Faith That Waits

0:00Good morning. Again. You can go ahead and turn in your Bibles. Do I even need to say it to the book of Hebrews? Chapter 11. We are making some more progress this morning than we did in weeks past. Not that by the grace of God and to his glory, those weren't edifying weeks, only covering one verse at a time. But this week we're covering four verses, eight to twelve. For those who are in the Sunday morning Bible study, providentially, much of the themes and the theme and the themes this morning were supported by our lesson by Brother Stephen. So praise God for that. The title and theme this morning is Faith That Waits. Faith That Waits. One of the commentaries that I read after I decided on that name because I struggled a little bit because there's a few different kinds of ways this text can go. One of the commentaries I read had a heading of one of the sections specifically about Sarah titled Faith That Waits. So I didn't steal it, but I stuck with it since I had already had it. So anyway, Faith That Waits is our theme this morning. And I want to turn our attention first as we get into this section on Abraham's call to faith. Abraham's call. The manner by which Abraham was called to faith, or the manner in which Abraham came to faith, is important, not only for us to understand and to believe for our own theological benefit and certainly in terms of salvation, but for this morning, it is especially clear or important for us to understand and have clarity on the manner by which Abraham came to faith. We won't turn back and read it, but we understand that Abraham was lost in pagan worship. His parents were pagans, worshiping pagan gods. Abraham himself was lost in pagan worship. He was not at all, Abraham was not at all seeking God when he was called. Abraham was not at all seeking God when he was called. And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, long ago your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Naor, and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the river and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. Abraham was not seeking God when he was called. But not just Abraham. This extends to all of Israel. This is Isaiah 51, verse 1 and 2. Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord, look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you, for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. So God says there to Israel, look how it is that you were called, and from what you were called from. So Abraham was not seeking God. He was lost in pagan worship. Israel was not seeking God when God called them to be a people to himself. But it's not just Abraham, it's not just Israel, but it's all view. Paul, quoting Psalm 14, says to the Jews and the Gentiles from Romans 3, no one is righteous. No not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together they have become worthless. No one does good, not even one. Abraham, then, is the example that if you are in Christ this morning, it is because a gracious God has called you. He has saved you. If anyone is to have faith that saves, this only comes from the revelation of God. The call of God. I don't know if any of you have had this experience. I actually I can say everybody's had this experience. We've known some very quiet, shy people, right? Very reserved, introverted people who reveal very little about themselves, right? Who are very guarded. And I, we can only know as much about them as they choose to reveal to us. This is reality. How much more so is that true of God? Who is transcendent? Who is outside of time and space, who is invisible, who is unreachable, who is unknowable. If we know him, just as Abraham, just as Israel, if we know him, he has chosen to reveal himself to us. That should bring us significant humility this morning. So that's the backdrop and the points that kind of coming out of that, this idea of faith waiting or patient faith. Faith that is patient is faith obeys without clarity. That's our first point this morning, and we'll get there after we read. But faith obeys without clarity. Faith lives on pilgrimage, and faith trusts in the impossible. Those are the points that we're going to cover this morning. Faith obeys without clarity, it lives on pilgrimage, and it trusts the impossible. So stand with me then, and we will read. Hebrews chapter 11, starting at verse 8. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to that city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive even when she was past the age that she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore, from one man, as good as dead, were born descendants, as many as the stars of heaven, and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. This is the word of the Lord. As always, Lord, we thank you for your word. Lord, I pray and ask, Lord, would you please now speak for Christ's sake and for his glory? It is in his name that I pray. Amen. Faith obeys without clarity. Faith obeys without clarity. The uh verse eight, the first verse that we read there, tells us that Abraham went where God called without knowing where he was going. And he went out, second half of verse eight, not knowing where he was going. He had no idea what was in store for him. But he trusted, and he went. Faith obeys the word of God. Faith obeys the word of God. James 2, 22. You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his