Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew

Strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth!

Hebrews 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."

The election is over and for the next five years Singapore has a government that, God willing, will continue to rule our homeland with equity and justice so that peace may remain for us to worship, serve the LORD Jesus Christ, witness for Him, study God's Word and have Christian fellowship in freedom. This peace comes with a spiritual responsibility. Christians are not to live on this earth as citizens of the earth making money and living the high life of luxury as if this is their home away from the heavenly home. This world is not the believer's home. This world has Satan who is the prince of this world ruling and deceiving.

Many are dying in their sins and are heading straight to hell. Ultimately, they will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire which burns without end. This is the second death which is an eternal damnation of pain and gnashing of teeth. Revelation 21:8 (KJV), "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." These lost souls do not know that they are lost. They need believers who remain on this earth to tell them that they are lost and undone and dead in sin and trespasses against God. These lost ones do not need to remain in this state of blindness and condition of spiritual death. There is hope. God has given them this hope in the person of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus Christ, not to condemn the world, but to save the world from her sins. The reason is that mankind are already in a state of sin from the time of conception to the time of death. John 3:16-21 (KJV), "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

The sojourners' constant danger -- How should Christians live on this earth in a way that is pleasing to God? The world is fraught with dangers and pitfalls. Christians are not immune from the wickedness and evils and temptations of this world of which Satan is the prince. This Evil One cunningly wields his ‘magic wand’ over the affairs of billions, and through subtle enticements and the deceitfulness of riches, he has snared billions into his fold and they have fallen into pernicious ways. Globalization has opened the Christian’s world view to a vista of sin and filth never seen before. The privacy of his innermost sanctums has been infiltrated by these wanton sins of debauchery. There is no home or room so sacred that Satan will not invade. The handheld devices, television and the internet are just a few ways through which he has invaded the minds and hearts of generations of children growing up in this fast-paced global village. The Christian now lives in a world of great moral decay spawned by decades of Satan’s devices and propaganda. Yet in the midst of all these, the Christian is still able to shine forth the light of Christ because God has promised that He will always have His remnant. How can Christians live a life that is pleasing to the LORD in this age of global sin and wanton living?

The sojourner's key is Faith! -- The biblical answer is found in the witness and testimony of the patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The patriarchs died in faith not having received the promises that the LORD gave to them while they were alive. Their having died in faith means that they held on to their faith in what God promised them in His Word to the end of their lives. They refused to allow the changing circumstances of life and the ages to change them. They continued trusting in God by obeying what God's Word promised them. All believers have this faith too. This is the same faith that God gives to all believers at the time of their salvation. Without this faith no man can believe in Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This same faith will help the believer live a life according to God's Word so that his life will be a reflection of Christ's image. His life of good works will point others to Christ. This was what the saints of old did. Believers today can and must do the same. This is the only way to please God.

The believers in the Old Testament were not upset or angry with the LORD who promised them something that came to pass only after they were dead and gone from this earth. Instead, the Bible says that they had "seen them afar off". What is the meaning of this phrase? It was not their physical eyes that saw the promises of God. The patriarchs saw with eyes of faith. This was good enough for them. As far as they were concerned, what they saw with their eyes of faith was reality. How do we know that?

The sojourners were persuaded -- We know it from the way they lived their lives. Three verbs are used to describe their reactions. Firstly, they were persuaded. They were thoroughly convinced that what God said was true. If the believer is not convinced that what God says is true, it will not be possible for him to live righteously. This is the first step of faith. The believer needs to take God at His word and live his life in the light of God’s truth. Lip service like making statements of consecration is not what God wants. Feeling a warm sensation within the heart is also not what God wants. What God wants is a life lived in accordance with God's truth. The one who is persuaded will do that. The earthly calling of every child of God is different even though the heavenly calling is the same through Christ. All believers are called out of darkness into God's marvellous light through the blood of Christ. Heaven will be the eternal home for all believers. However, the call to serve God on earth varies from believer to believer. Abraham was called to come out of Ur of the Chaldees to go to the Land of Promise, Canaan. He remained there till the will of God was accomplished in his life and then the Lord took him home. His son Isaac was to stay and on no account was he supposed to leave the Land of Promise; he remained there until God's work in him was finished and then he was also called home to glory. However, Jacob was different. He was asked to leave and then return. His disposition was different from his father Isaac. When he returned to the Land of Promise he was married with two wives and 12 sons and one daughter. God used his 12 sons to bring about the entire nation of Israel after they spent 430 years inside Egypt. They entered Egypt because God used Joseph, Jacob's second youngest son to bring them into Egypt. They were one of the most important families in Egypt because Joseph was the second most powerful man at that time. They all fulfilled the will of God in their lifetime and then when their work for God was finished, they were all called home to glory. They all lived by faith and were persuaded and fulfilled the will of God in their lives.

