Pilgrims & Strangers, Part 3

Greetings friends and new listeners and welcome to the sound share not thanking you for tuning in today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

I preach today's message pilgrims and strangers had been on the horizon, the Sunday after my precious daddy RG Hardy went to glory, to be with our Lord one. August 28 just shy of his 91st birthday. Like the elders of Hebrews 11 states Hall of Fame, by faith, he obtained a good report in pilgrims and strangers heaven on the horizon, the last three days. He was really really going down and he was having a hard time really communicating the way he wanted to. His body was so weak and his voice was very low.

Often the way with kind of funny that I would pray for him I would pray for him and then I would say amen. Eddie would say amen and then couple days before he passing the state.

Amen, amen, amen.

So we started singing a amen and amen amen amen. What did right there you said everybody say he got that pardon me and mom and Benny.

We sang amen couple times and couple versus upper he was his love, and he was eaten up. We stopped to consider amen amen amen amen. He was stretching out stretching out because he had that heavenly city on the horizon that heavenly city on the horizon.

Amen. Oh, where stretching out and here we just read it said that now they desire. This better country heavenly country. Now we have to like figure it out and read between the lines now just flat out tells you it's a heavenly country. Up until this point he had said it clearly but now he's no longer ambiguous. He says it's a heavenly country. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God because he's prepared for them a city. Hallelujah God has prepared for us, and he allowed Paul to go up and see John to go up and see now hated and let Paul tell us about it.

Paul said I was caught up in the paradise into the third heaven. I saw things that I it's not lawful for me to tell you because God was saving it for John to tell us, but this much. He could tell us. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared to the way that shall be revealed. Marines are not. Amen. That was Romans 818, and I believe in second Corinthians. I believe it's in the fourth chapter. He talked about that we had our light affliction. Some I say ha ha easy for you to say our line of flexion works for us a far more eternal and the way re-so see what he's doing here is what Paul's doing light affliction, heavy glory light affliction, heavy glory. When you consider the below read that is the amen the glory I imagine my father being greeted by I just can't imagine all the people that you get around the greeting because you know obviously the immediate family comes to mind. You know my brother charging in his mother Mary and his brother Billy and and then think of all the Faith Tabernacle Saints that's going on to be with the Lord somewhat recently. Just 2020, but some going all the way back when he began in 1958 we had a lot of elderly people on Williams Street that went to be with the Lord. Back then, and I just can't imagine all the people that's coming to see him and I even thought about you know he really loved brother AA Hamlin, and I think about brother AA Allen say, well brother Harding finally made it here. I've been awake 50 years. He died in 1970.

Amen. I can just imagine all the welcoming party and just getting to see everybody and you know my mom kinda was lamenting a little bit because of the fact of the code that we cannot really give brother Hardy, the real home-going celebration service we want to we would like to say everybody everybody everybody calm and invite everybody here and have all lot different people say things and in all of that but were not able to do that and said my mother was kind of lamenting that were not to be able to give him the service that she feels he deserves old mama said mom this service is for us not in there. Do you really think he is better but he's in his own celebration on streets of gold, because when John told us about that city. You want the foundations look like looking for the city with foundations that were made my AR foundation 12 foundation different precious stone. We've got to wait.a bunch of other ones do. The foundations of the city were looking for this 12 day 12 gates to the city and every one of them is one solid pearl. Think about that one solid pearl.

I'm sure they didn't come from no oysters either. If they did, I don't know what oysters would be but I don't think they need oysters up there because they don't have need of oysters to infiltrate dirty water like we have your own nursing.

Amen. All city.

John said as streets that are made all plated gold. Why not play to go. What is the whole story. You know you can buy necklaces that are plated gold and there a lot cheaper than the real goal.

Amen. And even when you do my jewelry that's told it's usually 14 karat. Now a lot of jewelry get some drop down the 10 ^ but up there. It's pure gold is what you might be doing some running to you know I'm getting a lot of comments on Facebook and forgive me if I don't answer all your comments on this right now I'm overwhelmed all that's on my plate but I try to look at some of them and several of them have said if there are a few that are a few city that Abraham and Sarah were looking for. Chapter 13 read one verse Hebrews 1314 for we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come so that what that saying is not to remain in this city wherever we live. Amen. People move around my children were all born here in Baltimore. But today, one son lives in Florida and one son lives in West Virginia so we move around we come and go different places. Amen we don't have necessarily a continuing city all but we are seeking one.com.

All I can say is thank God I'm not going to remain city of Baltimore is a troubled city. Don't misunderstand me.

I love Baltimore, Baltimore you and I'm proud of many many things about Baltimore, but let's just tell the truth. Baltimore is a troubled city to live in this across the nation are full of trouble filled with violence and a lot less. This amen anarchy and looting and can I mean even before all the things that are happening right now. Currently many of our big cities in this country like you take New York. Now every body says I love new your nail want to go up there and they want to see Broadway they want to see the Statue of Liberty and they want to shop on Fifth Avenue and almost sorted things like New York has a lot of problems even. Amen. Lots of problems are cities regardless have a lot of crying and errors and enjoy that drive-by shootings at all going on but I'm going to a city, I'm going to list city where nothing unclean can enter in the Lord. They know what the nurse and there'll be no funeral homes city.

I'm going to amen John said in that city. God will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there'll be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. I'm looking for that city that John saw. That is the land of my birth, not just this earth know oh I was born in Lutheran Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, but this is not the land of my birth, the land of my birth is the city of God in heaven. Amen. I'm looking for that that Paul saw. Amen. And he didn't tell us about it but he did tell assisted Philippians chapter 3 and read verse 24 hour conversation is in heaven, from whence we looked for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now the word conversation in the Greek is holy to mom and you can hear the word politicking.

