1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:05,360 Well, please have your Bible open at this wonderful passage that has been read from 2 00:00:05,360 –> 00:00:11,300 Hebrews in chapter 11 as we resume our series, living by faith. 3 00:00:11,300 –> 00:00:18,820 We’ve seen that faith believes what God has revealed and trusts what God has promised. 4 00:00:18,820 –> 00:00:21,680 It’s what faith is. 5 00:00:21,680 –> 00:00:29,940 And Hebrews 11 teaches us through a series of examples, each of which illustrates an 6 00:00:29,959 –> 00:00:34,320 aspect of the faith to which we are called. 7 00:00:34,320 –> 00:00:43,680 So we saw earlier that in the story of Abel faith listens to God, we came to the story 8 00:00:43,680 –> 00:00:49,919 of Enoch and we saw that faith walks with God, we came to the story of Noah and we saw 9 00:00:49,919 –> 00:00:51,980 that faith fears God. 10 00:00:51,980 –> 00:00:58,320 And today we come to the story of Abraham where we learn that faith obeys God. 11 00:00:58,360 –> 00:01:00,520 Chapter 11 of Hebrews in verse 8. 12 00:01:00,520 –> 00:01:10,820 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive 13 00:01:10,820 –> 00:01:12,379 as an inheritance. 14 00:01:12,379 –> 00:01:18,720 Now we’re told here that God called Abraham. 15 00:01:18,720 –> 00:01:22,500 Abraham obeyed when he was called. 16 00:01:22,599 –> 00:01:26,139 You might think that a person who was called by God, 17 00:01:26,160 –> 00:01:28,599 must have been very especially holy. 18 00:01:28,599 –> 00:01:33,279 You might think that surely this man must have been seeking God very much, 19 00:01:33,279 –> 00:01:37,400 loving God and desiring God with all of his heart. 20 00:01:37,400 –> 00:01:40,680 Precisely the opposite was the case. 21 00:01:40,680 –> 00:01:44,440 We learn in the book of Joshua in chapter 24 in verse 2, 22 00:01:44,440 –> 00:01:46,739 Joshua says to God’s people, 23 00:01:46,779 –> 00:01:49,580 Your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, 24 00:01:49,580 –> 00:01:52,660 Terah, the father of Abraham and Nehor, 25 00:01:52,660 –> 00:01:55,699 and they served other gods. 26 00:01:56,919 –> 00:01:59,839 Abraham served other gods. 27 00:01:59,839 –> 00:02:02,559 He worshipped idols. 28 00:02:02,559 –> 00:02:04,940 He worshipped gods of his own making, 29 00:02:04,940 –> 00:02:08,820 didn’t even know the God who made him. 30 00:02:08,820 –> 00:02:13,820 But one day God appeared to Abraham 31 00:02:15,119 –> 00:02:18,520 as he had appeared to Adam and to Eve in the garden. 32 00:02:19,500 –> 00:02:21,580 Acts, chapter seven and verse two, 33 00:02:21,580 –> 00:02:26,580 the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham 34 00:02:27,520 –> 00:02:30,000 when he was in Mesopotamia. 35 00:02:30,000 –> 00:02:31,279 Can you imagine this? 36 00:02:31,279 –> 00:02:32,479 Here’s this man. 37 00:02:32,479 –> 00:02:35,080 Can you picture him, with a pile of rocks, 38 00:02:35,080 –> 00:02:36,940 and he’s got these little idols on the top, 39 00:02:36,940 –> 00:02:37,880 and he’s bowing down, 40 00:02:37,880 –> 00:02:39,820 and he’s saying his prayers to the idols. 41 00:02:39,820 –> 00:02:42,419 He thinks the idols are able to help him. 42 00:02:42,419 –> 00:02:44,699 As he’s saying his prayers to the idols, 43 00:02:44,699 –> 00:02:47,779 suddenly the God of glory appears to him. 44 00:02:49,559 –> 00:02:51,779 The God who made the heavens and the earth 45 00:02:53,000 –> 00:02:55,460 actually took visible form 46 00:02:55,460 –> 00:02:58,619 and stepped into this man’s life uninvited. 47 00:03:00,660 –> 00:03:02,160 God appeared to Abraham. 48 00:03:02,160 –> 00:03:07,160 Abraham laid claim to his life, his love, his loyalty, 49 00:03:07,720 –> 00:03:10,740 and Abraham’s life was never the same again. 50 00:03:10,740 –> 00:03:13,720 Now notice how Abraham responded 51 00:03:13,720 –> 00:03:16,880 when God called him by faith. 52 00:03:16,880 –> 00:03:20,119 Abraham obeyed. 53 00:03:20,119 –> 00:03:22,880 That’s the main theme that comes to us 54 00:03:22,880 –> 00:03:26,119 from the example of the faith of Abraham, 55 00:03:26,119 –> 00:03:28,660 by faith, Abraham obeyed. 56 00:03:28,660 –> 00:03:31,240 I want us to look today at the obedience 57 00:03:31,240 –> 00:03:36,240 that faith brings, then at the patience that faith demands, 58 00:03:36,559 –> 00:03:41,380 and then thirdly, at the future that faith anticipates. 59 00:03:41,380 –> 00:03:44,240 First, then, the obedience that faith brings. 60 00:03:44,240 –> 00:03:46,820 Just these four words that are very important, 61 00:03:46,820 –> 00:03:50,899 by faith, Abraham obeyed. 62 00:03:50,899 –> 00:03:53,800 Now, do you see that these words are actually describing 63 00:03:53,800 –> 00:03:58,059 the relationship between faith and obedience? 64 00:03:58,059 –> 00:04:02,699 They’re actually telling us how obedience comes about. 65 00:04:04,279 –> 00:04:06,380 How did Abraham obey? 66 00:04:07,699 –> 00:04:11,740 And how can we today grow in a life of obedience? 67 00:04:11,740 –> 00:04:14,279 How can you become more obedient to God? 68 00:04:15,619 –> 00:04:20,619 Well, we’re told that by faith, Abraham obeyed. 69 00:04:20,720 –> 00:04:21,959 That’s how he did it. 70 00:04:22,959 –> 00:04:25,459 In other words, he believed what God had revealed, 71 00:04:25,459 –> 00:04:27,480 and he trusted what God had promised, 72 00:04:27,559 –> 00:04:29,920 and that was how he obeyed. 73 00:04:29,920 –> 00:04:34,339 His obedience sprung from his faith. 