Listen to sermon
Pastor Tom Johnson, August 7, 2016
But this call to faith in a promise of a greater reality may betray us. The time and money we invest in higher education may not give us our dream job. The transmission may fail while we are still making car payments. People seem no more attracted to you now than when emitted your own “natural” body odor. We all live by faith in someone or something—there is some promise of a greater reality that we are living for and living toward. We may live by faith in the promise of wealth. We may live by faith in a promise of better health. The artist lives by faith in greater creative genius. The musician lives by faith in greater musical expression—the athlete in greater physical domination—the politician in greater public approval and influence—the student in greater academic performance—These are all promises that we live by faith in and live in the hope that we will soon see realized. As the writer of Hebrews says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
God’s call to live by faith can be difficult. We may never see the complete fulfillment of God’s promise—generation after generation of Christians never have realized and experienced God’s promise to bring about complete world peace. Abraham and Sarah lived their lives by faith and hope in God’s promises. Our Scripture reminds us that they died before seeing the fulfillment of what they lived for and lived toward. Because the promise God transcends this life and lifetime. And so God is calling us to live by faith. He is calling us to live our lives believing that he is Creator of heaven and earth—that everything in the universe is designed and made by him—he wants us to live our lives in hope of a promise—the promise he has made. This is no promise on a billboard—that may or may not happen—this is no promise that may be here today but gone tomorrow. This is the promise of his Son, Jesus Christ. It’s the promise of the forgiveness of sins—something that is invisible—immeasurable—but something we receive by faith. We have that peace that surpasses understanding because we know that God accepts us even though we are broken and fall short of who we are called and meant to be. We believe and experience—in part—this restored relationship.
What God has ultimately promised is something very concrete and clear. The end of our scripture passage says, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, indeed, he has prepared a city for them.” I could not help but think of Jesus similar words in John 14, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 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.” God has prepared for us a city—the New Jerusalem—a city full of riches, feasts, and restored relationships—a mansion with many rooms—a place where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and we will no longer live in sadness and have to cope with a broken world full of broken promises. We are citizens and occupants of this far-off city. We are tenants in this new building project Jesus is building in heaven. But we do not yet live there by our presence there—we live by faith. Our joy and excitement are still high, because the Builder of our new home and city is the same Builder of the universe. We have new life. We have a new city that awaits us. We live by faith now. We trust in the one who is faithful. We already experience the faith-filled joy. We will not be disappointed. We have the assurance that we will soon live in the full reality of his new creation.
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