The sojourners embraced – Because they were persuaded they also embraced. The second verb "embrace" means "to enfold in the arms" or "to salute". The Middle Eastern way of saluting was by an embrace. If the believer is persuaded that God’s Word is true, then he will embrace the Word of God and not let it go. Even if the world does not believe, he will still be persuaded and not let go of God’s promises. He will keep on obeying and will not allow the circumstances of life to dissuade him. OT history is replete with examples of such acts of embracing and persuasion, fulfilling the will of God in their lives even in the face of death. Daniel as an elderly statesman was thrown into the lions' den because he wanted to obey the Word of God. The Persian law was passed that no one was allowed to pray to any gods for thirty days except to the king of Persia. Anyone who broke this law would be thrown into the lions' den. Daniel continued to pray three times a day with his window open toward Jerusalem which was his regular custom. Daniel's enemies were waiting for him to pray and he was caught praying. He was reported to the king for his "criminal" act and was thrown into the lions' den. Daniel refused to be moved by the threat of death when he obeyed the Word of God. He knew, like all believers, that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Their knowledge then was not as clear as opposed to the NT believers because of the completion of Holy Scriptures; nevertheless it was still true faith. Daniel was persuaded and he embraced the Word of God without letting go, even when it meant death!

Believers need to do the same. There is one more verb that will help the believer.

The sojourners confessed -- The third verb is to confess. The sojourner is ever ready to announce to the whole world that he is a believer of Christ. He is glad to be identified with the LORD. The way of life then was very different. For example, Abraham lived the life of a nomad with no protection of a walled up city. The norm in those days was to live inside the city, which means that you would have to choose your allegiance and take the side of a particular nation in Canaan. Otherwise, you would have to exist outside the city limits without any protection. The believer and his family would be at the mercy of the many marauders who roamed the plains and mountains of Canaan. But Abraham could not allow himself and his small family to live inside a city. This would "dilute" his way of life and he would lose his spiritual purpose and identity and assimilate into the life of the Canaanites. Abraham lived apart from "modern city" living because this was God's will for him. It was not sinful to live inside a city as Jerusalem was the city of God. Abraham's testimony was great throughout the land of Canaan. They knew of him because he witnessed for the LORD. This was also true of young Joseph when he was in Egypt as a slave. The Bible testifies in Genesis 39:1-3 (KJV), "And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. 2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand." [Emphasis added] How could Potiphar see if Joseph had not testified! This was also true of Daniel throughout his sojourn in Babylon. He separated himself from the other wise men of Babylon, who worshipped other gods, in order to distinguish the LORD from idols.

Believers must not be afraid to tell others about the LORD. Living a life of persuasion without testifying about Christ is not enough. People cannot be saved without the gospel being preached. The life of the believer is the evidence of salvation but the Word of God is the power of salvation to save. To be persuaded, the believer must embrace to hold on and keep his persuasion which must also result in very loud confession!

The sojourners were strangers first – What was the confession? With these three convictions, the patriarchs were not ashamed to confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. A stranger is an alien. It is the Greek word "xenos" from which we get the English word "xenophobia". A stranger who has lived long in a foreign land but remains a stranger at heart is called a pilgrim. He is a resident stranger. He has become used to the place and culture in the foreign land but no matter how long he lives in that land, he will never become a permanent residence. He remains a resident foreigner.

This is what a Christian must do as he lives in this world. He has become a stranger and a sojourner because Jesus Christ has delivered him from sin, death and hell through His precious blood when He died on the cross of Calvary. He cannot make this world his home and be a permanent resident any longer. To accomplish this life of a stranger and a sojourner, he needs to be persuaded, to embrace and confess that God’s Word is true and that he will always be a stranger on this foreign earth! Then will he be able to rise above the crises of this world and not succumb to the many temptations that confront him daily. When he loses material things or loved ones, he does not weep as if it is the end of the world. As long as he has Christ and his faith in God’s perfect Word, he knows he has all that he needs.

It is like a person who goes on a holiday in a foreign land. Every place he stays in is not owned by him. The furniture in the hotel is not his. The politics in the country does not involve him. He is very detached because he is a foreigner and his home is somewhere else. Yes, the believer is to live detached from this world. All relationships and material possessions need to be viewed in light of eternity. His home is in heaven. This was how the patriarchs lived and how every Christian now ought to live. The present global crisis with ISIS and the worldwide sodomy lifestyle must remind the Christian of this truth. AMEN.