Hebrews 11:13

Hebrews 11:13 says, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  All these men of faith died, with the exception of Enoch, without seeing all of God's promises fulfilled.  They did see some of God's individual promises to them fulfilled, but not His promise of everlasting life in a city that He would prepare for them.  We may see God fulfill His individual promises to us, but we will never see the fulfillment of the promise of everlasting life until after we die or Christ returns.  We must simply abide in faith.  They confessed themselves to be strangers and pilgrims on earth, and so must we.  Verse fourteen adds, For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.  Just as these great men of faith in the Old Testament declared plainly that they sought a country, an everlasting place of peace and comfort, so should we.  Anything that we build in this world is temporary, so our emphasis should be on building the things of God.  Verse fifteen continues, And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.  These followers of God could have been tempted to return to the place they came out of, but they weren't.  We may be tempted to return to the life we had before accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord, but we must never act on that temptation.  Even if we must sacrifice everything of this world, even our lives, in order to be faithful to God, then this is what we must do.  Verse sixteen declares, But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.  Just as they desired a better country, a heavenly one, so should we.  We are to lay up our treasures in heaven and not in this world.  Verse seventeen adds, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,  After Isaac was born, the heir of the promise, Abraham's faith was tested once more.  This time, he followed God's instructions, up to the point of being willing to sacrifice Isaac.  We also need to be willing to lay everything on the altar of God.  Verse eighteen continues, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:  Isaac was the child through whom Abraham was to become a great nation, but Abraham was willing to sacrifice him to God when he knew that was what God was asking him to do.  Once more, we must never let anything come between us and our relationship with God.  Verse nineteen states, Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.  Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac up even from death.  We should have that same assurance about our lives today.  Even if we die, God will raise us up again.  With this assurance, we should always put following God's will above everything, even life itself.  Verse twenty adds, By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.  Isaac continued in the faith of Abraham, blessing both Jacob and Esau.  Verse twenty-one continues, By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.  Even though Jacob may have received his blessing from Isaac, he came to a real relationship with God through faith.  It is not earthly blessings but a Devine encounter that makes us people of faith.  Verse twenty-two concludes, By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.  Joseph wanted his bones buried in the Promised Land, symbolic of the fact that he had returned home to God's kingdom.  He had faith that the children of God would return.