Looking for the City of God — Genesis 11-15

0:02 Real quick, if you will, turn to Genesis chapter four. I'd like to take it something... Look at something real quick before we jump into the body of of my message. Sorry about the father Abraham song as if it wasn't hot enough in here already. Man.

0:24 I'd like to take a look real quick at Genesis chapter four verse twenty-twenty two. I came across this a couple of weeks ago when we began our study of Genesis. And I thought before we get too far away from it that we could go back and take a look. Genesis chapter four verse 20 says, Adah gave birth to Jabil. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

0:56 His brother name his brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal Cain, the forger of implements of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal Cain was Nama. I found this rather intriguing.

1:16 This is the first time I took a critical look at this text and examined it kind of expositionally as speaking what it says word for word. And I noticed for the first time that we have three people, sons of Adah, who are characterized by the author of Genesis by what they do, what they are known for. The first son of Adah, Jabil, was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. The last son, Zillah or Jubal. No, no.

1:51 Tubal Cain, the forger of implements of bronze and iron. Now, I was most intrigued by Jubal, the father of all those who play the lyre and the pipe. Here, we find primitive man, as primitive as we can get pretty much a few generations from Adam. And here, an entire race of people, an entire generation of people is characterized by the instruments for which they play. This is rather, you know, fascinating and encouraging to us who who come together week after week, opening god's word, yes, reading the word of god but yet also singing his praises.

2:31 I was listening to a podcast of one of my favorite philosophers the other day and I came upon this quote and I thought it was fitting. Very much like the quote that we find, I believe, at the beginning of the Red Hymn Books. Maybe it's the Black by Martin Luther who kind of praises the art that is music as, you know, one of the as important as theology. I think it's the Red Book, first page. This quote starts off, songs ennoble and enhance the work, and here the philosopher is talking about artistic work, insofar as it can be ennobled and enhanced.

3:10 And so too for hymns. We in the congregation, we can praise God without singing hymns. Can we not? We can do so with spoken prose, but the hymns ennoble the praise, lift it to another level. A great deal of painting, music, poetry, and so forth ennobles our actions and ennobles the things we make and use.

3:36 Why don't we just speak prosaically the words that we find in our hymn books? Why do we find that music, in essence, ennobles our praise? And so I would like to take this time before we begin to just thank our musicians, the song leaders, Scott, Abe, John, Nathan, Anita, all of the Woodhams. Mind you, thank you for assisting us in in ennobling, ennobling our worship, ennobling our praise to the lord, making it more noble. Alright.

4:30 Give us ears to hear, eyes to see, Lord, that which you have prepared for us this morning. Thank you. Got it. Alright. I have been given the task to speak on Abraham.

4:46 I would like to take an unconventional approach towards an exposition of Abraham's early life. The last Genesis sermon that we heard was from brother Ray, who spoke on a large portion from, I think, the end of chapter eight, whatnot, to chapter 11, covering many topics. And as we move chronologically through the book of Genesis, it is only fitting, mind you, that we stop and talk about Abraham for a while. I have chosen to begin our study of Abraham and hopefully spend a few Sundays here talking about him because of how important he is to our understanding of the entirety of the biblical narrative and ultimately how important he is for understanding god's salvific purposes for mankind, finding their ultimate climax in one of his descendants, God incarnate, the son, Jesus Christ. I'm sure that my approach towards the Abrahamic narrative isn't entirely original.

5:45 I'm sure that plenty of people have addressed Abraham in this manner. The route that I am taking was motivated primarily by our study of Hebrews. I was rather intrigued by the many mentions we found of Hebrews of Old Testament figures, specifically figures that we see in Genesis. So in rereading Hebrews chapters six and eleven in my preparation for my Abraham speech, I kind of structured my approach around those texts. Alright?

6:16 I primarily will be covering Genesis 12 through 15 and then I'll leave the remaining portions of the Abrahamic narrative to Ray to cover what he wants to cover next time. The primary passage though, although it is not found in Genesis, we will be referring to it often. So keep your one finger in Genesis 12 through 15 and the other in Hebrews chapter 11. This is the passage by which I would like to structure my message this morning. Hebrews eleven:eight through 10.

