Hebrews 11
Farsighted Faith…
- Keeps Heaven in focus and Earth in fade.
- Reminds us this world is not our true home.
- Encourages us toward less investments on earth and more in heaven.
- Gives us present glimpses of future glory.
- Prevents you from constantly looking back.
- Envisions the finished project.
Well, good morning, Saylorville! If you brought a copy of scripture with you this morning, you can find Hebrews chapter 11 as we continue in our Hall of Faith series, and we’re talking today about how to get, how to have, how to keep a far-sighted kind of faith. Hebrews chapter 11.
I love the song we just sang, and that we would sing Jesus’s name over everything. That’s kind of odd, but there’s something to it as well. And I think about the prophet of old says that God, there’s a day when God will sing over us. So until then, we sing His name over… everything. I like that! Do you?
Let’s talk to God as we get going here this morning, shall we?
Our Father in heaven, thank you that we can come before you to sing your praises and even commit ourselves in song to sing the praises of your Son, Jesus, over everything. That, last I checked, Lord, includes everything. And that’s easy to sing… really hard to do. So help us today to get a far-sighted faith so that we can sing Your name over everything; good, bad, up, down, all those things in these vicissitudes of life that we encounter; changes, struggles, and make this our count for your glory, Lord. I pray for those who are here, Lord, who have never, they don’t even have faith much less a far-sighted kind of faith, and that they might have faith today. You might grant that to them and they might be saved. We ask all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hebrews chapter 11… Just last week after the message, I had someone approach me and ask me, “You know when you’re talking about Abraham here… so when God called Abraham in Ur of the Chaldea’s when he was, according to Joshua 24:2 an idol worshiper, how exactly did God communicate with him?” That was the question. And it was an intriguing question. I didn’t have the answer. I said, “I don’t know exactly how…” I mean, we’re told that He spoke directly to him and there were visions in his life and such. I don’t know. I do know that it was impressive enough that he never looked back!
And in fact, it’s in this context in verse 8 that actually God spoke to my heart many years ago about the call to the very first church I pastored when I read that…
Hebrews 11:8, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he (Abraham) went out (watch this) not knowing where he was going.”
That’s a man walking by faith, But I am here to say to you that he also… He didn’t just have faith. He had a far-sighted faith.
So in fact, we get an insight into the far-sided faith of Abraham in John chapter 8, where Jesus, just before He gave His epic statement to his enemies,
[John 8:58b] “Before Abraham was, I AM.”
Just before He said that, He said to his detractors,
[John 8:56] “Your Father Abraham (watch this) rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
Have you ever read that? That is for you far-sided faith, right there.
And so with that, let’s go to where we left off in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 13. My favorite verses in this entire chapter.
Hebrews 11:13-16
13 “These all died (what?) in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles (or as another translation says, “temporary residents“) on the earth.
14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city.”
The great D.L. Moody was famous for saying that…
“Some people are so heavenly-minded, they’re no earthly good.” D.L. Moody
But the opposite is true! Some of you are so earthly-minded, you’re no heavenly good!
Now, I am slightly myopic or near-sighted, which is what most people with eye issues are, near-sighted rather than far-sighted. So if you’re near-sighted, duh, you see things close. You don’t see things in a distance. In fact, I remember in my 20s, driving on the highway one day and looking on the sign thinking, “I do not know what that says” — until I got up on it. And I knew I’m near-sighted. Had to start wearing glasses! So the opposite of being near-sight is to be far-sighted which is much rarer. Chances are only a few of you are far-sighted. And if you’re far-sighted, you see that sign in the distance. The speedometer in front of you is another story!
And speaking of speedometers, God’s promises are never fast enough, are they? They just never are. In fact, Warren Wiersbe once said,
“Waiting is for me one of the most difficult disciplines of my life.” Warren Wiersbe
Can you relate to that? And just this morning, just this morning in my own personal devotions I read in James chapter five and verse seven,
James 5:7a, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.“
Now the solution to our waiting is a far-sighted kind of faith. And so in chapter 11, these verses we just read, the writer gobbles up all of the characters in the story. All of them are sort of gobbled up in this section. And he says, if you look at it, at the very beginning of verse 13,
Hebrews 11:13, “These all died in faith…”
See that? And that might be the only thing some of you need to hear today, dying in faith, ’cause you don’t have faith! You have never exercised faith. You have never placed your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ who died and rose again for you. If that is you, you don’t have far-sided faith, you don’t even have faith! So that’s where it begins.
