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MESSAGE

By Faith: Leaving for the City
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Hebrews 11:8-10, 39-40

Introduction
Well, we’re finally here. It’s time to say good bye to some of you and I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. I remember when we first began our San Francisco Homegroup back in 2002. Back then, there was a group of people making the trek from San Francisco to San Lorenzo to be a part of this church. And from that original group, only one person remains, Minjae. So Minjae wins the prize for the pilgrim San Franciscan of Wellspring.

I remember making those long journeys on Thursday evenings to lead a group of men and women to love Christ in SF. Slowly, that group changed as new people entered and some left. Some of you who now live in the East Bay began your time at Wellspring as a part of the SFHG, and I know those memories are treasured memories that will never be forgotten. I can’t tell you how blessed Wellspring has been because of the men and women who travelled from SF to be a part of this church. You have served the worship team with your musical talents. You have served the children with your hearts for the next generation. And so when you leave, we certainly will lose much. In many ways, I know that there are many here who wish they could leave with you because they know that you’re also the coolest people of the church!

So if the SF group is such a benefit to Wellspring, why send them? Why have them be a part of a church plant in the city? The answer comes from Hebrews 11. In late May, I went to the SFHG one last time to prepare them for their transfer of membership to Christ Church and to get them ready for this day. I shared with them briefly from this same text that I share with you today. And as I pondered what to speak on for this special occasion, in how I could best prepare them and us to move forward, I could think of no better text than this one. Hebrews 11 is a ‘City’ text you might say. It’s a passage that exemplifies faith in God by ordinary people who are looking forward to leaving for the City. And for Wellspring Church who stays behind and Christ Church who leaves for the City, Abraham’s faith in Hebrews 11 is exactly the faith that we will need to live in the light of the Gospel with joy and to proclaim this Gospel to others. So what does this faith look like?

Goes When Called (v.
First, this faith goes when called. Verse 8 says: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.” There are certain aspects of this calling that illustrate Abraham’s faith in God. At the time of Abraham’s calling, he was about 75 years old. As you know, most 75 year olds are usually pretty settled in their ways. They’ve lived a full life and their body is breaking down (I feel like my body is breaking down at 40). Also, in the land of Ur, Abraham’s hometown, were all of his friends, his family, his social networks. Could you imagine what it must have been like to see Abraham and Sarah in their 70s packing all of their possessions to go into the harshness of the desert? Imagine if you were their brother or sister or uncle or aunt. Wouldn’t you think they’re nuts? Wouldn’t you do anything to stop them? Wouldn’t you tell them that they’re throwing their lives away? That they need to settle down, relax, travel, enjoy the fruits of their retirement? And imagine if they told you the reason they were doing this, “God told me to go,” how much more you would think that he had gone mad.

But the simplicity of this text gives us an important insight on faith. Faith goes when called. There’s an immediacy to Abraham’s response. I don’t think this means we never consider factors and plans and strategies when we go. And of course, it is critical that we are able to discern that God is truly the One who is calling us. But when we know it is the Lord, then faith is willing and ready to leave everything for something God promises is better.

For those of you who are going to Christ Church, SF, thank you for your willingness to go when called. I know this is not easy for many of you and for us. But faith is willing to act, and as we see in the next aspect of Abraham’s faith, faith obeys even in the midst of uncertainty.

Obeys in the Midst of Uncertainty (vv. 8-9)
This second aspect of faith by Abraham is linked to the first aspect of faith because going when called will always require obedience in the midst of uncertainty. Let’s look at verses 8-9 together: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.” There are three areas of uncertainty according to verses 8-9.

First, there is the uncertainty of plans and goals.

Notice in verses 8-9, there are only vague references to location (‘place,’ ‘land,’ ‘foreign land’). God doesn’t promise Abraham prosperity, or a good job, or a vacation resort. He doesn’t promise him anything expect a place as ‘an inheritance.’ Think of the questions that he must have faced from everyone he cared about, “Where are you going Abraham? You are 75 years old. How could you do this to your wife, Sarah?” How many of you would up and move without any real goals or plans?

Second, there is the uncertainty in timing.

God doesn’t give Abraham too many details. If we turn to Genesis 12:1 we see the extent of God’s instructions: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” In other words, Abraham was told by God that He will reveal the plans in His times. Abraham would have to wait upon God for instructions. Do you know how difficult this is? When we go anywhere with our kids, our kids want to know where are we going, when are we going, how will we get there, when will we arrive, what will we be doing. And then when we’re in the car, we are bombarded with the perennial, “How much longer?” It’s almost mind-numbing the amount of times we are asked. The reality is that they are unwilling to wait upon us because they want some control over the situation. But waiting signifies trust and this exactly what Abraham does. He doesn’t need all of the details ironed out because he trusts God more than he trusts himself and more than he trust others. He believes and trusts in the God who promises in Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave us nor forsake us. And only when one trusts in God, is one willing to wait upon Him.

