No Continuing City

Hebrews 13 verse 14. for here on Earth we have no continuing City but we seek one to come The Living Translation for this world is not our permanent home we are looking forward to a home yet to come if that's how you feel you've already got it if you struggle with that I'd like to minister today on the theme no continuing City please be seated it's January 2023 last Sunday I I ministered on the theme of time to throw away time to let go of the past time to repent of sins the time to lay aside every weight and the sin that besets us this past Wednesday and last Sunday I referred to the verse I just mentioned but I want you to see it today on the screens Hebrews 12 and 1 and I think we may have a challenge with that Hebrews 12 and 1 wherefore seeing we also are compassed about was so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which thus so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us is this race the writers talking about and what is the Finish Line we're not strolling through life we're on a mission we're in a race we have a destination there's a start called salvation there's a Finish Line called the judgment and Eternity the Bible describes our life as a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away the Bible clearly tells us that we are merely passing through time and we are destined for eternity every one of us in this room everyone watching online every person who's ever breathed the breath or ever will will spend a long eternity and an ending eternity that's what it means either in heaven or in hell you are either running the race of Faith toward the prize of eternal life or you're racing toward an eternity separated from God in an eternal Lake of Fire contrary to the hopes of many and the false teaching the erroneous teaching of others there is no third option in eternity it is heaven the New Jerusalem it is Hell the Lake of Fire the unjust and the filthy will spend eternity in a place that suits their character the righteous and holy people will spend eternity in that Holy City a place that is conducive to what they've become through salvation and a life of becoming like Jesus Christ and however you are at your last breath or the coming of the Lord is how you will be for eternity that is what revelation 22 declares that you'll be righteous still holy still filthy still unjust still that whatever you are when time ends and we inner eternity you will be that forever and ever and ever they're no more changes there's no more repentance there's no time to reconsider what you are when you leave life for eternity is what you will be forever the state of your soul at the coming of the Lord or your last breath will be the state of your soul forever and what you are at the end will be what you are for eternity I know I'm being a little redundant now but but I want you to understand that time to repent is now today is the day of salvation you cannot wait for another moment you're not promised another breath or day or chance another week or another new year amen no wonder the writer of Hebrews would have warned us would admonish us to lay aside every weight this is a race and if you're carrying things that encumber you if you're carrying stuff in your life that is not blatantly sin but you know it is unhealthy for you spiritually you know it is slowing you down the Bible would tell you to lay it aside and if there's sin in your life lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us and let us run which amen with faith the race that is set before us whatever will disqualify you from Heaven is not worth it you cannot take that to hell you cannot take it to Heaven you will leave it behind here on Earth so give it up now lay it aside now so you can enjoy heaven and you can avoid hell it's time to throw away it's time to consecrate ourselves afresh and then as the writer of Hebrews said in the next verse looking unto Jesus the author of the originator and the finisher of our faith it's time for us to fix our Gaze on that which is eternal and avoid that which will disqualify us in our Pursuit Of Heaven this verse has captured my mind for the last really several weeks the theme of this Hebrews 13 14 for here we have no continuing City but we who are saved we seek one to come now the Bible uses some terminology to describe life on Earth Believers are called pilgrims strangers passing through a foreign land our citizenship is in heaven and here on Earth the Bible is very clear that we have no permanent home no continuing City now if our view of Christianity takes away the understanding of Heaven and Hell then we start asking questions about being in the church and serving God that are somewhat like this what will serving God do for my marriage well being in church helped me raise my kids will it help me succeed in my career will it helped me overcome personal problems will it helped me feel more fulfilled in my life and the answer to all of those questions is yes God will bless you God will help you God will guide you God will provide for you the Bible has help in everything I just named but all of those are for time that with the goal of getting our kids getting our family to heaven and help them not go to hell everything that Jesus does for us in time is to prepare us for that long eternity amen Heaven is not just thrown in as a nice benefit at the end of the ride it is the ultimate goal it is the purpose of our lives and here we have no continuing City it's a natural to want to enjoy the here and now and God created a beautiful world Fallen though it is there are many benefits that accompany salvation and God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness and we don't view death as the Gateway to get out of this that we're living for we're living for this now but eternity in heaven is the longing of the Soul it's everything we live for and that's why we view ourselves as pilgrims