Seeking a Homeland

I want to go home! Have you ever heard anyone say that before? I want to go home! I was in the Dells with my wife and our daughter back in 1984, evidently. She was about three years old, and listen, it rained every single day, all day long. That feast was unbelievably wet. The wettest feast by far. I think we got more rain than that one feast, than all the other feasts combined that I've been to. Usually, it's gorgeous weather during the feast. But that year in the Dells, it rained and rained and rained. And Jamie, after about the second or third day, I want to go home! I couldn't blame her! I mean, you know, it was tough even on Barbara and me, but on a little girl that really didn't want to just spend all of her time in a restaurant, fellowshiping and talking to people. It was tougher. So how many times have we parents heard that statement from our small children? Many times, I'm sure. How many times have we actually said it ourselves, even as adults? I know there are times when I want to go home! Our participation in these holy days that we've just observed of God Almighty show God that we are His little children, and we do shout to Him our excitement and anticipation about going home. So do you want to go home? That's my question for you today. Do you want to go home? And I'm not talking about some kind of ethereal home in heaven right after one dies, as some people believe. I'm talking about a very real home in God's kingdom, that will last an eternity, and it will be a joyous, abundant, wonderful, fantastic, literal spiritual kingdom. There really is no place like home. You remember Dorothy, probably, the classic, the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy went on a long journey in search of getting back to Kansas. You know, she really wanted to get back home. She went through all kinds of trials to get back home. Dorothy was determined to get home, and with the help of the Munchkins, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow, she kept moving in that direction. And she finally made it home. I guess even the Wizard of Oz actually helped her near the end. Now, we Americans, in fact, all people spend billions of dollars every year returning to the place where we were born, going back to our hometowns. There's something very nostalgic about going back home. I enjoy it. Almost every opportunity I get, I go back home, and I try to fish in a little pond that I used to own where we used to live. I enjoy going back home. Home is a word that creates longing. It creates real nostalgia, often for a spiritual or emotional place that we've actually never really experienced in the fullest sense. I really believe God has put something in us.

We really want to go to our spiritual home. We have a yearning, a desire for that. So the word home itself has a powerful influence in our lives and our thoughts. Some of you have lived in the same home for many, many, many years, and no doubt you have a real affinity to that home. You know, you enjoy it. It's very comfortable. It's a safe environment. It's something that you really long for in some ways when you're away from it. Vacations are nice, but don't you always want to go home? I know I'm the same way. I mean, I go, I enjoy my vacation or the feast, but there's a time when you just want to go home. So many of us have experienced many homes in our lives. Some of you have probably moved around quite a bit. I've had homes in Ohio. That's where I was born. Then in Texas for college for three years. Then in California for about a year and a half. In Michigan for nine years. Then to Oklahoma for that 13 months I was talking about. Then back then over to Pennsylvania for about five years. Then to Oklahoma for 19. And now I'm a Texan. That's right, I'm a Texan now. So I've lived in a few different homes, but no matter how happy and how secure that we feel in our homes, there's still again a longing in most of us that cannot be satisfied by a physical home.

So home is a powerful yet elusive concept. The strong feelings that surround home do reveal some deep longings within us for a place where we are safe and at peace. A place where we can feel and be secure since we do live in such an insecure world. I mean, this world's frightening. There are times when it becomes very frightening. We really don't know what we're going to wake up to. I remember waking up to 9-11. I was watching the news when it was happening. Right in front of my very eyes, that second plane, I saw that live.

Some of you probably did as well. It's quite surreal to be there. So we do live in a frightening world, a very unstable world in many respects. So no real physical place, in fact, no real physical family ever totally satisfies these yearnings that we have.

Again, no matter how satisfying and blessed they may be. The only thing that will satisfy these inner yearnings is when we enter into our eternal spiritual home in the kingdom of God. So I kind of wanted to prolong the feast fever a little while. And think about this. You know, it's symbolic of our spiritual home, the Feast of Tabernacles. Christ is going to return. He's going to establish His government and His kingdom upon the earth. He's going to rule for a thousand years.

That's going to be our home as spirit beings here on the earth for a thousand years. But then the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven. And God establishes an eternal kingdom that will last forever and ever and ever. And that will be our home for all eternity. So we firstfruits especially realize that in a sense, we are exiles in this world. All mankind is exiled, in a sense, from their home and their homeland, their eternal homeland, whether they realize it or not.

