Utopian Dead-Ends and the Faith that Lives Beyond Death
Hebrews 11:13-16
Pastor Jim Bohrer
November 23, 2008
If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?" I
asked the children in my Sunday school class.
"NO!" the children all answered.
"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into heaven?"
Once more they all answered, "NO!"
"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my wife, would that get me into heaven?" I
asked them again.
Once more they all answered, "NO!"
"Well," I continued, thinking they were a good bit more theologically sophisticated than I had given them credit for,
"Then how can I get into heaven?"
A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!"
The FAITHFUL look to God’s city, his POLIS to be the Good Place. Politicians (from the Greek word “Polis” for city have been promising heaven on earth for some time). It goes back to Nimrod in BABYLON. Hey follow me and I will build you a staircase into heaven. Rome, submit to us and we will give you the Pax Romana (The peace of Rome), but remember it came under the boot of the Roman Soldier. Hitler offered the Third Reich or the Third Reign offered what they called genetically pure people that would be stronger and healthier than ever before. Even here in America during our political cycles we have heard a number of claims towards heaven on earth. We are promised healing through health care, financial security, and Global healing and even peace in Israel for as long as anyone here can remember. But no one can find that place we long for unless as the little boy says, you are dead.
People long for heaven. People long for a life of comfort and ease. My mother was just laughing with one of her friends. She has a husband who sells yachts for a living. This woman said to my mom, “Kathy, I just prefer to live where people who own yachts live and spend time...” I laughed with my mom and said, “Oh do you mean in comparison to the crime infested slums where you have to worry about stray bullets hitting you? I can’t imagine why you would prefer the yacht people.” Given the choice who would not want the best seat in the house? Well, the problem is that without faith, we cannot see where the best seat really is. In the hall of faith, God sums up what made these people different in verses 13-16:
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
THE MARKS OF FAITH:
Faith Sees the INVISIBLE.
Abraham followed a God he could not see without knowing WHERE he was going. How he would get there. What he would find. When the promises would come to pass. He had no idea. He went as they say SITE UNSEEN. But he had a great faith in that God rewards those who obey.
Faith Hears the INAUDIBLE.
Imagine Moses at the burning bush... Exodus 3:2-4. Imagine Moses. He was walking along. The burning bush caught his eye. He had to go over and check it out. It did not talk to him. But he said he had to check it out. And only after God saw that Moses went to check it out did God speak to him.
And then imagine that conversation at the dinner table. Zipporah is passing the Salt and says, “Well honey how was your day?” Oh fine sweetie. I had to move about 150 sheep off the backside of the mountain. Oh were they OK. Yeah, they were fine. But then I saw this burning bush and God spoke to me. Zip, would you pass the sweet potatoes? A burning bush spoke to you Moses. And just what did this burning bush say to you?
Well, it told me to go back to Egypt and to confront Pharoah and free my people out of slavery... Do WHAT? Listen, I don’t know what crazy idea you and your brother Aaron pie in the sky have cooked up in Egypt, but you are not going... I can just see that conversation. But think about it. Moses did not have an army of supporters calling or campaigning for him. He just had God and the burning bush and a nice staff. He was told, now go and talk to the most powerful King in the world at the time.
Faith Touches the INTANGIBLE.
Remember that woman who had an issue of blood in Luke 8:43-44. She touched God and immediately had a taste of heaven.
Faith Accomplishes the IMPOSSIBLE.
Moses drew water from a rock. Abraham had a child at 100, Sarah at 90... Joshua saw the walls of Jericho fall down. Wesley saw the fire of heaven fall all around him. Billy Graham has seen.
THE MIND OF FAITH:
Challenges Confidence in anyone or anything other than God.
Confronts Cowardice.
The half-hearted Christian offers God a whole lot of nothing.
Mark 8:38 9:1 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels."
Luke 9:26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son …
…My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His …
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for …
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is …
True freedom is not in doing what we please but in the strength to do what pleases God.
It takes no effort to go with the flow.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT:
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
From a speech given in Paris at the Sorbonne in 1910
Rebukes Materialism
Some time ago, there was a comic strip in Peanuts that showed Lucy in her psychiatrist booth. She is trying to analyze Charlie Brown. She says, "Charlie Brown, life is like a deck chair." "Like what?" "Charlie, have you ever been on a ship when the passengers try to open up one of those chairs so they can sit in the sun? Some of them place their chairs facing the rear so they can see where they have been. Some of them face their chairs forward so they can see where they are going." "On the cruise ship of life, Charlie Brown, which way is your deck chair facing?"
Abraham purchased a tomb in the promised land, so when he was resurrected, he would we close to Jesus. Joseph made certain that they carried his bones with them into the Promised land so he would be ready on resurrection morn as well. Moses longed for the Promised land on Mt. Nebo.
Inspires others in obedience
The story goes that this man was in the desert and had been there for some time. He was hungry but he was especially thirsty. He stumbled upon this old house where no one lived. The house had only part of a roof and the doors were hanging sideways. He walked in and sat down to rest.
He saw this old hand pump in one corner of the house. He went over and starting pumping as hard as he could. All he got was squeaking sounds and dust. He walked back over and sat down. He then saw a jaw and a note attached to it. The note read you have to use the water in the jar to prime the pump. He then had a decision to make. Should he drink the water in the jar that possibly had been in there for some time or should he take a chance and do as the note asked.
He decided he would do as the note read but only part of the water. He poured in some of the water and began to pump. All he got was the familiar squeaking but one drop of water. He quickly poured in the rest of the water from the jar. He began pumping again and soon there was all the water he could want. He filled the jar back up and added to the note, it really works but you have to give it all away.
Your DECISIONS and DIRECTION will either look to where God is leading you or make you long backwards.
The problem is not that most people do not know where to go, but they answer like Charlie Brown did Lucy, “My problem is that I can’t even get my deck to unfold...” You have to unfold you life before God and look towards His promise.
