HEBREWS 11:8

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:8, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” One thing that is similar with the faith of all of the individuals mentioned so far here in Hebrews chapter eleven (Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham) is that their faith affected their actions. “Faith without works is dead.” If a person has true faith, then they will have works to prove their faith. There is no such thing as having faith, but not having any good works that follow after the faith. When a person came to faith in Christ, at the time of their salvation their faith involved repentance from sin. And repentance from sin always involves a desire and an intention to start serving Christ. If a person has never done anything to serve Christ, then that person could not possibly be saved. Of course, some fall away after being saved, but at least for a short time before falling away they followed Him. Such people need to learn to confess their sins each day so that they can continue to follow Christ even after they have failed. It says in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Abraham had faith in God, and so Abraham “went out, not knowing whither he went.” It is important to note that Abraham did not choose just any place to go to. Abraham was “called.” God decided where Abraham should go, and then God called Abraham. God communicated with Abraham and God let him know where he wanted Abraham to be. Because Abraham had faith in God’s Word and in God’s will, Abraham followed God’s leading. Abraham obeyed. Abraham got up and went where God wanted him to go. At the judgment it will be revealed that some of the greatest failures made by believers will be the failures to do things God’s way according to God’s revealed will. How many people has God called who have not gone God’s way? They did not have the faith to trust that God’s way was the best way. They went their own way instead of God’s way, and how great was their loss. Abraham went God’s way, and Abraham is called the father of faith. Abraham believed God, and Abraham’s actions proved that he believed.

Concerning the faith that Abraham had, the Bible says in Hebrews 11:9-10, “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 hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” The fact that Abraham went to the promised land by faith is symbolic of how the rest of humanity will get to the ultimate land of promise: heaven. God is calling you to come to His kingdom: the kingdom of heaven. Have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and He will take you to the promised land because of your faith in Him. Abraham went to the land of promise in spite of all the dangers and uncertainties. Many things could have gone wrong traveling to a new country in those days thousands of years ago: thieves, accidents, storms, floods, disease. But none of them happened. When God calls, God opens the door and God provides the way. It was God’s idea, and God kept His Word. The statement made in verse 10 had a direct spiritual application to how a person gets to heaven. It says, “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Those who look for heaven will find it through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

God made promises to Abraham concerning a land, and God also made promises concerning Abraham’s descendents. The problem was that when the promises were made, Abraham and Sarah had no children. It says in Hebrews 11:11, “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.” It is important to notice that at least part of the reasons for the things that God did in the lives of Sarah and Abraham had to do with Sarah’s faith as well as Abraham’s faith. In the ideal world both husband and wife will have faith in the Lord. It does not always happen this way, but it would be better of it did. If you know the Lord and you are seeking a spouse, make sure that you are seeking someone who knows the Lord and loves the Lord. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”

Concerning Abraham, it says in Hebrews 11:12, “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 by the sea shore innumerable.” We serve a God of miracles. He loves to do that which man thinks He cannot do. God fulfilled the promise of a son but not until both Abraham and Sarah were very old. This proved that what took place was entirely by the hand of God and was in no way due to the plans or abilities of man. As you grow old, you can still have faith in Christ. In the battle of faith, nothing is impossible to those who are old because they can believe just as much as those who are younger can believe. The greatest victories in this world are won through faith, not through human effort or human energy. It says in Romans 4:3, “Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.”

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:13, “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 of the earth.” Please note that these died “not having received the promises.” Many of the promises of Christ apply to the next life. They will be fulfilled in the next life. Those who believe will be rewarded in the next life. People who were nailed to a cross or cast into a dungeon were not rewarded in this life. They lost everything in this life. People who suffered such things for Christ were rewarded in the next life and only in the next life. Beware of those who teach that you will definitely be rewarded in this life for money that you give to them or for anything else.

Believers are “strangers and pilgrims of the earth.” Those who have more faith understand this better. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The devil is called the god of this world because the systems of this world are under his control. Government, education, religion, entertainment, and all of the other organized affairs of man are in some way controlled and used by the forces of evil to fool mankind and to ruin mankind. Believers are of a different spirit than the unbelieving people of the world. Since unbelievers are a vast majority, the believers are outside of the spirit of the world of organized human systems. That is why we are strangers and pilgrims here. That is why we are not satisfied with the decisions that are made or the philosophies that are emphasized. We serve Christ, and we will only be satisfied when we are with Him in His kingdom. Unbelievers live as though this world is permanent. It’s all that they have. But those who have faith like Abraham know that they are “strangers and pilgrims of the earth.” We are not so overly troubled about what might or might not happen on this earth. We are strangers here: we are only passing through.

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:14, “For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.” Something important to notice about this verse is the word that is translated “country.” It means literally “one’s fatherland.” It emphasizes the close attachment that a person has to only one country. For the believer who lives by faith that country is the kingdom of God in heaven.

It says in Hebrews 11:15, “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.” The believers who are given to us as examples did not return to their old life once they started the life of faith in God. That should be true or every believer, but unfortunately is not. God’s will is that you believe in Christ, start following Christ, and continue to follow Him for the rest of your life. Of course, you will have to confess your sins daily in order to continue to follow Him. It is a terrible thing when someone turns back who claims to have benefited from the death of Christ. That is why it says in Hebrews 10:38, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Every Christian should have this attitude: “I am marching to Zion. I will not turn back, and I will not give up. No matter what happens, I will continue to walk with Christ and live by faith in Him. No matter who turns against me, I will continue to turn towards Christ. Even if I lose those whom I love, I will continue to seek the One who is Love. If I fail, I will confess my sins so that I can stay in fellowship with Him. This I will do by the grace of God all the days of my life.”

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:16, “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” Those who have faith will never be satisfied with this world. They will always “desire a better country.” Only heaven will satisfy the people of faith. Some people who call themselves Christians spend too much time and effort trying to change the country where they live in this world. If they are Christians, they should spend more time looking forward to the heavenly country. God has “prepared for them a city.”

It says in Hebrews 11:17, “By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.” God had made Abraham a promise concerning a son and concerning descendents. First Abraham was given the promise, and then Abraham was given a trial to see if he believed the promise. The same thing happens even in our generation. A person hears one of God’s promises, and then the question will always be: will that person believe the promise? Once they believe, their faith will be tried. It always happens that way. The Apostle Peter wrote in First Peter 4:12, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” If you believe, things will happen to you that you do not expect, and your faith will be greatly tried. Your dreams might be dashed, and the things that are the dearest to you might be taken away. You might lose your health and your money: everything. If that does happens to you, will you still have your faith in Christ?

One of the promises that God gave to Abraham is found in Hebrews 11:18. It says, “Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” The promise was very clear to Abraham, and he believed the promise. Abraham’s reaction to his son being at the point of death is found in Hebrews 11:19 that says, “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

Abraham was tried. He was taken to the point of losing his only son. But Abraham was willing to lose his own son, if that was God’s will. How could Abraham be so willing? Abraham had faith in the promise of God. Abraham was living for God. Abraham’s first priority was to believe and trust God. Obviously Abraham knew that “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away”; and Abraham was willing to trust that the Lord knew what was best. If Abraham’s son was taken away, could not the son also be given back again? Because Abraham had faith, that is exactly what Abraham thought. How have you reacted to the loss of your dreams? Hopefully you have reacted with faith, knowing that God can even raise someone from the dead, if it is his will. Of course, this is God’s will: life is temporary. Have faith in Christ, and you will have the life that is permanent. Have faith in God and you will be comforted even in the face of the greatest sorrows that this life can bring.

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