Pilgrims & Strangers, Part 2

Greetings friends and new listeners and welcome to the sound thing this is Sharon not thanking you for tuning it 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.

Let's go back to Hebrews verse 14 for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country they that say what things what we read previously in verse 13 they confess we are strangers and pilgrims notice it doesn't say we are strangers and pilgrims in the land of Canaan says on the earth. Amen. And because they said that then were told in verse 14 that plainly explains to us that they're not talking about an earthly country they're not talking about an earthly city. Amen.

Because they said we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and they're looking for another country. Now the word country in Greek is Patrice PAT RES and we bring it into the English is patriotic and that means to be devoted to your country. You're a patriot, it means in Greek ones fatherland, and that means it's the place of your birth.

How many in the natural here today were born in the United States. Okay, I punch and ask that the other way anybody here not born in the United States okay every body is born in the United States. So this is your native land and the land of your birth, but now were going to go take it where Abraham and Sarah are amen see it says those who say I'm a pilgrim and a stranger on the earth there plainly saying that I'm looking for a certain country what you mean they're looking for a country, and the place of their birth because remember the word country there means fatherland place of your birth. What the place of their birth, their land of Cal D the place of their birth in their native land. Did they not leaving so they did so why would they be looking to go back to it that's look at verse 15 and truly they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out they might've had an opportunity to have returned so they were looking to go back they were looking to go back to the Chaldees.

They were looking to go back to the place of their birth because they were had they gotten home sick.

They wanted to turn around and go back they could have just turned around and went back. But now they said were looking for a particular country were looking for a particular city whose builder and maker is God.

They were not looking to go back. In fact, later on.

Remember when it was time for Isaac to have a wife and we know that Abraham told his servant Eliezer. He said I want you to go back home to where I am from and where Sarah is from and from our family and sign a wife for Isaac and bring her. He didn't want Isaac to marry any of the heathen in the pagan around. He wanted to go back to their own people and he told him he said go back and find a wife for Isaac. He really trusted that guy did me. He said however if you are not able to convince or persuade a young maid to come with you to marry my son Isaac.

Do not ever ever let him go back to the land where God called me out of any told him it twice in Genesis twice. He said you have to swear to me now you have to promise me that if you don't bring a wife home for Isaac. Later on after I'm going to not allow Isaac to go back to my home.

Maybe he thought if Isaac went back there, possibly to visit relatives or find himself a wife that he might've settled down and stayed there. He said God called me out of that land, and I don't want my son to ever go back there. Amen. So if the country Abraham and Sarah saw it was not the land of their birth was at the land of Canaan, where God sent them. Remember, this is the land that God swore to them.

He said I give you this land I give it to your seed after you from the Euphrates River all the way to the in Mesopotamia all the way to the Nile River in Egypt. This land well I gave you and I will make of you a great nation and after Abraham and Lot decided to split up because what had happened was lot had so many cattle and Abraham had so many cattle because not inherited his father's cattle because his father was deceased. But then the servants of Abraham, the herdsman of Abraham and the herdsmen of Lot were fighting over the pastureland and it became very strife full until finally Abraham said you know it's time for us to split you take your family and your possessions and you move on and Abraham allowed his nephew to choose where he wanted to go. I would think is Abraham being the elder and the patriarch of the family that he would've chosen, but he didn't he elect lot choose and we know that lot cast his eyes eastward, and he saw the lush green planes around the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and he thought, oh that looks lush and beautiful. I'm going there and so that's the direction he told and he was living outside of the city of Sodom in the green beautiful fertile valley. The problem is, is he didn't stay in the Valley. The problem was that the people of Sodom begin to draw him in and the next time we read about lot. He's living inside the city walls and next thing we know he and his family had been kidnapped.

But when this occurred when they split up, and Lot looked towards Solomon said I'm going this way after he gathered all of his people in all of his belongings and cattle.

He left and once lot had left, God spoke to Abraham and said now Abraham I want you to look north and south and west, because as far as you can see, I swear I give this land to you and to your seed, you see, God had to remove Tara first because he may have still had those inclinations towards idle worship, and then he had to remove a lot because God knew lots heart and knew that he was going to go after what he thought was prosperity and the rich green place. Amen.

And he knew that when he got there he would become unfaithful and he would not stay faithful to his God, but he would compromise and move his family into that wicked evil city because the Scripture says right there where it says lot chose to go that way right there were already told and the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked so God had to get them out of the way and now he had Abraham and only Abraham, the Scripture says he chose one man because he said I know Abraham's heart and I know what he will do.

He will be faithful to teach his children and his grandchildren after him and God is looking for us. It was kind of folks today. He's looking for saints that will be faithful not compromise like lot and what teach their children and grandchildren the word of God. Amen. And so God said to Abraham, Little North look South looking West and I want you to walk through the end walk through the lens of that walk through the soffit. For I will give it on to you. So this was the land flowing with milk and honey.

This was a land that was beautiful. This was a land that we learn much later that they had grades that were so beautiful and huge. It took two men to carry one cluster of grapes on a pole. What a beautiful land that God was going to give to Abraham and his seed. Amen.

So was this country. They were seeking. Now where it says we read it says that they did speak of contrary and that particular phrase seek a contrary, it means to see your home city on the horizon.

