“The best is yet to come!”
Hebrews 11:13-16
Credit: There are some big chunks of Jeff Strite’s sermoncentral sermon “This World Is Not My Home”. Jeff’s work is mostly in the introduction. The outline and application are mine.
A preacher named Ray Stedman:
? traveled across the country
? for a week of meetings.
The only problem was:
? his baggage didn’t make it.
? He needed a couple of suits so
? He went down to the local thrift shop.
When he told the salesman:
o "I’d like to get a couple of suits,"
o the man smiled,
o led him to a whole rack of them and said,
"Good, we’ve got several. But you need to know they came from the local mortuary. They’ve all been cleaned and pressed, but they were used on stiffs. Not a thing wrong with ’em. I just didn’t want that to bother you."
Stedman said:
? "No, that’s fine."
? He tried a few of the suits on and finally
? bought two of them for about $25 dollars each.
When he got back to this his room:
? He began to get dressed for the evening meetings.
? As he put one on,
? He tried to put his hands in the pockets but couldn’t.
Both sides were all sewn up!
o The suits looked as if they had pockets,
o but they were just flaps on the coat.
He thought about that for a second.
“Of course! Dead people don’t carry stuff with ’em when they die.”
(CREDIT: Jeff Strite, Sermon central and Charles Swindoll)
Christians ought not:
- try to stuff their pockets full of this world
- to possess all the toys and treasures of this world
- we need to be investing in the future eternal kingdom
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
2 Peter 3:10 (KJV)
Everything we see is temporary:
- our bodies will grow old and die
- the houses we build will be burned up
- the earth itself will be destroyed
In this life we may:
- do many things
- but only what we do for Christ
- will last into eternity
I have some news:
- it will make some joyful
- it will grieve others
- the news is that this life has an expiration date
“The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.”
Psalm 90:10 (ESV)
“O LORD, make me know my end and what is
the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”
Psalm 39:4 (ESV)
Imagine each day of your life:
- as a grain of sand in an hourglass
- every day of your life there is one grain of sand less
- eventually the last grain of sand will be gone.
If we were to freeze time:
- in the last moment of life
- would we wish we had accumulated more wealth?
- will we wish we had achieved greater positions of power?
The good news for the faithful Christian is the best is yet to come!
The bad news is if you are unfaithful, this world is as good as it gets….
The old joke is that:
- you never see a U-Haul behind a hearse
There is story of a wealthy man:
- he lived high on the hog
- he had more wealth than we can imagine
- lived out all his dreams,
- he bought or built whatever he thought of
- had all the experiences life had to offer.
Toward the end of his life:
- he looked back at all he had done and learned
- he evaluated all his pleasures and possessions
This is what he said:
“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
Ecclesiastes 1:1 (ESV)
That was Solomon:
- but there is a story about another wealthy man
- he died with a huge net worth
- someone said the preacher
“How much did he leave?”
“He left it all, every dime.”
Unfortunately we the Church as a whole:
- have become distracted by the temporary pleasures of this world
- we have become entranced by the sparkles of possessions
- we have begun to worship entertainment, wealth and false gods
Here is a top ten list of false gods some or most people worship:
Education, Beauty, Comfort, Substances,
Family, Science, Sex, Money
Always in the number one spot: the worship of Self
“Fear the LORD your God, serve him only…”
- Deuteronomy 6:13 (ESV)
There’s an old song I love to sing – "This World Is Not My Home."
“This World Is Not My Home, I’m Just a Passing Thru
My Treasures Are Laid Up, Somewhere Beyond the Blue
The Angels Beckon Me From Heaven’s Open Door
And I Can’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore.”
That song was based on:
o the Scripture we’re looking at today.
o The writer of Hebrews lists
o 4 of the greatest heroesof the Old Testament and
o then in vs.13 (look there with me):
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.”
Hebrews 11:13
I fear we are all to comfortable in this world:
- maybe if we had more persecution, affliction, or trouble
- we would not be tempted to love the world so much
We must break up with the world:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
- 1 John 2:15
Those God honors for their faith:
? Did not consider this world their home.
? They were strangers in this world.
? Aliens in this land,
? They did not fit in, and they was the plan
Their behavior was dictated:
by the fact that this world had no hold on them.
Their treasure was someplace else and
their eyes were fixed on a heavenly destination.
Or as Hebrews 11:16 says:
“… they were longing for a better country— a heavenly one.”
You see, they had the kind of mindset that impresses God.
Because of how they lived, Hebrews 11:16 says:
“… God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city.”
We must understand what these heroes knew to be true:
- what God has instore for the believer
- is exponentially better than anything
- this world could ever offer
“But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”
1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV)
The best is yet to come!
1. Living faithfully means delaying gratification
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”
Hebrews 11:13 (NIV)
A teenager was told to be home for dinner at 5:00 PM:
- that the family was going to a 5-star restaurant
- they would be eating the finest cuisine
- the food would be second to none.
The teen agreed to be home at 5 pm:
- he hopped into his car and headed for school
- but he stopped and got a bag of donuts and a Red Bull for breakfast
- then on break he had three bags of m and m’s and another energy drink
- at noon he and his friends got pizza and Dr. Pepper
- After school they had cheeseburgers and nacho fries and more soda
The teen arrived home at 5 pm:
- like he was supposed to
- but guess what?
- He was sick and couldn’t go to the 5-star restaurant
He ruined his meal by:
- consuming all the junk food throughout the day
- he consumed so much garbage that
- by dinner time he was sick and had no appetite for the GREAT MEAL
Do not be too hard on this kid:
- because we do the same things
- we fill up on everything else but have no time for God
- we have no appetite for eternal things when we are full of the world
Remember: The best is yet to come!
2. Living faithfully for the Lord is best for me!
“People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.”
Hebrews 11:14-15 (NIV)
The text is straight forward:
- at some point we have all decided to follow Jesus
- no holds barred,
- wherever He leads I’ll go…we say
Where we are headed is not on this planet:
- we want to go to heaven!
- we do not want to Hell…right?
- heaven is better than anything this world has to offer
If heaven is our destination:
- why do we have a laser focus on this world?
- how come we obsess over trivial matters
- that make no difference in eternity
You decided to go a direction.
? You can go back if you want.
? But choose this day whom you will serve
? And serve Him only
Where are you looking and where are you headed?
Author Anne Graham Lotz told a story in her book
"Heaven, My Father's House".
It is the story of an old missionary:
? named Samuel Morrison who had
? spent 25 years doing ministry in Africa.
He returned to America on:
? the same ocean liner that
? brought President Teddy Roosevelt
? back from a hunting expedition in Africa.
Upon docking, President Roosevelt:
? was bombarded with scores of people welcoming him home
? Barriers and police escorts kept the masses of people
? from rushing on the President and mobbing him or crushing him
He was welcomed with cheering, ticker tape and confetti:
? Morrison walked off the ship alone.
? No one noticed, no one even knew he was there.
? He couldn't even hail a cab for a ride.
In his heart Morrison complained to God:
? "The president was in Africa hunting for three weeks,
? killing animals for sport and the
? whole world turns out to welcome him home.
I've given twenty-five years of my life in Africa:
? serving You and
? no one has greeted me
? or even knows I'm here."
In his questioning heart:
? he heard the gentle, loving voice of God
? whisper to his spirit,
? "My child, you are not home yet!"
Christian: this world is not your home. The best is yet to come!
3. The faithful please God and have a great reward coming.
“Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Hebrews 11:16 (NIV)
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Sarah and Abraham:
- all served God on this earth
- they believed in God,
- not just in word, but
- their faith cost them something
They were not just involved with God, they were committed.
- how committed are we?
- is there room in our calendar for God’s service and God’s Church?
- is there room in our budget to support the very activities we say we support?
They reward they were seeking:
- did not come with a dollar sign
- or a powerful position of influence
- or the promise of earthly pleasure
They had a new goal:
- to please God
- to be found faithful
- and receive the Great promise of God
A home with God in eternity:
- a home where they had no payment
- a home that did not require repairs
- a home that could not be burned or destroyed
- a home where they were always welcome
- a home where they had perfect peace…
They were excited about heaven:
- are we excited about heaven?
- I’m not convinced we are.
- I could be mistaken
God was proud to be called their God:
- that is God’s desire
- to be OUR God and that we would be HIS people
- is it our objective to live in a way that God is PROUD of us?
Since God is not ashamed:
- or rather He is proud to be their God
- the question comes to mind is
- what does God think of our faith?
As Christians:
- we are to be in the world but not of the world
- we are here, not to enjoy a party
- but to prepare for eternity.
If I am going to be heavenly focused:
? I must detach from the world to a large degree.
? I must be God centered and not self-centered.
? I must throw away the false gods that take me from God
Christian:
- we must remember that it is Jesus who owns us
- He bought us on the cross,
- He paid our debt of sin
Now the life we life in this body:
- is not longer to serve my flesh
- but to live a new life in Christ
- a life committed to God
Have you truly surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus:
- putting Him in full control of your life?
- Does God have the deciding vote in your life?
- Have you submitted to let God rule your life?
You can make that decision today:
- during this time of invitation
- come forward if you have a decision to make
- or if you would rather, catch me or one of the Elders before you leave…
- if God knocking on your heart, listen and respond…
Credit: There are some big chunks of Jeff Strite’s sermoncentral sermon “This World Is Not My Home”. Jeff’s work is mostly in the introduction. The outline and application are mine.
