Introduction
I don’t know if you’ve ever gone on an adventure. We like to go on adventures in our home. Many adventures you go on require the ability to navigate where you are going. If you really want to navigate the way you are to go, you need a map. A map is going to help you get your bearings straight and figure out where you are at. And every map has two important things—a legend and a compass. A legend helps you figure out what’s on the map—it helps you interpret what’s there and give you the scale—how close or far the map is zoomed in—how many inches on the map equals a mile etc. A compass is the thing that tells you what direction is north. You need these things to navigate a map. I personally love maps. I like to see them and read them.
One adventure my wife and I have embarked on is running marathons. We’ve each done several marathons and ultra-marathons, but I got the nickname in our family of “the cartographer”, because whenever I would spectate one of my wife’s marathons, I would make a life size map of the marathon route. I would make this big large map of the race route and I would map out where the best spots to spectate would be. And I would see her a lot—usually I could get to see her every 3 miles or so because I had everything mapped out just right. If you’re going to navigate on an adventure, you need to know how to navigate a map.
It’s the same way in our spiritual lives. The spiritual life is like a journey. God’s Word the Bible is a map, but we need to navigate the map. What helps us navigate the map on the journey of life? Faith. Faith is what sees us through the journey of life. Too often however, as believers, we don’t live by faith. We want to live by feelings; we want to live based on the things around us. We substitute faith for other things.
• It could be when our 16 year old takes the wheel for the first time and we know God says he is in control, but we just can’t seem to trust him.
• It could be when our marriage is crumbling and we know God wants us to trust him, but we just can’t forgive our spouse.
• It could be when you get that difficult medical diagnosis and you know you need to live by faith but you are just so burdened with the news you just heard.
• Could be with what’s going on in our world today—you know God is sovereign and in control but you just can’t seem to stop worrying about the economy, or your retirement fund, or your job, or your finances.
• Maybe it’s in your relationships—you want to forgive but you just can’t seem to forget.
And perhaps it’s as if you have the map for life in your hands, but you don’t know how to read it. What’s going to make the difference? What is it that’s going to see you through the journey of life? Faith.
Big Idea: faith will see us through the journey of life
You can navigate the journey of life if you have this one element—faith. That’s our big idea for today—Faith will see us through the journey of life. I’m so thankful that God’s word has all the answers we need! And from our passage today we see three trademarks of the life of faith. If we’re going to navigate our spiritual life of faith, here’s what you need.
So let’s read our passage to see what it tells us about faith . . .
By faith, these ones died, not having received the things promised, but having seen them from afar and having greeted them, and having acknowledged that they were foreigners and sojourners on the earth. For these ones who speak make it evident that they are seeking a homeland. And if they were thinking of the one from which they came, they would have had opportunity to return. But now, they desire a superior one, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared them a city.
Big Idea: faith will see us through the journey of life
Interrogative: so if faith will see us through the journey of life, how do I live a life of faith?
As we think about the start of a new year, and we perhaps set goals and make plans. As we as a church look to what God has for us this next year—how do we live a life of faith? Our text this morning gives us the answer.
Transition: we learn three trademarks of the life of faith
1) CONVICTION (vs. 13)—“all these died in faith”
Explanation: the first trademark of the life of faith is conviction; you need conviction. Now as we begin to unpack this text, let’s get some context here. Our passage is in the middle of a chapter known for its focus on faith—it has been called the “hall of faith”. It begins with this incredible statement about faith—Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval. It tells us what faith is—assurance of what we hope for, and conviction of things not seen. Then it goes on to talk about specific individuals who were marked by their stellar faith. He mentions people like Abel, who offered a better sacrifice than Cain. Enoch, who was taken up and did not see death. Noah, who trusted God and prepared the ark. Abraham, who followed God not knowing where he was going. And Sarah, who bore children when she was beyond childbearing years. All of these are given as examples of the type of faith that sees you through the journey of life.
