The Last Chapter

Well, this morning we're bringing this series that we've been doing on Abraham to a close.

And it's been quite the journey to look at Abraham's life and to see all that he has been through.

And as we've gone through his story, we've seen that this is about so much more than just Abraham.

This is really God's story.

This is the story of our world.

This is the story of how God is going to fix the big problem with our world.

The story began with the big events that really have shaped our world, with God's creating the world, with the rebellion of humanity against God, the fall of man, with the flood, with the confusion of languages at Babel.

And in all of this, we see a good world that became broken because of sin.

We see how humanity, despite even a fresh start, having a fresh start at a couple points, is spiraling downward, away from God.

What is God going to do to fix this?

And we see a good start at a couple points, with the flood, with the flood, with the flood, with the flood.

And we've seen that the start of his plan, of his solution, involves this guy named Abraham in Ur of the Chaldeans.

God, seemingly out of nowhere, speaks to him.

He, with his family, they worshipped other so-called gods over there in Ur.

And one day, God simply revealed himself to Abraham and called him to leave his homeland and to make the journey to the land that he would show him.

And at that time, God made some amazing promises to him, promises to bless him, promises to protect him, and the big promise to bless all the families of the earth through him.

Abraham, by faith, obeyed, and he went to the land that he would later receive as his inheritance.

When he entered Canaan, we saw how God, very, very, very soon after he entered, gave him this promise,

To your offspring, I will give this land.

And as Abraham began to settle and live in the land of Canaan, we saw very quickly that Abraham is a man just like us.

He blew it.

He sinned, just like us.

He wrestled with unbelief and doubt, just like we do.

He tried to take situations into his own hand and deal with it, rather than trusting God's promises at different points, just like we do.

And yet in the midst of all of that, we watched as God was gracious to him and blessed him again and again and again.

And Abraham plundered kings.

His household grew.

His possessions grew.

He, in one sense, came to this moment where he has all of this stuff.

He's got servants.

He's got livestock.

Everything's going well.

Except for one thing.

He has no children.

Sarah has been barren.

And as long as they've been married, she's been unable to conceive.

And so he's got all of this.

But who will it go to when he dies?

No son.

We watched as Abraham wrestled with this.

And God made a covenant with him.

He made promises to him.

Your offspring will be as beyond numbering as the stars in the sky.

And we saw how Abraham in that moment believed God.

And on account of his faith, God gave to him or treated him as righteous, though he was a sinner.

Finally, this whole thing about the son and the offspring.

This was really the key issue in Abraham and Sarah's lives.

God's made all of this.

God's made all of these promises.

But almost all of them are connected to this.

Having a child.

Having a son.

How can all of this come true without that?

We watched as Abraham and Sarah tried to help God out and did the surrogate motherhood thing.

Heartache and division came into the family.

He got a son, Ishmael.

And then we watched as 13 years later, God said, no, it's not going to be Ishmael.

Sarah is going to bear a son, Isaac.

And he will be the one to whom this covenant and all these promises will be kept.

We watched as God reaffirmed his covenant again and again.

And finally, as this child of promise was born in Abraham and Sarah's old age.

A miracle child.

A gift of God.

And then we watched as well as it came to the moment of ultimate testing for Abraham

when God asked him to sacrifice this son.

And he passed the test.

He was willing.

And God did not have him go through with it at the end.

And in all of this, we've seen how Abraham has been learning little by little to trust the Lord.

And a little more and a little more.

To take God at his word.

And to live according to those promises.

And we've watched at the same time as Abraham is growing in his faith and trust.

God seems to be promising more and more.

And the promises of what God will do for Abraham and his offspring are growing.

Finally, we come today to the last chapter of Abraham's story.

If you have your Bible with you, please open it to Genesis chapter 23.

Genesis 23 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 23.

Genesis 23 · chapter mention

And we're going to read this whole chapter.

Genesis chapter 23.

Genesis 23 · chapter mention

Sarah lived to be 127 years old.

