For we have not here an abiding city, but we seek after the city that is to come.

In the last message, I dealt primarily with the first half of that verse,

that we have now here an abiding city.

And we looked at the beginning, the genesis of cities and building of cities in the scripture.

Today I want to study the second half of the verse, but we seek after the city which is to come.

Now the we here that the writer is having and dictated by the Holy Spirit to him is referring

to the men and women of faith that the list he mentions there early on.

And then he puts himself in the loop and then he adds all the believers that are to come

for the many generations.

And he says, we men and women of faith, have no here an abiding city.

But we are seeking the city that is yet to come.

Those who live by faith, those who walk by faith, those who practice faith, those who have a vision of God's ultimate victory in human history.

We have here no abiding city, but we seek after the city that is going to come, that is yet to come.

You know, the letter after the Hebrews is a letter that has been deeply concerned about apostasy in the church, apostasy among

those believers, and is saying that God has never left himself without a witness, without a testimony

at any time of history. And therefore, his opening

remarks says in the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various

ways. But in these last days, he spoke to us by his son. Hebrews 1-1. In the last message,

you remember, we saw that God wanted us to be in a garden.

He wanted humanity to live in a garden in fellowship with God.

But Cain chose the city.

He wanted us to be in a pure garden.

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