The Life of a Sojourner (Pilgrim) (Heb. 11:13-16)
Let us bless one another, Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. May the unprecedented and never-repeated blessings of God be upon all the individuals and families worshiping in the church, in their homes, and especially out of state.
The title of today’s message is, “The Life of a Sojourner (in other words, the Pilgrim).” I’m sure all of you have experienced going on vacation or taking a trip. If you go on a trip somewhere, you only pack what you need and you move according to your plans. When you’re traveling, you’re only sightseeing and you pass along. It’s only possible because you have a home to which you will ultimately return.
If you try to travel in Europe, the people who actually live in Europe think differently. People living in front of the Eiffel Tower in France see the Eiffel Tower as soon as they wake up. The people who live in the Swiss mountains see those mountains as soon as they wake up in the morning. These people don’t realize these things as lovely because they see them every day, but for people like us, we think, “Wow, wonderful,” so we take pictures and make a big fuss, but the people who don’t live there do not take pictures, because it’s always there. If anything, they want to make money off of the tourists visiting the Eiffel Tower; they’re not interested in the tower itself.
It’s the same with our life. There’s a difference between people who really try to live in this life and people who are traveling through. If we are traveling through, it means there’s another main area for us, there is somewhere we must go, and that’s the content of today’s message.
If you understand the word of God well, you will let go of your heavy burdens. We already have the blessing of letting go of all of our heavy burdens of our lives, but it’s regrettable for the one who insists on carrying their burdens themselves. For the people who are traveling, they only take what they need and leave everything else behind.
1. People who lived by faith
1) All these people (Heb. 11:13)
In Heb. 11:13, it says “all these people,” who are these people? It’s talking about the forepeople who were used as examples until Heb. 11:11. These people lived according to their faith and then died, what is faith? Is just my conviction faith? If I have assurance in fulfilling the desires of my heart, is that faith? What exactly is faith? We have faith if we believe in the words of God’s covenant; anything else is nothing. Because only the Word of God’s covenant are eternal and lasting. It doesn’t matter how much knowledge you have, if your knowledge isn’t connected to the eternal words of God, that knowledge will disappear.
(1) Abel – Offering (Heb. 11:4)
The characteristic of these people living by faith is that they lived with faith on the promises of God’s Word. Abel gave worship to God that God desired. The characteristic of the worship God desires is the blood sacrifice. We do not worship with our diligence. When we play golf, we don’t play golf with our hard effort. There was a pastor who hit the golf ball as hard as a baseball and he broke the club. Worship is not something you do by the method of the world.
There is a point at which God works. If you’re fishing, you shouldn’t just cast your line anywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re studying, running a business, or exercising, there must be a special point. People who can’t do this do not know the point. You can’t be a good judo player just by being strong, you need the skill to manipulate your opponent. You can’t be good at golf just through strength, you need to know how to let go of your strength.
If you’re worshiping with everything you have in the world, that’s not real worship. There is a worship God receives, it’s not about your diligence, your righteousness; it’s not about your ethics, skills, or efforts. It is talking about the blood sacrifice which is Christ. Only then will God receive your worship and give you blessings.
Cain gave his offering with his diligence and that is why God did not receive his worship. God does not receive your worship because of your hard work. God only begins to work upon Christ, the blood sacrifice, upon the cross; then what happens? The unsolvable problems in your family life will be resolved. The problem that has continuously repeated down your family line will be finished.
Even if you graduate from an academy or Harvard, you can’t solve that problem. Even if you have multiple citizenships, the problems won’t be solved. Even if you bleach your hair or dye it black or yellow, you can’t solve that problem. You cannot solve that problem by graduating from an ivy league school. Only when you hold onto the covenant of Christ will God begin to work. From that point on, the spiritual state of your family line will begin to change.
(2) Enoch – Walk with (Heb. 11:5)
Enoch lived a life where he walked with God. We must live a life walking with God, not with money, or holding onto money; we walk with God. We are not walking our life, holding onto knowledge; we walk with God. God is the one who created all knowledge and He is the One who controls the flow of money, He is the one we must walk with. When you walk with the One who knows all your weaknesses, then you will go into the blessings of God, and that is prayer. God already knows everything.