She died at Kiriath Arba, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.

And Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.

He said,

I am a foreigner and stranger among you.

Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.

The Hittites replied to Abraham,

Sir, listen to us.

You are a mighty prince among us.

Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs.

None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.

Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.

He said to them,

If you are willing to let me bury my dead,

then listen to me and intercede with Ephron, son of Zohar, on my behalf.

So he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him

and is at the end of his field.

Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.

Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people

and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites

who had come to the gate of his city.

No, my lord, he said,

Listen to me.

I give you the field

and I give you the cave that is in it.

I give it to you in the presence of my people.

Bury your dead.

Again, Abraham bowed down before the people of the land

and he said to Ephron in their hearing,

Listen to me, if you will.

I will pay the price of the field.

Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.

Ephron answered Abraham,

Listen to me, my lord.

The land is worth 400 shekels of silver.

But what is that between you and me?

Bury your dead.

Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms

and weighed out for him the price he had named

in the hearing of the Hittites,

400 shekels of silver,

according to the weight current among the merchants.

So Ephron's field in Machpelah near Mamre,

both the field and the cave in it

and all the trees within the borders of the field

was deeded to Abraham as his property

in the presence of all the Hittites

who had come to the gate of the city.

Afterward, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave

in the field of Machpelah near Mamre

in the land of Canaan.

So the field and the cave in it

were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites

as a burial site.

After this, it talks about Isaac and Rebekah

and Abraham finding a wife for Isaac.

We're going to skip over that

and go to chapter 25

and read there starting in verse 7.

Abraham lived 175 years.

Then Abraham breathed his last

and died at a good old age,

an old man and full of years.

And he was gathered to his people.

His sons Isaac and Ishmael

buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre

in the field of Ephron,

son of Zohar the Hittite,

the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.

There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.

And the story goes on to focus on Isaac after this.

This is the last chapter in Genesis of Abraham's life.

And even as we see at the end,

there's a lot here that really speaks

about what the Lord is doing in this situation.

It all starts with Sarah's death back in chapter 23.

And it's quite telling what Abraham says

when his wife passes away.

He speaks to the Hittites

and in verse 4 of chapter 23,

he says,

I'm a foreigner and stranger among you.

Sell me some property

so that I can bury my wife.

It says a lot about Abraham

and where things have come to

until now in the story.

I mean, by this point,

we're kind of expecting that Abraham

will have already bought a lot of land.

And yet up until this point,

he doesn't actually own any of it yet.

And he freely admits,

I'm still a stranger.

I'm still a foreigner among you.

Sell me a piece of land

so I can bury my dead.

And the response of the Hittites

is wonderful.

They are the people

who would consider it their native land

or their homeland.

And in here,

we see the blessing of God

on Abraham's life again.

They respond very favorably.

You're a mighty prince among us.

Take your pick.

Take your pick of the choicest of tombs

and bury her there.

None of us will refuse you.

So Abraham takes his pick.

The field of Ephron, the Hittite.

That's the one that I would like.

I'll pay the full price.

And again, we see the favor

that God has upon Abraham

that he's given him

in the eyes of the Hittites.

They're ready to just give the land to him.

Three times Ephron says it.

I give you the field.

I give you the cave in it.

I give it to you.

Take it.

Bury your dead.

Even after Abraham offers again to pay

400 shekels of silver.

What's that between you and me?

Just take the field.

Again, we see God blessing Abraham.

He's given him favor

in the eyes of the people

that this land really belongs to.

So Ephron's field

is given to Abraham.

So he buys it.

And he gets his first piece of property

that he owns in the promised land

towards the end of his life here.

Three times the author makes it clear

it was deeded to him as his property.

And right about now

if we've been really following closely this story

we're thinking, yes!

Finally!

This promise about the land is coming true.

That's what the Lord said.

I give this land to you

and now Abraham has his name

on some of it.

But it's at this point

that we start to realize and consider

that Abraham is near the end of his life.

