Abraham's life exemplifies faith as obedience to God's call, even when the destination is unknown. When God called Abraham to leave his homeland and go to a place he would later inherit, Abraham obeyed by faith, sojourning as a stranger in the promised land. This demonstrates that true faith involves trusting God's promises and looking beyond earthly circumstances to a heavenly city, whose builder and maker is God. The sermon encourages believers to separate themselves from the ungodly world and fix their eyes on eternal glory, following Abraham's example of faith and obedience.
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a great chapter upon the pathway of faith. Hebrews chapter eleven has been a great joy and a personal blessing to my own heart and to my conscience. To follow this little study, though we may not be able to terminate the whole chapter in the time before us ahead, but nevertheless God has given to us already some of the most precious lessons that we can follow and seek to obey. We come tonight to the representation of Abraham's testimony. We begin in chapter eleven, we read at verse eight, if you please, and read only through verse ten.
By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should have to 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 or tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. for he looked for a city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God.
There's much more to be found, as we shall later on, God willing, regarding Abraham and his testimony of faith. But as this is the opening portion of it, before we come to the next division, which mentions particularly his wife, Sarah, and then goes on to tell further, later on, more of Abraham's pathway of faith. But we have noted very carefully, and I trust you follow the outline, sincerely and with blessing, Abel, the testimony of the believer when he first and she first finds the Lord, brought into relationship with God by faith.
in the blessed Lamb of God who shed his precious blood for our redemption. And what a beautiful picture that the first one of whom we read in Genesis chapter four, who approached God, came to him and presented a lamb as his sacrifice for acceptance. Then we have the joy of singing, following that, the example of Enoch, so typical of the continuous on the path of faith that should be ours. May I still repeat with no apology? God's emphasis on continuing on when we first begin our walk in the path of faith.
Again, let me repeat, no apology for the repetition. We began the path of faith when the Lord Jesus was received as our Savior, and we came under His precious light. Ena continues. And we think of the testimony of Ena. What a testimony it was in the continuance that he showed. He was not undoubtedly saved until maybe the age of sixty-five when he came into relationship with God. But for three hundred years following, he walked with God. And he had the testimony that we read about throughout those three hundred years.
He pleased God. And God was so favored by the walk he had with Enoch, he took him to heaven without dying. Then we followed in the testimony of Noah last week. And we found Noah had a testimony. And please let me be reminded, Noah was living in the days of Enoch. Then Enoch knew the conditions of those days before the flood. There were days of great lawlessness and wickedness and departure from God. In fact, as we learned last week and saw and know, God even repented that he had made man, and thus he planned in judgment the great flood.
But Noah walked with God, as did Enoch, and found grace in the sight of the Lord. And as we read of his testimonies, God spoke to him of things to come, meaning the judgment of the flood. God forewarned him what was going to happen, what he was about to do. And even though Noah had to wait one hundred and twenty years before that prophecy was fulfilled, he was a preacher of righteousness, acknowledging that he knew that some great disaster was coming and innate preparation. By building the ark.
And thank God the ark was built according to the architecture of God's plans for his delivery. As God gave him the plan and told him how to build it. And he said he did not save the world. In fact the world was lost. But just himself and his wife together with his three sons and their wives. A total of eight persons. coming out of the greatest factor of the flood of life to replenish the earth. But let's not forget the testimony by which God said he condemned the world.
All the time he was building, all the time he was thus preaching, whether by example or by lip, he was condemning the world. He had notified them. He had warned them of the judgment to come. And, beloved, I think you and I can take a lesson from that. How the dear ones that we meet day by day, the loved ones that may be in our families, who are still unsaved, to warn them of the danger of being not ready when the Lord comes. Even the Lord Jesus used Noah as a great example of his second coming, as it was in the days of Noah.
So shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage until when the flood came and what happened? It took them all away. My beloved, let me say in humbling but earnestly, think of the disaster that's coming upon the unsaved world at the coming again of the Lord Jesus to the earth. All the unsaved will be taken away. I say it humbly, but I think that, and I'm sure, to my estimation, the Scripture concludes it, and proves it, and declares it.