Some people pray like they’re trying to confirm God knows something, like, “God, you know this, right?” Yes, He already knows. God is omniscient and omnipotent. The God who knows your future and all your problems is with you. God already knows when your life will end. And Enoch lived a life walking with that God.
(3) Noah – Ark (Heb. 11:7)
Noah played the role of building the ark for 120 years. He created the ark that was able to block the age of disaster that was coming, and he made it upon a mountain. People laughed at him, saying, “Why are you building an ark on a mountain?” if he was building it near the water, people would understand it rationally .Everyone else was busy studying and getting married, having families. They thought the Word of God was a joke, and they listened to them like the words of a friend. One day the disaster rained upon them, and only the one who prepared the ark lived.
The problem of America cannot be resolved without Christ. It doesn’t matter how nationalistic we are or how much military funding we have, we are a nation that needs Christ. It is a nation that cannot block the problems of drug addiction, America is a nation that cannot solve the problems of increasing mental illness. It is a nation that does everything else. Among the homeless people on the street, some are homeless because they lack money, but a lot of them have mental illnesses.
America is the only nation where there are regular school shootings, and students are too scared to go to school, but why can’t we block that? We are a nation with such advanced education and laws. We cannot exist without Christ. The people are not shooting schools for no reason. Celebrities are not committing suicide for no reason. They are seized by something. It’s impossible to do those acts without being seized.
Killing someone else is the same as killing yourself. It’s impossible for you to just kill yourself or someone else, unless you’re completely seized and dragged by darkness. That’s the problem of America, where we have Jesus but “the Christ” is disappearing more and more. Yes we know Jesus; there are so many people named Jesus, but “Christ” is disappearing. Even though people go to church, they don’t know the meaning of Christ, so they cannot overcome disasters, they cannot even control their emotions, they have no choice but to be dragged by their thoughts.
But Noah received the favor of God; Noah was blameless. How can we be blameless? We can only be blameless if God is with us. Noah knew the future and he prepared the ark. In this age, we are the church that prepares for Christ and for the disasters coming to America in the future. It’s not just in the future, it’s already here, we’re filled with mental problems. No one says it outwardly but everyone is suffering internally, why is that? It’s because they don’t know what Christ did, they don’t know it even if they go to church; they just go to church back-and-forth like they’re going to a Buddhist temple, and the forces of darkness know that, and that’s why the individual and their family line are seized.
If we are seized by depression, we cannot control ourselves. If we’re seized by panic attacks, then we’re afraid, even with nothing to fear. We feel depressed even if there is nothing to be depressed about. Or we have bipolar disorder, where even if there is nothing to make us feel happy, we feel suddenly manic. These are problems the president or doctors cannot solve. Christ has finished that on the cross.
2) Abraham (Heb. 11:8)
(1) When called (Heb. 11:8, Gen. 12:1)
(2) To the place he would receive as his inheritance (Heb. 11:8, Gen. 12:1)
(3) Made into a great nation (Gen. 12:2)
What are the words God gave to Abraham who heard these words and believed? “I will make you into a great nation.” He and his wife were already so old, how could they become a great nation? I’m the only one who believes in Jesus Christ; how is it that many people will be saved by Jesus Christ through me?
(4) Make your name great (Gen. 12:2)
God begins to work upon the ones who believe in that promise. “I will make your name great.” Even now, people try so hard to elevate their own name. But all of that will crumble. The efforts of mankind are bound to crumble. Does that mean you shouldn’t work hard? God is already working hard. If God makes our name great, that is true success. The Tower of Babel was erected by the efforts of man, and God destroyed it.
(5) Be a blessing (Gen. 12:2)
“I will make you a source of great blessings.” We are no longer those who look for blessings, but we are blessings, because the Triune God is with me. If you believe in that, all the disasters are broken. If you know this, you don’t have to try so hard to find your path of success. All you have to do is believe that you are a blessing. If you believe that, God fulfills His Word.
(6) Those who bless you – Bless, Those who curse you – Curse (Gen. 12:3)
The Sojourner and the Pilgrim are people who have something, they are not traveling through life with anxieties and worries, but they know the beginning and end. God says, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” God says He will move, why? Because we are the blessed who have God’s covenant.
