Heavenly Homecoming
Notes
Transcript
Heavenly Homecoming
Heavenly Homecoming
Homecoiming is about looking back into the past and being greatful for the blessings God has given us. It is also about understanding where we are, where we have been, and ultimately where God wants us to go. Homecoming though is also a time to reflect on our hearts and to ensure that we are pursuing the right things, that we are moving in the right direction, and that God is our main focus. Today we will be in Hebrews chapter 11 verses 1 through 2 then jumping down to verses 111 through 16. In this we will see three aspects of a Heavenly homecoming. First we will see that a Heavenly homecoming is Built on Faith, second we will see that a Heavenly Homecoming is not a physical blessing, and Thirdly we will see that our Heavenly Homecoming is already preparied. In order for us to live lives that are Holy and pleasing to the Lord we must ensure that we are striving towards Heavenly and Godly goals. Many times we begin to chase earthly goals and in doing so we claim that they are Godly. What I mean by this is, we will often take things and do them becasue we believe that we will recieve some type of blessing for doing it. We tithe becasue we believe God will give us more money, we help others becasue we are seeking some type of external blessing. In todays message It is my prayer and desire that we understand that our blessing has already been given and that we must change our mindsets on what it is that we are chasing after.
When I was growing up my grandather used to take us to play tennis on Saturday mornings. He would teach us the basics of tennis and then he would stomp us in the mud even when we played doubles against only him. I remember going with him and he told me and my brother that if we listend and did what he said that we would get a reward. That Saturday was the most productive day of tennis we had in all the time he had been taking us. I learned that I was a left hannded double handded back hander. I learned how to win points by not killing the ball and making my opponent run. My brother learned how to sear a serve into the corner of the box, he learned to try and kill it for your first serve because you could always slow down and back off on the second serve. It was a great Saturday. The end of our time came as the sun beat down on us and we looked like we had just gotten out of a war zone. We got to his car and we collapsed in the back seat. As soon as the AC hit us and we could breathe again the first thing we asked for was our reward. He looked back at us and told us we already had it and that we would understand one day. We were ticked. We had listened, we had played better than ever before, and we didnt even cuss on that trip. We were ready for our prize. He stuck to his guns and we went home that night. My brother and I said we would never do that again. We would never be tricked into playing like that again. At the ages of 10 we had no idea that in that day our Grandfather had taught us valuable lessons about tennis but also life. As I look back on that day now as an adult it is easy to see the value in the blessing that we had recieved that day, as a kid though we only wanted candy.
Is this not how we are in our faith? We have recieved a blessing from God and we are heirs to His kingdm but we want the candy now and today and in a physical way. Today I pray the spirit of God moves in this place and helps us grow into a deeper faith and understanding of His ways. I pray that we see people in here move from adult infants to men and women of Faith as we read about in Hebrews.
A Heavenly Homecoming is built on Faith.
A Heavenly Homecoming is built on Faith.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.
What is Faith? Some say that Faith is the act of believing, yet others say that Faith is living out your beliefs. Some people claim that faith is showing up on Sunday to a church full of poisonus pit vipers and dancing around with them to show you believe. Faith though is much more than any of these things. What does the Bible say faith is?
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Faith is the taking and holding on to something that cannot be physically held or seen. Faith is the belief in something that is promised and the living of your life in such a way that you know it is already given.
The following letter was found in a baking-powder can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert: "This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold."
Faith is using your water to get the pump going not because you are unsure of what will happen but because you know and believe in your heart that God has already taken care of the rest. Faith is what causes people to say I dont care what I give becasue material things are of no gain to me. Faith is not the idea that maybe God will come through but the belief that He already has come through. This belief however cannot be firm and unwavering if you are looking for the blessing in a physical and material way. This moves us into the second aspect of a Heavenly Homecoming and that is a Heavenly Homecoming is not built on physical or material blessings.