7:22 Hopefully, this passage is fresh because it was only a few months ago that we were studying Hebrews chapter 11. I've chosen this passage because in three short verses, it highlights the nature of what I consider Abraham's purpose within God's plan for the eternal salvation of mankind, of which you know Abraham plays a very, very, very important role. The New Testament authors mention Abraham, believe it or not, more than any Old Testament figure for a variety of purposes, not only Paul shedding light on Abraham's account when he's addressing the nature of justification in relation to one's faith. Abraham is used for a variety of means. We find Luke using Abraham by means of Stephen in chapter seven of Acts where he's expounding upon the nature of God's glory.

8:16 We also find James in a very convicting passage in chapter two using Abraham to prove that faith without works is indeed dead. But the uses of Abraham don't just end in the New Testament. The Old Testament also authors refer to Abraham often in motivating their readers to do this or that. Because of your father Abraham, this is what you should do. Because of your father Abraham, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I am demanding that you do this.

8:49 From a historial religious perspective, Abraham might as well be the most popular man who has ever lived. We find three of the world's largest world religions and the three most popular world religions in the Western Hemisphere tracing their patriarchal ancestry of their most important characters to Abraham, that being Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Needless to say, although he is someone whose story is well known, whose account has been read and reread and reread, he is worth considering time and again because of the huge impact he plays for one's understanding of God and His dealings with mankind. To better understand God's dealings, I have chosen this passage, Hebrews eleven:eight through 10, and structured my message around kind of three headings. First, Abraham's calling as highlighted in verse 11.8a.

9:49 Secondly, the nature of Abraham's obedience structured around 11.8b. And thirdly, faith that which is expounded upon in verses nine and ten. Now, regarding Abraham's calling, let us look at Hebrews eleven:8a. By faith, Abraham, when he was called. First, before we address the nature of faith, which is kind of the motivational backing for his obedience, I would like to take some time to address his call.

10:47 As I stand before a multitude per se of God's elect, the nature, the notion of God's election is not foreign to us. And in many ways, God's elective activity in God's pursuit of people, His intentional pursuit of people for which he can call his own, this activity begins, finds its foundations in many ways with the story of Abraham. Please turn now to Genesis, the end of Genesis chapter 11. We will pick out a few verses extending all the way to chapter 12 verse three. Verse 26 of chapter 11 reads, Terah lived seventy years and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

11:35 Here is the birth of Abraham foretold. Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Jumping down to 31, Terah took Abram, his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, his son, Abram's wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan, and they went as far as Haran and settled there. Now the Lord said to Abram, go forth from your country, from your relatives, and from your father's house to the land which I will show you, and I will make you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great.

12:13 And so you you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed. Here we find a man called by God out of a foreign land. Here, the reason for God's calling of Abraham is not immediately given.

12:34 Is it not? By the author of Genesis. No no all encompassing backstory is provided by our author as to why Abraham is called. We don't actually know anything about him. Mind you, what his religious, political, social background is.

12:53 This is not the case with other Genesis figures. The reason for which they are called is, for the most part, always given. If we think back to John's recollection of his account of the Noah story, alright, for what reason was Noah called? Well, it says that Noah was a blameless man among the people of his kind. He walked with God.

13:16 So God, in order to save mankind from this global catastrophe which they would experience, God chose this man of good repute, of good social standing in order to save his people. Alright? Other members of the Genesis community who are called are Isaac and Jacob. The reason for their calling can pretty much be summed up under one criteria, namely that they are the son and grandson of who? Of Abraham.

13:46 But the reason for why Abraham is called is not given. Why? Why are we not given the answer to this question of Abraham being called? The only thing about Abraham's former life that we can pretty much say, you know, from a textual study with certainty is that he was a family man. How fitting in this case that in order for God to establish His family, the sons in which He will adopt into the community of faith that extend to the very ends of the earth, how fitting is it for God then to choose a man who has a preconceived, established loyalty to his family, to his father's household?

