Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to Hebrews chapter 13. And reading
for our text, verse 14. This is the verse that was over
the hymn that we have just sung. For here have we no continuing
city, but we seek one to come. Hebrews 13 and verse 14. And we have a text like this
that begins with four. It is drawing together those
things that are going before the text. And I want to draw
together especially those things in this chapter. But before we
come to this chapter, just look at a few verses from previous
chapters. thinking of in Hebrews 11, where
we have a long list of those that died in faith, in faith
of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not see his
coming upon this earth, but they believed he would and that he
would put away their sin. They were able to die with that
faith of what Christ would do. Many of them, there is instances
given of their faith that are very specific ones, like Noah
in being warned of God, preparing an ark. But then we have a summary
in verses 13 to 16 that really encompasses all the households
of faith. And he summarizes it in this
way, in thinking of our text, These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off,
and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they
that say such things declare plainly they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful
of that country from whence they came out, They might have had
opportunity to have returned, but now they desire a better
country that isn't heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city. And when you think then of our
text, for here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. And the evidence of faith here
is not only that they were seeking that country or that city, but
how they felt here below, that they were strangers and pilgrims
on the earth. And also how they viewed the
promises, even though they saw them afar off, they embraced
them. I wonder how many of us here
have those promises in the Word of God that we embrace, we hold
them fast, we plead them, They are the comfort, the strength
of our souls, and that we view this world and feel to be but
strangers and pilgrims in it. And so we have that in Hebrews
11. Then we have at the end of Hebrews
chapter 12, where we have a contrast between the law and the giving
of the law on Mount Sinai, when even Moses, that he said, I exceedingly
fear and quake. And a contrast with the Mount
Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven,
and to God the judge of all, and to the spirit of just men
made perfect. And so we're brought from the
law, and by the law is the knowledge of sin. We're brought from condemnation,
and we're brought to view, to view the heavenly Jerusalem,
view that city above, to view the people of God there, to view
the Lord Jesus Christ there. the blood of sprinkling that
speaketh better things than that of Abel. And then in closing
this chapter, he says that those things then which cannot be shaken
may remain. Those things that of this world
they are shaken, they are to be put away, that those things
that cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom
which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve
God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is
a consuming fire. So all the time it returns back
to this theme of here below perishing, God's people are strangers and
pilgrims, a heavenly city set before them, that which is passing
away on this world and that which is eternal in heaven. And then leading up right through
chapter 13 and leading up to our text, for here have we no
continuing city but we seek one to come. So on to with the Lord's
help firstly speak of that here we have no continuing city. And then secondly, the city that
is sought for, and thirdly, how we are to seek it, which I will
keep close to the chapter and what is before us here. But firstly, here we have no
continuing city. We would be mindful, in one sense,
the epistle to the Hebrews is written to the Hebrews. It's
written to those that if they were to say, well, Jerusalem
is our city, it will remain forever. We are going to stay in this
city. And yet in 70 AD, Jerusalem was
destroyed. And when we think of that theme,
we think of in Noah's day, how many that might have thought
then, we like this world, we're staying in this world, we're
remaining in this world. But we read in the day that Noah
entered into the ark, that then The heavens were opened, the
fountains of the great deep broken up, and all were destroyed. We think of those in Sodom and
Gomorrah that might have said, well, we're just going to continue
here. We're going to continue living
here. Everything's going to be the same. But suddenly it is
all drawn to a complete close. Many years ago, and really only
as it was told me, and we were over in Australia. My father
bought some land and then we were told, well, we had to sell
it or the government was taking it over because a freeway was
coming there and we couldn't stay there. So however much we
would want to stay in that plot of land, it was no continuing. We couldn't. We had to move from
it. And we have these reminders all
the time, and what a solemn reminder for thinking of the Jews and
thinking of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. And our
Lord, using that, when they were pointing out the stones, see
what great stones are here. And the Lord says, you see these
stones, there shall not one be left upon another, all shall
be cast down. And the disciples, they asked,
they said, what shall be the sign? of thy coming and of the
end of the world. And they obviously were very
clear that there was going to be a coming of the Lord and the
end of the world. And those things were going to
be, as it were, at the same time. And our Lord taught that. And
also he talks in that chapter of the destruction of Jerusalem
and of his coming. And our Lord says, heaven and
earth They shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. And so in the first place, where
we read that here we have no continuing city, we have constant
reminder through the Word of God of the world that we look
upon as solid, abiding, continuing forever, that it is to be destroyed,
that it will be passing away, and we cannot remain on it, we
cannot stay here. Then we think of the sentence
