May it please God to bless us
together as we consider his word this morning. Let's turn to the
epistle, sorry, to the epistle of Paul to the Hebrews, chapter
11, and we'll read verse 16. Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews,
chapter 11, and reading verse 16. But now they desire a better
country, that is an heavenly, Wherefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city. It is clear from this statement
that there was a time, a period, when these worthy people who
had shown wonderful faith did not desire a better country. They were in the world and no
doubt content with the things that the world has to offer to
them and to present to them And there was that time when they
did not have a concern about the truth of God and what was
before them with regards to the eternal life of their eternal
souls. And yet, how good and wonderful
it is to read, there's a statement, but now, but now, well, it's
good in our lives if we can look back and say, yes, well, But
now, there's been a change in my life. I was taken up with
the world. I was satisfied with what the
world had to offer. I didn't want God in my life.
I was engaged in all manner of evil and sin, and I was satisfied
with it. Bless God if you in your life
can now say yes, but now. And what a change. What an amazing
change. Think of it. But now they desire
a better country that isn't heavenly. What makes us desire a better
country that isn't heavenly? Do we suddenly think, well it's
about time I changed? No, it's the great and blessed
work of the Holy Spirit that causes us to consider our ways,
causes us to look into our heart and to realize who we are and
what we are, the true state that we're in, and to convince us
of our lost and ruined condition and we deserve to go to that
place of eternal punishment in hell. What a wonderful favour
then, if God has given to us that desire now. But now, there
has been a change. We now have a desire. A desire. But now they desire. And again, as I mentioned recently,
you may say, well I don't have a desire. I don't have a desire
after heaven. I really want to enjoy life on
this earth. I don't want to have to forsake
the things that I'm involved with. I want to continue in them. I want to enjoy them. Well, you
see, it may be that in this situation we have to realize that we have
a God who is high and lifted up, and a God who indeed gives
us that desire after spiritual things. And if we don't have
a desire, and you say, well, I don't have a desire. And it's
important that we're honest. There are many people today who
just soldier on Assuming everything's going to be alright in the end.
But it's a good thing if we have a desire, and if you don't have
a desire, then pray that you might have a desire. That God
would give you a desire, because These people, we read of in the
Word of God, they were blessed with a desire. And the children
of God are blessed with a desire after heavenly things. And if
you don't have a desire after heavenly things, well, don't
despair, but pray to God that you might have a desire. And
then perhaps we might come a little lower still. You may say, well,
I really can't seem to pray for that. Well, you might be able
to pray like this. You might pray that God would
give you a desire for a desire after such desires. Well, that's a beginning, isn't
it? Well, God does give beginnings. And it's wonderful if God it
is, who does give beginnings. Because naturally, you and I
would not have a desire, we would not want a beginning. What a
good thing it is then, if God gives us a beginning to desire
after heavenly things. And so we read here, but now,
there had been a change, now. And these people that the apostle
is speaking of, they were blessed with faith to pray. Faith to pray. We read what faith
was. Faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is clear that faith
is not something tangible that we can grasp naturally. It is
a spiritual blessing. And it's the substance of things
hoped for. And therefore, if you and I are
hoping for that desire after heavenly realities, it's because
God gives us then that faith to hope, and it is the evidence
of things not seen. Remember what the Word of God
tells us. We walk by faith and not by sight. You see, God gives faith. God
gives us the gift of faith to believe, the gift of faith to
understand the Word of God and the truth of God. And a wonderful
thing it is then, for you and me today, to realize that God
has given us that true living faith. Indeed, that word that
the Apostle wrote to the Ephesians and how important it is for us
to realize it is a great truth. He tells us, for by grace are
ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God. And what's the reason for that?
