The Trial Of Abraham's Faith - Hebrews 11:17-19

Hebrews chapter 11. We will read verses 17 through

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

19. Verse 11, 17 through 19. By faith, Abraham,

when he was tested, offered up Isaac. And he

who had received the promises was offering up

his only begotten son. It was he to whom it was

said, In Isaac. your descendants shall be called.

He considered that God is able to raise people

even from the dead, from which he also received

him back as a type. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Father, we come to you this Lord's Day. Father,

we do. We come with open hearts and faith forward.

And we ask that... The ancient words that you

have given to us would impart their truth. Father,

we ask that the Spirit of God would accompany

and bless the ministry of the Word of God mightily

at this time. Lord, work in our hearts to sanctify

us and build us up. And Lord, we ask that you

would pierce the hearts of unbelieving men and

show them their desperate need. For faith. We

ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. You

may be seated. I am no prophet. And I am not

the son of a prophet. And I know something for

sure. That is true of every single one of us.

And something that will be true. Of every single

one of us. And I don't have to be a prophet.

To know these things. Because they are so abundantly

clear. In God's holy word. So what is it that

I know? With such certainty. It is that every

single believer. In Jesus Christ. Has and will.

Experience. trials in their lives. Every single

believer will have their faith tested and tried

and refined and purified in this life through

divine design. By ordained difficulties, struggles,

and trials in this life. It is the common lot

of God's people in this world to endure fiery

ordeals with purpose and by design. Our forefather

in the faith, Abraham, he was not exempt from

this. In our text today we find what is likely

the exemplary act of faith in the Old Testament.

That legendary scene on Mount Moriah where Abraham

brings his son to offer him up as a sacrifice

to God. He wasn't offering up Ishmael. He was

offering up... the son of promise. Today we're

going to consider the testing of Abraham's faith.

We're going to examine his faith as it was tested.

We're going to consider the difficulties which

were introduced to his faith. We can imagine

the hardship, the heartaches. that were introduced

into Abraham's life as a result of this trial

that came upon him. And then lastly, we will

consider what Abraham concluded by faith in this

trial. Beginning with the first, the testing

of Abraham's faith. We read this in verse 17.

By faith, Abraham. And then here it is. When

he was tested. In Genesis chapter 22, the narrative

Genesis 22 · chapter mention

of these events, it's clear. God tested Abraham.

These were unique circumstances ordained and

intended and brought about and required by God.

with purpose in the life of the patriarch. It's

uniquely and distinctly identified as a test,

as a trial. Now, in some older translations of

the Bible, the word trial is actually stated

as temptations. Now, we have certain ideas about

what temptations are. They're when sin or things

outside of us appeal to or lure us to sin. They

draw out the sinful desires within us. But the

way it's used here, and this biblical concept

of trial and testing, it's not talking about

temptation. where God is tempting you to sin.

No, it's the James chapter 1 sense in which the

James 1 · chapter mention

author is speaking. James chapter 1 says this,

James 1 · chapter mention

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter

various trials, knowing that the testing of your

faith produces endurance. Then we read in verse

4, And let endurance have its perfect result,

so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking

in nothing. It's speaking about growing believers

in spiritual maturity. And that trials refine

and test their faith, their character. It brings

about certain results. It produces certain things

in our lives. And they are ordained by God's

sovereign hand. That's the sense in which Abraham

is tested in Genesis chapter 22 and Hebrews chapter

Genesis 22 · chapter mention Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

11 where it's speaking of that trial. This is,

we could say, I believe, the trial of... His

faith. He's gone through. Tests. And trials.

Throughout his walk with the Lord. But this is.

The. Trial. Of his life. This is the. Test. Of

whether or not. His faith is sincere. And genuine

and true. Whether or not. he will trust and obey

God, even when he can't make sense of things

in human terms. This is the test of Abraham's

life. There are many other examples in the Bible

of testing or of trials that are ordained by

God. We could think of Joseph. Joseph went through

many, many trials in his life, did he not, brothers

and sisters? A significant portion of his life

was trial and testing. And what were those trials

and those tests, what were those fiery ordeals

doing in Joseph's life? They were bringing about

God's purposes. They were preparing the man for

what God had in store for him to deliver his

people and to bring his people into Egypt so

that a greater deliverance could take place so

that God could bring them out of Egypt and call

them as his own. We read in Psalm 105, verse

Psalms 105:19

19, regarding Joseph. Starting in verse 17, he

sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold

as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters,

chains. He himself was laid in irons until the

time that his word came to pass. The word of

the Lord tested him all throughout his life.

