust God is not something we are naturally inclined to do.
We want to rebel.
It requires humility.
We must value His word above our views of self and even our own convenience.
It also requires the careful use of the Scriptures and that we learn about God’s nature from them. (Not just His power).
How do we think of ourselves…how do we think of Christianity?
Can our generation recover the ability to think biblically?
The Genesis Account Redux
The Genesis Account Redux
Sarah and Abraham considered the one who promised them a son.
We should think about the implications of the way God gets presented here.
He is the one who promised.
There is a way of thinking about God that lurks in the passage.
God is to be trusted because of who He is inherently.
Everything about Abraham and Sarah’s age pointed them away from the practicality of God’s promise.
The higher priority of God’s person outweighs temporary inconvenience.
The lesson isn’t to trust God when you think all hope is lost.
It is to trust God inherently for who He is.
Can our generation recover the ability to think biblically?
It’s not about creating a better life here…the next section will show this.
Gen. 21:1-7: Note Sarah’s play on the word laughter.
Gen. 22:15-18: the promise, the only time the words are used, of “as the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore.” The only time it is used in combination.
Romans 4:16-21: Note the parallels.
The Big Lesson:
The Big Lesson:
Hebrews 11:13-16 teaches the core lesson we should learn from the recent points of emphasis.
This appears to be an all encompassing set of statements although Enoch and Abel is an outlier.
Yet, it seems to include Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob (see Heb. 11:9).
They died as people defined by faith:
Not having received the promises.
Having seen them from afar: this governs the next two descriptors which follow.
This statement indicates faith by itself: they considered them to be future realities because God had made the promises.
Their faith, their view of God, their deeper pursuit of God changed how they understood themselves in the world.
They welcomed and confessed that they are aliens upon the earth (this harkens back to Abraham and the NT teaching we saw last Sunday night.).
To have God change our eternity means He too changes the way we understand our present.
We do not wish to return to the people we were, to the lifestyles we once lived.
Hebrews 10:19-27.
We are yearning for a better, heavenly homeland.
God is not ashamed to be associated with such people, and as evidence for that, we know that He has prepared a city for them.