In fact, not long after this

he dies.

And when he does

we start to look back over this story

and wonder

just how has God kept his promises?

He's made some big promises.

How has he kept them to Abraham?

Abraham.

One of the first things God said

was that he would bless Abraham.

He certainly has kept that.

Abraham's household has grown.

His servants have increased in number.

His animals.

His material possessions.

His wealth.

Lots.

He's plundered kings at different times.

God has blessed him in that way.

We read about how God credited righteousness to him.

Not a physical blessing

but a spiritual blessing.

God is dealing with him favorably

even though he doesn't deserve it.

Yes, God has kept this promise.

He has blessed Abraham the whole way along

and we see that clearly.

God promised also to protect Abraham.

He said,

I will bless those who bless you

and I will curse those who curse you.

And God has done that too.

We saw that when Abraham went down to Egypt

and Sarah was taken.

We saw that when King Abimelech took Sarah.

In both situations,

God came to Abraham and Sarah's defense

and turned the situation around.

We saw that when Abraham went to rescue Lot,

he ended up going into battle.

God, as he had promised,

was Abraham's shield

and protected him

throughout his whole life.

God promised to make Abraham's name great.

Has he done that?

Well, it certainly seems as though he has.

I mean,

Pharaoh had to give his wife back

and give all this stuff to him.

Some of the kings of the land

revered him and respected him.

The king of Sodom and Gomorrah

who he rescued and bailed out

of the situation that they were in.

Yes, God has increased him in fame

and made him well known

and revered and respected in the land.

And we see that again here with the Hittites.

God promised that Abraham

would be a blessing to others.

And if the attitude and treatment

of the Hittites is evidenced,

then we see that he has done that as well.

He was a blessing to Lot

who he went and rescued

from the hands of those kings

that came to attack Sodom and Gomorrah.

And then there was the promise of a son

through Sarah,

which God absolutely kept.

And he didn't just,

this wasn't a small thing.

This was a miracle child

born in old age

and kept at the exact time

that God said he would.

All of these promises

were kept.

But what of the other promises?

God promised that he would make Abraham

into a great nation.

Not yet.

Not something that we could say

is true yet.

At this point,

Abraham has Isaac.

That's it.

He's,

this is a promise

that isn't fulfilled yet.

There's still more to come.

And it's dependent on Isaac.

He promised that Abraham's offspring

would be beyond numbering,

like the stars in the sky,

like the sand on the seashore.

Another,

not yet.

It's just Isaac.

It's pretty easy to number.

He's married,

but they don't have any kids yet

at the time that Abraham dies.

There's the big promise.

All families or nations on the earth

will be blessed through you.

Not even,

not even a hint

of how that's going to happen.

I mean,

that's quite the thing to say

to Abraham,

the guy who at the time

was married to a barren woman

and was living in a foreign land.

All the families of the earth.

How was that going to happen?

We don't know yet.

Abraham didn't know yet.

God promised that he would be

the father of many nations

or a multitude of nations.

Again,

not yet.

Not something that,

that has happened yet.

And all of these promises,

they,

they really seem to pertain to

Abraham's offspring,

to Isaac.

And so,

there is,

there is still much to

anticipate

or look forward to

from Abraham's perspective

if God is to

be faithful

and keep his promise.

And then finally,

there's the promise

of the land.

The promise

of the land.

This one seems

pretty obvious.

Has God

kept this promise?

Well,

it remains to be seen.

I mean,

the land is supposed

to be an everlasting

possession for,

for Abraham

and his offspring.

They're in it right now.

But if we're honest,

all they've got

is this little

burial plot.

That's a start.

That's something.

But it's

not even close

to the whole

of what was promised.

When Abraham

initially arrived

in the land,

this is what

God said,

to your offspring

I will give this land.

And so in one sense,

yeah,

this remains

to be seen.

How will God

do this?

