For Who Is There–Heb. 10:32-12:3
Everybody has heroes. One I have is Jim Elliot. Jim graduated from
Wheaton College in the 1950s, and he quickly discovered a vocation in the
missionary life.
The
field he chose was the unexplored frontiers of Ecuador in Latin America. Not
content with bringing the Gospel to the civilized people of the country, he and
his four companions flew their MAF Piper plane to the lands of the savage Auca
tribe.
Their
first landing led to their tragic massacre on a remote beach in South America,
but out of that seemingly senseless tragedy comes a powerful testimony of the
call of God and the impact that call has on the life of people.
When
Elliot and his teammates were martyred, a reader wrote a letter to the editor
to TIME Magazine,
Letter to the editor in Time Magazine February 13, 1956
“Promoting Christianity”
Sir:
We have been
reading about the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador [Jan.
23]. These young men were very fine people. However, let's look at the Indians'
side of the story. The Aucas are well known to be Stone Age people, they hate
all strangers, and don't want anyone coming into their territory. Why go in?
These people have lived this way for hundreds of years, and I am sure the Lord
must be interested in them just as they are. Let's use all our efforts to
improve our own country and stay out of the jungles of Ecuador—I am sure it
will cause the Auca Indians to give thanks to whatever God they believe in.
DAVID P. LEAS
Villa Nova, Pa.
Do
you hear the question? Why should such brilliant men waste so much talent and go
to a foreign country for mission work? He could SEE so much that needed to be
done here in the U.S.
Jim
Elliot’s widow wrote a letter to the TIME editor in reply.
Letter to the editor in Time Magazine March 12, 1956
Sir: Mr. David P.
Leas' letter [about the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians in
Ecuador—Feb. 13]: "Why go into Auca territory?" I answer in the words
my husband wrote in his last letter to his parents: "Ours is to preach the
gospel to every creature . . ." Mr. Leas is sure that the Lord must be
interested in the Aucas "just as they are." God is interested in all
mankind just as he is—so interested, in fact, that He sent His Son to die for
him. The only trouble is that the Auca doesn't know that yet. The five men
intended that they should. "Stay out of the jungles of Ecuador?" Not until
every creature has had the chance to hear. I, for one, am staying.
MRS. P. JAMES ELLIOT Shandia, Ecuador
Now, here are more words,
originally from Jim Elliot’s journal, and written in that letter to his parents:
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what
he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot
Jim
Elliot saw something few around him in his day and age could see. He viewed
things from God’s perspective.
It
has always been this way. The majority cannot see; God’s people can.
As
we have heard in Hebrews, the world could not see. Yet, they were trying to
press the Christians into their mold, which was poorly shaped. God wanted his
people to be poured into the mold of Jesus. God designated one group to do
that—the church. Other groups might have helped, but they were not THE ONE
picked by God. That was the church.
There
are a lot of people today, even Christian people, who prefer other groups to
mold them. That is why many are not in worship services on Sunday.
It
is hard to follow a God you cannot see with your eyes. When you try to follow
Jesus, there is always pushback from other groups—and that pushback hurts.
In
a sense, you could say that all suffering is relative. Pushback from the world
hurts, no matter where you are in life.
The
temptation is to do something to eliminate the pushback, and that something is
contrary to the will of Jesus. Pushback leads to the denial of Jesus, instead
of the affirmation of him.
Now,
you know better than I what that pushback is in your life.
It
may be your family is mad because you quit dating that guy who is taking you
away from Jesus.
It
may be rejection from your friends. Perhaps, when they see your commitment to
Jesus, they your Thursday night Bridge game hold hostage to test you. If you
don't do what they want, they will not invite you anymore.
For
others of you, it may be a derisive laugh. For some, it may be a withering
glance from a friend. The point is that you have people all around who are
trying to fit you into their mold.
You
must see what you cannot see. Yet, that is the challenge. It’s hard.
