A Sojourning People

Turning straight to today’s top priority: a sojourning people, or a people making their way home. Believe it or not, this is our eighth and final focus. And so, yes, we’ve been gathering for quite a few Sundays now. We’ll discuss these priorities repeatedly, Lord willing, for the rest of our lives and the life of our church. You’ll hear this again, but today I hope you understand: What does “to sojourn” mean? What is a sojourner?

If you’re new here, this is a dialogue. You can give an answer; you can converse. What does “sojourn” mean? Travel, right? To share God’s Word while visiting. Are there modern-day sojourners? Yes, there are indeed sojourners in the United States of America today. There are people who dwell here who aren’t citizens here. They’re here for a time, perhaps passing through.

To sojourn in a place is to dwell there temporarily. You’re a resident, but not a citizen; you’re simply passing through on your way to somewhere else. Obviously, we care about this word because we chose it for our church’s name, Sojourn Church. But what makes the concept of sojourning—or being a sojourner—special enough to be our namesake? Is there any biblical reference that groups together people who are sojourners?

The Israelites come to mind. They were indeed sojourners, first in Egypt and later throughout their journey. Even before they arrived in Egypt as a nation, the Israelites were sojourners in the sense that Abraham, their ancestor, was also a sojourner. Do you remember this? He dwelt in that land, not in a permanent house, but in tents.

I love the way Hebrews describes Abraham’s time of sojourning. In chapter 11, it says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when called to go out to an inheritance, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a stranger in the land promised to him, looking forward to the city built by God.”

Like Abraham, we too are sojourners. This is not our home. We’re on our way to a final destination, much like Abraham on his journey in search of a city built by God. We’re en route; we’re commuting home. We are a people journeying together, moving collectively toward our final destination. In the Bible, we use various terms—“sojourner,” “foreigner,” “exile,” and “pilgrim”—to describe this concept. Essentially, we are all of these.

Now, knowing that we are such things, here’s my question: How does our awareness of this shape us today—our lives, our choices, our decisions? How does it affect our priorities? Can you give me an example? How might someone prioritize something without considering this mindset, and how would that priority change if the person were thinking through it?

Well, I believe that if we recognize this isn’t our permanent home and we’re simply passing through to somewhere else, we won’t be able to support certain things, because we can’t take them with us. Any spirit of generosity? Did Jesus say anything like that? “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys nor thieves break in and steal, for where your treasure is...” I think Jesus was onto something there.

What else? Yes, we’re simply going to look very different in our lives. Perhaps people won’t have a very high opinion of us, huh? We have differing views about life’s purpose and intention. Will we differ greatly from this kingdom’s citizens, since we are citizens of another?

In fact, in that Hebrews text, just a few verses later, listen to these words: “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.”

“If they had been thinking of the land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

It is a beautiful passage indeed. We talk differently, act differently, and live differently because we are a different kind of people, bound for a different kind of destination, with a different kind of heart and different kinds of desires. So it makes sense that our lives are different as well.

Anything else you can think of? This sojourner mindset fosters within the human heart a shift away from constantly craving more and toward finding contentment in what we already have, focusing on what truly matters. Instead of falling into the trap of always wanting more, you need to learn contentment. “If I get this, then I’ll be happy.” But then it’s, “Wait, if I had that instead, I’d be happier.”

A sojourner’s heart understands that its true home is in heaven. It is content with the simplicity of what it has because it knows nothing on earth will truly satisfy. Yes, that’s a good word. Paul learned the secret of contentment. There’s no need for us to put down roots here. We’re going to be here for a while, but soon it will all be over, and we’ll be with our God forever and ever.

And yet people—even those who claim to be Christians—sometimes fight tooth and nail for just five more minutes on this earth, an extra five hundred square feet in their houses, or an additional fifty horsepower in their cars. It’s all fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow. Instead, we should live in a way that demonstrates the glory of God and brings honor to Him among our culture and our fellow human beings.

I love this passage in 1 Peter. It says, “Beloved, I urge you, as sojourners and exiles, to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God in the day of visitation.”

We’re not trying merely to accrue houses and cars. We’re not even terribly worried about accruing the praise of man. We don’t have to have everyone like us or love us. God loves us, and we’re going to dwell with Him forever. It’s His favor that we’re after, and it’s His affection that we’re seeking.

I think having something of a sojourner’s mindset frees you to live with radical recklessness for the sake of God’s glory. What do you have that you didn’t receive? Or what do you have now that you won’t have there—and have better there than here? Friends? Family? A body? Life? You’ll have all of that, and more abundantly so: a better version of everything than we could imagine.

There’s this passage in 1 Chronicles 29 where David prays, “For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.” It’s a reminder that life is fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow. We should live with radical urgency, making every day count, because we have one life to live, the days are evil, and time is against us. We want to make use of all the time the Lord affords us.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians, “For we know that if our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” So we can live risky lives for the sake of the gospel. It’s like playing with house money.

I assume not everyone here has played poker. I’ve never been to Vegas myself, but when you’re playing with “house money,” you’re not risking any of your own cash. It’s like getting to enjoy the game without putting anything on the line. If you happen to win, that’s all profit. And if you lose, you lose nothing.

Guys, this life is house money. You’re not going to lose anything, no matter what they take from you. God will return it a billion times over for eternity. So you can be bold in your workplace and proclaim the gospel of Christ. What if they fire you?

You can be bold among your family members. Love them as Christ would love them. Preach the gospel to them as Christ would preach the gospel to them. And if they reject you for it, well, they reject you for it. God has a family waiting for you.

Even if they were to take your life, even if your body were to be destroyed in service to Christ, guys, you are going to receive a new body—imperishable. It cannot be corrupted and will never be destroyed. We are sojourners passing through. We’re looking forward to a better city whose maker and builder is God.

Let’s pray.

“Lord in heaven, we thank You, God, for these sweet words: ‘sojourner,’ ‘exile,’ ‘pilgrim,’ ‘foreigner.’ Lord, we find our identity in them and through them. Lord, we are just like our forefathers, Abraham and the rest. But we know that You’ve given us very great promises, and we’re doing our best, Lord, to answer Your call, to follow You wherever You guide us, knowing that we have a destination at the end of that journey.

“For that destination is You. One day we will dwell with You forever and ever, and no one will pluck us from Your hands. We’ll want for nothing, for we are citizens of that kingdom.

“So, Lord, we pray that, knowing we belong to You and Your kingdom, You would help us live as faithful residents of this world. Help us be salty and bright. Let our good works glorify You. As a church, may we live up to our namesake, sojourning well until You call us home. This we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Now, friends, stand and sing together, “Jesus, Throughout the Kingdom.”