When the Lord comes back to the earth in His power and glory to set up His kingdom, He will separate the godly from the ungodly. Read Matthew twenty-five, thirty-one through forty-six, that is often called the judgment of the living nation. and some go into everlasting life others go into everlasting destruction when the Lord completes his judgment it's going to be a great separation upon the earth and there'll be great mourning in that day that the Lord does visit in judgment and so we need to encourage one another not only to pray but to testify to those unsaved the coming of the law draws nigh I think of the words that James when he wrote the coming of the law draws nigh she even added the judge standeth at the door and that's a long time ago when he wrote it what shall we say even now now we come in our reading tonight to Abraham there's much as indicated by the context that follows down further in the chapter regarding the
testimony of Abraham. But what is the lesson we can and should be learning from Abraham's testimony as he begins saying, By faith, they have the same beginning you and I do, as we know from Genesis chapter sixteen, as one is from Romans chapter four. By faith he was saying, and by faith And his faith was counted for righteousness because he believed God. He took God at his word. And we're reading now, please note in our text, we begin reading it, verse eight. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should, after vow, afterward receive foreign inheritance, he obeyed.
And he went out. not knowing whither he went. We know from our scripture in the book of Genesis as you come to the end of chapter eleven and the opening of chapter twelve in the book of Genesis. God called Abraham and separated him from the then known world of hedonism and idolatry. Some of you may remember Genesis chapter ten, one of the most infamous times, even after the flood, when men began to build a tower to reach heaven and take authority, as it were, over the earth, instead of allowing God to continue in it.
May I be reminded what Romans one chapter tells us, when they knew God. They acknowledge another's gone. They disobeyed him. And so great was their rebellion. He gave them up. You may remember Genesis ten. They started to build a tower of Babel in the days of Nimrod. And you know, it says in the scripture of chapter ten of Genesis, Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord. And what it means Now he was just a natural hunter, but he was a mighty rebel. The word Babel has gone on through the centuries in its spirit and in its manifestation in the world.
You find the same thing in Revelation, rather, chapter seventeen. Another Babylon is going to be manifested. revelling against God. And you can call it the false church, if you will. For it really is that. Plus all whatever may be joined with it in that coming day in the Great Tribulation. But in that day of Babel, God came down from heaven and looked upon it. And you read the words. God said, Let us go down and see what they're doing. As they began the building of the Tower of Babel, And the earth was only of one language at that time.
And you remember how God went down and confused them by developing the different languages that they never had heard of before. So that they could not understand one another when they talked. And even following it, they were still in idolatry. Now let me please emphasize. Abraham was living under those same conditions in the country where we lived in Mesopotamia and other countries similarly around them in complete idolatry. They have their gods and they worship them and they acknowledge them.
But Abraham was called out of them. His lesson for you and for me is a call to separation. from all that is in ungodly in the character of the world around us. Now notice what we read. I want you to notice by faith Abraham when he was called. May I pause for just a moment and remind you who called him. Have you ever read the seventh chapter of the book of Acts? When Stephen gave his defense to the same even as Jerusalem. And they brought him before them, opposing his preaching and his teaching.
And what did Stephen do? He gave the history of the nation, beginning with Abraham. And he began by saying, Your Father, our Father Abraham, he was called out of the country where we want, and by who? The Lord of Glory. Or the God of Glory, he was called by Stephen. The God of Glory called him. My beloved, can I emphasize to your heart as well as to mine? He's not, our Lord Jesus is sometimes called in the word, the Lord of Glory.
Who is it that saved us? As did Abel find, so you and I have. Who is it that Enoch walked with? The same one you and I know. Who is it that Noah obeyed? The same one that you and I should be obeying. And who is it that Abraham obeyed? The God of glory. And the God of glory called him. Now please note to what he called him. How strange to realize the character of his call. May I be reminded before going further, as we read at the end of chapter eleven of the book of Genesis.
