A Better Country

Heb 11:11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.


We read this verse and I don't know about you, but my mind went to this verse-


Gen 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Gen 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
Gen 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Gen 18:15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.


So we have one verse saying this-- Through FAITH Sara received strength to conceive- she judged him faithful who had promised. And then we have another verse saying this-- Sarah laughed. And Sarah questioned God saying-- After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure my lord being old also? Sarah also denied saying she laughed- but in truth it does say she laughed WITHIN herself, so she might not have laughed out loud but God know what's inside and He heard the inside laughter of Sarah- He knew she was AMUSED by the idea that being so old and no longer able to physically conceive- that Abraham too was too old for that- read this…


Rom 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb.


Abraham's body was now dead. So neither Abraham nor Sarah were physically able to perform this feat of either making or conceiving a child.


Then we have Sarah denying she laughed because she was scared. It's true that she may have silently laughed and God heard but God did NOT count it against her. She was still said to have had FAITH that God was able to perform that which she said.


Just realizing God knew her heart, that God knew that she had laughed inside herself, in her mind, in her private thoughts could have instilled the faith she had, could have made that faith that much stronger. If God could hear her thoughts, surely God could perform anything He said He could do. Sarah believed. The necessary faith, the necessary belief in God was there. Without that faith, Sarah wouldn't have conceived.


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Heb 11:12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.


Through faith in God there was a lineage of people born from Abraham and Sarah so numerous they are innumerable.


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Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.


Able
Enoch
Noah
Abraham
Sarah


These ALL died in faith. They didn't receive the promises. Yes, Abraham and Sarah received the promise of a son, but they didn't see the innumerable descendents from that child.


These ALL died in faith without receiving the promise. They believed in God, they knew they could trust in God to keep his promise. They were PERSUADED of the promises, they EMBRACED the promises and they CONFESSED that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. They desire a BETTER country- a HEAVENLY country, a city prepared for them by GOD.


The Heavenly City- the New Jerusalem in Heaven that we talked about yesterday- whose builder and maker is God. This is the city that we all look forward to!


Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world


WHEN the Son of man shall come in his glory… then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father- INHERIT the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.


The promise will be realized by all the faithful when Jesus comes again and sin is done away with. There are many faithful asleep in Christ waiting to be called to eternal wakefulness, many, many, many that believed, many that had faith and kept that faith throughout their entire lives right into death's sleep.


Remember this verse--

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first


The dead in Christ shall rise first.


The faithful dead will rise!


1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.


The faithful will rise INCORRUPTIBLE! CHANGED! IMMORTAL! All to inherit the city of God in heaven! All of us bound for the NEW COUNTRY, a BETTER COUNTRY!


ANYONE who believes they will have a wonderful life here on this earth as it is right now filled with sin, anyone who believes this life, this corrupt world that isn't even Jesus' but ruled by Satan, anyone who believes this is the better country doesn't believe in God's word. Seeking to make the best of this world is fine, but believing this world is what God has promised to his faithful as their inheritance would be a big mistake. The patriarchs of the Bible didn't receive the promised new world they died in faith knowing they would one day receive that promise.


We too must have a living faith that will endure until our end or the end of this world at Christ's coming.


By the grace and mercy of our Savior we will have that faith through the love of our LORD!
By grace and mercy through faith we will see that better country!


Amen!