CMLC 2025-08-10 Sermon

Howdy! You know, long before European maps showed

anything beyond the edges of the Mediterranean,

there were all sorts of people who were going

out and exploring the world. The people of Polynesia

were sailing across the largest ocean on Earth,

and not in these large boats that we might imagine

today. More than a thousand years before Columbus

ever set sail, they were navigating from island

to island, and eventually, sometimes over distances

of two or three thousand miles in these little

double -hulled canoes without compasses or charts.

There was a navigator named Tupaya who was from

Ryatea, and that's near Tahiti, and he could

name over 70 islands. scattered across the Pacific,

and he could find them by memory alone in his

boat. His ancestors made the voyage between Tahiti

and Hawaii, a journey of more than 2 ,500 miles

of open ocean, centuries before any European

crossed the Atlantic. Imagine setting out from

your home island, watching the familiar shoreline

fade, from the horizon. Days pass, nights pass,

and there's nothing in sight but the water as

you're sitting in your little boat. The swells

look the same in every direction, and all you

have is the map in your mind, the rising and

setting of the stars, the shape of the clouds,

the flight of the seagulls. You believe that

the island you seek is out there, even though

right now it's invisible. Without that belief,

you would never leave the shore. Even when we

think of someone like Christopher Columbus and

his crew crossing the Atlantic, a familiar story

for us all, but we oftentimes forget what it

must have been like for them. See, by then, most

educated Europeans already knew that the earth

was round, but the fear, especially among the

sailors, was very real. You know, the maps, they

were not complete. Nobody could be sure what

dangers were laying beyond the horizon. The sailors

would whisper about sea monsters or unending

storms or even, among some, just falling right

off the edge of the known world. Still, they

sailed west, trusting that there was something

worth finding. Maybe thinking that all they would

find was the Indies, but discovering two continents

right in their way. The Polynesian navigators

in Columbus are just a metaphor for the truth

that Hebrews 11 celebrates. Faith is the assurance

of things hoped for, the conviction of things

not seen. They didn't just say they believed.

They showed it. by stepping into the unknown,

setting their lives on a course that only made

sense if their hope was real. If there were no

other islands, it wouldn't have made sense to

go sailing. If there were no Indies to get to,

there would have been no point in trying. Because

without that faith, they would have stayed where

it was safe, and the world as they knew it would

have remained very small. See, the writer of

Hebrews tells us that faith works this way. It's

the assurance of what we hope for, the conviction

of things we cannot yet see. Faith is what moves

a person to leave the safety of the shore, not

just in their mind, but in the way they live.

That's why Hebrews lists these people specifically.

Thinking about Abel. His faith moved him to offer

the best of what he had to God, not just what

was left over, at a time and at a place where

there was not the local supermarket to go down

to, or hoping that HEB had a sale on prime rib.

Instead, there he is, taking the very first of

the lambs, the one he has in his hands, and offering

it up to God. If he had no faith, his sacrifice

would have either been half -hearted, Not believing

that God would actually take care of him or even

wouldn't have even bothered in the first place

He might have even done something less sacrificial

like Cain and putting his crops on the altar.

Is that really? Give up that much from you when

you're taking your crops and putting them on

an altar to burn His trust in God was not just

in his words. It showed in what he gave or even

Enoch The only thing he's known for in the Bible

besides rising up into heaven is pleasing God.

What if Enoch had spent so long making his own

legacy to the point where he would have been

known for something else? Or Noah. He was warned

about things that were not yet seen and he built

an ark before there was even a drop of rain.

He didn't even understand what a rainstorm would

even be without faith. He might have spent his

life building just a bigger and better house

for himself instead of a vessel to save his family

and the creatures of the earth. And then all

the living creatures would have perished. See,

his actions, every swing of the hammer was a

testimony to his trust in God's word. Or Abraham

called to go to a place he'd never seen. He packed

up his household and he just set out. Even being

willing, to give the better land to his nephew

instead of keeping it for himself. If Abraham

had ignored his faith, he would have just built

deeper roots in Ur, the place he grew up in.