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were they not exiled from the Garden of Eden? The Garden of Eden, which is symbolic and pictures that eternal home, that spiritual home for us. We've all been exiled from what God intends for us and what He wants for each and every one of us. God really does want to pour out His blessings on us and He will, especially when Christ returns and this wonderful home is set up for us. In the meantime, we are traveling here on this earth, back and forth, never really arriving home. Now is our time of tabernacling.

It's our time of sojourning on this earth. It's temporary. Let's go to Hebrews 11 and let's read in Hebrews 11 from the Faith chapter what the writer of Hebrews, most likely Paul, says about Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and others who were sojourners. Of course, they are also a part of the firstfruits, just like we are.

So this applies to us as well. So listen carefully. In Hebrews 11, verse 8, Hebrews 11, verse 8, By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And so he went out, not knowing where he was going, and by faith he dwelt in the land of promise, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob. The heirs with him of the same promise, for he waited for the city, which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

So he's clearly talking about the new Jerusalem, that eternal home. By faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age. I believe she was 90 years old because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore, for one man, Abraham, who I believe was 99, and him as good as dead in terms of being able to bear children, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

So that, obviously, is symbolic and a huge number. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were indeed strangers and pilgrims in the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. So if you want a title for this sermon, I've titled it Seeking a Homeland, an Eternal Home in God's Kingdom.

That's what this is the sermon is all about. They sought a homeland. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah. They sought a homeland, and truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. Now, we know some came out of the children of Israel, came out of Egypt, and some wanted to go back to Egypt.

And that's what they thought about, and some of them tried to go back to Egypt. And it was so foolish because God was leading them into the Promised Land, into a land flowing with milk and honey, and yet they dwelt on a physical home. See, God wants us to have the vision for that spiritual home. So, they will always be moving in that direction, never allowing ourselves to get sidetracked and off the mark. So, when you dwell on things you shouldn't, then you'll begin to think about those things, and they will become a reality in your life.

So, we have to get our minds off of these things that are unproductive and are unhelpful and are bad for us, and we need to desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. The answers aren't here on this earth.

The answers are in God's kingdom. So, we want a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed. In fact, God is very pleased and proud to be called their God. God is very glad to be your God and to be my God, for He has prepared a city for them. God has prepared a city for us, a wonderful city, a beautiful city. Now, I'm not real crazy about cities in a lot of ways, but this is one city I really want to see. This is one city that is going to be amazing.

But why was it that God was so pleased to be the God of these first fruits that He was calling, that were responding to Him? Was it not because they desire a heavenly country? It's because they desired that country. That's what they wanted. That's what you and I want. And God does look at our hearts and He does see how badly we want His kingdom. It speaks a lot to God. Now, many in the Bible, they were literal exiles. Some were exiles because of their sins. They were exiled into Babylon or they were exiled into Assyria because of their sins. The house of Israel, the house of Judah both went into captivity because of their sins.

So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and also Joseph, were all sojourners. They were exiles in a foreign land. They hadn't yet received the promises of an eternal homeland. Now, in the parable about the prodigal son, in Christ's New Testament parable, we see that he was a voluntary exile. He left his father's country, exiled himself in a sense, and took off for wasteful prodigal living. But later, he came to himself. And he repented of that, and he returned to his home with his father, who truly loved him. In fact, his father was longing for him to return, just like our heavenly father is longing for each of his children to return. And he means everybody. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son. Not just talking about the firstfruits, he's talking about all of mankind. God is longing for all of these children of his to come home, to embrace him, to embrace his son, to embrace his way of life. Just like the father of the prodigal son, he couldn't wait to have his son come back. He loved his son. It hurt him greatly that his son had gone off and done what he did. But he welcomed him back. He accepted him back. So the prodigal son is a type of each and every one of us in that sense, because at times we've all been astray, haven't we? We've all gone astray. I was astray as a young teenager. I wasn't with the program, so to speak. I was out, in a sense, seeking a wasteful life. Thankfully, God called me early. I didn't have time to sew many wild oats, which was really a good thing for me, you know, to be called so early. Don't have some of the scars that other people have had because they did sew more of those wild oats. Regardless, God wants all of us to come back to Him. No matter what we've done, God forgives us all if we are truly repentant. So life as an exile is never easy. It's difficult. It's hard to be in exile. And even when life is good, there's always a yearning inside, always a hunger that's never satisfied. So these days that we've just observed, these holy days, they reflect the end of mankind's journey in exile. And at the same time, they celebrate that someday soon, that journey in exile is going to be over. It's going to end. These days look forward in hope to a time when we will no longer be wanderers. These holy days, these annual days that we observe reflect a time when we'll no longer be wanderers, but we will leave our temporary dwellings forever. We're going to leave these fleshly homes forever. You know, this flesh is what ties you down. It's what holds you back. It's what holds me back. I'm looking forward to literally flying someday. I've always wanted to fly. When I see the birds soaring and just, I think, man, that would be cool. I just wish I could fly. I've had dreams of me flying. You know, and I've thought about, sometimes I've almost thought I could fly. They were so real. So I'm looking forward to that when I'm no longer tied down by the flesh.

