The article stated, “I'm sure we all felt bad over the tragic death of Christina Onassis at the age of 38…” Her stepsister Henrietta Gelber commented: "She lacked a sense of achievement; what she was striving for was just to be a normal human being with normal family relationships, which was virtually impossible in her situation. She had houses all over the world, but she never really had a home."
In some ways, we Christians are like Christina. That is, she never found her place in this world, and no matter how hard we try as Christians, neither do we.
There is a song that was written years ago, that had these words, “This world is not my home anymore.”
Since the moment we accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior, and became born-again, we never have felt at home in this world anymore.
Illus: A young man in high school was very popular. He received the Lord in his heart in the tenth grade. He faithfully served the Lord, but eventually he began to backslide. He started hanging out with the old crowd he used to hang out with. But this time he didn’t feel comfortable with them. When they would take the Lord’s name in vain, he would cringe. After several weeks of trying to find his place among them, he realized that since he had become born-again, this NEW CREATURE did not have a thing in common with them, and he started faithfully serving the Lord again.
Let me show you why the Bible states that we are just PILGRIMS. Let’s look at-
I. THE REALIZATION OF THE PILGRIM
As Christians, it is a very serious mistake to start to think that this world is our home. A PILGRIM IS A TEMPORARY RESIDENT. We are just pilgrims passing through.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO SOMEONE’S HOME, AND FELT COMPLETELY OUT OF PLACE?
Illus: You may go to some homes, and they eat chicken with a fork. Who ever came up with that dumb idea? You eat chicken with your hands.
When we go some place where they eat like this, we who know how to eat chicken, feel out of place.
Illus: Many times, This is exactly how we Christians feel in this SIN-LOVING, SICK society. When Christians hear people like Larry King on his CNN television talk show, we feel completely out of place. We soon realize:
• THEY DO NOT THINK THE WAY WE THINK
• THEY DO NOT HAVE THE DESIRES WE HAVE
• THEY DO NOT DRESS THE WAY WE DRESS
• THEY DO NOT TALK THE WAY WE TALK
As Christians, we have almost nothing in common with these folks. Why? Because the Bible says we are PILGRIMS in this life. This world is not our home, we are just passing through.
WHAT IS A PILGRIM?
Webster’s 1928 Dictionary definition of PILGRIM:
1. A wanderer; a traveler
2. In Scripture, one that has only a temporary residence on earth
As long as we live in this world, we are not at home here.
Look at 2 Cor. 5:6-8 “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
As we read this verse of scripture, we know exactly how the apostle Paul felt. We are LIVING HERE, BUT LOOKING OVER THERE!
Many Christians have come to REALIZE that we are PILGRIMS PASSING THROUGH.
If we aren’t careful as Christians, we can easily forget this, and soon began to live our lives thinking this world is our home. BUT IT IS NOT! We are PILGRIMS, STRANGERS, ALIENS, PASSING THROUGH.
Peter recognized that. He said in 1 Peter 2:11, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you AS STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;”
A PILGRIM IS A TEMPORARY RESIDENT.
WE have looked at THE REALIZATION OF THE PILGRIM, but let us also look at -
II. THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE PILGRIM
We are on the enemy’s turf, and we had better not forget that! Since we REALIZE that, why should we expect good treatment at the hands of the enemy?
Illus: Years ago, in Columbia, South Carolina, they had a place called the “MILL HILL”. This was a community where people who worked in the cotton mill lived. They were branded as “Lint Heads.” The more this community was picked on, the closer they became as a community. And if you wanted a good whipping, all you had to do was invade their community, (territory) and you would wish you had never done such a foolish thing.
As Christians, we need to always REMEMBER, we are on the devil’s turf.
God’s Word gives us this warning in 1 Pet. 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
When we forget that we are pilgrims, we let our guard down. When we do this, let me show you several dangers we need to be concerned about.
A. THE DANGER OF CONFORMING
When we live around something every day, it is easy to start conforming to this life-style.
Illus: (Humor) Did you know that if we Southerners were to move up North, we would soon start to talk as fast as they do? And did you know that if these Yankees were to move down South, with God’s people, they would soon begin to talk as slow as we do?
We generally conform to our environment. That can be GOOD and BAD.
It is bad for us as Christians, because we are surrounded by all kinds of evil, and the DANGER is that if we are not careful, we will soon start to conform to the lifestyle of this ungodly world in which we live.
Paul saw this as a serious danger. Look at Rom. 12:2. This verse of scripture warns us about this danger. The word of God says, “…And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
We have to always REMEMBER the danger of CONFORMITY TO THIS WICKED WORLD in which we live.
Also, there is another danger we need to be concerned about, and that is -
B. THE DANGER OF CHANGING
Illus: The chameleon is an interesting creature that avoids danger by blending in with his surroundings. We are never in greater danger, than when we change, and begin to take on the colors of this world!
Illus: One Christian man got a job, and took a stand for godliness, and he was harassed the whole time he was there. He finally had to quit his job.
Another Christian got a job at the same place, and he never was harassed. Why?