15:25 But how wonderful it is that God would orchestrate with precision, with such accuracy, Abraham's call through the workings of his father. How wonderful it is also that the Lord would elect a faithful man, submissive to the will of his father, committed to the betterment of his family, his father's family. Remember, Abraham is 75 years old. How many of you find yourself at 75 years of age consistently submitting to every move that your father makes? Right?

15:57 Let alone me at the age of much younger. We cannot say with certainty what Abraham held most dear. Alright? But it is astounding that that what we can say he held dear, being his family, being his father's household, probably being his home, he forsook. He was willing to sacrifice on behalf of god's call that he had for his life.

16:31 Oftentimes, brothers and sisters, we do not know why, why God calls certain people for certain tasks. The reason is not always provided by God. It is not out of line, I would suggest, to inquire upon why God calls you or someone you know to this or to that task. But if the reason is not provided, does that in any way negate God's call? No.

17:00 No, it does not. God's calls are just as definite if the reason for which He calls you is not provided. Here we find Abram, Abraham called by God. Can you imagine the questions that are going through Abraham's mind? Alright?

17:50 These reasons are not provided. And this, in essence, makes Abraham's response to his call all the more all the more captivating, all the more exciting. And that brings me to my next point, the nature of Abraham's obedience. Genesis 12 verse 4a says, So Abraham went forth as the Lord had spoken to him. Regarding obedience, I will be brief.

18:16 The nature of Abraham's obedient response is very profound. The text immediately following the initial call, verses one through three, is simple. As the Lord had spoken or called, so Abraham went forth. God's callings and his elective purposes are at times very, very strange. Are they not?

18:39 They are at times very difficult to understand. They are at times very unspecific. They concern things that are that are hard, that are difficult, that weigh on a human and the decision that is set before him. And oftentimes, there is sacrifice required. Who knows why Abraham could not accomplish all that God had for him amongst his father's household.

19:03 But Abraham obeyed. He went forth just as God had spoken. God's callings again are definite. And by nature, we as the people of God, just like Abraham, we are called to obey. We are called to obey.

19:20 Let us jump back to the Hebrews account eleven:eight. By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance and he went out not knowing where he was going. Again, not knowing where he was going, Abraham received a call and went forth. I find it astounding then that regardless of what he knew or did not know, Abraham went forth. In a postmodern, enlightened society like the western one for which we live, knowledge with regard to our actions play a pivotal role.

20:04 And for all intensive purposes, knowledge should play a role in our actions. Should they not? This is a biblical notion. Think before you act. Seek wisdom at all cost.

20:15 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. But as we were so wonderfully reminded this morning by brother Jim, knowledge in itself is is never the end. Knowledge is never the end. Abraham did not know. At this stage of his relationship with Yahweh, we are not told how deep his theological understanding is of God's nature.

20:40 Remember, he's 75 years old. He's coming from probably a polytheistic society. That in itself is a huge barrier to overcome to someone who has taken seventy five years to establish convictions about what they think about the world. To then immediately transform his notion to to establish firm belief in monotheism From a secular point of view, that's foolishness. That is foolishness.

21:10 But it says Abraham here believed. And I would challenge you today, do not demand full understanding with regard to God's dealings with mankind. We wonderfully align ourselves with the creator and the sustainer of the universe who wonderfully orchestrates the patterns of this world with with such careful precision. Knowledge from our perspective, in essence, oftentimes does us no good. The biblical authors appeal to this notion often.

21:47 Jesus reminds his followers in the Gospels, as does Luke in the Acts account, that it is not for you to know the hour. Some things are better left in the dark regarding what we know or do not know. And despite not knowing all of the details, and believe it or not, lack of knowledge, what does, in essence, lack of understanding, what does inadequacy of knowledge, what does that make room for? As that takes a back seat in our life, what in essence takes the driver's seat? And this makes way to my third and final point.