I
have told you before about the early stages of our campus ministry in
Argentina. It was going well, but it was tough for those students, because
Christianity was so radical for their culture. It was a secular European
culture, and Christianity was a thing of the past. For these students, to leave
their old lives behind and follow Jesus was a courageous act to take.
One
girl in particular was vivacious and cute and was quite an evangelist for us.
We would host Saturday night Bible studies and fellowships in our home, and
this Christian girl invited a friend of hers, who was very much in the world. After
they left our house, this non-Christian friend told her, in effect, “I don't
understand what you are doing. They are a bunch of losers.”
She
invited her to go out and see a bunch of “winners”… those who were partying all
night at her favorite nightclubs. Our Christian girl took her up on her offer.
She
did see. She did see people, excitement, fun, and affirmation.
Before
long, she abandoned her Christian community to join her non-Christian friend’s
community.
The
world’s community began to fit her into their mold. It was a very sad thing.
Her life changed for the worse. All because she pursued what she could see.
To boil of this down to one sentence:
Christians are called to see the unseen.
We
are accustomed to this in other fields. During the time of the Hebrews’, people
would get sick from things they could not see. Today, thanks to microscopes, we
can see them. But we cannot see bacteria and other things that cause ailments
with the naked eye.
Do
you use the Internet? Can you see it? I put my faith in the power of the
Internet, even though I have never seen it.
When
you were young, your parents tried to share with you their faith in electricity.
They tried to convince you of its power. They attempted to convince you that
the power of electricity could be found in a wall socket. But you and your
rational belief system rejected this teaching from your parents. You were like
“Doubting Thomas”—“Until I feel the power, I will not believe.”
Then,
one day, you put your fingers in that wall socket. At the moment, maybe with
fear, trepidation, and tears in your eyes, you came forward while your parents
stood and sang.
To
this day, you live in faith that there is power in that wall socket. You cannot
see it, but you believe it is there.
Expand
this conversation to the spiritual world. You and I cannot see it with our
eyes, but God is telling us over and over again to see what we cannot see.
Hebrews
chapter twelve tells us that we base our lives upon this spiritual sight. But
that is risky. This Preacher recognizes that. That's why he challenges them and
encourages them by saying these words–you are called to be faithful to Jesus.
After all, Jesus was faithful to you.
Actually,
I wish the translations for “faith” in the book of Hebrews read “faithfulness,”
or “faithful,” because those are better translations.
Here
is what faithfulness is: you know there is a hope even though you can't see it,
and, you live by it.
He
is not talking about simply saying, “I believe….” Rather, faithfulness means
saying, “I believe” and living a life that really and truly reflects that
belief. That is what this whole section is about. That is the better life. You
notice he says that that is what these heroes were commended for.
I
like the way one translation phrases verse 32, Remember the
past, when you first learned the truth. You endured a lot of hardship and pain (Heb.
10:32.)
He says, “You
endured.” They were running a marathon, not a sprint. Jesus endured. In
Christianity, you stick it out.
According
to this preacher, faith is a place to stand. It is not based upon feelings.
Trust me, those in Hebrews who were in the assembly were not compelled to
testify each week, “Here is what the Lord did for me.” (I know for some
Christians today, a long time has passed since they have met with God’s people,
ready to share their testimony of what God has done for them.)
That
is not to say that the Lord was not giving the Christians in Hebrews something
to testify about, nor Christians today. Chapter eleven is about people who
could not physically see the Lord working in their lives. Yet, if you look at
verse two of chapter 11, the better translation goes like this: For by
[faith--trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine
testimony borne to them and obtained a good report (Heb. 11:2.)
AMP
Their
lives were a testimony to what God was doing in the world.
Make
no mistake about it, those times when you don't feel like you can say,
"Here is what the Lord has done for me,” you may be indeed writing your
very best testimony. You just cannot see it. All of the feedback you're
getting, from those outside in the world, may be telling you that you're doing
the wrong thing or the foolish thing. But you ultimately play for an audience of one--God.
