The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is now studying the heroes of faith found in the Bible. In Hebrews 11, we find a remarkable chapter that introduces us to a cloud of witnesses, individuals who exemplified extraordinary faith. However our study will go beyond Hebrews 11 and include the lives of others that are examples of the blessings of having faith in God.
Throughout this Bible study, we will delve into the lives of these individuals, examining the specific trials they endured, the faith principles they embraced, and the lessons we can learn from their examples. Our goal is not merely to admire their accomplishments but to understand the underlying principles that fueled their faith and to apply those principles to our own lives.
As we explore the lives of these faith heroes, we will discover that faith is not merely a belief; it is a dynamic force that empowers us to overcome obstacles, persevere through difficulties, and live a life of purpose.
We start with Abraham (whose name was Abram before God changed it), because the Bible says that God called Abraham righteous because he simply believed and had faith in Him and His promises.
Meaning of name: Abram means “exalted father.” Abraham means “father of a great number.”
Key references for understanding Abraham's lineage include:
Genesis 5: This chapter contains a genealogy from Adam to Noah.
Genesis 10: This chapter provides a genealogy of the nations descended from Noah's sons.
Genesis 11: This chapter introduces Terah, Abraham's father, and his brothers.
Ancestry and family life: Abraham was the tenth generation from Noah. He was descended from Shem, one of Noah’s sons and his father was Terah. Abram had two brothers and married his half-sister, Sarai.
Genesis 11:27-32 NIV [27] This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. [28] While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.( Ur of the Chaldeans is a city mentioned in the Bible as the birthplace of Abraham. It is believed to be located in southern Mesopotamia, which is now part of modern-day Iraq,Ur of the Chaldeans is a city mentioned in the Bible as the birthplace of Abraham. It is believed to be located in southern Mesopotamia, which is now part of modern-day Iraq) [29] Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. [30] Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. [31] Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. [32] Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
We know that Abraham’s father and grandfather worshiped false gods.
Joshua 24:2-4 NIV [2] Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. [3] But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, [4] and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.
Originally, Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldeans. This was where God originally called Abram (Acts 7:2-3).
Abraham was quite wealthy and had many servants.
Genesis 13:2: "Abraham was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold." This explicitly states his material possessions.
Training and occupation: Some scholars believe that Abraham was a merchant. He evidently had great wealth. He was probably familiar with shepherding since he had many flocks and herds (Genesis 13:2). From the biblical account, it seems that Abraham is wise and well-educated.
Abraham occupies an extremely important place in history. A large number of the people and people groups in the world are descended directly from him.
Abraham is the ancestor of the Hebrews, Arabs, Edomites, and many other tribes like the Midianites.
Genesis 16:1-16: Ishmael is born to Abraham and Hagar, a servant of Sarah. Ishmael is considered the ancestor of the Arab people. The Quran also identifies Ishmael as an important figure in Islamic tradition.
Other Descendants
Genesis 25:1-11: Abraham has other sons with Keturah after Sarah's death. These sons are often associated with various tribes and peoples in the region, including the Edomites and Midianites.
The world repeatedly showed itself to be rebellious and sinful. God first sent the flood and then scattered the nations and confused their languages, but people still didn’t repent.
Genesis 6:11-13 NIV [11] Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. [12] God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. [13] So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
Genesis 11:1-9 NIV [1] Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. [2] As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. [3] They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. [4] Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” [5] But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. [6] The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. [7] Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” [8] So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. [9] That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Therefore God chose one man, one family, and one nation out of the world and from that point on (until Christ’s death) dealt primarily with that nation. God established His covenant with Abraham.
This covenant was first given in Genesis 12 and reaffirmed in chapter 18.
Genesis 12:1-3 – Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 18:19 – For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
why God chose Abraham.
Faith: Abraham's unwavering faith in God was a key factor. He demonstrated his trust in God's promises even when they seemed impossible, such as when he was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Obedience: Abraham consistently obeyed God's commands, even when they were difficult or counterintuitive. His willingness to follow God's will marked him as a faithful servant.
Hebrews 11:8-12 NIV [8] By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. [9] By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. [10] For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. [11] And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. [12] And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Genesis 22
Despite the immense emotional turmoil and the seemingly impossible task, Abraham prepared to obey God's command. It was only at the last moment, as Abraham was about to raise the knife, that an angel intervened and stopped him.he story of Abraham and Isaac is a powerful illustration of faith and obedience. When God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham obeyed without hesitation, demonstrating his deep trust and devotion. However, God intervened at the last moment, providing a ram as a substitute for Isaac.