74 00:04:34,339 –> 00:04:37,579 Now, grasping the relationship between faith 75 00:04:37,579 –> 00:04:42,579 and obedience is really important for the Christian life. 76 00:04:42,940 –> 00:04:44,540 So I want to spend a little bit of time here, 77 00:04:44,540 –> 00:04:47,700 and I’m going to give you three pictures 78 00:04:47,700 –> 00:04:51,459 of a relationship between faith and obedience. 79 00:04:51,459 –> 00:04:54,459 Two of them are wrong. 80 00:04:54,459 –> 00:04:57,239 They’re wrong pictures and therefore should be avoided 81 00:04:57,239 –> 00:04:59,399 at all time, the reason I’m drawing attention to them 82 00:04:59,399 –> 00:05:01,359 is that they tend to lurk in our minds, 83 00:05:01,359 –> 00:05:04,480 and I want us to be able to remove them from our minds. 84 00:05:04,480 –> 00:05:07,600 One of them is right and should be pursued 85 00:05:07,600 –> 00:05:08,600 whatever the cost. 86 00:05:08,600 –> 00:05:10,959 Here are the three pictures I’m going to give you. 87 00:05:10,959 –> 00:05:14,279 They’re the mixing bowl, the boofy lunch, 88 00:05:14,279 –> 00:05:16,040 and the apple tree. 89 00:05:16,040 –> 00:05:19,040 First of all then, the mixing bowl, 90 00:05:19,040 –> 00:05:24,040 and this picture is about confusing faith and obedience. 91 00:05:24,920 –> 00:05:26,880 Now get the picture. 92 00:05:26,880 –> 00:05:29,600 You’re in the kitchen and you’re ready to bake a cake 93 00:05:29,600 –> 00:05:31,760 for someone’s birthday. 94 00:05:31,760 –> 00:05:35,920 You have all the ingredients out on the table 95 00:05:35,920 –> 00:05:37,839 and you get the flour and the butter 96 00:05:37,839 –> 00:05:39,440 and the sugar in the eggs, 97 00:05:39,440 –> 00:05:41,040 and then you mix them together 98 00:05:41,040 –> 00:05:46,040 until you have a delightfully smooth batter. 99 00:05:46,720 –> 00:05:49,839 But of course, now that you have the batter, 100 00:05:49,839 –> 00:05:53,040 you no longer have the flour and the butter, 101 00:05:53,559 –> 00:05:55,880 and the sugar and the eggs. 102 00:05:55,880 –> 00:05:58,519 They’ve all dissolved into each other. 103 00:05:58,519 –> 00:06:01,720 They’re all mixed up. 104 00:06:03,239 –> 00:06:08,239 Now some people get faith and obedience all mixed up, 105 00:06:09,480 –> 00:06:13,079 and rather like the batter, they can’t tell them apart. 106 00:06:13,079 –> 00:06:16,239 And you’ve probably heard someone say something like this, 107 00:06:16,239 –> 00:06:18,359 you know, when I look at my life, 108 00:06:18,359 –> 00:06:21,079 I know it’s not what it should be. 109 00:06:21,119 –> 00:06:23,040 In fact it’s a long way from what it should be, 110 00:06:23,040 –> 00:06:25,399 and I sometimes wonder, when I look at my life, 111 00:06:25,399 –> 00:06:27,839 am I really a true Christian at all? 112 00:06:29,200 –> 00:06:30,279 Now you see what’s happening? 113 00:06:30,279 –> 00:06:32,959 You’ve maybe said that yourself. 114 00:06:32,959 –> 00:06:37,519 Here’s a person who’s looking at their obedience, 115 00:06:37,519 –> 00:06:39,640 and what they see, as all of us see, 116 00:06:39,640 –> 00:06:42,519 is that our obedience is far from complete. 117 00:06:43,559 –> 00:06:44,399 And then they say, 118 00:06:44,399 –> 00:06:46,640 well, if my obedience is far from complete, 119 00:06:46,640 –> 00:06:49,079 maybe I’m not really a Christian at all. 120 00:06:49,079 –> 00:06:50,959 Now, did you see that the problem there 121 00:06:51,000 –> 00:06:55,959 is to confuse faith and obedience? 122 00:06:55,959 –> 00:06:57,679 It’s to get them all mixed up 123 00:06:57,679 –> 00:07:00,279 so that you can no longer distinguish 124 00:07:00,279 –> 00:07:02,239 the one from the other. 125 00:07:03,200 –> 00:07:04,760 Now, if you have what I’m gonna call 126 00:07:04,760 –> 00:07:07,239 a mixing-bowl problem, 127 00:07:07,239 –> 00:07:09,239 then I want you to notice from this verse 128 00:07:09,239 –> 00:07:12,239 that there is a clear distinction 129 00:07:12,239 –> 00:07:14,839 between faith and obedience. 130 00:07:14,839 –> 00:07:19,839 By faith, Abraham obeyed. 131 00:07:20,440 –> 00:07:23,579 Faith is not obedience, 132 00:07:23,579 –> 00:07:27,100 and obedience is not faith. 133 00:07:27,100 –> 00:07:30,380 The distinction is really, really important. 134 00:07:31,299 –> 00:07:36,239 The Bible says we are justified by faith. 135 00:07:36,239 –> 00:07:39,600 But if you get faith all mixed up with obedience, 136 00:07:39,600 –> 00:07:41,760 then you’ll end up thinking actually 137 00:07:41,760 –> 00:07:44,040 that you’re justified by obedience. 138 00:07:44,040 –> 00:07:46,920 And since your obedience is never complete, 139 00:07:46,959 –> 00:07:48,640 well, then you would never be able 140 00:07:48,640 –> 00:07:51,200 to have real and lasting peace. 141 00:07:52,119 –> 00:07:54,820 So beware of the mixing ball. 142 00:07:56,079 –> 00:08:00,760 Don’t confuse faith and obedience. 143 00:08:02,100 –> 00:08:03,640 Let me just give you an illustration 144 00:08:03,640 –> 00:08:05,640 before we move on to the second picture 145 00:08:05,640 –> 00:08:09,959 of how devastating it is 146 00:08:11,119 –> 00:08:15,880 if a person confuses faith and obedience. 147 00:08:15,940 –> 00:08:20,359 I read recently a very striking testimony 148 00:08:20,359 –> 00:08:23,399 from way back in the 19th century 149 00:08:23,399 –> 00:08:27,359 of a woman whose name we simply know as Mrs. Drake. 150 00:08:27,359 –> 00:08:31,239 She was a believer back in the 19th century 151 00:08:31,239 –> 00:08:36,239 who endured for a very prolonged time great darkness. 