The Conviction of Things Not Seen
In his will, U.S. founding father Patrick Henry wrote the following: "I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more that I wish I could give to them – that is the Christian religion. If they had that and I had not given them one shilling, they would have been rich; and if they had not that and I had given them the world, they would be poor." What was this religion that Patrick Henry wanted his children to have? Why was he as passionate about that religion as he was about the fledgling nation whose liberty from England he demanded, even at the cost of his life? I think the answer can be found in the words of author and hymn-writer William Arthur Dunkerley, who penned these words, "Not what I do believe, but Whom, Who walks beside me in the gloom? Who shares the burden wearisome? Who all the dim way doth illume, And bids me look beyond the tomb, the larger life to live? Not what I do believe, But Whom! Not what, But Whom!"
The Christian religion is nothing but a collection of comfortable rituals and readings until the day that faith is born. That faith marks the difference between a person who is going through the motions and the one whose life has been gripped by the hand of the Almighty. And the faith that is born is a gift of God, not something that you and I can study and learn. The great author, Franz Werfel once said, "For those who believe, no explanation is needed; for those who do not believe, no explanation will be enough." If that is true, then how do I speak to you about this faith that the author of the book of Hebrews wants us to know? “Faith,” says our text today, “is the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen.” If we say “I believe,” it is not wishful thinking. It is not a dream. It is something inside each of us that knows… knows the truth even though we cannot taste it… trusts unfolding of the future even though we cannot touch it… walks life’s path with confidence even though we cannot see it. Faith is the foundation of the courage within us to face whatever life may bring… and the peace in our hearts that knowns God is in charge whatever our circumstances.
I could tell story after story of martyrs in the faith… in fact, there is an entire book of martyrs in the bookshelf in my office. The stories in that book are amazing… and totally incomprehensible to most people. Most people would react to those stories the way that most of us reacted to the story on the news last night of the killing of six Americans in Afghanistan. When you and I look at the country of Afghanistan, we see only a country at war… a dangerous, unstable and fearful place to be. British writer James Allen wrote, "Fear and faith are directly opposite views of the future and they cannot co-exist. My faith is in a Creator who has given me dominion over all things. Your faith may be elsewhere, but know this: Faith and fear cannot be present at the same time." When we step out in faith, we leave fear behind, for our faith in is something greater than the fear we once knew. Tom Little, the leader of the group that was killed yesterday, did not see a country at war. He saw people in need of help… and he believed that he could help them. You and I see only the tragedy of productive lives cut short… a senseless atrocity, in our eyes. We don’t yet see how God is at work in those lives… those deaths… among the people of Afghanistan.
The cover of our bulletin today show one artist’s depiction of Abraham traveling from the city of Uhr to go to Canaan… a land he did not know and could not imagine. Yet God had called him… and told him to go. The miracle to us… and the reason that Abraham is held up to us as such a great figure of faith in scripture… is that he went at all… but he did. Not knowing where he was going or what waited for him there, Abraham went. He went on faith… trusting in God… whatever the future might hold. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to the people of China, once said, "Let us give up our work, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into God's hand; and then, when we have given all to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about." Most of us can’t do that. But Hudson Taylor… like Abraham… knew that God’s plan might be different than his… and he trusted that God knew what he was doing. From faith such as this, great stories are born.
What is your relationship to the God in whom your faith rests? Francois Fenelon was born in France in 1651. As the son of a Count, he was given the finest education. In 1675, he graduated from college and became a priest. He was a gifted speaker and teacher and it is said that his aim in life was "to lead souls to the pure love of God." In 1689, he became the tutor for King Louis XIV's eldest grandson, the Duke of Burgundy, who was destined to be the future King of France. Fenelon poured himself into his work. The king was quite pleased with Fenelon's instruction. Not only was the duke growing intellectually, he was also developing self-control and learning the responsibilities of his position. One Sunday, the king and his attendants arrived at the chapel for the regular service; but no one else was there but Fenelon. "What does this mean? Where is everyone?" King Louis demanded. Fenelon replied, "I had it published that you would not come to church today, in order that your Majesty might see who serves God in truth and who flatters the king." The first time I read this story, I smiled… thinking of the consternation of the King when no one was in the chapel. The second time I read the story, I wondered why the King showed up in the chapel. Was it to worship God… or to receive the flattering attention of his sycophants? Jesus has promised that whoever asks will receive… whoever seeks will find… and to the person who knocks the door will be opened. One hallmark of our faith is the tenacity with which we seek it. God speaking to the children of Israel through the Prophet Jeremiah said, “When you search for me, you will find me. If you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me.” Poking fun at those who claimed to be among the ‘elect,’ the great evangelist D.L. Moody once said, "The elect are the "whosoever wills;" the non-elect are the "whosoever won'ts."