of our first parents, in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die. And when Adam and Eve partook
of the forbidden fruit, that sentence was enacted upon them,
in dying thou shalt die. Literally it was so. We read
of nine generations that go forth from Adam right through to Noah and apart from Enoch that was
taken up into heaven. The Lord took him, he did not
die. All of them we read, and he died. And yet there were some five
of those that lived over 900 years. But it still came to it
that they must die. And it's really reinforced in
Genesis 5 of the certainty of death. However long it is put
off, whether 100, 200, up to 900 years, it comes in the end. And he's appointed unto men once
to die, and then the judgment. You're told in Micah that this
is not your rest, it is polluted. It is not what is for the people
of God. And those in Hebrews 11, they
felt that that was not their rest. The world at large and
those that aren't taught by God, they look for their rest here. But God's people, they feel it
is not their rest. The Lord has said, in me shall
have peace. In the world, You shall have
tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. We think of how it is set before
us in the Psalms, the well-known Psalm of Moses, in Psalm 90,
the man of God, the days of our years, three score, years and
ten. And if by reason of strength
they beforescore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow,
for it is soon cut off and we fly away. Our days are passed
away and they're off, we spend our years as a tale that is told. We think of our Lord's prayer
in John 17, a beautiful prayer. Father, I will that they whom
thou hast given me be with me where I am. that they may behold
my glory, as if the Lord would say, I do not desire them always
to be here below. I desire them to be with me. I am going to prepare a place
for them. This is not their place. This
is not their rest. It is polluted. And so the words
here, here we have no continuing city. We are to ponder, we are
to remember that. Whether we live a year, two years,
a hundred years, a nine hundred years, it will not continue. It is not everlasting. However
much our days might be lengthened, at last we must go the way of
all the earth. And so here we have the word,
here. Here below have we no continuing
city. But then we have in the second
place that which follows the but. But we seek one to come. What a solemn thing if we just
stop the text there. No continuing city, and no hope,
and no expectation, and no way set before us. But there is a
but. And there is something that really
concerns and applies to those who feel they have no continuing
city. And remember what we read in
Hebrews 11, that those that confess they were strangers and pilgrims
on the earth, they that say such things declare
plainly they seek a country. They weren't declaring, I seek
a country. They were declaring they're strangers
and pilgrims. But implied with that, joined
together with that, the Lord says, those that feel that, they
are seeking that country. They are seeking that which is
above. And so on to look then, secondly,
at the city that is sought for, that is, heaven. I often thought
of the ordering of God's plan of salvation. He did not order
it that he should dwell at any place on this earth in a continuous
way. He said, I must need to go away. If I go not away, the Holy Spirit
will not come unto you. Where the Lord has gone, ascended
up into heaven, sat on the right hand of the throne of God, he
is there as the lamb of God, that is, as a lamb that hath
been slain in the midst of the throne, and all through the preaching
of the word, and the people of God, they're not directed at
any point here below, they're directed above. And we think
of the beautiful words of the dying thief, Lord, remember me
when thou comest into thy kingdom. And he had this view, this believing
view of who the Lord was, the kingdom that he was going to. And the Lord's answer to him,
verily, verily, I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in
paradise. And this was what was said before
him, absent from the body, says the Apostle Paul, and present
with the Lord, that we mention the Lord praying, where I am,
there ye may be also. And we think of his beautiful
words in John 14, I go and prepare a place for you, and if I go
and prepare a place for you, I'll come again and receive you
unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. And all the time it is a desiring
of his people to be with him. Here below, where two or three
are gathered together, there am I in the midst. Unto him shall the gathering
of the people be. No man can come unto me except
the Father which sent me. Draw him, and I'll raise him
up at the last day. And all the time there's this
drawing and being together. In Ephesians 5, the people that
are being sanctified, that are being prepared as the bride of
Christ, to be with Christ, to be with him forever as the heavenly
bridegroom. This is a great mystery, says
the apostle, but I speak as Christ and his church. The beautiful
pictures that are set before us. Paul, the writer of Hebrews,
let us run the race that is set before us. looking unto Jesus
and he is set before us. We think of the type with the
Ark of the Covenant going into the Promised Land and going through
Jordan and there had to be that distance between the children
of Israel and the Ark carried on the shoulders of the Levites
so they would see the way that they were to go. They were not
looking, concentrating on the river, they were concentrating
on the ark. They were concentrating on what set forth Christ. And he stood in the midst of
the river, the ark did, until they were all safely over the
side. It is a beautiful truth that
the Lord will be with his people and come for his people. And
I've referred to it more than once here, that a year or so
ago, seeing our granddaughter run in a race with the school,
and she did quite well, but there were some, of course, that came
last. And you think of all the multitude
that were running, and you think the poor little children that
were coming last, but you know they didn't run alone. The stewards
that were watching the way and looking after them, they ran
that last part with the last little child running across.
