Heb 22:11-16 “Through Faith we Understand that the Worlds were Framed by the Word of God” – Part 4

[Study Aired March 4, 2021]

Heb 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. 
Heb 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. 
Heb 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. 
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God”, and in this study we will look at another “through faith” example in the life of Sara of whom we read: “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”.

Sara, who represents the body of Christ, the church, is a bright example for us in type and shadow of the maturation process that God’s manchild or remnant seed (Rev 12:5, Heb 11:5) must go through by faith in order to become the bride, or wife, of Revelation 19:7 who has “made herself ready” as we fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ (Col 1:24) “in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Eph 5:30). That filling up of what is behind of the afflictions of Christ is accomplished through judgment, which is typified by the normal nine month gestation period both Sara and Mary endured, one bearing the typical seed Isaac (Gal 4:28), who represents the one seed by which all men will be saved, Jesus Christ, who was physically born by Mary.  Now we are one body, one manchild, bearing each other’s burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ (Gal 3:16, Act 4:12, Gal 6:2).

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 

Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Gal 3:16  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

In Numbers 14:7-8 we read of how Joshua, who represents Christ, “spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, the land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land“, and that “if the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.” As we look now at the entries in God’s word where Sara’s name is used [Sara^G4564], and consider her and Mary, the mother of Christ, as that good land, it becomes very apparent that what God is accomplishing within that land for our sakes is to give us a lasting hope through the work of faith which is unfolding in each of God’s children today, by Christ our hope of glory whose love is being shed abroad in our hearts for that purpose (Rom 3:22-25, Rom 5:1-5, Col 1:27-28, Rom 8:28).

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 
Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 
Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [forbearance and longsuffering of God that endures for nine months as we are judged and give an accounting in this life (Rom 2:4, 1Pe 4:17-19)]

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 
Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 
Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 
Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

[Christ in us is our hope of glory that makes not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us, giving us the power to be obedient (Act 5:32, Heb 5:8-9) and overcome as we go from glory to glory in that process of being recreated (2Co 3:18)]

Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Sara ^G4564 means ‘noble woman’, and her giving birth to Isaac foreshadows the nobility of the King who Mary was going to be blessed to bear. Nothing and no attempt of the devil or the gates of hell was going to thwart or prevail against this birthing process (Isa 26:17, Isa 66:9) which is typical of the building of the church (Luk 1:28, Luk 1:42, Mat 16:18).

Sarah G4564 

– Original: Σu945 ́u961 ̓u961 ̔u945
– Transliteration: Sarrha
– Phonetic: sar’-hrah
– Definition: Sarah = princess 

1. the wife of Abraham

– Origin: of hebrew origin H8283 – Definition: Sarah = noblewoman
– TDNT entry: None
– Part(s) of speech: Noun Feminine 
– Strong’s: Of hebrew origin [H8283]; Sarra (that is Sarah) the wife of Abraham:
– Sara Sarah. 

Total KJV Occurrences: 4 

• Sarah, 4  Rom 4:19; Rom 9:9; Heb 11:11; 1Pe 3:6

Luk 1:28  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 

Luk 1:42  And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, [Rev 20:6] and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

It is with Abraham who typifies Christ, and Sara who represents the church, that we read this hope filled statement of faith (Rom 4:19-20) directed to those who are being judged today, a judgment witnessed by Abraham’s age [10×10=100] (Joh 5:30), along with Sara being [9×10=90] (Joh 15:5), a number which points to the fact that Sara represents the church that needs to be judged (1Pe 4:17) in order to put off our flesh and believe as Abraham did [Mar 10:8] that regardless of the impossibility of the circumstances that their flesh was presenting to them, God’s faith could make it possible for them to prevail: “and being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:”. Abraham’s “giving glory to God”(Rom 4:19) typifies Christ as he considers what is possible in his own flesh (Joh 5:30) and his wife’s barren womb as he’s given the faith to believe that God can and will fulfill His promises to him of receiving an inheritance that will be born out of his lineage that should start with Isaac.

Rom 4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 
Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Like Abraham, God fills us with a supernatural hope through His spirit (Rom 5:5) that bears witness with our spirit (Rom 8:16) that we are more than conquerors through Christ and that He can make a way where there appears to be none in our heavens [10×10=100 (Isa 43:19)]. That new thing being spoken of which is being done in Isaiah 43:19, is typified by the son Sara will have (Rom 9:9). Both Sara and Abraham were given to believe and see the possibility of a son being born through the faith that was given unto them (Heb 11:11), and it will be through the obedience of the church that a manchild will be born in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye (1Pe 3:6, 1Co 15:52).

Isa 43:19  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

With this backdrop in mind, let’s look at this extremely hope-filled section of Hebrews that demonstrates through Sara and Abraham how God is able to frame the worlds within us to His glory, typified by the circumstances that were framed in the lives of Abraham and Sara who “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them“.

Heb 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. 
Heb 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. 

Sara, who represents the church “through faith“, received strength to “conceive seed“. The body of Christ parallels this experience today by being blessed to hear the words of the true Shepherd (Joh 10:27), and that word is likened to a seed that Christ plants in our heavens (Mat 13:37) and faithfully nourishes in us so that we can bring forth life out of these bodies of death. That life is represented by true doctrine (Joh 6:63) that is likened to children “as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable” (Rom 11:33).

Our Father is the one who gives us that seed and the faith of Christ to be able to “conceive” or perceive what God has given us with eyes that see and ears that hear (Mat 13:16). Then, if we are granted to abide in that word, it will in time and through a process of judgment cause us to grow in the mind of Christ if God gives us that increase which will set us free from the bondage of sin (2Pe 3:18, 1Co 3:6, Joh 8:32-36, Tit 2:12).

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 
Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

Sara “was delivered of a child when she was past age” to remind us that our calling and election has nothing to do with our physical strength and health (Luk 10:21) in our flesh or earthly minds (1Co 1:26-29). Because “she judged him faithful who had promised” is speaking specifically of the faith that she had that a son would be conceived, which faith typifies the stedfast faith of Christ that God gives to His elect who “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”, and are convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:38-39) which is casting out fear in our hearts and perfecting His mind within the manchild whose name is written in heaven (Joh 6:28-29, 1Jn 4:18, Rev 12:5, Luk 10:20).

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 

Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Luk 10:21  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

The next verses describe for us what physical blessings resulted in Abraham’s and Sara’s lives of faith as a result of the one seed of Abraham that typifies the one seed of the body of Christ that will receive these blessings, not as a physical inheritance but rather a spiritual inheritance in Christ (Gal 3:16, Eph 1:11-12, 1Pe 1:4). “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.

Gal 3:16  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

1Pe 1:4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (Luk 10:20, Psa 139:16)

These promises spring forth from him (Abraham) who is “good as dead“, and remind us in type and shadow that it is when our fleshly life is dead to sin and alive in Christ that we can bring forth much fruit (Rom 6:11, Joh 12:24). This is also why the two witnesses of Revelation 11:8 lie dead in the street, which is a shadow of our acknowledging that we can of our own selves do nothing, and how we need the Son of God to set us free from sin through a process of spiritual completion [3], being His two witnesses who lie dead in the street for three days (Rev 11:11). The first Adam lies dead in the street, dead to sin, and the second Adam, Christ in us prophesies and witnesses to the power of God for three and a half years (Rev 11:3).

The words “multitude” and “innumerable” in this part of the scripture: “the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable”, remind us that this is speaking of all of humanity who will be saved, each man in his order (1Co 15:22-23, Rev 7:9).

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number [“innumerable“], 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;