Now I'm sure all of us have taken trips been away from home bit away from Baltimore for extended periods of time on a vacation you go for a visit and you're going for a while and now it's your own your way home and you're driving those long hours on the interstates and making your connections going through different areas and states and cities, and finally you see a sign it says 100 miles to Baltimore. You start perking up a little bit. Amen. Next thing you know you see a sign for the miles to Baltimore you really start perking 20 miles to Baltimore Baltimore and there's a certain place you can get over that little hill and looked, and there on the horizon. You see, the skyline of downtown Baltimore and you know you're almost home. Amen.

That's what the phrase means they seek a country they're looking on the horizon for the country and the city that they seek hallelujah and Abraham and Sarah were looking for a country in a city, but on their horizon was the city they were looking for are gaining land where he told this way when I did not travel here in this land as you want. We claim because it but you see the focus of what they were looking for was not the earthly land because we know that God gave Abraham a revelation of the gospel Scriptures tell us that he had that revelation, he understood the gospel and he understood the city of God.

Amen. And Abraham and Sarah. They had their eyes on the head.

Look at verse 16, but now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly I want you to notice. First of all, the present tense of the verb's it says, but now they desire. It's in the present tense and that means continual habitual ongoing action if they Desiring they Desiring to see that city. They Desiring to see that country my God. Abraham and Sarah. They were scratchy now see on the horizon. Their heavenly home.

And that's how I feel sometimes. Amen. That's how my dad felt amen was stretching out for the last couple years he kept saying I want to go home.

I want to go home to be with the Lord, and especially this last year and if I can say, and especially the last few months because when Kovic started everything really shut down.

You know my daddy used to at least come out on Sunday morning and he couldn't wait to come out here with this walker and walk around here and say hi to everybody. He looked forward to that.

But that also meant that he was getting out of the house. Walking to the car, getting in and out of the park walking around here. Amen. And then a couple times a week. My mom would take him to the restaurant to eat.

So again he's getting out of the house is not a walk down the driveway in the pot. Walk in and out restaurant. He was moving he was moving around.

But when Toby came and at their advanced age.

They definitely did not go anywhere and they were home all the time and my father pretty much just sat in the recliner and in the beginning, you know, he would get up from the recliner and then he would go into the bedroom and that he would come back down the living room. The recliner you would going to the kitchen and eat but then he got so that it was getting harder and harder for him just to walk you know from here to there and my mom would try to getting the walk around the house, but it was difficult and the problem was is the more he sat the less noble he became and so it really to me sped up his time because he got to the point that his legs, the muscles in his legs could no longer bear his weight he could no longer even stand even stand with the walker so that you know you could help them get dressed and things and so he really got chair bound. I guess you could say and he wanted to go home to heaven. That's what he wanted. Amen. Oh, he had heaven.

In his view.

Amen. And you know when I would go over there before. He was really in the chair all the time. He would sit at the kitchen table and there was a picture of them on the kitchen table and I'm going to say he was probably around late 30s 40. A picture of them with a suit and tie and you always really sick, beautiful hair and I disappointed that picture not say daddy that's what you're going to look like pretty soon.

That's who you're going to look like he was a who's that handsome guy. I think that's what you get ready to look like and you know he liked that he liked it when I would tell him that.

Amen. Oh yes, he had heaven on the horizon. Amen. He had heaven. In his view, he was looking for better city.

Amen. Let's very quickly turn with me to Philippians chapter 3, you know these verses, but will look Adam Philippians chapter 3 and let's look at verse 13 brother and I count myself not to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto the things which are before I toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Now he is talking here about the rapture resurrection and he is at the end of his life and he is in a prison.

Amen.

And he's writing these words, but he saying everything that lies behind I'm going to forget about all the troubles and trials in all the places on my journey that worktop that were when I was in prison when I was shipwrecked when I was beaten when I was stoned forgetting all those things that lie behind and he says I am reaching out. I'm reaching forward to the things which are before talking about the rapture resurrection and in Greek, the Greek word for that reaching forth for the things that are before. In the Greek, the meaning is stretching out stretching out stretching stretching out all you are on your journey.against what to do and you know what the picture is a picture is a partner in a race of water in a race and know how many of these already will and I don't know you know some of those races are very long, but whatever.

How many laps he has run know he has kept running. His back was killing him. His feet were knees were hurting like he was hardly going to make it but it just Stretching my feet on the horizon, PC would break that came on the other way to God that we will wait and we I have seen runners bless their hearts that had fallen a couple feet because their legs would not hold him up anymore, but they stretched. They stretched to help until they made it over that Finish Line hallelujah and my dad brother Hardy.

He's been stretching out for a long time. Glory to God. Amen since he got saved in 1952 many laps around but the last few laps he just kept stretching out stretching out 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 away was kind of funny that I would pray for him I would pray for him and then I would say amen and he 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. Nobody did. Right there you said everybody say he got that part in me and mom and Benny. We sang amen couple times and couple versus upper he was his love, and he was as he get 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. I heavenly country. Now we have to like figure it out. Read between the lines. Now I 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 and John to go up and see now, he didn't let Paul tell us about it. Paul said I was caught up in the paradise into the third heaven. I saw things that I did 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 in the 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 light affliction works for us a far more eternal and the way the long rain see what he's doing here is what Paul's doing light affliction, heavy glory light affliction, heavy glory when you can read the amen 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 YouTube sound of Faith ministries that's www.YouTube sound of faith ministries. Till next time. Sharon not