And the word says that I am with the first, I am the first and
with the last. And it's beautiful that the Lord's
people, when he brings them and he puts the top stone on his
work, his creation, his church, that he is with them. and they're
not left alone. Then we have in Revelation a
beautiful picture of what heaven, what the paradise actually is.
The first four verses in chapter 21, I saw a new heaven and a
new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed
away. There was no more sea, no more
separation. And I, John, saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as
a bride adorned for her husband. 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. There shall be no more death,
neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain,
for the former things are passed away. And he's beautifully set
forth and later on in the 22nd verse, the picture John, he says,
I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are the temple of it. No need of the sun, neither of
the moon, to shine in it. For the glory of God did lighten
it. The Lamb is the light thereof. And this picture is given us
of the city that's set before us. In the Old Testament, in
Isaiah, we read that it not entered into the heart of man what God
hath prepared for them that love him. and that in the first place
was pointing to the Gospel day now. We think of the Hebrews
in the wilderness, how they would not have been able to picture
all the Gentile nations and the churches and the gathering together
like we do now. How could they equate what they
had in the wilderness as the only nation, peculiar people,
special to the Lord, Now suddenly, as to every nation, kindred,
and tongue, it couldn't enter into their heart. What a difference
between their worship with all the blood of bulls and of goats,
and our worship looking back to Christ, looking to the fulfillment
of all they look forward to. And we see the full plan, complete
plan. But it applies to us looking
forward. As much as they couldn't imagine
or think today, nor can we think of heaven. How could someone,
if you held out to them a daffodil bulb and said to them, can you
imagine what this will look like in the springtime? I'm going
to bury it in the ground and this is going to come up a beautiful
green stem and a beautiful yellow flower and someone would look
at that dried up bowl, and they say, you're mad, they will never
do that. But we know it does, year by
year it does that. And so we know it hasn't entered
into the heart of man, or God hath prepared for them that love
him. But we know we shall be like him, we shall see him as
he is. We know it shall be a most wonderful,
place with the Lord seen as face to face then shall we know even
as we are known. And so our text it brings these
together we have no continuing city not here no and we have
through the word the picture of here and how we cannot abide
here but we seek one to come and the word pictures that and
what that is like and who is there and the Lord is there But
it says here, but we seek one to come. How are we to seek it? How are we to seek it? I want
to look at that in our third point, how we are to seek it.
And I would suggest that the verses that lead up to our text,
they give a very nice summary of how we are to walk in. The
chapter, it begins, Let brotherly love continue. The Lord begins
brotherly love. What is he doing here below?
He's preparing a people that one day, instead of being brothers
and sisters in faith here below, they're gonna be above. So he
says, he's seeking that above. Those are your brethren here. Let that love continue. And don't be forgetful to entertain
strangers. You do not know who are the Lord's
people, who are the Lord's chosen ones. And then we are to remember
those that are in bonds as bound with them, those that are suffering
adversity, that we're also in the body, that when we know that
this is not our rest, it is polluted, and we're not got a continuing
city, We would remember those that walk in that path of affliction
and trial and in adversity. Then in verse four, concerning
marriage, holiness, living holiness in all its parts. Be holy for
I am holy. It's one of the attributes of
God. The only one, I believe, that
is repeated three times. Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty
and the Lord would have us then be careful regarding holiness. Then we have in verse 5 that
we are to walk without covetousness. When we look at the things of
this poor world we are so tempted to want this or that or not to
be content but he gives us here in this verse a beautiful remedy
for that. There might be things that we
think, oh, if only I could do that, if only I could see that,
if only I could have that. And he says, for he has said,
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So if you say, if there's
anything that you could desire, this is what I give you. I give
you myself. I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee. He puts further on that we might
be able to say, and boldly say, the Lord is my helper. Here below,
we're in this that is not our dwelling place, that is not where
we remain, to be able to say, Lord is my helper. The psalmist
says, my help cometh from the Lord that made heaven and earth. Then we have to remember, in
verse 7 and 8, we have to remember the testimony, really, of those
who have spoken to us the word of the Lord. What is the end
of their conversation or the end of their life? It is summed
up in verse 8. Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday,
and today, and forever, If you and I are seeking this city to
come, this will be one of the things, along with those that
we've already mentioned, that as we're seeking it, we're remembering
this, the Lord Jesus never changes. Did Jesus once upon me shine,
then Jesus is forever mine. The Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world, chosen in Him before the world began. The Lord Jesus
Christ, having loved his own, he loved them unto the end. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are
my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. The Lord is the