A Heavenly Homecoming is not built physical or material blessings
A Heavenly Homecoming is not built physical or material blessings
It is impossible for you to have faith if you are looking for the wrong outcome of your faith. If you believe that your faith will produce monetary blessings then you will only have faith as long as the money is rolling in. If you believe that your faith will produce physical healing of illnesses then you will only have your faith as long as you see the physical healing. As believers in God though our Faith is not built on this type of physical or material blessing but a spiritual blessing.
By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
In this scripture the most important thing to understand is that they did not see the land or posessions as their blessing but the relationship with God as their blessing. Did you notice that last verse Hebrews 11:15
If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
Had they been thinking about land as their blessing they could have just returend to where they came from. Land and physical blessings were not what they were looking for and were not what they used as the affection of their faith. If your faith is only there to recieve the physical or material blessings then you must ask is God your God or are the things you think you are going to get your God? If you are tithing with the idea that God is going to bless you with more money then God is not your God but money is. If you only serve God to get a physical healing then God is not the affection of your faith but your healing is. Faith that is dependent on recieving things is no faith at all. That type of faith stops when the blessings stop rolling in. So take just a moment this mornign and ask yourself, what is the affection of your faith? Why do you follow God and seek God? Is it for the idea that one day you will be with Him or is it for the things you think making Him happy will get you?
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
What is the outcome of your faith? Is it that you get the things you want? If so you have already recieved your reward and that reward will fade awa and will be destroyed when this world fades away.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
A rock hound named Rob Cutshaw owns a little roadside shop outside Andrews, North Carolina. Like many in the trade, he hunts for rocks, then sells them to collectors or jewelry makers. He knows enough about rocks to decide which to pick up and sell, but he's no expert. He leaves the appraising of his rocks to other people. As much as he enjoys the work, it doesn't always pay the bills. He occasionally moonlights, cutting wood to help put bread on the table.
While on a dig twenty years ago, Rob found a rock he described as "purdy and big." He tried unsuccessfully to sell the specimen, and according to the Constitution, kept the rock under his bed or in his closet. He guessed the blue chunk could bring as much as $500 dollars, but he would have taken less if something urgent came up like paying his power bill. That's how close Rob came to hawking for a few hundred dollars what turned out to be the largest, most valuable sapphire ever found. The blue rock that Rob had abandoned to the darkness of a closet two decades ago -- now known as "The Star of David" sapphire -- weighs nearly a pound, and could easily sell for $2.75 million.
The problem with most of us is that we give more value to things than we do Our God. We put more value into the things that God can give us as opposed to Him. We must understand that the blessing is God and that He has already prepared our blessing and it is already there and given.
Our Heavenly Homecoming is already prepared
Our Heavenly Homecoming is already prepared
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Those of early faith did not desire a better country or better things they desired God. They wanted a true and passionate relationship with God. When they lived their faith out it was not to recieve something from God it was to draw them closer to the already given blessing of a closer relationship with God. Have you ever simply read the words of Just a closer walk with thee?
1 I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Refrain:
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
2 Thro' this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain]
3 When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. [Refrain]
The desire of a Heavenly Homecoming is not things and treasures in heaven it is to be close to God. To have a relationship with God, to finally be united to the one who gave it all to have a relationship. We should live a life of joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control not for things that God might give us but for what He has aread given us and that is Him. Living and giving and doing good so we can recieve rewards is different than living, giving, and doing good because we have Him. How are you living today? Do you do things with a return in mind? Do you want to know how to give without expecting anything in return? Set your heart and mind on a Heavenly homecoming. Do you want to know how to let go of stress and anxiety about things on this earth? Set your mind and heart on a Heavenly homecoming. We need to set our hearts and minds on the Heavenly Homecoming not that is being prepared but as scripture says is already prepared. Paul longed to be in Heaven and wrote about it over and over becasue he knew what God had already prepared for him. Are you living every day as though the blessing of being with God has already been prepared? As we close this morning it is my prayer that this message spurs you to change why you do things and what you see the blessing as. The blessing of God is not the things He gives us, He is our blessing. We are children of the King. We are no strangers to Him. We are His children and we must live like it.