Why does he say that? Why does he tell us that? He tells us
for a very clear reason. not of works, lest any man should
boast." We would boast, how good we were, we would boast that
we'd done this, but no, God says, not of works, lest any man should
boast. It is God's gift to us, and as
God gives us, This gift of faith to believe, what is the result? Surely the result is to give
honour and glory to our God. So let us remember then, those
whom the Apostle is speaking of here, these all died in faith. Without faith it is impossible
to please God. And so we realize that God gives
faith, His gift, as we receive it, then it is for His honor
and for His glory. These all died in faith. Yes, 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. Well,
there's a testimony, is it not? Those who are blessed like this,
we're told them that they are strangers and pilgrims on the
earth. Really, mankind falls into two
categories. The one is that we are home in
the earth. And this we call our home and
we want to live here forever. We don't want to leave this earth. Many people you see when they
come down to die, they don't want to leave this earth. They
want to extend their life as long as possible to enjoy every
moment of this poor sinful world. And therefore they are not strangers
and they are not pilgrims on the earth. But the other people
are those who are strangers and who are pilgrims on the earth. And therefore we today fall into
one of those two categories. We are either at home in the
world Or we are a stranger and a pilgrim on the earth? Well,
let us examine ourselves. Let us look into our own hearts.
Let us ask ourselves the question, which category do we come into? Are we a stranger and a pilgrim
on the earth or are we at home in the earth? Are we at home
in the world? Are we at home with the people
in the world? Are we at home with what they
want to do and what they say and what they enjoy? Or are we
a pilgrim and a stranger? Well, the Word of God here is
very clear, isn't it? It gives a great and blessed
list of people the Word of God speaks about and they are all
blessed with faith and they are all without exception a pilgrim
and a stranger on the earth. So may all of us today have some
evidence that we are a pilgrim and a stranger on the earth.
You see, a pilgrim is someone who is travelling through life,
and this is not their rest, not their home. Bless God then today,
if God has given us faith, given us grace to believe the truth
of God's Word, and therefore that we come into this category,
that we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. And so says Paul,
for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek
a country. Well, that's another important
thought, isn't it? To declare plainly. I suppose
perhaps we're cowardly. Perhaps we're not prepared to
confess who we are, who we serve. Perhaps we try to serve two masters. What are those two masters? We
may try and serve the world, which really is the devil, and
we try to save God. Well, the word tells us we cannot
serve two masters. Either we will love the one and
hate the other, or hate the other and love the other, the reverse. One or the other. We cannot love
both. And so it is again a separating
and dividing word for us to realize whether in our lives we measure
up to the statement that these people do, where it says, they
declare plainly that they seek a country. And it's not therefore
something which is just, they just hide. You know, perhaps
we are embarrassed. You know, when I was a youngster,
when I was a student, I was embarrassed about saying I was a Christian. Not to be ashamed of, isn't it?
Nothing I boast about. But you know, it's sometimes
quite hard to stand out and to declare whose we are and who
we serve. It's very easy just to go along
with a crowd and assume we're one of them, so we don't have
any opposition, so we don't have any difficulty. Well, a Christian's
life is a life of tribulation, it's a life of opposition, and
it's not an easy life. And bless God, it's a life which
we shall pass through. It's good, you know, when we're
able to measure time with eternity. Well, of course, in reality,
you can't. Because time has a limit, eternity
does not. You cannot actually measure the
difference. But there is a tremendous difference
between time and eternity. And you and I are living in time.
