We want to talk a little bit about the hope that a Christian
has, you know. It seems like that we look at
the news today and we it doesn't give us a whole lot of hope we
see all the things that are happening.
Sometimes we just sit there and just wonder what's going to
happen next. We shake our heads, we get
concerned about the things that are happening in the world.
Today, we see that the terrorism we see killings, we see,
Bombings going on throughout the world.
We see it almost daily on the evening news.
We hear about those that are being persecuted because of
their faith here just recently. We've heard about killings of
Christians in other foreign countries and maybe even here in
this nation. When we talk about things a
little bit closer to home, we hear about children being abused
by their parents and maybe even others We see this sexually
saturated environment that we live in this culture that we
live live in today, and we're not long ago, things that would
be embarrassing to several. Just don't seem to be
embarrassing anymore. I've noticed recently that
leaders of large corporations of products that we use from time
to time are now feel the need to interject homosexuality
Lifestyles into their advertisements.
And we're just getting bombarded with all these things that are
going on in the world and around us.
And it's almost like we almost can't see anything else.
Even get a little bit more personal we and closer to home.
We may have individuals in our families that are struggling
with sickness, start struggling with some kind of disease that
they may never be able to get rid of, Or you see something in
in certain stages of their life, that there is seems to be not
much improvement in their physical life.
Or you may have a loved one. Who is spiritually lost?
Not at all interested in the things of God or has gone off
and separated themselves from God.
Perhaps we're stuck in an awful job and we don't know how in the
world we're going to get out and we need to pay our bills.
We need to make the money to where we can prosper and feed
our families but we're just not happy with things that are going
on in Life. Or maybe the bad job is just
seems overwhelming. Might even have a problem with
sin in your life and we can't seem to maybe get over the top
and get rid of this sin that's in our life.
Maybe we've struggled with it for years and years and we can't
don't seem to be able to getting be getting anywhere with it and
all of this causes sometimes physical pain with in our lives
but it's often the emotional pain.
That's so much difficult, more difficult to deal with an
overwhelming. And it's not it's not our only
enough to make you feel hopeless, but it gives us a
sense and a feeling of despair. Despair is a loss of Hope.
You ever felt like that? Sometimes we might have that
feeling like there is not going to get anything is not going to
get better and there's no hope that's a feeling of Despair.
Despair is the opposite of Hope. To despair means to be hopeless,
to have, no, hope to give up all hope or expectation to be
overcome by a sense of futility or defeat.
And we ever felt that way is from the Latin word dispare this
despair. This Ferrari I guess I'm not a I
don't know Latin in other words so which means literally to be
hopeless. Despair and hopelessness or
defined by scripture as being without God Ephesians 2 and
verses 12 through 13. That at that time you were
without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel
and strangers from the covenants of Promise having no hope and
without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who
once were far off, have been brought near by the blood of
Christ. Iced.
So what a despairing place to be in what a, what a terrible place
to be in without any hope and people that are without God, are
those that are without hope being without hope goes
together, with being with God, and if you're without God,
you're without hope. So, it's sin.
That separates us from God and takes away, Our Hope, Romans 3,
and verses verse 23, for all have sinned and fallen short of
the glory of God Romans 6:23 for the wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ.
Jesus, our lord, and Paul also instructed the church in
thessalonica, not to grieve as others who have no hope.
So sin is what causes, no hope sin living outside of God,
living without God in our life sin is what separates us from
God. So often in our lives and
certain situation, there are times when we feel that there's
little or no, hope we may tend to lose our grip on hope, if not
completely permanently, maybe temporarily We feel a sense of
Despair and hopelessness but I want to notice though that God
can help us to strengthen our grip on the hope that only he
can bring us. We often had sing the song that
says my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and
righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly
lean on Jesus name, on Christ, the solid rock.
I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
One thing that we want to notice is what hope is not.
Listen to what Webster's Dictionary defines, hope as in
our way that we typically use hope today.
