Faith Prepares a Home

These all:

Abel

Enoch

Noah

Abraham

Sarah

Isaac

Jacob

From the beginning of mankind with Adam, there has always been a generation whose faith is placed in the Lord

Each of these generations have died, but they died in faith

Faith:

Hope

There is something or someone better, fairer, or greater

Football - coach - tried to train me as he hoped I could be the next - next Wayne Rooney or David Beckham

It is evidence that recognise the depravity of what is around us, and validates our desire for an answer to the depravity

Belief

Receiving what is being promised and adopting it as my own

Mrs. Furiatti - She said I could have a nice singing voice - but I did not believe her

Belief is receiving the promise and making it our own

These 2 working together like petrol and air in a motor bring one to act upon the hope and belief

The action of hope and belief is faith

Faith sees home

Hebrews 11:13 KJV 1900

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Purchasing property to build a house - People cannot see what you see on this property

God gave these dear people a promise - I will fulfill my promise of redemption and restoration

God gave Abraham and Sarah a promise:

Gen 12:2

Genesis 12:2 KJV 1900

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Gen 15:4-6

Genesis 15:4–6 KJV 1900

And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

God promised to make a great nation from Abraham and to give him a land that flowed with milk and honey

Others could not see this promise

Abraham and Sarah had one son that was in line of the promise

A great nation from 1 son?

Abraham did not see the 12 sons of Israel. He did not see the fulfillment of the promised land come to his family.

Even though others could not see it, Abraham hoped and believed the promise

His faith in the Lord’s promise was:

Persuaded - convinced

Embraced - greeted - a welcome embrace

Confessed - Declared with authority

Gen 23:4

Genesis 23:4 KJV 1900

I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

This affected their actions

Strangers - they did not put down roots where they where - they recognised that all of what they had was a temporary thing

Pilgrims - they were bound for a land that God was preparing for them

The Hebrews in this first century must have been challenged by this as their roots where now being implored to transition into something greater than land, but rather an eternal promise that would never be taken away!

As Christians, we too, can take comfort that what God has graciously allowed us to be steward over here on this earth is just temporary! God’s promises through our response in faith take us to a place that eternally is holy, just, and established.

Agnostics and atheists, the best they can hope for is what is now. Eternity without faith in God’s promise, Jesus Christ, leads to eternal condemnation and destruction - eternal death.

Have you ever built something out of legos, and as you neared your masterpiece, suddenly it all come tumbling down?

All that you worked for, all that time, all that effort - destroyed before your very eyes

Without God, in Hell, is a place of eternal destruction. Eternal fire consumes and destroy for ever and ever.

Faith travels home

Hebrews 11:14–15 KJV 1900

For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

The testimony of these people declared plainly/clearly that they trusted in the promise of God.

Nothing was going to deter them.

Coming home to Holly - Nothing was going to deter me - I picked up the vehicle and drove and drove and drove for 12 hours straight - I could’ve stopped - I could’ve decided to see some tourist attractions, an amusement park, a zoo, but, no I was determined to get home! I wanted to be with my family. I determined that nothing was going to distract me.

There are a lot of distractions:

Sinful pleasures - you deserve to indulge in that sinful activity

Distracting pleasures - Nothing necessarily sinful about it, but it distracts us from focusing on God’s heart and plan

Hurts - Satan will use hurt to get us off of where God desires us to be

Pride - How dare you say that or treat me like that

Satan has a lot of distractions that he will use to get our eyes off of what God wants

Faith comes home

Hebrews 11:16 KJV 1900

But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Faith in Jesus Christ enables a child of God to see the home that He has prepared for us.

John 11:25–26 KJV 1900

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

John 12:46 KJV 1900

I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

Jesus prepares a place for us in Heaven

The Bible calls it a mansion - a place that is designed with us in mind

Heaven:

Physical place

The builder and maker is God

Gates of pearl

Fruitful paradise with beauty beyond comprehension

Trees

Full of animals

Many intelligent beings

Saints

Angels

Beings worshipping God - Daniel, Isaiah, and John called them beasts

Perfect love

Perfect love will govern all relationships and that law of love will not be broken

Physical bodies

We will have physical bodies

Glorified bodies - sin nature removed - All things will be new

No pain, suffering, tears

New earth

Recreated earth free from the temptation of Satan and demons

Real houses

Gardens

Hobbies

No more sickness, war, crime

God says I enjoyed the spirit and desire of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so much that I delight in being called their God!

Exodus 3:6 KJV 1900

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Matthew 25:34 KJV 1900

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Hebrews 13:14 KJV 1900

For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.