So we read in chapter 11, verse
8 through verse 16, and then kind of look at the subject dying
by or in faith, dying with the eye or of faith. Verse 8. By faith, Abraham, when he was
called to go out into a place which he should afterward receive
for an inheritance, obeyed. And he went out, not knowing
whither he went. By faith, he sojourned in the
land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for a city which
had foundation, whose builder and maker is God. Though through
faith also, Sarah herself received strength to conceive, and was
delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged
him fateful that had promised. Therefore sprang there even of
one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky
in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable. These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off
and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that
they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth. For they that say
such things declare plainly that they seek a country, and truly,
if they had been mindful of that country from which they came
out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they
desire a better country, that is a heavenly, wherefore God
is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for
them a city. Now, of all the acts of faith
attributed unto Abraham, I think two of them stand out. Number
one is when called, he left his country and his kinsmen and went
out wherever God would lead him. And number two is that Abraham,
when commanded, took his only beloved son and would offer him
upon an altar. And those stand out in the life
of Abraham. And these, though they didn't
receive the promise, yet died with their eye upon it. And then
we learn also that the city they seek and that the country they
seek is not one that is upon the earth but is a heavenly one. Now most Christians are aware
that Hebrews chapter 11 is a whole chapter on the examples of the
power and the ability of the eminent saints of God, examples
that are to be imitated, for by them they did great things. The apostle had mentioned in
the end of chapter 10, 38 and 9, that the just or the righteous
live by faith. That if any draw back from having
faith, his soul should have no pleasure in them. And then in
chapter 11, the apostle gives the longest dissertation in the
scripture with an example or explanation of the doctrine of
faith. More than we have anywhere summed
up in one place in the scripture. But first, we notice in the first
verse of chapter 11, he gives a short definition, but a powerful
one, of what faith is and of what it consists. It is a conviction. or assurance to things not seen,
and this in relation to things which are both hoped for on the
basis of God's promise or word, while as yet they are unseen
or unrealized, who against hope believed in hope because of the
promise and the word of God. Fact note in verse 2 to further
embellish faith in the mind of the readers by it the elders
He said obtained a good report the ancient saints of God obtained
a good report by through their acts of faith now they did not
obtain a good report of the world or of men or of their family,
but a good report of God a good report of because of the work
of faith in their life. And then he gives some examples,
we'll run through them very quickly. Enoch, verse 5, please God, was
not, was taken. Verse 4, Abel obtained witness
that he was righteous, God testifying of his gift, that's in Genesis
chapter 4 and verse 4. So James Haldane wrote of this
second verse, and I'm quoting, the ancients are mentioned with
approval in the scripture and their names handed down unto
us in honor, unquote. All those who are mentioned and
who in ancient time lived by faith. And by the way, I happen
to believe, and I'll share this with you, that that great cloud
of witnesses in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1 are those great
Old Testament saints of God. that they are the great cloud
of witnesses for us and unto us as to the ability, the worth,
and the value of faith. And in verse 3 of the chapter,
the apostle gives a grand example of the last half of the definition
of faith in verse 1, the evidence of things not seen. In that,
by faith, we believe that God spoke the world into existence
and that ages and ages ago by the word of his power making
all things out of nothing bringing them out of nothingness into
their existence it does not strain the faith of of a child of God,
to believe in direct creation that God spoke and all things
were in being. Beginning in verse 4, the apostle
proceeds here to give many instances of the efficacy of faith, as
John Brown put it, to perform duty, endure trial, and obtain
benefits, unquote. And much, much more, as we shall
see in the chapter. Now the first three that he mentioned
are all well attested to in the scripture. Verse 4, first of
all, by faith Abel offered a proper sacrifice unto God. Verse 5,
by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death.
