The last verse of our text says “They desire a better country.” The word country is not in the original text, but was added later by bible scholars to make for easier reading. If we remove it the resulting text is “They desire a better.” This prompts Bro. Hughes to question a better what; A better life, a better marriage, a better job etc. How do we know what better looks like? Most of us have made a move and questioned ourselves afterwards. We have changed jobs, bought new homes, changed churches. Some have started businesses, moved to new cities, Many of us have prayed before these decisions, and thought that we were moving in God’s will only to find that after we changed, we were not happy with our change or otherwise encounter trouble in our quest for trouble. We wonder if we have made the right decision. Worse, we may wonder about God’s plan for our life and if we will follow that plan in the future. What do we do when we think we have made a mistake in our quest for better?

Abraham was a man of faith. He did what God told him to do and went where God told him to go. Our text tells us that Abraham set out on a journey but he didn’t know where he was going. He was on a quest for a better, but he did not know where he was going. It is all right to not know because God knows. When Abraham reached the Promised Land, the first people he encountered were the Philistines who would turn out to be his life-long enemy. On our way to better, we will encounter people that will oppose our progress and will work for our defeat. Bro. Hughes extols us to not get caught up in the fact that we find opposition early on our way to better. Abraham got to the Promised Land and found that he was a stranger. It is okay to feel a little strange when we get to our promise.

Bro. Hughes explains that like Abraham, we must have these things to deal with the uncertainties and challenges of getting to a better:

• Confidence in the word of God that outweighs all else

• A good grip on reality and a hold on eternity

• An attitude that is not discouraged by improbabilities

• The ability to live for the future not by the past

The idea for tonight’s message came to Bro. Hughes at a funeral. Funerals can be an awkward time for a preacher. Often times the preacher is called upon to offer an account of a person’s life that sounds good, but that bears no relation to the actual life lived by the deceased. Bro. Hughes remarks that he wants his life to be such that whomever speaks at his funeral will not have to make up things to make him sound good.

We live in wicked times. Our text is from Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. The church at Ephesus was mired in a list of immoral and unclean activities that were, if not sanctioned, at least tolerated by the church. Paul had to remind the church that they were supposed to be children of God and that their life should reflect the life of Jesus Christ. Paul further tells them that there are some things in the world that cannot be tolerated, or even discussed, in the church. He reproves them saying “walk as children of light.” Biblically night represents evil, sin or trouble. Light is goodness. In Genesis, God’s first task was to divide the light from the dark. Paul tells us that we should have no part of darkness. We are children of light and should life a life that represents that. Bro. Hughes tells us to guard against letting darkness come into our life. We need to discover what God calls sin, and not allow that into our life in any way. We should not tolerate it, or try to justify what we know to be sin. God desires light and we must walk in the light.

Faith is probably the most troubling subject in the spiritual life. We have a hard time believing that we have faith. Whatever we have inside us that we call faith, we fell that it is inadequate. God did not intend faith to be a troubling experience. Faith from God’s perspective is a bridge that will bring us to better things. When we trust him and place our confidence in Him; that trust and confidence will become a bridge to a better place.

It if often (wrongly) said that “If you had enough faith God would move.” How much faith is enough? The bible tells us that if we have the faith as of a mustard seed and say unto the mountain be cast into the sea, it will be cast into the sea. In our text there is a simple but profound truth: We become what we believe. There is no standard for faith. There is not a blueprint that describes faith in each of our lives. Faith may look different in one person’s life than it does in another’s. The heart of faith is not only trusting God is going to do it, but also be willing to follow God knowing that He will do it. Faith is spelled differently for different people. To Enoch it was walk, to Noah it was prepare, to Abraham it was obey, and to the two blind men in our text it was diligent. Every one of us must demonstrate faith in our own way. How do you spell faith

The idea for tonight’s message came to Bro. Hughes at a funeral. Funerals can be an awkward time for a preacher. Often times the preacher is called upon to offer an account of a person’s life that sounds good, but that bears no relation to the actual life lived by the deceased. Bro. Hughes remarks that he wants his life to be such that whomever speaks at his funeral will not have to make up things to make him sound good.

