Podcasts about better country

Hebrews 11:8-22 – Faith and a Better Country

[sermon_banner] This morning, we conclude our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, in Hebrews 12:1-3, we look to Jesus the final - and ultimate - example of faith and faithful endurance, and we see how we can endure in faith, by keeping our eyes fixed on him. [sermon_media_line]

Today we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, as we conclude this chapter, we consider the faith of those who were ridiculed, attacked, driven out, and put to death for their faith in God. Their testimony points to the necessity of enduring by faith for a better present, while looking to a better future.

What does it truly mean to be wealthy? Is it just about money, or something deeper? In this powerful episode of The Story Engine Podcast, we sit down with Jerremy Newsome to explore his incredible journey—building and losing millions, discovering spiritual healing, and finding a deeper purpose. Jerremy shares how a life-changing moment in a self-development course shattered his old beliefs and led him to a new definition of prosperity. He also reveals a bold vision for the future—his new podcast, Solving America's Problems, and his ultimate goal: running for President in 2032. Episode Highlights: ⏳ [00:03:31] – The moment that changed everything: A question that left Jerremy speechless and redefined his approach to life. ⏳ [00:08:56] – The five levels of spirituality and how they impact wealth, success, and fulfillment. ⏳ [00:16:46] – Jerremy's latest project: A podcast tackling America's biggest challenges—education, politics, and unity. ⏳ [00:37:42] – The childhood vision Jerremy kept secret for decades (and why he's finally stepping into it). ⏳ [00:44:55] – Kyle reflects Jerremy's story back to him in an unforgettable moment of storytelling mastery. This is an episode filled with wisdom, transformation, and an inspiring call to action. Listen now on The Story Engine Podcast.

This morning, we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through portraits of ancient believers. Today, we consider the faith of Samuel and the prophets. Samuel is an exemplar of the persevering faith of all the prophets. And together, they teach us of a faith that sees God as our King, worthy of our trust- despite appearances to the contrary.

In this podcast episode I bring on a guest to discuss christiniy in government. How religion can reshape the values of morals of modern society. Feel free to learn more about my guest through his book in the discription. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300273540/cross-purposes/

In this podcast episode I bring on a guest to discuss christiniy in government. How religion can reshape the values of morals of modern society. Feel free to learn more about my guest through his book in the discription. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300273540/cross-purposes/

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. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 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 11:13-16)   They did not receive the things promised.  But they believed anyway. There are some moments in our lives when we feel like everything is going right.  Life is good, our family is good, work is good, and the sun is shining.  It is good to feel like we're living our best life.  And sometimes we do feel that way.  But there are plenty of other times when the ground feels to have slipped out from beneath our feet.  Something or someone in our home, work, or school context feels threatening.  Our health is compromised.  Someone we have a relationship with leaves or abandons us.  In those moments, we are reminded of how few and fleeting are the threads that hold up our security and sense of well being.  What we often fail to recognize however, is that this is also the proper context in which to really understand the meaning of our faith—because it is the truest sense we ever get of our real situation.  We've always lived precariously.  Nothing has ever been guaranteed.  Death, suffering, and hardship are far more often the norm in human history than peace, order, and good government or life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  No one fully receives all the things promised until we arrive at life's end or Christ's return. Citizenship in a stable, peaceful, and prosperous country (which both Canada and the United States are, despite what any politician might say to the contrary) can lull us away from the admission of Hebrews that in fact, we are all foreigners and strangers on earth.  If our country on earth is pretty good—why would we look for a better country—a heavenly one?  So in those moments of feeling unsettled—say, when a pastor leaves, or a death occurs, or some other unsettling anxiety sweeps through your life—take it as an opportunity to live by faith and not by sight.  Remember and believe that it is God who has promised us life and a future: not our RRSP, our children, our legacy, our government, or our or next vacation.  Remember that our lives are lived in trust in God, and that our eyes ought always to be straining just beyond what we are given, to see Jesus who beckons us onward until we arrive finally and fully at our home with him.  Then what we see now only as a poor reflection will be replaced with seeing our God, face to face.  Then we shall know fully, even as we are fully known.  Then only the good things like faith, hope, and love will remain.  The greatest of which, is God's own love.  This is what our lives finally rest upon.  Because God loves us, he “is not ashamed to be called [our] God, for he has prepared a city for [us].”  A home, with him.   As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:     May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.  

