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Home > Resources > Sermons > Hebrews

The Test of Faith

Hebrews 11:17-22

September 30, 2001

 

I do not know if I've ever heard anyone say, "It's easy to live the Christian life." I'm sure that I would give such a person a furled brow look, and retort with sharp comments! For all of us understand that living the Christian life is not a cakewalk. Tests and trials, within and without, seem to follow us throughout our Christian lives. Inward weaknesses with personality, emotions, and natural fears try the strength of our faith. External situations involving testy people and brutal conflicts that we have seen in recent days strain our resolve of faith. But sometimes the tests come in a different manner: God commands and we struggle to obey. By this I do not mean some subjective command that we sense, though that is applicable, but I refer to the clear, undiluted commands of God in his Word. We do not grasp the ways of God so we react to his demands. We realize that to obey him will single us out among our peers, which also might create a whispering campaign or some kind of adversity in relationships. And so our faith is tested.

 

Tests will come. Peter tells us not to think it strange at the "fiery ordeal" that tests us so that we might "share the sufferings of Christ" and have increased joy at the thought of the return of Christ (I Pet 4:12-13). James tells us that we are blessed if we are under trials (Jas 1:12). Paul goes so far as to exhort us to rejoice in our tribulations because of what they accomplish in us as we stand by faith in the grace of God (Rom 5:1-5). The author of Hebrews does not disagree with any of the other biblical writers regarding tests and trials; he just wants us to understand that when the believer is tested, whether by the Word or by inward weaknesses or by external circumstances, so is his faith. And when faith is tested it is always a call to look to the Lord and discover his sufficiency.

 

"By faith Abraham, when he was tested," reminds us that the life of faith can never be described as "a bed of roses." Testing accompanies faith. It happened with the ancient Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph; and testing will accompany our own exercise of faith. But where does the testing originate? Here is the case of another verb ("he was tested") as a divine passive. Though the secondary cause of the testing might be any number of people or circumstances, the ultimate originator is the Lord.

 

Nineteenth century Scottish pastor, John Brown, offers a good perspective on God testing his people:

When we speak of God's trying men, we are not to suppose that He needs to discover by experiment what is their real character. He knows what is in them before the trial, he knows beforehand what will be the effect of the trial; but He thus makes men's characters known to themselves and to their fellowmen, for ends worthy of His own infinite wisdom, righteousness, and kindness. It also deserves to be noticed that the means, which God employs to prove His people, are fitted to improve them. The means He employs to discover the good that is in them are calculated to increase and perfect it; the means He employs to discover the evil that is in them are calculated to lessen and destroy it [Hebrews, 521].

In the certainty of tests upon our faith, believers discover the Lord to be sufficient. How are we to walk through the tests of faith? Consider the examples of our text as directions for walking through the test of faith.

 

1. When faith is tested, believe in God's Word.

 

This paragraph in Hebrews 11 identifies four of the primary characters of Genesis, and the men most looked upon as the patriarchs of the ancient people of God. Their biographies in Genesis record the lives of men who knew God, struggled through tests, and endured in their faith. That seems to be the intent of our present writer. He wants us to grasp that knowing the Lord means that you will face trials and tests, but through the Lord you can and will endure. The theme of perseverance that pervades this epistle is now wrapped in the sleeve of faith. For at the heart of perseverance is the exercise of faith.

 

Our writer identifies the greatest crisis point of Abraham's life to help us learn to anchor ourselves in the revelation of God. "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"." As mentioned earlier, the verb phrase, "he was tested," is written in the passive voice that demands that the subject of the verb (Abraham) is being acted upon by the action of the verb (tested). In other words, Abraham did not create the test or design it or ask for it; he just entered into it. Bible students call this a divine passive, since the implication is that God is the one who was testing Abraham.

 

To complicate matters, Abraham had waited for years for the birth of his son, Isaac, through Sarah. He was a hundred year old dad and she a ninety-year old mother! All of God's future promises to Abraham were bound up in Isaac, thus our text points out, "In Isaac your descendants shall be called." Now the command of God came to him. It was clear, certain, and without question that the Lord told him to offer up his son as a sacrifice. Abraham faced two major issues: one, this was totally out of character for the Lord to command a human sacrifice. That had never been done before in the worship of Yahweh. It was not totally uncommon in the pagan, idolatrous religions, but completely outside the worship of the Lord. Yet Abraham was certain that God had spoken to sacrifice his son. Second, if Isaac died then all the promised blessings were off. There would be no future generations descended from Abraham according to the promise of God. Yet he was certain that God had spoken to him.