152 00:08:37,200 –> 00:08:40,760 She was a believer, but she seriously doubted 153 00:08:40,760 –> 00:08:45,760 for a long time whether she really belonged to the Lord 154 00:08:46,080 –> 00:08:47,239 or am I the real deal? 155 00:08:47,239 –> 00:08:49,580 And it caused great darkness in her soul. 156 00:08:50,679 –> 00:08:53,200 Well, after some time, God very wonderfully 157 00:08:53,200 –> 00:08:56,320 brought her out of this, and looking back 158 00:08:56,320 –> 00:08:59,479 on the experience, this is what she said. 159 00:09:00,340 –> 00:09:04,479 The fountain of all my misery 160 00:09:05,960 –> 00:09:10,960 hath been that I sought that in the law 161 00:09:11,479 –> 00:09:14,979 which I should have found in the gospel. 162 00:09:16,200 –> 00:09:21,200 And for that in myself, which was only to be found 163 00:09:22,099 –> 00:09:23,500 in Christ. 164 00:09:24,340 –> 00:09:26,099 You see what this lady was doing? 165 00:09:27,000 –> 00:09:31,159 And it may be that some of us are still trying to do this, 166 00:09:31,159 –> 00:09:34,719 and therefore we experience darkness rather than peace. 167 00:09:35,760 –> 00:09:40,039 She was trying to find peace in obeying the law, 168 00:09:40,039 –> 00:09:44,479 when the only way to find peace is in believing the gospel. 169 00:09:45,900 –> 00:09:50,200 And she was looking for righteousness in herself 170 00:09:51,260 –> 00:09:54,239 when true righteousness can only be found 171 00:09:54,239 –> 00:09:56,080 in and through Jesus Christ. 172 00:09:56,080 –> 00:10:00,580 And she says, this was the fountain of all my misery. 173 00:10:01,859 –> 00:10:03,599 I lived for years like that. 174 00:10:05,900 –> 00:10:09,039 If you confuse faith and obedience, 175 00:10:09,039 –> 00:10:10,500 you will never be happy. 176 00:10:11,640 –> 00:10:14,320 You’ll be looking for righteousness and peace 177 00:10:14,340 –> 00:10:15,840 in all the wrong places. 178 00:10:15,840 –> 00:10:17,619 And that’s why you don’t find it. 179 00:10:18,820 –> 00:10:22,940 Faith finds peace in believing the gospel. 180 00:10:23,880 –> 00:10:25,799 Faith finds peace in the gospel 181 00:10:25,799 –> 00:10:28,700 that obedience to the law can never produce. 182 00:10:29,580 –> 00:10:33,239 And faith finds righteousness in Christ 183 00:10:33,239 –> 00:10:36,380 that we can never, ever find in ourselves. 184 00:10:36,380 –> 00:10:40,020 So let’s bury the mixing ball today, shall we? 185 00:10:40,020 –> 00:10:41,539 Beware the mixing ball. 186 00:10:41,539 –> 00:10:45,700 Don’t confuse faith and obedience. 187 00:10:47,020 –> 00:10:48,700 Now let me give you a second picture 188 00:10:48,700 –> 00:10:52,299 that also takes us in entirely the wrong direction. 189 00:10:52,299 –> 00:10:54,340 And it’s the buffet lunch. 190 00:10:54,340 –> 00:10:56,039 And you’ll see of course that this is 191 00:10:56,039 –> 00:10:59,179 precisely the opposite of the mixing ball 192 00:10:59,179 –> 00:11:01,900 because it is a picture of separating 193 00:11:01,900 –> 00:11:04,080 faith and obedience. 194 00:11:04,080 –> 00:11:06,380 Think about the buffet lunch. 195 00:11:06,380 –> 00:11:09,140 Everything, the food is presented to you 196 00:11:09,200 –> 00:11:13,020 in a way that is set out for choice. 197 00:11:13,020 –> 00:11:15,979 Each of the elements of the meal, 198 00:11:15,979 –> 00:11:17,299 everything that’s on the buffet 199 00:11:17,299 –> 00:11:21,919 is in a self-contained separated compartment. 200 00:11:22,859 –> 00:11:26,659 And it’s all arranged so that as you go up to the buffet 201 00:11:26,659 –> 00:11:30,479 you can load your plate with all the things that you like 202 00:11:30,479 –> 00:11:33,799 and then that you can pass on all the things 203 00:11:33,799 –> 00:11:35,619 that are not to your taste. 204 00:11:36,419 –> 00:11:39,299 Now it would be very easy for someone to think 205 00:11:39,299 –> 00:11:43,179 that faith and obedience are a bit like a buffet lunch. 206 00:11:43,179 –> 00:11:46,280 Here’s faith, oh, I’d like that! 207 00:11:46,280 –> 00:11:49,119 I mean, that gives me the taste of forgiveness, 208 00:11:49,119 –> 00:11:51,640 that gives me the taste of heaven. 209 00:11:52,700 –> 00:11:54,960 But here’s obedience. 210 00:11:54,960 –> 00:11:57,700 Oh, that might be a little hard to chew and to swallow. 211 00:11:58,739 –> 00:12:00,419 I’ll pass on that for now. 212 00:12:01,419 –> 00:12:04,599 Now, friends, faith and obedience 213 00:12:04,599 –> 00:12:07,940 are not like a buffet lunch. 214 00:12:07,940 –> 00:12:09,500 Which is why, by the way, Paul speaks 215 00:12:09,500 –> 00:12:13,260 about the obedience of faith. 216 00:12:14,479 –> 00:12:16,719 A person who thinks that to be a Christian 217 00:12:16,719 –> 00:12:18,780 is simply to add belief in Jesus 218 00:12:18,780 –> 00:12:21,320 to an unchanged life needs to hear 219 00:12:21,320 –> 00:12:23,960 the challenge of James. 220 00:12:23,960 –> 00:12:26,000 Remember, James says in the New Testament, 221 00:12:26,000 –> 00:12:28,659 what good is it, my brothers, 222 00:12:29,599 –> 00:12:32,200 if someone says that he has faith 223 00:12:32,200 –> 00:12:34,080 but does not have works? 224 00:12:34,080 –> 00:12:37,080 He says he has faith. 225 00:12:37,080 –> 00:12:40,219 Can that faith save him? 226 00:12:40,219 –> 00:12:42,059 No, you see, James is making it clear 227 00:12:42,059 –> 00:12:45,880 that as with Abraham, where there is faith, 228 00:12:45,880 –> 00:12:47,880 obedience will follow. 229 00:12:47,880 –> 00:12:51,320 So, beware of the buffet lunch. 230 00:12:51,320 –> 00:12:56,320 Don’t separate faith and obedience. 231 00:12:56,320 –> 00:12:57,559 So there are two pictures 232 00:12:57,760 –> 00:12:59,640 that completely misdirect us. 233 00:12:59,640 –> 00:13:00,859 Let me try and give you a picture 234 00:13:00,859 –> 00:13:03,940 that I think therefore will be more helpful. 235 00:13:03,940 –> 00:13:05,359 The apple tree. 236 00:13:05,359 –> 00:13:09,400 That rightly relates faith and obedience. 