Webster says it is to want something to happen or be true
and think that it could happen or be true.
This is the way that we typically think of hope it's
this is more of a feeling and wishes in other words, just for
illustration we might say, I hope it doesn't rain.
Tomorrow or get too hot tomorrow.
That's a wish. I hope we catch some fish.
How many times have we said that?
I hope I get that job. I hope that thing that thing is
not poisonous. I hope Terry's lesson is not too
long. How many of us hope for that?
That's a wish may not come true. And all of us have a hope of the
Dodgers winning or the Rams winning or the Lakers, or the
Cowboys of winning that game. Those are wishes.
You see that's wishful thinking. That's, that's the hope that we
typically use today. And the scriptures hope is
different than wishful thinking. Notice what Vines expository
dictionary of New Testament words defines hope as in the New
Testament favorable and confident expectation.
It has to do with the Unseen and the future Baker's Bible
dictionary says, hope means to trust in.
Wait for look for or desire, something or someone or to
expect something beneficial in the future, looking with x,
Spect a ssion is akin to hoping, so there's always waiting
there's always confident expectation involved in hope.
That's not wishful thinking. It is the expectation that
something will happen. Now, if I stick my finger in the
fire, I can expect it to get burned.
That's not what you know that's pretty much a true thing so it
is confident expectation that something will happen and we're
going to notice more about that as we go on.
Listen to Romans 8, and verse 32, 23 through 25.
Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the
spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves eagerly
waiting. The adoption, the Redemption of
our body for, we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen
is not hope. For why does one still hope for
what he sees. But if we hope for what we do,
not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
So it's something we don't see, but we wait for it with
perseverance when we see it, when we've already obtained it,
it's not hope any longer as what he's saying, we eagerly wait for
it, with perseverance so we can see the contrast between the
biblical. Hope that is talked about, which
is sure and certain, and the common understanding of hope
that we may have today, which is wishful thinking.
There's a story about a self-made millionaire.
That who completely changed the lives of some sixth grade
students in in New York in East. Harlem, this man had been asked
to speak to a class of students and he wondered how in the world
he would, he would even get them to even look at him.
And so he threw his notes away and he thought he'd just speak
from his heart. He says, stay in school.
And he said, if you stay in school, I'll pay your tuition to
college. Well, all of a sudden, these
kids had some hope. They had some hope, they had
some expectation of something that was going to be beneficial
to them later on. One student said I had something
to look forward to something waiting for him.
For me, it was a golden feeling and nearly 90% of the students
graduated high school. Before that, it's likely that
many of those six graders would even have graduated.
He gave them something to look forward to as well as the
foundation of their hope. That one student said I had
something to look forward to something waiting for me.
So we when we think about hope the question may come up or do
we get hope? Where do we get hope.
We get Hope by reading our Bible.
The word of God is a book of Hope.
Romans 15 verse 4, for whatever things were written, before were
written for our learning that through the patience and comfort
of the scriptures, we might have hope Some people get just
hopeless maybe we're not reading our Bibles away.
We ought to be reading them. Maybe we're not studying God's
word, maybe we're not being encouraged.
We're not being lifted up because we're not reading the
things that Comfort us as Christians.
It offers hope for all of life. It offers hope for the sick that
offers hope in our relationships.
It offers hope for the loved ones who at whenever they're in
a spiritual or spiritual or physical sickness in life.
It offers hope for most challenging problems that we
face in this life. It even offers hope for the
things we look for and look around at, in this world, it
offers us. Expectation of things getting
better. It's easy to say that our hope
is in God's promise. It's harder to to live.
Like we believe it and draw strength and encouragement.
From our hope, we need to try to remember that.
These are promises from God What is the hope of the Christian?
The Christian hope. Is a hope of inheritance.
First Peter, 1 verses 3 through 4 blessed.
Be the God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ who according
to His, abundant Mercy, has begotten us to a Living Hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
From the dead to an inheritance Incorruptible and undefiled and
that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you.