and foreigners in this life strangers and transients on this Earth so let me give you the biblical view of this whole idea in the beginning when God created man and woman created them in His image in Genesis 1 he told them to be fruitful and multiply into replenish the earth I want you to populate the Earth to spread over the Earth and as you read through the early chapters of Genesis even to Genesis chapter 10 you find migrations of families to cities and area they're spreading out moving to new places on the Earth but a particular group of people came to an area called shinar and they liked it there they decided that they would put down deep roots there and they would populate that area alone no more traveling no more moving we're going to park ourselves right here when you read their story you can find that their their efforts were motivated by Pride maybe a little bit by fear but they said in one speech and one language as the world was at that time why don't we build ourselves a city and a tower it's going to reach up to heaven much like a pyramid or a ziggurat it's going to be a place of worship we're going to build this city and and then we're going to make us a name and here's this phrase lest we be scattered now God said go but they said stay Their Fear or their desire was to not be scattered upon the face of the whole earth the result of this ambition was the Tower of Babel the city of Babel and God was not pleased while they're building God checks out this effort and he said there have one speech one tongue nothing they're wanting to do is going to be withheld from them they're going to accomplish this because of their Unity so God came down and he confused their languages so in an instant of time they can no longer communicate with one another as a result this vast building project ceased they were scattered across the Earth they can no more build and the Bible said through this confusion of languages Genesis 11 9 that the Lord disc scattered them abroad upon the face of the earth now there's nothing wrong with having a home and living in a city but what God is against is US putting Roots so deep that we lose sight of Eternity that we live for now and forget the by and by that God has called us to and so he gives us some patterns in the Bible starting with what I've just said Abraham is the father of the Jewish people he's the father of the people of Faith throughout every generation God calls Abram at that time before his name is changed to Abraham he calls Abram out of this beautiful large sophisticated city of UR of the chaldees and he tells Abraham I'm going to make you a great nation I'm going to bless you and I'm going to make you a blessing and he says it to Abraham All Families of the Earth are going to be blessed he leaves the stability of a city and he trades in a house for a tent and Abraham is on the move for Generations Abraham and his son Isaac and his son Jacob are semi-nomadic people they didn't own a lot of personal property as in lands and houses they lived in tents their wealth was in livestock maybe some cash joules and gold and servants but it was not in real estate they are on the Move lot Abraham's nephew decides that's not to lie for him he moves into the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to very Wicked cities it goes up in smoke it ends as a very salty experience with lot and his wife and daughters and Sodom and Gomorrah but Abraham is on the move he is a transient he is a semi-nomadic person who lives in tents and is looking for something better than canaanland the Bible tells us about him in Hebrews 11 8. by faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place where she would receive as an inheritance and he went out not knowing where he was going this is the life of Faith now I know you want to have every thing figured out you want every detail of your life mapped out in advance revealed to you that's how I would like to live I want to know all the details in my personality but Abraham leaves security for what would be human insecurity he leaves what is known for a future that is unknown he simply obeying the word of God verse 9 of Hebrews 11 by faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country this is what God promised him but he's there like he doesn't really belong there and he's dwelling intense with Isaac and Jacob heirs with him of the same promise now what does Abraham him have his gazed fixed on is it a beautiful home in Canaan land it was more than that Hebrews 11 10 tells us what Abraham was looking for for he looked for a city which had Foundation his Builder and maker is God the city that Abraham is looking for is a city with foundations now if you lived your life in a tent that would sound mighty good no more hard ground a city with foundations that is notable but the city that Abraham is looking for the Bible doesn't say it has a foundation it said it has foundations and the foundations of the New Jerusalem are not one or two but they are twelve Abraham from way back then thousands of years ago understood that life on Earth is temporary here we have no continuing City but there is one that is coming that has foundations whose Builder and maker is God that's what Abraham had his eyes on he knew that here there is no continuing City Hebrews 11 is that amazing chapter of The Heroes of Faith Hebrews 11 13 tells us in a summary fashion about all these Old Testament Heroes of Faith these all died in faith Hebrews 11 13. not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them and embrace them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth strangers means foreigners here we are on planet Earth feeling like we don't really belong here a pilgrim someone traveling in foreign countries for they that say such things verse 14 declare plainly that they seek a country they're looking for something else and truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out