Heavenly - Mindedness (7)

 

Continuing our reflections on Geerhardus Vos’s Message on “Heavenly Mindedness” from Hebrews 11:9 – 10:

 

“The other-worldliness of the patriarchs showed itself in this, that they confessed to be strangers and pilgrims on the earth. It found its visible expression in their dwelling in tents. Not strangers and pilgrims outside of Canaan, but strangers and pilgrims in the earth. The writer places all the emphasis on this, that they pursued their tent-life in the very land of promise, which was their own, as in a land not their own. Only in this way is a clear connection between the staying in tents and the looking forward to heaven obtained. For otherwise the tents might have signified merely that they considered themselves not at home when away from the holy land.

 

“If even in Canaan they carried within themselves the consciousness of pilgrimage then it becomes strikingly evident that it was a question of fundamental, comprehensive choice between earth and heaven. The adherence to the tent-life in the sight and amidst the scenes of the promised land fixes the aspiration of the patriarchs as aiming at the highest conceivable heavenly goal. It has in it somewhat of the scorn of the relative and of compromise. He who knows that for him a palace is in building does not dally with desires for improvement on a lower scale. Contentment with the lowest becomes in such a case profession of the highest, a badge of spiritual aristocracy with its proud insistence upon the ideal. Only the predestined inhabitants of the eternal city know how to conduct themselves in a simple tent as kings and princes of God.

 

When I sit down to reflect and write on Heavenly – Mindedness, I often anticipate covering a few paragraphs, but it can’t be done; it’s too rich, too deep, too fascinating, and simply too beautiful to not linger, and ponder, and allow Vos’s heavenly message to envelope me.

 

In the above passage, Vos turns our attention to his sermon text, Hebrews 11:9 – 10. “By faith he [Abraham] lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

 

As I wrestle with Hebrews Chapter 11, and with Vos’s message, it strikes me that we’ve turned Christianity, at least in the West, into a religion designed to enable our living the “good life” right here, right now; with the idea of heaven, of being with Christ, a retirement plan that we don’t think much about. Christianity is here to give us vocational success, marital bliss, material prosperity, bigger and more entertaining churches, the right houses, the right cars, the best vacations. We are not here to serve Christ, Christ is here to serve us. No wonder Christians in the West have little conflict with the world, for we are consumers of the world – the world feeds us and we are what we eat.

 

Would people who are aliens and strangers really invest their lives in the things we invest them in? Would they really have the priorities that we have? I write this piece in the midst of a presidential election in the USA, and I have friends and acquaintances who speak and act as if the universe hangs on who wins the election – every election seems to be “the most critical election this nation has ever faced.” Can this really be the priority of those who profess to follow the One who says, “My Kingdom is not of this world”?

 

Vos introduces a wonderful term to me, “tent – life.” Strangers and pilgrims live their lives in tents. Paul writes of his own tent – life in 2 Cor. 5:1 – 10, quoting in part, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this [tent] we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked…Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge [down payment]…”

 

Vos says that those who live the tent – life have made a “fundamental, comprehensive choice between earth and heaven”. This is the call to discipleship (Mark 8:34 – 38); this is selling all to purchase the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45); this is putting our hand to the plow and not looking back (Luke 9:62). I have not always lived this Way. Am I living this Way today? What about you? Jesus lived this way for us, are we living this Way for Him?

 

May I confess the most frightening way I have not lived this Way? In ministry, in church, in seminary. How often has my focus not been on the Cross but rather on the praise of man? How often have I thought that I, and my congregations, needed to measure up to not only the world’s expectations, but the religious world’s expectations? How often have I constructed a sermon that was fine – tuned in delivery and exegesis, but not communicated with a heart fine – tuned with the Christ of the Cross and the Cross of Christ? Well, only God knows these things, I don’t know myself; but I know enough of myself in the Spirit and Word to confess and surrender these things to God.

 

Vos challenges us with the thought that when we have made this “fundamental, comprehensive choice between earth and heaven” that we will “scorn compromise.” Well, as John writes (1 John 2:15), “If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him.” Then we have James (James 4:4), “Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” This attitude of no compromise is not likely to win friends an influence people in the manner of public relations, but it just may lead others to know Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus wants to know where we are going to invest ourselves, on earth or in heaven (Matthew 6:19 – 21)?

 

Vos preaches, “Contentment with the lowest becomes in such a case profession of the highest..” Paul writes that he and his companions are “as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things” (2 Cor. 6:10). Solomon writes, “There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another impoverishes himself, but has great wealth” (Pro. 13:7). We see our Lord Jesus, who “though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). This is the same Jesus who “emptied Himself and took upon Himself the form of a slave” (Phil. 2:7).

 

No wonder Vos says that those who follow this Way of life “know how to conduct themselves in a simple tent as kings and princes of God.” Dear friends, we are a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). We are not the sinners we once were, we are now, in Christ, the saints of God. Shall we live as who we are in Christ? Shall we embrace our heavenly Lord Jesus and our heavenly calling?

 

O Lord Jesus, teach us to live the tent – life!