22:45 As I go about this assembly, even between services on Sunday mornings, I am astounded by by how much knowledge there is that exists in this world that I that I do not know. One conversation with with Denzel, you know, about about metallurgy, about steel production and business management opens my mind to a to a whole world, a whole discipline that I know absolutely nothing about. You know, one conversation with Nathan Morris about data analysis, physics, chemistry, you know, your mind is expanded. You know, Uncle Bob, one conversation about portfolio banking, mutual funds, cavemen. In the last year, I've learned more about cavemen from Bob, what they do and what they eat than I could ever imagine.

23:43 Alright? Why I why I stress this is that at times my lack of knowledge is so discouraging to me, but this is intentional. Right? Designed by God. It's designed for our greatest good.

24:00 Because with regard to knowledge and understanding, the infinite amount of inadequacies that we face regarding the acquisition of knowledge, that just what makes way for faith to abound in all its fullness. And this is why Jesus, the author of Hebrews reminds us in chapter 12 and throughout. And this is why Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, the champion of faith, the person who has embodied faith to its fullness. This is why in many in in one sense, Paul reminds us in Philippians chapter two that he emptied himself. He emptied Himself of that which He knew.

24:40 Right? He did not know the hour that He would return. He forfeited that attribute. He forfeited that as He came to this earth, as He humbled Himself, not not considering equality with god something to be grasped, although he was indeed god. But this lack of knowledge per se that Jesus embodied, it it made his faith, his hope that he would return abound all the more.

25:08 This should come as an encouragement to us because as the author of Hebrews reminds us in verse one, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the convictions of things not seen. Faith is not the assurance of things that we know, the conviction of things that we see. Faith is not the conviction of that which we can study. Faith is not the conviction of that which we can apply the scientific method to and test and hypothesize and theorize and then draw a conclusive truth about this or that. No.

25:41 Faith is the thing... Is the conviction of things not seen. Not seen. When our knowledge and intellectual faculties fail us in our ability to make sense out of this wonderful story and the nature of the cosmos that exists around us, that is where faith is given room to thrive and to grow and to prosper. Jesus did not know when he was to return.

26:09 And therefore, you know, could he say could he say with certainty to the same extent that I can say, I know this pulpit exists in front of me? I I believe the English language in many ways deceives us when we when we say with the same degree, not necessarily of certainty, but in the same way that I know Jesus coming again in the sense that I know this pulpit exists as I apply my empirical senses to it. I see it and I I feel it in my hands. But this is intentional. This is intentional.

26:45 I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is coming again. I hope without a shadow of a doubt that he is coming again. And upon his return, upon his second advent, when he will return, what then? Will there be any room for hope? No.

27:07 We won't need to hope anymore because what? Then we will know. Then we will know. And we will be able, I believe, to apply our empirical senses to Jesus in in a way more so than any empirical reality that has ever existed since the beginning of time. Jesus will be known in his fullness.

27:31 Right? Right. But right now, he is hoped for. And why do I stress this? I want to stress this because I want to stress how motivating of a force that faith can be.

27:44 It's so it's so motivating, mind you, that Abraham left his home. Abraham left everything that he knew, everything that he knew for something that he did not know, for something that he did not know. And what was it that he did not know but that he hoped for? He was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Can you imagine the conversations that Abraham had as he elaborated on on on his hope?

28:27 Well, I don't know. What does this city look like? I don't know. But it has foundations and its architect, its builder, its God. Right?

28:36 How wonderful. How wonderful a story this is. I've always been curious as to why the Old Testament saints in many way associate their understanding of salvation, you know, differently than we find that in the New Testament. We as as believers today, what do we associate with salvation? We often associate heaven, eternal life, you know, eternal eternity, right?

29:06 Heavenly crowns. Well, to Abraham, this was his salvation. The city who who which has foundations, whose architect and builder is god. I think it would do us well to constantly be reevaluating in a way our notion of salvation in light of its necessary implications. In our society today, there's a lot of confusion regarding salvation.

