STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS
01-10-10
“STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS”
INTRODUCTION:
I. THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM VV. 8-10
A. By Faith Abraham Went Out v. 8
-Abraham was considered the father of the Hebrew people
-these first century Hebrew believers in Jeshua needed to be reminded that the faith they were living by was the same faith as their forefather Abraham lived by
-we first read about Abraham’s journey of faith in Gen. 12
, where at that time his name was Abram
-we don’t know how the Lord made it clear to Abraham that he was to leave Ur of the Chaldees
-the wording seems to indicate that he stepped forward and was given leading phase by phase
-we do know that there were some explicit instructions given to him as recorded in Gen. 12
-it is interesting to consider that he didn’t get a more full detail of things until he came right into the middle of the land of Canaan
(1) Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. (2) I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
(4) So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
(5) Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
(6) Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. (7) Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
(8) And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
-it was by faith that Abraham obeyed; notice that here in Hebrews it clearly states that he went out not knowing where he was going
-it wasn’t that he was clueless; it’s just that there was such a strong sense in his spirit that it was the right thing to do, although he didn’t have all the details
-his trust was in the God who was leading him, not in his own understanding
Pro 3:5-7 NKJV Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (7) Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
-I’m not here to tell you that good judgment, discernment and planning are unspiritual or shouldn’t be considered
-there are many Scriptures which encourage us to think through what is in front of us, to pray over those plans and then release them into the Lord’s hands
-but as was true with Abraham in this instance, it’s just that there will be times in our own lives as Christians when the leading of the Spirit is so strong that to disobey that leading would be considered sin for us
-this is how my family came to Arizona
B. By Faith Abraham Dwelt as a Foreigner vv. 9-10
-it is one thing to step out in faith in a direction that you believe God has led you; it is another thing to dwell in it and not run from it when things get tough
-Abraham did not immediately set out to build a house and settle in; he waited
-not only did he wait, but he taught his son and grandson about the future inheritance, looking beyond the physical land
-this shows that his faith was not in the tangible but in the intangible; he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God
-if the inheritance is only in the physical realm, then what happens when all things are dissolved and pass away? Is your inheritance gone?
-the reality of the case for believers in Christ is this: our inheritance is HIM; we don’t want the stuff; we want Him; if we have Him we have all things
-what inheritance are you looking for? it’s so easy to just get locked in on this life
-all it takes to discover your heart is when you find out there was a large bank account that was transferred to you at the death of your relative
-and then you find out that at the last minute one of your other relatives convinced them to transfer all those funds into their own name
Psa 16:5-6 NKJV O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. (6) The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.
-did you know that the Lord counts you and I as His inheritance?
Psa 94:14 NKJV For the LORD will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
II. THE FAITH OF SARAH VV. 11-12
A. By Faith Sarah Received Strength to Conceive v. 11
-remember that Sarah was the one who suggested to Abraham that since she couldn’t conceive, her handmaiden Hagar should be a surrogate
-yet here Sarah’s lapse in faith is overlooked because although she laughed when she heard the message from God that she would have a child at 90 years old, she must have regrouped and trusted God in faith
-it says that she received strength to conceive seed; her faith in God’s promise and power brought healing to her internally to be able to conceive, even at 90 years old!
-it was also by faith that she bore the child; notice why: she judged Him faithful who had promised
-this is not faith in the dynamics of faith; it is faith in the person and promises of God Himself
-it must be remembered that God planned to do this first before He told Sarah
-God enabled her to conceive because it was a part of His plan for her and Abe
-to just read this section of Genesis and then automatically conclude that if you’re unable to have children God must work in this same way is presumption
-we don’t always know why things have worked the way they have; but God is faithful to bring His comfort to every situation we encounter and cary out His particular will and plan concerning us
B. By Faith Sarah and Abraham Became Parents of a Multitude v. 12
-this shows the result of their faith: from that simple step of faith on their part, it began the process by which a nation of Hebrew people were born
-Abraham was healed at age 86 to be able to have children; Ishmael was born as the result through Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar
-thirteen years later, God healed Sarah and she had a child, Issac, when she was 90, Abraham was 100
-him as good as dead…there are many things in life that we wish would have happened which will not happen–ever in this life
-but God understands the deep need in our life for purpose and vision and significance; He is able by the Holy Spirit to bring us to that core fulfillment
-but we must let go of the ‘how’ and the ‘when’ and let Him do things His way
-maybe it will take place under different circumstances; maybe it won’t happen at all; but this is just where we must let go and invite Him to fill us completely
III. THE FAITH THAT PROCLAIMS WE ARE STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS VV. 13-16
A. Strangers and Pilgrims vv. 13-14
-there are three things I want you to notice in these verses
-first of all, they all died in their faith, that is, with their faith intact
-their faith wasn’t in the outward circumstances of the moment; their faith rested upon the Person and the promises of God Himself
-their faith gave them foresight, it gave them insight, it gave them hindsight
-secondly, they were assured of those promises, which led them to embrace them, cling to them, and hold on to them for dear life
-thirdly, it caused them to keep perspective that they were only strangers and pilgrims while they journeyed through this life
-strangers were those who were not citizens of the country in which they lived
-pilgrims were those who were on a journey to a religious or spiritual destination
-the Pilgrims who came across on the Mayflower were in search of living in a land whereby they could worship God freely according to their convictions
-they landed on 11/11/1620 at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts; half of them died the first winter here; I am a 12th generation descendant of Edward Fuller
-true, we are physical citizens of USA; and as a citizen we are responsible to support this country with our taxes, our involvement and our prayers
-but ultimately as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we are citizens of heaven
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. NKJV
-there may come times when we will encounter laws or cultural mores in our earthly country that run contrary with the truths and principles of the Kingdom of heaven as revealed in Scripture
-when this happens, we must first seek to understand the true goal of the law or the moral
-we must seek to find a way to meet those goals IF they are not contrary to the Laws of the Kingdom of God
-but when they run contrary to those Kingdom Laws, and the goal is immoral and forces us to sin against God, then there comes a time for civil disobedience to the cultural mores of our society, come what may
B. Seeking the Heavenly Country vv. 15-16
-no turning back; fully committed; eyes on the prize, so to speak
Mark 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” NKJV
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” NKJV
2 Tim 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. NKJV
2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.