Sunday Afternoon Musings
Today’s text from pastor Zach was Hebrews 11:13-16. It was a valuable time. Good preaching always does more than just describe or explain a text. To be sure, all preaching must do those two things, but it must do more. It must engage the imagination. It must suggest the glorious majesty of Christ. It must give the hearer time to think and reflect. Today’s message did all of that.
The text was Hebrews 11:13-16. It was part 2. Last week, pastor Zach covered the same text, but this week gave us more time to reflect on both the text and the combination of the two messages together. Hebrews 11:15-16 gathered my full attention today.
15 And indeed if they had been remembering that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now, they aspire to a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He prepared a city for them.
Legacy Standard Bible
Verse 15 is a reminder that people of faith always are looking forward to the fulfillment of God’s promises. We don’t look back to the comfort (or pain) of the past, we are resurrection people—always looking forward on the basis of God’s promise. In the words of the writer to the Hebrews, we “aspire to a better country” and then the next phrase tells us what that country is, “a heavenly one.”
Think about that. Use your imagination. Use your knowledge of the Scripture.
We live for the Kingdom of God. We pray the “Lord’s Prayer.” (Matthew 6:10)
“Thy will be done
on earth
as it is in heaven.”
- A place where God’s will is done perfectly.
- A place without sin.
- A place without grief.
- A place with unlimited time.
- A place with all the saints of old to converse with.
- A place with all our loved ones in Christ.
- A place with Christ Himself turning all of eternity into our own Emmaus road experience.
.- Luke 24:28-32:
- 28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. 29 But they urged Him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. 30 And it happened that when He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and after breaking it, He was giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?”
.- Imagine Christ going through book by book of the Bible and Jesus pointing out all the ways that every book, every story, every Hebrew nuance of every word pointed to the truth that is in Jesus.
- Imagine being able to ask him any question, or just listen to the answers He would give!