237 00:13:09,400 –> 00:13:12,080 There, of course, is a clear distinction 238 00:13:12,080 –> 00:13:14,380 between the apple and the tree. 239 00:13:14,380 –> 00:13:17,280 You eat the apple, you certainly don’t eat the tree. 240 00:13:17,280 –> 00:13:18,599 There’s a big difference. 241 00:13:18,599 –> 00:13:21,880 But the connection is obvious. 242 00:13:21,880 –> 00:13:25,000 The apple springs from the tree. 243 00:13:25,640 –> 00:13:28,679 The apple is formed by the tree. 244 00:13:30,359 –> 00:13:34,940 There is no apple without the tree. 245 00:13:34,940 –> 00:13:37,559 If you want apples, what do you do? 246 00:13:37,559 –> 00:13:40,619 You plant an apple tree. 247 00:13:41,520 –> 00:13:44,760 If you want obedience, what do you do? 248 00:13:44,760 –> 00:13:48,280 You plant the tree of faith. 249 00:13:49,380 –> 00:13:52,479 Because it brings forth the fruit of obedience. 250 00:13:52,539 –> 00:13:56,359 By faith Abraham obeyed. 251 00:13:57,739 –> 00:14:00,559 So, you see, as faith puts down deep roots 252 00:14:00,559 –> 00:14:04,940 into the word of God, gradually and increasingly, 253 00:14:04,940 –> 00:14:07,219 and it’d probably be quite small at first, 254 00:14:08,080 –> 00:14:11,559 obedience will grow. 255 00:14:12,880 –> 00:14:17,880 Faith is a living tree that is bursting with fruit. 256 00:14:19,760 –> 00:14:21,640 And that, of course, is what we’re learning 257 00:14:21,659 –> 00:14:23,640 from Hebrews in chapter 11. 258 00:14:23,640 –> 00:14:26,440 Think of it this way, the very first verse 259 00:14:26,440 –> 00:14:31,020 begins by describing the tree, tells us what faith is. 260 00:14:31,020 –> 00:14:33,440 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, 261 00:14:33,440 –> 00:14:35,099 the conviction of things not seen, 262 00:14:35,099 –> 00:14:37,159 that’s faith, that’s the tree. 263 00:14:38,320 –> 00:14:40,679 Now the whole of the rest of the chapter 264 00:14:40,679 –> 00:14:44,460 is then telling us the good fruit that this tree bears. 265 00:14:44,460 –> 00:14:45,359 What is the fruit? 266 00:14:45,359 –> 00:14:48,380 Faith listens to God, you see that in the life of Abel. 267 00:14:48,400 –> 00:14:51,799 Faith walks with God, you see that in the life of Enoch. 268 00:14:51,799 –> 00:14:55,020 Faith fears God, you see that in the life of Noah. 269 00:14:55,020 –> 00:14:58,859 And faith obeys God, and you see that in the life of Abraham 270 00:14:58,859 –> 00:15:00,440 and there’s more still to come. 271 00:15:00,440 –> 00:15:02,820 Fruit that is just bursting out 272 00:15:02,820 –> 00:15:06,299 from the deeply-rooted tree of faith, 273 00:15:06,299 –> 00:15:09,200 that’s what this chapter is all about. 274 00:15:09,200 –> 00:15:12,820 So do you see this wonderful principle? 275 00:15:12,820 –> 00:15:14,419 So to be a great encouragement 276 00:15:14,419 –> 00:15:16,460 for every Christian believer today, 277 00:15:16,479 –> 00:15:21,479 grow in faith and you will grow in obedience. 278 00:15:21,500 –> 00:15:23,760 The more you believe what God has revealed, 279 00:15:23,760 –> 00:15:25,679 the more you trust what God has promised, 280 00:15:25,679 –> 00:15:27,619 the more you will grow in obedience 281 00:15:27,619 –> 00:15:30,559 because that is what faith produces. 282 00:15:30,559 –> 00:15:35,179 By faith, Abraham obeyed. 283 00:15:36,840 –> 00:15:39,119 Now here’s something really important, therefore, 284 00:15:39,119 –> 00:15:43,020 for a healthy Christian life, 285 00:15:43,020 –> 00:15:48,020 the obedience that faith brings. 286 00:15:48,320 –> 00:15:53,320 Second, the patience that feet demands. 287 00:15:53,960 –> 00:15:55,619 Notice verse eight, it begins, 288 00:15:55,619 –> 00:15:57,599 “‘By faith Abraham obeyed.’” 289 00:15:57,599 –> 00:15:58,679 And then it ends, 290 00:15:58,679 –> 00:16:03,679 “‘And he went out not knowing where he was going.’” 291 00:16:06,919 –> 00:16:07,780 Isn’t that very striking? 292 00:16:07,780 –> 00:16:11,500 When God called Abraham to a life of faith, 293 00:16:12,479 –> 00:16:16,179 he didn’t tell him what that would involve. 294 00:16:16,179 –> 00:16:17,979 Didn’t tell him where it would lead. 295 00:16:18,919 –> 00:16:23,840 He went out not knowing where he was going. 296 00:16:25,119 –> 00:16:29,719 God didn’t give him a map to show where he would go. 297 00:16:29,719 –> 00:16:31,299 God didn’t give him a brochure 298 00:16:32,359 –> 00:16:35,000 to say what his life would be like when he got there. 299 00:16:36,739 –> 00:16:40,460 So faith demands patience, 300 00:16:40,479 –> 00:16:45,419 and it demands patience because we don’t yet know 301 00:16:45,419 –> 00:16:47,320 what God has not revealed. 302 00:16:48,539 –> 00:16:51,039 What will a life of following the Lord Jesus Christ 303 00:16:51,039 –> 00:16:52,799 mean for you? 304 00:16:52,799 –> 00:16:54,580 What does the future hold for you? 305 00:16:55,880 –> 00:16:57,940 There isn’t a single one of us who knows. 