WEBVTT 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:16.059 verses 8 through 10, Hebrews chapter 11. By faith, 00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:20.620 Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:24.120 out to a place which he was to receive for an 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:27.679 inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:32.439 he was going. By faith, he lived as an alien 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:35.979 in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, 00:00:36.179 --> 00:00:39.859 dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow 00:00:39.859 --> 00:00:44.240 heirs of the same promise. For he was looking 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:50.159 for the city which has foundations, whose architect 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:54.299 and builder is God. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. 00:00:56.479 --> 00:01:01.460 Father, we come to you this Lord's Day. We thank 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:06.040 you for your word. Father, we thank you for Christ. 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.579 Father, we ask today that you would be with us. 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:13.739 Lord, we ask that you would bless the ministry 00:01:13.739 --> 00:01:18.599 of your word abundantly. Lord, accompany the 00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:22.760 ministry of your word in great power. Lord, work 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:25.579 in the hearts and minds of your people mightily. 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:31.120 Draw unrepentant men to yourself. Be in our midst, 00:01:31.159 --> 00:01:35.079 Lord. Be among us. We ask these things in Jesus' 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:40.140 name. Amen. You may be seated. In 1 Corinthians 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:49.540 15, Paul is writing about the resurrection that 00:01:49.540 --> 00:01:54.019 is to come. And he makes this statement to the 00:01:54.019 --> 00:02:00.519 church at Corinth. He says, If from human motives 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:05.480 I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:10.400 it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:16.979 us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. What is 00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:24.719 Paul, what is his point in that statement? He's 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:31.280 saying that if there's no resurrection, then 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:37.039 men ought to just simply live fully. for this 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:43.500 life here and now. If there's no resurrection, 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:48.560 set your heart on the things of this world, the 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:52.460 satisfaction and the pleasures of this life. 00:02:53.139 --> 00:02:57.340 But Paul is saying that there is, in fact, a 00:02:57.340 --> 00:03:02.560 resurrection. There is a greater, more ultimate 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:09.639 reality that is to come. And that affects and 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:14.780 governs how Christians live in this life here 00:03:14.780 --> 00:03:18.699 and now. The basis for his whole argument is 00:03:18.699 --> 00:03:22.599 this. He says, I labor, I work, I serve the Lord 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:25.960 Jesus Christ, not because I'm reveling in this 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:30.020 life, but because I know there's a resurrection 00:03:30.020 --> 00:03:34.879 to come. There's more which follows. There's 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:40.240 further, greater realities which are still to 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:48.539 come. The world lives for this life. The culture 00:03:48.539 --> 00:03:56.500 lives for this life. Pleasure, food, success, 00:03:56.939 --> 00:04:04.310 money. Get whatever you can here and now. Because 00:04:04.310 --> 00:04:09.930 we will die. I don't get a second chance to enjoy 00:04:09.930 --> 00:04:13.270 all the pleasures of this life. Soak it up. Absorb 00:04:13.270 --> 00:04:16.310 it. Get the most out of this life that I possibly 00:04:16.310 --> 00:04:22.589 can. But the reality is, the Christian ought 00:04:22.589 --> 00:04:28.730 to be distinctly different from the culture and 00:04:28.730 --> 00:04:33.199 the world. Why? Because the believer in Jesus 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:38.660 Christ does not live fully for this life. The 00:04:38.660 --> 00:04:43.379 believer in Jesus Christ lives fully for Christ 00:04:43.379 --> 00:04:50.600 in this life. Knowing that there are greater 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:56.459 realities which they are to partake in. That 00:04:56.459 --> 00:05:00.360 the resurrection is coming. That the new heavens 00:05:00.360 --> 00:05:04.329 and the new earth, will come, that Christ will 00:05:04.329 --> 00:05:08.569 return, that all men will stand before the judgment 00:05:08.569 --> 00:05:15.050 seat of Christ, either in Him, in union with 00:05:15.050 --> 00:05:19.310 Christ, or they will stand as their own representative 00:05:19.310 --> 00:05:22.290 and their own righteousness and give an account 00:05:22.290 --> 00:05:26.209 of their life and why they have lived and the 00:05:26.209 --> 00:05:29.660 way they have lived and the reason for... their 00:05:29.660 --> 00:05:36.579 way of life. In Hebrews chapter 11, we come to 00:05:36.579 --> 00:05:42.920 Abraham. We've considered Abel, Enoch, and Noah. 