Faith & The Faithful Promise-Maker
Hebrews 11:11-12 | Genesis 15:1-12, 17
Main Idea: Faith waits patiently on the Lord, trusting He is faithful to do what he has promised
I. Faith in the Waiting
Abraham is 75 years old and childless when God appears to him in Genesis 12. His name (lit. ‘father of many / multitude’) and his situation would have been shameful and painful for Abraham.
Sarah is feeling pressure in at least 3 ways:
Culturally: infertility was often assumed to be the women’s fault in this culture
Pscyhologically: her situation would have brought a monthly reminder of her suffering & unfulfilled longings
Theologically: God has promised this would happen, but they still remain childless
As we seek to live by faith, we are confronted with the same tension facing Abraham & Sarah: Am I going to continue to trust God & his promises even when I don’t see any way they will be fulfilled?
“If God is answering your prayers with no, wait, or silence, that is when the relationship gets real. You have to trust, wait and surrender because he's not a cosmic vendor.” ~ J.R. Vassar
Abraham & Sarah stumble their way through this period of waiting. God assures them in Genesis 17-18 (24 years after his initial call in Genesis 12), that they will still have this promised son. In the face of this tension, we see two different kinds of “laughs”
Abraham (Gen. 17:15-17): incredulous, awkward, nervous laugh
Sarah (Gen. 18:9-15): scoffing, unbelief
II. Faith in the Promise-Maker (11:11)
Sarah seems like an unlikely candidate to show up in Hebrews 11, but the reason provided by the author is that she ultimately “considered him faithful who had promised.” It wasn’t merely the promise that Sarah considered; it was the character and nature of the God behind his Word.
Genesis 15 helps us see how they could trust God to be faithful to his word. Abraham, after believing God (15:6), asks him how this was all going to come about (15:8). Biblical faith is not about complete certainty around every corner and it is not without its questions. Abraham is asking from a posture of faith seeking understanding.
God instructs Abraham to set up a covenant ceremony (“blood path covenant”), meant to symbolize that if either party broke their end of the deal they would become like these animals. But, surprisingly, God obligates himself to both ends of the covenant by his presence passing through the “blood path.” God is indicating: even if you are unfaithful, I will be faithful. I will suffer the consequences on your behalf & I will pay the price in blood.
Hebrews 6:13–16: “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.”
We can trust that God is faithful to his promises because this picture is ultimately seen in the cross of Christ, where God suffers the consequences of our lack of faith, in our place. All the promises of God find their “yes and amen” in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20)
III. Faith in the Impossible (11:12)
The faith of Sarah & Abraham is an invitation to “hope against hope” (Rom. 4:18) because “nothing is too hard for the Lord” (Gen. 18:14). God will often lead us to a place that feels “barren” and “dead” in our lives so that we might completely and wholly trust him, the one who brings life from death.
“You don't really know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.” ~ Tim Keller
Romans 4:18–21: In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, 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.
God takes their precise place of pain, shame, and unbelief, and gives them a memorial of his power & grace. They are instructed to name their child Isaac, which means ‘he laughs.’ God is faithful even when we are not, and he views us in light of his grace, not our failures.
Hebrews 10:23: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
