vision_heb

The True Foundation of Faith

A Message Preached January 9, 2000

Hebrews 11:13-16, 39-40. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

14. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.

15. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.

16. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

39. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

40. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

This may well be the first sermon on Hebrews chapter 11 that does not have, as it's main thrust, a message primarily of faith. Rather, I see Hebrews 11 as a message from the Holy Spirit on the importance of what actually powers our faith. The actual definition of "faith" is quickly dispatched in the first verse. Most of the rest of Hebrews 11, with the exception of the verses above, is a testimony to those who had something that fueled their faith, that gave them the ability to possess faith, namely, a clear vision of God and His promises.

So, where should I begin? Let's quickly review some passages preceding this chapter, in order to build up to our goal. I want to read from Hebrews 5:11-14 and Hebrews 6:1-3 and ask, in the light of these passages, how in the world Hebrews chapter 11 exists at all!

Hebrews 5:11-14. We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.

12. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

13. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.

14. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 6:1-3. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,

2. instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

3. And God permitting, we will do so.

In Hebrews 5:11-14, look at some of the points the writer makes:

1) His audience is spiritually immature.

2) They are, in addition "slow to learn" or "dull of hearing."

3) After all the instruction they have received, they should be teachers themselves.

4) Sadly however, they desperately need teachers, still.

5) They are OLD BABIES!

6) They continually go over the elementary truths again and again.

7) They need milk not solid food -- spiritually.

Here's an analogy I heard that originated with Pastor Ron Auch of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Because these Hebrews required milk, rather than solid food, the writer is indicating that these Christians are not yet ready (or willing?) to process God's word on their own.

Think a moment about this. A cow eats whatever a cow normally eats -- grass and other 'cow food.' It's body then digests and processes this 'food' and some of it is turned into milk. The same process happens in humans. When a mother eats solid food, her body processes it, and some of it is transformed into milk for her baby.

So the milk is really a secondary by-product of the original solid food. Is that bad? No, of course not. But spiritually speaking, those who continually live on 'milk' alone are missing out on the juicy 'steaks' God is offering. The Hebrews being addressed in this letter had begun to prefer their 'pre-processed' spiritual food to the neglecting of solid food, which takes more effort to consume. Today, if we get most of our spiritual nourishment from a radio bible teacher, or TV evangelist, or a teaching tape series, we are existing on spiritual milk only. These types of Christian "babies" are always undernourished, weak and require a lot of maintenance. When they mature physically and mentally, and yet continue on a diet of "spiritual milk," they become "old babies." They perpetually fill Sunday school classes that go over the same elementary truths they have sucked on for years. Have they ever read thru their bibles completely? No. Do they pray more than 5 minutes a day? No.

The elementary truths alluded to in 5:12 are detailed in 6:1-2, and are referred to as foundational for these believers. Now keep in mind that foundational truths belong in the foundation. Pretty astute of me isn't it? Here are those foundational truths from Hebrews 6:

1) Repentance from sinful acts.

3) Instructions about baptisms.

4) The laying on of hands.

5) The resurrection of the dead.

6) Eternal Judgement.

Did you catch that? Number two is "Faith in God." See how the writer slipped that one in? It's kind of like a scene from the movie "American Graffiti I saw in high school years ago. One of the characters is attempting to buy alcohol, even though he is obviously underage. He casually strolls into a liquor store and browses as nonchalantly as a teen-age kid can. Soon, after a suitable, "mature" amount of time has elapsed, this teen addresses the guy behind the counter, speaking very, very quickly as he says something like this.

"OK bud, here's what I need. Give me a couple of Snicker bars, four jaw breakers, a bag of Fritos, a couple of Pepsi's, a pack of Juicy-Fruit and a fifth of vodka."

As he reaches the climax of his requests, he quickly and simultaneously peels off the cash and jams it in the guy's face. He is hoping beyond hope that the proprietor has busied himself with fetching the many items and won't notice the last one as being somewhat incongruent for the pimply-faced high school kid staring from behind his horn-rimmed glasses. The guy bags up everything for the kid and then calmly asks him for some I.D. in order to purchase the vodka. Alas, it didn't work.

