Thesis
Because believers are citizens of heaven, their true homeland should shape every present-day decision rather than the other way around. True biblical faith is not wishful thinking but an inner conviction, given by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, that lets us see beyond the surface reality of this world. When Christians grasp that God's promises are rooted in eternity rather than the here and now, they are freed from anxiety, legalism, and the twin traps of treating this world as either a prison or a vacation — and are instead sent into it as missionaries.
Key points
- 1
True biblical faith is not emotional wishful thinking but an inner conviction produced by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, giving us evidence of unseen realities.
- 2
The heroes of the Faith Hall of Fame were distinguished by agreeing they were foreigners and nomads on earth, welcoming God's promises from a distance rather than demanding them in the here and now.
- 3
God planted eternity in human hearts, so the endless desire for 'more' is not the problem — the problem is trying to fulfill an eternal desire with temporal things.
- 4
My future destination should decide my present determination — 'then and now' thinking means letting where I am going filter every decision I make today.
- 5
Jesus did not say 'in this world but not of it'; He prayed that the Father would not take believers out of the world but send them into it — we are called to be missionaries, not prisoners or tourists.
- 6
Paul, with tears, warned the church that those whose conduct shows they are enemies of the cross think only about this earthly life — but believers are citizens of heaven, eagerly waiting for Christ.
- 7
Like David in Psalm 139, believers must continually ask God to search their hearts, expose anxious thoughts rooted in earthly focus, and lead them on the everlasting path.
Outline
Introduction — Wrong House, Wrong Home
Pastor Bill opens with a humorous story of accidentally walking into the wrong neighbor's house, using the disorienting feeling as a picture of what it means when our hearts have not settled in the right homeland.
Series Overview and Big Idea
He introduces the 'Citizen' series and its central thesis: our homeland determines where our heart lands, grounding the series in Hebrews 11 and its Faith Hall of Fame examples.
Defining Faith — Hebrews 11:1
Faith is not wishful thinking or an emotion; it is an inner conviction based on the Word of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, that makes the future feel present and the invisible visible.
The Faith Hall of Fame and the Promises of God — Hebrews 11:13-16
The hall-of-famers died without receiving the full promises, yet welcomed them from a distance because they agreed they were foreigners on earth. Misunderstanding this leads to confusion about God's blessings and sets up anxiety and legalism.
Eternity in Our Hearts and the Egypt Trap
Drawing on C. S. Lewis and Ecclesiastes 3, Pastor Bill explains that the desire for 'more' springs from God-given eternity in our hearts; the mistake is trying to fill that eternal longing with temporal things — just as Israel kept wanting to return to Egypt.
First Key Decision — Then-and-Now Thinking
Let your future destination — the heavenly homeland — determine your present decisions. 'When-and-then' thinking (waiting for the right feeling or resource) is contrasted with 'then-and-now' thinking, with practical challenges about baptism, serving in children's ministry, and giving.
Missionary, Not Prisoner or Tourist
The two wrong extremes — treating this world as a prison to endure or a vacation to enjoy — are both really about escape. Jesus prayed that we would not be taken out of the world but sent into it; every believer is here on a work visa with a mission to engage.
Paul's Broken-Hearted Warning — Philippians 3:17-21
Paul, with tears, described church attenders whose conduct marks them as enemies of the cross because their god is their appetite and they think only about earthly life — but our citizenship is in heaven, and that changes everything.
Second Key Decision — Decide Where Your Home Lands
The call to action: decide where home truly is. Some need to put their faith in Jesus for the first time; all need to regularly invite God — as David prayed in Psalm 139 — to search their hearts, expose earthly anxieties, and redirect them onto the everlasting path.
Memorable moments
My homeland determines where my heart lands
Paraphrase
True biblical faith is not an emotional kind of wishful thinking. It is an inner conviction based on the word of God.
Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen
He didn't call us to be a prisoner. He didn't call us to be a tourist. He called us to be a missionary
We don't have enough people serving in children. There are people in this room that you have been called to do that, and you won't do it
faith isn't a feeling. Faith is a choice
Application
Pastor Bill calls every listener to make two decisive moves. First, adopt 'then and now' thinking: let your heavenly destination — not your present feelings or circumstances — determine what you do with your time, money, and gifts right now. That may mean getting baptized without waiting until you feel ready, stepping into a serving role you have been avoiding, or simply redirecting energy spent on building a 'forever home' in a rental world. Second, and most fundamentally, decide where your home lands. If you have never placed your faith in Jesus, that is the starting line. If you already know Him, follow David's example in Psalm 139 and regularly ask God to search your heart, surface the anxious thoughts that signal misplaced focus, and lead you back onto the everlasting path — because only then will your heart finally settle where it was always meant to land.