And then the author stops and takes a break and talks specifically about their faith. And here’s where our text picks up and we come back to the first trademark of a life of faith—you need conviction. All of these people were marked by a unique conviction. Our passage opens up saying “all these died in faith.” There was something unique about these individuals. They had conviction. They stood out among those around them for the conviction, principles, and belief they had—they were marked by their faith! Boys and girls, you can draw someone with conviction.
A. With confidence—“without receiving the promises”
Explanation: if we continue reading, we learn more about their conviction. We see that their conviction gave them confidence in the face of obstacles—they had conviction with confidence. Look at what the text says—without receiving the promises. Though they had faith; though they had this unique conviction, it was in the face of unfulfilled promises—they had conviction with confidence; with hope. They were pursuing something they hadn’t yet attained.
Argumentation: This can often be a difficulty for believers today. We know God promises a home in heaven; we know one day the pain and struggles of this life will be over, but we haven’t experienced that yet. And life can get hard and can shake our faith.
Application: Maybe you’re listening today, and you’re struggling with this aspect of confidence—the unfulfilled promises. You want to serve Christ and live the life of faith, but it’s really, really hard. You know what you should do, but you struggle to do it. Can I encourage you to learn from the example of those who’ve gone before? Develop the conviction that these individuals had. They lived by a different standard—the standard of faith. Despite the fact that the promises made to them were not fulfilled, they still pressed on because they developed conviction—conviction with confidence. If our faith is to see us through the journey of life, we must develop this same conviction.
B. With expectation—“having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance”
Explanation: we also need conviction with expectation. Look at what it says in our text—“having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance”. There’s a certain amount of experience here, yet there’s a distance. They had received these promises—they knew what they were, but again they didn’t have them. They were a distant hope. Notice it says they welcomed them from a distance. The Greek word here is the word to great—it’s a common word used for greeting someone. It’s actually the word aspazomai. We used to remember that one in Greek class because it sounds like a spasm so we used to say aspazomai—I greet. But these men and women of faith are greeting or acknowledging these promises but they aren’t having them yet—almost like someone on a life raft out at sea might greet a plane that flies over them but hasn’t spotted them yet—“wait, stop, over here!” There was hope—but it was still distant.
Application: The believer who lives the life of faith doesn’t let that stop him or her on the journey, but they keep going because they have unique conviction in the face of distant hope—conviction with expectation. Perhaps you’ve felt like giving up in your spiritual life. You wonder—is it even worth it following God or pursuing the things God wants you to do. Follow the example of those mentioned in Hebrews 11—develop conviction with expectation.
C. Conviction with dedication —“and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on this earth”
Explanation: we also see in the text that they had conviction with dedication. The text says they confessed that they were strangers and exiles on this earth. They understood the reality of their lives on this earth. Look at what it says—they confessed that they were strangers and exiles. This was their own terminology for themselves. They wanted everyone to know “I don’t belong here!” The word strangers refers to someone from another country—this earth was not their home, and they lived that way. An exile was someone from another country who came to reside there temporarily. It reminds me to the words of an old hymn—this world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through. But they knew this. They readily admitted that they were sojourners—they didn’t belong here, yet they were dedicated to this cause. This brought a sense of longing and loneliness—they had some empty relationships. There were ways in which they were different from those on this earth. There’s a different focus here.
Application: How many believers today go around living life as if they don’t belong here? How many believers today go around living their lives as if they were not going to be here permanently on this earth? We get so consumed with the stuff of this life, don’t we? We get so distracted by everything on this earth. We just celebrated Christmas—did you find that materialism had crept into your life? Or did you have the mindset seen our our text—”I’m just a stranger, I don’t really belong here anywhere.” We need to be dedicated to fulfilling the life of faith. So when your 401k drops; when you get cut to 32 hrs a week, when your family member gets sick; when you get laid off at work, you need to remember you are a sojourner here. One day this will end. You need this conviction with dedication. Don’t get distracted!
Big Idea: faith will see us through the journey of life
If you have this type of faith, it will see you through the journey of life!