But then in all,

most of the other times

that God speaks

of this promise,

this is what he says

in Genesis 13,

Genesis 13:15

verse 15.

All the land

that you see,

talking to Abraham,

I will give to you

and your offspring

forever.

Verse 17

of the same chapter,

walk through the length

and breadth of the land

for I am giving it

to you.

Referring to Abraham.

Again,

in chapter 15,

verse 7,

I am the Lord

who brought you

out of Ur

of the Chaldeans

to give you,

referring to Abraham,

this land,

to take possession

of it.

And again,

in chapter 17,

verse 8,

the whole land

of Canaan

where you now reside

as a foreigner,

I will give

as an everlasting

possession

to you,

Abraham,

and your descendants

after you.

So you've got to

wonder,

Abraham has got

to be wondering,

to me

or just

to my descendants?

How does this

work here?

In fact,

we know he was

thinking about it

because he says

that he was.

He asks the Lord

about this

in chapter 15,

verse 8.

This was the time

when God made

a covenant

with Abraham.

Abraham.

He said,

Sovereign Lord,

how can I know

that I will

gain possession

of it?

I mean,

think about this.

I'm going to

give this land

to you.

And he looks

around and he

sees this land

is occupied.

It's full of

people.

And they've been

here for a long

time.

They've got

fortified cities.

There's kings

in this land.

They have armies,

militia.

How is God

going to do

this to me?

What does the

Lord say in

response?

Well, he says,

let's make a

covenant.

There's your

proof.

There's your

guarantee that

it will happen.

And then the

Lord gives this

word in the

midst of this

covenant ceremony,

which we read

earlier, but I'll

read it again.

He says,

Know for certain

that for 400

years your

descendants will

be strangers

in a country

not their own

and that they

will be enslaved

and mistreated

there.

But I will

punish the

nation they

serve as

slaves and

afterward they

will come out

with great

possessions.

You, however,

will go to

your ancestors

in peace and

be buried at

a good old

age.

In the fourth

generation,

your descendants

will come back

here for the

sin of the

Amorites has

not yet reached

its full

measure.

And we

imagine that

Abraham is

probably wondering,

so what is

it?

Am I going to

possess this

land myself?

It doesn't seem

like it from this.

It seems that it's

going to be my

descendants that

will possess it

and not for quite

a while.

400 years.

The Amorites are

going to stay in

the land until

their sins pile up

to the measure

and it'll be

400 years.

But Lord, you

said to me, you

would give this

land.

Did you only

really mean to

my descendants, to

my offspring?

Are they going to

kind of receive it

on my behalf?

Did God keep this

promise?

it seems like he

started to by the

end.

He's got this

field now, this

burial plot.

But is that it?

We're kind of

left to wonder, did

God fail to keep

this promise to

Abraham?

It's at this

point that we're

going to flip to

the New Testament,

book of Hebrews,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11.

Thankfully, we're

not left to just

try to figure

this out for

ourselves.

We actually have

inspired commentary

that points back

and helps us see a

little bit of what's

going on here.

Hebrews, chapter

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

11.

The author of

Hebrews is

writing to Jewish

believers to

encourage them

in their faith.

And he's giving

examples of people

who have

demonstrated faith.

And Abraham is

one of them.

And it's here that

we learn some

things about

Abraham and what

we're meant to

really take from

Abraham and his

life.

Verse 8.

By faith, Abraham,

when called to go to

a place he would

later receive as his

inheritance,

obeyed and went,

even though he did

not know where he

was going.

that's interesting.

You hear those

words?

A place he would

later receive as his

inheritance.

Was that a mistake?

You mean he didn't

receive it?

He died.

He got the burial

plot.

What do you mean a

place he would later

receive as his

inheritance?

Let's keep going.

Verse 9.

By faith, Abraham

made his home in

the promised land

like a stranger in

a foreign country.

He lived in tents

as did Isaac and

Jacob who were

heirs with him of

the same promise.