And you know, Paul, the Apostle Paul, was mindful of this concept as well. Let's notice in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 6. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 6, he says, therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, in this flesh, we are absent from the Lord. Because, of course, Christ was resurrected. Christ was at the right hand of God. Paul longed to be with the Lord in the kingdom of God. Now, he knew that he didn't go to heaven right after he died. He knew that he would go to the grave, but he also knew that that quick he'd be alive again. That quick. Once we die, we're alive again. So he had a certain desire to be with Christ in the kingdom of God.

Of course, he's still awaiting this promise. He's in the grave, but he's awaiting the promise, just like King David. Didn't ascend into heaven. He's in the grave, awaiting the promise. Now, we know that there will come a time when we will not be at home in our physical bodies any longer, but we will be in our true home. We will be in the kingdom of God with our Father, with Christ, and with his growing, expanding, eternal family. So this is a wonderful thing that God has in store for us. It's something that should energize us throughout the year. And you know the Sabbath is another holy day as well. It keeps us mindful of who our Creator is, and it keeps us mindful of his plan of salvation. It's very, very important that we're here as often as we possibly can be to talk about that vision and to look forward to something that's so wonderful and beautiful, because we get tied down by the world. We lose sight. Sometimes we get discouraged. It's easy to get discouraged in this life. That's why it's so important to have that vision, something that will lift us out of the discouragement and help us through difficult times.

So what can we learn now, right now, from being in exile in a foreign land? Hopefully you're learning these lessons. How are we going to cope as we wait in exile for a better time? A much, much better world? As we wait for the return of Christ, as we wait for the establishment of God's kingdom, what can we do right now to make our lives better and to make them more meaningful?

So we're going to talk about some lessons from exiles who are seeking a homeland. Every single one of us is seeking a homeland, a spiritual homeland. So let's talk about six lessons that we can learn as we continue this journey, as we are sojourners in this land. Number one, let's do everything that we can do to get home. Let's just think of whatever it is we can do. Now, I understand that ultimately it's all up to God. He's the one that gives us this wonderful gift of eternal life. At the same time, the Scripture clearly shows us that we are held accountable for our behavior. God holds us accountable. In fact, judgment has begun at the house of God. It's begun with you and me. This is our day of salvation. This is our time to learn these lessons. So what can we do to get home? You know, many exiles, I'm sure, did everything possible to get back to their homeland. You might remember the Count of Monte Cristo. Have any of you seen the modern movie? I mean, it's been a few several years now, but I think Jim Caviezel was in that movie. I really liked the movie. You know, he was exiled first to a prison, a horrible prison, but he was delivered from that prison. And finally, he worked his way back home to his beloved Meredith. I think was her name. He worked his way back home. You know, he didn't give up. He had an intensity. He had a desire. He had some of it was motivated by revenge, certainly. But, you know, he did whatever he could to get back home, and he persevered, and he endured so much.

Now, the more comfortable people are in their new country, oftentimes, however, they are eager to go back to their homeland. For example, those people in Egypt, they were very comfortable, I guess, with their leaks and other things that they were dwelling upon, and they wanted to go back to Egypt. Also, you might remember those who were exiled in Babylon, and some came back to Israel, but more stayed in Babylon. They didn't come back. They stayed in Babylon.

That's because they were too comfortable with Babylon, and they did not have the vision of going home to Jerusalem, to their homeland. Now, of course, some had that vision. And after the decree of Cyrus, the Persian, then, obviously, there began a few waves. I think there were at least three waves of people who went back to Jerusalem. How comfortable are you getting in this society today?

How comfortable are you right now in your skin in this country that you live in? It's a question we should ask ourselves. How comfortable are we? Let's be grateful that God has blessed us with such comfort. We do live in a comfortable times in many respects, but don't allow that comfort to law you to sleep, and don't allow it to law you into selfishness.