I. Embrace your true identity, v13 II. Embrace your only home, vv14-16a. III. Embrace your high privilege, v16b.

This morning, we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we look at a young David who is set apart by faith, rather than the fear of his countrymen, when beholding a fearful enemy. From our text we will learn how to conquer faith-faltering fear through entrusting ourselves to David's Deliverer.

Message from John Maynez on January 5, 2025

Abraham Desired a Better Country | Hewbrews 11:8-16 | Bob Jennerich by Grace Redeemer Community Church

Today we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we look at Jephthah, the last of the judges in Hebrews 11:32, to learn from his faith in God's sovereign deliverance, considering how our faith in Christ's deliverance from sin leads us to persevere amidst our trials.

This morning, we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we look at the life of Samson, who starts as a strong man but is revealed to be weak and ends as a weak man who is stronger than ever. How? Through Faith. May we be encouraged to do likewise.

President-Elect Donald J. Trump is set to change our great nation in PROFOUND ways. Are other Americans ready to do the hard work to improve this country after he clears the path? BND host Mike Slater has some thoughts on this important subject matter and he'd like to share them with you!Following the opener, Slater speaks to U.S. Senator Ron Johsnon (R-WI) who opines on what's about to happen with Trump's cabinet picks (will they be confirmed or not?) and what he and his colleagues need to do to hit the ground running from a legislative sense once 2025 rolls around!

We continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we dig into the faith of Barak, a military captain in the time of the judges. Like Barak, by faith, we are to follow God who has marched ahead to free us from sin and evil.

When a relationship or friendship gets tested, usually the people in the relationship at some point have to get back on the same page. Doubts and misconceptions have to be overcome. This even had to happen between Abram and the Lord, and the way the Lord did this was to make a covenant of grace. In this message, we learn especially about the promise of a homeland. Through the death of Christ, this promise is made certain.

This morning we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we get to the surprising inclusion of Gideon, one of the Judges of Israel. We'll see through Gideon's example, that our faith can overcome our fears as we look to Christ's work on our behalf and presence with us by his Spirit.

Today we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we consider the faith of Joshua as he leads God's people at the conquest of Jericho, and of Rahab the prostitute, who was from Jericho. Together, they ultimately point us to a faith that perseveres and receives its inheritance, in Christ.

Faith: Desiring a Better Country | Hebrews 11:1-16 | 072124 by Corey

This morning we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today we consider the faith of Joseph, at the end of his life. He is an example for us to have faith that God will do all that he promises, in his perfect timing. As a result, we can live a life that glorifies him, despite our circumstances.

Today we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we consider how Jacob's final hours, spent in blessing and worship, point us to the faith that transforms us to a life of increasing worship.

This morning we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we look at an episode of Isaac's life that seems more like a soap opera than a model of faithfulness. But through our text we will see how faith entrusts future blessing to God by submitting to His sovereign will.

Today we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we look at the monumental figure of Moses as an example of a faith that overcomes unimaginable obstacles; a faith that instills courage in the face of death.

These are chaotic and weird times and a lot is being asked of us - we must believe what we are seeing and know that God is in control. Neither Trump nor Biden seem to have our best interests- they are both self-serving. Truths are being revealed it is your job to believe it and know we can build a better box! Faith is required ☑️ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/madlove/message