For he was looking

forward to the city

with foundations

whose architect and

builder is God.

the author of

Hebrews is putting

the emphasis here

on faith.

That's what he

wants us to see

of Abraham.

His faith.

By faith, he did

this.

And what did he do?

He made his home

in the promised

land.

Literally, he lived

among the people

of the promised

land and he did

it as a stranger

in a foreign

country.

He lived in

tents.

But he was

looking forward

to the city

with foundations

whose architect

and builder

is God.

What is the

author of Hebrews

saying here?

He seems to be

contrasting the

whole tents

and foreigner

with city.

And if you think

about it, it

makes sense.

A tent is

a temporary

thing.

It's not a

permanent

dwelling.

I mean, Abraham,

this is not a

perfect analogy,

but Abraham is

like a guy who

brought his camper

into the Davidson

campground and has

been living there

for half a

lifetime.

There's a sense

of this is

temporary.

This is not a

permanent kind

of dwelling.

thing.

Why did Abraham

pitch his tent

in this country

in which he was a

foreigner and a

stranger?

That's the author

of Hebrews point

by faith because he

believed the promise

of God, which was I

will give this land to

you and to your

offspring.

God said it.

I believe it.

And so I'm going to

pitch my tent here.

It's not comfortable

to be a foreigner,

a stranger, to be the

one that doesn't speak

the native tongue, all

that's involved with

that, to be the guy who

worships Yahweh and not

Baal and these other

gods who stands out like

a sore thumb.

But he pitched his tent

there because God gave

him that promise and

he believed it that

one day this will be

my everlasting

possession, this land.

The author of Hebrews

says he was looking

forward to the city

who's a city with

foundations, whose

architect and builder

is God.

And I think what we're

meant to take from

that is that Abraham

was in faith.

He heard the promise

of God and he looked

at the land around

him and thought,

look at all those

cities.

One day I'm going to

live in the city.

I'm going to be the

one who has the

permanent dwelling

situation here.

This will be my

homeland and the

homeland of my

descendants.

But how is this

going to happen?

These cities are

already occupied by

other people.

I think it was very

clear to Abraham that

this was not something

he could just bring

about for himself.

No, if he was to

live in a city, a

permanent established

dwelling place in this

good land, it would be

God who would have to

bring that about.

That's what I think is

meant when he says he

was looking forward to

the city with foundations

whose architect and

builder is God.

He was looking for God

to do it.

He couldn't do that for

himself.

The author of Hebrews

continues on in verse

13.

After talking about

Abraham and Sarah and

the son, the

offspring, he comes

down in verse 13.

He says, all these

people were still

living by faith when

they died.

All these people

refers to Abraham,

Isaac, and Jacob, who

he mentioned in verse

nine, and perhaps more,

but at the very least

those ones, they were

still living by faith

when they died.

Right up to the day

that Abraham died, he

was trusting that the

Lord would do the very

things that he had

promised.

And here's the amazing

statement which follows.

They did not receive

the things promised.

You hear that?

Abraham did not receive

the things promised.

Well, we looked at the

promises and we saw

that some of the things

he already did receive.

And so he's not

talking about that.

He's talking about the

things that he didn't.

And in this context,

he's talking very

specifically about the

land.

Back up in verse

eight, a place that he

would later receive as

his inheritance.

There's been all this

reference to him as a

stranger in the

promised land, living

in a tent rather than

in a city, a permanent

dwelling.

He did not receive the

land.

And that's what we saw

as we looked at

Genesis.

I'm going to give you

this land, Abraham.

Did he receive it?

Abraham.

The author of Hebrews

helps us to just admit,

no, he didn't.

He got a little piece.

And that's it.

But even though he

acknowledges that Abraham

did not receive the things

promised, at the same

time, and back up in

verse eight, he says a land,

a place he would later

receive as his

inheritance.

How does that work?

How can you not receive

it and yet later receive

it?

What's going on here?

Let's continue on in

verse 13 and see what the

author of Hebrews says.

He says, 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.

