Scripture: Hebrews 11:13.“These all 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”.     ‘These’ that is, all those whose names have been mentioned already from verse 4 and of course believers who lived at the time of the ‘patriarchs’ and in subsequent times right up to NT times.  

1. BOYS AND GIRLS, ALL MUST DIE. 
But it is most important to die ‘in faith’, that is, trusting in the promises of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! That is what a Christian is. “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord,” Revelation 14:13.  

2. THAT WHICH PROMPTED THEM TO START OFF ON THEIR PILGRIMAGE. 
‘The promises’, plural! The gospel has many promises held out to sinners. Pardon, new life, the blessing of God, His presence and certainty of heaven.  

3. THEY SAW GOD’S PROMISES ‘AFAR’ OFF. 
They knew that the fulfilling of them lay in the future.  

4. THEY BELIEVED GOD OR WERE ‘PERSUADED OF THEM’. (See Matt 27:20).
The Holy Spirit ‘persuaded’ us to believe God.  

5. BEING PERSUADED, THEY RECEIVED AND EMBRACED THE PROMISES. 
‘Received’ = Matt 8:17, ‘took’. “Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity,” 1 Peter 5:14. ‘Greet’  means to ‘embrace’. We hug God’s promises to our heart.  

6. THEY NO LONGER CONSIDERED THEMSELVES  CITIZENS OF THIS WORLD! 
Col 3:1-2; “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,” Php 3:20.   Matt 6:20 – Banking in Heaven’s bank!