So it gives us a hope of inheritance, the Christian has a
hope of Eternal life notice Titus 1 and 2 in Hope of eternal
life which God who cannot lie promised Before Time began.
Notice Titus 3 and verse 7 that having been justified by his
grace, we should become errors according to the hope of eternal
life. And also, it's the love.
That God has for us through Jesus Christ.
That allows those of us who have been baptized, who are believers
who have obeyed, the gospel Plan of Salvation, and to spend
eternity with him. Notice first, John, four, and
verse 10. And this is love not that, we
believe that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his
son to be the propitiation for our sins, John 3, and verse 16
for God. So loved the world that he gave
his only begotten, son, that whosoever believes As in him,
should not perish but have everlasting.
Life Acts 2 and verse 38 and then Peter said to them, repent.
And let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the
gift of the holy spirit. So the hope of Salvation is what
keeps us going through this life here on Earth.
It's what it's what maintains us.
It's what holds us together. Emotionally.
Spiritually. While we're here on this Earth
of sin. All these things going on around
us. If we have that hope.
What do we care? We have something so much better
to look forward to. When we look at God and we look
at the hope of Eternal salvation.
We look at Evan. We look towards that goal.
We have so much hope and God's love is what allows that to
happen. How can we assure ourselves of
this? Hope we can know Second
Corinthians 5 verses 1 through 2.
For we know that if our Earthly house the house, the world that
we live in right now. This tent is destroyed.
We have a building from God a house not made with hands
Eternal in the heavens for in this week groan earnestly
Desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from Heaven.
Wow. This whole world could be
completely destroyed and we still have a house not built
with hands. God has reserved and placed in
heaven for us when we leave this world.
How can we know by believing obeying?
What God has said in his written word?
First, John 5 verse 13. These things I have written to
you, who believe, in the name of the son of God, that you may
know. That you have eternal life.
And that you may continue to believe in the name of the son
of God. We can know we can have
assurance and we can have hope in reaching Heaven by following
God by obeying his will by realizing his love for us in
obeying the gospel and being baptized into Christ.
We're going to notice more about that.
Well, what are the blessings enjoyed in eternal life?
Well. We've talked about this
recently. I've been talking with some
others recently about this. We get new bodies.
Or sometimes we roll out of bed. And we just ache from one end to
the other. Maybe we're not even able to
walk. I know some that are not even
able to walk. I know some that have physical
afflictions and ailments in their life, but you know what?
In heaven. The hope is we get a new body.
Our bodies will change notice Philippians 3, and verse 21 who
will transform our lowly body. The bodies that we have now that
it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the
working by which he is able even to him subdue, all things to
himself. We find that we will be like him
First John 3 and verse two beloved.
Now, we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed
what we shall be, but we know That when he is revealed.
We shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is.
All these eggs. These pains these problems that
we have in this life being may be crippled, maybe being
bedridden baby being not able to walk.
Maybe having all kinds of difficulties in this life.
We get a new body. What a hope?
What's something to look forward to?
We also realize that we'll be able to enjoy the Mansions or
The Dwelling Places. John 14 and verses 1 through 3.
Let not your heart, be troubled, you believe in God believe.
Also in me and my father's house are many mansions or Dwelling
Places if it were not. So I would have told you I go to
prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you, I
will come. Again, and receive you to myself
that where I am, there you may be.
Also, why would he go and prepare a place if he wasn't
expecting to have someone stay there.
He's expecting us to stay there. He's expecting all of us.
The deal with this world to have a place that is free from all
that. Separated from the world.
Nothing that we live that we that we have problems with.
In this world will be allowed into heaven and what a blessing
that will be. We have a place that has a
better country, Hebrews 11 verse 16, but now they desire a better
that is a Heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to
be called their God for. He has prepared a city for them
a country. Or we don't have the problems
that we do today. Wow.