He would have never packed a single bag. He would

have never gone to the place that God would shape

his family into the ancestors of the Messiah,

the Christ. See, his faith, though, was seen

in the miles that he was willing to walk. not

drive, not fly, walk. And the tense that he pitched

in foreign and dangerous lands, trusting that

God would keep his promise. Or even Sarah, promised

a child long past the time that it was physically

possible, believing the one who promised to be

faithful. Because without faith, even after she

was laughing, she would have just moved on and

let the disappointment have the last word. but

instead her life bore the mark of God's promise

fulfilled. See, every one of these people, they

demonstrated faith. It's not simply by saying

that they believe in God. How easy would that

be? But by living in ways that only made sense

if his promises were true. See, they acted as

if God's Word was more certain than their own

sight because they knew it was. But when it comes

to our own lives, We often live as though the

shore is all there is. We make our life as if

we're passengers on a great voyage, but all we

care about are the shore excursions. We step

off the ship for a weekend of fun, buy a few

souvenirs, take some pictures, then hurry back

to the comfortable cabin without ever wondering

what lies beyond the next horizon. It's like

we're so afraid of being the next Titanic that

we avoid being on the ocean altogether. You know,

James said in his epistle that faith without

works is dead, but it wasn't because there are

certain works that are required for your salvation,

but rather it's because he was asking, can faith

that doesn't change the way you live actually

be faith? I will show you my faith by my works.

If you truly believe in all that Christ has done,

and everything He said, everything He's done

about this life and the next, then how can you

live and act exactly like everyone around you

who doesn't believe in Christ and His Kingdom?

See, we keep chasing the next upgrade for our

homes and we forget we're already headed for

a better country, a heavenly one, and we forget

that some of our time and our energy and our

money could be helping nonprofits that create

dignity. for people in farmlands that have no

place to actually put their head. People who

just want some safe place to sleep for the night

as we're making sure there's a pool in the backyard.

We pour out our energy into building security

and comfort for ourselves as if there's no eternal

harbor ahead. And meanwhile, there are people

on the streets who live without a sense of security

and comfort, physically, emotionally, spiritually.

We live for weekend pleasures, for career milestones,

and social approval. But we don't lift our eyes

to see that God is calling us farther. There

are so many things we could be doing with our

free time besides just chasing opportunities

to relax. Faith doesn't just talk. Faith lives

in a way that only makes sense if there's more

to be seen on this ocean. than just this shore

behind us that everyone uses. See, in Luke's

gospel, Jesus speaks directly to the heart of

our worry and uncertainty. He has a group of

followers that are not sure what He's doing and

are still trying to understand, can you tell

us more specifically what is to come? But He

tells us not to be anxious about life. What we'll

eat, what we'll wear. because our Father in Heaven

cares deeply for us. He watches over the birds

of the air and the lilies of the field, and He

values us even more, even as we're checking to

make sure that Whataburger has the honey butter

chicken biscuit. These are not just words meant

to comfort our minds. It's a call to live differently,

to see our lives through the lens of trust, even

when we can't see what's next. Jesus invites

us to embrace a faith that isn't about guessing.

what might happen, or hoping things will work

out maybe, it's a faith that rests in the certainty

of God's care, even when what we hope for is

invisible. Because faith, it's like setting sail,

but you don't see the destination, but you know

that the captain is guiding you safely there.

It's the deep conviction that God is providing,

even when we don't see it. See Jesus keeps contrasting

the treasures we seek here on earth With the

true treasures that are in heaven. He wants us

to get the difference See we gather the treasures

we gather things that we're saying are our own

and that we have, that we have been setting aside

and building toward, as well as the experiences,

the things that we make sure we have chronicled

and set aside, the things that when we want to

think about what makes us happy, and we go back

to those experiences, because we want to be comforted

enough. We want to ignore the fear of nothing.

