One Hope of Our Calling

Okay, good. We've got it going now, so praise the Lord. I'd like for you to turn in the

Word of God to the Epistle of Ephesians, and in this wonderful epistle,

I did a message years ago, it was called Seven Ones of Unity, the

Seven Ones of Unity, and maybe one day, Lord willing, I can break it down and we can go through those seven ones of the unity that's in the face of the

Word of God that Paul speaks of here. So, in this wonderful verse, we're just going to look at one verse today, but there's many other verses on this wonderful text before us that we can look at, and it's really deep.

It looks so simple before us, but you know how the Word of God is. It's so inexhaustible.

You cannot exhaust it. You can go precept by precept, line upon line, and start dissecting it, and I like what

Steve Lawson says, the Word of God is shallow enough, shallow enough for the young believer in Jesus Christ to wade in, but it's also deep enough, so deep, that even the greatest theologian can drown in, and I agree with that so, so much, and that's the way the

Word of God is. I love that. So it comes to all of us, and there is a relevance.

The relevance is in trying to bring people in and trying to cater, or I guess the word cater is probably the best, is come to their worldly ways to make them happy in church.

That's not what church is about. False prophets do things like that. The needs of God's people, really, the deepest need is for us to know

God, and we cannot know God outside of the Word, so if anyone preaches another gospel, and then

Paul says, really, it's not another gospel, he says it that way, but there's only one gospel, and if the gospel isn't feeding our souls, then there's a problem, and the problem isn't with God, the problem is with us.

So really what truly what people need, and this is what I'm saying, is God. Our hope is in God.

We have a living hope today. Now what does this hope mean, and we're going to look at this. Look at, let me read a few verses before we get to verse 4, but I'm going to take it all the way to verse 6, and we'll be specifically looking at verse 4.

Hear the Word of God. I therefore, the Apostle Paul is speaking,

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling.

Listen to that word, calling, calling with which you were called, you'll hear that a lot here, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long -suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the

Spirit in the bond of peace. Then he says in verse 4, there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called, called in one hope of your calling.

Isn't that wonderful? Listen to those words, calling, called, calling, called. One, verse 5, one

Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, know the ones there, the seven ones, and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Let's pray. Father, we do thank you, Lord, for this wonderful word before us.

We rejoice that this word has been preserved through a sea of blood throughout the ages.

People have laid down their lives, your servants have laid down their lives to have this word preserved.

You've kept it, and it's by your Holy Spirit that you've kept it for us. And we thank you,

Father, that it is in our own language today, and that, Lord, we can do more than just read it.

Lord, yes, we can read it, we can meditate upon it. And Lord, help us to understand it, not just by mental assent to it, but Father, help us to understand the spiritual depth of it,

Lord, and here is where we call on you, Lord, because any of us can just read it and leave out of here and not understand the meaning of it.

Only your Holy Spirit can give us the true meaning of your word. So Father, may we apply it to our hearts by your

Holy Spirit. And Father, we ask you that you would speak to your people worldwide as well, just not us in this little small group here, but Father, to your people worldwide to encourage them.

There's some that's being persecuted even right at this moment. Lord, help us to be compassionate toward their persecution, to pray for your people, because we are part of that body.

And Father, we're not truly divided in one sense. We're part of the universal church, and it's so big, it's beyond our comprehension today.

So Father, help us to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout this world. Father, be with us now.

Help us to take this into our hearts. Change us.

Just, maybe we just not learn more, but Father, to have the true knowledge to change our hearts to be more like Jesus.

In this I pray, amen. Verse four, there is one body, there's one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.

This is a wonderful text. There's godly people down through the ages spoken about this wonderful hope.

What is this hope? Commentator Peel says this, what is hope?

Hope is wishing for a thing to come true. Faith is believing that it will come true.

Hope is wanting something to so eagerly that in spite of all the evidence that you are not going to get it, you go right on wanting it.

And the remarkable thing about it is that the very act of hope produces a kind of strength of its own.

That's what commentator Peel says. Matthew Henry, great Puritan commentator, one of the best,

I would highly recommend said this, Satan would tempt us to despair, but good hope keeps us trusting in God and rejoicing in him.

Of course, I can't leave out Sir Charles Spurgeon, he's one of my favorites. Charles Spurgeon, that wonderful great preacher years ago said this about hope, a man ought to hope within the bounds of reason, and the promises of the good old book, hope leans on an anchor, but an anchor must have something to hold by and to hold to, and he's speaking about the word of God, and of course that anchor is

Christ himself. That anchor is the Lord Jesus Christ. That anchor is all that he is and all that he has done for us.

So we look at that, we have that full assurance of that hope.

Hebrews 6 .11 says, the Bible says that we seek for the full assurance of hope.

We desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end.

The word of God. 1 Peter 3 .15, the Bible speaks about that we should be ready to give an answer concerning the hope that we have.

Peter says it like this, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense.

That word of defense, an answer, it means an answer. That's where we get the word apologetics, it doesn't mean to apologize, it basically means to give an answer for the hope that is within us.

Everyone who asks you a reason, a reason for the hope that is in you, with, and keep this in mind, meekness and fear.

We do it with meekness, but we also do it in the fear of God. Bless these children's hearts, this is so difficult for them, but one day they'll be sitting right beside you, learning the word of God.

Right now, they're concerned for one thing, that's milk. So we should be concerned with milk as a word, right?

So what is this hope? This hope, let's dig a little bit deeper here. The original

Greek language gives us that definition and the answer, and that word hope in the Greek is elpisi, elpisi.