We live in wicked times. Our text is from Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. The church at Ephesus was mired in a list of immoral and unclean activities that were, if not sanctioned, at least tolerated by the church. Paul had to remind the church that they were supposed to be children of God and that their life should reflect the life of Jesus Christ. Paul further tells them that there are some things in the world that cannot be tolerated, or even discussed, in the church. He reproves them saying “walk as children of light.” Biblically night represents evil, sin or trouble. Light is goodness. In Genesis, God’s first task was to divide the light from the dark. Paul tells us that we should have no part of darkness. We are children of light and should life a life that represents that. Bro. Hughes tells us to guard against letting darkness come into our life. We need to discover what God calls sin, and not allow that into our life in any way. We should not tolerate it, or try to justify what we know to be sin. God desires light and we must walk in the light.

Faith is probably the most troubling subject in the spiritual life. We have a hard time believing that we have faith. Whatever we have inside us that we call faith, we fell that it is inadequate. God did not intend faith to be a troubling experience. Faith from God’s perspective is a bridge that will bring us to better things. When we trust him and place our confidence in Him; that trust and confidence will become a bridge to a better place.

It if often (wrongly) said that “If you had enough faith God would move.” How much faith is enough? The bible tells us that if we have the faith as of a mustard seed and say unto the mountain be cast into the sea, it will be cast into the sea. In our text there is a simple but profound truth: We become what we believe. There is no standard for faith. There is not a blueprint that describes faith in each of our lives. Faith may look different in one person’s life than it does in another’s. The heart of faith is not only trusting God is going to do it, but also be willing to follow God knowing that He will do it. Faith is spelled differently for different people. To Enoch it was walk, to Noah it was prepare, to Abraham it was obey, and to the two blind men in our text it was diligent. Every one of us must demonstrate faith in our own way. How do you spell faith

The decisions we make have an enormous impact on our life. Bro. Hughes shares the stories of two men who made one very different decisions. One decided to forgo any association with God. He lived a hard and sinful life. The account of the 1000 or so descendants and the lives they led is a shocking list of failure and sorrow. By contrast the other man chose to live for God, and of account of the lives of his 900+ descendants is a list of accomplishments and success that is in stark contrast to the other family. This illustration points out the importance of the decisions we make in life an their affect not only on us, but on our children and their children. In our text, David has set out to get the Arc of the Covenant back from the Philistines. While it was traveling back to Israel, David realized that He did not know how to properly transport it. At some point it was decided to store the Arc in Obed-edom’s home. The bible tells us that because of his decision to allow the Arc into his him Obed-edom and all that he had was blessed. The arc had resided in Abinadab’s house for 40 years, and the bible does not record that he was blessed. Both men were exposed to the presence of God, but the result was very different. The difference was that attitude of the man who held it. There is a difference between lodging and hospitality.

Every day we are presented with opportunities. The decisions we make about those opportunities determine the course of out life. Our happiness and future all depend upon what we do with the opportunities that are given to us today. Obed-edom didn’t know that the arc would come to his home, but he was ready when that opportunity presented itself. Every day God brings things our way that can be a blessing and benefit our life, but we must recognize these opportunities for what they are or they will pass us by.

How we handle God’s opportunities can be a blessing to us or can hurt us. Uzza lost his life for putting his hand on the arc to keep it from falling. Yet Obed-edom was blessed. Bro. Hughes offers that the difference was the attitude of the two men. One was just part of a work detail, and the other reverenced the presence of God.

What can we set in motion when we make the right decisions? Most bible historians agree that Obed-edom was not a wealthy man. His house would not have been large, and he no doubt had to move something out to make room for the Arc. He wanted the presence of God in his home, and was willing to move other things out of the way to make room for it.

There are opportunities that come our way every day. When given the chance we need to accept the arc into our home.