Just the other day I was talking to my friend Doug. Now, the story of Doug and I is really interesting! So Doug and I were childhood friends. And I became a Christian in 1982. So, do the math, we’re talking 42 years ago I became a Christian. And I was excited! I’m telling all of my friends about Jesus, and I’m bringing one of my best friends, Doug… newly married, he’s got a beautiful wife, they’re in my home, they’re sitting in my living room right across me, and I’m sharing my faith with this guy I grew up with. And I said to him, “Doug, if you died right now, where would you spend the rest of eternity?” And Doug and Mary his wife looked at me, and this glaze sort of came over their eyes. And I could see it without saying anything. They were saying, ‘My friend has turned into a real weirdo. Where is the door? How can I get out of here?’ And we exchanged a few more things. He wasn’t interested. He walked out the door… Didn’t see him, didn’t talk to him… for 41 years! Doug has a very generic name and he’s not on the internet, so it was nearly impossible for me. I’ve been looking for him for like 20 years. I put out all kinds of, you know, you know, little requests from people I knew. Nobody knew where he was. And I was so, and I couldn’t, I was just driven to get to find Doug! I all but gave up until about a year ago. I said, “God, if you want me to find Doug, you have just got to make it happen, ’cause I’ve done everything but hire a private investigator!” That week, I went to an FCA meeting here in Des Moines, and they were doing their pitch for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and there are all kinds of ministers around. And the guy up on the platform started to just go back and forth with a friend of his in the audience. And they were just joking with one another. He goes, “Yeah,” and he called out the high school that they graduated from. Same one my friend, Doug, had graduated from! And I looked at him and I thought, “Man, they look about his age.” And I had to look like a real weirdo. I cut through the crowd after. ‘Hey, hey, I know this is gonna sound really weird, but I’ve been looking for this friend of mine… Yadda, Yadda, Yadda. And I mean, you went to his high school. Anyway, you wouldn’t happen to know him…? “Know him?! My wife talked to his wife yesterday. I’ll get you his number by this afternoon.” And he did! That afternoon, after 41 years, I reconnected with my friend, Doug. And all year long… this was one year ago, we’ve been talking every month or so we talk. And just mostly just catching up on old, you know, I mean, a whole life has happened! They have married kids, grandkids. I’ve had married kids and lots of grandkids. And we were going, you know, sharing stories and I just waited and then just the other day, I said, “Doug, do you remember that time you sat in my living room?” He said, “I do.” “Do you remember what I asked you?” “I don’t.” [LAUGHTER] And I asked him the same question. “If you died right now, do you know where you’d spend the rest of eternity?” And he said, “Pat, I don’t. But it’s a good question, and I’ll give it some consideration.” And that’s where we left it.
The question I have before you today is, will you when you die, ’cause you will die… will you die well? The great evangelist and founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley, he would disciple men who would become evangelist and travel on horseback and whatnot, and he said this.
“Our people die well.” John Wesley
And I would submit to you that dying well is a lost art. We don’t even talk about death unless it’s upon us. We certainly don’t train people to die well. Churches host grief recovery classes. When’s the last time you heard of a class on how to die well? And it’s not lost on me that there are a number of people in my life right now and some in this church that are at different stages of dying. And to die well, it takes a far-sighted faith. Far-sighted faith.
And from this passage, I want you to know that far-sighted faith keeps heaven in focus and earth in fade… far-sighted. Many of you that are older… the first service, loved this! Remember the old hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will (what? We’ve got some older people in here, don’t we?) will grow strangely dim.” Too many of us are so near-sighted, the things in heaven have grown strangely dim. I often say,
“The only thing worse than no vision is a blurry vision.” Pat Nemmers
Blurry vision is vision that’s out of focus. And some of you genuinely need a spiritual eye adjustment. I know I do. The Apostle Paul tried to give it to the Colossians when he said,
Colossians 3:1-3
1″ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
That’s far-sighted faith. That’s how you get ready to die well. Far-sighted faith keeps heaven in focus and earth in fade.
Secondly, far-sighted faith reminds us, and this is the big duh, this world is not your true home. Look at verse 13.