 

Both of the issues flew in the face of everything Abraham understood about God's character and promises. But God had spoken; and Abraham would obey. The suggestion of the text is that his obedience was immediate, for as the Genesis record tells us, the next morning after receiving the command, he rose early, took along a couple of servants, the wood for the sacrifice, and his son, and headed to Mt. Moriah. He probably did not tell Sarah what he was doing. He just obeyed the Lord. God had spoken; he must obey. One thing for sure that he knew about the Lord, we need to learn. He knew that the ways of God were not his own ways. Philip Hughes explains, "Our restricted human horizons incapacitate us for passing judgment on the thoughts and the ways of God" [The Epistle to the Hebrews, 482]. Though his understanding of God was tested and strained by the divine command, Abraham trusted in God as he had revealed himself, even when every fiber of his being shouted for him to do otherwise.

 

Here is the point our writer is making: when your faith is tested-and it will be-find an anchor for your soul through believing in God's Word. Abraham could endure the greatest trial of his life because he knew the Word of God was sure, and that he could stand upon what God has spoken even when he could answer all of the "whys" running through his mind. What has God spoken regarding the situation you face? It may be that you stare death in the face; then be reminded, "even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me" (Ps 23:4). It may be that you sit waiting the outcome of a dread situation-like those of the eight Christians jailed in Afghanistan, then remember, "Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident." And why is this so? "The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall if fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?" (Ps 27:1-3). And when you encounter the strains of life, within and without, wondering if you can keep going as a Christian, recall those immortal words of Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"

 

If we are to find great strength with God in the day of trial, then we must spend much time in the Word of God before the trials come. Otherwise the trials catch us off guard and our faith weakens in the fray. Believe in God's Word.

 

2. When faith is tested, rejoice in God's power.

 

Abraham calculated every angle of what God had commanded him to do. Though it made no sense to him, Abraham understood that he was not God. My brethren, that is a truth that must sink in upon us as well! "Every word of God is tested," the wise man tells us, so He therefore "is a shield to those who take refuge in Him" (Prov 30:5). As he analyzed the situation, Abraham was able to rejoice in the Lord's power to raise the dead, if God required him to sacrifice Isaac. "He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type." How could Abraham be so resolute in obeying the word of the Lord? "He considered" is a key to understanding this. The word implies that he gave thought to the One making the command; he looked upon the evidence of God's kindness and power. He thought of those attributes of God he had witnessed in nature and more especially, he had come to understand by means of the divine revelation to him. God's mercy and grace he knew from the divine call to leave Ur of the Chaldeans to enter the land of Canaan. God's power he grasped as he was delivered from Egypt, and conquered the four kings in ancient Syria. God's sovereign reign he saw as he met the mysterious Melchizedek king of Salem and gave tithes. God's faithfulness he knew as he waited for years to see the promise ripen of the birth of Isaac. He understood the consistency of the Lord. He knew that the Lord was the one who had made the covenantal promises to him, and that the Lord would surely keep them just as surely as he is God. That is why by faith he could say to the servants as he left to go to the place of sacrifice, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you" (Gen 22:5, italics added). Because he thought long and hard upon the power of God, Abraham did not expect to walk back down that mountain alone.

 

What are your thoughts of the Lord during a time of trial and testing? That will tell you a lot about what you have been thinking about God when things are calm. We have seen a remarkable interest in praying to God in the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, much of it has been done without a clear knowledge of the Eternal God who can be known only through Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-22). Some of the people who have called out to God in trouble have cursed him, ignored him, and laughed at him during times of calmness. Those who have mocked his name by discounting his power and might, made fun of his clear revelation concerning the sinfulness of men, and denied that salvation is only through the God-Man, Jesus Christ, need to reconsider their thoughts about God. The God we know when things are calm becomes multiplied to us when trials beset us. If he is a weak, anemic, puny excuse for God when we all appears calm, then how will we know the power, grace, might, and strength of God when things get tough?