Don't let the comfort deaden your senses to the snares in this society, or to the sufferings of others, and the need and the desire to pray, thy kingdom come. You know, we're to pray that every single day. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God's will isn't being done here on earth. People are suffering like crazy all over this earth. Even though we have comfortable lifestyles in many respects, we should pray thy kingdom come fervently for the sake of all those starving children every day that don't have it like we do.

You know, there are people starving every single day. It's horrible this life for some people. So we should not be lulled into complacency at this time, but we need to desire to get home, to have God's kingdom established. So don't get comfortable in your exile. Instead, do all that you possibly can to get home. So we're talking about a real vision of your future, your destiny, your homeland. Step out in faith. Move toward the kingdom each and every day. There will be trials in this life when Nehemiah and Ezra's, the Rub-a-Bell, when they went back to the land, they had trials, tribulations.

They had people after them, like Tobias, Sanballat, Gershom. There were people that were out to get them, but they had to move forward in faith to build the wall, to build the temple, to restore some of the worship to God that God wants. So number one, do everything that you can possibly do to get home. Now that means live by every word of God.

Study the Bible and live by it. Live by every word of God. Secondly, what's another lesson that we can learn as exiles? Well, we can learn to be good citizens right now. God expects us to be a good citizen right now. This is where He's placed you.

This is where you live. So be a good citizen, but pray daily for deliverance from this temporary physical homeland. Love this family of mankind, but don't become a part of the system here on this earth. This is a Babylon-ish system. Satan is the God of this world. So we have to be careful that we don't allow this system to rub off on us and to lead us astray.

We are to be in the world, but we are not to be of the world. So let's go to 1 Peter chapter 2 for a moment and let's see what kind of advice Peter can give us as exiles. He was an exile himself in 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 13. He says, therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake and not just so you don't have to pay a fine. See, I find that that's my major motivator when I'm out driving. I don't want to pay a $150 fine, so I'm more likely to watch my speed.

Not so much because God tells me to keep the laws of the land, but because I don't want to have to pay a physical price for it.

I went by two policemen, by the way, on the way here. Thankfully, I wasn't speeding at least not bad enough for them to pull me over. So, going on, submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. Whether to the King, see it does say for the Lord's sake as well, learn to be submissive now. That shows that you are willing to come under God's government and God's will. Whether to the King, as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by Him, for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of those who do good. That's the way it's supposed to work. When you don't have a corrupt police force, when they're doing what they should do, then it's supposed to work for our good. That's how God designed it. For this is the will of God, that by doing good, you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as the bondservants, the slaves of God. We have real liberty in what we understand. You know, our sins are forgiven in the blood of Jesus Christ. Our sins are washed away. It certainly does not give us license to go out and continue sinning, but it certainly is comforting to know that if you do fall short, that you have an advocate, you have a high priest who died for you, and you can again ask for forgiveness and be forgiven. It's extremely wonderful to know that, to know that and understand that. So we are to become God's slaves, however, and we are to completely surrender to Him and submit to Him and again live by every word of God. So He says, honor all people. Honor all people is what it says. It doesn't say just those who are firstfruits. It doesn't say just the ones you like. It says honor all people. You know, God really does expect us to change our behavior and to be gracious to all people, as God is truly gracious Himself.

So honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Yes, love the brotherhood. Fear God and honor the King.

So those are very important instructions for us as we live here on this earth to be good citizens. The more we accept the standards of this world, however, and I'm talking about ungodly standards, I'm talking about the standards of Satan the devil, who's the God of this world, the more we accept those standards, the more we're naturally going to reject God's standards for us. So the more we become hardened or deadened to Satan society and the sins in this society, the harder our hearts will become. We may not be involved in those sins ourselves, necessarily, but we will become apathetic to those sins if we're not careful. And the more we accept an alien culture and become a part of it, the less we're going to identify with and yearn for the true homeland, for that true eternal kingdom that God has for us. So the scripture tells us we are now, right now, to become a living sacrifice. Romans chapter 12, verse 1 and 2. Romans 12, verse 1 and verse 2. Paul says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourselves a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. You know, God's not asking too much of you. It's reasonable. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And that should always be our goal to prove what is God's will in our lives. What does God want for us? What does he want us to do? How does he want us to spend our time?