for he had walked with God and was not, for God took him. And then thirdly, in verse 7,
by faith Noah moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving
of his house. And there are many, many more
we can only mention quickly in passing. By faith Jacob at his
death blessed his grandson. That's in verse 21. In verse
22, Joseph, by faith, gave command concerning his bones
or his body when he was an expiring in the land of Egypt. Verse 24,
by faith Moses forsook the pleasures of Egypt that he might take his
lot with his brethren. Verse 31, By fate the harlot
Rahab perished not when Jericho fell. Verse 32 through verse
40. There are various and sundry
examples that are given to show how faith got the victory, endured
the fire, endured the trial, quenched the fiery trial, routed
the armies, and even saw their dead raised from life again. But in all these examples before
them, the author tarries long enough upon Abraham, longer upon
Abraham than any of the others, Abraham being considered a father
of the nation, Moses the lawgiver and mediator. And so these two
stood very high in the esteem of the Jew throughout their history. But we put the focus upon the
passage concerning Abraham with the intention this evening of
ending at that statement in verse 13, these all died in faith,
or, as the margin has it, according to faith. All of these died according
unto faith. First, let's settle a point about
the apostles' constant repetition of the words by faith. Just quickly
counting with quick glances, we will find the phrase, 15 times
in this chapter. By faith, by faith, by faith. So and so did such. By faith,
this one did that, and so on. And then in verse 33, he alters
it to through faith. And again, he lists the great
things that were done by the ancients in faith. Now the point
is this, in chapter 11, as John Owen wrote, he is not there treating
a faith from the standpoint of justification, certainly faith
justified. Of course it is by faith that
sinners are justified, and by faith only in the sight of God. But he speaks here not of it
justifying, but he speaks here of the power of faith exercised
under obedience and godliness by those who are justified before
God, for faith not only justifies initially freeing us from the
condemnation of sin, but it also carries or influences or directs
or guides the life. And to quote Owen, he speaks
not of it as justifying, but of it effectually used in our
whole life and especially under that constancy and perseverance
in our profession in Christ." To which we might add, to endure
trial, to resist temptation, to bear persecution for the sake
in the name of our Lord, to trust in God in difficult days and
time, and to serve God in those days and in those times. And in the text, in Hebrews chapter
11, verse 18 and 19, concerning Abraham, we see here that there
are two special statements and experiences of the father of
the faithful, and it begins with these words, by faith Abraham. And then is described the faith
that was in him that enabled him to do those things. The first
in verse 8, which says in essence, left all of his land, his kinsmen
and family, and obeyed God. You have this in the 12th chapter
of the book of Genesis. He left his homeland by faith,
without question, never looking back like Lot's wife, in harmony
with the divine call that had been sent by God into his life. And he lived as a pilgrim, as
it were, from here and there and place to place. A stranger
on the earth, as we might say, sojourning in strange country
that were not his native land. living in tents and temporary
dwellings, Abraham walked and followed God. And in all of that,
he looked for a city. Now, he did not look for an earthly
city, even earthly Jerusalem, a city that had God as its architect,
built by the hands of God. And the second that I mentioned
is in verse 17. By faith, Abraham, when tried,
when tempted by God, offered up Isaac, and this you have in
Genesis chapter 22. He took that son of promise,
that beloved son, thine only son Isaac, bound him upon the
altar, and would have slain him, except that an angel of God put
an end to it, and Abraham's faith was approved of God. Now, our
main concern is the first act of Abraham in faith, and there
is a second one beginning at verse 9 and running down through
verse 16. But when we come to the 9th verse
and read it again, it being a continuation of verse 8 and expanded more
in the verses following. Verse 8 says, Abraham was called
and Stephen in Acts chapter 7 and verse 2 tells the council who
hear charges of blasphemy against him. Men and brethren, hearken! The God of glory appeared unto
our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dealt
in Haran, as some say. Genesis 11 and verse 31. He dwelt as a sojourner the land
of Canaan quote confessing that they were strangers on the earth
13 verse and the last half we see in verse 9 that the land
of Canaan is given a nickname it is called the land of promise
or literally the promised land and we run across that again
and again in the scripture and of course in our preaching and
teaching because it is a type of the heavenly inheritance. It is a promised land, a land
that God had prepared. And then verse 10 opens with
a conjunction for, to explain further why Abraham, number one,
dwelt as a sojourner and a temporary dweller in that place. And then
number two, in a strange country, number three, intense, number
four, with other heirs of promise who carried the same hope in
their heart and eye. Verse 10, four, because of the
call and the promise of God, he looked far, he lived in constant
expectation, He cherished the hope of a city made directly
by the hands of God, a city that had foundation, but not of brick
or mortar or stone, and such a city as God was the builder
and the maker and the founder. It is a strange interpretation
held by some who make that city to be the earthly Jerusalem,
which was the central city of their worship and of the Holy
Land. and Abraham's descendants filling
