HEBREWS 25


     We will begin this lesson in Hebrews 11:8 "By faith Abraham, when
he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for
an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."

     When God called Abraham to follow Him, Abram [as he was known by
then] lived in Ur of the Chaldees. Abram was not from a God fearing
family. Abram's father had been an idolater. Ur was a city of great
wealth. Abram's family was thought by historians to be very well to
do. Historians say that he probably lived in a house with at least 16
rooms. Abram would never live in a house again. He would wander,
living in tents, looking for a city whose maker is God. Let us look
first at the call God made on Abram. Genesis 12:1 "Now the LORD had
said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred,
and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:"
Genesis 12:4 "So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and
Lot went with him: and Abram [was] seventy and five years old when he
departed out of Haran." The remarkable thing in this to me, is that
God told him to leave his homeland, and he did without even
questioning. Look in the next verses what God promised him. Genesis
17:1 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared
to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me,
and be thou perfect." Genesis 17:2 "And I will make my covenant
between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly." Genesis 17:3
"And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying," Genesis
17:4 "As for me, behold, my covenant [is] with thee, and thou shalt be
a father of many nations."  Genesis 17:5 "Neither shall thy name any
more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of
many nations have I made thee."  Genesis 17:6 "And I will make thee
exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall
come out of thee." These promises to Abraham go much further than just
making him a father of many nations.  It also promises the land of
Israel will be an everlasting inheritance as well. We read in the next
verse, what made Abraham righteous in God's sight. Genesis 15:6 "And
he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

     Hebrews 11:9 "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as
[in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob,
the heirs with him of the same promise:" Hebrews 11:10 "For he looked
for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God."

     The important thing in all of this is that Abraham believed God.
This is the most important thing in our life as well. We must stop
looking at homes and things here on the earth and look for the home in
heaven which God has provided for all who believe. This city Abraham
was looking for was the new Jerusalem that comes down from God out of
heaven. II Corinthians 5:1 "For we know that if our earthly house of
[this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."  Revelation 21:2 "And I
John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

     Hebrews 11:11 "Through faith also Sara herself received strength
to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age,
because she judged him faithful who had promised."

     Genesis 17:17 "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and
said in his heart, Shall [a child] be born unto him that is an hundred
years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?"  This
seemed so strange because Sarah had already gone through the change of
life. The thing that she and Abraham had forgotten is that you have to
have an impossibility, before you can have a miracle. This is not a
child of the flesh. This is a miracle baby. This is Abraham's and
Sarah's child of promise from God. He is of the spirit, not of the
flesh. We see here that Sarah had faith that what God said, He would
do. Sarah had the baby because she believed God's promise.

     Hebrews 11:12 "Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as
good as dead, [so many] as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as
the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable."

     This came to pass in the physical house of Israel {descended from
Abraham}. We know that close to 3 million descendents of Abraham came
out of Egypt and went to the holy land. Even more than this is the
spiritual descendents of Abraham {the believers in Christ}. Galatians
3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise." We see the number of this group of
believers are so great they are beyond number in Revelation 7:9 "After
this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number,
of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before
the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms
in their hands;" Now let us see for sure who this large group is.
Revelation 7:13 "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What
are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?"
Revelation 7:14 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said
to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have
washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
God does not lie, He fulfilled His promise to Abraham.

     Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in faith, not having received the
promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them],
and embraced [them], and confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth."

     Abraham was aware that there would come a redeemer to the world.
As I have expressed, I believe Abraham got a glimpse of what was to
happen in Melchizedek. In the next few Scriptures, we will find that
Jesus went to hell and preached to those who had not had the
opportunity to know Him. They believed and He brought them out with
Him. I Peter 3:18 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death
in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" I Peter 3:19 "By which
also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;" I Peter 3:20
"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein
few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." Ephesians 4:8
"Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men." Even today, in Israel, the holy men
are looking for the coming Messiah. He had been promised since the
third chapter of Genesis. These men of the Old Testament were not
living when Jesus did come as Saviour, but they knew He would come and
they believed. I Chronicles 29:14 "But who [am] I, and what [is] my
people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort?
for all things [come] of thee, and of thine own have we given thee."
I Chronicles 29:15 "For we [are] strangers before thee, and
sojourners, as [were] all our fathers: our days on the earth [are] as
a shadow, and [there is] none abiding."  This is the fate of all
mankind. Our days on the earth are but a blink of the eye compared to
all of eternity. We too, should be looking for that city whose maker
is God.

     Hebrews 11:14 "For they that say such things declare plainly that
they seek a country."

     The earth is not our home, we are just passing through. The
Christian is homesick for heaven, our home. We are in the world, but
we are not of the world. II Corinthians 5:1 "For we know that if our
earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building
of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
II Corinthians 5:2 "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be
clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:"  II Corinthians 5:3
"If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked." The
clothing that we shall wear is the white linen robe of righteousness
that has been washed in the blood of the Lamb. II Corinthians 5:4 "For
we that are in [this] tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for
that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be
swallowed up of life." II Corinthians 5:5 "Now he that hath wrought us
for the selfsame thing [is] God, who also hath given unto us the
earnest of the Spirit." II Corinthians 5:6 "Therefore [we are] always
confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are
absent from the Lord:" II Corinthians 5:7 "(For we walk by faith, not
by sight:)" I will give just one more Scripture that shows what
happens to us at what is commonly known as death. I Corinthians 15:54
"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this
mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

What can I say to add to this? The victory for every Christian is to
shed this flesh and blood and go in our spiritual body to our home in
heaven with Jesus Christ our Lord.










                             Questions 25

1.  Abraham _________ God and went to a land, not knowing where he was
    going.
2.  What was Abraham's name before God changed it?
3.  What religous background did Abraham's father have?
4.  Describe the city of Ur.
5.  Abraham probably lived in a house with how many rooms?
6.  Where would Abraham live?
7.  What was Abraham looking for?
8.  When God called Abraham, what did He tell him to do?
9.  How did Abram respond?
10. How old was Abram when he departed Haran?
11. Who went with Abram?
12. What does the author believe to be remarkable about this?
13. How old was Abram in Genesis chapter 17 verse 1?
14. Who did the Lord tell Abram He was?
15. What was Abram to do for the blessings?
16. What covenant promises did God make to Abraham?
17. Why did God change his name to Abraham?
18. What made Abraham righteous in God's sight?
19. What 2 other men were mentioned through whom the blessings would
    come?
20. What is this city , Abraham was looking for?
21. What lesson is in this for us?
22. We know if this earthly tabernacle were dissolved, we would have
    what?
23. Where does new Jerusalem come from?
24. What is new Jerusalem compared to?
25. How did Sara receive strength to conceive in her old age?
26. Who was her confidence in?
27. How old was Abraham and Sarah when she had the baby Isaac?
28. To have a miracle what must the circumstances be?
29. In Hebrews chapter 11 verse 12 we see Abraham's descendents number
    how many?
30. How many physical descendents of Abraham came out of Egypt?
31. Who are an even greater number than that of his descendents
    {spiritual}?
32. What did Abraham's seed say they were in Hebrews chapter 11 verse
    13?
33. When Jesus preached in hell, what happened?
34. Who are the holy men in Israel looking for today?
35. What are days on earth described as in 1 Chronicles chapter 29
    verse 15?
36. The earth is not our _____.
37. Christians are __ this world, but not __ this world.
38. What will Christians wear in heaven?
39. Whilst we are at home in the body, we are _____ from the Lord.
40. What must this mortal put on for our stay in heaven?
41. What is victory for the Christian?