(7) All peoples on earth blessed (Gen. 12:3)
If you don’t know God’s Word, you’re going to strive so hard to gain blessings. That’s why we serve idols. The source of blessings is already with me, but we keep putting our interest in looking for blessings elsewhere. “Through you, all other peoples on earth will be blessed.” You are the blessing within your family line. But it’s hard to believe that because you’re so ingrained in other things. From the day you believe, the works will begin.
God’s Word is eternal. People might break their promises and not keep their word, but that is not God. We are talking about the people who held onto their faith in this covenant, in life.
2. Sojourner (Pilgrim) Life
1) Promise (Heb. 11:13)
(1) Did not receive (Heb. 11:13)
Heb. 11:13 says that these people did not receive the things promised, they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. What was promised was Jesus Christ, they did not see Jesus’ coming; they only saw him from far away and welcomed him from a distance. In John, it says Abraham saw Jesus Christ and was glad. How is it possible that they lived thousands of years apart and Abraham saw Jesus? Even now, there are people who can see Christ and those who cannot.
People who have true faith can see the future. People who are centered on unhealthy mysticism will try to see the future with their own eyes. All those people will fail. First of all, it’s not matching America and the science. If you don’t match with science, how are you using a cell phone? People who are centered on unhealthy mysticism will all fail, because they’re trying to see a God who is invisible, so of course they go against God. You have to see what is invisible, through faith. It’s different. Right now, we’re all sitting but we see things differently.
Elisha was raising up disciples in the city of Dothan and the army of Aram attacked them. Elisha’s servant said, “We have a huge problem. We are surrounded on all sides by Aram’s army of thousands.” Elisha said, “The armies of the Lord who are with us outnumber the army of Aram.” Did he really see the angels? He saw it through faith.
Why do we have faith? Elisha received the Word from Elijah to raise up 7000 disciples, so he is raising up the disciples according to God’s Word. Can the Aram army destroy God’s work? Elisha believed that the work of God is greater than Aram.
If you have God’s covenant, you will be able to see through faith that God is protecting you, your family, and your business. If someone is not able to see that, then there are more people who die of heart attacks from [fear of] COVID rather than the virus itself. THere are more people who die from the stress of cancer rather than the cancer itself. The cancer is just cancer cells, and there are some people who coexist with their cancerous cells, but they die from the shock on their bodies.
(2) Saw them from a distance (Jn. 8:56, Heb. 11:13)
(3) Welcomed, Assurance( Heb 11:13)
But this is what the eyes of faith do. People who have faith in God’s Word will be able to see. Everyone’s eyes are not the same, just because we all go to church doesn’t mean we go to church the same; there are those who can see and those who cannot. The eyes of the Sojourner and Pilgrim can see, so they only take what they need. But people who are not able to see that are so busy, saving up for themselves, because they think this is it.
Even if they see something beautiful, they don’t think it’s beautiful because it’s just a burden of life. When it snows, everyone is happy, even dogs and animals, but there is one person who is unhappy: snowplowers. When it snows in the military, you have to shovel the snow. Everyone loves the snow and playing in it, but for the military soldiers, snow is the worst. Even though we’re all living life, there are pilgrims and sojourners who live with a light heart, because they know what’s going to happen, and there are those who are living their lives with heavy burdens.
2) The Foreigner and the Sojourner
(1) This land is not the country they had left (Heb. 11:15)
(2) Show that they are looking for a country of their own (Heb. 11:14)
All these people had their own hometown and nation, and Heb. 11:15 says that they were longing for a their own country, the country of God. They were longing for a better country. Everyone is looking forward to their own country, but in America, many people are pilgrims, they have their home nation elsewhere. So even if they live in America, it doesn’t feel like home to them.
All the European Americans came from Europe. There was one time I took a taxi to the airport, and the driver was a Hsipanic woman. We were talking about the economy being difficult,and even though she’s Hispanic, she’s very light skinned. She was from Venezuela, and a lot of Venezuelans look white. She said, “A lot of us are fair skinned and my grandparents are from Europe.” Because Venezuela was going through a difficult time, a lot of them went back to Europe, and I asked, “What is in Europe?” She said all her ancestors and relatives are in Europe. For people who have a home nation or roots, they can go there. Where are your roots? Is it where you were born? It’s not that; there is an even better hometown for you.
