Seeking His Presence
Text: Hebrews 11:13–16
Theme: Living as strangers and pilgrims, pursuing the heavenly homeland with faith.
I. STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS ON THE EARTH
(Hebrews 11:13)
• “They confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”
• Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—all lived in tents, never possessing the fullness of what was promised.
• Key Point: This world is not our home. We live with the awareness that we are passing through.
• Supporting Scriptures:
• 1 Peter 2:11 – “I urge you as sojourners and exiles…”
• Philippians 3:20 – “Our citizenship is in heaven…”
Application:
• Live unattached to the world’s system.
• Keep a pilgrim’s heart—free, mobile, looking upward.
II. LOOKING FOR A COUNTRY OF THEIR OWN
(Hebrews 11:14–15)
• “They were looking for a country of their own…”
• They weren’t homesick for where they came from, but driven by a vision of something greater.
• They didn’t look backward—they kept their eyes forward.
Key Point:
• Faith doesn’t return to the familiar—it presses into the promise.
• What “country” are you seeking? Earthly comfort or eternal reward?
Illustration:
• Lot’s wife looked back—Abraham kept walking.
III. LONGING FOR A BETTER COUNTRY – A HEAVENLY ONE
(Hebrews 11:16)
• “They were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.”
• This longing was holy, not escapism. They desired to dwell where God rules fully.
Key Point:
• Heaven is not just a future location—it’s a present motivation.
• Living for heaven causes us to live with purity, purpose, and urgency.
Supporting Scriptures:
• Colossians 3:1-2 – “Set your minds on things above…”
• Revelation 21:2 – “The holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down…”
IV. THEREFORE, GOD IS NOT ASHAMED TO BE CALLED THEIR GOD
(Hebrews 11:16b)
• Because of their faith and forward vision, God was proud to associate with them.
• “He has prepared a city for them.”
Key Point:
• God honors those who live by faith with a pilgrim spirit.
• He prepares a place for those who aren’t settling here.
Application:
• Let our lives reflect the kind of people God is proud to call His own.
• Build altars, not permanent cities—worship and walk by faith.
Conclusion: A Call to the Pilgrim Church
• We are nomads in the natural, but citizens of heaven in the Spirit.
• Let us live by faith, seek the unseen, walk in obedience, and refuse to go back to what God called us out of.
Invitation:
If your heart has become too at home in this world, ask God to awaken a longing for the better country.