Third, there is the uncertainty of circumstances.

So once, Abraham and Sarah left their homeland of Ur, you would think they would immediately arrive to the Promised Land and enjoy bountiful fruits and an even better life than they had in Ur? That since they followed and obeyed God, they could enjoy the good fruits of the land, move their families over from Ur to Canaan, build an estate, have servants, kick back and really enjoy the high life? Well, we know that that wasn’t what happened. They spent years in the desert. They took a detour to Egypt because of a famine that had struck the land of Canaan (Gen 12:10). Of course, they could have complained that they had trusted in God and yet, there was a famine?! They also encountered many foreign peoples who they were obviously afraid of (Gen 20:1; 21:23, 34; 35:27), that Abraham even cowardly disavowed his wife to protect his own skin. The life of obedience was not an easy life for Abraham.

Hebrews 11:9 describes Abraham’s experience in the desert this way: “He went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land.” This phrase emphasizes Abraham’s life as an outsider. He was a man without any rights and privileges. He was an illegal alien who was rejected by those around him. The way verse 9 parallels ‘land of promise’ to ‘foreign land’ even further emphasizes the difficulty that Abraham would face. In other words, the land of promise was also a land of hostility both to Abraham and to the God that He served.

Also, according to verse 9, Abraham lived in tents. Talk about downsizing. Since Ur was a metropolitan city, and since Abraham seems to have come from some means, most likely Abraham must have had his own home, and perhaps even a nice one at that. But beginning age 75 till the day of his death, Abraham would be sleeping in a tent. Now I know some of you enjoy going camping. I used to go frequently as a kid. There’s a novelty to sleeping in a tent. It’s fun, for a few days when you’re young especially. But you know how sleeping in a tent can be. The ground is hard and can be very cold, cold enough that you can’t sleep. If you’re on the move, you have to set it up and take it down. Eventually sleeping in the tent can get to be dreary. I also don’t know too many 75 year olds who enjoy sleeping in a tent.

Furthermore, verse 9 tells us, that Abraham’s son (Isaac) and his grandson (Jacob) would both live in tents, never fully seeing the fruits of the promise. When parents go through times of trial, sometimes what can get them through such trials is the hope that life will be better for the children. But in Abraham’s case, there was no such hope. He still lived in a tent till the day of his death and the only piece of land he actually owned in Canaan was the land he purchased for his wife’s Sarah’s tomb.

All of this to say, that a life of faith is a life of uncertainty in plans, in goals, in timing, and in circumstances and anything less is simply not faith in God, it’s faith in ourselves. Dear Wellspring and Christ Church, this is an uncertain time for us. For those who are leaving, you are uncertain about what the church will be like. Some of you have been with us for many years. You’re used to Wellspring, our systems, our teaching, our ministry. You might be wondering if all of the plans have been well-explained or laid out. You might be concerned that the structures are not fully in place. You might be thinking that you don’t even have that great of the burden for the city. You’re concerned maybe that the people you’re beginning with don’t gel with you exactly as you would hope they would. Faith in God will always have uncertainty with it because it means you have to trust Him more than yourself, or Toby, or the leadership of Christ Church. And that’s a good place to be in.

May I confess to you that I have been praying more this past month for this day because there is an uncertainty in my heart as much as there is for many of you who are leaving. We are a church of 94 members. We are losing 11 members (11.7%). We have about 120 people each Sunday, we’re losing about 20 people. That’s a significant portion of our church. Many who have asked me about Christ Church and how many people are leaving, assume that we are a much larger church. Usually most churches don’t think about sending people away for a church plant unless they’re a certain size and we don’t usually match that size. We’re losing people on our worship team and have yet to find people for those roles. We are losing those who serve in GT and in so many other ways. We are losing dear friends and family members. And we’re losing the financial contributions of these members which keeps Wellspring operating at its current levels.

All of this has led me to either do one of two things, to either worry more, which I can sinfully do, or pray more. When I worry, I do not act in faith but trust in myself which causes me to plan, strategize ways to ‘make up the difference.’ Or I can pray more, which leads me to trust in God and not in myself and gives me a joy and delight in what God is doing as we send people to SF. Uncertainty will always follow any transition and any decision. During such times, a move towards worry and anxiety that leads to plans and strategies will be a sign of one’s lack of faith. But a move towards prayer and waiting on God is exactly a representation of one’s trust in God. Abraham’s life teaches us that obedience in the midst of uncertainty is exactly how he had to respond. So when Abraham responded with such faith during uncertainty, what could he look forward to?

