Following in Abraham’s Footsteps

Hebrews  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  24:42
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Abraham's life of faith provides us with a template of the Christian life.

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Our text this morning is Hebrews 11:13-16.
Hebrews 11:13–16 ESV
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
This is now the third Sunday that we have looked at Abraham and his wife Sarah. This should give you some clue as to how important the story of Abraham is to a proper understanding of the Christian faith. In his letter to the Romans, God inspired the apostle Paul to describe Abraham as “the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and … the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised” (Rom 4:11-12)
Hebrews Chapter 43: Faith Seeking a Home (Hebrews 11:13–16)

Paul’s point is that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters as far as our standing with God is concerned, because Abraham was justified by faith alone before he was circumcised. What matters is walking in the footsteps of faith, footsteps laid out before us by our father in faith, Abraham. This makes our studies of the faith of Abraham something more than academic. If we are saved, he is our father in faith, and we are to walk in his steps. In his Romans commentary John Murray says, “To ‘walk in the footsteps’ is to march in file. Abraham is conceived of as the leader of the band and we walk, not abreast, but in file, following in the footsteps left by Abraham.”

Following in the footsteps of Abraham is exactly what we are going to do this morning. Hebrews 11:13-16 is like a trail of footsteps left in the sand. This trail begins with Abraham’s conversion in Mesopotamia, continues during his sojourn in the Promised Land and ends in his glorification in the Heavenly Jerusalem. This is the path his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob took, it is the path, according to Paul, that all true believers take.
It is important that we understand that the Christian life is a lifelong journey because it is all too easy to look back at past definitive events such as our baptism, conversion or profession of faith and to consider those events as the sum total of our faith.
George and Allison, this is a special day for you and your family that I hope you never forget, but it is only the beginning of a journey that will last a lifetime. All us who call ourselves Christians are on the same journey, but like any journey it is easy to get lost. That is why we must look closely at Abraham’s footprints and make sure we walk in the same path he walked.
Let us begin at the beginning. Abraham by faith left his home and went to a place according to verse 13 where he and his family were “strangers and exiles.” So the first stage in the Journey of Faith is...

By Faith Leaving a Home

When the author of Hebrews wrote Abraham was a “strangers and exiles” in vs. 13, he was directly quoting Genesis 23:4, where Abraham says,
Genesis 23:4 ESV
“I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
The first of these two words in Hebrews 11:13, which the ESV translates “strangers” is the Greek word from which we get xenophobia. It is a pejorative term indicating an outsider—someone who is not welcomed. In all the debate going on in our nation over illegal immigration, let us not forget how much we agree on concerning legal immigration. America is the most welcoming nation on earth. Part of America’s greatness is that she is a melting pot, but not so in other countries like Japan. Japan never takes refuges or immigrates. In fact, no refuge or immigrate would ever want to go there because they would never be welcomed. They would always be an outsider, a stranger. This is the way Abraham was treated and this is the way all people of faith are treated by the world. Jesus warned us that “if the world hated me first, it will hate you.”
The second word is “exiles,” this word literally means someone who is passing through. A modern equivalent would be a person taking an airline flight laying over in a city for a few days. This is why the author of Hebrews is saying that Abraham’s words and actions made “it clear that” he was “seeking a homeland,” his time in the Promised Land was but a layover.
In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter uses the exact same language to describe all believers, he calls us “sojourners and exiles” and in the passage we used earlier in our service, John writes:
1 John 2:15–17 ESV
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
By world, John is not meaning this planet, but rather the sinful world system that dominates this planet. We were all born into this world system. At that time, we were “strangers and aliens” (Eph 2:19) to God’s Kingdom, but upon placing our faith on Christ we have become “aliens and exiles” in this world and citizens of Heaven.
This brings us to the second stage in the Journey of Faith.

By Faith Seeking a Home

By his quotation of Genesis 23:4, the author of Hebrews is demonstrating that Abraham was seeking a different homeland.
Hebrews 11:14–15 ESV
For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
Abraham had left Mesopotamia and even in the Promised Land, by his own confession, he considered himself to be a “stranger and exile.” True faith is never at home in this world. The world is not to be loved, because it is “passing away.”
This middle part of our journey is the longest and the hardest. It is the long and hard because it means we must die to the world and sin and live to Christ and righteousness. The world and sin were once our home and just like Abraham we have an “opportunity to return” to our old home. As we follow Abraham’s footsteps we can see those places were he stumbled and fell. At those moments of sin and failure, I am sure he was tempted to give up and return home, but he always picked himself up and continued the journey. The Bible does not cover up the sin and failings of the Heroes of the Faith. A sinless life is not what make a person a Hero of the Faith, it is faith that perseveres to the end.
This brings us to the end of the journey.

By Faith Arriving Home

Our text ends with these words:
Hebrews 11:16 ESV
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
God prepared Abraham a “better city.” From the rest of Scripture we learn that this city in the New Jerusalem. Right now this city is in heaven, but someday it will come down from heaven to a New Earth. This is the hope of every Christian and this hope makes all the difference in how a person faces death.
Hebrews Two Deaths

In 1899 two prominent men died, and the manner of their deaths well illustrates this difference. The first was Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, for whom the Ingersoll lectures on immortality at Harvard University are named, and who gave his brilliant mind to the refutation of Christianity. Ingersoll died suddenly that year, leaving his unprepared family utterly devastated. So grief-stricken was his wife that she would not allow his body to be taken from their home until the health of the family required its removal. His remains then were cremated, and his funeral service was such a scene of dismay and despair that even the newspapers of the day commented upon it. Death came to this man and there was no hope, but only an irredeemable tragedy.

The other man who died that year was Dwight L. Moody, the great Christian evangelist. He had been declining for some time, and his family had gathered around his bed. On his last morning, his son heard him exclaim, “Earth is receding; heaven is opening; God is calling.” “You are dreaming, Father,” said his son. But Moody replied, “No, Will, this is no dream. I have been within the gates. I have seen the children’s faces.” Moody seemed to revive but then started to slip away again. “Is this death?” he was heard to say. “This is not bad; there is no valley. This is bliss. This is glorious.” His daughter now had come and she began to pray for him to recover. “No, no, Emma,” he said. “Don’t pray for that. God is calling. This is my coronation day. I have been looking forward to it.”

Moody died not long after that, his family confident of his entry into heaven. His funeral was a scene of triumph and great joy. Those in attendance sang hymns and exalted God. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” they exclaimed. Walking in Abraham’s steps, the Christian had found the home he had been seeking throughout his earthly sojourn. He had not been ashamed of God, and now God was not ashamed of him. He had lived for God in this world, leaving behind its pleasures and its glory, and God had prepared a city for him—“an inheritance,” Peter says, “that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven” for him (1 Peter 1:4). “Now,” he could say along with Paul, “there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8).

We have followed Abraham’s footsteps and we have come to Journey’s End. I ask you, have you begun the journey of faith with Abraham? If not, there is no better day to begin that journey than today.
To others I ask, have you grown weary of the journey? Are you tempted to turn back and return to your old homeland? Get up, strengthen your resolve and continue your journey. A bright and shiny city lays before you. We are Bound for the Promised Land.
Let us pray.
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