Do
you notice what he points to as an example of seeing and the unseen? It is by
faith we understand that the whole world was made by God's command so what we
see was made by something that cannot be seen (Heb. 11:3.) NCV
It
is the creation. God saw nothing, and then he created something. God enjoys
creating something out of what, to us, is nothing. God can likewise take the
experiences in the lives of His people, and pull something out of what appears
to be a hopeless situation.
A
recent movie that has come out is called OCTOBER BABY. The talk it generated
mainly centered on the story’s main character—a high school girl whose mother
attempted to abort her birth… and the abortion failed.
There
are many elements to the movie’s plot. There are many themes including
forgiveness and reconciliation. However, I think one of the most powerful
components of this movie comes in the final credits.
The
actress who portrays the girl’s mother had an abortion over two decades ago.
During the closing credits, she offers her testimony to God and his healing
power. Our God forgives and heals—even those who abort children.
Reflecting on
that, I could not help but think how much I would love for Shiloh to become
known as a place where women and men who participate in the abortion of
children can come and find forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, and
redemption.
A lot of people cannot see that. They
look and see only what their eyes tell them they can see. This is unfortunate.
You cannot see the forgiveness God offers, but it is out there and it is
available.
Like
events are the back-story to this passage: the creative work of God changing
people’s lives and giving healing and hope. So often these stories surge from
avenues, nooks, and crannies where people cannot see them.
In
chapter eleven, you have people who could see. If you have been with me in this
look at Hebrews, you might remember that earlier, we looked at those who were
not heroes in the story of Israel. They were in chapters three and four. Here,
in chapter eleven, we're looking at the heroes. In Chapter eleven, you have
this preacher encouraging his readers by pointing out what seems to be random
acts of faithfulness.
Earlier,
remember, he talked about the wilderness generation who was guilty of unfaithfulness.
These heroes in chapter eleven are "guilty" of faithfulness. They
endured.
Look
at verse six: 6 And without
faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must
believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
He
is talking to people who are wavering. He wants them to earnestly seek God. We
sing this song called “Step by Step”. In it we sing the phrase, “I will seek
you in the morning.”
I
think about that song when I look at this verse. The people who were the heroes
of faith seek God even when they cannot see.
Who
is an example of this? How about Noah?
God
told him to act upon things that he could not see, and he did. He preached and
taught, tradition says for 120 years, while he constructed the Ark. Just
building the Ark was an act of testimony. Talk about sensory preaching!
I’m
sure people kept asking Noah, “So how’s the ship going to get off the ground?”
Poor
Noah had to reply, “I don’t know. God is going to take care out that.”
Seeing
the unseen.
This
preacher is trying to encourage these Christian in Hebrews, because they keep
asking themselves, “What is wrong with us? We are so out of step with everybody
else.” He is saying, "The rest of the world does not know what is real.
You know what is real."
This
guy spends a lot of time on Abraham and his grandchildren.
He wants to talk to them
about alienation. Read through here sometime and note how many times he uses
verbs of movement. One is where the text says that Abraham went out.
Rabbinic
tradition says that Abraham was an idol worshiper living in Mesopotamia, and I
believe that. God called him out of that land. Mesopotamia was a good culture,
a civilized culture for the time; they had an ancient form of the postal system
and lots of other goodies.
Some
preachers have imagined that after Abraham left, some of his old buddies would
sit around telling stories into their old age. They would say things like,
“Yeah, Abraham was a good guy. He had a lot going for him. And then he started
hearing voices. He said they were voices of God…” They would shake their heads,
and you could see they were thinking, “What a shame. So much talent wasted. I
wonder whatever happened to him.”
Question,
give me a single name of anyone else who lived in Mesopotamia during that time.
But the entire world knows Abraham's name. And they know it because he saw what
they could not see. He was faithful to God and lived out that vision. These
people were like links in the chain of God, and they were content to simply be
links.