306 00:16:59,140 –> 00:17:00,719 Jesus says, follow me. 307 00:17:01,739 –> 00:17:05,020 And when you step out in faith and in obedience 308 00:17:05,020 –> 00:17:06,640 to follow the Lord, Jesus Christ, 309 00:17:06,640 –> 00:17:09,420 well, none of us knows what that will involve 310 00:17:09,420 –> 00:17:13,300 or where that will lead. 311 00:17:13,300 –> 00:17:15,680 Luther said, and I love this comment, 312 00:17:15,680 –> 00:17:19,500 this is the glory of faith 313 00:17:19,500 –> 00:17:22,319 simply not to know. 314 00:17:24,099 –> 00:17:25,839 This what faith is. 315 00:17:25,839 –> 00:17:28,319 The glory of faith is simply not to know. 316 00:17:28,319 –> 00:17:31,880 I mean if you knew everything that was gonna transpire, 317 00:17:31,880 –> 00:17:33,380 you wouldn’t so much be walking by faith, 318 00:17:33,380 –> 00:17:36,260 you’d be walking by sight, because you’d know. 319 00:17:36,260 –> 00:17:37,099 But we don’t know. 320 00:17:37,319 –> 00:17:39,900 We know in part, one day we will know fully, 321 00:17:39,900 –> 00:17:42,380 even as we are fully known, but right now we don’t know 322 00:17:42,380 –> 00:17:44,780 and faith demands patience 323 00:17:44,780 –> 00:17:47,560 because of what we do not yet know. 324 00:17:50,260 –> 00:17:55,260 And so sometimes we will find ourselves asking the question, 325 00:17:55,339 –> 00:17:56,979 why do I have to go through this? 326 00:17:59,079 –> 00:18:02,160 What possible purpose does God have for me in this? 327 00:18:04,260 –> 00:18:05,099 And we ask why, 328 00:18:05,900 –> 00:18:08,880 and as we see from our Lord Jesus at the cross, 329 00:18:08,880 –> 00:18:11,719 the Father is under no obligation to answer the question. 330 00:18:13,900 –> 00:18:18,900 We walk by faith, not by sight and that demands patience 331 00:18:22,859 –> 00:18:24,660 because of what we do not yet know. 332 00:18:26,359 –> 00:18:28,660 And faith also demands patience 333 00:18:28,660 –> 00:18:30,880 because of what we do not yet have. 334 00:18:31,699 –> 00:18:33,280 Look at verse nine. 335 00:18:33,280 –> 00:18:38,280 By faith, Abraham went to live in the land of promise. 336 00:18:39,819 –> 00:18:41,180 That sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? 337 00:18:41,180 –> 00:18:44,239 Until you read the next line as in a foreign land, 338 00:18:45,239 –> 00:18:48,920 living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, 339 00:18:48,920 –> 00:18:51,500 heirs with him of the same promise. 340 00:18:52,640 –> 00:18:54,619 See, living in the land of promise, 341 00:18:54,619 –> 00:18:56,579 I mean, it sounds absolutely marvelous. 342 00:18:56,579 –> 00:18:58,380 Sounds like heaven on earth. 343 00:18:59,739 –> 00:19:00,660 But I actually, 344 00:19:00,719 –> 00:19:02,359 when Abraham gets to the promised land 345 00:19:02,359 –> 00:19:04,560 is anything, but heaven on earth, 346 00:19:04,560 –> 00:19:07,040 he finds that it’s already occupied. 347 00:19:08,359 –> 00:19:10,800 And so in Acts chapter seven and verse five, 348 00:19:10,800 –> 00:19:11,660 we read this, 349 00:19:11,660 –> 00:19:16,479 that God gave him no inheritance in it. 350 00:19:16,479 –> 00:19:17,979 That’s in the promised land, 351 00:19:17,979 –> 00:19:20,819 not even a foot’s length. 352 00:19:22,140 –> 00:19:23,979 Give him square foot of it, 353 00:19:25,300 –> 00:19:28,900 but promised to give it to him as a possession 354 00:19:29,000 –> 00:19:31,180 to his offspring after him, 355 00:19:31,180 –> 00:19:33,520 though he had no child. 356 00:19:35,339 –> 00:19:37,000 Now, those of you who know the Bible’s story 357 00:19:37,000 –> 00:19:39,160 will recall this remarkable fact 358 00:19:39,160 –> 00:19:43,680 that God’s people actually had to wait 500 years 359 00:19:43,680 –> 00:19:45,859 before God gave them the land. 360 00:19:45,859 –> 00:19:47,800 It was only after Abraham, 361 00:19:48,680 –> 00:19:50,619 and after Isaac, 362 00:19:50,619 –> 00:19:52,380 and after Jacob, 363 00:19:52,380 –> 00:19:54,599 and after Joseph and his brothers, 364 00:19:54,599 –> 00:19:57,040 and after 400 years in Egypt, 365 00:19:57,040 –> 00:19:59,160 and after even the death of Moses. 366 00:19:59,160 –> 00:20:01,920 Only then in the time of Joshua 367 00:20:01,920 –> 00:20:05,119 did God give the promised land to Abraham’s descendants. 368 00:20:05,119 –> 00:20:08,040 The promised land was not actually given to Abraham. 369 00:20:08,040 –> 00:20:10,079 He had the promise of it, 370 00:20:10,079 –> 00:20:13,180 and when he was in the land he didn’t own a square foot. 371 00:20:14,680 –> 00:20:16,660 He lived by faith on the promise. 372 00:20:16,660 –> 00:20:20,439 And in fact, Genesis 23 just presses this point home 373 00:20:20,439 –> 00:20:24,140 that when Sarah died, 374 00:20:24,859 –> 00:20:27,640 Abraham, though he was a very rich man, 375 00:20:27,640 –> 00:20:29,199 it wasn’t that he lacked money, 376 00:20:30,180 –> 00:20:32,199 Abraham had to go to the Hittites 377 00:20:33,859 –> 00:20:37,500 and buy a plot of ground to bury his wife 378 00:20:37,500 –> 00:20:39,300 because he didn’t own a square foot. 379 00:20:41,099 –> 00:20:43,760 That’s the point of course of Acts chapter seven 380 00:20:43,760 –> 00:20:46,939 it was only given years later. 381 00:20:46,939 –> 00:20:51,339 So his whole life was lived by faith 382 00:20:51,339 –> 00:20:53,140 and faith demands great patience 383 00:20:53,140 –> 00:20:55,819 because he died still not having received 384 00:20:55,819 –> 00:20:57,920 the thing that was promised. 385 00:20:59,000 –> 00:21:03,579 He lived in tents, he lived on a promise. 386 00:21:04,859 –> 00:21:07,140 He endured in the promised land 387 00:21:08,079 –> 00:21:12,579 knowing that one day God would fulfill his promise. 388 00:21:12,579 –> 00:21:16,459 One day, God would give him a child. 389 00:21:16,459 –> 00:21:20,260 One day, God would give to his descendants the land 390 00:21:20,300 –> 00:21:24,000 but that day was not yet. 391 00:21:25,420 –> 00:21:28,880 So do you see it was by faith 392 00:21:28,880 –> 00:21:31,560 that Abraham journeyed to the land 393 00:21:32,680 –> 00:21:37,520 and it was by faith that Abraham lived in the land 394 00:21:37,520 –> 00:21:41,880 all his life until the very day he died. 395 00:21:41,880 –> 00:21:45,660 Only then was faith turned to sight for Abraham. 396 00:21:46,619 –> 00:21:48,579 Now, here’s an interesting question. 