Our text this evening is Hebrews 11:8-10: “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.
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign
country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of
the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and builder is God.”
Throughout my adult years, I have been fortunate
enough to visit several Halls of Fame – in Canton, Cooperstown and Oklahoma
City to see memorabilia of childhood heroes – Terry Bradshaw, Mean Joe Greene,
Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, John Wayne, Roy Rogers and others. Hall of Fame
heroes inspire young people to aspire to greatness in a particular field. People
achieve greatness by striving for excellence. Excellence is the result of
combining love, skill and the arduous task of practicing the ordinary until you
can perform it extraordinarily. In addition to inspiring future generations,
there is another purpose to a hall of fame.
Any Hall of Fame mission statement contains the
phrase “preserve history.” Research the NFL[1],
Major League Baseball[2],
the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum[3] or
the Oklahoma Heritage Association[4],
and you will find the phrase “preserve history” in their mission statements.
Preserving history is something Paul accomplished
when he enshrined Abraham, Moses and the faithful remnant of Israel in Romans
9-11. The author of Hebrews preserved the history of faith, as well. While
Romans is read from the perspective of faith that justifies, faith in Hebrews
11 is that which endures. Both passages see faith as a matter of
obedience, but Hebrews enshrines Abraham into the Hall because his faithful
obedience takes on an urgent dimension. While Romans is addressed to those new
to the faith, Hebrews is written to an audience of Christians who knew the
Scriptures rather well.[5] In
chapter 6, we read, “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and
be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance
from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God.” (vv.1-3). This passage
indicates that Hebrews’ hearers were not new to, but familiar with the
Christian faith. They are Jewish Christians. Acts 6:7 tells us a number of
priests made their submission to the faith. Some could be in the audience.
Having become Christians who left Jerusalem for some
coastal city like Caesarea or Antioch, they grew tired of exile and now think
longingly of the splendor of Temple worship and the part they played in it. At
this point, their new faith is not very strong, and perhaps misunderstood. In addition,
persecution discourages them and they are tempted to go back[6] to
their Jewish beliefs and practices.[7]Hebrews
was a word of exhortation (13:22)[8]
written to encourage them to remain steadfast in their faith.
For them, persecution meant loss of property and imprisonment.
We read in Hebrews 10:32-36. “Remember those earlier days after you had
received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.
Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times
you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with
those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property,
because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do
not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to
persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he
has promised.”
These Christian were insulted and persecuted. Some
were imprisoned and others had their property confiscated. The author wanted to
encourage these Christians to endure even when they suffer or do not know the
outcome. That is why he cites Abraham and Genesis 12:1-4:
“The
Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s
household to the land I will show you. I
will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name
great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and
whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed
through you.’ Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.
Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.”
Abraham and the other heroes in Faith’s Hall of Fame
are a source of patience and strength. Abraham’s father had just died. His wife
was barren. He was 75. God instructed him to leave his household and promised
him that He would make him into a great nation. Hebrews reminds us that Abraham
“obeyed
and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
For those who are 75, consider how you might react
to God's promise. This is why Hebrews upholds Abraham as a hero. He left
everything for a promise. Faith tells us that God keeps his promises.
Cindy and I have been reading Couples of the Bible by Robert and Bobbie Wolgemuth. They describe Abraham’s
encounter with God this way.
Abraham was
awestruck. He had grown up in a land of myriad deities and idols, but this
tangible confirmed his belief that Yahweh was the one true God. … Abraham
dreaded telling Sarah the news. Even though God clearly told Abraham to leave
Harren, He had not spelled out exactly where He wanted them to relocate.”[9]
I did not give this passage much thought until I
preached on it last fall, and realized that Cindy and I were in a similar
situation when we left California. To be honest with you, I never heard of
Edmond, Oklahoma. My only trek to Oklahoma was Ardmore where Cindy’s aunt lives
and Winstar where her dad works. You go where God directs you.
What does the lesson to remain steadfast in faith
like Abraham have to do with Christian living today? We are not returning to
Jerusalem’s glory days. However, like those first Christians who experienced
persecution, repossessed property and imprisonment, we are not far removed from
similar experiences. Persecution happens today in other lands, and happened not
long ago in the lands of Eastern Europe.
The Pastor’s
Wife, which Cindy is reading, is set in 1949, when Soviet
propaganda was asserting that free Christian worship was being tolerated behind
the Iron Curtain. The Communists arrested Pastor Richard Wurmbrand in Romania
for secret Christian activities. His wife, Sabina, relays her efforts to get
her husband released, her subsequent imprisonment and her unceasing efforts to
help build a Christian Underground Church in restricted areas around the world.[10]
You may remember 1949 or you may have heard horror
stories about the Soviets. Here, Sabina recalls an interrogation from a Soviet
official.
“In this place,
Mrs. Wurmbrand, you must know that I am more powerful than God. … Have you
really accepted this? Have you really seen through the sham of religion? Have
you realized that in a Communist society, God is superfluous? That you don’t
need Him anymore? If you are ever released from here you’ll be astonished at
the achievements of recent years, and we are only beginning!”
Sabina responded
to her interrogator. “I see that you are powerful. And probably you have papers
and documents there about me that I’ve never seen and can decide my fate. But
God keeps records, too, and neither you nor I would have life without Him. So
whether He keeps me here or sets me free, I’ll accept that as best for me.”
Christians in the 1st and 20th
centuries were persecuted and imprisoned, lost their jobs, property and even
their lives. The same threat to Christians in America does not exist, and the
persecution is much subtler – to the point that we may not even be aware of it.
CFW Walther and Francis Pieper were well aware of
how the true Christian Faith could be diluted. They called this syncretism.
Syncretism occurs when we start accepting contradictory beliefs, asserting an
underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths.
Here is a contemporary example. Recently, we started
using the English Standard Version of the Bible rather than the new translation
of the New International Version. Why?
Zondervan, the main publisher of the NIV translation
of Scripture, decided to publish materials only in the NIV 2011 version — a
translation that removes certain references to gender-specific pronouns and is
one that the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations “finds
theologically problematic.”[11]
When you change the gender of Jesus or God the
Father, you change the basic tenets of our faith. Hebrews was concerned with
the faithful abandoning the Christian faith to embrace the old ways of Temple
worship. If Hebrews were written for us today, it might exhort us not to
abandon the Christian faith in order to embrace something new.
Today, we need heroes like Abraham to remind us to
trust God’s promises and to endure persecution even when it is subtle. The
temptation to abandon the faith for what others are feeding us is real,
especially if we fear the labels of narrow-minded or sexist. We need heroes
like Abraham to trust God’s promises, to endure faithfully even when persecuted,
and to preserve history – the history of our faith.
We need Old Testament and New Testament Hall of
Famers to inspire us to be extraordinary Christians like Pastor and Sabina
Wurmbrand. We need to know their stories so that we can be extraordinary
Christians who inspire others to endure faithfully to the end. Until we reach
the end of our days, may the peace of Christ, which surpasses all human
understanding, keep your minds and hearts in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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