"But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him" (Acts 7:5).
There are sporadic moments in history when God pulled back the curtains in such dramatic ways that faith momentarily became sight. That said, the one thing that unites us with our biblical forefathers, and all of God's people throughout history, is that we live by the power of a promise.
Abraham lived most of his life without a child, and all of his life as a stranger in a land God has given to him by pledge. And even the apostles, who witnessed the embodiment of God's promise to send the Messiah, lived the rest of their lives in exile, waiting for that day when their faith would once again become sight.
When we look around and see so much rebellion, and personally experience suffering and setbacks, remember this my friends: this does not make us different from our biblical heroes. It actually unites us with them. And this great cloud of witnesses continue to cheer us on, telling us we can bet our lives on all of God's promises till the very end!
"All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth" (Heb 11:13).
Devotion by One for Israel
Study of the book of Hebrews by Pastor Stephen Armstrong
Perhaps the most enigmatic epistle of the New Testament, the book of Hebrews confronts the reader with foundational Christian doctrines framed for an audience steeped in Jewish law and tradition. Perhaps this explains why present-day Christians often find this book confusing or even misleading.
We will peel back the layers of this complex and rich letter in typical VBVMI style: looking for scripture's common threads while appreciating the cultural and historical nuances that distinguish this letter.
This is an all-new edition of our Hebrews study, replacing our older study with new material and insight.
Also available as Podcast
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