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:50.540 Today, we come to Abraham and his faith in verses 00:05:50.540 --> 00:05:58.379 8 through 10. We find that Abraham's faith enables 00:05:58.379 --> 00:06:04.959 him to live as a stranger or a pilgrim in this 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:09.800 world because he has a hope of more eternal, 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:13.639 grand, glorious, and more ultimate realities 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:19.759 which are to come. We're going to consider Abraham's 00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:23.180 faith -filled obedience to God's call in his 00:06:23.180 --> 00:06:26.459 life. We're going to consider Abraham's faith 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:31.199 -filled life as a sojourner or a pilgrim throughout 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:36.040 his life. And then lastly, we will consider Abraham's 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:42.500 faith -filled heart, that which carried him throughout 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:48.279 life and enabled him to obey God's call and to 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:52.439 live as a sojourner or a pilgrim. Throughout 00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:56.560 the entirety of his life. Beginning with the 00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:01.439 first. His faith filled obedience to God's call. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:08.879 We read this in verse 8. By faith Abraham. When 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:14.600 he was called. Obeyed by going out to a place 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:18.160 which he was to receive an inheritance. And he 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:23.860 went out not knowing where. He was going. This 00:07:23.860 --> 00:07:28.560 is referring to Genesis chapter 12. And before 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:34.660 where Abraham leaves with his father, we get 00:07:34.660 --> 00:07:39.259 a summary statement of Abraham's obedience to 00:07:39.259 --> 00:07:42.560 this call and the nature of God's call in Abraham's 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:47.180 life. In Acts chapter 7, we read this. The high 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:51.410 priest said, Are these things so? And Stephen 00:07:51.410 --> 00:07:55.329 responds, and he begins to preach to the Jews. 00:07:55.850 --> 00:07:59.889 And he said, Hear me, brethren and fathers. The 00:07:59.889 --> 00:08:03.290 God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when 00:08:03.290 --> 00:08:07.149 he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 00:08:07.149 --> 00:08:12.290 and said to him, Leave your country and your 00:08:12.290 --> 00:08:16.430 relatives and come into the land that I will 00:08:16.430 --> 00:08:22.709 show you. Then he left. the land of the Chaldeans 00:08:22.709 --> 00:08:25.790 and settled in Haran. From there, after his father 00:08:25.790 --> 00:08:30.430 died, God had him move to this country in which 00:08:30.430 --> 00:08:38.750 you are now living. In this call of God that 00:08:38.750 --> 00:08:43.250 is given to Abraham, notice that God comes to 00:08:43.250 --> 00:08:48.620 this man, the forefather of faith, Abram. early 00:08:48.620 --> 00:08:53.299 on, and Abraham later on after his name was changed. 00:08:53.899 --> 00:08:59.860 God appears to him. God gives him a command to 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:05.240 leave everything behind. To leave his family, 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:09.620 to leave his friends, to leave his father's household, 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:15.980 to forsake it all, and to follow God into a future 00:09:15.980 --> 00:09:19.519 that is uncertain. He doesn't know where he's 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:22.059 going. He doesn't know what it's going to be 00:09:22.059 --> 00:09:25.159 like. God gives him a command, and he obeys that 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:30.799 command. But God also gives him a promise. We 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:34.919 see this in Genesis 12 in particular. God promises 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:39.700 a lineage, blessings, a nation, and ultimately 00:09:39.700 --> 00:09:44.440 that the Messiah would come forth from his own 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:51.720 lineage. It's the word of God coming to Abraham. 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:57.720 The authoritative, infallible, powerful word 00:09:57.720 --> 00:10:01.820 of God coming to this man. And what does he do? 00:10:02.059 --> 00:10:08.200 He obeys God and his word. What did this call 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:16.299 require of Father Abraham? Was it a cheap or 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:21.419 easy or inexpensive call that God gives to this 00:10:21.419 --> 00:10:25.879 man? No, brothers and sisters. It was a very 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:32.220 costly call and command that God gives to our 00:10:32.220 --> 00:10:38.019 forefather in the faith. He had to leave everything 00:10:38.019 --> 00:10:44.299 he'd ever known. Many in this room today. have 00:10:44.299 --> 00:10:47.879 lived in Edwards County the entirety of their 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:53.940 life. They've lived around their family, their 00:10:53.940 --> 00:10:57.360 friends. They've built their career, their job, 00:10:57.559 --> 00:11:00.779 their reputations, their wealth, their livelihood. 