 

Abraham "considered that God is able to raise people from the dead" because he had exercised his mind upon the Lord God for years before the trial came. What have you been thinking of the Lord God in recent days? Have your fears increased because God has been little in your thoughts and discussions in prior weeks and months? A tested faith is able to rejoice in God's power, and might, and grace, and peace, because it is in the revelation of God through Christ that faith finds its anchor in the day of trial.

 

One other note on Abraham is mentioned: "from which he also received him back as a type [parable]." Abraham's obedience to the Lord as he left his home for Mt. Moriah demonstrates that in his mind Isaac was sacrificed and raised from the dead. So every time he looked upon his son in the years that followed, he was reminded of the power of God to raise men from the dead. The "type" or "parable" foreshadows a yet future death and resurrection that would take place in the same vicinity: that of Jesus Christ. Philip Hughes comments, "So dramatic was the sequence of events that it was as though Isaac had died and had been raised up to life again. It is not surprising that from the earliest times this event has been seen by the church as parabolic or typical of the death and resurrection of Christ" [484]. Are we not to look back to that great death and resurrection of Christ, rejoicing in the power of God? Abraham always looked back to Mt. Moriah as he thought of God's power to raise the dead. We look back to the cross and the empty tomb of our Lord as constant reminders of the power of God shown toward us in life and eternity (cf. Rom 6:4-11; 8:12). Rejoice in God's power.

 

3. When faith is tested, trust in God's providence.

 

From Abraham we move to Isaac, the son of promise. "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come." Genesis 27 records the story the author had in mind when giving this brief vignette in Isaac's life to help us understand something of how he exercised faith in the time of testing. Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons, Esau-the firstborn, and Jacob-whose name means "deceiver, trickster, heel-holder." As the firstborn, Esau was due to receive the double inheritance because of his birthright. But due to the immoral nature of Esau, following after his own temporal desires, he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew (Gen 25:27-34).

 

The fatherly blessing given to the eldest son was a transfer of both property and authority, along with an invocation for divine assistance and often a prophetic word for the son. As Isaac neared his death (which actually was many years away), he called for the hunter Esau to kill and prepare wild game for a meal, and then Isaac would give him the fatherly blessing. While Esau was away, Rebekah insisted that Jacob, the farmer, kill a couple of young goats to take the place of the wild game, dress in Esau's odorous garments, and cover his skin with the goat's hide to imitate Esau's hairy body, then present the savory meal to his father and receive the blessing. Jacob balked at the idea-he knew it was dangerous, but his mother insisted. Convinced that this was his opportunity for the blessing, he plunged in with the best acting and lying job he could do.

 

The drama of the scene becomes intense as Isaac asks Jacob to come closer so that he might touch him and see if indeed he was "Esau." "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau," Isaac declared. One more test: Please come close and kiss me, my son." Upon smelling the garments of the outdoor-loving Esau, Isaac broke forth in his blessing:

 

See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed;

Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth,

And an abundance of grain and new wine;

May peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you;

Be master of your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you.

Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you (Gen 27:27-29).

 

Jacob makes his escape, and then Esau comes in, prepares the game, only to find that once again Jacob had tricked him out of what was his by right of birth. When Isaac first heard this he "trembled violently." His reaction was not anywhere close to pleasure! But something happened. Rather than retracting his blessing from Jacob he told Esau, "Yes, and he [Jacob] shall be blessed" (27:33). Conscious of the overruling providence of God in his life in spite of Isaac's best intentions, he accepted that God had greater and different purposes than he had imagined. The blessing had been reversed and given to Jacob. It would remain Jacob's by the good providence of God.

 

What is providence? Our confession states: "God from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and perpetually upholds, directs and governs all creatures and all events; yet so as not in any wise to be the author or approver of sin nor to destroy the free will and responsibility of intelligent creatures" [Abstract of Principles, article IV]. Louis Berkhof explains, "Providence has come to signify the provision which God makes for the ends of His government, and the preservation and government of all His creatures" [Systematic Theology, 165]. In this case, God moved the blessing from Esau to Jacob so that the divine purposes might be preserved. It did not happen as Isaac had planned or Esau had wished, but it happened according to God's providential design.

 

What does this have to do with faith? God still works to direct and govern "all creatures and all events." This means that things happen that we do not desire, cannot necessarily explain, nor fully understand, and yet they happen according to the wise and purposeful plans of God. Our nation is walking through an exercise of providence. Lincoln's second inaugural address given in the midst of the Civil War similarly faced answers he could not give, and commented: "The Almighty has His own purposes" [The World's Great Speeches, 316]. That was belief in providence.