If you've compromised and you've left your father's heavenly home, in that sense, you know, like the prodigal son, in other words, if you're not really towing the line, if you're making compromises that I'm not aware of, and maybe others aren't aware of, but you're very aware of, it's time to stop that. It's time to bring your body into subjection and begin doing it God's way, and you will be blessed as a result.

So if you've compromised, if you've done some prodigal living, it's time to repent of that. It's time to forsake the land of your exile, this land that we're living in, to forsake it in that sense that we don't become a part of the world.

You know, this land is filled with heartache, it's filled with destruction. We need to run home to our father as fast as we possibly can.

We can't afford to be a stray. It's harmful for us and those we love. So we need to return to God. So that second point that I gave you was to be good citizens. That's what we need to do right now, to be a good citizen. The first one was do everything that you can possibly do to get home. Number two is to be a good citizen as you live this life. And number three, another lesson that you can learn while in exile, is to always keep that vision of your eternal homeland always before you. Become visionary. Keep that vision always before you. And again, that's one of the main purposes of going to the feast in the first place, is so that you can keep that vision in front of you.

So we really do need to do that. And as I already mentioned, the Sabbath is a weekly reminder. This is a holy day. This Sabbath is every bit as holy as the annual holy days. And yet I find that some people like to compromise with the weekly Sabbath.

They wouldn't think of missing the Feast of Tabernacles, but missing a Sabbath now and then? Not such a big deal.

That's really not the right kind of perspective. We should always be here. This is where God wants us to be. And we should have that mindset. Unless we're sick, we can't get out of bed. We've got something extenuating in our family that a funeral or something like that. We should come here. This is a commanded assembly. And really, we know some people take this lax in a lax manner. It's really not right. We need to be together as God's people as often as we can, which is every Sabbath, if at all possible. So, use the Sabbath as a positive reminder of your awesome future. When we get together today, this is a reminder of our awesome future. A time of unity, a time of fellowship. And also, we need to learn to take daily trips in our mind into God's kingdom. Every day, we should try to envision what it's going to be like to be a member of God's family for all eternity. And get used to taking these trips. Sometimes it's good to go on a trip in our mind. Some people try to do it through drugs. That's not what I'm talking about. This is a legitimate trip that we should all take as often as possible into God's kingdom, meditating on our glorious future and what God has in store for us. You know, we live stressful, present lives in an evil world. So it's important to get out away from that if we can, and take a few minutes each day to envision what it's going to be like in God's kingdom. So keep that vision of the homeland always before you. And remember that Hebrews 4 talks about a promised land. It's not here yet. It is a promised land that God wants us to be a part of. He wants us to be there.

It's His good pleasure to give us His kingdom. That's what pleases God. It pleases Him to give us His kingdom. That's what He wants for you. So we don't need to go through life fearful. And we don't have to go through life guilty. As long as we're repentant, then we don't need to have all this guilt. We need to give it up, give it to God, enjoy our lives, and be very visionary. Think about Isaiah 2 and Isaiah 11 and so many of those scriptures in Ezekiel that speak of God's kingdom, where God's going to give us a new heart. He's going to give us a new body. He's already doing that. He's in the process of doing that now. And one day, we will become spirit. And thirdly, keep the vision of your eternal homeland always before you. Number four, don't lose hope in this vision. Don't lose hope in the vision. Sometimes we can get discouraged and we can lose hope. So we're going to talk about what real hope is. Hope is often a misunderstand word in the biblical sense. You know, I was listening to the news during the feast and it was talking about how the Pope brings hope. Well, to some people, maybe he does. But that's not the real kind of hope that the scriptures talk about. In English, it's often used in the sense that the person desperately wants something to happen. He's longing for something. But he's unsure of whether or not it's really going to happen. He hopes it will. But he hopes with his fingers crossed. Like this. In other words, there's no faith accompanying that hope. And that's the key.