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:04.320 It all stems from this place. They see their 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:07.259 family, their immediate and their extended family, 00:11:07.379 --> 00:11:11.000 regularly and often. They have great relationships. 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:16.840 They would never... leave this place. The same 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:24.220 is true of Abraham. God came to him and he said, 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:30.120 leave everything that you've ever known. Leave 00:11:30.120 --> 00:11:34.940 it all and follow me into an uncertain future. 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:41.899 It was a costly call that God placed upon his 00:11:41.899 --> 00:11:48.159 life. It was expensive. It required that he give 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:51.799 up things that he loved. It required that he 00:11:51.799 --> 00:11:54.840 sacrifice things that were close to his heart. 00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:59.399 It required that he leave that which he was comfortable 00:11:59.399 --> 00:12:04.080 with and that which was known to him. Yet he 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:11.360 obeys. Despite the cost, he submits to the will 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:17.789 of God. And he goes into a future that he doesn't 00:12:17.789 --> 00:12:23.450 know anything about. He has no certain knowledge 00:12:23.450 --> 00:12:28.789 of what is to come in the future of his life 00:12:28.789 --> 00:12:33.350 with regards to his circumstances or his situation 00:12:33.350 --> 00:12:38.070 or his wealth, his finances, his home, his land, 00:12:38.250 --> 00:12:41.370 whatever it might be. He did not know what was 00:12:41.370 --> 00:12:48.299 going to happen. Yet, he... obeyed. Following 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:54.519 God by faith regardless of whether it was in 00:12:54.519 --> 00:13:01.740 Abraham's day, in Moses' day, whether it be in 00:13:01.740 --> 00:13:05.740 the apostles' day, whether it was in the early 00:13:05.740 --> 00:13:09.179 church. Whether it was in the medieval period 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:11.340 of the church, whether it was in the period of 00:13:11.340 --> 00:13:13.700 the Reformation, or following the Reformation, 00:13:13.899 --> 00:13:19.659 or whether it be today, following God is always 00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:28.480 costly, brethren. It always requires sacrifice. 00:13:30.820 --> 00:13:36.480 Personal obedience to the living God Requires 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:43.600 personal sacrifice from God's people. We see 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:48.019 in Abraham's example that following God requires 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:58.179 discomfort, uncertainty, self -denial, and sacrifice. 00:13:59.179 --> 00:14:05.139 We read in Matthew and Luke chapter 14. The Lord 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:09.379 Jesus is teaching his disciples, and we read 00:14:09.379 --> 00:14:14.120 this, Now large crowds were going along with 00:14:14.120 --> 00:14:19.220 him, and he turned and said to them, If anyone 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:24.740 comes to me and does not hate his own father, 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:29.899 and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:36.049 and sisters, yes, and even His own life, He cannot 00:14:36.049 --> 00:14:41.149 be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own 00:14:41.149 --> 00:14:46.129 cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 00:14:47.190 --> 00:14:52.289 It sounds costly, doesn't it? There's nothing 00:14:52.289 --> 00:14:54.970 easy, there's nothing cheap about following Christ 00:14:54.970 --> 00:15:00.110 as He puts it forward. It's hard. It's difficult. 00:15:01.710 --> 00:15:04.409 It requires a great deal of the person to come 00:15:04.409 --> 00:15:07.149 after the Lord Jesus and to continue following 00:15:07.149 --> 00:15:10.490 the Lord Jesus. And then the Lord Jesus goes 00:15:10.490 --> 00:15:13.269 on and says, for which one of you, when he wants 00:15:13.269 --> 00:15:16.769 to build a tower, does not first sit down and 00:15:16.769 --> 00:15:19.809 calculate the cost to see if he has enough to 00:15:19.809 --> 00:15:25.070 complete it. Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation 00:15:25.070 --> 00:15:28.460 and is not able to finish, All who observe it 00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:31.879 begin to ridicule him, saying, This man began 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:39.639 to build and was not able to finish. An essential 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:45.539 element in the Christian life, in following Christ 00:15:45.539 --> 00:15:48.120 and Christian discipleship, brothers and sisters, 00:15:48.279 --> 00:15:53.279 is counting the cost and self -denial in our 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:59.789 own lives. Actually, if we want to grow as believers 00:15:59.789 --> 00:16:03.149 in Jesus Christ, this is the starting place. 