August 12, 2007

Look at the Long Term

by Rev. Dr. Jim Carlson

Hebrews 11

Opening Illustration – Blind man driving in Estonia: The 20-year-old was driving in the southern city of Tartu early Sunday -- helped by instructions from his 16-year-old passenger.

"At first they thought he was just drunk, but the man kept missing the tube for the breath test, then they realized he was blind" and arrested him.

Driver believed in things he couldn’t see. Went forward based on the vision of someone who could see the unseen.

Perfect analogy for the situation in Hebrews. Author says Christian faith is eternal version of Judaism.

Urges readers to look beyond present world to eternal reward – a new Jerusalem in heaven, an end to sin, rest.

Looking at the long term – hoping you’ll be rewarded: it’s guaranteed to Christians, according to Hebrews.

Rest of the book up to this point – (Slide)

This eternal reality exists,
it centers around Jesus,
and the Old Testament confirms it.
This portion of ch. 11 supports the existence of this eternal world by showing examples of OT figures who could see it and acted upon it.

List starts with creation and ends with Abraham and Sarah.

Abel: Offered better sacrifices because he could see the eternal world.

Enoch: was taken to heaven without death because he had faith in eternal world.

Noah: warned about unseen flood, obeyed God.

Abraham: left stability of his own land to become a drifter.

His vision of the eternal Jerusalem caused him to give up rootedness in this world.

Sarah: Because she saw the eternal world, she was made fertile again in her old age.

All these people failed to receive reward during this life.

They all knew the shortness of this life and the reward on the other side.

Author is trying to make it sound as if he could just keep rattling off more examples all day.

Author is dealing with question we all struggle with: Is there anything beyond this life, or is this life all there is?

Most Christians say they have no doubt that there is a heaven and a hell. But most people struggle privately with this question.

One problem: NT talks in various ways about the end of this world and the beginning of the next world.

Second problem is unfulfilled expectation that world would be transformed 1900 years ago.

Let’s avoid those pitfalls but try to be faithful to what he did say.

Three points (All interrelated): (Slide)

One: Faith in God reminds us how short and fleeting this life is. Helps us focus on what really counts.

Two: Faith in something greater helped these people overcome serious problems. Same is true today.

Three: Faith helps keep us focused on the long term. Life is not defined by everyday successes and failures.

Failed German Test: Had to have faith I would eventually pass it.

Trials and disappointments come in life. But Christians remember the long-term.

Jesus looked at long-term when he willing allowed himself to be arrested and executed.

When you feel you don’t want to go on, remember that something greater than us is at work here. God rewards us in many ways in this life, and in the next.