We want to ignore the uncertainty. The times

when we think about the dreams that we pursue

so that we are trying to ignore the reality around

us Because we look at the things we try to control

and ignore the rest But you see the heavenly

treasure is not gold or possessions But rather

a life filled with well -being meaning purpose

Dedication to God's kingdom when we store up

treasures in heaven We're investing in the things

that last beyond this life, a kingdom that cannot

be shaken, a kingdom that cannot be taken by

storms or wars. See, remember, even the people

who heard all those messianic prophecies, about

those messiah prophecies, they didn't understand

fully what was coming. They wanted deliverance,

but the arrival of Jesus? God's greatest work

was so unexpected in his humility and power that

they killed him because he didn't make any sense.

Their faith was a hope for something they couldn't

fully see or grasp even when it happened. Like

those first listeners, we're called to trust

God's plan even when the future looks uncertain,

even when we don't know the details. Our faith

though, it's not a foolish leap. It's a confident

trust in the one who promised to leave us safely

through the unknown. But let's be honest, it

does not mean that you're always going to get

it right. How many of us are actually letting

every single thing in our life reflect our trust

in Christ? Noah still struggled with drinking

too much instead of placing his hope in the God

who had already saved him through the flood.

Abraham kept lying about Sarah being his wife

because he was afraid that he would be hurt or

killed in any country they went to even though

every time he did it Calamity fell over the entire

nation Sarah heard the promise and just laughed

at God and She even said well This won't happen.

So I'll let you have one of my servants to have

your child making life miserable for her, for

her future child, and frankly, for generations

to come. There are times when you'll stumble

in your faith, but God is bigger than that. And

He's forgiving us and calling us to follow Him

each and every day. So let me ask, what if you're

standing on the shore? What if you're watching

the waves you're thinking that this cruise is

just about the shore visits the things that you

can enjoy in that moment What if you haven't

yet trusted God enough to set sail toward the

horizon? That he's calling you to See there are

all sorts of things that we see Where we're discovering

that God is doing even more than we ever believed,

but maybe you're holding tight to the things

that you can see. You're holding tight to the

things that make you comfortable, the things

that help you with the Sunday scaries, the plans

that you think are going to work out perfectly,

and as long as you've written everything down,

the security of knowing that your pension and

your 401k are set up correctly. Because whenever

we step out, we feel the risks, the uncertainty,

and we don't want that. But maybe we worry about

what's gonna happen if we let go of control But

Christ's invitation is very clear Don't be afraid

little flock Because the thing is is that God's

not distant from you. He's not indifferent he

does care he cares deeply for you and He sees

your needs he sees your struggles faith means

trusting him even when you don't know that things

are going to work out based on what you see.

It means living as if the unseen treasures that

God promises are already real and true. Seeing

with your heart when you can't see with your

eyes. Because what might you be missing if you're

still anchored to the shore? You might be missing

the peace that comes from resting in God's provision.

instead of looking at your own efforts and thinking

that you failed. You might be missing the joy

of discovering a purpose bigger than just what's

immediately here with your pleasures or your

career. You might be missing the freedom to give

generously, knowing that your treasures aren't

here. You might be missing the power to face

uncertainties in life without fear because your

hope is secure. You may be stepping out in faith,

but It's not a one -time leap. It's not a one

-time moment that you have at your confirmation

or your baptism or this one event that you always

think is when you gave it over, but every day

deciding to trust God's hand, even when the destination

isn't visible, trusting that the captain knows

where you're going. Because God's greatest work,

the coming of Jesus, His kingdom, the hope we

have in Him, It's a promise that calls us beyond

what we see. So I'm asking you, here in this

place, will you trust him enough to sail beyond

the shore and into the fuller life he has for

you? Because I don't know whatever's gonna happen

next. Neither do you. But together as his people,

we can be on that ship together, seeing what

he's going to bring. So ask yourself, will you

cling to the shore or can we go ahead and set

the sails and move into the unknown and trust

what Jesus is doing for his kingdom forever?

May God grant us the courage to live by faith,

the peace to rest in his provision, and the joy

of discovering the purpose that he has for us

beyond what we can see today. Thanks be to God.