“So
Great a Cloud of Witnesses”
Stewardship Sermon Series
©Thomas B. Cundiff
Psalm 24 -- Entrance into the Temple
The earth is the Lord’s
and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
the world, and those who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.
Hebrews 12: 1-3 -- The Example of Jesus
Therefore, since we are surrounded by
so great a cloud of witnesses, let
us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,
and let us run with perseverance the
race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer
and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its
shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
I.
I never grow tired of this question—the first
question in the Westminster Shorter
Catechism:
“What
is the chief end of man or humankind?”
The
answer:
The
chief end of man (or all human beings) is to glorify God and enjoy
God forever.
Our church constitution says pretty much the
same thing on the very first page:
“Human
beings have no higher goal in life than to glorify and enjoy God now and
forever, living in covenant fellowship with God and participating in God’s Mission
This all conforms beautifully with our stewardship
theme this year, “Soli Deo Gloria” – Giving
Glory to God – God alone.
II.
We turn to scripture from an ancient letter written
to the Hebrews. This letter was written around
65 years after the death of Jesus. Scholars
believe this letter was written by a friend of Timothy who was a close companion
to the Apostle Paul.
If I were to summarize this letter with one
word: FAITH. Throughout this ancient
letter, readers are encouraged to “live
boldly in faith, trusting in the salvation that Christ has already obtained for
them”[1] through Jesus’ life and
death and resurrection.
It is always important to look at scripture
in context. I have printed for you today
the entire chapter preceding our lesson from Hebrews 12. This isn’t glamorous scripture. I won’t take time to read this entire chapter. I want to skim through the phrases
highlighted in bold print as I read them.
The point I want to make: there
is a tremendous “cloud of witnesses” who illustrate the faith of biblical
ancestors and millions of souls….souls of persons who have given their lives to
Jesus Christ.
HEBREWS
CHAPTER 11
PERSEVERANCE
IN FAITH (From the Message)
1
The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the
firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle
on what we can't see. 2
The act of faith is what
distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. 3 By faith,
we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by
what we don't see. 4 By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than
Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference.
That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries,
that belief continues to catch our notice. 5
By an act of faith, Enoch skipped
death completely. "They looked all over and couldn't find him because God
had taken him." We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he
was taken "he pleased God." 6
It's impossible to please God apart from
faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both
that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him. 7
By faith, Noah built a ship in the
middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn't see, and acted on
what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the
unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah
became intimate with God. 8
By an act of faith, Abraham said yes
to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he
left he had no idea where he was going. 9
By an act of faith he lived in the
country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did
the same, living under the same promise. 10
Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal
foundations - the City designed and built by God. 11 By faith, barren Sarah
was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she
believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. 12
That's how it happened that from one man's dead and shriveled loins there are
now people numbering into the millions. 13
Each one of these people of faith died
not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they
do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted
the fact that they were transients in this world. 14
People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true
home. 15 If they were homesick
for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. 16
But they were after a far better country than that - heaven country. You can
see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them. 17
By faith, Abraham, at the time of
testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting
in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he
had been to receive him - 18
and this after he had already been told, "Your descendants shall come from
Isaac." 19 Abraham figured that
if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that's what happened
when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar. 20 By an act of faith, Isaac
reached into the future as he blessed Jacob
and Esau. 21 By an act of faith, Jacob
on his deathbed blessed each of Joseph's sons in turn, blessing them with God's
blessing, not his own - as he bowed worshipfully upon his staff. 22
By an act of faith, Joseph, while
dying, prophesied the exodus of Israel Egypt Israel Red Sea on dry ground.
The Egyptians tried it and drowned. 30
By faith, the Israelites marched around
the walls of Jericho Jericho
Enough with all the names. All these real, living biblical heroes are witnesses
to faith that helped God’s people through time—including each of us—endure and persevere
through the trials and stresses of life.
Jesus walked this earth and endured and persevered even death on the
cross so that we can receive, in our lives, the pure joy that comes in living
with God today. Our chief end is in truly
giving glory to God enjoying God has given us always and forever.
We tend to think of those people, our
relatives and friends, who passed their faith on to us. Who are some of these
people?