we shall very soon pass out of time into eternity and therefore
what would it matter what people think of us what people say about
us in time because it will matter where we spend eternity and therefore
we have this statement here for they that say such things declare
plainly they don't hide their light. They don't hide the grace
of God. They don't hide the faith which
God has given them. They declare plainly. It's very
simple, isn't it? These words for us to understand,
to declare plainly. It's good to notice such statements
in the Word of God. Because here we have the testimony
of God's Word and the example of those who have gone before
and you and I should be concerned today to be a true follower. of the Lord Jesus Christ and
those who have professed like precious faith. Now, it is not
easy. It never has been, it never will
be. The Christian's life is a life
of continual opposition. The life in the world is one
of ease. We can spend a life of ease in
this world and go to hell. We can spend a life of difficulty
and opposition and persecution and go to glory forever. In our right mind, really there's
no thought, is there? How can there be any difference? Well, there is a vast, vast difference. There's really no competition,
is there? From one with the other. They that say such things declare
plainly that they seek a country. And truly if they had been mined
for that country from whence they came, they might have had
opportunity to have returned. Yes, they come out. of the world. My friends, bless God if we come
out of the world and are now looking forward to that inheritance
which is incorruptible and which is undefiled, which is reserved
in heaven for you are kept by the power of God through faith
under salvation, ready to be revealed in the last times. Well,
we then come down to this great glorious truth, but now They
desire a better country, that is, and heavenly. Do we view
heaven as a better country? Do you think it's a better country?
Or do you think, well, no, this world's good enough for me, and
all the things that I want to do and I want to enjoy, well,
these people, they desired a better country, that is, and heavenly. Why is heaven a better country? Why is it a better country? Well,
first of all, the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, sits on the
throne in glory with his Father and with the blessed Spirit of
God. And there God rules and there
God reigns forever. And we might think, well, that's
all right, but just can we get any picture of what heaven is
like? Well, we do have some little
pictures shown to us in the Word of God. In Revelation, John was
given a little view of what it was like, and he tells us, if
we turn to the 7th of chapter in Revelation, towards the end,
we read this, verse 15, Therefore are they before the throne of
God, and serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth
on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them,
nor any heat. For the Lamb, that's the Lord
Jesus, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them
and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." What does it mean? It means a place where there's
no sorrow, no sadness, eternal happiness, eternal joy. Again, when the The Apostle comes
down towards the end of Revelation and in chapter 21 verse 4 he
tells us again, or verse 3, 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." And
he that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, Write, for these words are faithful and
true. So we have there a little picture
of heaven. No sorrow, no sadness, but indeed
total bliss, total happiness, total joy. The apostle, he tells us, in
the last chapter he says, blessed are they that do his commandments
that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in
through the gates into the city. I, Jesus, have sent mine angel
to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root
and the offspring of David, and the bright and the morning star,
and the Spirit and the bride say, Come, and the heareth say,
Come, and the hinners of thirst, Come, and whosoever will, let
him take of the water of life freely. Well, it's a glorious
invitation to those who are heavy laden and burdened with their
sin in this world to look forward to that great and glorious day
where there'll be no sin and eternal happiness. Now we're
told, I have not seen nor ear heard what those things are that
God has prepared for those that love Him. You see, it will be
a wonderful surprise when we get safe home to glory, when
by His grace we shall look on His face. That will be glory,
be glory for me. And so here we have this statement,
but now they desire a better country, that is, and heavenly. Well, the question for us today
is, are we amongst those who are desiring a better country? Now, the Lord Jesus, when he
was in that upper room on that Passover night, just before he
was crucified, he spoke to his disciples, that long sermon which
was recorded in the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th of John, He says, let not your heart be
troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Isn't that wonderful
to think that God or the Almighty Saviour has gone to prepare a
place for you and me individually? There is a reserved place in
glory, a place that cannot be taken. It's reserved for you
and me. And so he says, In my Father's
house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again. and receive you unto Myself,
that where I am, there ye may be also." This is the promise
of Almighty God. Isn't it a glorious promise?
Which He says He will come again and receive us unto Himself. Our heart may be burdened, it
may be troubled, But let us look forward to that inheritance,
incorruptible and undefiled. But now they desire a better
country that isn't heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God." Not ashamed to be called their God. What a wonderful God we have. Are we ashamed of God today?