(3) A better country (Heb. 11:16)
In Heb. 11:16 it says, “a better country–a heavenly one.” It’s not talking about the sky but it’s talking about where God is. That’s the location, that is the hometown we must return to. This land is just the journey, we are just traveling with our bags here, we have to leave everything here and go back to our home country. Living on this earth is not suffering, it is simply a journey. Every day is new.
But for people who think this world is everything, every day is the same. But for the sojourner, it’s different. If it’s raining outside, that rain feels different. They’re eagerly anticipating how God would work that day. If someone has excitement or hope for the future, their cancer or depression will go away. In America, whenever there is a holiday, everyone packs their bag and takes a flight elsewhere. I realize the culture of America is just packing bags and going on trips. They’re going to rest their brains.
On Thanksgiving, they’re going to their parents’ house .They’re going because they have somewhere to be. We have somewhere we need to be, and it is not on this Earth. In that home country, there is no sadness or misery, only joy and happiness.
3) Country
(1) Heavenly one (Heb. 11:16)
(2) God prepared a city (Heb 11:16)
Jesus has prepared a new city for them, a new heaven and a new Earth. People who hear that as a fairytale are bound to suffer, thinking this world is everything. People who hear this as an idyllic paradise are bound to suffer. It is a reality. There are people who actually believe in this and live on this Earth just waiting. This is not the main thing; the main thing is the heavenly kingdom, the place where we’ll live eternally with the Lord.
But if we’re not able to think that way, we think this world is everything so we think our life is over if we’re sick or if we don’t have money, that’s why we get sick, in our hearts and minds. We have no choice but to get illnesses. Because our goal is elsewhere but we chase our own goals, so we have no choice but to get sick.
(3) We are where Jesus is (Jn. 14:3)
In John 14:3, after Jesus Christ resurrects, Jesus says He is preparing a place for us. That’s the eternal kingdom of God. After Jesus’s second coming, there will be a new heaven and earth. We’re not talking about some place where we float around as a spirit, we’re not talking about ghosts or anything. After Jesus Christ was resurrected, he had a resurrected body, He could talk to people and eat fish. This is the new heaven and earth we are talking about.
We will eat there, we can converse with people, but there will be no suffering, why? Because sin, Satan, and Hell do not exist there. It is a place where we will live eternally with God with the resurrected body that transcends time and space. This life is just the introduction, there’s no point in staking your life on the introduction, stake your life on the main thing; the introduction will just pass.
3. Background – Country
1) Kingdom of God
How should you live in the introduction then? I’m not saying that because we’re pilgrims, we should live an ascetic life, where we give up the luxuries of the world. Those are words of asceticism. For us, we live the life of a sojourner where we give everything up to God, where everything is being controlled by the background of Heaven.
Have you seen movies of wars or actually been in a war? It’s different. When you go in a battle, you don’t just go in, the headquarters are providing you with the supplies and strategies behind the scenes. You have to keep constant communication with the headquarters, because there’s a headquarters.
(1) Blessing of the throne (Mt. 28:20)
It may seem like we’re just living life, but everything is being controlled from the Throne of Heaven, so we are living lives bound for victory. But if we lose communication with the headquarters and the throne of heaven, that is a state of chaos because we don’t know what to do.
But we’re connecting the throne of heaven with this Earth, how? Christ has made that connection and that Christ is with us even now. The one who is seated at the right hand of the Throne of Heaven is with me, not just with other people, but with me. That spiritual blessing is with me. No problem.s But people who don’t believe that, have problem.s It isn’t about knowing it, but about believing it. It doesn’t matter if you go to church, or read the Bible a hundred times, do you believe? Do you believe that He is with you? The Triune God seated at the Throne of HEaven is with me. No problem. Something may be a problem ,but it’s not a problem for me.
If you’re on a vacation to see the Eiffel Tower, if there’s a piece of poop on the street, just walk by. If you’re seeing someone defecating on the street, just walk by them, there’s no need to fight with them. If you’re competing for a marathon, people will be attacking you verbally. Then do you think the marathon runner will just come and fight them? People may fight with you from the sidelines, but marathon runners just run by. Is there any Marathon runner who will stop and call out the person to fight with them? That person is someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, running in a Marathon.