29:32 Not only how one gets saved, mind you, but what salvation entails. If someone were to come through these doors and tell you that they were saved, you would say, okay. Right? God bless. Alright?

29:45 Praise the lord. But then, later in the conversation, if they were to go on to tell you that because they were saved, now they had an unlimited access to gummy bears or now they could drive out of this parking lot in any car that they so desire or now that they have three wishes, alright, you would say they had a misunderstanding about what salvation truly is. So I think we would do well in always critiquing, always evaluating our notion of salvation in light of how Abraham understood it, in light of how the Old Testament saints understood it. I do, you know, affirm the doctrine of progressive revelation that throughout time, you know, thanks to the corpus of of canon, that God has revealed His nature more and more as history has progressed. Alright?

30:34 This sheds light on why we find some of the Old Testament figures able to do things ethically and morally that God encourages the New Testament believers not to do, polygamy and whatnot. Okay? But that doesn't, you know, negate, in my opinion, our need to critique, evaluate our our notion of salvation in light of how Abraham understood it. Okay? So I've structured the next portion of my message under three questions regarding Abraham's faith and how he understood the city of God.

31:24 According to Abraham, what did this city entail? And thirdly, how does one enter the city? If this is... If this... If Abraham was looking for the city, if that was the purpose of his calling, the purpose of his sojournings, alright, Upon finding this city, he assuredly wanted to enter it.

31:45 Now, first, why was this city sought after? Alright? Why did Abraham not find his place of rest on this earth suitable for him and his family to live? Well, in short, Abraham never truly found true rest. Turn with me to Hebrews eleven:nine.

32:08 By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. Now, this aspect of Abraham's narrative has always fascinated me. Here, Abraham is brought out of the land for which he lived, away from his family, away from that which he knew, and he has promised this land as an eternal possession, as an eternal possession. But this isn't really a land that we find Abraham actually ever possessing. Okay?

32:46 For the sake of time, we'll read through this quickly. Genesis fifteen thirteen through 21. God said, know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years, but I will also judge the nation for whom they serve and afterward they will come out with many possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age.

33:09 Then in the fourth generation they will return here for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete. It came about when the sun had set that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between the pieces. On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, to your descendants, I have given this land from the River Of Egypt as far as the Great River, the River Euphrates, the Kenite and the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite and the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, the Jebusite. Here, as we find in chapter 11, the nature of Abraham's dealing or belonging in the land is one of sojourning, wanderer, nomad. It is not a possessor.

33:52 It is not an owner of land. The Genesis account, and this is fascinating, the Genesis account is full of instances, is it not, where the people of God are are this close to possessing the promised land. Right? When when just when you think they're going to stop and settle and make a permanent home for themselves, they don't. They're carried away for some reason.

34:14 Actually, the only one of Abraham's descendants who we find permanently settling in the land is Lot. And his settlement in the promised land does what? It leads to his downfall. Why is this? Why did not they not like what they saw as they ventured through the land?

34:33 Well, because they knew that the trees that they ate from and the pastures that their livestock devoured, this was not their home. This was but a foretaste of their future home and a place of residence, the foretaste of the city whose architect and builder is God. But Abraham did experience many tastings, right, many foreshadowings. Most notably, I want to reference, we don't have time to look at the passage, but I want to reference his instance upon entering the hill country that will one day be Judah, and Abraham enters this city named Salem. And upon his entrance to Salem, he meets this man, this priest of God, Melchizedek, who orchestrates and structures his city around the ways of God, right, with righteousness and justice.

35:22 And this is yet but a foretaste. To a thousand years later, when David, King David will move the capital of Israel from Hebron to Jerusalem, to Salem, to Jerusalem, when David, on behalf of Israel now, will take the throne and David will reign with righteousness and justice. But that in itself is just a foretaste, right? To the establishment of what? The establishment of the future Jerusalem, the holy heavenly Jerusalem, which which is the city of God, which will descend from heaven and and and envelop Mount Zion.