00:16:04.129 --> 00:16:11.330 Self -denial and forsaking ourselves. It costs 00:16:11.330 --> 00:16:17.250 a great deal to follow the Lord Jesus. As the 00:16:17.250 --> 00:16:23.490 culture continues to degenerate and decline, 00:16:25.129 --> 00:16:29.450 In our world, as the church continues to be faithful 00:16:29.450 --> 00:16:34.850 to serve Christ and the risen Lord, do you know 00:16:34.850 --> 00:16:37.990 what's going to come to the forefront even more 00:16:37.990 --> 00:16:44.190 and more and more? Counting the cost of following 00:16:44.190 --> 00:16:51.230 Jesus Christ. There are, in fact, in our day, 00:16:51.309 --> 00:16:56.009 in our culture, certain benefits. To following 00:16:56.009 --> 00:17:04.170 Christ. Or claiming to follow Christ. There are 00:17:04.170 --> 00:17:10.930 certain benefits. To claiming I am a Christian. 00:17:11.769 --> 00:17:16.490 But brothers and sisters. As the world grows 00:17:16.490 --> 00:17:21.849 darker. And the church continues to be faithful. 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:30.000 the church and believers will begin counting 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:38.660 the cost even more and more. Our obedience, brothers 00:17:38.660 --> 00:17:43.299 and sisters, does not depend on what we know 00:17:43.299 --> 00:17:50.319 about the future. It does not depend on what 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:53.759 our life will or won't be like in this world. 00:17:54.170 --> 00:17:59.450 It depends on what God has said in His Word. 00:18:01.150 --> 00:18:06.369 If God requires it and commands it, then brothers 00:18:06.369 --> 00:18:11.210 and sisters, we obey it as His people. And that 00:18:11.210 --> 00:18:17.470 requires counting the cost of following Christ. 00:18:18.170 --> 00:18:24.079 Has your Christianity cost you anything? In the 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:33.140 last week. It's a serious question. Has your 00:18:33.140 --> 00:18:40.119 faith. Cost you anything. In the last month. 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:46.079 Has it required you to repent. Have you had to 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:49.849 give up desires. Have you had to push your pride 00:18:49.849 --> 00:18:53.109 aside and humble yourself? Have you had to serve 00:18:53.109 --> 00:18:55.650 somebody else? Have you had to do something you 00:18:55.650 --> 00:18:58.029 didn't want to do or say something you didn't 00:18:58.029 --> 00:19:00.309 want to say because the Word of God required 00:19:00.309 --> 00:19:05.150 it? Have you had to stop doing something and 00:19:05.150 --> 00:19:07.750 start doing something? Or have you just accepted 00:19:07.750 --> 00:19:13.170 the old adage, I am who I am? This is what you 00:19:13.170 --> 00:19:22.880 get. you counted the cost of your faith recently 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:30.619 Christian? Has it cost you anything? Christianity 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:37.940 that costs nothing is worthless with regards 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:45.779 to the faith of your eternal soul. If your Christianity 00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:50.940 doesn't cost you anything, it will not save your 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:59.259 soul from damnation or hell. It will not pardon 00:19:59.259 --> 00:20:04.140 your sins. It will not bring you into a saving 00:20:04.140 --> 00:20:07.880 union with the Lord Jesus Christ. It will only 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:12.740 add to your condemnation. So ask yourself, and 00:20:12.740 --> 00:20:19.750 I'm serious, Has my Christianity cost me anything 00:20:19.750 --> 00:20:24.410 recently? Because there are serious outcomes 00:20:24.410 --> 00:20:29.950 for your soul, whether it has or whether it hasn't. 00:20:30.789 --> 00:20:34.049 The Christianity that follows the real Christ, 00:20:34.210 --> 00:20:36.930 the real Savior, which really redeems sinners, 00:20:37.250 --> 00:20:40.700 which really applies the blood of Christ, which 00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:43.619 really forgives sins, which really redeems men 00:20:43.619 --> 00:20:46.180 and gives them a future and a real hope, that 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:51.160 Christianity is always costly. Christianity always. 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:56.799 We learn this from Abraham's faith. But we also 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:02.099 see Abraham's faith -filled life as a sojourner. 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:09.039 We saw his initial act of faith in obeying God's 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:15.009 call. But we see in verse 9 his faith -filled 00:21:15.009 --> 00:21:19.789 life in living as a pilgrim or a sojourner throughout 00:21:19.789 --> 00:21:23.589 the duration of his life. We read in verse 9, 00:21:23.829 --> 00:21:31.430 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of 00:21:31.430 --> 00:21:36.390 promise, as in a foreign land dwelling in tents 00:21:36.390 --> 00:21:41.200 with Isaac and Jacob. Fellow heirs, Of the same 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:46.579 promise. Now notice in this text. His identity. 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:53.920 In the land of promise. He lived as an alien. 00:21:55.099 --> 00:22:02.559 A foreigner. A sojourner. In the land of promise. 