Looking For An Enduring City
Preacher: Richard Blight
Theme: Hebrews 13:11-14
Outline
When people become Christians it usually changes their life in some major ways. Often it means repenting of some obvious sins and committing to live God’s way. It means turning away from some religious practices we may have been involved with before. It means changing some relationships and sometimes taking radical action to break some off where they have been damaging.
But it is not always easy to break from these things. I have some Asian friends who have been pressured by their families to continue to be involved in worshipping their ancestors even after they have become Christian. Others who come from a catholic background have been expected by their families to keep going to mass – especially at key times of the year.
It can be difficult to confront your family and say ‘no, I’m not doing this any more’. It is really not hard to fall into a pattern where you convince yourself you can have it both ways – you can be Christian and continue in some aspects of the old religion.
We can think the same way in regard to some areas of our sinful lifestyle – not wanting to give them up because it is too much a part of our life or we don’t want to cut ourselves off from our ’friends’.
But is it OK to try and have it both ways? Is it OK to keep a foot in both camps? When one of the camps we are trying to have a foot in is the gospel camp which tells us that our salvation comes through Christ alone?
The letter to the Hebrews challenges our double-mindedness and challenges us to fully commit to following Jesus!
2. Jesus Suffered Outside the City
3. Therefore Let Us Go to Him
4 Since we are looking for a city that is to come
5. Looking for the Enduring City
