Better Promises : WK 4 - TUE
(Hebrews 11:8-16)
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.
All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Sarah being included in the Hall of Faith is kind of funny to me. God came to Abraham and told him that Sarah would have a child. Here was here reaction:
Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” Genesis 18:11-12
God made her and Abraham a promise and she did not believe it at first. She laughed at the idea that an old woman and man could ever produce a child. But the author of Hebrews is clear that at some point, her doubt turned to faith. What could have lead to this change?
The same thing that will move you and I from doubt to faith, focusing on the promises of God. When we look back at what God has done for us in the past, how He has kept His promises, it builds our faith in Him and gives us hope for the future.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.
All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Sarah being included in the Hall of Faith is kind of funny to me. God came to Abraham and told him that Sarah would have a child. Here was here reaction:
Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” Genesis 18:11-12
God made her and Abraham a promise and she did not believe it at first. She laughed at the idea that an old woman and man could ever produce a child. But the author of Hebrews is clear that at some point, her doubt turned to faith. What could have lead to this change?
The same thing that will move you and I from doubt to faith, focusing on the promises of God. When we look back at what God has done for us in the past, how He has kept His promises, it builds our faith in Him and gives us hope for the future.
- How has God kept his promises to you in the past?
- What gives you hope for the future?
- What can you do to keep reminding yourself of God’s promises?
by Pastor Milton Marquez
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