God was bringing Joseph through a test, a trial

to purify and refine the man and his faith. We

could think about Israel in the wilderness and

their wilderness wanderings. We read in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8. We read this in verse 2. You shall

remember. All the way which the Lord your God

has led you in the wilderness. These 40 years.

That he might humble you. Testing you. To know

what was in your heart. Whether you would keep

his commandments or not. He was proving. Refining.

Israel as a son. He was bringing them through

difficulties and hardships to show them their

inadequacies, their weaknesses, their deficiencies,

their unbelief, their sin, their waywardness,

their hardness of heart, so that God would be

magnified because He is faithful to them in spite

of these realities. That God did, in fact, bring

them into the promised land. And then we also

have that famous occurrence of King Hezekiah.

If you recall, at the end of Hezekiah's life,

he thinks that near what he thought was the end

of Hezekiah's life, he became mortally ill. And

the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 32 -31 that these

things were tests. From the Lord. That it was

God trying the man. It was God proving and trying

his faith. There's all kinds of examples. The

author of Hebrews chapter 11. Has a specific

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

purpose in mind when he's writing these things.

He's not just randomly writing things down. He's

writing Hebrews chapter 11 and these events in

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

particular in verses 17 through 19 regarding

Abraham's trial to encourage and strengthen the

Hebrew Christians who were themselves undergoing

trials in their lives. who themselves were undergoing

the fiery ordeal in their lives. Their faith

was being tried by the hand of God through the

difficulties and struggles and the trying circumstances

of their lives. He's writing these things to

show them that even their forefathers' faith

was tested and their faith would be tested. Our

faith, brothers and sisters, yours and mine as

New Covenant believers, just like the Hebrew

Christians the author was writing to, our faith

will be tested and tried in this life. It is

biblically naive and ignorant to think that our

faith will not be tested and tried. the normative,

one of the normative realities in the Christian

life is trials, hardships, heartaches that have

been brought on by whatever it might be. Maybe

the trial has to do with relationships. Maybe

the trial has to do with health or physical.

or family, or marriage, or sin, or struggle,

or difficulties, or trials, or whatever it might

be. Brothers and sisters, believers in Jesus

Christ will have their faith tested and tried

in this life. They are a normal part of the New

Covenant Christian's life. James 1 teaches us

this. Have you ever considered that the difficulties

and trials in your life are not random and purposeless?

Have you ever considered that the heartache you

are wrestling through this very day has an intended

goal? Have you ever considered That the sufferings

you have endured in this life are not purposeless?

But that God actually has a divine purpose and

a divine aim and a divine design behind all of

them? We see this all throughout the Scriptures,

brothers and sisters. Part of the Christians...

sanctification and understanding and walk and

growth is learning to reorient their thinking

regarding difficulties in their lives. We don't

just come upon, or we should probably say difficulties

don't just come upon us, and we respond and react

as though they're meaningless and purposeless

and aimless. Well, this is hard. This is difficult.

This is trying. Oh, I don't like this. This is

not fun. I hate this. This makes me mad. I'm

angry. I'm all kinds of things. No, brothers

and sisters. The Bible says that these are trials

that are ordained by the living God in the life

of His children to produce and bring about greater

and further conformity to Jesus Christ. There

is purpose in your hardships in this life. In

fact, the presence of tests and trials is indicative

of God's fatherly love and care in your life.

Because He wants you to be more like He wants

more of that pleasing aroma which comes from

our spiritual sacrifices of worship. He wants

what is ultimately best for us as his people.

And he knows that it is not best for us to stay

bogged down in our sin and iniquity and transgressions.

So he refines. He purifies. He brings us through

hardships with the intended goal of making us

more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we have

to examine Abraham's faith in this trial. The

text says in verse 17, faith, Abraham offered

up Isaac. So, first thing we see with regards

to Abraham's faith is that it was operative and

active in the trial. Right? By faith, Abraham

offered up Isaac and this is a trial. Therefore,

his faith is operative, it's active, it's working.

