FAITH IN LIFE AND IN DEATH

Well, I invite you to turn this morning to Hebrews chapter 11, continuing our study in this great chapter, and this morning, our text is verses 13 through 16, I'll back up and read it, verse 8, because there's a crucial verse, verse 10, that ties together what we're considering this morning from Hebrews 11, page 1195 in the Bibles that are in front of you page 1195 and let us consider this morning hebrews chapter 11 beginning at verse 8 this is the word of the lord by faith abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance and he went out not knowing where he was going by faith he went to live in the land of promises in a foreign land living in tents with isaac and jacob heirs with him of the same promise or he was looking for forward to the city that has foundations whose designer and builder is god by faith sarah herself received power to conceive even when she was past the age since she considered him faithfulhood promise therefore from one man and him as good as dead were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return but as it is they desire a better country that is a heavenly one therefore god is not ashamed to be called their god for he has prepared for them a city and there will end the reading of god's word i think we um come today to a truth in hebrews 11 that the author really does see as sort of central to this entire chapter. It is an important theme that he is working with in Hebrews 11, looking at this theme of faith. We've been considering and looking at faith in the lives of all these people that we've studied from the Old Testament Scriptures. We've been looking at all the evidences of this. We think of Abel who offered a more perfect sacrifice. That was about worship. He worshipped in faith, didn't he? Believing the promises of the gospel, believing in Christ. We think of Enoch, who had this testimony that he pleased God, he walked with God, and he was a preacher in that day, as Jude would tell us, preaching against all the ungodliness of the times. We think of Noah, who built an ark, preacher of righteousness, living by faith. He took seriously the saving of his household. I probably should have done a whole sermon on that. That is such a fabulous theme, isn't it? He took serious the saving of his household. But he introduced something in verse 10 that I think that the author is really wanting to develop. When you have this sort of offset, there's something that the author sees is very important. Last time we looked at Abraham and Sarah and their belief in the promises. We've been looking at that these last times. The calling of Abraham by faith to leave. And then the promises that were made to Abraham. And in verse 10, something was said that teased us a little bit about this crucial theme of Hebrews 11. By faith, Abraham waited for the city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. That's a big verse. he introduced this and then he jumped away from it and we studied last time abraham's faith in the the promised son but but now he comes he comes back to this thought he circles back to this thought it's baffled commentators sort of as the structure of this why did he do that why did what is on the author's mind and that's why i said there's something very central in hebrews 11 about this particular look at faith. Many of you, I'm sure, are taking Dr. Godfrey's class in Mark, and I don't know how many times he's mentioned a chiasm. I'm sure it's there. He'll find it if it's there. I haven't found it, but I'm sure there's one here. The structure is interesting. It seems to me that in the center of Hebrews 11 is this. And so, of all the exhibitions of faith that we've been studying here, this description, I think, of faith was most on the writer's mind to help the Hebrew Christians of the first century who were facing persecution. And it's such an important look at faith, the life of faith, because I think what he's doing here is really explaining what drives the whole of the Christian life. especially in the face of great hardship, in the face of great suffering. That's what he's doing at this point now. Well, how does it begin? Look carefully at verse 13. These all died in faith, not having received the promises. That's enough just to meditate upon for a little bit here. It's an important little statement that he's given there. On his mind is death, isn't it? The horrid reality of death. The horrid enemy of death. Do you know, says the author, that it's possible to die in faith? Power is even given to die in faith? You see how the encouragement of this in the face of all the biggest issues of life. Dying in faith. I mean, we say this in the Heidelberg. What is your comfort in life and in death? It's possible to face the great and the last enemy of death in faith. What does that look like? What does that mean? Why is that so important? And how does this benefit you in life? how does it benefit you in living right now? See, that's on his mind. That's what he wants to help them with. And you know they say, you never really live in this life until you're ready to die. When you're always fighting it, you don't really live. When you're always living to try to beat it, you're never really living. Well, that's before us today. the author gives us the most freeing benefit of faith. The most freeing benefit of faith. And that is faith in the face of the enemy of death and how that affects how we live now. And you'll see this. First century Christians were afraid of persecution of Rome. They were afraid of being killed for their faith. And what this means is that ultimately what was driving them away from christ was the fear of death was the fear of death we have to answer that for people you know men people fear death you can go through all the quotes of even secular writers the greatest problem with humanity is the fear of death and that's why he wants us to consider what abraham learned what faith looked