God’s promises call for our trust and obedience, whether they relate to the eternal or temporal. For believing His Word results in His blessing, even if we don’t see it on this side of heaven.
I. A Look at His Calling
A. He didn’t own
The first aspect of the calling of Abraham is that he went to a place he didn’t own. The beginning of verse 8 describes this. “By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance.” God called Abraham from his own place. He called him to leave his land and his extended family behind. The amazing thing about this is that Abraham was exchanging this for a place that was not his. The text behind this says, “a place which he was about to receive.” This was promised in the future to Abraham but not his when he left. He had no deed or title to the land. In God’s call to Abraham in Genesis 12 we see the extent of the call made upon Abraham’s life. It says, “Now the LORD said to Abram, go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.” And in 12:7 it says, “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ So when Abraham left he had no promise of receiving the land as his own personal possession. He was about to receive it but only in the sense that it would be deeded to his descendants. Notice also that though God promised he would give it to his descendants he, at that time, had none. The other interesting thing to note is that he was 75 years old when God called him. This was not necessarily the time someone packs up his things and starts a new life.
Yet God’s Word came to him clearly. And he obeyed. Remember throughout this chapter the author is harping on one issue, faith. It may seem repetitive but he is slowly defining faith for us using these Old Testament examples of faith. Now think about what Abraham did. He was already successful and prospering. He was a man who had many possessions. He was making a name for himself in the east. But God told him that He would make a name for Abraham instead. God told him that the reason he was doing this was not so Abraham would become conceited or bring praise to himself or have great self-esteem but that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. God never makes a person to be great to simply make much of them. But God brings a person to greatness so that they can make much of God and serve Him in whatever way He chooses. How do we know this? In Genesis 12:7 after the Lord appears to Abraham and tells him about his descendants what does Abraham do? The text says, “He built an altar there to the Lord.” He humbled himself to bow down and worship the Lord. And several other times throughout the narrative when the Lord repeats his promise to bless Abraham you find Abraham falling down in humble worship. Many in the so-called Christian world today would reverse this. God calls us to humble ourselves before Him but they call for us to esteem ourselves before Him. If God makes much of you, you must be worth a lot. As I read in one author, “You are God’s favorite person, if He had a refrigerator your name would be on it.” But this is not what the Scripture calls us to. After all it says, “God gives grace to the humble but He hardens the proud.” So why are we calling for self-esteem when the Scripture tells us to allow God to lift us up at the proper time? Much of what is taught as Christian self-help is biblical heresy. Faith caused Abraham to humble himself and exalt the Lord for His work in a man as good as dead. He went out to live in a place he didn’t own because God told him to.
B. He didn’t know
The second aspect of the calling of Abraham was he went to a place he didn’t know. The last part of Hebrews 11:8 says this, “and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” People usually like to know where they are going. Though I do know many men who refuse to ask directions if they somehow get lost. But the point in this passage is that God told Abraham, “Go…to the land which I will show you.” Abraham had no clue about his destination. There is a certain comfort factor in which we all like to dwell in. We know certain areas and we have certain schedules and routines. There is comfort in the familiar. But the familiar can become an idol.
People usually like to choose where they are going. They don’t like to be going somewhere in which they have no say about their destination. But here Abraham showed the depth of his faith in God. He let God choose where he was to go instead of determining himself where he would go.
God says this way though I might say that way. The character of our faith determines which direction we follow.
Comfort factor with the familiar
C. He didn’t settle
The third aspect of the calling of Abraham was he went to a place in which he didn’t settle
II. A Look at His Faith (Why did he do it?)
As we look at Abraham’s faith we ask, “Why?” Why did he go to a place that he didn’t own, a place that he didn’t know and a place in which he didn’t settle?
A. He set his affections on heaven
C.S. Lewis “pleasant inns”
Perfect place because God has designed and built it
B. He set his affections on God
Colossians 3
III. A Look at Her Conception
A. She was enabled
B. She was old
IV. A Look at Their Faith
A. She was able to conceive because she had the right conception of God
B. They were able to receive because they had the right conception of God
Widow with oil
Little boy with fish and loaves
But Sarah had nothing
Who can calculate the results when we believe God’s Word?