Think of this, that God is not ashamed to be called their God. Are we ashamed of the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ? That dear friend on whom our
hopes of heaven depend? Are you ashamed of the Lord Jesus
Christ? You don't want to get the glory,
do you? And find that God is ashamed of you? When He casts
you out as unworthy of entering into the eternal place of glory,
are you ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ? Or do you desire to honour Him,
to follow Him, to do His will, to obey His voice? to be a true
follower of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Earlier on in this
book in the Hebrews, the Apostle tells us, but we see Jesus, all
believers by faith see Jesus as their Saviour, as their Lord,
as their Master, but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than
the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory
and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste death for
every man. Remember, The Lord Jesus Christ
was made a little lower than the angels. He put on Himself
our human flesh. He became a human person, although
He was of course still Almighty God. Why did He have to put on
Himself human flesh? If He was to be our Saviour,
He had to stand in our place. And if He had to stand in our
place, He had to be like you, and He had to be like me. Had
to take on our form, our flesh, yet without sin. Now, remember, the Lord Jesus
Christ was tempted in all points, like as we are. yet without sin. It's good to think of that. We
have this great and glorious Saviour who is now in glory.
As He walked on the earth, we might think, well, that was fine.
He was God. Well, we know He was. But He
was tempted like at all points. In all points like as we are.
You just think of that for a moment. You think of the many temptations
that come into our evil heart. Sometimes we give way to temptations,
don't we? The Lord Jesus Christ never gave
way. And yet He was tempted in all
points, like as we are, and He was therefore made a little lower
than the angels for the suffering of death. And He came to deliver
our souls from eternal death. We might be found in glory with
Him, in heaven at last, amongst those who are enumerated here,
but now they desire a better country that isn't heavenly.
But if we are desiring a better country and heaven, it's because
of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. That great and glorious
work of salvation. And what a cost it was. If we
are to get to glory, we only get there through the merits
of the Saviour, through His death. through what He did to deliver
our souls from the curse. Yes, He died. He gave His life
as that one sacrifice for sin. It is so important that you and
I have an understanding of the cost of our salvation. It was
an enormous cost. Do you value the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you value what he's done? Do you value his death? Do you realize that without that
death, on our behalf, there would be no life, no hope, no heaven? But, says the Apostle, we see
Jesus. Well, by faith. And again, what
a blessing it is if God gives us that faith to see Jesus, to
behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. And then allow the angels for
the suffering of death and now crowned with glory and honor. Why? Because he's a conqueror. Because He's conquered sin, death,
hell and the grave. And in order to do so, He paid
that price, that price for our sin. And the price demanded was
His shed blood. It was His death. If we read
again in this Hebrews, the previous chapter, without shedding of
blood, There was no forgiveness, no remission of sin. There'd
be no hope for us, my friends, if Christ hadn't died upon Calvary's
cross to take away our sin. And so we read, crowned with
glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, should taste
death for every man, all those who are names written in the
Lamb's Book of Life, for it became Him, for whom are all things
and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." We should never weary in meditating
upon the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, but now they
desire a better country that isn't heavenly, And we can only
desire that. We can only have a good hope
of that if we have a hope that Lord Jesus Christ has taken away
our sins. Nothing can enter into glory
which is sinful. Heaven is a holy place. God is a holy person. God cannot look upon sin And
therefore nothing can enter in that defileth. There can be no
sin in glory. Therefore you and I need to know
there are every sin, every sin. Don't think that such a thing
as a small sin, what may appear to be the smallest sin, will
shut us out of heaven. We need to know the Saviour has
died in our place to atone, to take away our sin, to bring us
back to God through His sin atoning death. Go to Calvary, see there
what the Saviour endured. He endured hell for us. when
the Father hid His face, and the Saviour cried out, My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? He was alone on that cross. He endured hell for us, and He
satisfied the demands of His Father in dying in our place,
that great and glorious sacrifice for sin. Oh, isn't it a wonderful
theme. Do you rejoice? Do you bless
God for it? Do you praise God for what He's
done? Do you thank Him for His redeeming
grace and love for such an unworthy sinner? Do you see yourself lost
and ruined in the fall? The fall which Adam and Eve committed
in Eden so many years ago that sins which passed upon all mankind
and that Christ has come to redeem us and therefore by His grace
as a pilgrim and a stranger on the earth you are desiring a
better country that is a heavenly wherefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God Wonderful thought, isn't it? God is not
ashamed of you and me. Ponder it. Not ashamed of us.