2) CONCENTRATION (vs. 14-16a)—“For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own”
Explanation: there’s a second trademark of the life of faith—if you are to live the life of faith you need concentration. Not only do you need to be convinced of something in your heart, you need to focus on something in your mind. Boys and girls, you can draw a believer with unfailing focus. The individuals in our passage had this unfailing focus. Notice the text says: for those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. There is something they are concentrating on—there is a country they are pursuing, and they do not lose that focus.
Illustration: Have you ever lost focus? I’m reminded of the story of Peter walking on the water. Most of you know the story, Jesus called Peter to step out by faith and come to him. And as long as Peter was focused on Jesus, he would walk on the water. But as soon as he focused on the water and the waves he began to sink. He lost focus and he paid the price.
Explanation: believers must not lose their concentration on the things which they should focus on. The men and women of faith in our passage did not lose concentration, and their faith saw them through. Notice two aspects of the concentration of the individuals given to us in this passage:
a. Unshakable Concentration—And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return
Explanation: it’s an unshakeable concentration. Despite the distractions around, they have an unshakeable concentration.
Explanation: Our text says and indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. The author is making an argument here. He told us they are seeking a country not of their own. Lest some think they are seeking the homeland which they came from, he makes it clear that it if that’s the one they were thinking about, they would have had the opportunity to return.
Illustration: you know, there’s something about going home. Everyone loves to go home. Whether it’s for a visit, or to actually move to the place where you grew up, there’s something about it. I still enjoy going back and visiting the town where I grew up in Pennsylvania, and seeing all the changes and additions.
Application: but these people in our passage were not going home. Notice the concentration which could not be broken. They could have focused on an earthly land. They could have pursued going back to their earthly home. But they didn’t. They didn’t get distracted—they had unshakeable concentration looking ahead to the home God would provide.
B. Unrivaled Concentration—“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.”
Explanation: they also had a concentration which could not be rivaled—it’s an unrivaled concentration. Look at the beginning of verse 16—they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. You can’t beat what they’re concentrating on. They are focusing on a better country—the word can also mean superior country. You can’t rival this concentration—they focused on something that can’t be rivaled; it beats going home any day of the week! There is no comparison between the earthly homeland which they rejected and the far superior country which they were concentrating on. Let me tell you this today—nothing compares to the things God wants us to focus on. Nothing can really satisfy like God and Jesus and focusing on heavenly things. If we are to have an unearthly concentration, it needs to be one that cannot be rivaled.
Argumentation: now maybe you’re sitting here, and you have some thoughts in your mind. But it’s so hard. I want to trust God through what I’m going through but I can’t. I want to conquer my fear and anxiety, but I can’t. I want to do what God wants me to do but I can’t. I want to have joy amidst trials but I can’t. Our hearts are so good at speaking things to us, and we need to be able to discern what our hearts are saying. Don’t believe it when your heart tells you that you can’t do what God wants you to do—you won’t see that message in the Bible. With the help of God and Jesus, you can! You can trust him during trials; you can overcome your fear and anxiety; you can do what God wants you to do, you can have hope in extreme trials and you have a whole book called the Bible designed to help you know how you can have this concentration which these individuals in Hebrews 11 had. Oftentimes when we struggle in this way we have a perception problem in our spiritual lives. We have an unbiblical perception of our problems which makes our problems way bigger than they actually are, and makes our God smaller that he really is. We need to change our perception.
Application: folks, if our faith is to get us through the journey of life, we need concentration. It needs to be a concentration unshakable in the face of everything else around us. It needs to be a concentration that is unrivaled, because the things in this earth cannot satisfy. That’s what made these individuals different and distinct, and that’s what produced the faith that saw them through the journey of life!