I just made it through Shelob's lair in Cirith Ungol. It seemed like the quest to destroy the ring had died with a stab in the neck to Frodo by Shelob, the huge spider that haunts this dark passage and has lived there time out of mind in malice and death. It was a near thing but that is just the beginning of the trouble of Frodo and Sam. I am almost through my annual trek through Middle Earth and perhaps the hardest part of the whole quest is the thirteen days Frodo and Sam face in Mordor after Sam finds Frodo. It is a test of endurance. Small folk in a hostile environment, with the weight of the ring so heavy Sam must carry Frodo. Nothing is easy, nothing is safe, terror is around them and also in them. They are physically beat, emotionally exhausted, harassed by Gollum and plagued with doubt—doubt that almost undoes the whole quest in the end—and yet they endured. To put yourself inside the story is almost too much to bear. Our text in Hebrews reminded me a lot of that this morning. We start a new sermon series this week called A Better Country and will be looking at faith that endures. Basically, we have Israel's story told through individuals that—by faith in the promise of a better country, a better home—endured, no matter the cost or circumstance. This week, however, we will be content to merely define what enduring faith is and then look at the tapestry of the lives of God's people, a great cloud of witnesses to the faithfulness of God to his promises. Teri and I are just back from the Bahamas and, let me tell you, it is something! And yet, as glorious as it was, I started to long for home, and I can't wait to be with you on Sunday.

I just made it through Shelob's lair in Cirith Ungol. It seemed like the quest to destroy the ring had died with a stab in the neck to Frodo by Shelob, the huge spider that haunts this dark passage and has lived there time out of mind in malice and death. It was a near thing but that is just the beginning of the trouble of Frodo and Sam. I am almost through my annual trek through Middle Earth and perhaps the hardest part of the whole quest is the thirteen days Frodo and Sam face in Mordor after Sam finds Frodo. It is a test of endurance. Small folk in a hostile environment, with the weight of the ring so heavy Sam must carry Frodo. Nothing is easy, nothing is safe, terror is around them and also in them. They are physically beat, emotionally exhausted, harassed by Gollum and plagued with doubt—doubt that almost undoes the whole quest in the end—and yet they endured. To put yourself inside the story is almost too much to bear. Our text in Hebrews reminded me a lot of that this morning. We start a new sermon series this week called A Better Country and will be looking at faith that endures. Basically, we have Israel's story told through individuals that—by faith in the promise of a better country, a better home—endured, no matter the cost or circumstance. This week, however, we will be content to merely define what enduring faith is and then look at the tapestry of the lives of God's people, a great cloud of witnesses to the faithfulness of God to his promises. Teri and I are just back from the Bahamas and, let me tell you, it is something! And yet, as glorious as it was, I started to long for home, and I can't wait to be with you on Sunday.

Today we continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we look at the maturing faith of Abraham in response to God's command to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise.

We continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we look at the obedient faith of Abraham and Sarah that led them from all they knew to a pilgrimage seeking an inheritance formed by God himself.

Rev. Mark Kuiper preaches on the three aspects of faith and the promise of the life everlasting.

We continue our series in Hebrews 11, Living Forward to a Better Country, where the author of Hebrews calls us to faithful endurance through the portraits of ancient believers. Today, we consider the example of Noah, whose reverent and active faith serves as an example of how we, as heirs of righteousness by faith, are to live today in light of Christ's future return.

Elena Romanenko moved to Australia from Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion began and found work in Brisbane with a company helping people with disabilities. - Елена Романенко переехала в Австралию из Украины после начала полномасштабного вторжения России в Украину. Недавно она нашла работу в Брисбене в компании, помогающей людям с ограниченными возможностями здоровья.

What does it mean to live together well? To be thriving communities of unique people where trust runs deep, differences does not threaten, and power is not abused? What would make people safe to be vulnerable enough to have deep and meaningful relationships?  Marsh Moyle's book Rumours of a Better Country addresses our hunger for justice and a better way of living by awakening our moral imagination to the potential of trust. Drawing on ancient wisdom and looking through the lens of daily reality, it shows trust and trustworthiness are the foundation for any meaningful freedom. The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. Also, note that not all views expressed in the lectures or in the discussion time necessarily represent the views of L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2020

Hebrews 11:8-16 As we continue to look at people of faith, the author of Hebrews describes the life of Abraham. His faith in God was manifested in several ways. One was in his willingness to follow God to other lands, believing there would eventually be a promised land. As Christians, we need to live in this world as sojourners, regardless of our location, knowing that our true citizenship is in the Kingdom of God. Website: immanuelde.com Facebook: immanuelchurchwilmington YouTube: Immanuel Church Wilmington DE

Disclaimer: We are not professionals. This podcast is opinioned based and from life experience. This is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions helped by our guests may not reflect our own. But we love a good conversation.