Again here, the author of

Hebrews is making the

point that they had

faith.

Even though they didn't

see in the physical sense

how this would all come

about, how this land would

be theirs, they saw

through the eyes of faith

that this would be the

reality.

They trusted that the Lord

would do exactly what he

promised.

They welcomed it from a

distance.

They knew it was for a

future time.

For the present, in verse

13, it says, admitting

that they were foreigners

and strangers.

We just read that back in

Abraham said to the Hittites,

I'm a foreigner.

I'm a stranger among you.

He admitted that.

What does all this mean?

Verse 14, the author of

Hebrews is going to make

the point.

He's going to draw the

parallel.

He says, 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.

So what's the lesson in

all this?

What's the principle?

And I think that the author

of Hebrews is trying to

draw it out and make it

clear.

People who say such things,

who admit that they are

foreigners and stranger in

the land, when God has

promised that it will be

their land, they show that

they are looking for a

country of their own.

Literally, the word there

in the original language is

a homeland.

A homeland.

That's why Abraham stayed

there.

That's why he pitched his

tent there, because he

believed God's promise that

this would be his homeland.

That's what God promised.

This land for an

everlasting possession for

you and your descendants.

The author of Hebrews makes

the point.

If he was thinking of the

homeland that he came from,

Ur of the Chaldeans, he had

opportunity to go back.

But he didn't.

And it was evidence of his

faith.

He pitched his tent here

because God said, this is

going to be your homeland

someday.

But notice how, let's maybe

just finish that thought in

verse 16.

It says, instead of going

back home to Ur of the

Chaldeans, they were longing

for a better homeland, a

better country.

That's why Abraham didn't

leave.

He knew what was back in Ur,

but it didn't compare to

what God had promised he

would have here in this land.

And so in faith, he stayed,

even though he was a

foreigner and a stranger.

But as we read through this, we

notice that there's a few

things in here that kind of

might maybe strike us as

interesting here.

verse 16.

Instead, they were longing

for a better homeland, a

heavenly one.

Hmm.

Admitting in verse 13 that

they were foreigners and

strangers on earth.

He was looking forward to the

city with foundations whose

architect and builder is God.

And at this point, we almost

wonder, is the author of

Hebrews saying that Abraham was

actually heavenly minded, that

he was looking not for the

land, but for heaven.

Some people see that here.

And if you see that here, I

bless you in seeing it that

way.

That's a, it's a valid

interpretation.

It's tough when we go back to

the story of Abraham.

Is that what he was thinking?

I mean, everlasting possession.

He believed that Isaac could be

raised from the dead.

So, I mean, he, he, he believed

that these kinds of things were

possible, but was he thinking

about heaven even back then?

I think there's another way to

read this.

And I think it's really through the

lens of the author of Hebrews, the

point that he's trying to make.

He's, he's drawing on Abraham's

life as a, as an example for

us.

He's a model for us, not just

him, but, but, but all the saints

of old, Isaac and Jacob.

They admitted that they were

foreigners and strangers on earth.

As it pertains to them, they

admitted they were foreigners and

strangers in the land, but he's

drawing out the principle.

People who say such things show

that they are looking for a

homeland of their own, a heavenly

one.

As it pertains to Abraham, he was

looking for, for a homeland of his

own here in Canaan, where he

pitched his tent.

That's the promise that God gave.

And it was a heavenly one, I think,

in the sense, not that it's, it's

up in the stars, it's in the place

of heaven, but that the only way

this homeland would come to pass is

by the promise and, and the work

of the God of heaven.

It was God's work to, to give him

this home.

Not that this place came from, from

heaven.

If he was to have this land, God

would have to establish it.

The God of heaven.

I think that's what's meant by a

heavenly one.

As it pertains to Abraham.

Did he admit that he was a

stranger on earth?

That heaven was actually his real

home?

I think that he admitted he was a

stranger in the land that he was.