[Hebrews 11:13, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.“]
He refers to them as strangers and exiles. You see that at the very end? The word “strangers” is a word, the Greek word means “a foreign guest.” And the word “exiles,” it’s translated variously in our English translations. I love the CSB’s translation, “temporary residence.” I love this, because Abraham is such a major subject in this chapter. In Genesis 23, Abraham, his wife dies and he’s looking for place to bury her, but he’s in the Promised Land. He’s in the land that God has already promised Abraham is his and it’s his descendants! But yet he still views the land as foreign. Here’s what he says;
Genesis 23:4, “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you;”
But you catch that even here in Hebrews 11. Or if you back up to verse 9, it says,
Hebrews 11:9, “By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a (What? Did you bring your Bibles?) foreign land, living in (what?) tents…”
The fact that Abraham in the land that was promised to him and his descendants still lived in tents demonstrated that he never viewed it as his permanent home. Do you? I don’t know of anybody that’s living in tents. A few palaces out there. The ultimate example is Jesus, isn’t it, right? We know that. We always make our beeline to Him, right? And you know the words, right?
John 14:1-3
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.
2 In My Father’s house are (what?) many (dwelling places, many mansions) rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.” It’ll be cool!
And just a couple of hours later, just a couple of hours later, Jesus, in John, (I don’t have this on the board for you) but John 17, he’s praying to His Father, He’s just hours from the cross. And this is amazing to me, because there’s so much in this chapter, so you can just lift one theological truth bomb after another out of here. But I want to take a slice out of verse 11 in the middle of His prayer and He says,
John 11:11a, “And I am no longer in the world…”
Jesus says this in His prayer to His Father: “I am no longer in this world.” What’s wrong with that statement? There’s nothing wrong with it. It just, He was in the world. He was still in the world! He was clearly still in the world, but only for a few more days where He would die, and a month and a half later He’d hang out and then He’d check out. He knew it! That’s the point. He knew that while He was still here on terra firma, it wasn’t for long. He knew He only had days left!
Do you know that? I mean, relatively speaking, we only have days left. How far-sighted is your faith? I often say that…
“Christians are heavenly citizens holding earthly visas.” Pat Nemmers
That’s what you are. You know what a visa is that goes into a passport? The more important they are, whether it’s a passport or a visa, they all have expiration dates. Have you ever noticed? — And so do we. And so do we. Job said,
Job 14:5, “Man’s days are determined and God has determined the number of his months and set boundaries on them which he cannot exceed.”
Have you ever read that? Are you ready? Are you ready to die well? If you have a far-sided faith, you’ll recognize the world is not your true home. You’ll recognize that heaven needs to remain in focus while the earth is in fade.
Thirdly, a far-sided faith, encourages (listen to this) it encourages us toward less investments on earth and more investments in heaven. Look at this, at the very beginning of verse 14. I love the way this is put! It says,
Hebrews 11:14, “”For people who speak thus make it clear…” (“Speak thus.” That’s referring to verse 13, the earlier verse where he says)
Hebrews 11:13,”They see this from afar.“
They got the promises, they never received them, but they saw them and they greeted them from afar. And so now he says, (Hebrews 11:14) ‘people who think like this.’ That’s those who… he’s talking about those who’s investment, real investment, is in heaven.
Just the other day, actually started about a month ago, I got a text from one of the elders in one of our churches in the Engage Network that we’ve planted. Many of you know, we’ve planted seven churches. There’s about… 3,000 people in the other churches. And one of the elders in the churches, you know, he is a really gutsy contact from me. He’s like, “Hey, just wanna tell you how grateful we are to Saylorville Church. You guys are so generous and the money you’ve given us…” (because we’ve committed ourselves many years ago to give a big pile of money, lots of resources, people and everything else to every church that we plant, and money on top of it.) “And so thanks so much, but we only got half of that money.”
And when he asked the question, our finance guy was like 10 feet from me. I put the phone down. “He says, “We really got half of it.”” Our finance guy goes, “You tell him we’ve fulfilled all of our obligations to them.” So I said, “We’ve fulfilled all of our obligations to you.” — And he goes, “Well, you might want to check again, Pastor.” …Like a couple days later, he… the finance guy says, “We only gave them in half.” (audience laughing) So I conspired with that elder, and just last week with my wife, we walked into that church during an elder meeting. I barged right into the door, took a check, slammed it down on the coffee table and I said, “I demand a t-shirt!” (audience laughing) They gave me one for my wife too! It was so much fun! So much fun, to invest in eternity!