Big Idea: faith will see us through the journey of life
3) CAUSE (vs. 16b)—Reward
Explanation: If we are to build a faith that sees us through the journey of life, we need a conviction—that’s faith; we need concentration—that’s heavenly; last, we need cause. An upward cause—that’s the reward. We need to have a higher calling than earthly things. Boys and girls, you can draw a Bible character who focused on his reward. And we learn those who’s faith carries them through the journey of life had an upward, heavenly cause. They focused on that cause, and it helped them keep their faith.
a. A relationship—“therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God”
Explanation: notice with me that this cause which they focused on was a relationship with God. That’s what we seen in verse 16—therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. We see as they pursued God and strove to please him, he accepted their efforts. God was not ashamed to be called their God. This is probably a figure of speech—giving a negative to express a positive. God’s not going to be ashamed to be called their God because they brought him honor and glory with their lives. When we live the life of faith, we experience this upward cause that the individuals in this chapter experienced—we have a relationship with God in which he is not ashamed of us, but rather our life of faith brings honor and glory to his name.
Illustration: A story is told of a famous violinist who was to perform at a concert hall of world renown. As he stood before the packed house that night and played his violin, he mesmerized the audience with his prowess and skill. As he lifted his bow off the string on his final note, the hall erupted with thunderous applause and he was given a standing ovation. He looked at the crowd for a moment and walked off the stage only to return to render an encore performance. To the amazement of the masses gathered there that night, his encore performance was even more beautiful and flawless than the first. He looked to the audience and left the stage for the second time, but was beckoned back by the deafening roar of the multitudes that once again stood to their feet in adulation. He gave yet another encore number, leaving the audience fumbling for words that could describe what their eyes and ears just experienced. After the performance, one reporter asked the question, “Sir, why did you give so many encore performances? You could have stopped after the first and everyone would have been amazed.” The violinist stopped and replied, “For the very first time in my career, my master, the one who taught me to play the violin, was in the audience. When I finished my performance, everyone stood except for one person. I played again, and everyone stood to applaud except for him. I continued to play. On the conclusion of the last encore I looked into the seats and I noticed that everyone, including my master, was standing and applauding. It was only then that I was satisfied that I had done a good job.”
Application: oh, if we only had that same drive when it came to pleasing our faith. We need an upward, heavenly cause—it’s the cause of a relationship with God.
b. A reward—“for he has prepared a city for them”
Explanation: going back to our text, not only is the cause a relationship with God, but it’s also a reward in glory. The end of our passage says for he has prepared a city for them. The reward for the life of faith is a relationship with God and a home in heaven. Jesus spoke of going to prepare a place for us and coming to receive us to be with him. This is the upward cause that the life of faith focuses on. One day, we will see God face to face, and he will reward our life of faith with a heavenly city that he has prepared for us. This is the focus which we should have. This is the upward cause which we should strive for. And this is what makes it all worth it. We persevere on the life of faith, because of the reward.
Big Idea: faith will see us through the journey of life
CONCLUSION
I opened today by talking about maps, and having a compass and legend to help you navigate the map of life. These are essential things you need to go on a physical journey.
The spiritual life is very similar. We are on a spiritual journey. What do we need to get through? What do we have to take with us in order to finish our spiritual journey? We need faith. What would our lives look like if we had the faith to see us through the journey of life?
• When our 16 year old takes the wheel for the first time and we know God says he is in control, we would trust him.
• When our marriage is crumbling and we know God wants us to look to him, we can do that.
• When you get that difficult medical diagnosis and you know you need to live by faith but you are just so burdened with the news you just heard, you can take it to Jesus.
• When we have this turmoil all around and you know God is sovereign and in control but you have to deal with your retirement fund, or your job, or your finances, faith will see you through.
• When you’re struggling with your relationships and you want to forgive but you just can’t seem to forget, faith will see you through.
What is it that’s going to see you through the journey of life? Faith.
Here we have the example of those who have gone before us, and we see how they navigated their spiritual journey. Will you follow their example? Will you build the faith you need to complete the journey of faith? Faith will see us through the journey of life! As we start a new year, and take inventory of our lives and focus on things that need to be emphasized or changed, let us take time to examine our faith. Let’s make sure we have the type of faith that will see us through our spiritual journey!