Hyper-individualism and consumerism are failing to satisfy our hunger for meaning. We face an identity crisis in which real community is increasingly hard to find. The culture wars have been painful and polarising and have proved a poor way to agree any kind of moral standards. Is it even possible to find a vision for goodness that can bring us together?Rumours of a Better Country addresses our hunger for justice and a better way of living by awakening our moral imagination to the potential of a trusting community. Drawing on ancient wisdom and looking through the lens of daily reality, it shows how trust and trustworthiness must be the foundation for any kind of meaningful freedom.Join us in celebrating the launch of Marsh Moyle's book: “Rumours of a Better Country:  Searching for trust and community in a time of moral outrage". To view a transcript of this lecture, listen here. For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

Heaven is known as the Better Country...

Session 1 on Cultivating "Better Country" Affections at the Compass Men's Retreat on 10/26/23 by Charlie Matz.Compass Bible Church Treasure Valley is located in Meridian, Idaho.For more information about Compass Bible Church go to https://www.compassbible.tv/To follow our daily Bible reading plan and podcast go to https://www.revivalfromthebible.com/

Session 2 on Living Like Strangers & Exiles at the Compass Men's Retreat on 10/27/23 by Ben Blakey.Compass Bible Church Treasure Valley is located in Meridian, Idaho.For more information about Compass Bible Church go to https://www.compassbible.tv/To follow our daily Bible reading plan and podcast go to https://www.revivalfromthebible.com/

Session 3 on Mastering Delayed Gratification at the Compass Men's Retreat on 10/27/23 by Josiah Smith.Compass Bible Church Treasure Valley is located in Meridian, Idaho.For more information about Compass Bible Church go to https://www.compassbible.tv/To follow our daily Bible reading plan and podcast go to https://www.revivalfromthebible.com/

Session 4 on Anticipating the Perfect King at the Compass Men's Retreat on 10/28/23 by Charlie Matz.Compass Bible Church Treasure Valley is located in Meridian, Idaho.For more information about Compass Bible Church go to https://www.compassbible.tv/To follow our daily Bible reading plan and podcast go to https://www.revivalfromthebible.com/

Session 4 on Anticipating the Perfect King at the Compass Men's Retreat on 10/28/23 by Charlie Matz.Compass Bible Church Treasure Valley is located in Meridian, Idaho.For more information about Compass Bible Church go to https://www.compassbible.tv/To follow our daily Bible reading plan and podcast go to https://www.revivalfromthebible.com/