The decisions we make have an enormous impact on our life. Bro. Hughes shares the stories of two men who made one very different decisions. One decided to forgo any association with God. He lived a hard and sinful life. The account of the 1000 or so descendants and the lives they led is a shocking list of failure and sorrow. By contrast the other man chose to live for God, and of account of the lives of his 900+ descendants is a list of accomplishments and success that is in stark contrast to the other family. This illustration points out the importance of the decisions we make in life an their affect not only on us, but on our children and their children. In our text, David has set out to get the Arc of the Covenant back from the Philistines. While it was traveling back to Israel, David realized that He did not know how to properly transport it. At some point it was decided to store the Arc in Obed-edom’s home. The bible tells us that because of his decision to allow the Arc into his him Obed-edom and all that he had was blessed. The arc had resided in Abinadab’s house for 40 years, and the bible does not record that he was blessed. Both men were exposed to the presence of God, but the result was very different. The difference was that attitude of the man who held it. There is a difference between lodging and hospitality.

Every day we are presented with opportunities. The decisions we make about those opportunities determine the course of out life. Our happiness and future all depend upon what we do with the opportunities that are given to us today. Obed-edom didn’t know that the arc would come to his home, but he was ready when that opportunity presented itself. Every day God brings things our way that can be a blessing and benefit our life, but we must recognize these opportunities for what they are or they will pass us by.

How we handle God’s opportunities can be a blessing to us or can hurt us. Uzza lost his life for putting his hand on the arc to keep it from falling. Yet Obed-edom was blessed. Bro. Hughes offers that the difference was the attitude of the two men. One was just part of a work detail, and the other reverenced the presence of God.

What can we set in motion when we make the right decisions? Most bible historians agree that Obed-edom was not a wealthy man. His house would not have been large, and he no doubt had to move something out to make room for the Arc. He wanted the presence of God in his home, and was willing to move other things out of the way to make room for it.

There are opportunities that come our way every day. When given the chance we need to accept the arc into our home.

Faith is the currency of heaven. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Many struggle with faith in terms of whether they have enough or any at all. Some feel that if they had enough faith they would not be facing what they are facing. Still others think that they could get out of what they are facing if they had better faith. The truth is that even among the weakest among us, we all have some faith. As weak and vulnerable we may feel, there is faith in all of us. It may be struggling, but it is there. In our text Paul deals with some of the most troubling things in life; failure, condemnation, fear, suffering, weaknesses, disasters and the unknown. Paul asks, “What shall we say to these things?” The overwhelming answer is: “If God be for me, who can be against me!” That answer describes a faith that is a match to all of life’s troubling things. That answer describes a faith that does not crawl away from every crisis. It is a faith that stands up and believes God. Some people have allowed their trouble to talk to them too much. Our troubles will haunt us and push us into further troubles. Paul tells us that we must stand up to our troubles and declare: If God be for me, who can be against me!

Paul had to deal with carnality in the early church. They had allowed some terrible things creep into the church. In our text, Paul talks about some things in life that will be in everyone’s life. No matter how much we may pray and how faithful we may be, some of the experiences that Paul mentions will find their way into our life. He determined that he wanted men to know that he was a Christian while dealing with these inescapable things. It is easy to praise God when all is going right, but when things are at their worst is when men must be able to see that we serve a faithful and merciful God. Bro. Hughes explains that some of the things that come into our life do so in order to make us stronger. Jesus said that we must each take up our own cross and follow Him. Not a cross, but our cross. This cross is something personal to each one of us that we must carry. It is a burden, but without it we cannot become the Christian that God desires us to be.

Faith is the currency of heaven. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Many struggle with faith in terms of whether they have enough or any at all. Some feel that if they had enough faith they would not be facing what they are facing. Still others think that they could get out of what they are facing if they had better faith. The truth is that even among the weakest among us, we all have some faith. As weak and vulnerable we may feel, there is faith in all of us. It may be struggling, but it is there. In our text Paul deals with some of the most troubling things in life; failure, condemnation, fear, suffering, weaknesses, disasters and the unknown. Paul asks, “What shall we say to these things?” The overwhelming answer is: “If God be for me, who can be against me!” That answer describes a faith that is a match to all of life’s troubling things. That answer describes a faith that does not crawl away from every crisis. It is a faith that stands up and believes God. Some people have allowed their trouble to talk to them too much. Our troubles will haunt us and push us into further troubles. Paul tells us that we must stand up to our troubles and declare: If God be for me, who can be against me!