How much are we looking forward to that?
You'll also find a rest Hebrews 4 and verses 9 through 11.
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God for he who
has entered his rest has himself.
Also seized from his works as God did from his Let us
therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall
according to the same example of disobedience.
Who will receive this rest. Those who die in the Lord.
Notice Revelation 14 verse 13, then I Heard a Voice from Heaven
saying unto me, write blessed are the Dead who die in the Lord
from now on, yes says the spirit that they may rest from their
labors and their works. Follow them.
You know, how good it is to how wonderful it feels to come in
from A Hard Day's Work and sit down and rest.
When we labor here on this Earth, a putting up with all the
things of this Earth that Satan has put in front of us, we deal
with all the issues that we talked at about at the beginning
of the lesson. We are so worried and we're so
concerned, sometimes about all those things, one of these days
we get to rest from all that. We don't have to put up with
that anymore. What a blessing.
We are as the old song says we are Standing on the Promises of
God, that's hope. How do we obtain this hope?
We attain it by hearing the word of God, Romans 10 verse 17.
So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
We also obtained this. Hope by believing what he what
we've heard and studied Hebrews 11 verse 6, but without faith,
it is impossible to please him for, he who comes to God, must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who
diligently diligently seek him. We also obtain this Hope by
repenting. In another words, a change of
will which results in a change of mind?
Which results in a change of life.
Jesus said in Luke 13 and verse 3, I tell you, no, but unless
you repent, you will all likewise perish.
The Apostle Paul said in Acts 17 to verse 30 truly these times of
ignorance, God, overlooked. But now commands, all men
everywhere to repent X 2, and verse 37, and 38.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said
to Peter and the rest of the Apostles men and Brethren.
What shall we do? Then Peter said to them, repent,
and be baptized and repent. And let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We also obtained this. Hope by confessing the name of
Christ. In other words, what we believe
Paul writing to the church in Rome said in Romans 10 verses 9
through 10 that if you confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus,
and believe in your heart, that God has raised him from the
dead. You will be saved for with the
Hartman. One Believes unto righteousness
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
We're not quite there yet. There's an example of this
happening in Acts 18 verses 36 through 37.
Now, as they went down the road, they came to some water and the
eunuch said, see here is water. What hinders me from being
baptized and Philip said, if you believe with all your heart, you
may any answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the
Son of God. That's the confession that we
make of our faith. That we believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. And then the final step that
allows us to be a participant in, this hope is being baptized
into the body of Christ, Galatians, 3 and verses 27.
And 28, for, as many of you as were baptized into Christ, have
put on Christ There is neither Jew.
Nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free.
There is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ,
Jesus. So baptism transforms us from an
unsaved condition having no hope.
That unsafe condition is a is a condition of hopelessness of
Despair have no hope of eternal life and it changes us from that
condition. To a saved condition of now
having the hope of eternal life. Baptism saves us first Peter 3,
and verse 21 there is also an antitype which now saves us.
Baptism, not the removal of the filth of the filth of the flesh,
but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Mark 16 and 16. He who believes and is baptized
will be saved but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Why does baptism save us? Because it washes away, our sins
sin is what separates us from God.
Remember, sin is what keeps us from having that.
Hope that Eternal hope soon, is what keeps us from being able to
participate in all the things that God has prepared for us
notice in Acts the second chapter, 20 second chapter verse
16. And now why are you waiting
arise and be baptized and wash away your sins?
Calling on the name of the Lord. So when the sins are washed away
now we have fellowship with God. Now we have the blessings that
God has prepared for us. What do we do after we attain
this hope? We keep ourselves pure from the
world. First John 3 and verses 1
through 3 behold, what manner of love.
The father has bestowed on us that we should be called the
children of God. Therefore, the world does not
know us because it did not know him.
Beloved now, we are children of God, and it is has not yet been
revealed what we shall be. But we know that when he is
revealed we shall be like him for.