Looks Forward to the Designer

This leads to our third aspect of faith. Not only is faith going when called, not only is it obeying in the midst of uncertainty, but it is also looks forward to the Designer of the City. Verse 10 tells us that Abraham was able to go through all of the uncertainty of faith because “he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” For Abraham, there was something more delightful in the promises of the future that allowed him to forgo his current difficulties. This wasn’t an abstraction for him. It was a reality. And what he was delighted in was actually not the place at all, not the city, but the Designer of the City. Abraham treasured the Giver of the gift rather than the gift itself. He agrees with the apostle Paul who says in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ.” He later writes in Philippians 3:20: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words, for Paul and for Abraham, gaining Christ is better than anything that God has graciously given to us. If you are more delighted by your wife or husband, by the prospect of a wife or husband, by your first born child, by this church, by your good friends, by music from a virtuoso, by winning the jackpot at a casino, by an expensive meal, by praise from your manager, then perhaps you are delighting more in the gift than the Giver of the gift.

Look at verse 10 again. The writer uses the phrase “looking forward” which has a very strong connotation to it, a meaning of being passionately zealous and delightful. There is a sense of strong confidence. Abraham didn’t think he was going to have a better life. He believed it and he looked forward to it. For example, I don’t enjoy driving as I know some of you do. So to go on a road trip is not something I absolutely love doing. Therefore when the trip is over, and we’re on our way home, say from a trip from Southern California, I keep a count of all of the markers in my head which tells me I’m getting close to home. Once we hit the cattle in Coalinga on I-5, I begin expecting and anticipating. I can’t wait then to pass the In-and-Out and then when we reach the intersection with I-580 and then those beautiful windmills, I can feel my blood pumping. I feel like I’m almost home. And then to come down the hill to Stockton, etc. For Abraham, he saw life always with home in mind, because at home, he was enthralled and looked forward to see the Designer of that beloved City.

And when you have such a view of this Designer, you can wait, like Abraham, on the promises of God despite the difficult circumstances that could come your way. In fact, sometimes you can even not see the fulfillment of such promises in your lifetime, and you can still trust in Him, believing like Abraham, that such promises will be fulfilled to the next generation. John MacArthur makes this point as well:

The Christian…is willing to forsake the present glory, comfort, and satisfaction of this present world for the future glory that is his in Christ. In contrast to the “buy now—pay later” attitude prevalent in the world, the Christian is willing to pay now and receive it later. What makes Christians willing to make such sacrifices? Hope, based on faith that the future holds something far better than the present. Paul writes in Romans 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (John MacArthur, Colossians and Philemon, (Chicago: Moody, 1992), 30)

The final question that remains then is this, if God as the Designer promises Himself, is He worth all of the trouble, all of the waiting? What does God provide for us that makes it worth what Abraham went through?

Leaves for the City (v. 10, 38-40)

I think this question is answered by the last aspect of faith spoken of here in v. 10, this faith is leaves for the City. My dear brothers and sisters moving to Christ Church, you are taking a journey of faith. You are leaving the comfortable for the uncomfortable. You are leaving for the city of San Francisco and yes, you are leaving in faith uncertain about what lies ahead. But just like Abraham, you are not leaving for a specific place here on earth. San Francisco is NOT your ultimate destination. Your faith in Christ leads you according to verse 10 to look forward to the and eternal City that has foundations.

There are so many things in this world that we cling to as our security. Our security rests in our home, our family, our church, our money, our familiar environments, our Christian friends, our reputation. But the Bible makes it so clear for us that this world is not our home. But like Abraham who had a clear view of the City, we must remember that we are mere tent-dwellers in this world. Commentator Richard Phillips is right, “It is always good, therefore, for Christians to assess how tightly things grip our hearts.” (Richard Phillips, Hebrews, Reformed Expository Commentary, (Phillipsburg, NJ: PR, 2006), 441) And so your leaving for the city of San Francisco is a good time to assess how tightly you are gripping on things that satisfy temporarily, regardless of how good those temporary things are. Paul states in 2 Cor 5:1, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

Everything you have in this world is a tent. They are impermanent, no matter how good and how sweet they appear to be. Your beloved family will eventually all die. Your house that you saved up for and worked so hard for will be destroyed. Delectable food eventually becomes waste. Health and beauty deteriorate. Nothing lasts. And so, Abraham realized something critically important, that even though he left the comforts of his home in Ur, his living in a tent as a nomad was essentially no different than his time in Ur. He was still a nomad, where pleasure and joy were fleeting. But as verses 39-40 tell us, he looked forward to something far better: “And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” The Designer of the City would provide something that was unmatchable, something that would bring lasting satisfaction and joy. He would bring the joy of Himself, providing what all of us were created to be, that is, to be in perfect fellowship with God Himself. And how would God do this? He would provide the same kept promise that every saint in Hebrews 11 was waiting for, He would provide His Son.