What is the motivating principle, the orienting

principle, the governing principle of Abraham's

thinking, life, and actions in the midst of this

trial? It's faith. By faith he offered up Isaac.

It's that which governed his thinking. It's that

which animated his actions. It was the undergirding

principle which was the basis for his acting

in the trial. It wasn't carnality or the flesh

or natural reasoning which we'll see further

down. Brothers and sisters, it was faith. Now,

we also can surmise that his faith was increasing

and growing in strength prior to the trial and

in the trial. In Romans chapter 4, we'll go ahead

Romans 4 · chapter mention

and read this quickly. Romans 4, verses 18 through

Romans 4:18–21

21, we read this. In hope against hope, he believed,

speaking of Abraham, so that he might become

a father of many nations. According to that which

had been spoken, so shall your descendants be.

Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated

his own body, now as good as dead since he was

about 100 years old, and the deadness of Sarah's

womb. Yet, with respect to the promise of God,

he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong

in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully

assured that what God had promised, he was able

also to perform. Now, this occurrence that it's

referencing in Romans chapter 4 has to do with

Romans 4 · chapter mention

the birth of the son of promise, Isaac. And the

instance that we're speaking of in Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 11:17–19

11 verses 17 through 19 has to do with the offering

of Isaac. Likely, Isaac was around 15 to 17 years

old, possibly older, when Abraham was going to

sacrifice him. So Abraham's faith at the time

of Isaac's birth was growing and strengthened.

It was fully assured that God would do everything

that he promised. And we must assume that his

faith continued to grow in strength as he aged.

As God continued to be faithful to him. That

prior to the entrance into this trial, he was

having and enjoying a vibrant faith and assurance.

And in it, it was strengthened and increased

all the more. His faith in this was obedient

faith to the command of God. And it was accompanied

by works as James chapter 2 speaks of them. Meaning

James 2 · chapter mention

faith and works always present together. So we

know in this text that God commands Abraham to

offer up Isaac. And what does the text say? By

faith, Abraham offered up Isaac. He had every

intention. He had every fiber of his will in

action to perform this deed. His hand was raised.

He was following through. He was going to kill

his son. Brothers and sisters, he was obedient.

His faith obeyed the command of God. But we also

see that in this trial his faith is exemplary.

And that it reveals God's purpose in this trial.

Why is Abraham included in Hebrews chapter 11?

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

For new covenant believers to look at. And so

that we can learn from our forefather. And so

that we can understand that trials will come

upon us and test our faith. And that like Abraham,

by the grace of God and the strength of the Holy

Spirit and God -given graces such as faith, we

can persevere and endure in and through trials

in this life. He's given to us as help for us,

as a witness for us, brothers and sisters. So

what is the purpose? of this trial in Abraham's

life. And we'll see that it's the same as the

purpose for trials in our lives. Well, the purpose

in Abraham's life was faith. It was to bring

out faith. It was to reveal, to strengthen, and

to confirm his faith that God had given to him.

So what is the purpose of faith in your life,

in my life, as New Covenant believers? Well,

generally speaking, we don't know everything

that God is doing in our hardships. God is sovereign,

He is infinite, and He is eternal. His ways are

far above us. We don't know everything that God

is doing through... the trials of our life. He

could be doing a million different things at

one time in our life and in other people's lives

through our difficulties and struggles and through

our trials. But the Bible does give us some pretty

clear teaching as to what God does in and through

trials. We know from the Scriptures that trials

are intended to produce endurance. And perseverance.

We saw that in James chapter 1. We know. From

James 1 · chapter mention

Deuteronomy chapter 8. The trials are meant to

Deuteronomy 8 · chapter mention

humble us. And to drive us into reliance upon

the Lord. To show us who we are. And as we reflect

on the character of God. They are meant to grow

and strengthen. Our character. As believers,

we can see this in Romans chapter 5, where there's

Romans 5 · chapter mention

almost this chain of events that takes place

for those who have come to know and come to be

at peace with God. We know from the Scriptures

that they are to manifest and purify and refine

our faith, brothers and sisters. We read in 1

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

Peter. Chapter 1, starting in verse 6. In this

you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little

while, if necessary, you have been distressed

by various trials, testings, as we're discussing

them. So that the proof of your faith, being

more precious than gold, which is perishable,

even though tested by fire, may be found to result

in praise and glory and honor at the revelation

of Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, what is

the purpose of trials in our life according to

1 Peter? It is to refine and purify faith in

our lives. It is to prepare us. For that great

day when Jesus Christ will return so that our

faith shines brighter. So that we are more eager.

