Sermon Tone Analysis

The continuation of Abrahams faith - We are now in part 3 of The Faith of Abraham and it’s significant to note the growth of one man’s faith into a faith bases community.

This is a powerful aspect of faith.

Faith, by nature, grows beyond ourselves.

From our passage we can see that Abrahams faith grew and became Sarah’s faith and then Isaac’s faith and Jacob’s and Joseph’s.

As the Apostle deals with this portion of Abraham’s faith he recalls to memory the climax of his faith in the historical account.

This story holds great importance and emphasis to the Hebrew people.

This story is proof of Abrahams faith and God’s acceptance of his faith and therefore God’s acceptance of the nation of Israel.

It’s a picture of the gospel for us looking back and it was a prophecy of the gospel looking forward.

Abraham’s Obedience

Abraham was tried.

God tries our faith.

God does not temp to sin but he does put our faith to the test.

He doesn’t test our faith so that He can know how strong our faith is.

He knows already.

He tries our faith because he wants us to be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

He wants us to persevere, to be overcomer, more than conquerors.

God’s test of Abraham, was for him to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice.

How was Abraham able to let go of the promised seed whom he loved

By faith.

In what was Abraham’s faith made so strong and sure.

Two things mentioned in our passage.

Faith in God’s Word

God had promised that in Isaac his seed would be called, that is the promise given to him at the beginning that God would make him a great nation that all families of the earth would be blessed through this nation.

that promise was confirmed to Abraham that this would happen through Isaac without question.

And Abraham believed God’s word so much that even though this command seemed to contradict God’s promise Abraham knew that God could not contradict Himself.

So he knew that God must have a plan in this that is beyond his own understanding.

There are trials that will come into our lives that seem on the surface to contradict the promises of God, that He loves me, that He will never leave me or forsake me, that all thing will work together for my good.

When our faith is tried and it will be tried we must have faith that despite the appearance or the situation God Word is absolutely trustworthy and true.

Faith in God’s ability

Abraham’s faith wasn’t that God would raise him from the dead but in God ability to do so.

By this point in Abraham’s life God had proven Himself time and time again and most of all in the birth of Isaac.

What was it that God said when Sarah laughed?

Is anything to hard for the Lord?

It was imposable for a man 100 years in age and a woman 90 years in age to conceive a child especially considering that Sarah was bearen.

But it was possible with God.

So Abraham accounted that it was also possible that God could raise Isaac from the dead.

And that He would do so before He would ever break His word.

From whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham’s obedience was so sure and absolute that he had already accounted that Isaac was dead and so when the angel stop him and God provided the ram it was as if he had received Isaac back from the dead.

When our faith is tried and it will be tried.

We must believe that all things are possible with God.

Isaac’s Foresight

We all know the story.

Jacob bought the birthright from Esau for a bowl of lentil soup.

And so Jacob deceived Isaac by pretending to be Esau with the help of Rebecca.

But there were always a couple of things that didn’t seem to add up in this story to me.

One, why was Isaac so easily deceived.

Jacob used goat hair to make his arms hairy like Esau’s but surely even a blind man can tell the difference between goats hair and human hair.

Also why after Isaac realised that he had blessed Jacob instead of Esau could he not just bless Esau instead?

And then I read this verse.

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau.

It was God who had chosen Jacob over Esau

And so no doubt God allowed Jacob to be successful in his deception of Isaac and so I believe (this is my theory anyway) that Isaac realised when that God had allowed him to be deceived by Jacob and because of his faith that God in sovereign he respected the outcome and for that reason he refused to undo what had been done.

But also it was by faith that Isaac blessed them saying that nations would bow down to Jacob, that Esau would have dominion when in their current state they were still dwelling in tents.

Isaac had faith in the promise given to Abraham and it was by that faith that he blessed them

Jacob’s Assurance

Again the focus is on the blessing that was passed down.

When Jacob bless Ephraim and Manasseh they were dwelling in the land of Egypt but Jacob reassures them that God had promised his seed the land of Canaan.

Jacob wanted to remind them that this was not their home but that God would certainly take them from the land of Egypt back to the land which He had promised to his seed for an everlasting possession.

When our faith is tried and it will be tried we must find assurance that this is not our home but that God will certainly return to take us into our promised heavenly inheritance.

Joseph’s Hope

I don’t believe that Joseph made promise to take his remains with them because he was overly concerned with where he was buried.

I believe that he made this request in order to give hope that God would bring them back to the land of Canaan one day.

I’m sure that ever time they would see Josephs coffin they would remember we have been given a land and God will take us back to that land as he promised.

Israel went through one of the most trying times during the 400 years they were in Egypt.

They became salves to the Egyptians, were beaten over worked and treated very poorly.

But they had the hope that they would be delivered.

In these four examples of faith we can see what empowered the patriarchs to endure the trying of there faith.

So when the trying of our faith comes and it will certainly come.

Lets learn from the patriarchs, believe God Word regardless of your circumstances, have faith in God’s ability.

Nothing is imposable for our God.

Trust in God’s sovereignty.

He is in control and He does have a plan.

Find assurance in the promises of God and place your hope securely in Christ and remember that God tries us because He loves us and He wants to perfect us through patience.