At the end of July, our family visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, with our sons' 12U baseball team. After hearing so often about Cooperstown as a lifelong baseball fan, it was surreal to finally be there onsite, and especially to walk through the famous Plaque Gallery and see the faces of the Hall of Fame inductees.One thing I didn't realize about Cooperstown until this year is how far it is off the beaten trail. It's not in New York City or LA or Orlando or Vegas, where tourists would already be gathered. It's four hours north of Manhattan. You don't just happen to go by the Hall of Fame. You go out of the way, to upstate New York, away from the big city and other distractions, to this small town with a population less than my wife's hometown of Aitkin, Minnesota. So, you get away from normal life, and stand in awe of these larger-than-life figures who did what very few humans can do.Sometimes we hear Hebrews 11 talked about as the “hall of faith” or “faith hall of fame,” but that might give the wrong impression. Hebrews 11 is actually not like the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is not a remote gallery to visit while you forget normal life and gawk at inimitable greats. Rather, Hebrews 11 takes normal humans, who had faith in the true God, and presses their stories into the service of our real lives and struggles. This is no mere record of Israel's history, but Israel's history pressed into the service of helping us persevere in faith.And we live in times where this is particularly needed. We need examples and encouragements to help us endure in faith and keep believing.Amen TimeChapter 11 is the rhetorical climax of Hebrews, the best part of the sermon, the big amen part, leading up the highest point in 12:1–3, where Jesus is the climactic man of faith, and author and perfecter of ours.Along the way, while narrating this “by faith” history of Israel, Hebrews makes four editorial comments (in verses 6, 13–16, 32a, and 38a). By far, the “editorial comment” in verses 13–16 is the longest, and most significant. Verses 13–16 are the heart of our passage this morning and in some ways the heart of the whole chapter. And verses 13–16 deal with three distinct but connected realities: faith, obedience, and being strangers because of it.This chapter leads us not only to ask what these realities are and what they mean, but what they are like. In other words, what's the experience of faith like? What's it like to obey from faith? And what's it like to live as strangers and exiles in this world, seeking another, rather than being at home in this one?So, with this risky, experiential focus, let's ask three “what's it like” questions this morning: (1) What's it like to have saving faith? (2) What's it like to obey from faith? (3) What's it like to live in this world as strangers and exiles, seeking a homeland?1) What's It Like to Have Saving Faith?We start with the first half of verse 13: “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar . . .” Last week we looked at verse 1, which may be the closest thing to a definition of faith in the New Testament. However, the chapter keeps going. Instead of just a definition, and then move on, Hebrews keeps going and shows us faith from one angle after another.In fact, if you were to say, Okay, what does this chapter say about the nature of faith, and what it's like to have it? You will find various angles on this many-splendored reality: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (v. 1) Faith pleases God, walks with him. (v. 5) Faith sees God as a rewarder of those who seek him. (v. 6) Faith looks to his city, not man's. (v. 10) Faith considers him faithful who promised. (v. 11) Faith seeks another homeland, and desires a better country. (v. 14) Faith considers that God is able to raise the dead. (v. 19) But the first part of verse 13 has a particularly important contribution to make: Faith (1) sees God's promises from afar and (2) greets them.Last Sunday we saw this emphasis on faith as “seeing” what is not yet visible. Faith hears the promises of God, and sees them with the soul, or the eyes of the heart. Faith sees spiritually what cannot yet be fully seen, or seen at all, with the physical eyes. There is a kind of distance, for now, bridged by faith.And because this “seeing” is a response to hearing God's promises, faith is tied repeatedly in this chapter to “receiving” (verses 8, 11, 13, 17, and 19). Faith receives. It's a “peculiarly receiving grace” (as Andrew Fuller said). It is not a doing grace or performing grace. It does not merit God's favor. Rather, faith receives God's favor and “sees” his promises that are still, for now, invisible and distant.But faith not only sees from afar. It greets. That is, it welcomes, embraces, even kisses. Faith receives with delight, not with disgust or disinterest. It is not mere assent, but warm embrace. In the language of verse 6, faith looks to the reward. Verse 10, it looks forward to the heavenly city. Verse 16, it desires a better country, the heavenly one. And the whole point of the chapter is that saving faith perseveres. It keeps seeing, keeps greeting, keeps looking forward, keeps desiring, and tasting of the fullness of joy to come.So, then, what's it like to have saving faith? What might we say about the experience of faith? On the one hand, to live according to faith is not to have all the promises yet. Once you have all the promises, you no longer live by faith, but sight. Faith is not yet content with the here and now, as we'll see.But faith also has a foretaste of the goodness of God's promises. Faith hears God's word and sees him as true with the eyes of the soul, and embraces him as desirable. Saving faith is not indifferent to what it sees, or apathetic toward who God is and what he has said and done. Rather, there is in faith an eagerness, a desire, a thirst to drink, a hunger to eat, and a foretaste of satisfaction. As Jonathan said last Sunday, faith says to God, “I want you.” And