We shall be like him was so before because for we shall
She'll see him as he is, excuse me and everyone who has this
hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure.
So we continue to purify ourselves, we can continue to
keep ourselves pure and separated from the world.
Don't don't go back into sin. Don't leave God, don't separate
yourself from God. Keep yourself pure in this world
that we live in. We live righteously.
Also, tied his 2 and verses 11 and 13 for the So God, that
brings salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts. We should live soberly
righteously and godly in the present age.
Looking for the Blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great
God and Savior Jesus Christ. So, we separate ourselves, we
deny the ungodliness and worldly lusts.
And we live, soberly and righteously, while we're here on
this Earth, even though we put up with so much.
We still have to remain pure. The Hope talked about in the
scriptures is available, only to the Believers, isn't it
comforting than in the midst of this sinful world, we live in,
we can have Assurance in something we can have faith and
assurance and something a promise that was made by God to
those who obey him and serve him.
We sometimes have that feeling of despair.
But all we need to do is look to God for the hope.
Our hope is an anchor. Hebrews 16 or 6 in verses 17
through 19. Thus God determined to show more
abundantly to The Heirs of Promise, the immutability of his
counsel confirmed, it by an oath.
That by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God
to lie. We might have a strong
consolation who have fled for Refuge to lay hold of the Hope
set before us. This hope we have as an anchor
of the Soul, both sure and steadfast Shannon fed steadfast
and which enters the presence behind the veil.
Mark Bailey writing in his commentary talks about these two
immutable things. He says they are defines this
word immutable basically means fixed or unalterable, that means
whatever it is. It is and it can't be changed.
It's unalterable. And these things are it is
impossible for God to break, promise talked about in the
previous verses. And is impossible for God to MIT
misrepresent and oath. Therefore, it will be fulfilled.
He goes on to talk about this strong.
Consolation both of these truths that is it is impossible for God
to break a promise and it is impossible for God not to
fulfill an oath or made. That all Christians will have a
strong. Consolation, the term strong
means something that is firm or sure, and the term consolation
means comfort. Or possibly better
encouragement. As it is translated in the
revised version, every promise of God is or will be fulfilled
and is unchangeable and is comforting for those who are his
children. fled for Refugee, Emser says, This phrase is based
on a provision. Under the Mosaic law system
whereby persons accused of a crime.
Whether guilty are not could flee to a place called as City
of Refuge. Today, the only place where the
sinner can find Refuge is in the church is in the body of Christ.
We find Refuge from Satan in the church.
He goes on to say, Mark, Bailey goes on to say about verse 19.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul.
The anchor in ancient times was as well as in modern times, it's
used as a symbol of Hope. In this passage it is used
figuratively signifying. A safeguard the Christians.
Anchor is his hope of Salvation in Jesus Christ.
As long as he maintains his hope and it remains steadfast, there
is hope for salvation. But he, who loses his anchor, he
loses his salvation and Jesus Christ.
And he goes on to talk about both.
Sure, and steadfast the adjectives.
Sure. And steadfast indicate that a
Christian is Hope is unfailing and firmly fixed.
The Christian spiritual anchor or hope is sure and steadfast
and it can be trusted. I don't know how many of us have
been in a boat from time to time and and we put the anchor out
there. And, you know, I've sometimes
thought I had a good, a good. Hold on the bottom and it's just
been in sand and it just pulls. You along.
Pulls you either Downstream or the wind pushes out a way?
I didn't have a sure anchor, it wasn't steadfast.
It wasn't sure if I get that thing hooked on a rock.
And sometimes I've had an anchor Hooked On a Rock so bad, I'm
like, the never got it off there.
That's what Jesus Christ. Christ is That's the anchor that
we place our faith. In Our Hope in is Jesus Christ.
The Rock of our salvation In 1882 Priscilla, Jane Owens.
A 49 year old school teacher from Baltimore wrote these
words, Will your anchor hold in the storm of life when the
clouds and fold their wings of strife?