We need faith and we need hope. They go hand in hand together. So what the Bible means by hope is different from what the world often thinks of in regard to hope. So we shouldn't approach the kingdom of God with this kind of hope. You know, with our fingers crossed, hoping that someday we'll get there. No, that's not right. We need to have faith that God will give us the kingdom. God wants to give us the kingdom. He's going to give us the kingdom. We have to have faith and believe that and also have hope in that promise. That's the kind of hope God wants us to have. Now, as far as there are Greek words that are used for hope, there's a few of them, but they're all tied in together. Literally, it's talking about a chord. This word, a chord, something that binds. It's a figurative expectancy. It's an expectation. It's something that we live for, that we long for. So it's something that is a... something that we really believe in, we hope for. A primary word is to anticipate, usually with pleasure. When you hope for something, you anticipate it with pleasure. I hope I'm going to catch a big fish when I go out fishing. I hope I'm going to. You know, I caught three big fish this week. Well, one especially big, it was about four pounds. You know, that's a pretty big fish for me. It was like that big. Jumped out of the water. Very cool. I like that. So I hope for that. I probably had a little bit of this going on with that. I didn't have as much, you know, this... The kingdom of God is a lot more sure than whether or not I'm going to catch big fish. You know, for the first time in my life, I've got a place close by that has big fish. It has nine pound fish in it. I talked to a guy that said he's caught several out of that little lake. And I jog by it every day. And I'm hiding a fishing pole in the weeds. And as often as I can, even if I can only go down for 20 minutes, I'm going to go down and fish. Ooh, a big one!

So I find that pretty cool. Anyway, that was a little digression. That's something Jane didn't hear at the feast. Gene. Did I call her Jane? I meant Gene. Sorry about that, Gene. Gene and Jane, very close.

I don't see you guys enough, see? I need to see you more often. Anyway, it's important that we have this kind of hope, this kind of confidence that accompanies our faith. So it's obvious that hope is more than wishing something's going to happen. It's not wishful thinking. It's not the belief itself. It's not faith, but it's the reaction that the faith produces in us. It's a longing and an exciting expectation. Faith should lead to hope. And in fact, hope is impossible without first having faith. We have to have the faith, then we'll have the hope. Spiritually, hope is an attachment to the future that we have with God. It is a longing and a pleasurable anticipated expectation of the fulfillment of our faith. That's what hope is.

So we should have great hope. And you know, faith is a gift, so we should pray for faith. We should believe that God's going to give it to us. And even if our faith is weak, keep praying for it. Keep believing it'll get stronger.

So, hope is not a mournful longing as much as it is a positive anticipation. It's a positive anticipation of as one would anticipate a trip or an event, or maybe the feast. You know, we look forward to going to the feast, don't we? It's something we anticipate oftentimes all year round. We start talking about where we're going to go next year. So we anticipate it. We hope for it. You know, we should have the same kind of hopeful anticipation and expectation of God's kingdom as our future. That's what is our future. It's a wonderful future.

So the Holy Days are a time to enjoy that anticipation. I hope you enjoy the feast. I hope it was a real highlight for you and you enjoyed it with anticipation of those days being fulfilled when Christ returns, when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven. You know, that's the greater reality of the feast days. The last great day. A day when our loved ones will be resurrected, when they will come to know the truth, when all people everywhere will come to know God. It's a wonderful time. So we should visualize these things. We should plan for our future trip home. Think about that trip. You know, my wife and I drove a thousand miles in one day to get down there. We got on the road and we felt pretty good. We were going to stop and break up the drive. We just kept on going. We just drove the whole way, a little over a thousand miles. We got in about one o'clock in the morning, but we got to settle into our temporary home. Right then and there, it was nice to get settled in early.

So let's anticipate that trip home and anticipate the kingdom of God. Let's go to Romans 8 and let's be encouraged by these verses in Romans 8, beginning in verse 18. Romans 8, verse 18. Paul says, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time... I don't know, some of you have suffered a great deal. You know, some of you have gone through a lot of suffering and you understand what suffering is all about. You've lost loved ones. You've gotten hurt by a mate, maybe by a divorce, by this, by that, whatever. You know, I know that you've been through many trials. He says, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy. They're not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. It eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption. See, this, you know, this physical earth is corrupt in many ways, and we're polluting it more and more all the time. And corrupting it. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. With birth pangs. I know a nine... let's say a nine-month woman who has had a baby in her for nine months and hasn't yet delivered. Isn't she really, really anxious to get that baby out of there? She's waddling around, and you know, it's uncomfortable, and there's pressure on her bladder, and all kinds of things going on inside her. She really anticipates the birth of that child. So there's an analogy here. The whole creation groans with labor and labors with birth pangs together. Till now, verse 23, not only that, but we also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, we're eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies. We should all eagerly anticipate and yearn for God's kingdom and the establishing of His kingdom. Verse 24, for we were saved in this hope. We are being saved presently. We know that the Scripture says, He who endures to the end shall be saved. But those of us who have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, if we stay faithful, we will be saved. We are being saved. We're in the process of being saved right now. And that will become a reality when Christ returns.

