I once had a professor of English literature, Dr. Delvin Covey,
who was intimidating to many. Not only did he hold several advanced degrees, he
knew several languages other than English. He had been a translator from
President Roosevelt at Yalta. He had been a deep sea demolition expert. He was
a playwright with productions on Broadway and CBS. It was a joy to sit under
his erudition.
Several of his statements have stuck with me over the
decades. When a student would stand to make a point that was weak or off-target,
he would stare at them for the longest time and then say, “Let’s move on before
we have time to contemplate that last statement.” But there was another lasting
“Coveyism” that came to mind for me this week as I was preparing Sunday’s
message from Hebrews 11:13-16 and 13:10-16 – “Our City”.
Here in this text the preacher of Hebrews talks about the
tension every follower of Jesus has in navigating the city of this world and
the city of God. His point is clear – every true Christian is a resident alien
of the city of this world, while at the same time a citizen of the city of God.
Now over the last 200 years many Christians in America have
sought to relieve this tension by either separating themselves from the world
or by fully conforming to it. For the one, the sectarians, their motto is “Come
out from among them and be separate.” For the conformists it’s, “We’re all
children of God no matter what you believe.”
But the preacher argues against both extremes. In fact, what
he says is exactly what the Lord tells a group of worn and weary God-fearers
hundreds of years earlier. And here’s where the “Coveyism” comes in.
It’s one of the most famous promises of Scripture, cited by
millions of Christians. It’s Jeremiah 29:11. In fact, many of us know a dear
brother at Hebron who has that verse “memorialized” on his car’s Pennsylvania
license plate. Remember the promise? “For I know the plan I have for you,
declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a
hope.”
Now every time Dr. Covey heard someone offer a quote from
some famous writer, he’d ask, “What else did they say?” In other words, “What
else do you know about the author or his intentions?” No more perfect question could
be asked of Jeremiah 29:11. What’s the context for the promise? What else is
the Lord saying here?
You know what the answer reveals? The same truth the
preacher is holding before us this week. Remember the question? “If God loves
me, why is my life so hard?” And the answer is always the same: “Life is a
journey and the only way you’re going to get home unscathed is by fixing your
eyes on Jesus.” This week the preacher shows us that Jesus is our city. Even in
the midst of being a resident of the city
of this world He calls us to remember our citizenship and love like Jesus loved.
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the
following:
- Which side of the tension do you find yourself normally defaulting to – escapism or conformity?
- What is the context of Jeremiah 29:11?
- What is a resident alien?
- How is the church, the Body of Christ, a foretaste of the future city of God?
- What was Abraham and the other heroes of the faith looking for? (see Hebrews 11:10)
- What is the preacher talking about in 13:15 when he encourages us to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God”?
- How does the preacher use the example of Jesus in 13:12-13 to exhort us to offer up a sacrifice of praise?
- How does chapter 13 prove again that the indicative is the power necessary for the imperative?
- How does he call us to live as citizens of the city of God here in the city of this world?
- How does that change your life, your attitude, and your commitment to Jesus and those He loves?
