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"By faith Abraham, when he was tested..."

Text: Hebrews 11:17

FAITH IS UNAFRAID OF TESTING

Faith enables a person to have such a firm trust in God, that there is no fear of being tested. Abraham was certainly tested in his faith.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed
shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up,
even from the dead, from which he also received him in a
figurative sense.”
Hebrews 11:17-19

1. By faith Abraham, when he was tested offered up Isaac

This test was recorded in Genesis 22. It was a profoundly difficult test of his faith in God and His promise! God had asked if Abraham would offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Unflinchingly, Abraham offered his beloved son to God.

a) Abraham had received God’s promise that Isaac would be his heir.

b) Yet God now asked if he would offer Isaac up as a sacrifice.

c) It would take a deep faith to be able to pass this test. Abraham had that faith.

2. Concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead

How did Abraham come to possess such a deep faith in the Lord?

a) Abraham’s knowledge of God had grown significantly.

b) That deepening knowledge of God had also resulted in a deeper faith.

c) What were some of the things he believed about God?

i) He believed in “The LORD” (Cf. Genesis 14:22b).

ii) This LORD was “God Most High” (Cf. Genesis 14:22c)

iii) He was “Possessor of heaven and earth” (Cf. Genesis 14:22d)

d) He had come to believe with all his heart that there was nothing too hard for this God he owned as his Lord (Cf. Genesis 18:14).

e) Even if Isaac were to die (through being sacrificed) God could raise him from the dead.

d) In Abraham’s mind, Isaac had already died, and he now received him figuratively.