Hebrews IV—Faith Has a Long Memory

Hebrews 11:1-2; 12:1-2

November 16, 2003

 

CATCH-UP

This is last in series of sermons on The Sermon to the Hebrews 

      Who were an anonymous group of new Christians whose faith was being tested in difficult times

      They had problems which seasoned mature Christians would not have

The Preacher of this “sermon” to the Hebrews was equally anonymous person

      It could have been any number of people > men and women

      Most likely was not Paul > Origen says “Author of Hebrews known only to God”

Furthermore

      because we don’t know exactly who wrote it or to whom it was written

      we don’t know when it was written, either

      At least 30 years after Jesus died > most likely between years 60 and 100

As you can see, there are a lot of “unknowns” about this particular section of the Bible

      But none of these “unknowns” take away from its content

      These words speak to all of us at one time or another

      The Preacher wrote to a church in crisis

            Responsibilities of Church membership wore these people out

            To keep them from giving up > Preacher remind them of the incredible gift God gave them

                        A gift made real in the life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus

                        He never says, “I know you’re tired.  Take a year off.”

                        He never says, “Your work is not important > we can do without you.”

                        He DOES say, essentially, “We were not saved to sit down and sit.

                                    We were saved to get up and get.”

                                    Or, said with a little more sophistication

                                                God saved us to serve others > God did not save us to serve ourselves

 

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY?

With all those strong words of encouragement,

      Couldn’t The Preacher have just said Amen and sit down?

      What else could be said?

The answer is “A lot more could be said, and The Preacher says it!”

      By now > he has worked up to fever pitch

      Ends chapter 10 > “We’re not quitters who lose out.  Oh, no! 

                                        We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way” ( 10:39 )

If Hebrews had any remaining thought that God would abandon them during their crisis

      The Preacher says think again

      11:1 Message > “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the

               firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.  It’s our handle on what we

               cannot see.  The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.”

      11:1 NRSV > “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for; conviction of things not seen”                  

With these words Preacher describes what their faith has

            It has right now the confidence that what God promised for the future will happen

                        Even though war and death loom on every horizon

                        Even though injustice and hatred fill the air

                        Even though bad things happen to good people

                        They could still trust God’s promise for peace and justice and mercy and salvation

                                    Thomas Long quotes from The Little Prince

                                                “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;

                                                What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

FAITH > THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT

That “essential which is invisible to the eye,” for The Preacher, is faith

The Preacher has faith > and he knows he is not the first one to believe

      So he launches into a litany of believers > a roll call of their ancestors who lived by faith

      Divided them into three categories

1.      those who were righteous:  Abel, Enoch, Noah

2.      those who journeyed by faith and not by sight:  Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob

3.      those who were tested by suffering:  Joseph and Moses

      11:13 > “Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised.”

Then he continues with another litany > this time just the names, not the stories

And finishes Chapter 11 with

      “Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on

      what was promised.  God had a better plan for us:  that their faith and our faith would come

      together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.”

They never gave up

      Hebrews to whom Preacher preached should keep the faith because ancestors kept their faith

 

FAITH OF OUR ANCESTORS

We have ancestors who kept their faith, too

      Not only do we count Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and David

      We also count the faithful who began our own country

This being the week before Thanksgiving week, not surprised to run across story of early pilgrims

      These particular pilgrims founded Jamestown > first permanent English settlement in New World

      Must have left home right after Christmas > can you imagine a colder time to sail across ocean?

            Their voyage lasted 128 days > 18 weeks > a little over four months

            And can you imagine sailing before days of Dramamine? > I feel sick just thinking about it!

      They arrived at Cape Henry , Virginia on April 26, 1607 > at 4 o’clock in the morning

            Not like flying into the airport or rolling into the bus station

            There was no one to meet them > lights were not on in Jamestown

            It must have been terribly dark and quiet and frightening

            At dawn > they raised large wooden cross > knelt down to thank God

      Those were difficult days

            Many died of disease or disputes with natives who understandably defended their home

            Several hundred landed there over next six years > at one point the living numbered only 60

            After three years > decided to abandon >

            Reinforcements/supplies arrived just in time to save the town

      Today there are authentic reproductions of the three ships that brought those pilgrims

            Smallest is 50 feet from stem to stern > not enough room below to stand erect

            Only room for four bunk > yet 21 people crammed in there those four months

      Anyone who sees that little ship knows what faith must have kept them going

            And what determination it took to keep their faith

 

THEIR FAITH AN EXAMPLE TO US

The kind of faith those first pilgrims had is the kind of faith The Preacher wanted Hebrews to have

And the kind of faith the Hebrews and the Pilgrims had is the kind of faith we need, too!

      They had “assurance of things hoped for and the certainty of things not seen.”

      They create a “great cloud of witnesses” for us

          ”Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans

            cheering us on?  It means we’d better get on with it.  Strip down, start running—and never quit! 

            Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in.  Study how he did

            it.  Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with

            God—he could put up with anything along the way:  cross, shame, whatever.  And how he’s

            there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.  When you find yourselves flagging in your

            faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. 

            That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (Hebrews 12:1-3, The Message)