 

What good does it do to trust in God's providence? It gives you an anchor in the wise purposes of God even when you cannot see through to the end. Isaac did not know all that God would work through this "change" in intentions, but he understood that God's ways were wise, good, right, and would result in the greatest glory to His name. When faith is tested-as it certainly is at this time in our lives, trust in God's providence.

 

4. When faith is tested, stand in God's triumph.

 

Jacob had a difficult life. After working through the difficulties with Esau, he spent 14 years laboring for his deceitful father-in-law, Laban, for the hand of his two daughters in marriage. The two of them competed with each other. His children often disappointed him, and his favorite son, Joseph, was presumed dead though had been sold into slavery. After many years Jacob is reunited with Joseph but in doing so has to leave his homeland for Egypt. It was a nice place to visit; but it was not home! But with Joseph as the prime minister of the entire land, and every advantage Egypt offered handed to them, Jacob remained. "By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff." Jacob passed a patriarchal blessing on to Joseph's sons, anticipating the time that they would return home to fulfill the promises of God. But there was another switch; this time intentional by Jacob as he put his right hand upon Ephraim the youngest and left on Manasseh the oldest. The emphasis though is upon the fact that even though they were in Egypt, Jacob blessed his grandsons in light of his faith in God's triumph for his children in the land of promise. Jacob saw something tangible ahead back in the Promised Land, though it was many miles and years away. He believed that God's triumph would see to it that the good promises made to Abraham and reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob would be fulfilled even though they could not see it with their eyes. In addition, Jacob "worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff." He worshiped because of the deep satisfaction he had in the Lord God.

 

Let me capsule these events in two thoughts: the blessing was a future look at God's ultimate triumph; the worship was the present reality of being sustained in God's triumph. Jacob could stand and endure in the certainty of God's triumph over every difficulty, every evil, and every vexation of life.

 

Hope centered in the triumph of Christ looks with satisfaction on the future. Worship centered on the revelation of God through Christ lives with satisfaction in the present. Dark trials may come but triumph is sure because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! We must stand upon that triumph for future hope and present worship. Stand in God's triumph

 

5. When faith is tested, live in God's assurance.

 

Joseph had trusted in the providence and provision of God through all the evil done to him in the lengthy trials of life. He lost much. He faced loneliness. He knew the meaning of suffering unjustly. But God elevated him to a position of authority for the sake of the people of God. Though Joseph's body was in Egypt, his heart was in Canaan-the Land of Promise. "By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones." Spurgeon points out that with all of the grand and exciting events of Joseph's life that demonstrate his great faith, it seems that the most incidental issue of his life is the one this writer chooses to explain his faith. As he prepared to die he gave instructions about his bones for the future Exodus. He did not tell his brethren, "If you make it out of Egypt," rather "God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here" (Gen 50:25). He died with that assurance that God would fulfill his word to his people, and Joseph would be part of that.

 

Sure enough, when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt 400 years after they entered, they carried unleavened bread, gold and jewelry, furniture and cooking pots, and a box of old bones! Those bones were testimony to Joseph's faith as he lived in God's assurance for the future.

 

The Christian message is not simply about this life. It is a message of future hope, the assurance that those Christ purchased through his bloody death on the cross was affirmed forever in the resurrection, and will be forever with the Lord. One day a great Exodus will occur! One day the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and trumpet of God announcing the way, and the Great Exodus will take place for eternity. Do you live with the assurance that you will be part of this divine exodus of the Bride of Christ? If you have that assurance then you can endure through faith, knowing "that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18). Live in God's assurance.

 

Conclusion

 

As you may have noticed, every response of faith is to cast anchor upon the Lord. Believe in God's Word, rejoice in God's power, trust in God's providence, stand in God's triumph, and live in God's assurance. The Patriarchs gave us a good example. Now we who are endowed with the indwelling Holy Spirit, the manifold gifts of grace, and the written, infallible Word of God, must exercise our faith with renewed vigor. For our faith is not a warm feeling or wishful thinking, but a heart obediently fixed upon the God who is and who rewards the ones diligently seeking Him (Heb 11:6). 

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