Faith is the product of an active and healthy relationship between us and God. The fruit of that relationship can only be seen after we have stepped out in faith. The illustration that I have used before is a favorite from the movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” when Indiana Jones is looking for a way to cross a chasm bounded on both sides with sheer rock cliffs. Following the instructions he has received, he steps out onto what he believes is air only to discover that it is a rock bridge that blends so well with the cliff behind it that it cannot be seen from where he was standing. Once he is standing on it, his line of sight changes and the bridge becomes visible to him. That is what it is like to trust in God. We step forward in faith… not knowing what to expect, but trusting that God knows all and loves us. Only after we have taken the leap of faith can we see that we were in God’s hands all along… that there never was any danger to us. The great Baptist preacher F.B. Meyer put it in this way, "Unbelief puts our circumstance between us and God, but faith puts God between us and our circumstances."
Is it possible that God knows something about your future that you do not know? Did Julian and I ever suspect that with degrees from the University of Notre Dame and Georgetown University Law Center and passing the California Bar Exam on his first try that he would be unemployed within a year? No. But I am convinced that God knows what God is doing. Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool: "Some years ago while visiting in West Texas, I learned of a famous oil field knows as the "Yates Pool." During the Great Depression of the 1930's, this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Ira Yates. Because of Yates' inability to make enough money on his ranching operation to make his mortgage payments, he was in danger of losing his ranch. His family, like many others during the depression years, had to live on government subsidies. Day after day, as Yates grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was greatly troubled about how he would be able to pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and convinced Yates there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat test well, and Yates signed a lease contract.
At 1,115 feet, the drillers struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Translated into today's market value, that would be a gross income of about $2.5 million a day from that single well. And that was only the beginning! Many more wells came in… some more than twice as productive as the first. Then, after oil had been pumped for more than 30 years, a government test of just one of the wells showed that is still had a potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day. When Yates purchased the ranch, he pictured his future as a sheep rancher, but he was totally unaware of the greater hidden treasure in that land. Perhaps, there is a treasure hidden inside of you that has not yet been revealed. Perhaps, the future that God has planned for you is very different than the present that you are living.
Abraham was not a young man when God called him to leave Uhr and set out for Canaan, yet the land he came to was a land flowing with milk and honey. John Wesley was not a great preacher when he first began to preach in the countryside in England, yet today books of his sermons are on the shelf of every seminary graduates. Only God knows what your future holds… what my future holds… and we will only discover the fullness of that future if we step out in faith. Faith, you see, is not “believing that God can do something.” Faith is “knowing that God will do it.” It is also knowing that whatever God will do might not happen in our lifetime… and that the timing is also in God’s hand.
In 1809, Louis Braille was born in a small village just outside of Paris. At age three, an accident blinded him. When he was ten, his parents sent him to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris. There he developed a passion for hymnody and often played the church organ. One day a friend read to him a newspaper account of an army captain who had developed a system of night writing. It consisted of punches on thick paper, which was designed so soldiers could feel the instruction and pass it along the trenches at night without talking. As Braille listened to the story, he exclaimed, "In the name of God, this is it. This is it." For the next twenty-six years, Braille patiently developed a raised 6-dot system, which not only encompassed the alphabet, but also mathematical and musical notation. He knew that developing a simple reading system for the blind was the work the Lord had given to him. Braille died of tuberculosis at age 43. When he died, few people had ever heard of him or his reading system. But, within 50 years, the Braille system became the international standard enabling the blind to read.
Like so many others before me, I have shared stories of faith… faith quotes… and evidence of faith with you today. It still all goes back to the quote from Franz Werfel: "For those who believe, no explanation is needed; for those who do not believe, no explanation will be enough." There is no way to experience faith without taking the first step yourself. So, as your pastor, I can only resort to stories and that famous line from the cereal commercial: “Try it. You’ll like it.” Amen.
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16