they might have had opportunity to have return here's what I know if you look back you go back if you try to go back into your life and just look back you're going to be pulled to your past but these men and women of faith in your Bible they're looking for something in the future and they've decided that what they've Left Behind does not compare to where they're going amen in verse 16 for now they desire a better country Heaven is not just another place it's a better place that is a Heavenly wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared for them a city we are transients on this Earth there is no continuing City there's nothing really permanent here now the Bible reinforces this idea David said it in first Chronicles 29 15 for we are strangers before thee and sojourners as were all our fathers our days on the Earth are as a shadow and there is none abiding in the Psalms Psalm 39 and 12 hear my prayer O Lord and give ear unto My Cry Oh not thy peace and that my tears for I am a stranger with thee and a Sojourner as all my fathers were in Psalm 119 twice the psalmist says that I am a stranger on the earth I'm living this life in the house of my pilgrimage in the New Testament Jesus looked in his disciples and said that they are not of this world even as I am not of this world if Philippians the apostle Paul said that our citizenship the King James says conversation our citizenship is in heaven from which we also look for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ now I know you may have citizenship in the United States of America and wonderful if you do you might be natural born like me but the Bible says we have now made ourselves a citizenship in heaven our new birth experience of turning from our sins to repentance being baptized in Jesus name being filled with the Holy Ghost we now have a new name and A New Hope and a new Eternal destination we have a new citizenship we belong to that Eternal city that has foundations whose Builder whose architect is God amen the Apostle Paul said if in this life only we who are saved have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable the most miserable people in the world are people who have lost sight of Heaven Believers that think that it is all for now and forget that time will pass away and Eternity will go on and on forever I grew up in church singing songs out of the songbook and I remember many songs as I prepared for this message but one this rather obscure oh Lord you know I have no friend like you if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do if I'm just living for time if I'm just living for now if everything ends at my last breath then I am of all men most miserable but God has given us a hope and an assurance and I know that here there is no continuing City but there is the city that we're headed to there will be no night there there will be no end there Jesus will be there amen it's the only permanent thing amen you know the Bible says that when you receive the Holy Spirit the Holy Ghost but it is the earnest of your inheritance if you ever bought a home you probably had to plunk down some earnest money it's like a down payment it's an assurance that you're gonna come through on the whole deal you can lose that if you back out right when you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost God gave you a down payment to let you know that he's going to pay in full in eternity now the Bible says that the Holy Ghost is joy unspeakable and full of glory and sometimes we're raised up to sit together in Heavenly places but in your best day in the spirit of God it is nothing but a taste of the world to come it is simply a down payment of what God has promised for you provided for you amen there is a heaven to gain there's a hell to shun and in this world there is no continuing City [Music] amen Apostle Peter appealed to that early generation of Christians to consider themselves as pilgrims and strangers First Peter 1 17 he tells them to pass the time of your sojourning here in reverence or in fear the King James says one motivation for holy living is to know that you're a stranger in a pilgrim and you should abstain from fleshly lust that war against your soul why would you say no to Temptation if it doesn't matter why would you say no to lust if it doesn't matter if there is no Heaven if there is no hell but he told them to be motivated to do right for what is to come that on Earth there is no continuing City but in heaven it will go on and on forever the Apostle Peter and that same passage told them to live on his lives among ungodly people he told them to obey the laws of the land he taught them to obey those in spiritual authority over them he taught them to not use your freedom as a cover-up to do whatever you want to do never forget that whatever God gave you now is a down payment on the permanence of Heaven and the second book of Peter II Peter he talks about people he lost sight of Heaven said in the last days that's our days that scoffers will come mockers ridiculers and they're going to say where is the promise of his coming says the fathers fell asleep for thousands of years all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation in other words they're going to say nothing's ever changed nothing will ever change one generation will pass away another will take its place but it all ends in the grave the Earth is nothing but a spinning Mausoleum we live and die in art no more that's what they thought that's what they said but the Apostle Peter said that they're willingly ignorant they're forgetting the facts that the old world that was disobedient and violent and away from God that world was destroyed by a worldwide flood and the Apostle Peter says that this Earth that was destroyed by water then has a reservation for a future judgment when everything that you can see and touch and everything that is