This World Is Not Our Home Series

This World Is Not Our Home

I Peter 2:10-12

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C. S Lewis once said - "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world". C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, New York, Macmillan, 1960, p. 119.

For the past 7 years you all have been so gracious as to provide us with a nice place to live. I have been fortunate to raise my children in a house that keeps us safe and dry, cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Amber and I have lived here 3 times as long as we have lived anywhere else. In that time we have almost completely remodeled the house and in many ways have made it our home. But it is a temporary home. As the job goes so goes the house. I do not nor will I ever posses the title to the house of the deed to the land. 16 miles away from here we have a house in Oxford that we call our own. But it really isn't. Technically BBT will own it for the next 21 years. And even if we held the deed it would still be our temporary home. And even if we held the deed it would still be our temporary home. A fire or tornado could destroy it within minutes. The government could seize it if I fail to pay the property taxes. The state could claim imminent domain and bulldoze it. If we miss enough payments in a row the bank will foreclose. There is no guarantee that it will always be ours.

The same is true for each person here, certain circumstances could arise and you would find yourself displaced from what you call home. But for those who are born again we have a guarantee of a permanent residence. The Apostle Paul said in - Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Here in I Peter 2:10-12 Peter says that Christians are "pilgrims and strangers" in this world. When he uses the word "Stranger" he is speaking of a "sojourner". This is one who lives for an extended time in a country that is not his own. He will be there long enough to need a house to live in but he is not a legal citizen of that country. That is the case for the child of God. We live in this world but our real home is in Heaven. We are simply pilgrims passing through this world. Even though we have a hope of a far better place, we are still here until the Lord calls us home. And The Apostle Peter tells us in these verses how we should live while we are here.

I would like to walk through these verses and preach on the simple thought "This World Is Not Our Home" . Let's begin by examining:

I. The Hope We Possess While In This World - v10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

We must first consider the context of this verse. Peter is writing to people who had been Gentiles. Israel was chosen by God and they were literally "the children of God" . But the door was opened to the Gentiles and they had become "the people of God" in the Spiritual sense. This new relationship that they were privileged to receive was only possible through God's amazing mercy! And this verse applies to you and I as much as it did to those in the first century church.

When Jesus came to us, we were not even part of a people - Ephesians 2:11 ¶Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Not only were we without an identity as a people, Romans 8:7 tells us that "we were the enemies of God". We were destined for Hell and that is exactly what we deserved! It is still what we deserve! But God extended His mercy to us...He "called us out of darkness into His marvelous light" - Even though we are merely "pilgrims passing through this world" we possess a hope of an eternal home! Because of the work that Jesus performed... And because of God's great mercy, grace, love and salvation those who are saved have eternal life. And on top of this eternal life we are promised a home in a place beyond description. We have only been given a glimpse of this place and our minds cannot comprehend what we have been told about Heaven!