God called him out of the country. He called him out of the nation. He called him out of the relationship. He called him even out of his own family to be separated. I want you to follow me. I want to separate you from myself. And if you please read on, when he was called out to go into a place which he should after receive for inheritance, he obeyed the obedience of his calls. How great it is to realize it.
How did he obey it? By faith. He didn't even know where he was going. Literally. You know it in the end, the rest of that verse. He went out, not knowing whither he went. Well, I'm sure it must have been very strange. When he started on his journey, if anyone may have asked him, and possibly did, where you going, Abraham? I don't know. Well, why are you going? The God of Glory called me.
Who is he? Well, my beloved, I'll tell you one thing. Who called you and me? Who brought you and I to the Savior? The God of Glory. And it may not have been that we knew where we were going. I tell you, one thing I did know when the Lord saved me before he saved me, I knew where I was headed for. And that was hell. I had learned enough from the preaching of the Word of God and the teaching of it that anyone without Christ the Savior was bound for a lost eternity.
But I had no thought of all the inheritance to which I was going. Abraham didn't even know what his narrative was going to be, except the Lord said, I'm going to give it to you. I'm going to give it to you. And there's one sure thing. God keeps his word, does he not? And so on he went, not knowing whether he was going and where he was going. But God told me to go. You know that state, isn't it? Taking God, what is faith really? Taking God is Word.
At the beginning of our chapter, faith is the substance, the thing, hopeful, the evidence of things not seen. And through faith, we understand that the world were framed by what? The Word of God. I believe what God says. He made the world. He spoke. And everything came into being. According to his words. Until when you and I were saved. This was a step of faith. My beloved me. I indeed emphasize. It never should be anything less than a continuation on the path of faith.
And for Abraham. Not knowing whether he was going. And where? He obeyed. Well, there's one thing about it. He had confidence in what God said. I'll lead you. And off he went. And then as we noticed, yes, I don't mind saying it. What a joy to realize. He submitted to God's promise. But no, God made a promise. When he was called to go out to this place which he should after, God says, I'll give it to you for an inheritance. And he believed God.
He trusted him by faith. And he went out not knowing whither he went. My beloved, let me say this. Go with me to second Corinthians, if you please. I'd like to read a portion in chapter six. which is indeed the plain application for you and for me today. The sixth chapter of Second Corinthians, I'd like to read near the end of that chapter, beginning at verse fourteen. It is the believer's path of separation from all that is around in the world.
Now beloved, do you believe what the Bible says about the world? Let me just emphasize again, the Lord Jesus called Satan the Prince of this world more than once. And he himself acknowledged that he was running it when Satan offered him the kingdoms of the world and he refused to accept them from him. But Paul the Apostle wrote it that Satan is the God of this age too. And John the Apostle wrote these words about the world. Love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world.
For all that is in the world. The lust of the flesh, the desires of the flesh. The lust of the eyes and the pride of life. is none of the fatherhood of the world. And the world passes away and the lusts they love. My beloved, let me emphasize, just as Abraham was told, I'm taking you out from where you were. That's exactly what God's doing for you and me, fellow believers. Are you looking forward to going out? lighting of the words of Paul as we had them in Thessalonians, first Thessalonians, chapter one at the end on that first chapter.
We wait for our Lord to come from heaven. Even Jesus, our deliverer from the wrath to come. And what a joy to know. As Galatians one three says, our Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sin that he might deliver us out of this present evil world. I tell you one thing, it's in the book, all right, for a believer. When God saves a believer, he doesn't save them to keep them in the world. He saves them to take them, saves them to take them to heaven. Far better place.
No wonder John says, as he wrote, Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world. And all that's in the world can be comprised of two things. Love, wanting what I want, whether with mine eyes or with my heart. And then when I have it, proud, lust and pride. Please, may I say, have you read your newspapers? Have you hear the news of the world? Don't you find manifested those two things, lust and pride? Nothing more than I do not have. And going after it. Proud when I get it. But here in St.