We are more excited. We anticipate more and more

His coming. And when He comes, He finds strong,

vibrant faith in His people. And He is glorified

and magnified then. God is working through the

circumstances of the lives of His people. To

bring about these ends. Trials glorify God. By

creating a holy people that look more like the

Lord Jesus Christ and worship God more. And worship

God better. Who obey Him more and obey Him better.

Trials work in these ways in our lives. The trials

we experience are not all that different, though

they are, than Abraham's trial. We think, well,

God would never require that I sacrifice my son

to him, or my daughter to him, my beloved child

to him. God would never require. His people.

To offer themselves as sacrifices and their loved

ones as sacrifices to him. But how is it that

our trials are like Abraham's? Well, he loved

his son. He loved Isaac, brothers and sisters.

His heart's affection was set. On that boy. He

was close to his heart. Surely his heart strings.

Were attached. To the son of promise. Which he

and his wife. Had had in their old age. Almost.

But not. Miraculously. Are there not things in

our lives. That God requires of us. That we love.

Are there not necessary and essential and good

things in your life which God requires of you

at times? Does God not require those who are

closest to us at times? Are there not things

that our heart's affections are set upon so dearly

as Abraham's were with that boy? Brothers and

sisters. Our trials are not that different than

Abraham's. God is accomplishing the same thing

in our life that he accomplished in Abraham's

life. And what is that? The Lord is working in

us to loosen the heart strings within us. From

the things of this world so that we more freely

offer up to him those spiritual sacrifices and

offerings which are so abundantly pleasing to

him. Romans chapter 12 verse 1 says this. For

Romans 12:1

those of you who might think that God would never

require that of me. God would never require that

He give me a life, that I give Him a sacrifice,

that I give Him that which is dearest to myself.

Romans chapter 12, Therefore I urge you, brethren,

Romans 12 · chapter mention

by the mercies of God, to present your bodies

as living and holy sacrifices acceptable to God,

which is your spiritual service of worship. God

requires you, believer, to sacrifice yourself

every single day. That you give yourself wholly,

fully, and completely to Him, not holding anything

back. That you give yourself to Him because Jesus

Christ has been given to us in the Gospel. We

are no longer our own, brothers and sisters.

You are not your own man. You are not your own

woman. You do not belong to yourself. If you

are in Christ, you belong to Him. Fully and completely.

Your desires, your longing, your heart, your

mind, your money, your property, your well -being,

everything is His. And he requires all of it

from his people. We worship and we serve the

same God that Abraham served brothers and sisters.

God through trials is working to loose the strings

in our heart that are tied so tightly to the

things of this world. So that we more freely

serve and worship him in this life. Now, trials

like this that Abraham went through. Obviously,

it's going to introduce certain difficulties

into his thinking, isn't it? It's going to bring

hardship into his life and his heart, isn't it,

brothers and sisters? Think about the conflict

that this would introduce into Abraham's faith.

We read this in verse 17. When he was tested,

offered up Isaac, and he, meaning Abraham, who

had received the promises, was offering up his

only begotten son. It was he to whom it was said,

In Isaac your descendants shall be called. There's

an apparent conflict, or we could even say there's

an apparent contradiction that is introduced

into Abraham's faith. Can you guys see the conflict

in the text? Can you see the contradiction in

the text? God is requiring that Abraham offer

up the very means of his own salvation. His own

future. The command of God to offer up Isaac

seemingly is in conflict with the promise of

God that would come about through Isaac. Now,

imagine Abraham, who waited so long for his son.

Imagine Abraham who welcomed his son with joy,

and we know that his wife rejoiced at the birth

of Isaac. She laughed in faith with joy when

he was born, praising God. And now God commands

that he offer up the son of promise. This conflict

was between what God had openly and clearly commanded

and required of him and that which God had promised.

would come about through Isaac, the son of promise.

Surely, this brought about great inner turmoil,

conflict, and heartache in his life, which really

is the heart of this trial. The providential

circumstances in Abraham's life brought him to

a point where he had to reckon with God. They

brought him to a point where he was forced to

decide, will I trust and obey God, even though

I can't understand this, humanly speaking? Or

will I disobey? And disregard the command of

God. He's brought to a point. And we see that

he does in fact obey. That he obeys and he trusts

the Lord. How is this possible? He made his way

through the trial. He has sustained. How is it

possible that this man was able to obey and trust

God? Well, this leads us to the last thing. What

Abraham concluded by faith in this trial. Abraham

reasoned, I believe, In other words, he thought

according to faith. He had a wholly consecrated

rationale by faith, we could say. We read this

in verse 19. He considered that God is able to

raise people even from the dead, from which he

also received him back as a... What did Abraham

conclude? And how did he end up at this conclusion?

Well, surely it went something like this. God

has promised descendants through Isaac. He has

clearly and openly and personally proclaimed

and declared this. God has promised descendants

through Isaac. God has been faithful. God is

good. He has proven and demonstrated his faithfulness

to me time and time again. God commands that

I sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise. Therefore,

God must preserve his promise somehow. When Isaac

dies, God can raise him from the dead. That's

sanctified reasoning, brothers and sisters. That

is thinking in accordance with faith. Not in

accordance with the flesh. Or human reason. Or

carnal logic. Or merely in human ways. This kind

of thinking requires faith. So his conclusion

is correct as well. He concludes right because

the text says this. It says that he. It says.

That he even. That God is that. I'm sorry. Starting

in verse 19. He considered that God is able to

raise people even from the dead. From which.

He also received him back as a type. Now. Isaac

didn't actually die, brothers and sisters. He

was spared, correct? So how is it that Isaac

was received back by Abraham? Because he was

as good as dead. Abraham was going to kill him.

And he's received back, and the author of Hebrews

puts it this way. He was received back. In the

likeness of resurrection. Almost in a figurative

sense. Meaning, Isaac was raised. It was as though

he was raised. So Abraham's conclusion that he

draws by faith is correct. Because the author

of Hebrews confirms that he's raised from the

dead, figuratively speaking. Reasoning by faith

is what brought him through, brothers and sisters.

His conclusion is confirmed. Abraham's faith,

obedience, and perseverance in this trial, brothers

and sisters, was built on... God and his sovereign

power to raise men from the dead. His obedience,

his perseverance, his faithfulness, his preservation

through it was built on the hope of resurrection.

Faith which operates, which is active and effective,

brothers and sisters. Faith which is obedient

and... persevering and self -denying and sacrificial,

is faith that is built on the hope of the resurrection

and the power of God. It is faith which is Godward

looking, Christward looking in the gospel, and

forward looking to the resurrection that is to

come. This kind of faith is the only kind of

faith. That brings men and women through trials

by the grace of God so that they will glorify

Christ when they are found by Him. This kind

of faith is what enables the believer to live

fully and freely in this life here and now, brothers

and sisters. Abraham looked... forward. He looked

to God, recognizing that God can raise men from

the dead. Recognizing that God would accomplish

and bring about and fulfill His redemptive purposes

by His power and faithfulness. Brothers and sisters,

he's looking to Christ. We can look to God and

we can look to Christ and we can witness the

resurrection, the death, And the life. The resurrection

of Christ. And how much more. That to bolster.

Our faith. In this life. Look to the Lord Jesus.

In his death. And his resurrection. In trials.

Look to God. In his sovereign power. In hardships.

There are times brothers and sisters. In trials.

When we can't pray well. Because our mind is

so scattered. There are times in trials, brothers

and sisters, when we can't study the Word of

God because our heart is so grieving and so bothered.

I know you've been there. There are times, brothers

and sisters, when we can't focus. But brothers

and sisters, in and through the hardest of trials,

you know what you can do? You can rest in the

good, faithful, sovereign character of God. You

can trust in the resurrection, the death, the

life, the death and the resurrection of Jesus

Christ and know that if He rose from the grave,

ultimately everything for me is going to turn

out okay. We can trust in Him. So in the midst

of trials, look to the Lord in His good and faithful

character.