same. Where we've known his grace,
his mercy, his kindness in the past, he hasn't changed. We change, but he does not change. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday
and today and forever. Remember, when we're seeking
that city to come, he is there. The same one we've known here
is there. The same one who chose us, who
took our cause, who undertook to suffer, bleed, and die for
our sins is there in heaven. And we're to remember this. And
this is the language, the testimony of Those of us who preach the
Word of God, the Apostle says, are determined to know nothing
among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Then we have in
verse 9, a warning that we should not be carried away with diverse
and strange doctrines, many different doctrines. And then we are pointed
to grace. It is a good thing that the heart
be established with grace. And what does he do? Draw aside
all the things that would distract us from the precious blood of
Christ and his offering that he offered at Calvary. Verse
12, wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people
with his own blood, suffered without the gate. We are pointed
there. established with grace. What
is grace? The free, unmerited favour of
God. If ever my poor soul be saved,
tis Christ must be the way. By grace you are saved, through
faith, that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Grace
and works are completely opposite. We are not saved by works, good
or bad. It is all by the grace of God. solely by that, and if we're
running the race looking unto Jesus, if we are seeking that
city yet to come, this is set before us. Never lose sight of
grace. Never lose sight of the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is how every one of the
people of God shall get safely home. The crown, the triumphant,
Christ shall be grace, grace unto it. That, that is to be
how everyone is brought home. Not me, not my works, but thy
grace, thy work imparted to me. This is how we are to walk if
we are seeking that city yet to come. Christ's sacrifice,
our only plea, Then we have in verse 13, bearing Christ's reproach. Many of the Lord's dear people
have had to bear that. From their loved ones, from children,
from parents, from those that they've walked with. They've
borne the reproach of Christ. What? You believe in him? You
go to a church where he is lifted up and set forth? And there's
been a burden, there's been a reproach because of it. But we have here
let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing
his reproach. For here have we no continuing
city, but we seek one to come. These are the things that lead
up to the text. These are the things that describe
one seeking the city that is to come. And then following our
text, we have praise, sacrifice of praise. What is set before
us is the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's always
struck me in the case with Jehoshaphat and Judah, when they had those
of Moab, Mount Seir come against them, and they cried unto the
Lord, They said, and Jehoshaphat prayed, and he says, neither
know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee. And the Lord answered. The Lord answered through his
prophet and told them they did not need to fight in that battle. The Lord had already fought it.
He delivered them. He'd saved them. But how did
they go when they went out to the battle? They went forth praising,
and Jehoshaphat He exhorted them to believe his prophets, believe
the Lord, and to praise his name. And as they began to praise and
sing, then the Lord sent ambushments and the Lord fought for them.
And you have the same picture here. We have the finished work
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the people that believe
it and rest in it and trust in it. And they go forth and they
offer praise. The Lord says, this people have
I formed for myself. They shall show forth my praise. And there is the strength. Maybe
Satan will always try to damp and to push down praise. He said,
you shouldn't praise. You shouldn't really trust in
what the Lord has done. He undermines. Hath God said? hath God said the commands, but
the blessings the Lord has given us as well, hath God said, hath
he really blessed, hath he really spoken this, hath he really done?
But the joy of the people of God is in believing, is in going
forth and in praise. Really we could say with the
verses 16 as well, to do good and to communicate, forget not,
a loosening of the hands of the things here below. You think
when the church was first blessed in the day of Pentecost, that
those who were so blessed that they sold their lands, they gave
their hands, were loosened from the things of this world. They
had the treasure, they had the pearl of great price, they had
what was worth more than all of this world. They could say
with Solomon, vanity of vanity, all is vanity, all is vexation,
but that which is above is real, solid comfort, real things, that
endures forever. And then in verse 17, obeying
them that have the rule over you, those that watch for your
souls, those that are looking for heaven, looking for that
city above, As the word is preached, as the watchman watch and guide,
they're listening, listening to those guides that the Lord
has sent that point to heaven and direct the way. And in walking
in that way, those kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation. And faith cometh by hearing and
hearing by the word of God. If you and I are kept unto the
end, will be the Lord blessing the word read and preached that
we do not hear thou shalt hear a word behind thee saying this
is the way walk ye in it when you turn to the right hand and
when you turn to the left and so we have our verse really in
the midst of the path and the way of those that are seeking
that city to come and this chapter and I'll close with this It finishes
with a really beautiful, beautiful benediction in verses 20 and
21. Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of
the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working
in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. May the Lord add his blessing.
Amen.