And I said to an elder just the other day, we need to be radically generous in this day to demonstrate that we have less investment on this earth and more investment in heaven. Many of you know what James 4:3 says. Quote it with me.
James 4:2b, “You have not because (what?) you ask not.“
I knew you’d know that. You know what the rest of it says? I knew you didn’t! So let me help you.
[James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, (you ask with wrong motives, watch this) to spend it on your passions.”]
“…because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Just let that soak in for a minute. You know Jesus’ more familiar words.
Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV)
19 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Listen to this. Far-sighted faith is the best financial advisor. You don’t lose what you invest… ever! — And that’s how you get ready to die well. Far-sighted faith encourages us toward less investment on earth, more investment in heaven.
And fourthly, it gives us present glimpses of future glory. Far-sighted faith gives us present glimpses of future glory. You got to love verse 13.
Hebrews 11:13, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but (watch this) having seen them afar off…”
They greeted them from afar. Think about this. What a line! “They greeted them from afar.” What is “them?” What’s “them?” They greeted what? When I say I’m greeting “them,” I feel like I’m greeting a person, don’t you? I feel like I’m greeting an individual, somebody I love, somebody I’ve missed. I’m greeting “them.” What is the “them” here? The “them” are the promises of God! And the writer of Hebrews is making those promises so real, so personal, so precious, it’s like a person themselves that you’re getting! I mean, I usually greet people not promises, right? But not here! God loves to give His heavenly focused children occasional glimpses into the future, to the glorious promises that await us.
Remember when Moses led the children of Israel for so many years? They all sinned and they they had to go into the wilderness for 40 years and everybody’s dying off, and now they’re ready. He’s got Joshua ready to hand off the baton to him. And he screwed up in the process and… remember that? And God is forbidding him to go into the Promised Land. And it’s a really pathetic verse, but you’ve got to see it in Deuteronomy 3:25! This is Moses to God. He says this.
Deuteronomy 3:25, “Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan…”
I can almost sense God’s heartstrings pulled at that point. And you know what God said to him? ‘I’ll do exactly that. I’ll let you see it… but you’re not going. I’ll give you a glimpse,’ which is exactly what he did.
And it’s a picture of what you and I get. If you could see heaven like the Apostle Paul, it would blow your mind! It would blow your mind. But I’m saying you can see it… with the eyes of faith! The Apostle Paul got a glimpse in 2 Corinthians 12. Remember that? He says, ‘I got caught up in the third heaven.’ [2 Corinthians 12:2-6] I can’t even talk about it, that’s how amazing it was!’ And this is in the context where he expresses the thorn in his flesh. [2 Corinthians 12:7] Jesus, over and over, taking away from me, ‘Hey, my grace is sufficient for you.’
[2 Corinthians 12:9] That’s the context. God’s grace empowered the apostle Paul. But the glimpse of His glory, that inspired him! It should inspire you as well, if you have far-sighted faith.
One Christian still alive in this world… this is somebody, in a way… I look forward to the day she gets to go into the next, though she never complains about it, It’s Joni Eareckson Tada. She’s 74 years old. When she was 17, she dove into the Chesapeake Bay into just a couple of feet of water and broke her neck. And since then, for nearly 60 years, she has been a complete quadriplegic. And she talks about experiences that God gives us from time to time. She calls them, she coined an expression, she calls them “splash overs.” God gives us splash overs of heaven and splash overs of hell. But why don’t we let her tell you about it? (A video is played) Amen!
So if God gives you a far-sighted kind of faith, He will then give you present glimpses of future glory. And you’re probably thinking, ‘Well, what experiences… just what you heard from Joni. Sometimes in the suffering, that’s when we see God the clearest! He lets us see!. And Job talks about how we are able to see in the darkness. And by the way, as long as you have one of these [he holds up a bible] you always get a glimpse into the future glory, amen? You always have a glimpse of future glory.
Fifthly, far-sighted faith prevents you from constantly looking back. Verse 15, it’s right there.
[Hebrews 11:15-16,
15 “If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.”