it and the land covered out. But this city is definitely the
city of God from above. Now the overall context makes
it clear that the country and the city sought by Abraham was
spiritual, heavenly in verse 16 they desire a better that
is a heavenly in verse 10 the architect of the city is God
now see some expressions that are scattered throughout the
passage verse 10 he looked at for a city. Looked does not mean
that he went to and fro searching here and there for such a city,
but that by faith he looked for that city. Not that he went searching
here and searching yonder all across the land, but that by
the eye of faith he looked for a city and he lived in expectation
of it. It's a strange statement and
a wonderful statement. It puzzled the Pharisees in John
chapter 8 and verse 46 that Abraham saw Christ's day and was glad. Your father Abraham saw my day
and he rejoiced therein. In verse 14 of Hebrews 11, they
seek a city. Verse 16, they desire a better,
a heavenly country. Back in verse 13, these all died
in faith. Here's some good point. The words
These all that we read here do not refer to every person mentioned
since verse 2. For Enoch did not die a physical
death at all, but it includes those in Abraham's house, who
sojourned in Canaan. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob. Again, they died in faith. They died without receiving the
fulfillment of the promise, without receiving the word that God had
said unto him. The expression These all died
in faith. Must agree that the words can
be rendered either these all died by way of faith or these
all died as the margin according unto faith. The statement, the
meaning of this statement is clear. They had faith to the
end of their life. And when they died, when they
took their last life upon this earth, then they died in faith. And this must be considered in
the proper way. They breathed their last breath
in hope of that promise that God had made unto him. These
all died in faith as to their spiritual circumstances, in that
they died prior to the realization of the land of promise and the
promise made to Abraham and his seed that they would inhabit
that land and that it would be theirs. Now, their dying according
to faith consists in this. They believed in the as yet unfilled
promise of God. They died before realizing the
promise, but in them was preserved the faith until the end of their
life. We could say they died believing
in the promise, having not seen, but yet believing. And they lived
by faith, and they died by the faith in which they had lived. So we see, both a negative and
a positive, connected to their dying according to faith. A,
these all died in according to faith. A, not having seen the
promises, that is, not living to the realization of it upon
this earth and world. But then B, these all died by
faith, having seen them afar off. same as Abraham saw Christ's
day. But he did not see him with the
physical eye of his body, but he saw him by the eye of faith. So that the promises, therefore,
of respecting dwelling in the land of Canaan made to Abraham
did not come to fruition until Joshua's day, for he led them
in. Abraham seeing the Lord's day,
and the appearance were separated by many years. And Abraham was
not yet alive in the flesh when the Lord appeared, and yet by
faith he saw the days of Christ. They went to their death before
Joshua led the people over into Jordan, and they received their
inheritance in the land. They died before Christ was made
of a woman, but they died in the promise and the hope of a
coming Messiah, which the apostle equates with seeing them afar
off. And such faith, even seeing it
from afar off, stands upon that sure and steadfast promise of
the Almighty Word of God, that what God had promised He also
will deliver. If we don't live to see it with
the eye of the body, yet will we see it. Nor Abraham, nor Sarah,
nor Isaac, nor Jacob lived to see the seed of Abraham dwelling
in the land of Canaan. But he died believing that it
would be a reality and that it would come to pass because God
had said so. Consider, for example, Joseph. In Hebrews 11 and verse 22, when
he was a dying, quote, made mention of the departing of the children
of Israel and gave commandment concerning his bones. This you
have in Genesis chapter 50 in verse 24 and 26. where Joseph said, God will surely
visit you, bring you up out of this land unto that which he
swear unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And in verse 25, Joseph
made the children of Israel to promise and to swear with an
oath that they would carry his carcass when they departed out. He would die in the land of Egypt,
but wounded his burial in the land of Canaan. Exodus 13 and
19, they did, when they left, they carried his body, and they
buried him in Shechem, in the land of Canaan, Joshua chapter
24 and verse 32. However, we must not think that
the promises of God pertain only to the literal, physical land
of Canaan, but to that also which is spiritualized or typified. For need we remind ourselves
that Abraham Look for a city with foundations and a heavenly
country, not the land of Canaan. And consider again the faith
of Moses, Hebrews 11, 24 through 28, who by faith forsook all
of the privileges of being called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Why, he was raised up in the
house of Pharaoh by the daughter of Pharaoh as her adopted son. But he turned his back on all
the riches of Egypt and all the pleasures of sin that he might
live under God and with the people of God. Because by faith he forsook
Egypt. And it says that he reckoned
the reproach of Christ to be of greater value than the treasures
of Egypt. And in the end of verse 27, he
endured as seeing the invisible or the unseen one. Moses too
had his eye upon that day. Now note three things concerning
the faith of Moses that is mentioned here. A, in verse 24, by faith
he having become great, having grown unto years, took the side
of the people against Pharaoh in whose house he was raised.