Verse 24, again, for we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, see again, that's faith and hope coupled together, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. We're able to persevere the trials and tribulations of this life. It gives us strength. Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for, as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. The Spirit of God is dwelling in us, guiding us, directing us, leading us, and we need to answer that lead and follow that lead.

So now in Romans 15, just one verse here, Romans 15, verse 13, here it says, Now may the God of hope, God is a God of hope, the kind of hope that I talked about, not the crossed fingers kind of hope, but the real hope that is anchored in faith. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, again, believing that faith, faith and hope coupled together, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit gives us hope. There is great hope.

So again, we anticipate with pleasure. We look forward to, we long for it with pleasure. And God also hopes that we will all be there in His kingdom. So do you truly hope in the kingdom of God? When you go to the feast, are you filled with hope? When you come back from the feast, are you still filled with hope? Because even though we're not there, it's certainly just as much of a reality right now as it was then. We look forward to the spring all these days now. We anticipate them and what they picture and what they mean. It's a wonderful plan of salvation that God has for us. So the feast days, all the annual Holy Days help give us focus, and the Sabbath also focuses us, helps us meditate on our future. So now we can be filled with a joyful anticipation that God will surely see us through any dark times. You see, week to week, we need that strength, don't we? Week to week. You know, if a person gets discouraged and depressed, sometimes they stop coming to church. That's the worst thing they can do. They need to be a church. They need to be encouraged, bolstered by the Spirit of God dwelling in His people and by the instructions that God has for us, each Sabbath. So the fourth lesson again that we can learn in our exile is not to lose hope. Don't lose hope in that vision. Another lesson, number five, is do everything that you can, in the meantime, to establish your church home. Now, I think you've got a pretty good church home here. You've already been doing this. You have a nice home to go to every Sabbath. Because, you know, this church home is a type of God's eternal homeland. It's a type. It's a safe house. It's a safe place for our brethren in a stressful world. Some of you drive a long way to come to church. It means a lot to you. You're very dedicated. God's pleased with you. God sees that you really have your heart in the right place. That you keep the Sabbath and you, you know, you honor God on this Sabbath day and you worship Him. You come here to worship Him. So let's go to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 22. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 22.

Here it says, Since you have purified your souls and obeying the truth, you've purified your souls and obeying the truth. Yes, God expects obedience. God wants us to keep His laws. They're not done away. They're very much in effect. And we are purified by obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren. Sincerely loving each other. He says, love one another fervently with a pure heart. That's what God wants to see when we come here on the Sabbath. And I must say, I believe you're doing a pretty good job. You know, I'm all the way in Texas and I'm not being called every other day about troubles. I appreciate that. As your pastor, kudos keep getting along, keep loving each other. It makes my life easier. And I don't mean that just selfishly. It's good for you as well. It's the right thing. Now that doesn't mean you can't call me if you have a problem. I can come to Wichita Falls. I can come to Lawton. I'll be here for you. But if you're getting along fine without me, I'm not slighted. I'm okay with that. I love each other with a fervent, pure heart. That's what God wants us to do. Love each other. Ephesians chapter 4. I hate to see Margie's not here today.

She what? She's sick. Yeah, I thought she was probably sick. Margie's being here otherwise, right? You know, that's Margie. We love Margie. We miss her today. Look forward to seeing her again. Wish I had time to go by and see her today, but we have another commitment we have to go back for. So you have to give her our love and our regards. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1.

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. You know, Paul was a dedicated man. You know, he was a dedicated minister. You know, he went through an awful lot of trials for God's people. He loved God's people. I, the prisoner of the Lord, I beseech you to walk worthy. He really cared about the people he served.

In fact, Paul's a wonderful example for all of us ministers, you know, and I really appreciate Paul's writings and how he also cared for God's people. Now notice verse 2. It says, With all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. You know, nothing makes a minister any happier than knowing that God's people are getting along, that they're loving each other, that they're working together. That's a beautiful thing. I mean, it grieves my heart whenever we have problems in the Church, where people are trying to pull other people over to their way of thinking. They're dividing the body of Christ. You know, that's a hurtful thing. It's a nasty, horrible thing. We should be able to see through that, too, brethren. Never let anyone endanger this home, this home that you have. You should be very jealous of this home in the right sense. You should not allow it to happen. Stick together in the truth of God and be a strong bastion for God's truth right here in Lawton, Oklahoma. It says there's one body, there's one spirit, just as you were called, in one hope of your calling. There's one Lord, there's one faith, there's one baptism, there's one God and Father of us all, above all, through all, and in you all. God is unified. God is not divided. God says, look out for those wolves that are in sheep's clothing that will divide the family of God. Don't follow them. Philippians 2, verse 1. Philippians 2, verse 1. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if there is any comfort of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if there is any affection and mercy, then fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love as Christ, the same love of Jesus Christ, being of one accord, of one mind, let nothing be done through selfish ambition. And yet, that's what we see happen continually, because there are human beings who come amongst us, who are frankly not being led by the Spirit of God, but they're being led by Satan's Spirit, an unhealthy and ungodly Spirit. Don't let anything be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself with humility.

