Refusal of the Small
Faith requires choosing the larger, eternal good over the smaller, present gain, as exemplified by the choices of Paul and Abram.
Hugh Black emphasizes the importance of faith by examining the choices made by biblical figures like Moses, Demas, Abram, and Lot. He highlights how faith involves refusing immediate gratification or worldly success in exchange for a deeper, spiritual fulfillment and a closer walk with God. The sermon warns against prioritizing worldly gains over spiritual treasures like a good conscience, peace of heart, and the hope of glory, using examples of individuals who made detrimental choices based on worldly wisdom. Ultimately, the message challenges listeners to consider what truly constitutes wisdom and to prioritize a life of faith and obedience to God.
Text
"By faith Moses...refused..."
(Heb. 11:24).
Faith is the refusal of the small, for the sake of the large. Faith will make no decision, take no step, merely from worldly motives; for it sees past the immediate good to a richer, grander good. Worldly-wisdom is not wisdom; it is folly, the blind grasping at what is within reach. It is folly, for any present good, to cut yourself off from your true life. A good conscience, peace of heart, faith, the vision of God, the hope of glory--it is a fool's bargain (let pot-house moralists prate as they may) to barter these for any mess of pottage. To rake in the dust-heap for scraps of treasure heedless of the golden crown to be had for the looking and the taking--that was Lot's choice, and that is the choice of every soul who seeks first the world. Demas thought he was doing a wise thing in leaving Paul when earthly success seemed lost, but this present world, seductive though it was to him, however much it brought him, was a poor, a contemptible exchange for the days and nights with Paul, and the life lived by the Son of God. And his name is an infamy. Lot thought he was doing a wise thing in making the choice he did, but a share in the wealth of Sodom was a pitiful substitute for a place in Abram's company, and a share in Abram's thoughts and faith. And the end was a ruined home, a desolate life, and a broken heart.
Which is the wiser choice? Paul and a Roman prison and Jesus Christ--or Demas and the present world and an apostate's mind? Abram and the barren hillside and God--or Lot and the cities of the plain and Sodom's shame?
Sermon Outline
- Faith as Refusal of the Small
- Examples of Choosing the Small
- The Wiser Choice
- Choosing God and faith over worldly gain
- The consequences of choosing the small
Key Quotes
“Faith is the refusal of the small, for the sake of the large.” — Hugh Black
“It is folly, for any present good, to cut yourself off from your true life.” — Hugh Black
“To rake in the dust-heap for scraps of treasure heedless of the golden crown to be had for the looking and the taking--that was Lot's choice, and that is the choice of every soul who seeks first the world.” — Hugh Black
Application Points
- Prioritize faith and true life over worldly gain and present success.
- Recognize that worldly wisdom is often a poor exchange for eternal rewards.
- Choose the wiser path, as exemplified by Paul and Abram, and avoid the consequences of choosing the small.