Then be, in verse 27, by faith he forsook Egypt. He left Egypt, left it behind,
left it for another and a better land. And then see in verse 28,
through faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood that
their firstborn should be spared. So there's the faith of Moses.
Now what is the Apostle's purpose, including these examples? of
the Old Testament saint and their faith to establish that they
believed all their life and they believed until they died. They
believed even in the face of many trials and troubles and
hardship and persecution. And even though many of them
never lived to actually see the promise fulfilled, they believed
until they died. And so Paul, or rather Hebrew's
writer, who I think is Paul, exhorts the believing Hebrew
that they must, like that, persevere unto the end. And the only way
to do that practically, he is faithful that promise. To remember
that, that the Word of God cannot fail. It will not fall to the
ground. What He has promised, He will
do. He cannot deny Himself. The Word of God cannot fail. His promises are yea and amen
in the Lord Jesus Christ. With Him, all things are possible. He's able to call the end from
the beginning, even because He knows it. And the examples which
the Apostle cites here were saints of old, that in spite of dwelling
as strangers, in a foreign land, dying far short of the land of
Canaan, and yet, as Pink said, quote, never apostatized from
the faith, unquote. They kept the faith, or as we
say, the faith kept them. And the point is, faith, real
faith, the faith of God's elect, the faith that justified, which
is of course the gift of God, will accompany the saints unto
their deathbed. And as the Puritan Manton put
it, death performs its last office, that is, faith does, It believes,
even in that hour. Faith is not like a fickle conscience
which often forsakes and removes its peace in the face of some
trouble or of some evil, and when it sees death approaching,
it flees away and leaves us in torment. Faith is an anchor of
the soul, holding our vessel in the tossing storms of this
life, keeping alive that hope of eternal life in Christ, even
as the flesh is withering and is seized by death, which is
the common enemy of all mankind. And the last enemy that shall
be destroyed by Christ is death. Now, there are three degrees
concerning death in the people. Number one, there are those who
die in their sin, terrorized by death at its end. Secondly,
there are those with cauterized consciences, ignorant and blind,
that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living
God. And their conscience being so
seared that it fears not even in the hour of falling into the
hand of a just and a holy God. And then thirdly, there are those
whose hearts are purified by faith and by grace who can say
with a psalmist, My flesh shall rest in hope. And who can say
with Job, I know that my Redeemer lives. And with Paul, to die
is gain. And to die is to receive the
fulfillment of the promises of God made in the Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. So these all died in faith, not
having received the promise, but having received them afar
off and were persuaded and embraced them and confessed that they
were strangers and pilgrims in the earth. We, like that, in
a sense, are strangers and pilgrims in this world. It's not our final
home. It's not the place that we desire. It's not our hope, but that world
and that life that is to come. The saints are kept by faith,
by the power of God, until that day of the receiving of their
glorious inheritance. Thank God for that truth, that
buoying truth in the Holy Scripture.