00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:09.650 Meaning he didn't have. Native citizenship. By 00:22:09.650 --> 00:22:13.230 birthright in the country in which he went. He 00:22:13.230 --> 00:22:18.069 had no rights from that country or rooted in 00:22:18.069 --> 00:22:22.230 that country. He was a foreigner. He was an alien. 00:22:23.130 --> 00:22:27.230 In a sense we could say he was an oddball to 00:22:27.230 --> 00:22:33.150 that land. And Abraham actually recognizes this 00:22:33.150 --> 00:22:40.240 in Genesis. We read in Genesis. We read in Psalm 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:51.279 105, in verse 12, referring to the patriarchs, 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:56.259 the psalmist says this, When they were only a 00:22:56.259 --> 00:22:59.900 few in number, meaning the patriarchs, very few, 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:08.269 and strangers in it. They were strangers. Abraham 00:23:08.269 --> 00:23:12.829 was a stranger in the land that God promised 00:23:12.829 --> 00:23:18.349 to him. He didn't belong there, naturally, we 00:23:18.349 --> 00:23:21.750 could say. But then we read in Genesis chapter 00:23:21.750 --> 00:23:29.809 23, verse 4. Listen to what Abraham says. From 00:23:29.809 --> 00:23:37.940 his own mouth. I am a stranger. and a sojourner 00:23:37.940 --> 00:23:43.960 among you. Give me a burial site among you that 00:23:43.960 --> 00:23:50.599 I may bury my dead out of my sight. He confesses 00:23:50.599 --> 00:23:56.519 with his own mouth that he doesn't belong, that 00:23:56.519 --> 00:23:59.039 he's not native to the land or the country or 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:01.819 the people, but that he is an alien and a foreigner, 00:24:01.940 --> 00:24:09.279 a pilgrim in their midst. And then we see the 00:24:09.279 --> 00:24:14.140 character of his residence in the land of promise. 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:22.140 Notice that Hebrews 11 emphasizes the fact that 00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:29.440 he was dwelling in tents. Now, what's the difference 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:37.240 between a tent and a home today? One is a permanent 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:43.680 structure. One is a temporary structure that 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:49.000 can be put up and taken down. The same is true 00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:54.940 in Abraham's day. He lived a transient, nomadic 00:24:54.940 --> 00:25:01.019 life where he was constantly on the move. I want 00:25:01.019 --> 00:25:05.900 to read through a couple passages. in Genesis, 00:25:05.940 --> 00:25:10.559 which emphasize his journey, his nomadic lifestyle. 00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:17.420 Just to demonstrate how often he would plant 00:25:17.420 --> 00:25:22.299 and stay, he would up and move. He would pop 00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:25.160 up his tent, and then he'd take it down, and 00:25:25.160 --> 00:25:28.880 then they'd move. They'd journey. Constantly. 00:25:28.880 --> 00:25:32.859 It was a regular part of his life. In Genesis 00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:39.920 chapter 12, after already moving everything he 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:44.640 owns and everything he knows to the land of Canaan, 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:53.720 we read this, starting in verse 5. Abraham took 00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:57.380 Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew and all their 00:25:57.380 --> 00:26:01.000 possessions which they had accumulated and the 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:03.859 persons which they had acquired in Haran. and 00:26:03.859 --> 00:26:06.079 they set out for the land of Canaan. Thus they 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:09.819 came to the land of Canaan. He's traveling. He's 00:26:09.819 --> 00:26:13.779 moving. Then we read in verse 6, Abraham passed 00:26:13.779 --> 00:26:17.339 through the land as far as the site of Shechem 00:26:17.339 --> 00:26:22.079 to the oak of Morah. Now the Canaanite was then 00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:27.240 in the land. He's moving. He's traveling. Then 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:33.400 we read in verse 8, Then, He proceeded from there 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:37.099 to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched 00:26:37.099 --> 00:26:41.640 his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:44.380 east. And there he built an altar to the Lord 00:26:44.380 --> 00:26:48.180 and called upon the name of the Lord. Then we 00:26:48.180 --> 00:26:54.400 read in verse 9, Abram journeyed on, continuing 00:26:54.400 --> 00:27:00.339 toward the Negev. Again, he's moving. He's not 00:27:00.339 --> 00:27:04.220 settling in one place. We read in chapter 13, 00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:12.420 verse 1. So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, 00:27:12.420 --> 00:27:14.599 he and his wife and all that belonged to him, 00:27:14.619 --> 00:27:18.700 and Lot with him. We read in chapter 20, verse 00:27:18.700 --> 00:27:23.799 1. Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the 00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:27.079 land of Negev and settled between Kadesh and 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:32.160 Shur. Then he sojourned to Gerar. We read in 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:38.640 chapter 21, verses 33 through 34. Abraham planted 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:43.400 a tamarisk tree at Beersheba. And there he called 00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:45.619 on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. 