James 2:23: "And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.' And he was called a friend of God."
More importantly, in a very real sense, Abraham is the spiritual father of all believers, all Christians.
Romans 4:16-17 NIV [16] Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. [17] As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
Romans 9:6-9 NIV [6] It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. [7] Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” [8] In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. [9] For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
Galatians 3:7-9 NIV [7] Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. [8] Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” [9] So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
These passages highlight the idea that Christians, regardless of their physical ancestry, can become spiritual heirs of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. This spiritual lineage is seen as a fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that "in you shall all the nations be blessed" (Genesis 12:3).
Abraham is not only an Old Testament figure since he is also mentioned sixty-seven times in the New Testament. Many of these use Abraham as an example of faith and the fact that God justifies not based on works but based on faith. Abraham is a model of faith for all believers. He is often called the father of the faith.
With Hagar, he followed Sarah’s advice to do things his own way and “help God out.” The result was devastating and consequences still ripple even today.
A key lesson from this event is to be patient and wait for God’s timing.
Psalms 27:14 – Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Consider a time when you took matters into your own hands rather than waiting for God’s timing. What was the result? What is a situation in your life today that is hard to wait for? What can help you learn to wait for His timing?
Faith was Abraham’s most outstanding quality. Although he failed at times, he often showed amazing faith.
Genesis 16:2-3 – And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.
Reflect – What are some examples from his life where he showed great faith?
Note: God’s first command recorded to Abram.
Genesis 12:1 – Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
God said to go to the land that “I will show you.” Abram had to leave everything he knew behind including his home. That might not be so difficult if you have a great destination in mind. But Abram didn’t even yet know where he would be going. The first step was “go” and there was not yet a “where.” If the Lord asked you to move away from your home, your first question would probably be, “Where?”
Abram trusted that the Lord would guide him safely and show him the way. The Lord doesn’t always tell us what to do ten steps away, but He does make the next step clear. Abram’s faith helped him obey and follow God’s leading step-by-step
Here are two examples of
Abraham’s faith.
He took the leftover land and let Lot have the good land even though he was the elder and had the right to choose.
Abraham believed God’s promise that he would have a son in his old age.
He also trusted that God would provide a sacrifice in place of Isaac.
Though there were moments of doubt, the general trajectory of his life was belief in the impossible.
He was willing to sacrifice Isaac, believing that God would raise him from the dead.
In each case, we see that his faith resulted in obedience. This reminds us of the truth taught in James that faith and works are connected.
James 2:26 – For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Worshipful – Abraham continually built alters to God and gave him glory and praise (Genesis 12:8, 22:9). This showed his dependence upon God for everything in his life.
Genesis 12:8 NIV [8] From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 22:9 NIV [9] When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
Tithing Abraham is the first person in the Bible who is recorded as tithing. God blessed Abraham and multiplied his possessions all the more.
Genesis 14:18-20 NIV [18] Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, [19] and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. [20] And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
If a person is a good steward of what God has given him to manage, then it is likely the Lord will give him more (Luke 19:7).
Persevering in prayer (Genesis 18, 20:17)- Abraham pleaded earnestly with God for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. His prayer in Genesis 18 shows his close relationship with God. It was almost as if he was bargaining with God. Yet the Lord did not blame him for it. Abraham did act as a friend of God in his prayers. Abraham’s example shows us that God appreciates clear and frank prayers motivated by a love for others.
Most of the people he was interceding for were people he did not know. But his prayer revealed a heart of love and compassion for all people. Not only did he care for them, but he was also zealous in defending God’s own honor and justice. He boldly “stood in the gap” as an intercessory. We should also pray for others with the same boldness and intensity.
Application: God may ask us to leave our comfort zone in order to follow him. This could take many forms. He may ask you to leave your family and country to serve Him. He may ask you to quit your job. He may tell you to share the gospel with somebody when it makes you nervous. He may ask you to befriend another believer or unbeliever and therefore spend less time with your own circle of friends.
Are you ready to make sacrifices, go into the unknown, put complete faith in God, and obey His call? It starts with the small things (Luke 16:10) and as you obey, He will give you more significant responsibilities. What do you think is an area where God is calling you to have faith in Him and leave your comfort zone?
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