![]() ![]() If God could give life to the dead by giving them a son, then God could raise Isaac from the dead in order to fulfill His promises. God had promised the birth of Isaac when Abram and Sarai were “as good as dead” so far as bearing children. God had promised to bless Abraham through Isaac. I believe that Abraham had resurrection hope, based upon sound reasoning. Ishmael (the only other possible son) had already been sent away. He knew that God’s covenant promises were to be fulfilled through Isaac. 18 God had told him, “ Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,” 19 and he reasoned that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense he received him back from there (Hebrews 11:17-19).Ībraham reasoned by faith, which resulted in resurrection hope. He had received the promises, yet he was ready to offer up his only son. #Disciples 3 resurrection walkthrough fullThe full account is found in Genesis 22, but I am most interested in the interpretation of that text by the author of the Book of Hebrews:ġ7 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. The same can be said for Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. There is much that could be said here, but suffice it to say that Paul speaks of Abraham’s faith as resurrection faith, and he sees it as the same substance as the Christian’s resurrection hope, based on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. 25 He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification (Romans 4:16-25). 23 But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s sake, 24 but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 22 So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness. 21 He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do. 20 He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. 18 Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “ so will your descendants be.” 19 Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He is our father in the presence of God whom he believed – the God who makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do. The first example is found in relation to God’s promise that Abram and Sarai would have a child through whom God’s covenant promises would be fulfilled.ġ After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir your very own son shall be your heir." 5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:1-6, ESV).ġ6 For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants – not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, “ I have made you the father of many nations”). Abraham provides us with two wonderful examples of resurrection hope. There are many examples of resurrection hope in the historical books of the Old Testament, but allow me to call your attention to just a few. Resurrection Hope in the Bible Resurrection Hope in the Historical Old Testament Books At the conclusion of this lesson, it is my intention to approach hope from a somewhat different perspective, and then to suggest how a resurrection hope should change our lives, as it did those in the Bible. My goal in this lesson is to demonstrate the prominence of resurrection faith throughout the entire Bible and to draw attention to the way in which this hope impacted the attitudes and actions of people of faith. The Bible is very clear on this point, and we have all heard a number of sermons with this emphasis, and rightly so. And so it is that I chose the topic for this message: “Hope and the Resurrection.” My goal in this lesson is not to put forward all the arguments normally used to prove that the resurrection of our Lord is a historical fact. ![]() Providentially, our study of “Hope” in the Bible has converged with the observance of Resurrection Sunday this morning. ![]()
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