Hope Set Before Us

This evening we’re going to discuss the topic of “tradition.” If you have ever seen the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” then you probably recall a rather large Jewish man singing about tradition throughout the entire performance. You may recall that tradition was a dreaded word to the young daughter who wished to choose her own husband instead having a prearranged marriage set up by her father. There are many people who fear tradition; but is tradition really such a bad thing? Michael Green states,

Traditions are often an attempt to either protect us from something that can harm us or keep us in the place where we are most likely to do well. Not all traditions are so characterized, and some are nothing more than outmoded responses to situations that no longer exist. Nevertheless, this old saying is true: “Never tear down a fence until you find out why it was built.”(1)

I think many of us would agree with the statement that we shouldn’t tear down any fences until we find out why they were built. Too many times we see the tearing down of tradition in Christianity. The best example is the new seeker sensitive churches, which have resorted to marketing techniques for church growth, rather than relying on God’s timing to bring the increase.

We know that Jesus didn’t have a large crowd following Him at all times. The crowds departed when He confronted them with the hardships of following after Him. Many churches are failing to relate the challenges of following Christ. They are instead portraying a cushy relationship that tailors to the needs of the people instead of the needs of the Lord; and they often do this by watering down the message. Keep in mind that we were not created to be served, but to serve. We are here to serve Jesus Christ no matter what the personal cost.

I’m not going to propose tearing down tradition. We need tradition to direct us and guide our steps. What I am going to do this evening is encourage us to find our tradition; or you might say “rediscover” our tradition. I want us to think about where our traditions currently lie; and then redirect our attention to one common tradition and one common goal that we all should have in mind as believers. It is one that should be at the heart of every Christian mission.

Our Future Tradition (vv. 13-18)

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability [or unchangeableness] of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable [or unchangeable] things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

There is a tradition found in these verses. So, what is that tradition? It is the promise made to Abraham. In Genesis 22:17-18, God promised Abraham that his descendents would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens, and from Abraham would come a blessing to the entire world. The blessing that God promised is none other than Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Savior.

The tradition here was the promise of the Messiah, or the deliverer. The Messiah was prophesied, meaning that His coming would occur sometime in the future. Therefore, Abraham’s tradition, which provided hope and guidance for his actions, was a promise made in the past with a fulfillment happening in the future. Because the hope of that promise was cast out into the future, Abraham grounded his hope in the future. In other words, his tradition went from being in the past to being set before him in the future.

We often get the impression that tradition is something found only in the past; however, this is only partially true, for tradition can also be found in the future. As we just discussed, the promise of the Messiah was made in the past, but the hope of that promise rested in the future.

For those who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, our salvation and the promise of heaven happened on a day in the past. Many of us can remember that day when we walked the aisle and prayed to receive Jesus Christ. We were given a promise on that day that we would enter into heaven when we die. Therefore, the promise was made on a day in the past, but the fulfillment of entering heaven is set before us, cast sometime in the future on the day that God calls us home.