saving faith perseveres. It keeps wanting. (Which might lead us to ask, practically, How am I conditioning my soul — for indifference to God or delight in him?)So, faith, in verse 13, sees God's promises from afar and greets them, and continues to want them. Which leads to our second “what's it like” question.2) What's It Like to Obey from Faith?We ask this because verses 8–12 and 17–22 tell us about external, observable actions undertaken in faith: Abraham obeyed and went out and lived in a foreign land. Sarah received power to conceive and gave birth. Abraham reached for the knife to sacrifice his beloved son of promise. Isaac and Jacob and Joseph invoked future blessings on their heirs and gave them future directions.So, having some working sense of the experience of faith, what's it like to obey, to act, to live by faith?First, verses 8–9, Abraham's obedience: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.” So, God said to him in Genesis 12:1, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you . . . .” And Abraham obeyed. But (this is very important) God didn't only command obedience; he made promises: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This wasn't just command and obey, but command and promise, leading to trust and obey. So, verse 10 tells us how faith led to obedience. What was it like?Abraham obeyed because (“for”), verse 10, “he was looking forward [that's faith] to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” In other words, God didn't just command it and Abraham obeyed it. God made commands and gave promises, and Abraham looked forward to, that is, believed, God's promises, as the better future, which led him to obey. Still today, when we talk about looking forward to something, we mean something we want, desire, anticipate enjoying.Then, Sarah. Verse 11 – the first part she obeyed, the second part how it happened: “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” Now, this obedience seems very different than her husband's. He goes out and moves and stays. Sarah obeys by welcoming God's work in her womb, and preparing at age 90 to finally have a child, to nurture the child in pregnancy and give birth and nurse and raise the child — all sorts of big and little obediences to bring a child into the world, and do so at age 90.And how did her obedience come from faith? See that word considered in verse 11? We'll see it again in verse 19 (and again next week talking about Moses in verse 26). That idea of “considering” is so important to obeying from faith, and how faith gives rise to obedience. There is a natural course of action — 90-year-old women don't prepare to have babies. But faith considers. It does not simply move, like natural humans, with the patterns of the world. God's promises come, faith receives them, and looks forward to them, and it changes how we live. We move to another place and live in a different way, with our eyes opened to something better. We open our arms to receive a child, or later we open our hands to release our grasp on that child (that's next).So, Sarah heard promises from God, like Abraham, and she too considered God faithful. She believed God would do what he said, and she desired that he do it, that it would be better, and so she acted differently. Faith changed how she lived. Her faith led her to obey.Now, back to Abraham. Verses 17–18 tell us about Abraham's further obedience by faith, and verse 19, how it happened: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, 'Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.‘ 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” So, like Sarah, he considered. Naturally speaking, it made no sense to offer up Isaac. How could offspring come through Isaac if he was dead? Answer: God could raise him. God had promised offspring, and God had said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and . . . offer him . . . as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). So Abraham tells the two young men he brought with them, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5). Abraham would obey God, and he believed that God would provide a rescue, or resurrection, for Isaac.So, again, faith leads to obedience. Faith takes God at his word. Faith considers the truthfulness and faithfulness of God, and his goodness, and that his plan is better, and faith leads us to act differently than we would without it.So, what's it like today to obey from faith? In short, we see something better than the world sees, and we act accordingly. Hearing God's promises, we consider differently than unbelievers. Our minds and hearts do different calculus. We don't float through life, with its givens, like unbelievers do. We don't just see and do. We see, we stop, see with the eyes of faith, and then act. For Christians, the line “everyone else is doing it” is not a good reason to do it, or (don't miss this) not do it, but for us to pause and ask, given my true home and my new desires, what is obedience here?So, faith gives us a foretaste of God's promises, our souls consider the world and life differently, and we obey from the heart.3) What's It Like to Live as Strangers?Now we finish with the rest of verses 13–16. We already saw in verses 9–10 that Abraham “went to live . . . in a foreign land . . . . For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Now we learn more: “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” So, men and women of faith not only see God's promises from afar and welcome them, but they acknowledge, or confess, themselves to be strangers and exiles on earth. Make no mistake, faith makes them strangers. To hear God's promises and embrace them is to be stranger. You are no longer “of the world.” Now, you are different, strange. But Hebrews says these examples of faith also acknowledged it. They confess it. They recognize it and say it.And verse 14 says that people like that, call them Christians, make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. They are not “at home” in