There and up homeless in their family know there are a lot of cities in America that the name of the city. The ending of it is powerless.

You know, the capital of Maryland is Annapolis and you got Indianapolis and many Annapolis and so you see the word polis on there because it's referring to citizens.

The citizens of these particular cities and so that's what the word means to hear what Paul is saying in our conversation.

He's not talking about our verbal speech he's talking about our citizenship and you want to write that in the margin of your Bible. If you have the King James R's ship is in from whence we looked for the Savior. Amen. I must born again certificate of because patients for 20 think Jerusalem is not.

Think about that now. I had been blessed to go when the holy land tour and not been blessed to go to the city of Jerusalem. Twice in my lifetime and see all the many biblical sites and places and places where Jesus had his ministry as well as the patriarchs. I've been to Jerusalem, and there is no city like Jerusalem. There is a presence there. There's just a feeling that you have when you're there and I love that place and I had always you know we I been twice, but always wanted to go back again.

I always wanted to go get another time I've been to that Jerusalem, but that's not the Jerusalem I'm looking for. And that's not the Jerusalem where I was born I was born from the Jerusalem above.

Amen. Because John said when he saw the city it was a beautiful clean. There's no long-range had the light of that city was like city coming down the new Jerusalem where all the saints of God or the citizens thereof. Amen. So my morning again birth certificate says that I was born in the new Jerusalem.

Amen.

Verse 21, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

So when we get in that new city. Hallelujah, I should say on the way up on the way up amen were not known by airplane where not gone by space rocket were going to not moment in the twinkling of an eye. Amen. Were gonna shed this earthly body work vile. Their means humiliated is been humiliated by Adam's fall, humiliated, came under the curse, because God redeemed our eternal soul and spirit, but he didn't redeem this body. It's still one age it's still going to get weak and eventually if Jesus doesn't come before it's going to die. Amen. But he's going to change this body that has been humbled, humbled by sickness humbled by aging, humbled by diseases and infirmities and sometimes like what happened to me in accidents and injuries it's been humbled. He's going to change it metamorphosed Otto in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. He's going to transform this body and it'll be like him to his glorious body hallelujah are you on your way, come on. Let's stand together. Glory to God. Amen we sing a little bit of that my heavenly home is bright and fair. I feel like traveling on all the all in. So all you and all will all will will all you and and all you today and those watching when I get to heaven. I want to see you there and you don't know if you would go to heaven if you were to die today and you know tomorrow is not promised to anyone. My father was almost 91 years old and he knew his time was coming but you know young people die to young people die unexpectedly, you could be in a car accident in the day that we live in Baltimore city.

You have a risk of being shot on the street and that's just the truth. Amen. We see little children. Children sitting in the car being shot by drive-by shooters. You don't have a promise of tomorrow. Amen. Jesus said you got the RSVP. He's going to have a great banquet were going to go to a great banquet but he's invited. Whosoever will let him calm so black and white and yellow poor. But you got the RSVP and you do that by confessing Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Amen. Don't let people trick you and for you and think you can go another way. And you can figure it out on your own and you try this and you'll try that this religion or that religion all people for you Jesus that I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes under the father but by me. And here's what I would say to you if you're not sure you're skeptical trying trying to please not here.

He says he is. If you don't realize that he is Jesus he is Lord he does not come and wash you of your sins and change you and give you his joy in his peace.

Forget about but don't just throw them aside and you haven't even tried you try everything else. Your friend say hey man, let's try that. We try everything else, why don't you give Jesus a try. Amen.

So if that's you were going to pray, say, Jesus. I believe you are the son of God, that you died on the cross for my sin and today I'm asking you wash me and cleanse me from all my sin. Deliver me from the power of Satan set me free from all of my bondage give me your free spirit, and I will serve you by your grace, all the days of my life in Jesus name we ask it. Lord, I pray you will reveal yourself to every honest and sincere heart. Everyone who is truly searching and wants to know the truth. I pray right now that you would reveal yourself to them in a way that is personal and undeniable that you are who you say you are already over the powers of darkness is one of those souls from coming to you and I are lying over everything and every human you turn them away from the truth behind them in the authority of Jesus name and you give them Lord the right to choose you choose you this day, the right to choose Lord that they can choose life and live in Jesus name, amen. I hope you are inspired by this heartwarming Harold pilgrims and strangers heaven on the horizon. On August 28. My dad, RG Hardy, went to be with the Lord six days before his 91st birthday.

The following Sunday I was in the pulpit, preaching this social sermon missing my dad but rejoicing in his long-awaited home-going. He loved to preach on Abraham and Sarah. He wrote a book Abraham's kind of faith that chronicled their journey from Earth Chaldees and modern Iraq to Canaan in modern Israel. Hebrews 11 fates Hall of Fame reveals that they were looking for a city with foundations, whose architect and builder was God. This does not describe any city on earth. It certainly was not the city of their birth or they could've returned, nor was he Canaan. While a beautiful place flowing with milk and honey and lush resources. It was not built by God. We are plainly told that they look for a better country, a heavenly country.

Thus, their confession was. We are pilgrims and strangers on the earth. Likewise, apostle Paul said, for our citizenship is in heaven.

The past few years. My dad was longing for heaven, and if you are a citizen of heaven. You are to pilgrims and strangers heaven on the horizon can be ordered on CD for a love gift of $10 or more for our radio ministry request SK 215 mailto sound of faith PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203 if you order by mail.

We will include brother Hardy's book Abraham's kind of faith. This offer is only good for mail in orders. Send your minimum love gift of $10 to PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203.

You can also view brother Hardy's beautiful home-going service, including my eulogy on you to sound of Faith ministries that's www.you to sound of faith ministries.

Till next time is the shower not seen