Corinthians chapter six. Beginning at verse fourteen. I want you to follow me carefully. We're told. Let me read verse fourteen. Then go down the chapter to the end. Being on unequally yoked. Together with unbelievers. For what fellowship? My beloved, let me ask you that before I go further for the meaning of the word fellowship, where does your fellowship and mine belong? Not in the world. I know my Bible from the words of the Lord Jesus in John seventeen and verse three. This is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
And then the words of John in his first epistle, chapter one. Our fellowship, if you wrote to Christians, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son. My beloved, when you and I were saved, we were brought into fellowship with the Father and with his Son. Now let's read on with these words, telling it in warning. Do ye not unequally yoke, go along together with unbelievers. Those who haven't received Christ. For what fellowship? How can we enjoy them and they enjoy us? For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness?
You go along together. And then further, what common communion has light? You know this. When light comes, darkness frees. And when darkness comes, light goes out. And what concord of agreement has Christ with Deliah or Beliah? The word Beliah is the name given in the Old Testament for a man of rebellion against the Lord. And what agreement and what harmony can you and I have with an unsafe person that results against the Lord? I don't want to go his way.
I don't want to be like him. And read on, what part have he the believer? with an infidel. Oh, one can recognize the Christian's walk is in fellowship with God. And then verse sixteen, what agreement hath the temple of God with idol? For note, he goes on to say, Ye are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people. My beloved, can I please, let me emphasize again, as in the case of Abraham's testimony, the believer has been separated for God.
And I'm sure we all, each one of us can give a testimony. There are times of testing where we refuse to go along. Because God is the... But we... Please note the name. We are the temple. And it means the shrine. The holy place where God dwells. We are the temple of the living God. And note the word God has said, I will dwell in them. Oh, beloved, I'm sure that you and I must agree. What a difference between a saved person and an unsaved.
and the world, and we should walk, and I will dwell in them, and note, I will walk in them, I will be their God, they shall be my people. Now what's the responsibility? Verse seventeen, wherefore, come out, come among them, and be ye separate, set the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing. I will receive you, and note, this is the blessing, the compensation, I will be a father unto you. Ye should be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. May I put it this way?
It's separation not just from, but better still, it's separation unto God. In other words, to get closer in my heart to him and walk with him. Then let me illustrate it again with Enoch, as well as Noah. It was an unclean, wicked world all around them, and God destroyed every bit of it except the family of Noah. But they walked separately from it, even though they had a testimony that it continued to show, as did Noah to the then known world, condemning it by its testimony.
So you and I, all have the comfort of knowing. He says, I want you to enjoy me as your father. Now look, it makes no difference what may be the circumstances. If you're a child of God, you're his child. And the father is saying, I want to prove myself a real father to you. I want to be a father unto you. that you may be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord. And note chapter seven and verse one in closing this section. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Can you please give the testimony that I heard many years ago? I think it was back in nineteen thirty-three perhaps, the thirty-fourth. Down in Mississippi, of a dear old Christian lady, a Christian widow, many years, much in age, her husband had been dead sometimes. But she gave me her testimony that I'd never forgotten. Her husband was an unbeliever. But she followed the Lord as best she could. She knew the Lord and loved him. And her attendance at the church meeting was regular and faithful.
But her husband was indifferent to all the things of God. And never went along with her. But on one occasion late in her life. He said, you're not going to church anymore. He said, I forbid you to go. She told me these words I'll never forget. I looked at my husband and what she said was undoubtedly true. She said, husband, I've obeyed you in everything you've asked me to do for you. But when you come between me and my God, I refuse.
Well, fortunately he yielded to her statement, didn't go on opposing her on that particular thing. But I never will forget, she was praying for his salvation. And she told me he wasn't saved until he was on his dying bed. And I heard his confession on his dying bed of trusting Christ. What do you think that dear old Christian told me? A good old-fashioned Methodist that she'd want. She said, I went around the dead side, praising God and clapping my hands. He was saved.