like in the face of death and how it took on a whole new meaning for the life that he had left well that's what we consider here today what faith notice there's there's all sorts of little things that are said here what faith confesses this is where what we're going to work with what faith seeks and what faith celebrates so that's what we're looking at today what faith confesses and what it seeks and what it celebrates so look at verse 13 again we read these all died in faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off were assured of them and embraced them having acknowledged notice that and greeted them from afar they saluted them from afar and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth such an important section it's a very important encouragement to us the great patriarch abraham and his wife they were given all of these wonderful promises in life you remember the heart of those promises the summary of those promises were land and seed you know the seed is Jesus. The land was the land. We'll look at that here. But that's how they're sort of summarily categorized, land and seed. He was given the great promise from the Lord of a multitude, no man can number, of the sand on the seashore, and the stars in the heavens, and then a home he was promised. Well, what was just said, when it came to the land when he came to the land remember in hebrews as we studied this when he arrived at the land there was something shocking said in this little passage in hebrews 11 it was like a foreign land to him it was like a foreign land he lived in tents remember and the promise was that the his his offspring would be as the sand on the seashore the stars in the heavens but the truth of the matter is he never lived to see any of that. He gets to the land and he lives in a tent. Abraham, the promises are your offspring will be like the sand on the seashore. He never saw it. Now that's quite a challenge. In other words, dear reader, he found himself in the same place that you are. You've been told all these wonderful things. You have all these wonderful things preached to you. You've been told that Christ has come. You've been told that the Lord Jesus Christ is reigning you've been told that he's coming again and you've been told that he's prepared a city for you you've been told that heaven awaits you and you don't see any of that you haven't received any of that it all seems so far doesn't it the idea of glory the idea of eternity the idea of heaven somewhere the idea of going there that seems so far down the road it's even, it's just, it's difficult to even process in our earthly lives. We just can't, can we? The author says, they didn't receive any of these promises. The heavenly city, he didn't see it, the land and the seed. But then he says something shocking, doesn't he? Here's the encouragement. They did see them afar off. They did see them. Did you notice that? Having seen them and greeted them from afar. Now that's an interesting thing. Faith is this, remember verse 1. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Whoa! He just said they saw it afar off. Well, but faith is what's not seen. And this is an important thing that he's doing here, isn't he? Faith is the reality of what we're hoping for, the substance, and it's a strong conviction of what is not yet seen. And he says, by faith, they saw it afar off. They saw what was ahead. This wasn't with their eyes. They saw what the apostles said with the eyes of their understanding being enlightened. What was ahead of them? This is what Jesus was directly saying when he said, Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and he was glad. Well, he didn't see with the eyes. I think he's combating the idea that faith is totally blind. It's a blind faith. Because remember what he said? that faith is the strong conviction, faith is the assurance by the Spirit that the promises of God are yes and amen and are true. When you embrace these promises by faith, what's He been saying the whole time to us, and they're believed, guess what? Faith does for you. It gives you a confession. and that confession, as it is braced, seeks something, and that, as it is seeked, it celebrates something. See, he's working with this, that it's not blind, and this becomes the driving factor of the Christian life. This is why Paul said that our calling is an upward calling of God in Christ. You know, the way not to live this life is to keep looking backward. Oh, the good old days. They weren't that good. Oh, it was so much better when. No, it wasn't. It never was. You're just looking at it that way because your present experience isn't so great. But if your next experience isn't so great, you'll look at this moment as better. They confessed. I want you to notice here the confession. They confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Sojourners. They said that on this earth we're strangers, we're aliens. It means outsiders. The whole sense is here with strangers and sojourners it means you're temporarily lodged in this earth. And that this place is not your home. and that you don't really fit in here. You ever felt that? You know, we are a weird bunch, Christians. We don't really fit in. They confessed that. That became their profession of faith. That's the emphasis of the word here. Their profession of faith became this. And I stopped to this week and I thought, where did they say that? Because when the author here says they confess this, he has something on his mind. I thought, where in the world did they say that? And here's where it was found. I am, Abraham, a sojourner and a foreigner among you. Give me property among you for a burying place that I may bury my dead. It was his wife's death. That's when he said it. And Abraham rose from his dead. It's such an important verse in Genesis 23. He had been in mourning. And he began to meditate upon the most important issues of life. And he's sitting looking at the dead body