Cliff Loesch July 15, 2007 A Better Country Hebrews 11:8-16      I think there is something positive about living in an unfinished house.  I don't have anything against houses that are completely finished and in nearly perfect shape.  But I think there's something interesting about an unfinished house-or an older house that's been around awhile.  There's so much possibility.  You can always see some potential in this room, or a way to bring out the character of that room.  There is always something to look forward to.  I mean, you can look at it from a negative way, too.  You can say, "There's always something to fix; there's always a list of projects; it never ends."  You could even imagine someone who says, "Old houses?  Why yes, I love old houses.  Except for old plumbing, and old wiring, and drafty windows, and no insulation-other than that, I just love old houses."  I saw an acquaintance at Lowe's the other day that we know through the kids' school.  We talked about Parker and Molly and the trips they were on, and then she told me they were moving-building a new house in Andover.  They've lived in Riverside for a long time and currently live in a very-cool looking older brick home.  But she said, "We're done with old houses."  We can all understand the sentiment.  And the choice to build something new is very often the right choice.  But today, I want to sing the praises of old houses.  An older house-or an unfinished house-can be seen as a metaphor for our lives.  In our houses, some rooms are in need of renovation while others are immaculate and beautiful.  It's the same in our lives.  Some parts of our lives may be in need of serious repair, while other areas are in pretty good shape.      Hebrews 11 talks about living by faith and we are given a picture of Abraham living in tents as a stranger in the very land that God had promised to give to him.  Even though the promise has not come to pass, Abraham moves through the land, confident that God will work it out.  The passage says that Abraham and the other people of faith that are mentioned desired "a better country."  And while I do not consider myself an expert on what it means to live by faith-I want to say today that I believe this passage teaches us that those who live by faith are those who make the most of their present situation and at the same time look forward to a better country.      For those who live in unfinished houses, it is a way of seeing the positives and the possibilities.  It's a way of looking forward to what can be done, what might be done-rather than simply focusing on the list of repairs needed, or feeling overwhelmed by the size of the task.  And in our lives it is making the most of whatever situation we find ourselves in, and at the same time, looking forward to a better country; or an improved situation.  No doubt every person in the room today has a complicated situation or two-maybe even a predicament or a scary situation-that you are facing.  Faith is listening for the voice of God, and looking forward to that better country, believing that God will bring it about.  But here is the thing, according to Hebrews: Abraham had an idea of what God had in mind-but I doubt if he perceived the whole picture.  Abraham heard something about the promise of a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and about the promise of descendants more numerous than the stars of the heavens.   What Abraham had in mind was real estate ownership and relatives.  That's basically what he thought the promises meant.  And that was part of it.  But I think God had more in mind than that.  There's that phrase in verse ten that says, "For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God."  This helps us see that, perhaps, Abraham saw more than real estate and relatives-yes, it's possible that Abraham caught a glimpse that God had in mind something more: a spiritual kingdom where people just like him-people like you and me-will walk through their own particular world living like Abraham as aliens and strangers in the land-yet people who are full of faith; people who believe that God will work things out one way or another-even though they have not yet received anything tangible.  Faith.  Nothing has come to pass yet.  But there is a word of hope from God.  And we hang on tight to that bit of hope.  We have not yet possessed that land that was promised.  We're living in tents, so to speak.  But we're like Abraham-we're looking for that better country.  It's an in-between time.  We've heard a word of hope or even a promise from God-but we haven't received anything yet.           When we begin to see ourselves in this story we realize that all of us who attempt to live by faith are linked to Abraham.  More than blood relatives, Abraham, I think you can say (and according to the New Testament) is like our father in faith.  Anyone who exercises faith at any level is part of that number that outnumbers the stars of the heavens or the sands by the seas.  People who have faith in God are part of that enormous family that God envisioned so long ago.      Now we live in an age that wants to see results right away.  For many people (and perhaps for many of us) faith is about receiving.  You have faith; you believe God for this or that-and it comes to pass.  It's as easy as that.  God is like a vending machine-or so some people think.  Just put in your request and out pops the answer-well, that is, if you have enough faith, or the right kind of faith and if you live a perfect enough life.  But this passage in Hebrews teaches a different view of faith than that.  I hate to tell you this-because at first it doesn't seem like the most exciting picture of faith-even though this chapter in Hebrews is celebrated as "The Faith Chapter."      In this chapter, the people who are listed as people of great faith did not see the results.  It says in verse thirteen, "All of these died in faith without having received the promises."  They were looking for that better country.  It does say they were looking for a heavenly country-but I'm not so sure we should say that they gave up on this life and only hoped for the next.  No, their faith, their longing, their vision was for the here and now, too-heaven breaking into our world, if you will-yet it wasn't meant to be.      And Abraham-this person who never saw the final results of his faith-is held up in the New Testament as a great example of faith.  In the book of Romans, Paul dedicates an entire chapter-chapter four-to Abraham and his faith.  He goes into detail about how Abraham was justified before God by his faith alone-not by any good works that he had performed.  Against all hope, it says, Abraham believed God.  And his faith was credited to him as righteousness.  And it's interesting that it's the one who lived in this in-between time-between the promise and the fulfillment-who is held up as an example of faith.      You know, I have a feeling that most sermons about faith have to do with how to get answers; how to have faith that brings results.  And perhaps on some days that is appropriate.  Certainly we want to see some results from our faith-and sometimes we do.  But as we look at this part of Hebrews 11, we see that one dimension of faith is learning to live in that in-between time.  It is living in tents in the land, so to speak, and looking forward to a better country.  It is living in an unfinished house and seeing the possibilities for renewal.  It also might be realizing that God's vision of what he wants to do might be a lot bigger than what we can see.       But if I cannot guarantee results in every case, then what good is faith?  What good is faith??  It is our faith in God that sustains us.  It is faith that carries us through the rough places.  It is faith that helps make the unbearable bearable.  It is faith that eases our burdens.  May the Lord help each of us learn to live in those in-between times-those times between promise and fulfillment.  And may we catch a glimpse of God's greater vision for our lives and for the world around us.