But as the author of Hebrews kind of

weaves this letter and points us to

how we should think today and how

generations of his people should

think, I think he's steering us in a

bit of a different direction.

Abraham, he trusted the Lord's

promise about the land, the land of

Canaan.

But as it pertains to us, there is

something far greater that God is

doing here.

If we flip over on some, you might

not, it might be on the same page to

verse 39 and 40, we see some, some

confirmation of this.

These were all commended for their

faith.

He goes through the whole, picks up

the whole list.

All of these people, they were

commended for their faith, yet none

of them received what had been

promised.

Since God had planned something

better for us, so that only together

with us would they be made perfect.

So Abraham was promised the land.

The author of Hebrews tells us he

didn't receive it before he died, but

he will receive it.

Only together with us, with the

larger people of God throughout the

ages.

God has had a bigger plan right from

the beginning.

He's going to bring it all together for

all the children of Abraham.

And I think that's why the author

Hebrews puts in these words, admitting

that they were foreigners and

strangers on earth, longing for a

better country, a heavenly one.

At the end of 16, God is not ashamed

to be called their God for he has

prepared a city for them.

They're not going to miss out because

they died.

Abraham will receive his inheritance.

He will receive a city, a permanent

dwelling to live in as an everlasting

possession.

He and his descendants.

But God's plan was that it would come

at the end, that it would come later

together when all of the children of

Abraham together would receive it.

It will be a heavenly homeland, a

homeland that God establishes for all

his people.

The God of heaven brings it.

It will be the city, the permanent

dwelling that God builds and establishes

for his people.

And the author of Hebrews goes on in

this book to really steer us in that

direction.

Chapter 12, verse 22.

You have come to Mount Zion, to the

city of the living God, the heavenly

Jerusalem.

Not the city of the earth that comes

from earth, but the city that comes

from heaven.

You can picture that that moment that

John sees in his revelation, the new

Jerusalem descending down from heaven.

What is what is the author of Hebrews

saying here?

His point is this to the Hebrews

specifically who are going through

persecution and suffering.

He's saying, hold on to the promises

that God has given by faith.

Hang on to them just like Abraham hung

on to them to the day he died.

Even though he didn't get what was

promised, all of it in his lifetime, he

will.

We all will.

God is going to bring that day.

When he, when, when he will build this,

this homeland, this place for all of his

people to dwell.

It's coming.

Abraham had troubles, difficulties that he

went through in his life.

We have troubles and difficulties that we

go through in our life.

And yet Abraham chose to stick, stick it

out, to plant his, to pitch his tent here

because this is what the Lord promised.

We have promises too.

In fact, we have the same promises as we've

talked about in this series.

Who are the children of the promise?

The children of Abraham.

They are those who have faith in Jesus

Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, slave or

free, male or female.

Hold on to them.

Don't give up on them.

Hold them right to the end.

God is planning something wonderful.

A time in which he will keep all of the

promises.

From the very beginning to the very end.

He has something prepared for us.

Something special.

A city.

A permanent dwelling.

For now, we live in a world that just like

Abraham doesn't feel like home.

We feel at times as though we're strangers.

We're foreigners.

We stick out like a sore thumb.

People may ridicule us or mock us for our

faith.

Things may not be prospering along as well

as we hoped.

There's brokenness.

There's all kinds of problems in our world.

But one day when Jesus returns, it won't

be that way.

He will make all things new.

He will make the world that we live in new.

And it will be our home.

Where righteousness will dwell forever.

We look forward to that day.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, we thank you.

Lord, you're coming soon.

Lord, you're coming soon.

Lord, you're coming soon.

We ask that you would strengthen us in our

faith in you and help us to hold on to those

promises that you've given us.

Lord, you're coming soon.

We trust that.

We believe that.

We want to make that known, that hope that we

have to the people in this community here in

Davidson.

And so help us.

Strengthen us.

Teach us to trust you just as you taught Abraham

to trust you.

Teach us to live by faith.

We ask this in Christ's name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.