The Christian that had such a difficult time said, “How is it that you have no problems on this job, and I had problems with the wicked every day?”
The man said, “Oh, let me tell you why I have no problems. I never told anyone that I was a Christian!”
A lot of Christians are like this. They have learned to become so much like the world, that the world can not see any difference between them, and the lost world.
God’s Word warns us about changing to be like the world.
Look at 2 Cor. 6:17, we read “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
The change that the world should see in our life, is that we have changed into being a NEW CREATURE.
Look at 2 Cor 5:17, we read, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
We looked at the danger of CONFORMING, and CHANGE, but let us look at one more danger -
C. THE DANGER OF BECOMING COMFORTABLE
Again, I want to remind you that there is a danger in living in a sinful society like ours. We see and hear so much SIN, that if we are not careful, we can get COMFORTABLE with sin.
Illus: Did you know that you can live in a godly environment, and go into an ungodly environment, and when you hear a curse word, it gets your attention?
But did you know that you can come from a godly environment, and if you hear cursing over and over again, you soon get used to hearing it.
• Some of you used to be shocked when you heard cursing on your television. When you heard it, you changed the channel, or turned the TV off, but now you have heard so much of this evil that you have gotten COMFORTABLE hearing it.
• Some of you used to be shocked when you heard about the sin of homosexuality. Today, you have heard so much about this sin that you have gotten comfortable with it.
• Some of you used to be shocked when you heard about abortion. Today, you have heard so much about it that you have gotten used to it, and now it no longer shocks you.
Living in this old sinful world is like taking a good hot shower; once you are in long enough, it doesn’t feel so hot!
We live in a sinful world, and if we aren’t careful, we can get COMFORTABLE around all this sin.
Illus: There was a time when men would not talk about sex in front of a child or a woman. They knew that if they did, the woman might slap their face. But most men would not do such a thing, because they had to much respect for THEMSELVES, the WOMEN, and the CHILDREN.
But today, in this age when we hear about all kinds of promiscuous sex, women are talking about it as much as the men are.
Listen, we are in trouble as Christians, when we are COMFORTABLE around sin.
We must never get to the point where we are not “provoked” by what we SEE, and HEAR, in the ungodly environment we live in each day.
• Paul was never comfortable around sin. Look at Acts 17:16, “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.”
• Lot became very comfortable around sin. Look at 2 Pet. 2:7-8, “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.)”
Illus: Too many of us are like the little boy that placed a frog in a pan of hot water, and he jumped out.
He emptied the hot water out of the pan, and put him in some cool water, and very slowly allowed it to get hot until he boiled the frog.
There is a real danger of Christians getting so COMFORTABLE in this evil environment, that if we aren’t careful we get boiled spiritually.
But there is another danger that we need to be concerned about, and that is -
D. THE DANGER OF CARELESSNESS
Look at Col. 3:1-2, we read, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Notice, the scripture says we are to:
• SEEK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE
• SET OUR AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE
Why? Because we live in a world where we can easily:
• SEEK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE AROUND US
• SET OUR AFFECTION ON THINGS THAT ARE AROUND US
All we have to do is get CARELESS in our Christian life, and we will find ourselves doing exactly what God’s Word says we are not to do.
To keep this from happening, there are two things we need to be CAREFUL about:
(1) OUR TREASURES
The Lord Himself gave us this warning, in Matt. 6:19-21, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
(2) OUR FRIENDSHIPS
God’s Word says, in 1 Cor. 15:33, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (Manners = moral habits)
We have looked at THE REALIZATION OF THE PILGRIM, and THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE PILGRIM, but let us also look at -
III. THE REWARD OF THE PILGRIM
Illus: If I asked one of these teenagers if they would wash my car, they could probably come up with a dozen excuses for why they could not do that.
But If I tell them that I will give them a check for five hundred dollars if they will wash my car, they would more than likely fight over which one is going to do it.
Rewards are incentives to get people to do things they would not ordinarily do. But no one, absolutely NO ONE, rewards us like the Lord Jesus does.
A. LOOK AT THE HOME OF A PILGRIM
When a person accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, they are saved by grace, not by works. But once they are saved, God promises them a home in heaven.
Look at Rev. 21:1-4, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Heaven is the HOME OF THE PILGRIM. But also -
B. LOOK AT THE HOPE OF A PILGRIM
Because we are away from home, we must live by faith.
Look at 2 Cor. 5:6-8, “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
We are like children born to traveling parents: we have never even seen our homeland; we have only heard about it.
We looked at the HOME and the HOPE of a pilgrim.
C. LOOK AT THE HELP OF A PILGRIM
We read in Heb. 12:2a, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;....”
The Lord started a good work in our life, and we can rest assured that He does not start something He does not finish.
Look at Philippians 1: 6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
Conclusion:
It is said, “Home is where the heart is.” The Christian’s home and heart are in heaven — where our heavenly Father is.
Friends, WE ARE PILGRIMS — DON’T EVER FORGET THAT!
I. THE REALIZATION OF THE PILGRIM
II. THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE PILGRIM
III. THE REWARD OF THE PILGRIM