If you are carefully and prayerfully reading your bible, you will be as astute as the liquor store clerk and sometimes ask the Holy Spirit for some further information. You will notice that faith in God, among this list of "foundational truths" seems a bit incongruent. Why? Because so much teaching today deals with faith in God as something important to gain by one method or another. Whole movements and denominations are centered on faith, rather than on knowing God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit; and yet, few movements or denominations are keyed to the other foundational truths listed -- baptism, laying on of hands, repentance, etc. Faith is always seen as more important than the other items on this list in Hebrews 6. Faith is viewed as a commodity that we can acquire by repeating scriptural phrases many times over. It is taught as something that can be learned through practice or determination or some other method. Faith is taught as a lot of things, but the truth is, faith can not be taught! It grows inside of us, somehow, as we spend real time with Jesus and get to know Him. Any other 'method' is futile.

The passage is true however; Faith in God is foundational. That takes on importance when we understand what foundational means.

Build a Foundation:

I know a number of builders and bricklayers. Being a real "manly man," I often talk to them about "manly" topics, like what they do for a living. Now, if you ask any bricklayer who has laid the foundation of a building, he will tell you how important that foundation is. It is the most important part of any structure.

What happens if a foundation is poorly made? Does the word "collapse" mean anything to you? Of course it does. Even a foundation that is solid can be flawed. If a foundation is not square or plumb, the error that begins in it will be transferred and multiplied throughout the entire structure. The symmetry of the building will be ruined; the architectural design, the lines of beauty, will not exist. Any beautifully designed structure (Taj Mahal, Frank Lloyd Wright home, Lincoln memorial, etc.) will topple or be aesthetically ruined if the foundation is poor.

My builder buddies tell me that a proper sequence is required in order to build any structure.

1) Excavate the sight.

2) Prepare the ground for the foundation (sand, gravel, grading, etc.).

3) Layout the foundation carefully.

4) Install the foundation.

Now, the foundation has some key components, the most important of which is the cornerstone.

Isaiah 28:16. So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

Zechariah 10:4. From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler.

1 Peter 2:6. For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Ephesians 2:20. . . . built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

When we built a home in Michigan years ago, I watched intently as they did their work. First they dug the basement, then they poured the foundation, then the formed the basement walls, then the first and second floors, then the plumbing and electrical, then the drywall, then the finish trim work. It was an order progression, and it made sense.

Now if the carpenters had just finished with the roof, and the interior work was about to begin, and the guy who poured the foundation came back to the job sight and began to make changes to his foundation do you know what would happen? He would have ruined everything that had been built atop that foundation since he finished the first time! In addition, since I wasn't yet saved, I would have had to kill him myself.

Go back and modify the foundation? NO WAY! It makes no sense physically, and it makes no sense spiritually. The foundation must not be altered. Neither can we linger at the foundation thereby neglecting the completion of the rest of the building. And so it is with faith. We must understand what faith is and move on, we can't study faith forever. We must commence the completion of the building! And so we see why the writer of Hebrews is chiding these first century believers -- Jewish Christians, to grow up and move on in their walk with Jesus. He is also telling us the same things today -- and we greatly need to hear it! Continual talk of elementary truths, like faith, without moving on, is getting us nowhere.

How serious is this message in Hebrews? A glance at Hebrews 6:4-8 is all you need to answer that question.

Hebrews 6:4-8. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,

5. who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age,

6. if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

7. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.

8. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

Verses 4 thru 6 are a great warning against backsliding. Verses 7 and 8 are equally as stern as they spell out the danger of fruitlessness of a believer after receiving sound scriptural teaching.

Back to the Anomaly -- My Dilemma:

If, then, the writer of this book is so emphatic about teaching us to construct a solid foundation, of which faith is an integral part, then why is Hebrews 11 in this book at all? His point is clear; hanging around the foundation without moving on will always result in fruitlessness. Why, then, include a chapter affectionately dubbed the "faith chapter" by so many over the millennia, when he has made his point so clearly in chapters 5 and 6 that faith is a foundation that must be laid, but then moved on from? Why? This really bugged me, and when I read scripture that bugs me I have to explore further. I have to be like the liquor store clerk and calmly ask the proper questions at the proper times.

Read Hebrews 11:13-16, 39-40 again -- slowly.

Surely these "heroes of faith" had a strong foundation of faith; that is not an issue. Look at their names and the deeds attributable to them, it's amazing! Verse 6 of this "faith" chapter tells us plainly that "without faith it is impossible to please God." I guess God doesn't like buildings that topple or are flawed due to an out-of-plumb condition (Read Amos). So faith is still a foundation; the writer hasn't forgotten that message.

Reading again our key passages, we see that there is something that is motivating these "heroes of faith," something that is tangible, but not physical. Look closely at 11:13.