36:00 And and will Melchizedek take the throne? No. Will David take the throne? Will Abraham? No.

36:05 They will come alongside us and we will all worship the Son of Man as He takes His rightful place and He as He administers justice and righteousness to a greater degree than David, Abraham, and Melchizedek combined. This is for which Abraham hoped for. Regarding the territorial promises, we also, and I would like to make this brief, we also see in in Israel's four thousand year history, we actually never see them at one time possess all the land that God promised to Abraham. From the River Of Egypt all the way to the River Euphrates, from the Mediterranean Sea to the to the Jordan Valley as god will promise Moses. The boundaries are clear and it's strange that that Israel since since its establishment has never possessed the land to its entirety.

36:54 But I assure you that the sons of Abraham one day will. Next, my next question, what is this city like? We can go on and on about the nature of the future Jerusalem, but I again would like to narrow our scope and understand it along Abraham's lens Through Abraham's lens. First, let's look at Genesis 15. After these things, the word of god came to Abraham in a vision saying, do not fear, Abraham.

37:23 I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be great. Abram said, O Lord God, what will you give me since I am childless? The heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus. According to Abraham, God's promise, God's blessing comes primarily by way of what?

37:42 By way of a son, a descendant, a notion that is entirely foreign to the society for which we live. Alright? As I am awaiting the birth of my son, you know, I hope that I understand the nature of sonship along Abraham's lines. What a blessing that would be. How ironic then that the author of Genesis, if this is Abraham's greatest blessing, how ironic then that his wife is barren, that his wife is incapable of giving Abraham that which he wants most, a son.

38:16 And even, even as Abraham takes Sarah's maidservant and impregnates her and and one is born, is this the son of promise? No. It must come from Abraham's biological lineage. And all God asks of Abraham and Sarah is to be patient, to hope, and to wait. And finally, through much patience and struggle, Isaac is born.

38:39 You see, to Abraham, if he entered this city of God and he was the only one there, then this would not be the city whose architect and builder is God. If Abraham entered a city, I would say, and he was surrounded by many people, but none of them, one, none of them were his biological heirs, this would not be the city of God. But likely, this city is not only comprised of Abraham's blood relatives. Genesis twelve:three goes on to say, and I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you, I will curse. And in you, Abraham, all the families of the earth will be blessed.

39:26 Abraham was chosen by God not to exclude himself from the dealings of the world and the surrounding nations for which he sojourned. He was chosen to bear a glorious family first and then to do what? To share the good news of great joy, the gospel to everyone that he came in contact with. And in turn, as Abraham shared the nature of these promises and as these people believed, they would in turn be inheritors of the same promises that were given to Abraham. This is evident all over in the Old Testament.

40:02 It's evident first in the story of Melchizedek. As Abraham goes on to bless Melchizedek, Melchizedek honors God on behalf of Abraham, and in turn, Melchizedek blesses Abraham, Melchizedek being a Gentile. This is also evident in the nature of Abraham's name change. Abram, meaning a father of nation and Abraham, meaning a father of multitudinous nations, a father of nations plural. And this is most important to us, brethren.

40:32 Right? As I stand before you, fully Gentilic. I a Gentile and most of you are as well. We can have full assurance that God's promises to Abraham, they extend far, far, far beyond that of Hebrew blood. They extend to the people of God in their entirety.

40:55 And the same promises applied to Abraham, that are given to Abraham, they in turn, as John read in Galatians, they are given to us as well. This city for which Abraham hoped for, the same eternal residence for which we hope. Upon entrance to the city, I am convinced that we will join and we will sing praises to our God. Will we not? We will take hand.

41:23 And you know, we will take hands with the person next to us. Whether that person be Jewish or Gentile, whether that person be a male or a female, whether that person be a slave or a free man in his former life, we will take hands with the person next to us. And what will we sing? We will sing Father Abraham had many sons. I mean it.

41:44 Many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them. I am one of them, a Gentile, and so are you, a Jew. So what do we have in common? So what do we do in response?

