Not Home Yet: Church & Forever Belonging

Rev. Samuel Sutter - 10/3/2023

It's easy to stumble when we forget that this world isn't our permanent home. We can find ourselves adopting the values and habits of those solely focused on the here and now. But today, we're going to dive into what God teaches us about living for the Kingdom of God. Join us as we explore the changes needed to be faithful citizens of this eternal kingdom.

Sermon Notes

John 17:15–18 (NIV) 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

 

1 Peter 2:11–12 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits

 

Hebrews 11:13–16 (NIV) 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

 

Matthew 5:14,16 (NIV) 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

More Resources:

Clowney, Edmund P. Living in Christ’s Church. Great Commission Publications, 1986.

Dever, Mark. Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Crossway, 2000.

Keller, Timothy. Center Church. Zondervan, 2012.

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