now will be destroyed by fire in the Judgment of God in other words here it is not permanent this will be dissolved it will be burned up and the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with the fervent heat the earth and the works of it will be burned up and then he kind of looks at them I could see him pointing his finger at them as he if he could he's writing you know insane listen to me seeing that all these things are going to be dissolved everything that you can touch and see and feel all of it is going to pass away what kind of person what manner of person should you be in a holy conversation and godliness and then he tells him looking for and hurrying Hasting into the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat he reminds him and I want you to see this on the screen II Peter 3 13. nevertheless we we who are saved we who have this hope according to his promise look for new heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness wherefore beloved thing that you look for such things be diligent that you be found of him in peace without spot and blameless in other words with this understanding that on Earth nothing is permanent and that down here there is no continuing City at the beginning of 2023 we should continue to examine ourselves and decide whether we're living for now or then whether we belong to ourselves or we belong to Jesus Christ and do we know that our goal is to be saved and to go to heaven my mission today my mission is to remind you that heaven is our home and that here on Earth there is no continuing City the writer of Hebrews unnamed he makes the case in previous chapters to 13 the chapter we're reading from today in our text I spoke about that in Hebrews 11. he talks about the hearers of Faith pilgrims sojourners they're they're looking for a city they confess that their pilgrims and strangers on the Earth they don't look back they desire a Heavenly country they're looking up they're looking there and then in verse 13 verse 14 our text again for here we have no continuing City but we seek one to come this is the heritage of the people of God where here but our hearts are in heaven our citizenship is in heaven we are laying up Treasures in Heaven by the way we live our lives our time our talent our treasure is being invested there where it will never depreciate never go away only accumulate that's the heritage of the people of God that there is nothing permanent on Earth that we should live for the permanence of Heaven I grew up in a really stable home my mom was proudly born and raised in Metro Miami Florida and she would like to talk about it she was very proud that she had never moved away mom and dad were married 66 years and a day when dad passed away my mom lived in the same home after they were married before I was born they bought that home she lived in that home over 67 years until because of her health we had to to sell her home she spent her final year and a half or so living with her kids because she wasn't healthy enough to live at home but my mom loved her little home she loved her City she loved her stability she was very proud that her four kids were raised there but as I reflected on this message and on my mom's hankering her desire for stability I thought about this home on this Earth there is no continuing City when her kids grew up we all moved away you know that's the what happened to my mom and and life changed her neighbor had changed her City changed the circumstances all around her change while she proudly flew the American flag in her front yard she was surrounded by wonderful neighbors who were of Cuban descent who took care of her who loved her very much but she could not talk to them because they did not speak English and she would not speak Spanish wouldn't try proudly an American in my lifetime I've lived in four cities I grew up in Miami and when I was 20 I went to Bible College 19 almost 20 and we lived in Jackson Mississippi until I was 33 and moved to St Louis and I lived there until I was 40 and moved to Atlanta at just under 40 right at 40 and we've been here over 27 and a half years and my wife and I and our family we've emptied Our Lives working for God serving our church we love Atlanta West Pentecostal church we have a wonderful church family on Earth this is where we poured our treasure this is where our heart is we've been blessed by a loving family and wonderful friendships incredible team members in Ministry we're content with who we are what we have and what God's done in our lives but with all that said in the past 27 years here we have changed the city changes people changes and you have to say that nothing I do here no roots I put down are permanent for here there is no continuing City if you put your foot in the River of Life and pull it back when you step back in it will not be the same you can be nostalgic and go back home I remember going back home when I was in Bible College and I would think to myself I feel like I'm a little different like it's not the same and that's the way life is you can go back but back will not be the same the city will change the people will change you will change life will change I'm not saying that you'll be miserable and I'm not saying to go back home I'm just telling you that God put eternity in our hearts he created us for a holy city and on this Earth no matter how much you try there is nothing permanent there is no can continuing City [Applause] and preach about that god-sized hole in all of our hearts we were created for relationship with God and I believe that we are homesick for the presence of the Lord before we're saved we desire something we've never felt or had and when we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost there is a longing for the presence of God I don't typically look around but today I did see some blank stares I did see some disconnected people and I want to tell