11, as you just heard, depicted John Winthrop and in his words, John Winthrop was the one

not Ronald Reagan, but John Winthrop was the one who said that this America that our

pilgrims are heading off to would be like a city set on a hill, a shining light, paraphrasing

from the words of Jesus himself, quite remarkable. And so how does that affect us? As we look

today at this message on our New Year's Day, and I've kind of played with the title

a little bit, it's called Pilgrims 2023. It looks like a Bible verse, right? Pilgrims

2023. And it's taken out of Hebrews chapter 11 together. We'll read it and I'll do the verse

13. If you'll pick it up in the even number versus nice and loud, Hebrews chapter 11, these

old 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.

And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from once they came out for us, it would have

been England. They might have had opportunity to have returned. Listen, before we leave off on this,

that last verse that you read, that's the key. They desired, listen, they desired a better country.

Friends, listen up with what we're going to be hearing today and from this moment out into this

year is the fact that we as Christians, we desire a better country. Listen, do we want, do we want

to see America renewed and turn back to God? Of course we do, but listen, above the capstone of all

that stuff, what trumps our involvement on things in our passion on things and our being concerned

citizens and good ones at that and voters and people who hold elected officials accountable,

that is given to the hearts and to the hands of those of the republic, that's us, okay? That's

the mandate God has given us, to be custodians, every Christian, to maintain and to do what's best

for whatever country a Christian is at this time. I want you to look at verse 16 right here where it

says that they seek after a better, they desire a better country. We're talking about heaven,

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