I continue to hear of those pastors in this
church who, before my tenure as your pastor, influenced your becoming part of
this church.
A couple of you were baptized under the
pastoral watch of Dr. J. Ambrose Dunkel—in the 1930’s. It was under his watch the Presbyterian Women
made sure a basement under this building was completed. Rev. Mason was here for 13 years, then
Dr. Boyer leading to the call Rev. Nelson Dalenberg who was your
shepherd from 1942 to 1950. Those were
the years many changes were made adding the Gym and Sunday School rooms to this
church campus. The church grew to nearly
1400 members at that time.
Then came Rev. Hurst, Rev. Irvine
and Rev. Rohwer along with a half dozen Associate Pastors who took turns
shepherding this church until I came the summer of 1985 – and as history will continue
to be written upon my departure the end of November.
My best estimate -- over 6300[2] women and men and children
have been counted as members of this church—that ‘cloud of faithful witnesses’ bringing us again, to this time
and place in giving glory to God, celebrating God’s presence with us in
worship. Our longest/oldest living
member, Jean Lyon, became a member in 1931 and her membership number
#2356. Lila – your membership number is
2928. As the cloud of witnesses has
grown through the years: To pull out a
couple more names – randomly: John
Bethune, your membership number is #3430; Chuck Davis #5973 (1972); Dorothy Hughes #3384 (1945); Shirlee Scovill
#6154 (1978); Freddie Hudson #6346
(2002).
You get my point: FAITH IN GOD has touched the lives of thousands of women and men through this church…..”running with perseverance the race that has always been before us in following the pioneer and perfecter of our faith—Jesus Christ our Lord.”
III.
Book of Souls
This question: Who has helped you grow in faith? Who has had an influence on you? Who was around you when you first professed Jesus
as Lord? Who you’re your teachers? Who were your mentors? I would encourage you to write down a few
names to take home with you.
I have five notebooks – the most precious
books I own. I have shared these with
you before. These are what I call my “Book of Souls” of those who have gone to
their eternal home while I have been your pastor. I have one volume here from 2008 to the
pressnt.
Some would say it is kind of “dark” that I
would keep copies of all the obituaries of members and many others who through
the years, have gone to their eternal home.
I see these books as a record of the many “souls” or the “cloud of
witnesses” who have all had their turn to run the race of life with
perseverance; the race in life, God has
set before each of us. These are the
“cloud of witnesses” whose stewardship of time and talent and financial
resources have made it possible for this church to here today.
I have asked who have been your friends,
mentors, teachers and pastors through the years? Whose lives have been influenced by YOU? Your children? Friends?
Neighbors? Co-workers? Strangers? And an even more challenging question: To whom do you wish to influence in the
future?
How about the children down in the youth center? They may not know you by name, but you, as
stewards of what God has entrusted our care, have influenced the lives of many
others. Debbie and Joan and others can
attest to the fact that many young adults come back to this church and share
with us how much this church and your summer programs have meant to them while growing
up in Saginaw
When thinking about those for whom you have
been an influence? Who have been the
benefactors of your gifts? Your time and
talents and money?
Please add my name to your list. You have influenced me. You have helped me grow as a disciple and
pastor. You have been my mentors and
friends. And while I am physically leaving,
you will always be in my heart as I pray to be in your hearts as well.
We all have our heroes, teachers, mentors,
stewards – pastors who have taught and nurtured within us faith – faith in
Jesus Christ. You have been an
important part of my life – that great cloud of witnesses who have been running
the race of life, with perseverance, always faithful to God.
There is a
lot to think about when it comes to those who have made it possible for us to
be here today. Let’s hold onto the
memories. Let’s celebrate the gifts God
has given us....and those ways we have been able to return to God from gifts
received.
As we sit
in this sanctuary some 2000 years after the letter to the Hebrews was written,
let’s acknowledge that we are spiritually surrounded by tens of thousands of
souls who have shared their faith with those around them—and each of us—through
the years—making it possible for us to be here in this time and place in giving
glory to god and enjoying God—always and forever.
What a great cloud of
witnesses to all God has given us through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