00:27:45.740 --> 00:27:50.099 And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines 00:27:50.099 --> 00:27:58.759 for many days. He's a wanderer. He's a nomad. 00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:04.259 He doesn't have a place that he calls home. Psalm 00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:09.460 105 says that he was wandering around the land. 00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:16.859 Now, he was being led by God. But the character 00:28:16.859 --> 00:28:22.440 of his residence was not one of permanence, meaning 00:28:22.440 --> 00:28:26.019 he didn't find a place and permanently settle 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:29.210 there. No, he lived in tents. He lived a transient, 00:28:29.410 --> 00:28:37.109 mobile life, going from one place to another. 00:28:38.789 --> 00:28:43.809 There's a tension that's tied up with his identity 00:28:43.809 --> 00:28:47.869 and the character of his residence. Think about 00:28:47.869 --> 00:28:53.630 this tension in the life of Abraham. God calls 00:28:53.630 --> 00:28:58.119 him forth from his homeland. And he goes and 00:28:58.119 --> 00:29:02.680 he arrives in the land. And God has promised 00:29:02.680 --> 00:29:06.519 to give him this land. But he gets there and 00:29:06.519 --> 00:29:11.880 he lives in it as a stranger. God has promised 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:15.599 him something, yet he's not in possession of 00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:21.220 that thing within his lifetime. God has promised 00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:26.160 him something, yet he never fully grasps it. 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:33.079 And it's never fully realized in his life. Why? 00:29:34.099 --> 00:29:39.460 Because the promise that God made to him regarding 00:29:39.460 --> 00:29:44.160 the land was never fully realized in his lifetime. 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:49.980 It stood for something much greater. It represented 00:29:49.980 --> 00:29:55.299 something much more glorious. Much more grand. 00:29:56.970 --> 00:30:01.990 The new heavens. The new earth. An eternal city. 00:30:02.210 --> 00:30:08.670 An eternal dwelling place with God. There's a 00:30:08.670 --> 00:30:14.329 tension in Abraham's life. Where he's been given 00:30:14.329 --> 00:30:17.930 a promise, yet he's not fully in possession of 00:30:17.930 --> 00:30:20.990 that promise, and he's living in this middle 00:30:20.990 --> 00:30:26.569 period. This in -between. From the time the promise 00:30:26.569 --> 00:30:30.490 is given and the time the promise is fully and 00:30:30.490 --> 00:30:36.589 finally realized. That's important for us, brothers 00:30:36.589 --> 00:30:43.170 and sisters. Faith doesn't simply have to do 00:30:43.170 --> 00:30:46.750 with the reception of the promises initially. 00:30:48.490 --> 00:30:53.069 And faith doesn't just have to do with the enjoyment 00:30:53.069 --> 00:30:57.029 of the promises. and their culminated and fullest 00:30:57.029 --> 00:31:01.569 state at the end of all things when Christ returns. 00:31:03.490 --> 00:31:09.809 Faith has to do with the middle. Faith has to 00:31:09.809 --> 00:31:14.650 do with the in -between of the Christian's life. 00:31:15.670 --> 00:31:19.910 We live and we breathe that tension, don't we? 00:31:21.329 --> 00:31:24.230 If you're here today as a believer in Jesus Christ, 00:31:24.650 --> 00:31:30.009 You know what I'm talking about. Because you 00:31:30.009 --> 00:31:36.049 long for more in your heart. You are grieved 00:31:36.049 --> 00:31:41.809 by the things that take place around you. You 00:31:41.809 --> 00:31:46.809 hope for perfect holiness and purity. You look 00:31:46.809 --> 00:31:50.170 and you long for the return of Christ and perfect 00:31:50.170 --> 00:31:53.710 justice and vindication and holiness and righteousness. 00:31:54.380 --> 00:31:56.740 to be administered in all the earth, and for 00:31:56.740 --> 00:32:01.720 righteousness to flourish in all the world. You 00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:05.119 long for Christ to be recognized as He ought 00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:08.559 to be recognized, and you long to appear with 00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:12.119 Him, to be vindicated by the slander of the unbelieving 00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:16.559 world. Brothers and sisters, you know the tension 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:21.859 that Abraham knew. We walk it, we walk in it, 00:32:21.940 --> 00:32:28.809 and we... Breathe it every single day. Why? Because 00:32:28.809 --> 00:32:32.029 just as Abraham lived in that middle period, 00:32:32.309 --> 00:32:37.069 brothers and sisters, we live in that middle 00:32:37.069 --> 00:32:43.450 period. Christ has in fact secured promises and 00:32:43.450 --> 00:32:47.170 realities and redemption for believers in Jesus 00:32:47.170 --> 00:32:53.460 Christ. Christ has died to save sinners. Christ 00:32:53.460 --> 00:32:57.240 has died for the pardon of sinners, for the justification 00:32:57.240 --> 00:33:01.779 of the unrighteous. He has died to make you new 00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:04.119 creatures that sin would no longer have dominion 00:33:04.119 --> 00:33:06.859 in your life, brothers and sisters, but there 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:11.519 is still further and greater realities to come. 