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Don't be so selfish, but look out for one another. So that's point number five. Do everything that you can to establish a church home. And I think you're doing a pretty good job of it here in Lawton, Oklahoma. Number six, be comforted in the fact that God is our safe place until we're truly home. I want you to be comforted every day of your life, knowing that God's always there for you. Christ has promised to never leave you, to never forsake you. So while we're tabernacling in this temporary home, this temporary dwelling, just realize that the home that we have in God should never be underestimated. We have a home in God right now. God is our God. We are his people. We can take refuge in God. We can take refuge in Christ. In Psalm 119, verse 114, a man after God's own heart, David says, you are my hiding place. You are my shield, I hope in your word. And that was a hope accompanied by faith. I hope in your word. I know it's going to come to pass. David was a repentant man. He wasn't a perfect man, but he was a repentant man. He says, you are my hiding place. In Psalm 9, verse 9 and 10, David says, the Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Now, Saul went after David for years and years and years, and yet he would not raise his hand against God's anointed. Saul was still the king. God had not yet chosen to replace him with David, even though David knew that one day he would, but he hadn't yet. And so he was faithful. And those who know your name will put their trust in you, is what David is saying. We put our trust in God. For you, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. God does not forsake us. We can count on him. Another Psalm of David in Psalm 46, verse 1, David says, God is our refuge. He is our strength. He is a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, even though this earth be removed, we're not going to fear, even though if our earth earthquake gets a lot in Oklahoma, we're not going to be afraid. And though the mountains be carried in the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling, there is a river whose stream shall be made glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. And in Psalm 46, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High, God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall help her just at the break of dawn. You know, things are going to get very, very difficult on this earth. If you're alive, you're going to feel it. You're going to know it. There's going to be earthquakes. There's going to be upheaval, volcanoes, things striking this earth. There's a ring of fire under this earth right now. You know, it's under Yellowstone, but it's under the whole earth. And one day, God's going to unleash some of these things. We're going to have tumultuous times ahead of us. The nations raised, the kingdoms were moved, he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Refuge. Come behold the works of the Lord who has made desolations in the earth. Okay, this is prophetic. He's talking about a time yet to happen on this earth.

He makes war cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spirit too. He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob. He is our refuge.

We need not fear because God is our refuge. And then in Psalm 57 verse 1, one last scripture, David says, Be merciful to me, O God. Be merciful to me. I'm sure we cry that out at times. For my soul trusts in you, and in the shadow of your wings, I will make my refuge. Until these calamities have passed by. You may have your own personal calamity. It's going to pass. God's going to give you victory. God's going to help you through it. God's going to strengthen you and give you what you need to persevere. So, brethren, how badly do you want to possess your rightful homeland? The sixth point, again, was to be comforted that God is our refuge. That we do have a safe place right here and right now. So, how badly do you want to possess your rightful homeland? You know, it is your rightful homeland. Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden. It was God's intent to give Adam and Eve the kingdom.

They went astray. We followed them. God's bringing us back. He's bringing us back to a figurative Garden of Eden. How badly do you want to finally be home? The promises of Abraham, or the promises to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, are the same promises of an eternal kingdom that God has made to each and every one of us. It's the same promise. We are here to worship the King. Every day, every time we come here on the Sabbath, we come here to worship the King. We come here to worship the Father. We go to the feast to worship God and His Son. So, as we do it every week now, between now and the spring holy days, let us continue to seek that wonderful homeland that God has in store for each and every one of us. God has this homeland in store for us. So, you should zealously seek this homeland. In the meantime, remember these lessons, because now you're exiled here on this earth. God wants you to learn to live by His every word. So, study the Bible faithfully, daily. Let it be your guide. And know that God will surely give you His kingdom.