" . . . these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance."

It was something they SAW!

It was perceived with a kind of VISION!

These people had SPIRITUAL VISION!

When God provides vision, or sight, or insight, or a prophetic picture, or when He illuminates a scriptural truth, He is simply showing us what we need to see. In Hebrews chapter 11, He is showing us what He showed the "heroes of faith," namely:

* A country -- a heavenly country.

God showed them something wonderful to look forward to, something to propel and motivate them in their lives to be "heroes of faith." He provided spiritual VISION in general, and specific VISION to each of those who already had FAITH in order to show how important it is to persevere and to "seek first the Kingdom of God." They understood by what they saw why it is that "all these things" would be theirs one day.

[The following is a devotional titled "Destination," that is also found in the "Devotions" link of this web sight. Another suitable title would have been "Vision," but either serves equally well. "Destination" was actually used in my original message, and I have included here as a continuum and a finale.]

The "Heroes of Faith" of this portion of scripture all possessed one great quality that allowed their faith to flourish. This quality was the catalyst, the rich, humus spiritual soil that hungrily accepted their small, insignificant mustard seed of faith and caused it to grow. In time, their faith became the "largest of garden plants." This "heroic" faith became so grand that it served as a beacon to attract those, not merely miles away, but millennia of time distant. Truly, those nesting in the branches of their faith have come from a different time and place. 'What is this quality' you say? It was simply a clear vision of what God had planned as their destination.

It requires a strong, clear vision to cut thru the great hazy distances of time that these faith heroes saw thru. And yet, they perceived so clearly God's true purposes for them (and us!), that they welcomed what they saw! Did they notice that they "did not receive" what they perceived? Of course not! The vision was all the sustenance they required; nothing more was needed.

If I look thru the lens of a powerful telescope and can see where my path is leading, I am glad for that. I know I will reach my destination. How do I know? Because I saw it clearly, and I saw that the end is lovely and wonderful and that I will certainly get there. How will I get there? When will I arrive? Once I have seen the beauty of my destination and I know for certain I will arrive, the 'how's' and 'when's' are moot. The end result is plain enough; I have seen it! Take me along any route, and I will be patient because I know it is worth it. 'Why, you must travel the path of death.' No matter; I have seen my destination, and it is worth it.




	Vision The True Foundation of Faith A Message Preached January 9, 2000 Bro. A. Madonio