Look
at verse eight, 8 By faith
Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. NIV 1984
Look at verse 10, 10 For he was looking forward to the city
with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. NIV 1984
He was looking to a city
he could not see, yet he was faithful.
Could
Abraham see you? Obviously, not literally. But God told him he would have so
many descendants, one could not count them. This is a guy who was old–he was
even older than I am! Yet Abraham lived his life faithfully, and now he has too
many descendants to count.
Look
at verse 13, 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. NIV 1984
These
people were following a God who was preparing a city for them in which they
would not live while in their human skin. They couldn't see it with their eyes,
but they could see it with their souls.
Folks,
there are a lot of people in Scripture who lived out the faith and were
strangers to the culture. Whether you and I like it or not, we have to make a
decision; do we want it bad enough to be willing to be a stranger to this
culture?
Who
is the audience we're playing for? Is it for those around us in our culture, or
is it God? They did not see with their eyes, but they saw with their souls.
I
cannot help but think of a quote by Helen Keller; writers have written plays
and movies about her, because as a young child, she lost her sight and her
hearing. She learned to live a full life. She wrote, “If the blind put their hand in God's, they
find their way more surely than those who have no faith or purpose.” Do
you hear what she is saying?
What
about Moses? What about the “Prince of Egypt?” He rejected the Egyptian
culture. Verse 25 says that he
would rather suffer mistreatment than the king. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with
the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. NIV 1984
he persevered because he saw him who is
invisible. NIV
1984
He persevered because he
saw him who is invisible. Can you see what no one in this culture can see?
Rahab
is in here. 30 By faith
the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven
days.31 By faith the prostitute
Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were
disobedient. NIV 1984
Rahab was inside one of
the most fortified cities in all of civilization at that time. From what her
eyes told her, the safe bet was to stay there. This ragtag band of wandering
pilgrims on the outside, with weapons that did not even contain iron, should
not have been any match for the fortified Jericho. But she put her faith in him
whom everyone else around her could not see.
Look at verses 39 to 40 :
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them
received what had been promised. 40
God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would
they be made perfect. NIV 1984
Are we willing to
sacrifice, to trade-in, all that this world has to offer, for what is behind
the door of that which is to come? Are we willing to play for the audience of
one–God—and that be enough? That is what is being laid out in here in this
list.
If
you are sitting there, and you know you are a flawed human being—what the Bible
calls a sinner—be of good cheer. Even if you have a little bit of faith, if it
is in God, a little faith will go a long way. Now, I hope that will inspire you
to faithfulness. Please allow this church to provide you the Christ mold to
grow in Christ's image. But let's just start with helping you get that little,
teeny, tiny bit of faith-in God.
How about we look again at verse 40–40 God had planned something better for
us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. NIV 1984
No
matter what this culture offers—even if it is good—it will never match up to
what is to come. There are some who enjoy the blessings of this country, and
they live lives that are defeated, depressed and hurting, because they have
forgotten that they are spiritual beings. They are putting their faith in what
they see.
They're
listening to those around them in the world. They are putting their faith in
what they see.
There
are others who have it bad, and they know they have it bad. They must be
careful to remember that they too are spiritual beings. And as bad as it seems,
there are things ahead in Christ that are better.
So,
what do we do with this information? Let the Preacher here in Hebrews get
practical and tell us…
How To See
the Unseen:
1. Go to church.
You
may be asking, “Mark, why do you say that?” Because all of this is in the
context of the worship assembly. We saw this in Chapter ten, we see it again in
a chapter twelve–1 Such a large
crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that
slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be
determined to run the race that is ahead of us (Heb. 12:1.) CEV
A
couple weeks ago, we talked about how the Christian journey is like a race. And
it can get tough. We get tired. People boo us. Yet, there are those in the
stands who are cheering us on.