We're not ashamed to be called their God. We have much cause,
don't we, to be ashamed. Half of what we've ignored God.
We turn our back upon God. We follow our own way. What have
we said in our heart? I won't have that man to reign
over me. I'm going to have my own life, I'm going to fill my
own life. But what I want to do, well bless God, if His grace
has come into our hearts, so that we are made willing in the
day of His power to submit ourselves unto Him. permit ourselves to
be willing to do His will, to follow Him and to serve Him,
and to praise and honour and to glorify His great and holy
name for that which He has done, to be called their God, not ashamed. Well, my friends, this morning,
where do we stand? Do we say, but now they desire
a better country? Yes, and you and I desire a better
country, and is it that we are therefore now not ashamed of
God and bless Him that He's not ashamed of us? And to realize,
for He hath prepared for them a city. Heaven is a prepared
place for a prepared people. God prepares us for the day of
our death. prepares us to be willing to
leave this earth to go and to be with Christ which is far better. What did the Apostle Paul say?
For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. That's a great
statement isn't it? For me to live is Christ. Do
we live our life for Christ? And do we believe that to die
is gain? Remember, we brought nothing
into this earth and it is certain we shall carry nothing out. We've
got to leave everything Everything you and I may be fond of and
may perhaps cleave to, we need to hold everything in this world
with a light hand. Because my friends, one day in
any event, it will all perish, it will all be burnt up and it's
of no value at all. We always want to value things
in the light of eternity. People take sometimes their goods
to be valued, don't they? See how much they're worth in
monetary terms. And they may be very pleased
they've got something which is valuable in monetary terms. Got to leave it one day. Doesn't
really have any lasting value. They must leave it all. But my
friends, if you and I have treasure in heaven, It's of eternal value. It never loses value. And we should never lose it. In heaven, where's our treasure? Where's your treasure? Where's
my treasure? Is it on the earth? Or is it in heaven? The hymn writer says a very wonderful
verse. He says this, and you and I would
need a lot of grace to be able to say it. He says, I could from
all things parted be, but never, never, Lord, from Thee. Now that is true. It's true in
theory. Bless God if it's true in practice
in your life and my life. Don't forget that we have a great
adversary, the devil, who will endeavor with all his power to
make us content with the things of time which are perishing. But may the Spirit of God direct
us to the eternal realities, the eternal blessings, the eternal
treasure, which is to be found in Christ. You know, this is
so true. The knowledge of Christ is more
precious than gold. And so, my friends, if you and
I know Christ, we have a treasure in heaven. of inestimable value. There is nothing that you and
I can place on that blessing. The value of it is beyond our
comprehension, because it has with it an eternal dimension,
which is so wonderful. So remember then, these words
here, but now May we have come to that in our lives, 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 as we read through this chapter together,
we have some little evidence of what it meant to these people,
what the cost was, And we have that wonderful example in Moses
himself where we're told that he refused to be called the son
of Pharaoh's daughter. He could have lived a life naturally
of comfort for his little life on this earth. But no, he's willing
to give it up. He tells us this, choosing rather
to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of
sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense
of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not
fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured, seeing him who
is invisible." Well, we have a great God who to our natural
mind is invisible. But may we have faith to believe,
and to trust in Him, and be found truly as strangers and pilgrims
on the earth, travelling home to God, in the path the Fathers
trod. They are happy now, and we, by
His grace, soon their happiness shall see. 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. Amen.