Hebrews 11:13-16, 39-40. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 39. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. This may well be the first sermon on Hebrews chapter 11 that does not have, as it's main thrust, a message primarily of faith. Rather, I see Hebrews 11 as a message from the Holy Spirit on the importance of what actually powers our faith. The actual definition of "faith" is quickly dispatched in the first verse. Most of the rest of Hebrews 11, with the exception of the verses above, is a testimony to those who had something that fueled their faith, that gave them the ability to possess faith, namely, a clear vision of God and His promises. Anomaly: So, where should I begin? Let's quickly review some passages preceding this chapter, in order to build up to our goal. I want to read from Hebrews 5:11-14 and Hebrews 6:1-3 and ask, in the light of these passages, how in the world Hebrews chapter 11 exists at all! Hebrews 5:11-14. We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 6:1-3. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2. instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3. And God permitting, we will do so. In Hebrews 5:11-14, look at some of the points the writer makes: 1) His audience is spiritually immature. 2) They are, in addition "slow to learn" or "dull of hearing." 3) After all the instruction they have received, they should be teachers themselves. 4) Sadly however, they desperately need teachers, still. 5) They are OLD BABIES! 6) They continually go over the elementary truths again and again. 7) They need milk not solid food -- spiritually. Here's an analogy I heard that originated with Pastor Ron Auch of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Because these Hebrews required milk, rather than solid food, the writer is indicating that these Christians are not yet ready (or willing?) to process God's word on their own. Think a moment about this. A cow eats whatever a cow normally eats -- grass and other 'cow food.' It's body then digests and processes this 'food' and some of it is turned into milk. The same process happens in humans. When a mother eats solid food, her body processes it, and some of it is transformed into milk for her baby. So the milk is really a secondary by-product of the original solid food. Is that bad? No, of course not. But spiritually speaking, those who continually live on 'milk' alone are missing out on the juicy 'steaks' God is offering. The Hebrews being addressed in this letter had begun to prefer their 'pre-processed' spiritual food to the neglecting of solid food, which takes more effort to consume. Today, if we get most of our spiritual nourishment from a radio bible teacher, or TV evangelist, or a teaching tape series, we are existing on spiritual milk only. These types of Christian "babies" are always undernourished, weak and require a lot of maintenance. When they mature physically and mentally, and yet continue on a diet of "spiritual milk," they become "old babies." They perpetually fill Sunday school classes that go over the same elementary truths they have sucked on for years. Have they ever read thru their bibles completely? No. Do they pray more than 5 minutes a day? No. The elementary truths alluded to in 5:12 are detailed in 6:1-2, and are referred to as foundational for these believers. Now keep in mind that foundational truths belong in the foundation. Pretty astute of me isn't it? Here are those foundational truths from Hebrews 6: 1) Repentance from sinful acts. 2) Faith in God. 3) Instructions about baptisms. 4) The laying on of hands. 5) The resurrection of the dead. 6) Eternal Judgement. Did you catch that? Number two is "Faith in God." See how the writer slipped that one in? It's kind of like a scene from the movie "American Graffiti I saw in high school years ago. One of the characters is attempting to buy alcohol, even though he is obviously underage. He casually strolls into a liquor store and browses as nonchalantly as a teen-age kid can. Soon, after a suitable, "mature" amount of time has elapsed, this teen addresses the guy behind the counter, speaking very, very quickly as he says something like this. "OK bud, here's what I need. Give me a couple of Snicker bars, four jaw breakers, a bag of Fritos, a couple of Pepsi's, a pack of Juicy-Fruit and a fifth of vodka." As he reaches the climax of his requests, he quickly and simultaneously peels off the cash and jams it in the guy's face. He is hoping beyond hope that the proprietor has busied himself with fetching the many items and won't notice the last one as being somewhat incongruent for the pimply-faced high school kid staring from behind his horn-rimmed glasses. The guy bags up everything for the kid and then calmly asks him for some I.D. in order to purchase the vodka. Alas, it didn't work. If you are carefully and prayerfully reading your bible, you will be as astute as the liquor store clerk and sometimes ask the Holy Spirit for some further information. You will notice that faith in God, among this list of "foundational truths" seems a bit incongruent. Why? Because so much teaching today deals with faith in God as something important to gain by one method or another. Whole movements and denominations are centered on faith, rather than on knowing God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit; and yet, few movements or denominations are keyed to the other foundational truths listed -- baptism, laying on of hands, repentance, etc. Faith is always seen as more important than the other items on this list in Hebrews 6. Faith is viewed as a commodity that we can acquire by repeating scriptural phrases many times over. It is taught as something that can be learned through practice or determination or some other method. Faith is taught as a lot of things, but the truth is, faith can not be taught! It grows inside of us, somehow, as we spend real time with Jesus and get to know Him. Any other 'method' is futile. The passage is true however; Faith in God is foundational. That takes on importance when we understand what foundational means. Build a Foundation: I know a number of builders and bricklayers. Being a real "manly man," I often talk to them about "manly" topics, like what they do for a living. Now, if you ask any bricklayer who has laid the foundation of a building, he will tell you how important that foundation is. It is the most important part of any structure. What happens if a foundation is poorly made? Does the word "collapse" mean anything to you? Of course it does. Even a foundation that is solid can be flawed. If a foundation is not square or plumb, the error that begins in it will be transferred and multiplied throughout the entire structure. The symmetry of the building will be ruined; the architectural design, the lines of beauty, will not exist. Any beautifully designed structure (Taj Mahal, Frank Lloyd Wright home, Lincoln memorial, etc.) will topple or be aesthetically ruined if the foundation is poor. My builder buddies tell me that a proper sequence is required in order to build any structure. 