work. That of course connects to our theme last week, faith working. But with Abraham here we see faith obeys the word of God. A.W. Pink says this faith and obedience can never be severed. As the sun and the light, or sorry, as the sun and the light, fire and heat, obedience is faith's daughter. Again I say, faith obeys the word of God. And Abraham did not wait for clarity on everything, didn't he? He didn't ask God, well, tell me exactly where I'm going, give me a plan for all of this. He heard the word of God, he obeyed it. And none of us have had all the answers when God called us, did we? From a spiritual standpoint, much of our theology, much of our understanding about God and his word and his works, this has all grown. Even changed and shifted and matured as we've gotten older and walked with God. And none of us knew where God was taking us in our lives. But we heard his voice. We received his gracious call. And we followed. We obeyed. And even now we don't know everything that God has in store for us, right? We don't know what God has in store for this church. For each of us individually, for us as families and communities. But one thing that we do know, we must know, is that we obey his word. We obey his word. Not recklessly, but we move with God's word. Again, not recklessly, but we move with God's word. We could be tempted to say, looking at this passage, that God is calling each of us, like Abraham, to just leave our land and go to Africa and do something there. That is not what we're taking from this passage. God spoke specifically his word to Abraham, and that divine revelation given to Abraham was that specific call. For us today, it is the word of God He's given us in His Word. This is what we hear. This is what we obey. If God was giving you a dream and told you to go off to Africa, we should probably have a conversation. But if that were real, then you should obey that. But he doesn't operate like that. He has given us his word. This is what we hear. This is what we obey. Again, it's not reckless, but it moves with his word. Proverbs 3, 5 and 6. Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, turn away from evil, and it will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Faith obeying without clarity is trusting in God's wisdom primarily. Faith obeying without clarity, without full clarity, is trusting in God's wisdom. We are not wise. Though oftentimes we think we are. And we are whole only when we are spiritually whole, but also when we are walking with God in obedience to Him. That is when we are whole. That is faith without clarity. And if that is true, that we are whole only when we are walking with God, that will necessarily require us to live a life on pilgrimage. Faith lives on pilgrimage. That's our second point, and this comes from verse 9 of our text. By faith, he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. Abraham lived movable, as it were. In tents. This is talking about his physical dwelling, and these were temporary dwellings. He was living movable. And not that that means that we need to be ready to move, right? We're not going to plant roots down, but we just need to be always movable, ready to go wherever on a whim God may send us. That's not what we're saying. But that we see this biblical concept of the already and the not yet. Right? This tension between what is here now and the realities, these unseen realities that we are moving towards. The already and the not yet. Abraham went to this promised land, didn't he? This is what the text told us. But it was foreign. Second half of verse 9 there. As in a foreign land. It was not his yet when he shows up. It was foreign to him. It was not his. But yet by God's promise it was his. Just not yet. Right? So this is the spiritual reality of the already and the not yet. And we have these great promises made to us of eternal life and blessed inheritance and freedom from pain and sorrow. Oh Lord, we want those so desperately, don't we? And they are ours. Just not yet. Just not yet. And in faith, then we live in these spiritual tents, as it were. Always advancing toward that promise. Never really fully arriving until we see him. Until we see our Lord face to face. Then we will know what we have been walking towards on this life of pilgrimage. And then our focus and our gaze is on that eternal city. That thing that is bigger than us. The reality that our home is truly not here, but in glory. Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many of whom I have often told you and tell you now, even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their God is their belly and their glory, and they glory and their shame with mindset on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. We cherish this life. And we should. But hold lightly things which carry little eternal significance. I was reminded of Stephen when he speaks of Abraham in Acts 7. Stephen says that Abraham possessed not even a foot's length is what he says, which is an interesting metaphor. Stephen says that Abraham possessed not even a foot's length of what was promised to him. Perhaps Abraham looked around and as we're so often do and when we lament all the things around us, that the struggles that we have spiritually, physically, financially, whatever the case may be. And we say, why? Why am I not prospering more? Why am I not growing more? We can say all of