There is a goal to which we are heading towards. All these problems, this and that, they just go by. If someone picks a fight with us, we just go by, but if we don’t have a goal, we’ll get stuck in that fight. That actually happened in the past. There was someone who was 1st place in a Marathon, but he came in second. There were people on the sidelines who were throwing water bottles at the runner, and the runner grabbed them by the throat, so that their nation’s competitor would be first place. But the two runners in second and third place ignored it and kept running.
Are there people who are barking at you from the sidelines? They can say whatever they want, just keep going. If you argue, “Why are you saying that to me?” then your life will be a headache. That person’s point of life is to continuously pick fights, so just walk by them because you’re the Pilgrim. There is a separate finish line but you’re looking at the wrong finish line. We have something else, this is just the introduction.
(2) Transcend time and space – Prayer
For us, we have the blessing of prayer that transcends time and space. When we pray, the throne of heaven that transcends time and space answers for us. People who don’t believe this will have to directly work themselves. You guys are sitting here right now, but God is working ahead, transcending time and space, upon your family, your studies, business, and every person you will meet this week and all the work you will do this week. That is the blessing of the sojourner living on earth.
If you don’t have that, you’ll be worrying about everything, sitting still while being so burdened by everything in your life. Why live like that? We’re just gonna pass on anyways. We’re living with the blessing of the background of the throne of heaven with the blessing of prayer. If you actually pray, God is going to personally work with the angels of Heaven, transcending time and space. Right now at this time, God is working upon your business, your studies, all the work and people you will meet for the rest of the week.
When God works, He works his light and all the darkness flees. It’s not talking about the darkness of night, it’s talking about spiritual darkness. The forces of darkness that are dragging you and your family into darkness will disappear when you pray. It doesn’t matter whether you’re running your business well or not; if you’re seized by darkness, you’ll be dragged by darkness. Someone who is successful can succeed even if they’re in darkness, but later on, they will crumble completely. That is the strategy of the Devil.
(3) 237 light – Evangelism, missions
Right now, when you pray, God will work to shine His light, transcending time and space, to work upon your field.
2) Hell (Mt. 25:41)
(1) Me – Faith (Mt. 25:41)
There are people however who live with the background of Hell rather than Heaven. Mt. 25:41 says these people do not believe in Christ, but they believe in themselves.
(2) Idol (Greed) – Devil and his angels
They serve idols and religions fore themselves. Because they’re not satisfied with themselves they have to live for themselves and their greed. These people will live in the background of eternal suffering and the eternal flames prepared for the Devil.
(3) Life on this earth is everything (Jn. 8:44)
Jn. 8:44 says the Devil is completely controlling these people; they think their life on Earth is everything and they cannot overcome it. Once you believe in Jesus Christ, all problems are finished. There is nothing more to receive or to fill. Why? Because everything is contained within Chtrist and He is with me for eternity. Have you ever seen a child worry? The child is lacking, but they don’t have to worry because they know their parents are strong. If you believe in Jesus Christ, then all your problems of your past, present, and future are finished.
You have to understand and believe this logically. You have to understand the Word of God exactly as it was written. Why? Where did all our problems begin? They began from being separated from God, so everything has no choice but to be a problem. That is the work Satan does. He pushes you into these sins, curses and disasters. But all problems have been solved through Christ. That is the beginning of the sojourner’s life.
If you don’t have this, even if you go to church, the darkness will swallow your life. “Oh, I’ve been going to church for such a long time,, but I haven’t changed and my family line hasn’t changed.” I’m sure you have changed physically, you’ve changed your house, your clothes, and your car, but your spiritual background is exactly the same. It’s not something you can solve by diligently going to church; it’s not enough to diligently worship, you have to finish it with Christ.
3) Sojourner (Pilgrim) – Covenantal life
Only once Christ becomes the master and Lord of your life will the darkness no longer have a foothold. I’m talking about spiritual things right now. If you want to talk about physical things, you don’t have to come to church; you should go to Harvard University or try to get a job at the White House, or go to a strategic firm to get help. We’re talking about spiritual things.
(1) Covenant – Jesus Christ
Spirutal things are invisible so we don’t know them. But they’re seizing us and moving us, and that is why Christ came to Earth. Through His death and resurrection on the cross, he finished these problem.s The spiritual background for people who hold onto and believe in this covenant changes completely. It doesn’t just change overnight. As you listen to the Word of God, you will change.