00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:17.599 We live in the middle from the time that Christ 00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:21.299 has secured and given us promises. In the time, 00:33:21.299 --> 00:33:26.359 those promises will be fully and finally realized 00:33:26.359 --> 00:33:35.720 at his return. We live in a time before the ultimate 00:33:35.720 --> 00:33:44.200 has arrived with Christ and his glory. In 1 Peter 00:33:44.200 --> 00:33:49.490 1, we are called aliens. We are referred to as 00:33:49.490 --> 00:33:57.009 sojourners or pilgrims, just as Abraham was a 00:33:57.009 --> 00:34:02.710 pilgrim in this world. We as New Covenant Christians 00:34:02.710 --> 00:34:11.690 are pilgrims in this world. We can't really settle 00:34:11.690 --> 00:34:18.010 because of indwelling sin. We can't really be 00:34:18.010 --> 00:34:20.730 at home. Why? Because the moment we settle and 00:34:20.730 --> 00:34:23.769 we get at home, that thing that we so long for 00:34:23.769 --> 00:34:30.289 slips through our grasp. The things that we're 00:34:30.289 --> 00:34:32.429 tempted to set our hearts upon in this world, 00:34:32.570 --> 00:34:37.789 they're fleeting. They're here one moment and 00:34:37.789 --> 00:34:42.929 then they're gone. In a very real way, everything 00:34:42.929 --> 00:34:50.039 in this life is very, very... Tent -like. Transient. 00:34:51.699 --> 00:34:58.500 Temporary. Not permanent. The fact that we live 00:34:58.500 --> 00:35:03.460 in the middle is clear to every single one of 00:35:03.460 --> 00:35:07.119 us who knows the Lord Jesus. Because it requires 00:35:07.119 --> 00:35:15.460 waiting. It requires endurance. It requires perseverance 00:35:15.460 --> 00:35:20.820 of faith in this life. This is why in Hebrews 00:35:20.820 --> 00:35:28.559 chapter 6 we are told this. And we desire that 00:35:28.559 --> 00:35:32.480 each one of you show the same diligence so as 00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:35.760 to realize the full assurance of hope until the 00:35:35.760 --> 00:35:40.659 end so that you will not be sluggish but imitators 00:35:40.659 --> 00:35:46.860 of those who Through faith and patience, inherit 00:35:46.860 --> 00:35:52.960 the promises. The author of Hebrews is writing 00:35:52.960 --> 00:35:59.360 to encourage patience, waiting, endurance, and 00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:05.159 perseverance in the life of his recipients. That's 00:36:05.159 --> 00:36:08.519 what we ought to be strengthened in as we learn 00:36:08.519 --> 00:36:15.340 about these realities. Now, this brings us to 00:36:15.340 --> 00:36:19.340 the last thing we have to consider. Abraham's 00:36:19.340 --> 00:36:28.559 faith -filled heart. How was Abraham able to 00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:36.679 be obedient when it was so costly? What enabled 00:36:36.679 --> 00:36:45.219 him to forsake? Everything he'd ever known. What 00:36:45.219 --> 00:36:51.119 enabled him to give up things which were so close 00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:55.880 to his heart? And how is it that he was able 00:36:55.880 --> 00:37:01.940 to live as a nomad, never settling down, as a 00:37:01.940 --> 00:37:06.500 sojourner in this world, yet being content and 00:37:06.500 --> 00:37:12.570 resigned and submissive? to God's perfect, holy, 00:37:12.849 --> 00:37:19.769 costly purposes in his life. How can anybody 00:37:19.769 --> 00:37:25.409 live like that? How can anybody be so different 00:37:25.409 --> 00:37:29.449 from the unbelieving world which so clearly sets 00:37:29.449 --> 00:37:34.170 their hearts upon the things of this world? How 00:37:34.170 --> 00:37:40.710 is it possible? to continue to give yourself 00:37:40.710 --> 00:37:48.170 to costly obedience and ongoing faithful living 00:37:48.170 --> 00:37:53.269 in a fallen world? Well, we find the answer in 00:37:53.269 --> 00:37:59.889 verse 10. For he was looking for the city which 00:37:59.889 --> 00:38:03.550 has foundations, whose architect and builder 00:38:03.550 --> 00:38:13.190 is God. Abraham's heart was full of faith, brothers 00:38:13.190 --> 00:38:16.369 and sisters. This is how he was able to obey. 00:38:18.030 --> 00:38:22.570 This is how he was able to deny himself and take 00:38:22.570 --> 00:38:25.909 up his cross because of faith in his heart. This 00:38:25.909 --> 00:38:28.750 is how he was content and resigned with living 00:38:28.750 --> 00:38:31.510 as a nomad, never settling down in one place. 00:38:32.610 --> 00:38:35.710 Because in his heart, Is the assurance of things 00:38:35.710 --> 00:38:39.110 hoped for. The conviction of things not seen. 00:38:40.909 --> 00:38:46.309 The promises of God were what his heart was set 00:38:46.309 --> 00:38:53.369 upon. He lived by faith. And his heart was full 00:38:53.369 --> 00:39:00.190 of faith. He obeyed and lived as he did. Because 00:39:00.190 --> 00:39:04.889 he was actively looking forward to. Future, eternal, 00:39:05.150 --> 00:39:11.130 unchanging, permanent, divine realities. He was 00:39:11.130 --> 00:39:18.230 looking to the city. Which has foundations. Now 00:39:18.230 --> 00:39:23.429 in the Nazby. Which is the Bible that we use 00:39:23.429 --> 00:39:26.570 and we preach out of. Listen to what it says. 00:39:26.909 --> 00:39:33.139 For he was looking for. The NIV, the ESV, the 00:39:33.139 --> 00:39:36.280 NET, and many other translations, I think, get 00:39:36.280 --> 00:39:41.159 this significantly better. It says this, for 00:39:41.159 --> 00:39:48.059 he was looking forward to. That helps us understand 00:39:48.059 --> 00:39:54.860 better how he obeyed and how he lived as he did. 00:39:55.400 --> 00:40:00.269 He had forward -looking faith. And the promises 00:40:00.269 --> 00:40:04.369 of God which are unchanging and immovable. He 00:40:04.369 --> 00:40:09.590 was looking beyond the land. He was looking beyond 00:40:09.590 --> 00:40:15.010 the symbols and the signs. He was looking to 00:40:15.010 --> 00:40:19.570 that which only God could give. He had a heavenly 00:40:19.570 --> 00:40:24.909 and an eternal hope that was lodged in his heart. 