this world, and don't expect to be, and don't pretend to be. This age, its patterns, its assumptions are no longer theirs. They are Christians, and by definition, they seek a homeland other than where they were born on earth or where they live for now.In verse 15, Hebrews looks his first audience right in eye, if you can do that in a letter. He puts his finger on the connection between Abraham's story and theirs. Because of social pressure, they are tempted to “go back” to Judaism apart from Jesus. So Hebrews says about these examples of faith, “If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.” But they didn't. They didn't reminisce about the past. They didn't dwell on the comforts of their former life before God spoke and they believed. They didn't constantly consider the old or pine for the other.For them the “return” would have been Judaism. For us, what might it be? Normal modern American life?And to them, and to us, Hebrews says, Don't go back. Don't settle for an earthly homeland when God has prepared a better city. In Christ, the best is ahead, not behind. Don't let nostalgia play tricks on you. God has prepared a better place for you — a New Jerusalem, the better city and country that is come, the heavenly one, “that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (verse 10). We seek a homeland that is not immaterial, but is not of this age and not of this earth (but “of heaven”). We seek the better city, built and inhabited by God himself, that soon will come “down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).So, what's it like to live today as strangers and exiles? Simply, our hearts are not at home in this world. God has lit the flame of faith in our souls, and now we no longer want all our world wants and do all it does. We're not at home with its movies, its shows, what it affirms and denies, its values and priorities and proportions, its distractions and investments of attention, its ways of talking, its dreams, its topics, its ways of using technology. We do not think and feel and live like everyone else, or do we? Being strangers and exiles doesn't only mean that we give Christian takes on all the worlds topics and trends while we just swallow its feeds and add our spin. We find different feeds. We order our lives around God's word and his people, rather than the world's authorities and algorithms. We set the patterns and pace of our souls through meditating on Scripture and rhythms of prayer and meeting together in the habits of church life. Or do we?Now, all the answers and subtle ethical challenges are not easy. We overlap as humans: we eat, we sleep, we love, we nurture, we exercise, we work, we rest. But now it's all different, even while some of it's still very similar.If you ask, How do I live as a stranger and exile in this luxurious, twenty-first-century American life? Wisdom requires walking in tensions, not reaching for easy fixes or simplistic compromise or separation. The answers are often not in the absolutes but the proportions, and in the rhythms of our lives, and how we condition our souls.But what Hebrews 11 makes unmistakable is that the Christian faith is not a layer you add to the old life of unbelief, but it is new life, from the inside out — joy enough to obey and own that we are strangers.Not Ashamed to Be Our GodLet's end with the amazing statement in verse 16. So those who are of saving, persevering faith are not those who return to where they came from, but desire a better country, the heavenly one, verse 16: “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” I can't think of anywhere else in Scripture that talks about God being ashamed or not ashamed. What could Hebrews even mean that God would be ashamed? God never does anything shameful. God could never be put to shame. So what is Hebrews communicating by saying that God is not ashamed to be called our God, if we have such faith?What is the opposite of shame? Honor. So, put it like this: for those who desire the heavenly city, God is honored to be their God. Don't you want that? None of us want to bring shame to one we call our God. And in the end we won't, because if we abandon faith, we show that he was not our God. God will not be shamed.But he will be honored. He will be honored by those who take him at his word, and welcome his promises, embrace his Son, and confess themselves to be strangers on the earth — and desire a better country, a better land, a better city than human hands and constitutions can build. Not only is that desire an aspect of faith, but that desire honors God. He is not honored by indifference or apathy to him and promises. He is honored by souls that seek him, embrace him, welcome him, desire him. He says, in effect, I am honored to be their God because they desire me, not their world and its empty promises. They seek a fatherland, a home, with me, not on earth. They see me and my city from afar, and they are not uninterested or unimpressed, but they greet it, welcome it, embrace it, kiss it. They want me, and that honors me. They enjoy me and that glorifies me. No, I am not ashamed to be their God; I am honored by such hearts of faith. And they will not be disappointed — because I have prepared for them that better city that they desire. And a better Table.To the TableWe come here with such faith. We do not come with indifference or apathy or disinterest. We come here seeking satisfaction. We come desiring God and his city. We come embracing his Son, and cherishing his Isaac-like and Isaac-surpassing sacrifice. In faith, we see the crucified and risen Jesus from afar and greet him. We receive his good news as true, and we receive it as good. We come to eat and drink according to faith and satisfy our souls in him.

Compared to eternity, our grief is only a moment in time. The saddest heart can be assured that “the things that are seen are transient, but things that are unseen are eternal.” Keep scanning your eyes for heaven's horizon because you'll be reunited with loved ones someday soon.