397 00:21:49,500 –> 00:21:51,020 Which is harder? 398 00:21:51,939 –> 00:21:55,420 The journey of faith by which you go to the land 399 00:21:55,420 –> 00:21:58,420 or the life of faith in which you live in the land? 400 00:21:59,619 –> 00:22:02,560 One commentator Philip Hughes answers that question. 401 00:22:02,560 –> 00:22:04,219 He says this. 402 00:22:04,219 –> 00:22:07,239 The situation into which Abraham moved 403 00:22:07,239 –> 00:22:10,619 on his arrival in the land of promise 404 00:22:10,619 –> 00:22:13,819 was a more severe trial of faith 405 00:22:13,900 –> 00:22:17,079 than was his call to leave home and family. 406 00:22:18,260 –> 00:22:20,939 It was easier for him to live by faith 407 00:22:20,939 –> 00:22:23,660 as he journeyed toward the goal 408 00:22:23,660 –> 00:22:25,859 than to do so on reaching the goal 409 00:22:25,859 –> 00:22:28,020 and finding that the fullness of all 410 00:22:28,020 –> 00:22:31,520 that he had been promised was not yet. 411 00:22:34,420 –> 00:22:37,119 Now you see, I think that is a marvelous picture 412 00:22:37,119 –> 00:22:38,459 of the Christian life. 413 00:22:39,339 –> 00:22:43,219 Coming to faith is like Abraham setting out 414 00:22:43,219 –> 00:22:45,560 on the journey to the Promised Land. 415 00:22:46,640 –> 00:22:48,859 But the Christian life is like Abraham 416 00:22:48,859 –> 00:22:52,739 living by faith in the Promised Land. 417 00:22:53,599 –> 00:22:55,319 And I expect that when Abraham set out 418 00:22:55,319 –> 00:22:57,699 on his journey to the Promised Land, 419 00:22:57,699 –> 00:22:59,680 he would have thought, oh this is gonna be 420 00:22:59,680 –> 00:23:01,280 some kind of heaven on Earth. 421 00:23:01,280 –> 00:23:02,819 And maybe when you became a Christian, 422 00:23:02,819 –> 00:23:04,219 you thought well now all of my problems 423 00:23:04,219 –> 00:23:05,520 are gonna be solved, all of my prayers 424 00:23:05,520 –> 00:23:07,000 are gonna be answered. 425 00:23:07,979 –> 00:23:10,339 All of my hard days are gonna be behind me. 426 00:23:11,859 –> 00:23:14,260 But you see, when Abraham got into the Promised Land, 427 00:23:14,260 –> 00:23:17,660 you had to live by faith because the fullness 428 00:23:17,660 –> 00:23:21,060 of all that was promised was not yet. 429 00:23:22,819 –> 00:23:27,819 Not yet are we free from sin’s presence, 430 00:23:28,099 –> 00:23:29,300 or from its power. 431 00:23:30,660 –> 00:23:34,880 Not yet do we enjoy lives of perfect peace. 432 00:23:35,800 –> 00:23:40,800 Not yet are we free from sickness and from disease. 433 00:23:42,660 –> 00:23:46,979 Not yet is the church without stain and wrinkle. 434 00:23:47,880 –> 00:23:50,880 Not yet have the kingdoms of this world 435 00:23:50,880 –> 00:23:53,199 become the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. 436 00:23:53,199 –> 00:23:56,140 And so not yet do we live in a world 437 00:23:56,140 –> 00:23:59,640 of righteousness and justice and peace. 438 00:23:59,640 –> 00:24:04,099 And faith demands patience. 439 00:24:05,760 –> 00:24:07,479 Because of what we do not yet know 440 00:24:08,739 –> 00:24:11,079 and because of what we do not yet have. 441 00:24:12,819 –> 00:24:13,939 So here’s the question, 442 00:24:13,939 –> 00:24:15,979 how do you find that patience? 443 00:24:17,160 –> 00:24:22,160 How do I grow in the patience that faith demands 444 00:24:22,479 –> 00:24:26,680 as I live as a Christian in this difficult world? 445 00:24:28,040 –> 00:24:29,560 Well, that’s just to ask the question, 446 00:24:29,560 –> 00:24:31,800 how did Abraham have the patience? 447 00:24:31,800 –> 00:24:33,359 How did he have the endurance? 448 00:24:33,400 –> 00:24:35,520 How did he have the strength? 449 00:24:35,520 –> 00:24:38,079 How did he manage to endure going on 450 00:24:38,079 –> 00:24:42,180 day, week, month, year after year living in tents 451 00:24:42,180 –> 00:24:45,319 and knowing that he was a stranger in a foreign land? 452 00:24:45,319 –> 00:24:48,400 How can you find the patience? 453 00:24:48,400 –> 00:24:52,359 How can you find the endurance that you need 454 00:24:53,319 –> 00:24:57,260 in a life of faith in which you will experience 455 00:24:57,260 –> 00:25:00,160 many frustrations, many struggles, 456 00:25:00,199 –> 00:25:03,300 many disappointments, and losses too? 457 00:25:05,560 –> 00:25:07,800 Well, I want us to look finally and very briefly 458 00:25:07,800 –> 00:25:10,020 at the future that faith anticipating. 459 00:25:10,020 –> 00:25:12,099 Here’s how Abraham did it. 460 00:25:12,099 –> 00:25:12,939 Verse 10. 461 00:25:14,260 –> 00:25:16,099 He was looking forward. 462 00:25:19,219 –> 00:25:21,680 He was looking forward to what? 463 00:25:21,680 –> 00:25:24,339 To the city that has foundations 464 00:25:24,560 –> 00:25:29,219 that has foundations whose designer and builder is God. 465 00:25:33,079 –> 00:25:35,739 You see what this is telling us? 466 00:25:35,739 –> 00:25:39,599 When Abraham got to the promised land, 467 00:25:39,599 –> 00:25:43,800 he realized that God had more in store for him 468 00:25:43,800 –> 00:25:47,459 than he would ever experience in this world. 469 00:25:48,760 –> 00:25:50,599 God had given him great success 470 00:25:50,599 –> 00:25:52,839 when he was still worshiping idols. 471 00:25:52,859 –> 00:25:54,959 He’d made a fortune in those days. 472 00:25:54,959 –> 00:25:58,979 We know that from Genesis chapter 13 in verse 2. 473 00:25:58,979 –> 00:26:02,319 Abraham was very rich in livestock, silver, gold. 474 00:26:02,319 –> 00:26:06,859 He’d been wonderfully blessed, a very rich man, 475 00:26:08,140 –> 00:26:10,739 and then God had given him these marvelous promises 476 00:26:10,739 –> 00:26:13,920 that began a whole new chapter of his life, 477 00:26:13,920 –> 00:26:15,680 a whole new journey of faith. 