these all of these things, why? But look to Abraham, who was promised this great inheritance and possessed not even a foot's length of it in his own lifetime. But here we are as a result of Abraham's faith. God's work is bigger than you. God's work is bigger than you, and it takes often much longer than you think. Okay, so this is why we we live a life of pilgrimage, right? Faith lives on pilgrimage. Doing good on time. I don't want to forget Sarah though. This is verse 11 to the end. By faith, Sarah herself received power to conceive even when she was past the age. Therefore, from one man and him as good as dead were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven, and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. Faith trusts the impossible. Faith trusts the impossible. This error in his life ultimately did one thing, or was motivated by one thing. He was seeking to fulfill God's promise by his own plan and power. Abraham was seeking to fulfill God's promise by his plan. He looked at this promise of God and said, There's no way. It's impossible. You're not going to do it in these present circumstances. So let me, by my own plans, and together with Sarah, and we're going to figure this out. We'll accomplish your promises, God ourselves. We'll do it with our own plan. Because what you have told us is impossible. It's looking for a possible way to fulfill God's plans because we cannot cognitively wrap our minds around God doing impossible things. But the doubt that is formed in those difficult circumstances can turn into some of the most rich and faith-producing stories, doesn't it? Sarah, think of Thomas. What a wonderful testimony Thomas was. Hannah, as we read through 1 Samuel, even many of us. When God shows up, we are left with nothing but to say, surely this was God. Surely this was God. When the Lord restores the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us. And we are glad. That is Psalm 126. We don't want to rob God of glory by not allowing him to work in the seemingly impossible things. And God calls us to those impossible things so that he can supply the power and so that he can receive the glory. And for one other thing, this is Romans 4, 19. I'll start in 18 actually. In hope. As he had been told, so shall your offspring be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead, since he was about a hundred years old. Or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb, no unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was counted to him as righteous. Righteousness. But the words, it was counted to him, were not written for his sake alone. But for ours also, it will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. God calls us to believe in the impossible circumstances. In those impossible circumstances in life. He does this. We've established this. But he does it so that he receives glory and so that we believe in the most impossible circumstance in which he works. That is calling a sinful man a righteous saint. This is why he works the way that he does. So that we believe in him in this impossible circumstance, calling you a son. If God can produce an heir and fulfill his promise through two people that are as good as dead, surely he can take someone like you. Someone like me, who is as good as dead, and fulfill his promise through you. Abraham and Sarah had to get to the point of being as good as dead before such display of power and grace was possible. Thus, patience was required. Faith that waits. Certainly not easy. But in it, God receives all of the glory. And that is so much better of a story, anyway, isn't it? And it is. We are the fruit of God doing impossible things. And God delights in doing great things in these impossible situations. He delights in shaping us in these very interesting ways that make us deep, make us complex. These great and rich stories, grace, of God's working in us for his glory. I am personally convinced that on that final day, I can just only imagine how great and how incredible it will be to hear from all of the other saints in glory tell all the stories of the wonderful works of God. And on that day we will look back at all of our struggles and as Sarah did, we will laugh. Knowing how good God really is, right? How good he always was. And even a little faith, then, trusting in the promise of God, even just a little faith, as small as a mustard seed, trusting in the promise of God, even just a little faith, obeying God's word, produces far more than it ever should. Far more. So let us then have that faith that waits. Faith that trusts, faith that obeys, faith that believes in God's word. And he can do the impossible things. He saved you. He will continue to do those impossible things. Amen. Let's pray. We thank you for your word. Thank you for the testimony of Abraham and Sarah and the patience of their faith ultimately, Lord. Trusting in you to fulfill your promise, Lord, in impossible circumstances. But please help us to have that point us to Christ this morning. As we look to our call to salvation, the wanderingness of our hearts, Lord, the sinfulness of our flesh, Lord, and in that, while we were still sinners, you died for us. Christ died for us. Thank you for doing impossible things in my life and in all of our lives. Keep us humble, keep us patient. And may we obey you, Lord, in faith. Ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.