Look at verses 39-40 again. Each person in Hebrews 11 lived without ever seeing their promises fulfilled UNTIL God provided for them through Jesus! And apart from what we have received, the Hebrews 11 saints do not receive anything either. In other words, what allowed Abraham to finally see the City that he longed for was not his superhero faith. Abraham would never have had enough faith to have His promises fulfilled. He wasn’t moral enough. He still failed in faith when he disavowed his wife or when he went to Egypt to escape the famine rather than trusting in God. No, Abraham would be perfected by the same means we are perfected. God would provide something better than our faith. Abraham said it best when he told Isaac on that long journey to sacrifice his son, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” (Gen 22:8) Little did Abraham know that God would do exactly just that. He would provide the perfect work of His Son Jesus Christ and the suffering of His Son on the cross so that sin and death would forever be overcome.

So what made Abraham a man of great faith was not that his faith was great, but that the God He trusted in was great. That God is so marvelous, so beyond his or our imagination, that He would give His one and only Son for sinners to be saved, for sinners to be made perfectly righteous and welcomed into His family, so that Jesus is no longer ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Therefore, Hebrews 10:12-14 declares this truth: “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

And the result of God sacrificing His Son for our sins, would be eternal fellowship with God forever in a City where God dwells. Listen to what this City is like. Rev 21:1-4 says:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Can you imagine such a place, a place without goodbyes, without pain, without suffering, without loneliness, depression, starvation, frustration, worry, insomnia, murder, theft, jealousy, anger, violence, politics, petty rivalries? And the only way this place is to be such a place is that “they will be HIS people, and GOD HIMSELF will be WITH THEM AS THEIR GOD.” Abraham had this view in mind, a view of a gracious, good, and glorious God. With this view, he could live in tents never believing that God would not fulfill His promises.

And Rev 21:22-23 adds:

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

The City is defined by its Designer. Without Him, the City is not worth it at all. Without the Promiser, the Promised Land means nothing. Without the Giver, you’d rather not have the Gift. In other words, what gave Abraham the faith to persevere through all of the uncertainties was that God would provide Himself, and as verse 40 teaches us, He provides His Son, He gave His Son! so that sinners like us could be could sons and daughters of the Creator.

My Dear now members of Christ Church and my Dear members of Wellspring, if we keep our eyes on the promise, whatever that might be (closer location, bigger church, smaller budget, bigger budget, evangelism, missing friends, bringing friends to church, Sam as pastor, Toby as pastor, etc.), we will lose sight of the City, not San Francisco, but heaven, the place where the eternal God dwells. And when we lose sight of the City, then we will be bogged down by the temporal. We will live with self-centeredness, resentment, frustration, lack of patience. But oh how we must see that Christ Church’s beginning is not ultimately about a church in San Francisco, this is not a Wellspring plant or a Sovereign Grace plant, this is about looking forward to the City and leading others to look forward to the City as well. If I take any less perspective, then I will be concerned about our finances, I will mourn our loss of members, etc. But oh to see what Abraham saw each day as he climbed out of his tent in the deserts of Canaan. He didn’t look back to Ur as his home. He didn’t dwell on his family and friends in the homeland. He looked forward to the Designer of the City that he would one day dwell in. He believed that this was far better than anything else he could gain here on earth. And this could only be true because God would provide Jesus to make this possible not just for Abraham, but for everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am excited for our two churches. I am excited because I believe that Jesus Christ is glorified this day. And may our two churches never fail to look forward to the City where we can see our God face to face.

I’d like to close with just a quick blessing to each of our members who are leaving:

Leon Chao – VBS, Moz 09
Scott Rim – Eating with Scott in SF, faithfulness, ultimate
David Synn – Teaching GT and Spam Musubi
Jeanne Choi – Teaching GT, Angel Island
Esther Park – Praise, youngest member, joy of the Lord and of life, excitement, zeal
Jun Kim – Praise, willingness to serve in any way, gifted musically, biggest car, biggest man, big heart, drive from south SF
Tim and Young Chao– CHAOS, privilege to officiate, Young’s laughter, GT, Tim, Sonship, always wanting to be member, never a member
JP and Courtney Momsen– JP, HGL, roomie in Africa, Courtney’s illness and his peace, Courtney, Well-Moms, peace even with three young kids hanging around, trusting, never fretting.
SuYoung Kim and Minjae Bae – MJ, known for about 17 years, conversation as a Cath, SY, serves wherever called (Africa praise, HGL, etc.)