1) Excavate the sight. 2) Prepare the ground for the foundation (sand, gravel, grading, etc.). 3) Layout the foundation carefully. 4) Install the foundation. Now, the foundation has some key components, the most important of which is the cornerstone. Isaiah 28:16. So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. Zechariah 10:4. From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler. 1 Peter 2:6. For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Ephesians 2:20. . . . built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. When we built a home in Michigan years ago, I watched intently as they did their work. First they dug the basement, then they poured the foundation, then the formed the basement walls, then the first and second floors, then the plumbing and electrical, then the drywall, then the finish trim work. It was an order progression, and it made sense. Now if the carpenters had just finished with the roof, and the interior work was about to begin, and the guy who poured the foundation came back to the job sight and began to make changes to his foundation do you know what would happen? He would have ruined everything that had been built atop that foundation since he finished the first time! In addition, since I wasn't yet saved, I would have had to kill him myself. Go back and modify the foundation? NO WAY! It makes no sense physically, and it makes no sense spiritually. The foundation must not be altered. Neither can we linger at the foundation thereby neglecting the completion of the rest of the building. And so it is with faith. We must understand what faith is and move on, we can't study faith forever. We must commence the completion of the building! And so we see why the writer of Hebrews is chiding these first century believers -- Jewish Christians, to grow up and move on in their walk with Jesus. He is also telling us the same things today -- and we greatly need to hear it! Continual talk of elementary truths, like faith, without moving on, is getting us nowhere. How serious is this message in Hebrews? A glance at Hebrews 6:4-8 is all you need to answer that question. Hebrews 6:4-8. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5. who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6. if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Verses 4 thru 6 are a great warning against backsliding. Verses 7 and 8 are equally as stern as they spell out the danger of fruitlessness of a believer after receiving sound scriptural teaching. Back to the Anomaly -- My Dilemma: If, then, the writer of this book is so emphatic about teaching us to construct a solid foundation, of which faith is an integral part, then why is Hebrews 11 in this book at all? His point is clear; hanging around the foundation without moving on will always result in fruitlessness. Why, then, include a chapter affectionately dubbed the "faith chapter" by so many over the millennia, when he has made his point so clearly in chapters 5 and 6 that faith is a foundation that must be laid, but then moved on from? Why? This really bugged me, and when I read scripture that bugs me I have to explore further. I have to be like the liquor store clerk and calmly ask the proper questions at the proper times. Read Hebrews 11:13-16, 39-40 again -- slowly. Surely these "heroes of faith" had a strong foundation of faith; that is not an issue. Look at their names and the deeds attributable to them, it's amazing! Verse 6 of this "faith" chapter tells us plainly that "without faith it is impossible to please God." I guess God doesn't like buildings that topple or are flawed due to an out-of-plumb condition (Read Amos). So faith is still a foundation; the writer hasn't forgotten that message. Reading again our key passages, we see that there is something that is motivating these "heroes of faith," something that is tangible, but not physical. Look closely at 11:13. " . . . these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance." It was something they SAW! It was perceived with a kind of VISION! These people had SPIRITUAL VISION! When God provides vision, or sight, or insight, or a prophetic picture, or when He illuminates a scriptural truth, He is simply showing us what we need to see. In Hebrews chapter 11, He is showing us what He showed the "heroes of faith," namely: * A city. * A place of rest. * A country -- a heavenly country. * A home. God showed them something wonderful to look forward to, something to propel and motivate them in their lives to be "heroes of faith." He provided spiritual VISION in general, and specific VISION to each of those who already had FAITH in order to show how important it is to persevere and to "seek first the Kingdom of God." They understood by what they saw why it is that "all these things" would be theirs one day. [The following is a devotional titled "Destination," that is also found in the "Devotions" link of this web sight. Another suitable title would have been "Vision," but either serves equally well. "Destination" was actually used in my original message, and I have included here as a continuum and a finale.] Destination: The "Heroes of Faith" of this portion of scripture all possessed one great quality that allowed their faith to flourish. This quality was the catalyst, the rich, humus spiritual soil that hungrily accepted their small, insignificant mustard seed of faith and caused it to grow. In time, their faith became the "largest of garden plants." This "heroic" faith became so grand that it served as a beacon to attract those, not merely miles away, but millennia of time distant. Truly, those nesting in the branches of their faith have come from a different time and place. 'What is this quality' you say? It was simply a clear vision of what God had planned as their destination. It requires a strong, clear vision to cut thru the great hazy distances of time that these faith heroes saw thru. And yet, they perceived so clearly God's true purposes for them (and us!), that they welcomed what they saw! Did they notice that they "did not receive" what they perceived? Of course not! The vision was all the sustenance they required; nothing more was needed. If I look thru the lens of a powerful telescope and can see where my path is leading, I am glad for that. I know I will reach my destination. How do I know? Because I saw it clearly, and I saw that the end is lovely and wonderful and that I will certainly get there. How will I get there? When will I arrive? Once I have seen the beauty of my destination and I know for certain I will arrive, the 'how's' and 'when's' are moot. The end result is plain enough; I have seen it! Take me along any route, and I will be patient because I know it is worth it. 'Why, you must travel the path of death.' No matter; I have seen my destination, and it is worth it. Amen!

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