October 16, 2022; Sunday School

Order of Service

• Sermon
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: A Foretaste of the Home We Long For

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-16

I. The Foretaste Is by Faith According to God's Word

A. Faith defined: the assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)

B. Abraham and the patriarchs lived and died by faith, seeing the promises from afar (Hebrews 11:8-16)

1. They were strangers and exiles seeking a heavenly homeland
2. They greeted the promises from a distance without receiving them in full
3. God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them

C. We now see through a mirror dimly, looking forward to seeing face to face (1 Corinthians 13:9-12)

1. God's word is not imperfect, but our present sight is partial compared to what is coming
2. The face-to-face vision of God is the full fulfillment of our hope

D. We look to unseen, eternal things rather than seen, transient things (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

1. Our outer self wastes away; our inner self is renewed day by day
2. Light momentary affliction prepares an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison

II. The Foretaste Is Looking Toward Its Completion

A. We await new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13)

B. Humanity was created in the image of God — in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness

1. The fall resulted in the loss of that original righteousness and communion with God
2. The new heavens and earth restore the righteousness that was lost

C. In Christ, believers are re-created after the image of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:20-24)

1. Put off the old self, corrupt through deceitful desires
2. Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness

D. The new self is being renewed in knowledge after the image of the Creator (Colossians 3:9-10)

E. The good work begun in believers will be brought to completion at the day of Christ (Philippians 1:6)

1. Believers are already justified — declared righteous in God's sight
2. Completion awaits; the struggle against sin continues (Romans 7)
3. We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

III. The Foretaste Is Enjoyed Now in Communion with God and the Church

A. The enmity due to sin has been removed in Christ; believers are brought into renewed communion with God

1. Worship — personal, family, and corporate — is a foretaste of heavenly communion
2. Prayer itself is a foretaste of the face-to-face communion that is coming

B. Life together in the body of Christ is a foretaste of eternal fellowship (Colossians 3:12-16)

1. Compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and forgiveness characterize life in the new self
2. Love binds everything together in perfect harmony
3. Teaching, admonishing, and singing together are expressions of this communion now

C. Corporate singing is both worship toward God and mutual encouragement among believers

1. Eternal life will include rich communion with one another — without sin, jealousy, or enmity
2. What we do together on Sundays and throughout the week is a foretaste of that communion