He was saved. Because I knew if he was saved, I knew where he would be going. Oh, beloved, there's no question of doubt. She had a real test, and others have a similar test oftentimes. They made God up as the real. God said, I'll be a father to you. I'll take care of you. I'll bring you through. And our precious it is to know that God never fails. David, as the old hymn writer has said, David, trust him wholly. We'll find him wholly true. But now let's read on. Go back to our chief chapter in Hebrews again and see how Abraham obeyed, not knowing whether he went.
Now know verse nine. By faith he sojourned. He traveled in the land of promise. What do you know? He was a stranger in the very place that God said, I'm going to give you. As in a strange country, living where, in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. Look, he was living in the land that God said, I'm going to give it to you. But he was a stranger. He didn't even know You know the only real estate that Abraham owned in that land of Canaan? It was a cave to bury his wife in. Max Pilate was the name of it.
And he bought it. There he was. By God, God telling him, I'm going to give you the whole land. But he only never owned any real estate in it, except the cave he bought for the burying of his wife. And take that. Well, what a joy to realize it. So did Isaac. So did Jacob. They were heirs with him of the same promise. But now I want you to notice the compensation. Abraham had a good set of eyes. I mean spiritual eyes. The eyes of his heart. For he looked for a city which has foundations whose builder and maker...
is gone. Now please let me re-emphasize as the whole chapter done. All these in their testimony were heroes of faith. Thy faith. Thy faith. These things took place. Thy faith. These things they knew. What helped him? He was looking beyond this wall. What? He was looking beyond this world. If you don't believe it, read John chapter eight in verse fifty-six, where Jesus said to the Pharisees, Your father Abraham, look to see my day.
He saw it and he was glad. They marveled at the Lord. In fact, they took up stones to stone him. You're not even fifty years old. When did you see Abraham? Look. Abraham saw that Christ, the Messiah, was coming. The eyes of his heart believed it. More than that. The city of God, the great new Jerusalem above, the heaven of Jerusalem. See, look for that city. Beloved, where are your eyes? Don't let them be on your troubles, on the condition of the world, or upon the world itself. Keep your eyes in heaven.
Beloved Lord, what a great joy it is to have good eyes like that. Eyes of separation. And he kept his eyes upon him. And he believed God. They believed God. They rested in faith. And they followed in faith. And may I say later on, just a few verses down, you read that all that the Apostle writes about, these all died in faith. They believed God. They continued to believe his word. And when they were dying, they still believed him. Well, that's a good testimony, isn't it? So I pray that the Lord will help you and help me to have a testimony like that.
As did Abraham, a testimony of separation with the heart of the eyes and the eyes of the heart, fixed upon the eternal glory. Oh, my beloved, let me say this. Five minutes in heaven will more than conference date. All your years upon us. Shall we pray? Oh, beloved Father, we thank you for these examples of faith. We need them. We have our own difficulties. We have our own problems. We face the same enemy that they did.
And we ask thee, Lord Jesus, please help us to follow their obedience of faith. And Lord, we just ask thee, by thy help through the Spirit, help us to be strangers and pilgrims in this world. Well, did one write, I am a stranger here within a foreign land. My home is far away upon a golden strand. and battle it to be of realms beyond the sea. I'm here on business for my king. This is my story. O be ye reconciled to God.
And we thank thee for the testimony of Abraham. He went out, not knowing whither he went, because God called him. And we bow in worship that you ever called us. And we bow humbly but earnestly to asking, Help us to be stronger in faith, even in the greatest of all obstacles. Like I, dear servant Paul, when he stood on that ship there was to be wrecked. And God told him that he all would be saved. He said, I believe God that it shall be even as he had told me.
We think of self, how do you want to we pray again so we get saved, Lord? Give us faith. Lord, we know you can save them. We know if they're not saved, you can save them. And we pray your will. And we thank you for the Holy Spirit, who is in the world to convict and convert. May he do his work, we pray. For those for whom we pray without Christ. So Lord, we just pray, may these examples of faith encourage our own heart and cheer our own spirits and increase our faith. In the name of the Lord Jesus, for his glory.
Amen. Thank you for what a joy to be able to be in the faith,