41:55 Well, come, brethren, let us go praise the Lord. Let us praise the Lord. What a beautiful city this is. Two other characteristics. I'll summarize for the sake of time.

42:08 This city is one of blessing, eternal blessing. We embrace the heavenly crown which God has prepared for us. And this city is eternal. The author of Hebrews goes on to say it as a foundation that what? That cannot be shaken, that will remain forever.

42:24 Once it is established in its rightful place, it will remain for eternity. Amen? Amen. Let us jump ahead then. Finally, I would like to ask the question, how does one enter this city?

42:48 Knowing full well that entrance is accessible to all, alright, all without distinction, not all without exception, mind you, regardless of your gender, your race, your social status, your skin tone, your economic status. So if everyone has the potential to enter this city whose architect and builder is God, how does one enter? This, to many of you, is no mystery, but it's something that can never be overstated. And it is very appropriate for our meeting of this nature as we earlier remembered death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, one of Abraham's descendants.

43:31 Refer to Genesis 15 verses five through six. And this being God took him being Abraham outside and said, God is speaking, now look toward the heavens and count the stars if you are able to count them. And God said to him, so shall your descendants be. Then Abraham does something wonderful. He believed in the Lord and he reckoned it to him as righteousness.

44:02 Now, if any of you go out to to someone whose wife is barren and you tell them that his descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky, what would he say to you? What would he say to you? He would say that is foolishness. He would say that is a gospel of foolishness by ways of anatomy, by ways of human physiology, by ways of science. But Abraham disregards that foolishness and he believes.

44:28 He believes. He earnestly believes. And this belief is is reckoned to him as righteousness. In that moment, as Paul tells us in Galatians and in Romans, Abraham is justified. Abraham is justified before God.

44:45 And justification is the wonderful truth that human sinners, unworthy, unfit to dwell with God, unworthy, unfit to enter this city whose architect and builder is God. Mind you, this city is a place of eternal righteousness. Right? This place is a... This city is a place where where no injustice can exist.

45:09 No lying, no deceit, no no pain, no suffering, no torment, no anguish that which we as sinful man, we would bring we would bring to the city upon our entrance, would we not? So who is allowed then to enter? Well, by nature, only the righteous. But righteousness, mind you, as is the case with Abraham, righteousness is given, is reckoned, is bestowed upon those not who who gain it through workings of the law, not who gain it by by financial accomplishment, not who gain it by accomplishment as the world understands it, but simply by belief. And thanks to progressive revelation, we know belief in God, God to exist in a Trinitarian of persons, in a triune reality, as God the Father, God the Son, the incarnate Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

46:09 It is our belief in that very God that allows us to be righteous, that bestows upon us, reckons to us the righteousness that Abraham achieved in order to enter this city whose architect and builder is God. And I would encourage you today, if you do not believe in God, there is a promise that has been extended to you. Not mind you, the same exact promise of of Abraham. Abraham has not... God has not promised to me, has not brought me outside and promised me that my descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky.

46:46 That was Abraham's calling, mind you. That is not mine. I was given a different calling. But there is one promise that today God has extended to all of you. I promise that there will be a city and this city will exist.

46:59 This city will exist in all righteousness and glory and honor. And this city has an architect. This city has a builder and that builder, that architect is God. And we all have access to that city. We all are allowed entrance if we attain the righteousness and the righteousness that comes only through faith, through faith in Jesus and the promises that he's made and Jesus and his atoning work on the cross.

47:29 Let us pray and give thanks for that wonderful truth. Dear heavenly father, we thank you for that which we've read. We thank you for calling Abraham to that which you've called him. We thank you heavenly father for making a people, creating a people to to orchestrate in a way your your divine sovereign plan on this world. And ultimately, for one of Abraham's descendants to be born, to live a perfect life and to die on the cross so that the righteousness that Abraham was reckoned and the righteousness that we have access to could be made perfect.

48:11 We ask, Lord, that you continue to bless this bless this day. We thank you for all that you and your son have done for us. And we praise you in your son's holy name. Amen.