478 00:26:15,680 –> 00:26:18,060 Oh, it’s about more than money. 479 00:26:18,060 –> 00:26:20,160 I’ve got to walk with God. 480 00:26:20,160 –> 00:26:21,560 I’ve got to listen to his word. 481 00:26:21,660 –> 00:26:25,839 I’ve got to put down deep roots into faith in him, 482 00:26:25,839 –> 00:26:28,819 the God who has revealed himself to me. 483 00:26:28,819 –> 00:26:32,180 So, he goes to the land and by faith he lives in the land. 484 00:26:35,339 –> 00:26:39,520 But every day of his life in the land 485 00:26:39,520 –> 00:26:41,180 was spent looking forward. 486 00:26:42,520 –> 00:26:45,479 And notice what he was looking forward to. 487 00:26:46,400 –> 00:26:50,380 The city, not a city, 488 00:26:51,079 –> 00:26:55,300 the city whose designer and builder is God. 489 00:26:55,300 –> 00:26:57,540 And just in case there’s any confusion, 490 00:26:57,540 –> 00:26:59,439 verse 16 makes it absolutely clear 491 00:26:59,439 –> 00:27:02,839 what he was looking for is the heavenly city. 492 00:27:03,819 –> 00:27:07,219 That’s what sustained him keeping his eye 493 00:27:07,219 –> 00:27:08,579 on the heavenly city. 494 00:27:08,579 –> 00:27:10,859 That’s how he found the patience 495 00:27:10,859 –> 00:27:13,239 to endure the world in which he lived. 496 00:27:15,540 –> 00:27:20,020 I think if Abraham could come here today 497 00:27:20,020 –> 00:27:22,359 and take a look at our world, 498 00:27:22,359 –> 00:27:25,599 I think he would be astonished 499 00:27:26,760 –> 00:27:30,000 at the endless arguments that are tearing people apart. 500 00:27:31,439 –> 00:27:35,979 Radically different visions of what life in our cities 501 00:27:35,979 –> 00:27:38,939 and in our country and in our world should be. 502 00:27:40,619 –> 00:27:44,180 And I guess that he might say to us something like this. 503 00:27:45,180 –> 00:27:50,180 You’re all arguing about how to build your own cities. 504 00:27:53,199 –> 00:27:56,920 And I was seeking the city 505 00:27:56,920 –> 00:28:00,439 who’s builder and designer is God. 506 00:28:02,459 –> 00:28:05,000 The city that Abraham was looking forward to 507 00:28:05,000 –> 00:28:08,459 is not created by human progress. 508 00:28:09,640 –> 00:28:13,079 He’s not thinking that somehow we can shape 509 00:28:13,560 –> 00:28:17,959 a brave new world where all human dreams will be fulfilled 510 00:28:17,959 –> 00:28:20,560 and all human desires will be satisfied. 511 00:28:20,560 –> 00:28:24,520 Only God can do that, and it will only happen in his city. 512 00:28:26,579 –> 00:28:30,020 All of us have goals in our lives in this world. 513 00:28:30,020 –> 00:28:32,280 All of us have things that we want to achieve. 514 00:28:33,959 –> 00:28:35,959 To get to a certain point in your career, 515 00:28:37,640 –> 00:28:39,219 to be married, to have a family, 516 00:28:40,219 –> 00:28:41,520 get a certain amount of money 517 00:28:41,599 –> 00:28:44,380 that will give you financial security. 518 00:28:45,979 –> 00:28:47,699 Or maybe you’re thinking more broadly 519 00:28:47,699 –> 00:28:50,400 that it’s to see certain changes in this world 520 00:28:50,400 –> 00:28:52,640 or to see growth in the church or whatever. 521 00:28:52,640 –> 00:28:54,800 Whatever it is, here’s what we learn 522 00:28:54,800 –> 00:28:57,420 from the life of Abraham, the man of faith. 523 00:28:57,420 –> 00:29:00,660 When you get there, it won’t be what you thought. 524 00:29:02,719 –> 00:29:04,900 Listen to these words of C.S. Lewis, 525 00:29:06,000 –> 00:29:09,599 if I find in myself desires 526 00:29:09,599 –> 00:29:13,040 which nothing in this world can satisfy, 527 00:29:13,040 –> 00:29:15,439 the only logical explanation 528 00:29:15,439 –> 00:29:18,439 is that I was made for another world. 529 00:29:21,319 –> 00:29:23,640 And I guess when Abraham started out 530 00:29:23,640 –> 00:29:26,280 on his journey of faith he really thought 531 00:29:27,140 –> 00:29:32,140 that God’s promise would be fulfilled in his lifetime. 532 00:29:33,300 –> 00:29:36,300 A life of joy and peace in the promised land, 533 00:29:36,300 –> 00:29:38,939 that’s what I’m heading for. 534 00:29:38,959 –> 00:29:42,239 But all his life he was looking forward to it 535 00:29:42,239 –> 00:29:46,520 and he died in faith, verse 13. 536 00:29:46,520 –> 00:29:51,319 Still not having received the thing that was promised, 537 00:29:51,319 –> 00:29:54,040 but having seen it and greeted it from afar. 538 00:29:56,280 –> 00:29:59,280 Brother, sister, what we have in Jesus Christ in this life 539 00:29:59,280 –> 00:30:02,900 is a taste of what God has in store, 540 00:30:02,900 –> 00:30:06,979 just a glimpse of what one day we will see 541 00:30:07,000 –> 00:30:09,579 in all of its beauty and in all of its glory. 542 00:30:09,579 –> 00:30:12,280 And it is in looking forward 543 00:30:12,280 –> 00:30:14,900 that we are sustained in patience 544 00:30:15,880 –> 00:30:21,119 as we live by faith in this world today. 545 00:30:21,119 –> 00:30:23,920 The Christian is always looking forward. 546 00:30:25,380 –> 00:30:28,500 You were made for another world 547 00:30:30,459 –> 00:30:34,239 and the deepest thirsts of your soul 548 00:30:35,180 –> 00:30:37,079 cannot be satisfied here, 549 00:30:38,300 –> 00:30:41,099 only there in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. 550 00:30:43,000 –> 00:30:45,619 Now to bring this together in these last moments, 551 00:30:45,619 –> 00:30:48,020 we’ve looked at the obedience that faith brings, 552 00:30:48,020 –> 00:30:49,920 the patience that faith demands 553 00:30:49,920 –> 00:30:53,000 and the future that faith anticipates. 