Lewis And Clark: Where The Map Ends The Adventure Begins! Series

LESSONS FROM THE WILD WEST!

LEWIS AND CLARK: WHERE THE MAP ENDS THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

Hebrews 11:1-10

INTRO

We are in a series called “Lessons from the Wild West.” Two weeks ago we looked at: “Buffalo Bill Cody” (10:1-15) and saw that he, just like the disciples of Jesus, was a common ordinary man who seized the opportunities given him and did remarkable things. We learned that God wants to use us ordinary people is extraordinary ways too.

Then we look at “Remember the Alamo!” from Matthew 10:16-33 and saw that following Christ was based on loyalty and sacrifice rather than ease and comfort. We live for a cause which is bigger than ourselves.

Next week we will look at “Lessons from Sheriff Pat Garret” (10:34-42)

But today we will move out of Matthew 10 for the week and look at another team who made their name in the Wild West … Lewis and Clark.

Hebrews 11:1-10

(1) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (2) this is what the ancients were commended for.

(3) By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

(4) By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

(5) By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. (6) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

(7) By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

(8) By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (9) By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he live in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. (10) For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

There are significant times in every nation, every person, and every church (or any entity for that matter) that prove to be times of questioning, transition and change. Different people respond differently. They work with the skills and tools they have. As Christians, we too must respond in faith and obedience as things around us change and force change.

I doubt there is anyone here who does not believe our world is in the midst of one of those large fundamental shifts that alters everything. It has been going on for a generation or so and no one yet knows what the “new normal” will look like yet.

This is not the first time in the history of God’s world that big changes have happened … even changes this big … and maybe we can discover some Biblical principles to assist us as we look at Hebrews 11 and the journey of Lewis and Clark.

Like them, we will discover that: WHERE THE MAP ENDS THE ADVENTURE BEGINS!

At the turn of the nineteenth century (1804) two men, commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, found themselves on the journey of a lifetime. What Lewis and Clark did not fully grasp was how their search for a waterway across North America would fundamentally change and expand our nation…a nation which up to this point had 2 of every 3 citizens living within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.

One year after embarking on the journey from St. Louis, up the Missouri river, Lewis and Clark found themselves in what is now North Dakota; they were charting heretofore uncharted land.

Rumors abounded about what they would find; volcanoes, woolly mammoths, blue-eyed Indians, and the lost tribes of Israel were common beliefs. Rumors abound as to what we will find too. But, like with them, “Where the map ends, the adventure begins!

You know the story of Lewis and Clark. You know their place in American history. That is why they make an ideal couple for us to glean principles from as we come to the end of a map….and prepare for the adventure to begin!

I notice it is important to: