Are You An Alien?
Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16
What is an alien? What characterizes an alien?
1. They look Different
2. They Act Different
3. They talk different
4. They are from another world
5. They are going to another world
A lot of ink has been spilled in the debate from historians and sociologists concerning the issue of how Christian “Christian” America was, or even if it ever was. What is not in dispute now is that America is no longer a Christian nation. It is a post-Christian nation at best and an anti-Christian nation at worst. The old days of secular society supporting the Judeo-Christian moral vision are over. Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon open their book Resident Aliens with the following:
Sometime between 1960 and 1980, an old, inadequately conceived world ended…and a new world began.
When and how did we change? Although it may sound trivial, one of us is tempted to date the shift sometime on a Sunday evening in 1963. Then, in Greenville, South Carolina, in defiance of the state’s time-honored blue laws, the Fox Theater opened on Sunday. Seven of us—regular attenders of the Methodist Youth Fellowship at Buncombe Street Church—made a pact to enter the front door of the church, be seen, then quietly slip out the back door and join John Wayne at the Fox.
That evening has come to represent a watershed in the history of Christendom, South Caroline style. On that night, Greenville, South Carolina—the last pocket of resistance to secularity in the Western world—served notice that it would no longer be a prop for the church. There would be no more free passes for the church, no more free rides. The Fox Theater went head to head with the church over who would provide the world view for the young. That night in 1963, the Fox Theater won the opening skirmish.
You see, the authors continue, our parents never worried about whether we would grow up Christian. The church was the only show in town. [And] Church, home and state formed a national consortium that worked together to instill “Christian values.” People grew up Christian simply by being lucky enough to be born in places like Greenville, South Carolina, or Pleasant Grove, Texas.
[But], Hauerwas and Willimon conclude, a few years ago, the two of us awoke and realized that, whether or not our parents were justified in believing this about the world and the Christian faith, nobody believed it today. All sorts of Christians are waking up and realizing that it is no longer “our world”—if it ever was.
The news that we no longer live in a Christian culture may be a shock to some of you, though a quick look at primetime TV is enough to demonstrate the point. But what the realization that we no longer live in a Christian culture means is that we as believers in Jesus Christ must order and live our lives differently. We must live, as Hauerwas and Willimon make clear by the title of their book, as resident aliens. In many ways we have awakened to find ourselves behind cultural enemy lines. Consequently, we must live as strangers and pilgrims in this nation and in this world.
The dictionary definition of a pilgrim is “a person regarded as journeying to a future life.” It’s a journey undertaken with an end view, a purpose, as contrasted with the journeying of a tourist.
In Hebrews we are told that Abraham lived as an alien in a strange land, because he was looking not back from where he came, but where he was going. He was looking for a city. Lets look back and unpack what it was that made the inspired writer to say this about him. And what principles can we also live by so we can please God. We can use Abrahams principles as a spiritual checklist to see if we have a Alien/Pilgrim attitude/spirit.
8It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith--for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise. 10Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
13All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14And obviously people who talk like that are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15If they had meant the country they came from, they would have found a way to go back. 16But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them.
I He Loved God More Than Anything or Anybody (Left all he knew 12:1-5)
1Then the LORD told Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. 3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you." 4So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed him,
A. Jesus said the Greatest Commandment, “Love God with all your....
B. And Love God more than mother, father,
Terah didn’t make it to Canaan. He was more of a “tourist” than a “pilgrim”. Perhaps it was family ties or his love of false gods. Whatever the reason, he’s a lesson to all who are on a pilgrimage, of allowing something to hinder us from reaching the goal that God has for us. Compromise is a deadly distraction. Terah didn’t go back to Ur but he didn’t get to Canaan.
II He Didn’t get Caught up in the Conflict Over Things of the World (13:5-9)
-trusted God
5Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, was also very wealthy with sheep, cattle, and many tents. 6But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. There were too many animals for the available pastureland. 7So an argument broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land. 8Then Abram talked it over with Lot. "This arguing between our herdsmen has got to stop," he said. "After all, we are close relatives! 9I’ll tell you what we’ll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want that area over there, then I’ll stay here. If you want to stay in this area, then I’ll move on to another place."
19th Century Polish Rabbi
Anonymous writer, about an American tourist’s visit to the 19th century Polish rabbi, Hofetz Chaim: Astonished to see that the rabbi’s home was only a simple room filled with books, plus a table and a bench, the tourist asked:
“Rabbi, where is your furniture?”
“Where is yours?” replied the rabbi.
“Mine?” asked the puzzled American. “But I’m a visitor here. I’m only passing through.”
“So am I,” said Hofetz Chaim.
Christopher News Notes
III He Did Fight for the People (souls) (ch 14)
-Not stuff, but people
12They also captured Lot--Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom--and took everything he owned. 13One of the men who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was camped at the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies. 14When Abram learned that Lot had been captured, he called together the men born into his household, 318 of them in all. He chased after Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them in Dan. 15There he divided his men and attacked during the night from several directions. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16Abram and his allies recovered everything--the goods that had been taken, Abram’s nephew Lot with his possessions, and all the women and other captives.
IV He Gave God 10% of Increase (14:20)
19Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:"Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20And blessed be God Most High, who has helped you conquer your enemies." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
V He Worshiped God Not Money (14:21-24)
-gave 90% back over principle
21The king of Sodom told him, "Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered." 22Abram replied, "I have solemnly promised the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from you. Otherwise you might say, `I am the one who made Abram rich!’
VI He Lived By Faith On the Promises of God (Ch 15 & 17)
4Then the LORD said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own to inherit everything I am giving you." 5Then the LORD brought Abram outside beneath the night sky and told him, "Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that--too many to count!" 6And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith. (Genesis 15)
17Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. "How could I become a father at the age of one hundred?" he wondered. "Besides, Sarah is ninety; how could she have a baby?" 18And Abraham said to God, "Yes, may Ishmael enjoy your special blessing!" 19But God replied, "Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my everlasting covenant with him and his descendants. Genesis 17
VII He Battled in Prayer for Loved Ones (ch 19:29)
27The next morning Abraham was up early and hurried out to the place where he had stood in the LORD’s presence. 28He looked out across the plain to Sodom and Gomorrah and saw columns of smoke and fumes, as from a furnace, rising from the cities there. 29But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.
VIII He Obeyed God Over Feelings (ch 21:11) Sent Hagar Away
10So she turned to Abraham and demanded, "Get rid of that servant and her son. He is not going to share the family inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!" 11This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. 12But God told Abraham, "Do not be upset over the boy and your servant wife. Do just as Sarah says, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. 13But I will make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he also is your son." 14So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food for the journey, and strapped a container of water to Hagar’s shoulders. He sent her away with their son
I read the autobiography of George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury. Soon after he became a Christian he was called up to do his National Service in the Royal Air Force. He writes that the first test of his Christian discipleship was to follow the advice of his vicar which he found quite daunting: “George,” he said, “you must disclose that you are a Christian right from the start. Don’t be ashamed of your faith. When the lights go out, kneel by your bed and say your prayers.” He goes on to write that: “This seemed easy enough to agree to when in church, but I confess that as I surveyed the crowded billet on my first evening, with the good-natured banter of high-spirited young men all around me, my resolved wavered. Nevertheless, taking a deep breath, I knelt and spent several minutes in prayer.”
This unspoken testimony, certainly not lacking in courage, was noticed by his fellow recruits, and was helpful to several other of the young men who next day also declared themselves to be practicing Christians.
IX He Surrendered His Most Prized Procession on Earth to God (ch. 22)
1Later on God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience. "Abraham!" God called."Yes," he replied. "Here I am." 2"Take your son, your only son--yes, Isaac, whom you love so much--and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering...
16"This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your beloved son, I swear by my own self that 17I will bless you richly....
X He was Concerned About the Spiritual Heritage He was Leaving ch 24
1Abraham was now a very old man, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2One day Abraham said to the man in charge of his household, who was his oldest servant, 3"Swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not let my son marry one of these local Canaanite women. 4Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac."
5The servant asked, "But suppose I can’t find a young woman who will travel so far from home? May I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives?" 6"No!" Abraham warned. "Be careful never to take my son there. 7For the LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my offspring. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a young woman there to be my son’s wife. 8If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there." 9So the servant took a solemn oath that he would follow Abraham’s instructions.
Conclusion: How are you doing? Are you living as an alien? Let’s gather around the altar and pray together as we begin this new year that God would put in us a pilgrim spirit. Reminding us we are just passing through.
1. Do You Love God More?
2. Do You Fight Over Things?
3. Do You Fight for People?
4. Do You Give God 10% ?
5. Do You Worship God not Money?
6. Do You Live by Faith in God’s Promises?
7. Do You Battle in Prayer for Loved Ones?
8. Do You Obey God over Feelings?
9. Have You Surrendered All to God?
10. Is There Concern for Spiritual Heritage?
You know, when a stranger, a foreigner comes into your country they stand out. Their clothing may be different. They talk different. Their manners are different. Their customs are different. Many times, their temperament and values are different.
When people in this world view you and I, can they tell we are strangers and aliens? Or, do we blend right in?
Do we dress differently?
Do we talk differently?
Is our temperaments different in how we interact with people or react to circumstances and situations?
Do our activities show that our focus is more on spiritual matters as opposed to fleshly matters?
Is it evident to others that we are working to prepare ourselves and others for eternity or to make ourselves more at home, comfortable and satisfied here on earth?
Are we accumulating more earthly goods and gadgets or investing in the kingdom of God?
Are we seeking to acquire bigger houses and more property or just content with the necessities to get us by until its time to go home?
Do we “fit in” with everybody else or are we truly alien to those in the world and strangers to their ways?