554 00:30:53,000 –> 00:30:54,660 Someone just might be saying, 555 00:30:54,660 –> 00:30:56,819 well, this is really a very old story 556 00:30:58,160 –> 00:31:00,439 and you’re talking to us about something 557 00:31:00,439 –> 00:31:02,520 that happened 3000 years ago. 558 00:31:03,420 –> 00:31:06,199 You’re telling us that God appeared to this man, 559 00:31:06,199 –> 00:31:07,219 that God called him, 560 00:31:07,219 –> 00:31:09,400 that God gave him these marvelous promises, 561 00:31:09,400 –> 00:31:12,719 that he lived in tents and that he was looking for a city. 562 00:31:12,719 –> 00:31:14,760 What in the world does that have to do 563 00:31:14,760 –> 00:31:17,040 with us living today in the city 564 00:31:17,040 –> 00:31:18,780 and the suburbs of Chicago? 565 00:31:18,780 –> 00:31:21,319 Let me just try and press this home in these last moments. 566 00:31:21,319 –> 00:31:23,819 Listen, God has appeared to you. 567 00:31:25,319 –> 00:31:26,540 God has appeared to you. 568 00:31:28,199 –> 00:31:32,180 Titus says the grace of God has appeared. 569 00:31:33,439 –> 00:31:36,500 Bringing salvation to all people. 570 00:31:37,859 –> 00:31:42,859 God didn’t simply appear as a man, 571 00:31:43,000 –> 00:31:45,119 he became a man. 572 00:31:46,160 –> 00:31:49,900 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, he appeared! 573 00:31:52,319 –> 00:31:56,000 God has made himself known to you in Jesus Christ 574 00:31:56,000 –> 00:31:58,339 more clearly than he ever did to Abraham. 575 00:32:00,260 –> 00:32:01,579 And God calls you. 576 00:32:02,859 –> 00:32:06,560 Jesus Christ the Son of God calls you to a life of faith 577 00:32:06,560 –> 00:32:09,979 and obedience when he says, follow me. 578 00:32:11,199 –> 00:32:13,939 That’s for you, that’s for each and every one of us. 579 00:32:13,939 –> 00:32:15,699 He lays claim to your life, 580 00:32:15,699 –> 00:32:19,420 he lays claim to your love and he lays claim to your loyalty. 581 00:32:19,420 –> 00:32:23,339 He calls you as clearly as he called Abraham. 582 00:32:25,400 –> 00:32:28,020 And God gives you great and precious promises 583 00:32:28,020 –> 00:32:29,219 in Jesus Christ, 584 00:32:29,219 –> 00:32:31,739 if you will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, 585 00:32:31,739 –> 00:32:34,400 peace will be yours, forgiveness will be yours, 586 00:32:34,400 –> 00:32:37,180 his righteousness will be counted as yours, 587 00:32:37,180 –> 00:32:39,219 the Holy Spirit will be yours, 588 00:32:39,219 –> 00:32:41,380 everlasting life will be yours. 589 00:32:43,199 –> 00:32:45,599 And you do, by the way, live in a tent. 590 00:32:46,859 –> 00:32:48,800 In fact, the Bible is very specific about that, 591 00:32:48,800 –> 00:32:50,979 that’s how the Bible describes the human body, 592 00:32:50,979 –> 00:32:52,699 it’s a fragile structure 593 00:32:54,099 –> 00:32:55,979 that one day will be taken down. 594 00:32:56,819 –> 00:32:59,439 And every time we get sick, 595 00:33:01,119 –> 00:33:05,099 we’re reminded of the fragility of the structure 596 00:33:05,099 –> 00:33:07,819 in which we live, we live in a tent. 597 00:33:07,819 –> 00:33:10,599 It’s what my body is, that’s what the human body’s like. 598 00:33:12,619 –> 00:33:15,300 So thank God that if you are in Jesus Christ, 599 00:33:15,300 –> 00:33:16,900 you can say with the apostle Paul, 600 00:33:16,900 –> 00:33:20,540 we know that if this tent, 601 00:33:20,540 –> 00:33:23,540 which is our Earthly home, 602 00:33:24,219 –> 00:33:29,219 is destroyed, we have a foundation from God, 603 00:33:30,339 –> 00:33:35,339 a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. 604 00:33:39,140 –> 00:33:41,500 And God has prepared a city for you. 605 00:33:42,739 –> 00:33:45,939 Hebrews says of people who believe what God has revealed 606 00:33:45,939 –> 00:33:48,819 and trust what God has promised that they desired 607 00:33:48,819 –> 00:33:51,819 a better city, verse 16, a heavenly one. 608 00:33:51,819 –> 00:33:54,599 Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God 609 00:33:54,599 –> 00:33:59,160 for he has prepared for them a city. 610 00:34:01,160 –> 00:34:03,079 Which is why Jesus says, 611 00:34:04,420 –> 00:34:06,359 let not your hearts be troubled. 612 00:34:07,260 –> 00:34:11,379 You believe in God, he says believe also in me. 613 00:34:11,379 –> 00:34:12,860 Here’s why. 614 00:34:12,860 –> 00:34:16,379 I go to prepare a place for you 615 00:34:16,379 –> 00:34:21,239 and I will come again to take you to be with myself. 616 00:34:22,500 –> 00:34:27,500 So that where I am, you may be also. 617 00:34:30,419 –> 00:34:31,459 Let’s pray together. 618 00:34:34,479 –> 00:34:39,479 Father, grant to us growing faith 619 00:34:42,500 –> 00:34:45,959 that is so deeply rooted in what you have revealed 620 00:34:45,959 –> 00:34:47,540 and in what you have promised 621 00:34:47,540 –> 00:34:49,300 that we are able to live 622 00:34:49,300 –> 00:34:51,379 in all the pressures of this world 623 00:34:51,379 –> 00:34:53,580 with patience and with endurance 624 00:34:55,260 –> 00:34:58,739 because we are looking forward not to a city 625 00:35:00,260 –> 00:35:04,040 but to the city that you have prepared, 626 00:35:05,040 –> 00:35:07,739 that you will bring all your children too, 627 00:35:09,060 –> 00:35:10,719 in which all of your promises 628 00:35:10,719 –> 00:35:13,780 will be marvelously and forever fulfilled 629 00:35:14,780 –> 00:35:16,820 and our joy is complete 630 00:35:17,820 –> 00:35:21,179 as your glory is fully revealed. 631 00:35:22,179 –> 00:35:23,379 Hear our prayers 632 00:35:24,540 –> 00:35:27,139 for we ask these things in Jesus name, Amen.