you that you're miserable because you're living for Earth and you're not living for heaven you're not living and walking in the spirit no wonder you're miserable no wonder you're miserable you were created for a relationship with Jesus Christ you are created to walk with him to live in him to have the power of His Spirit living in your life you're never going to be happy carnal you're never gonna be happy not spiritual and I'll go another step further you'll never be happy not pursuing what God has called you to do with your life fulfillment is found in fruitfulness and when you find the will of God and do the will of God there is joy in the journey [Applause] but no matter what no matter how rich life is in in relationships and blessing and fulfillment of ministry there are times that even the most spiritual person and probably the most spiritual person has a longing some would call it that hankery it's not a desire for salvation but it's the desire to go to a home we've never been Those Old Testament Saints without the Holy Spirit living by faith and obeying what God had taught them they were looking for a city they were Hunger for hungry for a home they were reaching for a heaven that they had seen didn't know what we know about heaven but inside of him the deepest longing of the heart is for a relationship with Jesus Christ and the heaven that will house him forever in the presence of the Lord that is what we should be living for so that is what we will die for songwriters and Poets and poems have spoke about this desire for heaven I I've never been this homesick before I'm kind of homesick for a country to which I've never been before no sad goodbyes will there be spoken for time won't matter anymore why do writers write about being homesick for heaven when you've never been there but you're a citizen of that City your heart belongs there your holy life was designed to be lived for eternity there that's why we're grieved at the sin and violence of our world that's why at times we're just a little bit miserable Paul wrote about this in Romans 8 that we ourselves groan within ourselves we're waiting for Redemption for the adoption of our bodies when this Mortal puts on immortality and this corruptable flesh puts on incorruption the Bible said did shall be brought to pass the saying which is written death is swallowing up in Victory that's where we're going that's what we live for and here and here there is no continuing City the writer of Hebrews was not playing on the emotions of those who would read his book throughout the generations wasn't making you an emotional appeal to us like pinning a poem that would make us think about heaven he's writing to you Hebrew and Gentile Christians but it's the book of Hebrews Hebrew Christians and he knew that they knew that their entire heritage was one of movement Abraham and er traveling Abraham Isaac Jacob intense Jacob's family in Egypt for 130 years and then out and wandering for 40 years and go to the promised land of Canaan and live disobediently there and evicted from that land placed in Exile in Babylon for 70 years and over time until modern times that Jesus dispersed all over the world scattered abroad Acts chapter 2 tells us about dwelling in Jerusalem Jews devout men out of every nation under Heaven coming back for that Pentecostal feast day the Apostle Peter addressed his book to strangers scattered throughout various regions of the world but the timing and the wording of Hebrews 13 14 this verse was kind of ominous to those who knew no matter how settled they were their world was about to be turned upside down the book of Hebrews was written probably between 63 and 65 A.D the city that the Jews considered to be their Homeland their Holy City would soon be no more Jesus prophesied about it he said the days are going to come her enemies are going to cast a trench about you they're going to capacity around and keep the in on every side a Siege on the city of Jerusalem is what Jesus prophesied and shall lay thee even with the ground and thy children within thee and shall not leave in thee one stone upon another because thou knew it's not the day of thy visitation history is very clear somewhere along 66 A.D Jewish Revolt Roman attacks it's a long story but in 70 A.D after four or so years of fighting the Roman general Titus at the bidding of his father LED armies to completely destroy the city of Jerusalem and historical account I read said that Titus wanted to save the temple but his soldiers were so angry at the Jews for their resistance they had killed thousands of Roman soldiers that they burned the temple and the temple the shrine was completely destroyed where were the Jewish Christians where were the Gentile Christians most of them had already fled Jerusalem by persecution most of them were dispersed throughout the world they they were no longer there and so when the writer of Hebrews spoke to he prayed Hebrew Christians he wanted them to understand that there is nothing permanent not even this holy city and you're holding on to something that you love but what you love that is temporary is going to be destroyed so you need to understand it here there is no continuing city that you need to seek the one to come and that is the mission of my message today to get us to set our hearts on heaven to think about what God has promised us we want a peaceful life we pray for the Bible says we should as a father and grandfather and pastor I desire things to go well for us I would love for things in America in our city to go well I'm not prophesying that it will not be that way I'm only telling you what the Bible says today that don't put all your stock in Here and Now but put your greatest treasure in the world to come don't live for now this world is passing away and you will pass away and only what you invest there will last and only if you're saved here will you be able to go there