Clouds Of Witnesses - Biblical And Local

CATM Sermon - September 12, 2021 - Isaiah 46:9; Hebrews 12:1-2, Philippians 3:10-14

This is the day the Lord has made; let’s be glad and rejoice in it, and may our hearts be open to hearing from God’s Word as we worship today.

2021 is the 125th anniversary of the Yonge Street Mission. And today we will spend some time reflecting on God’s faithfulness over those years up to this moment, through the lens of Scripture.

Here’s another passage that we will be looking at quite closely.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2

This passage talks about the cloud of witnesses that surround us. That passage follows Hebrews 11 where a great many faithful followers of God are celebrated for their faith, yes, but also for being willing receivers of the grace and goodness of God, who made the choice to serve the living God.

I’ll just mention some of the names listed in Hebrews 11. Abel who gave an offering of worship to God from the heart, though it aroused the jealousy of his brother Cain.

Enoch who was commended as one who pleased God with his life.

Noah, who against common sense but in alignment with God’s command, built an ark, saved his family and was commended by God.

Abraham who was called out of the place he lived and made a place in a foreign country and became the father, is a sense, of all who believe (Rom 4:16). Romans 4 says that.

Many others are listed whose names might be familiar to us - Moses, who led the people of Israel out from their bondage in Egypt to the promised land. Isaac, Jacob, Joseph.

The prostitute Rahab gets a shout out in Hebrews 11 because she assisted the people of God.

And there were many more in this cloud of witnesses, including King David.

These are the cloud of witnesses that the author of the Book of Hebrews is referring to. They are sometimes called the “heroes of the faith”, and yet when you read their stories in the Old Testament, you get a very clear sense of their humanity and flaws, sometimes huge flaws.

The truth is God has never used perfect people, because we all have flaws. God doesn’t need perfect people. He just needs people who will be faithful followers who, despite our flaws, continue to seek God, to pursue Him with all our hearts, and who seek to be His hands and feet while we still have breath in our lungs on this earth.

And at the Yonge Street Mission we also have a great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, responding to the call of God to worship Him by serving the community, to join hearts with His heart, by caring for the people He cares about.

For us it begins with John Collidge Davis, known as Hallelujah Davis, because God’s praises were always on and never far from his lips. Hal Davis was a businessman who became a Christian.

He listened to a message by DL Moody in Chicago about the need for followers of Jesus to care for people, to care for the poor and needy.

That moved him and began in him a stirring that led to him eventually running a “gospel wagon” in the downtown area of Toronto. From that wagon food and clothing were given to people, and from that wagon Hallelujah Davis began preaching the gospel.

That led to the creation of the mission on the main street of Toronto, Yonge Street, from which we get our name. At first the mission ran out of a leased building down near Dundas and Yonge Street.

In 1904 the building at 381 Yonge Street was purchased by an anonymous donor. From that location tens of thousands of people received love, practical support and heard the gospel of Jesus Christ preached almost daily for a great many years.

When Hallelujah Davis passed away, the leadership of the mission fell to his wife, Henrietta Davis, who led the mission for 4 years, with the same heart for loving people and loving God that her husband had had.

After her a number of others led the mission, including Andrew Chisolm, and Wilma Watson. The Davis Centre was originally called the Andrew Chisholm Memorial Centre. The main room beside reception at the Davis Centre at 270 Gerrard is named after Wilma Watson, who served as staff and as a volunteer at the mission for a total of 42 years.

These were just the leaders, charged with sustaining and growing the ministry of the Yonge Street Mission. Serving alongside them were hundreds and hundreds of volunteers and multiple dozens of staff over the years.