00:40:27.690 --> 00:40:31.809 That was strongly influencing him in his life. 00:40:32.610 --> 00:40:39.230 He obeyed because his heart was set on divine, 00:40:39.409 --> 00:40:45.190 eternal, unchangeable, ultimate realities, brothers 00:40:45.190 --> 00:40:50.489 and sisters. That's what his heart rested on. 00:40:52.090 --> 00:40:57.840 That's what his heart was settled on. The things 00:40:57.840 --> 00:41:07.619 of God. That's how he lived as he did. Brothers 00:41:07.619 --> 00:41:11.079 and sisters, if you are to live faithfully in 00:41:11.079 --> 00:41:18.840 this world, in the middle, the in -between stage, 00:41:19.019 --> 00:41:23.460 which we all live in, if you are to live faithfully 00:41:23.460 --> 00:41:28.210 in the middle, You must set your heart on that 00:41:28.210 --> 00:41:34.250 which is ultimate. Not that which is less than 00:41:34.250 --> 00:41:38.989 ultimate. Set your heart on that which cannot 00:41:38.989 --> 00:41:44.030 change. Set your heart on that which God gives 00:41:44.030 --> 00:41:48.090 and God alone gives. Set your heart on that which 00:41:48.090 --> 00:41:50.889 is unseen and invisible. That which is eternal 00:41:50.889 --> 00:41:54.050 and everlasting. Set your heart on things to 00:41:54.050 --> 00:41:56.489 come. Things which the world can't take from 00:41:56.489 --> 00:41:59.389 you. Set your heart on things which can't burn 00:41:59.389 --> 00:42:03.010 up and be destroyed or crumble or fall apart. 00:42:03.590 --> 00:42:06.130 Things which you cannot take from this world. 00:42:06.289 --> 00:42:11.130 Set your heart on the glorious realities that 00:42:11.130 --> 00:42:15.789 are still to be fulfilled in Christ at His return. 00:42:16.050 --> 00:42:18.849 Do you have a heavenly hope, brothers and sisters? 00:42:21.480 --> 00:42:24.760 Do you have a heavenly hope that goes beyond 00:42:24.760 --> 00:42:28.000 the walls and the corridor of this earth and 00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:36.639 this world? If you do, set your heart upon it. 00:42:37.340 --> 00:42:41.739 And that will give you stability and perseverance 00:42:41.739 --> 00:42:48.900 and obedience and faithfulness in this life. 00:42:49.400 --> 00:42:55.780 As we live, In a tent -like world. I want to 00:42:55.780 --> 00:43:01.679 read one passage as we conclude. We read this 00:43:01.679 --> 00:43:07.639 in Colossians chapter 3. And it's fitting as 00:43:07.639 --> 00:43:13.079 we conclude this study on Abraham. Listen to 00:43:13.079 --> 00:43:16.699 what the Apostle Paul says. Therefore, if you 00:43:16.699 --> 00:43:21.550 have been raised up with Christ, keep... Seeking 00:43:21.550 --> 00:43:27.449 the things above where Christ is. Seated at the 00:43:27.449 --> 00:43:32.550 right hand of God. Set your mind on the things 00:43:32.550 --> 00:43:37.050 above. Not on the things that are on earth. And 00:43:37.050 --> 00:43:40.989 then listen to this. For you have died and your 00:43:40.989 --> 00:43:45.610 life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, 00:43:45.650 --> 00:43:49.510 who is our life, is revealed. then you also will 00:43:49.510 --> 00:43:54.869 be revealed with him in glory. While we live 00:43:54.869 --> 00:43:58.730 in the middle, we have to set our minds on the 00:43:58.730 --> 00:44:01.409 things above, on Christ, on heaven, on eternal 00:44:01.409 --> 00:44:03.909 realities. But brothers and sisters, the day 00:44:03.909 --> 00:44:08.070 is coming when the middle will end. The in -between 00:44:08.070 --> 00:44:16.030 period comes to a hard stop. All the discrepancies 00:44:16.030 --> 00:44:19.329 and the discontinuities, And the incongruities 00:44:19.329 --> 00:44:22.809 with regards to what has been promised and what 00:44:22.809 --> 00:44:27.050 we actually possess one day will be fully resolved. 00:44:28.530 --> 00:44:34.269 Completely. Because notice in the text that Paul 00:44:34.269 --> 00:44:38.230 says this. For you have died and your life is 00:44:38.230 --> 00:44:41.670 hidden with Christ in God. It's hidden in heaven 00:44:41.670 --> 00:44:46.769 with Christ. The world does not see the church. 00:44:47.309 --> 00:44:52.949 As she really is. The world does not see you. 00:44:53.150 --> 00:44:57.730 As you really are. Your life is hidden with Christ. 00:44:58.409 --> 00:45:06.909 But. When Christ is revealed. We will be revealed 00:45:06.909 --> 00:45:12.949 with him in glory. It will be made known. What 00:45:12.949 --> 00:45:18.280 the Christian really is. As Christ. Is manifested 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:22.099 in the sky in glory. With thousands and thousands 00:45:22.099 --> 00:45:27.019 of his glorious angels. The truth will be revealed. 00:45:28.079 --> 00:45:32.000 All the discontinuities between promises and 00:45:32.000 --> 00:45:37.219 possession. Will be fully resolved. The day is 00:45:37.219 --> 00:45:45.360 approaching. The day is coming. Do you have a 00:45:45.360 --> 00:45:50.329 heavenly. that guides your heart, that strengthens 00:45:50.329 --> 00:45:57.210 your heart today? Is your life hid with Christ 00:45:57.210 --> 00:46:04.730 in God? Or are you as you really are? Do you 00:46:04.730 --> 00:46:08.130 know the Lord Jesus by faith and repentance? 00:46:08.829 --> 00:46:11.730 Are you trusting in Him?