When the strong Tides lift, and the cables strain, will your
anchor drift or firm remain? It is safely moored till the
storms withstand forces, well, secured by the savior's hand,
and the cables passed from his heart to mind, can defy that
blast through strengths Divine, it will surely hold in The
Straits of fear When the breakers have told that the reef
is near through, the Tempest, do the Tempest Rave and the wild
winds blow, not an angry wave shall or our bark or flow.
It will hold it will firmly hold in the floods of death.
When the waters cold chill, our last breath on the rising tide.
It can never fail while Our Hope abide within the Veil.
When our eyes behold through the Gathering night, the City of
Gold, our Harbor bright. We shall link or fast by the
Heavenly short, but the storms all past forever more.
We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while
the Billows roll, fastened to the Rock, which cannot moved
grounded for am in deep in the savior's love.
JC Sproul said hope is the anchor of the Soul because it
gives stability to the Christian life.
But hope is not simply a wish, rather it is that which latches
onto the certainty of the promises of the future that God
has made. In conclusion, Christians are
people of Hope. We are confident that God's
promises of something we long for will someday.
Come This is a fundamental difference between us and the
unbeliever. We have a hope we have, if we
don't have a hope, we have nothing, but if we have a hope,
we have everything. And if we don't have a hope, our
life is meaningless. while we deal with all the problems of
this life and all the things that go on around us, And this
world of Despair and hopelessness.
Our God is the god of Hope. And he causes us to abound in
the Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, Romans 15 and verse
13. This world is a place of failed
dreams and failed efforts. But our God is the god of a
Living. Hope First, Peter 1 verse 3.
This world is a place of disappointments.
What the bible promises. But God gives the Christian a
hope that does not disappoint the Christians.
Hope is important, it makes Faith Pleasant, it makes our
life here on this Earth. Dealing with all the things that
we deal with pleasant. We can see something better for
us and we can find comfort in that Romans 12 and verse 12.
Faith is not just a belief that God is, but also that he is a
rewarder of those who diligently.
Gently seek Him, Hebrews 11 verse 6 and that is the pleasure
of faith. Hope causes us to focus on the
things that we desire and not the things that we endure here
on this Earth. It anchors the soul, nothing can
sway us. Nothing to keep us.
Nothing can pull us away. Not the trials, not the problems
that we put off with. Not the distress, not the
persecutions, maybe even death. As long as our hope is grounded
firm and deep in the savior's love.
We may always be ready to give all an answer of the hope that
lies within us. With meekness and fear, first,
Peter 3, and verse, 15, Ephesians 4.
And 4 tells us that just as there is only one God and one.
Lord, and one spirit and one Faith.
There is only one hope that means the Bible only points us
to one thing as the objective of our desire.
And that means that we can only expect one thing to happen at
the end of this life, and we can have hope in that.
And so What is the Christian hope?
Well, again, Titus 1 and 2 tells us that the Christian Holt is
eternal life. My question to us this morning
is do you have a hope of eternal life?
if you died today, would you have a hope of a hint of Heaven?
Are you saved? Have you been baptized for the
remission of your sins? Have you been washed?
By the blood of Christ. Have your sins, been washed away
by the blood of Christ? If you are a child of God?
Are you living a life of sin to where you are?
Not in harmony with God that you that you are not living the life
that you need to be? Do you have sins that you have
not made, right? Have you committed sins that
you're not repenting up? Are you struggling in life and
not giving up sin in your life? Are you living in this?
Censor this feeling of Despair and hopelessness.
Why are you waiting? Why are you waiting to get right
with God? Don't lose hope of your
salvation. Second Corinthians 6 and verse
to behold now is the accepted time behold.
Now is the day of salvation. The lesson is yours.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
would, like any additional information, or you would like
to receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.
Please email us at info at her Church of Christ
Bakersfield.com. Our service times are Sundays at
10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our
honored guest.