of his wife. We don't do that today. Abraham weeps. And all of a sudden he sits there and he begins in his mind to think about the promises. And he starts weeping in hope. God has promised me the land. And my offspring the land. Then you know what that means? This death is not the end. And if God has promised me the land to live in forever. And this isn't it. Then I'm going to go there forever with my dead. and that's what he thought death has absolutely no is no obstacle for me to get the land it can't be so what was his conclusion in his mind you can see this worked out in genesis 23 what the authors here are doing it's the same conclusion as the heidelberg if Christ has died for us then why do we have to die death is not a punishment for my sins listen to me it puts an end to my sinning and is an entrance into eternal life it moves me toward what is to come so what did death do for abraham it drove his longing for the other country and he acts upon that promise he purchases this burial place from the hittites and and asks it for a burial place and he says to them i am a sojourner and a foreigner among you give me property among you for a burial place that I may bury my dead out of my sight. After this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, that is in Hebron, in the land of Canaan. That, listen to me, was his only property in this life. That's all he owned in the land. Now, why is that so important? It's death that drives us to seek the promises of God. And that's what the author explains. Verse 14, for those who say such things, those who make that confession, declare plainly what they're seeking is a homeland. And if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had the opportunity to return. But now they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. Listen, this was his only property in the land, a burial plot. What does that mean? What does that mean? Why is that significant? Here's why. In death, they became owners. You see the testimony of that? In death, they became owners. That's how they died in faith. They're pilgrims. We, in death, we are that much closer to the promise. There was a testimony here. We're that much closer to the resurrection. Our earthly sojourn is over. That's what's next. And, of course, the surprise of this comes at the very last verse of Hebrews 11. That the reason they haven't received it all in full yet is because you haven't come in. In death, they became owners. It was when they died that they believed they would own the land. It was a testimony that their earthly pilgrimage was over. And next in the program was the receiving of the promise. their sojourn was done it was completed you understand that they believe so strongly the promises that they wanted all of us to know we can die in faith the same way we have the strongest testimony of what god has promised us there is nothing that makes us more aware that we are just pilgrims here sojourners temporary lodged and strangers in this earth than when you lose a loved one it's um something that abraham in the long course of his life who there were a lot of ups and downs it was the death of his wife that brought out this confession you know what i say now i know many of you have gone through a lot it's death that wakes you up to this reality we go through life and we're purchasing a lot. It's death that wakes us up to what's most important. And all the trivial stuff goes away. And we wake up, what are we doing with our lives? Are we believing the promise or not? His wife. A lot of people who've had no experience with death it can be a challenge to make faith very important in your life. How you approach worship, able. How you walk with God. How you believe the promises. Death has this effect. When your loved one dies, when you lose a child, when you lose a parent, when you lose your spouse, then the most important issues are set in front of you. This is where Abraham kind of grew up late in life. Finally. We don't belong here. We don't belong here. I see that reality. And you know what? In the face of a body, I believe. faith confesses and it seeks it seeks a homeland and it rejoices rejoices in what the Texans on a great encouragement doesn't it faith celebrates embraces death and the promise this way it has a reward remember he's been saying god diligently rewards look at them you can see that here when after it was said um in verse six and without faith it's impossible to please him for whoever would draw near to god must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently see him seek him well what does that reward look like here here you go faith embraces the promise and here's a reward God is not ashamed to be called your God. We all struggle a lot with whether God loves us because of sin and because we do the same stupid things. You can be assured by faith He is not embarrassed or ashamed to say that's my child. You want to please God? Believe this. Believe it. And you know what he says to you in response when you believe this? I've got a city waiting for you. I've got a city waiting for you. I have designed a city for you. That's what Christ was saying to us. I'm going away. I'm prepared this place for you. This is what was said. Abraham, come to the place that I have prepared for you. It wasn't that land. You're on a journey to my place. It's a good place. Come to the place I'll show you. Walk with me. Wait patiently for the fulfillment of my promises. What is that place? It's a city. It's the new heavens and the new earth. Come. Revelation. I'll show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain, great and high, and he showed me the holy city. Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. He saw the great city of God descending, and there were 12 gates, and there were 12 foundations. They were linked together of the tribes of Israel with the fulfillment of all of God's people. The city was full, what John saw in Revelation, full of people that no man can number. They're all there. And they're fellowshipping. And the city is described in Revelation as vast and spacious. It has no lack of space. In my father's house are many mansions, many rooms I go to prepare for you. What he was saying is not a little mansion in the sky. It's a spacious place. I've prepared. The gate will not be shut at all by day. There shall be no night there. You're never alienated. You're never alone. The city is totally secure. The wicked are gone forever. There's no more conflict. There's no more war. There is no means anything enters that defiles only those written in the Lamb's book of life. You're never subject to anything that can harm you again. It's so beautiful. It was built of jasper. The city was pure gold. Like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each of the gates make a single pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, light transparent glass. It was so beautiful. What John wants us to do is think of the most, boys and girls, the most beautiful thing you could ever imagine in this life. That's the city of God. And he showed me a river, pure water, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. And carefully in the middle of the street on either side was a river, and there was the tree of life. And there was no temple in it. For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city didn't even need the sun or the moon. For the glory of God illuminated it. Christ is there. And John says, And all of God's people throughout history I saw worshiping Him. No more weariness. No more death. No more darkness. No night. The Lord God is their light. See, I will create a new heavens and a new earth, says the Lord. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. Says Isaiah, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight, and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem, I will take delight in my people. The sound of weeping and crying will never be heard in it again. Never again will there be an infant who lives but a few days or an old man who does not live out his years. That's saying you're not going to know death anymore. The one who dies at a hundred will be thought of as a mere child. The one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. It's not going to even happen. It's the point. They will build houses and dwell in them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them or plant and others eat. for as the days of a tree so will be the days of my people my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands they will not labor in vain nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune for they will be a people blessed by the lord they and their descendants with them before they call i will answer before they are they are still speaking i will hear the wolf and the lamb will feed together the lion will eat straw like the ox the dust will be the serpent's food they will neither harm nor destroy on my holy mountain says the lord do you know god when he called you out of darkness said come to this place with me he's calling you to and you want to hold on to this this is what Abraham learned to look for a perfect blessedness with which to praise God with no more sin or sorrow together now you see how wonderful it is to close today they didn't receive it in this life but they saw by faith a far off they were assured this is what faith it gives you assurance It's built into the nature of faith that there's a city for you. And in the face of death, which is the hardest reality of life, this confession came out for them. That's how they went forward. That's the most important lesson of faith in this life. When you can come here and say, I'm ready to die to go to be with the Lord. you're truly living. Then all these problems and our priorities change. That's not easy, I know. Then the things that we make a big deal about, pretty small. Pretty small. Then we learn to prioritize what's most important. And this is meant to encourage you. today. Dear Hebrew Christians, are you fearing Rome? Really? Are you fearing corrupt governments? You think they might kill you? Are you fearing cancer? Are you fearing death? When you die, not only are you with the Lord, but your earthly sojourns over and you're that much closer to receiving it all in full. It's done. It's set. This is what he wants you to live believing in this life. All of us struggle with worldliness. All of us struggle with the sins of this life. But we cannot escape the reality because of sin that death is coming. It's coming for you, it's coming for your children, it's coming for your parents, it's coming for your spouse. In a timing that you have no control over. To live and die in faith is one of the greatest blessings of the Lord. That's what he's saying to you. To live and die in faith is one of the greatest blessings of the Lord. Because he says, I've got a city for you. And I want you to be assured of that. And I want you to live in light of that. And I want you to embrace that. It's hard when we've built a pretty good city here. But this city has fallen. And the confession today to close, in life and in death, is what he wants you to hold on to. That you belong to the Lord in life and in death. And that you are, in the death of his saints, are precious in his sight. This is a blessing of faith that we should never take for granted. So like Abram, Abraham, may we be a people who live and die in faith, knowing and believing what is most certain to come. God says, I have prepared a city for you. May we embrace that. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for encouraging us with so wonderful a word. Give us faith to believe, for we are that weak. And even in hearing this, we recognize our own weakness. May we trust Your promises and believe them, for they are all yes and amen in Jesus Christ, our Lord. In whose day we pray, amen. For more information, visit www.fema.org