I’ve become a witness of that. Just look at my face. Do I look like a pastor? I’ve never heard anyone say I look like a pastor, yet I am. Is there something wrong with that? What does that mean? It means that my outside and inside are different. On the outside, I don’t look like a pastor, but on the inside, I am. Only when you talk to me, will you think I am a pastor. When you first see me, I don’t look like a pastor. Your face and muscle memory and habits won’t change.
When I hold onto a piece of chalk, I hold it like a cigarette because I was smoking for decades, so whenever I hold onto chalk, I hold it like a cigarette. Whenever I see alcohol, sometimes I remember the feeling, but all that passed. I used to be an alcoholic before I met God because I wanted to fill myself up with that. Alcohol itself is not that bad, but because I had to fill myself, I had to binge drink. I hope you drink in moderation if you drink. It’s good for your blood circulation. But I don’t want to risk it, I don’t know how I will change if I drink. The last time I drank, I blacked out, so that might come back.
I don’t need that anymore. I don’t need honor or recognition, I have Christ now. I wasn’t like this before. In the past, if someone picked a fight with me, I had to fight back. If someone said something to me, I put it in my heart. If someone looked at me with a side-eye, I would wonder why he was glaring at me. If it started raining, my emotions would get sucked into the rain, and I would act accordingly. I don’t need to act like that anymore because Christ is with me.
(2) Vision – World evangelism
Then, the way you see will be aligned with the things of God. That is vision. It is not a vision you create for yourself, but it is the vision from Jesus. That vision is to proclaim Christ to the entire world. The entire world is being destroyed because they don’t have Christ; even the presidents are being destroyed because they have spiritual problems as they lack the light of Christ. Are you worried about Korean politics? People get imprisoned, get released, then go to jail again, but they said they would continue doing that. They should stay as president, why would they limit their term to five years?
The King of all Kings, the Christ, is with you for eternity, why are you staking your life on a five-year term? The True King can do the things that the kings of the world cannot do. That is the blessing of the sojourner and pilgrim.
(3) Dream – Mission
If you have this vision, you will receive a dream. Not just some pipe dream or some unnecessary dream, but a dream from Jesus. People who have that dream from Jesus will not shake even in a pandemic, because nothing can shake this dream. But people who don’t have this dream will shake from their environment. People live on this earth thinking this life is everything. If they lack something, they’re influenced by that, but people with a dream, it doesn’t matter what happens to them, their deram cannot be stolen. That was Joseph, David, and Daniel, and it’s the same thing today.
People who have a dream will be happy with just that dream. Your God-given dream and mission, it can never be stolen from you. Though you walk through the valley of the shadow of dearth, you will not be crushed. Though you are pressed from all sides, you will not be perplexed, because the dream within you will be fulfilled.
(4) Image – Word, prayer
In order to do this, God gives His image through the strength of His Word and prayer. We don’t do this dream by ourselves, but God guides us through His Word and gives us strength to do it through prayer. We are not just sojourners and pilgrims, we are the ones who begin from the point of our need for Christ. We are sojourners who already see the entire world and begin with the dream. Through this person, God will continuously give His Word and prayer. Through His Word, God will navigate us to fulfill His dream. After our life on earth is finished, we leave behind a masterpiece and go back to our home country.
(5) Practice – Masterpiece
We have to leave behind a masterpiece. Let’s say, someone lived on this earth and died, but everyone hates to hear about them, then that’s the result of their life. But Paul lived thousands of years ago, and yet we’re still talking about Paul. The members of the Early Church died because of persecution, but even now, we are talking about them in the church, because they left a masterpiece for the future generations to see.
That’s what we call true success, that is the finish line on Earth. Then we go into the main topic. The home country is the blessing given to us. We live the life of a sojourner by faith. May this, the last worship of 2021, be your masterpiece and may you also leave behind a masterpiece for 2022.
Conclusion
1. Life that follows the covenant
2. Kingdom of God on this earth
3. Kingdom of God is hometown
Prayer
There is a Word God has given to you today. When you hold onto that Word and pray, God will begin work, transcending time and space.