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”]
You wanna know how you can judge whether somebody is not a genuine Christian? — By how quickly they go back. By how quickly they go back. Like the Jews of the Exodus wanting to constantly go back to Egypt. Like the people in Nehemiah’s day after this amazing feat of the accomplishment of the wall. He leads for six months. They’re going off the wall, off the chain… marrying foreign women. It’s all behavior modification. It’s not real! And Jesus even said in the parable of the, the sower in the seed, the different soils.
[Matthew 13:20-21
20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.“]
There’s the rocky soil. It goes down, “plunk!” It shoots up. These are the ones who have this effervescence. Oh, I’m so happy! I’m so happy! — and nothing ever changes in their lives. They’re emotionally moved, but they’re never changed. People who are constantly looking back usually go back. And John told us in
1 John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”
Is that talking about you?
Just the other day, we had somebody who came back to God after having walked away from the Lord for a number of years even! They came back to the Lord, and they’re walking fervently with God right now and they made the comment, “I will never go back!” I love that! That’s the spirit of far-sightedness! Far-sighted faith prevents you from looking back; back to your sin, back to the blunders, back to the things that you found temporary joy in, but you knew there was nothing eternal in it. And that’s how you get ready to die well!
One more thing about far-sighted faith. Farsighted faith envisions the finished project. It envisions the finished project.
I admire builders. Some of you are builders. I don’t covet many things, but I covet builders because you guys, you do amazing things! I see, I, somebody did a table, and I’m looking at this table and they…’How do you do that?!’ I was in the house of a builder just the other day, and he said, “Have you seen our Airbnb?” I said, “No, you haven’t Airbnb?” Yeah, it’s in the back of our house. They live in this woodsy area and he walked me around the back, and sure enough, in the back of the house was this beautiful Airbnb, not real large, but just gorgeous! All the rustic touches to it; There’s a Jacuzzi here. There’s all this. It’s so cool! It’s beautiful! And then he looked at me and goes, “Well, I’ve had that in my mind for the last two years. I just finished it.” I admire guys like that!
Look at what the text tells us at the end, or look at verse 16,
Hebrews 11:16, “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for (watch this) for He has prepared for them a city.”
God has prepared for them a city. And I got to think about this ’cause I quoted it a little bit earlier. Jesus said,
John 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places [rooms] … I go there to (what?) to prepare a place for you…”
That’s the exact same Greek word as the one that’s here. The exact same word with only one difference. You know the difference is? Tense. T-E-N-S-E, tense. So it’s like Jesus said, “I’m going to make it.” The writer of Hebrews says, “It’s finished.” Now whether or not… what Jesus… the construction has taken place up above is finished or not, I mean, completely… know this. God has prepared for them (That’s you who know Jesus) a city. If you’ve learned to die well, it is finished! Sounds just like the words of Jesus. This is a different expression, but when He died on the cross, that’s what He said, right? It is finished. Everything necessary for you to have your sins forgiven, a relationship with God sealed, eternal life was completed at the cross and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ. Are you going to be there? Some of you need to take heed to what we said earlier.
“These all died, (Hebrews 11:13) in faith.”
Then you’ll be ready to die well.
There’s a story that happened a century or more ago. Henry Morrison was a missionary to Africa for 50 years. He served the Lord in Africa for 50 years. And when he retired, he got on a boat and came home to New York Harbor. He was on the exact same ship as Teddy Roosevelt, former president of our country. It was on returning from an African safari who was killing animals… heads of animals. And when they got to the harbor, thousands of people, throngs of people were there to cheer on the president! And here was Henry Morrison. He’d got his wires crossed on the day he was supposed to arrive. He had no family there, no church, no mission organization or agency, nobody there to greet him! And he records that he thought as the ship was pulling into the harbor, he thought, “Look at this! God, I’ve served you all of my life, over 50 years for you, in Africa. And when I come home, the President of the United States is cheered for killing a bunch of animals. And there’s nobody here to greet me when I come home!” And God spoke into his heart to say, “You’re not home… yet!”
Our Father in heaven, we ask in Jesus’ name that you would grant us far-sighted faith. And for some in our midst and watching online, just faith in the Lord Jesus who said “It is finished” when He died for our sins. Help us, Lord, to keep heaven in focus and earth in fade, to have a far-sided, not so near-sided as we’ve been. And we confess that to you, and pray all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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