These
folks in Hebrews have not been assembling together much. Part of it could have
been they did not have a nice building like ours; they had a small number of
people, simply meeting in homes. The singing might have been bad. So he tells
them–“when you meet, it is not just you yourselves, it is not just those whom
you see with your eyes. There are all of these heroes of faith and others who
have gone on before you who are present. And they are encouraging you. They are
cheering you on. You are part of this spiritual family that goes on for eternity.
They are there with you.”
I am
not sure if this was symbolic or if it was literal. I don't want to be too
sentimental about this, but I think this is literal.
It
is hard for me not to be sentimental, or least emotional, because I believe
this. I believe
when we gather in the assembly, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit come
to meet with us. I believe the angels of heaven join us. But that’s not all.
I
believe my dad is with us. I think my brother is with us. My grandfather, who was
a kind, sweet man, and godly man—an elder in the church for many years—I
believe he is with us. I believe your loved ones who have died in the faith are
with you in your assemblies.
You
cannot see them, but neither can you see radio waves. However, you can hear the
sounds the radio waves bring. The waves are there.
Can
you see the spiritual beings in the assembly? No, but you can appreciate their
presence.
Warning.
I cannot give you any reason to believe that when you are walking in the woods by
yourself praying to God, those spiritual beings are with you. There is no
scriptural account of that. But you see this Scriptural hope about the worship
assembly of the Saints.
Why
go to church? That's what were asking.
There
are a lot of answers to that question; one answer--because of who is there.
From
the first line of this letter, the preacher has dealt with the question, “Is it
worth it to be a Christian?” They were in house churches and in bad situations.
Today,
there are people all over the world who are sitting in bad situations in
worship services. They may be in dysfunctional churches. They may be in boring
churches. They may be in churches where the demographics all around them are
changing, and that is creating tremendous tension. And they are discouraged
from meeting. This preacher would say, “No, you're focusing on what your eyes
can see. Focus on what your eyes cannot see. When you meet, think about who is
there.”
How
do you see what you cannot see? Here is his answer (and we can do this!)
2. Fix our eyes on Jesus.
2 We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who
leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to
a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is
seated at the right side of God's throne! 3So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from
sinners
(Heb. 12:2-3.) CEV
We
fix our eyes on Jesus. Then we won't get discouraged and give up. How do we do that? Get
into the Word. Read the Bible. Study the Bible. Meditate on the Word: because
the Bible points to Jesus.
Get
around Jesus in skin. Where is he? The church. But the church is imperfect! I
know. Imagine God trusting his incredible mission of bringing people into the Kingdom,
and molding them into the image of Jesus--and choosing human beings as his
instruments to do that! But he does.
We
use all of our resources to fix our eyes on Jesus.
Dementia
is a terrible thing. I heard a story several years ago from Tommy Nelson about
a Christian lady, who loved the Lord, and memorized a lot of scriptures to
honor him as well to encourage herself. She grew older, and a number the
Scriptures began to leave her. She had one favorite verse, Second Timothy
1:12b, “I know
whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to keep what I have
entrusted to him until that day.”
As she grew older
in life, she lost all verses, except that one verse. In the last few days of
her life, she lay on her deathbed, and even that verse had left her. Except for
one word–“him.” And she would constantly recite it, “him, him, him.”
That
is a good word to remember. If you distill all of the Bible, that is what you
distill it to–Him. All of the Bible points to the Father’s Son, His words, His
purpose, and His salvation.
Whenever Marco
Polo came back from China, it is said that many mocked him for what he saw.
They scoffed at him until the end of his days, yet he died with the assurance
that someday, everybody would discover, what he had discovered and knew for
certain--there was something on the other side. Indeed, the world did find out.
There is something on the other side.
What
we have read is that the world will scoff at us. The world has scoffed at the
foolishness of our beliefs. But we have a certainty. When we die, we die in
faith. We knowing that some day, the entire world will know there is something
on the other side.
Thanks James Thompson and David DeSilva.
