Expedition of Faith

Expedition of Faith
Hebrews 11:1-16

Tomorrow is Columbus Day.
For me, this day has become more interesting over the last few years as I have noticed the flurry of controversy around the characterization of Christopher Columbus.

It seems he has been painted by many a different brush as viewed from the various perspectives of time and political or religious bent.
Some have painted him as some sort of evangelical missionary, whose passion for souls drove him to take the gospel to lands yet undiscovered.
Others, more recently have insisted that he was more of an imperialist tyrant, whose passion for personal glory drove him to conquer peace-loving peoples and subject them to the horrors of slavery.
Having studied him and his quest in some depth recently, I am convinced that neither of these charicatures are true.

However, his story is a fantastic one.
As a real historical character, Columbus is undeniably important, and his accomplishments were impressive.
He did take an incredible risk with sketchy navigational information to prove what he believed to be true.
He was convinced that he could sail to India from the Western shores of the Europian continent.
He was so convinced of this, that he embarked on a journey from which many thought he would never return.
Even when he stumbled across the islands that bordered the Caribean, he rejoiced at having finally reached India.
What did transpire as a result of his several journeys changed the face of the world.

I sometimes regret that there are no continents left to discover.
What a life of excitement, to find unmapped areas, and explore lands about which nothing has been written!

Our text this morning is about the greatest expedition of all.

The discoveries of this expedition have change the world more than any map change.
The discoveries of this great expedition will even today, change your life.
This morning I want to challenge you to leave your known world behind to embark on the greatest expedition of all, the expedition of faith.

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This portion of Scripture is all about faith.
It is definitive of faith.
It exemplifies faith.
It even shows the great reward of faith.

Faith is the essence of the Christian life.
It is what motivates and sustains us.
It is what God requires of us.
It is also what often lacks the most in our lives.

Many Christians will never enjoy the discoveries of new lands, I speak figuratively of life accomplishments and personal and spiritual achievements.
They have professed a faith in their goal, that God has for them something better than what this world has to offer.
However, they have sailed along the known shores of their former life without ever embarking on the great expedition that God offers.
In doing so, they surely miss some of the storms and the difficulties, but they also miss out on the beauty of really knowing God, because they have never launched out into the deep.

Many non-Christians have strolled along the shores of familiar territory, even walked out onto the dock of religious interest, but have never stepped onto the ship that would take them to a new life.

Today I want to challenge you to step off the shore.
If you are already a Christian, know this, God has bigger things planned for your life than just sailing along the shore.

Strike out into the deep water and see what God will show you.

Our text begins with a definition of faith. Verse 1

It is substance of things for which we hope.
We hope for a relatiosnhip with God and we chose to believe in the way He has provided.
We hope for eternal life so we believe and that belief is substantial, in that it produces works in our lives.

It is also the evidence of things not seen.
I can not show you my God, but my faith is evidence of Him.
I cannot show you creation, which the Bible presents as a one time event, anymore than an evolutionist can show you evolution, which, by the way, they claim is a constant process.
However, by faith, I understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Verse 3

It is by faith that the people of the Old Testament pleased God and received of Him a good report. Verse 2

Some of the people who have taken the journey of faith are next mentioned in our text.
They made the great expedition of faith and they discovered a life worth living.
They made discoveries that even today are challenging us to live better lives and to grow closer to God.

The first explorer in our text is Able. Verse 4
It is said here that he offered God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.
Able left the shores of self-sufficiency and sacrificed a new lamb as God had required.

The second explorer is Enoch. Verse 5
Enoch was willing to be different than the rest.
He was more interested in walking with God than walking with men.
He knew that God would reward him if he shoved away from shore in search of knowing God.
Indeed, God blessed Enoch, in that, He translated Enoch directly into His own presence.
What if Enoch had been afraid of leaving the shoreline of normal life and had not been driven to sea by a desire to know God?

The third explorer is Noah. Verse 7
Here is a man that literally sailed on faith.
He would have been much more comfortable living like everyone else, but for 120 years, he built a boat, in which God saved his whole family.
He was willing to strike out into the ocean of separation from the world in order to follow His Lord's direction.
Following the most documented event in all of natural history, the worldwide flood, Noah and his family were chosen of God to repopulate the earth.
Given common reproductive rates, and calculating from Noah's time we now have exactly the population on earth today that supports this Biblical fact.

The fourth explorer is Abraham. Verse 8
He left his home and family to find a promised land.
Verse 10 tells us that Abraham was not interest in just any new place.
It had to be a place that God had prepared for him.
Today, Abraham is in the city for which he sought, because he was willing to make the expedition of faith.

The Fifth explorer is Sarah. Verse 11
She put her trust in God and God blessed her with bearing Isaac, whose son, Jacob would be known as Israel.

All of these explorers died without ever quite reaching their goal. Verse 13
They did, however, enjoy the blessings of the greatest expedition of all.
They lived for the horizon, always seeking to know God more, always seeking to obey the Lord.
Verse 14 tells us that by their lifestyle they declared plainly that they were seeking a country.

What does your life declare?

How different are you now that you have a relationship with Christ?

I am challenging you to take the journey.
Embark on the greatest expedition.
Live a life of faith.