Wanderlust
Hebrews 11:8-16
One of the greatest treasures in American literature is a series of books sharing stories and adventures of growing up as a pioneer.
Very much romanticized for her audience, Laura Ingalls Wilder told of how her father moved their family around the western frontier of America in the days after the Civil War.
They began in Wisconsin, then moved to Minnesota, then to Iowa, then to Minnesota, finally settling in the Dakota Territory.
Laura quotes her pa as saying, “My wandering foot gets to itching.”
It was what we call wanderlust.
It is fairly modern word, coined in 1875.
It means to have a desire to wander or move.
It is a restlessness that seizes new opportunities and new horizons.
That exemplified many of the pioneers in America.
They and their families drifted westward with the expansion of civilization.
They would leave families and homesteads behind, because there was something in their spirit that kept seeking something better.
I think of that spirit as we read our text.
Abraham had a case of wanderlust.
God called him from his homeland in Genesis 12:1-3
Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We read his biography in Scripture and find him on the move.
From Ur of the Chaldees to Haran to Shechem to Egypt to Bethel to Hebron to Gerar and back to Hebron.
He never built a house but instead lived in tents.
The only property he ever bought was cemetery plot for his family at Machpelah.
The only family he had with him besides his wife Sarah was his nephew Lot, whose downfall is legendary.
He lived as a stranger in the land.
No one looked like him, spoke like him, dressed like him, acted like him, or worshipped like him.
But he was never truly alone.
By faith he walked with God.
By faith he saw the countless descendants that would come.
By faith he saw the Messiah, the hope of the world, coming from his family.
For 100 years he wandered and never found a place to roost.
Oh, he could have built the biggest mansion in the county.
He could have conquered some territory and named it after himself.
But he refused to put down permanent roots, even in the land that was promised to his descendants.
Our text tells us why.
Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
It was not some deluded quest for El Dorado or the Northwest Passage that drove him on.
He was seeking something very real but had not been realized yet.
We continue:
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.
Abraham, to whom God made so many wonderful promises, died without seeing the place he sought for.
Why?
It had not come yet.
He had a vision of something to come.
Still thinking of pioneers, Stephen F. Austin and the early Texan colonists came to my mind.
I’ve seen the newspaper articles and advertisements they put it, calling people to come and settle in Texas.
They talked about the possibilities for profit and advancement with the raw beginnings of settlement.
Here is part of a letter from Stephen F. Austin that was published in 1823:
Now is the time to move to this Country. Settlers who establish themselves under me will have more privileges than ever will be granted again, the smallest guaranty of land they are to receive is one League square, and are free from all taxes and tythes for six years. I am as yet unlimited as to the number which I may introduce into the interior of the province near the ancient settlement; there are about one hundred families on the Colorado and Brasos, the other two hundred I am determined shall be of the best kind.
The crops this year will be immense, eighty bushels of corn will be raised in many places in the settlement, the rains have been plentiful throughout the summer. I want settlers of respectability, and if you or your friends will join me, I will allow you all the privileges in my power. The land will cost twelve and a half cents an acre
Sounds a like a pretty promising proposition, doesn’t it?
Cheap land, no taxes, abundant crops.
People read accounts like that and uprooted and families to seek out this new Garden of Eden.
Abraham was sort of like that.
He did not see the present, he saw what the future would hold through the promises of God.
He looked around and said, “this place is pretty nice, oh but wait till I finally get home!”
Folks, let me put this plainly.
We need some of that heavenly wanderlust in our hearts today.
We need to look beyond this present world and see what is coming.
We need a divine discontent that drives us forward.
Albert Brumley put it this way:
This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.
I ask you this morning, how attached are you to this old world?
Does that Blessed Hope of Heaven stir your heart?
I am afraid that when lot of Christians are called to glory they are gonna be trying to grab on and hold on to their treasures here below.
This leads me to my first point:
I. Our Final Destination
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.
I am afraid, if given the choice, many people would make their ticket to heaven be a round trip one.
They’d like to go visit, but their hearts and home are really down here.
I am glad it is a one-way ticket.
No returns, no cancellations, no delays.
There are many things to enjoy in this life – God has been so good to us even in this fallen world.
But how inferior everything down here is!
I am reminded of when Billy was just a baby and we were at Braums.
He was just barely starting to eat baby food.
My dad decided it was time he got a taste of the good life.
He took his straw out of his milkshake and put a drop or two of it on Billy’s tongue.
I you saw that baby’s face light up you would know his world had just turned upside down.
Bland rice and pureed whatever just wasn’t gonna cut it anymore.
He knew what the good life tasted like.
It’s the same when we really get a good glimpse of heaven.
Things down here just down shine as bright as they used to.
There’s a wanderlust that sets in.
There should be a longing in our hearts to be truly Home.
Some of y’all are to the point that you have more family and friends over there than here.
It makes staying here that much harder.
And that’s not even the best part
To be with our Savior! To worship at God’s throne!
How could we ever desire anything else?
II. Our Welcome There
Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God:…
I am fascinated by that phrase – “God is not ashamed to be called their God”.
Sometimes the kids will act up, and Becky and I will look at each other and say, “that’s your child, not mine!”
We are of course only joking… most of the time…
I was telling someone recently that when you have a kid you lose your identity.
I was not long Matthew Barton Gage.
I was Billy’s dad or Jenna’s dad.
You know, it never bothered me at all.
I don’t mind being associated with my kids – I think they’ve turned out pretty good in spite of having me for a dad.
Have you every thought that God feels similarly about us?
He does not just like us – He LOVES us!
I know we must frustrate Him at times, but there is never a time when the Devil makes an accusation against us where God says, “I’m not claiming that child right now.”
He LOVES us!
Why bring this point while we are largely focused on heaven?
Because if God is that crazy about us, just imagine what He has prepared for us!
He does not just allow us into Heaven – His every desire is for us to be there!
III. Our Permanent Home
Heb 11:16 …for he hath prepared for them a city.
Christ put it this way:
Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Christ makes it very personal – “I am coming for YOU. There is a place for YOU.”
But we also note it goes beyond just the individual – “many mansions”
What did Abraham seek? A city.
How many people live in a city?
There used to be a sign south of us on the Tarrant County line that read, “Jeterville, Texas – Population 5 and 1 Cat”.
None of us would call that a city.
There are other communities in our area that have a few buildings but I hesitate to call them a city.
A city is a place buzzing with life and filled with people.
That is what Heaven will be!
It is not just about me or you being there.
It is about our loved ones and or friends.
It is about bringing as many people along with us as we can.
One day, thanks to the salvation provided by our Lord Jesus Christ, we will be part of that community.
Not just enjoying the splendors of heaven, but enjoying them TOGETHER.
ILLUS ? – kids seeing fireworks.
CONCLUSION
- Where is your heart today?
- Is it on this earth with its fading and unfulfilling amusements?
- Is it in Heaven were true joy and peace reign unopposed.
- Where are you investing today?
- We put a lot of time and energy into being comfortable in this world.
- Make sure you are giving and working so that there are rewards on the other side.
- The greatest of these is having souls there because of you.
- Where is your hope this today?
- The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ.
- It is only through His shed blood that salvation is possible.
- It is only by faith in His finished work that we may know that Heaven is our home.