It means, I probably butchered that son, but anyway, it means to anticipate usually with joy or pleasure.

It means there's anticipation of joy and pleasure. There's expectation, abstractly or concretely, that means in confidence.

So you cannot disconnect hope from faith. When the scripture says, the just shall live by faith, there's hope connected to it, okay?

Remember what 1 Corinthians, I quoted it yesterday at the wedding, 1 Corinthians 13, verse 13 now, these three abide, faith, hope, and love, charity, notice that, faith, hope, and love, charity, which is charity, agape love.

And these three remain, but the greatest is charity. That is the bedrock, and when

Paul the apostle says, by the fruit of the spirit, he starts with love, doesn't he?

Because it is the bedrock, it is the foundation, we cannot have these other virtues without the love of God.

See, it's God's love, it's not our love. That's why it says agape love, and that's why I say charity, it's not by mistake

I say charity, because a lot of times when you throw that word love out there, people's mind automatically just, they got their own concept of love.

Well usually that concept is a wrong concept. Now we as people of God, we understand when we say love, we mean it's founded on the word of God.

But anytime you have that love, you've got the hope, and you have the faith, it all connects, you see.

Well, to fully appreciate this hope and to understand the greatness behind what

Paul is telling us through the spirit of God, we need to go back a few chapters to hear how this remarkable choice bond servant, a prisoner of the

Lord of God, prayed for the believers in Ephesus. In Ephesians chapter 1 verse 18, go with me to chapter 1 verse 18 and look at what the verse says right here.

Paul prayed a wonderful prayer. Now keep in mind, if Paul's praying this, and it's ordained and everything is inspired by the

Holy Spirit, I believe it's important for us to take note. The prayers of the Apostle Paul, now

I'll tell you what, is some of the most greatest and most wonderful prayers, all the prayers in scripture is important.

I would probably say the prayers of the Lord Jesus is the highest and most important, because that is

God in the flesh praying, as a man praying to his Father. But even the Apostle Paul was a choice servant.

He was a servant that was chosen to suffer for the church, for the elect, for the people of God.

And when you hear this man pray, you know this, it's in the spirit. There's nothing here of this man's flesh.

He's a dead man. Paul's dead into the world. He's dead into himself. So he's living unto

Christ. His whole life is a sacrifice to Christ. You see this in 2 Timothy chapter 4, before he dies, my life is poured out like a drink offering.

This man is given and given and given in great love to the church and died for the church, not specifically, but for the sake of the church,

I should say. Jesus is the only one that died specifically for the church. But he suffered for the church,

I should say it like that. But let me say this, he prays this in verse 18 of chapter 1,

I think, very important prayer. The eyes of your understanding be an enlightenment, that you may know what is the hope of his calling.

He's praying this. He's praying that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

Keep in mind, there's eyes of your understanding that must be enlightened.

He desired for God's people to see, to be enlightened, to be illumined.

And only the Holy Spirit can do this. That's why he's going to God in prayer and he's praying for the church.

And then he says this, that you may know what is the hope of his calling. So right there,

I think it's important for us to know what is the hope of his calling.

Now Paul uses that term know a lot. The apostle John uses it a great deal in the book of 1

John. God wants us to know. But the knowing must be more than just mental ascent.

It must be a knowing in a spiritual sense. That you may grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

You see, that knowledge is more than just facts. And don't get me wrong, there is a reason and the reason goes here.

That Sproul said this, he said, it does, our mind must be transformed, it must be renewed.

It must be renewed. You see what I'm saying, because our mind is so gutted with everything else, and was so programmed, it's like programming a computer in a sense.

Whatever you put in comes out. Well you see, a lot of people's minds, what's going in is coming out and a lot of it's trash.

The word of God can renew our minds, you see. For what reason? That we may have the mind of Christ.

Because the mind of Christ is of another world. And when you have the mind of Christ, people are going to look at you funny.

They're going to look at you weird. You're supposed to be peculiar. But you know, we should rejoice in that, because you're not like the world.

And Jesus says the world will love his own. But he said because you're not of the world, they don't love you. And then he says this, they don't love you not because of you, they don't love you because they hate him.

That's what Jesus said. So we can rejoice in that. But he desires, Paul the Apostle desires for us to know what is the hope of his calling.

So let Paul's prayer be our prayer. That the Holy Spirit of God would open our eyes, our inner eyes, to see and to understand what a glorious future we have in Jesus Christ.

God's people have a glorious future. Now right now, it's not our best life now, right? It could be a most difficult life.

It is. But there's something to rejoice about in this. And because of Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished at the cross and through his burial and his resurrection, what the

Holy Spirit himself guarantees to us is a seal, a down payment to his one church.

His body is glorious. Now, what about the unbelievers that are without Christ? If people are without Christ, they are what?

Without hope. You know, that's sad, isn't it? They're without hope.

But guess what? We have a living hope. And as it was prayed today, and as it was requested to pray, we should be concerned for people that are lost.

And they're lost to Satan. It's a terrible tragedy, folks, to know that people die without Jesus.

They go into eternity without God for all eternity, folks. This is something we should think about.

Your existence has significance. Your existence and my existence is for a purpose, and it's not for ourselves.

It's for the glory of God. It's for Jesus' sake, for everything that we do, whether it's in our work, in our home, for babies, for mothering, for fathering, which is of great importance because you're molding that child.

But everything that you do, children, all that you do to Jesus has significance.

Only in Him has real meaning. So we're going to look at this Song of the

Saints. I love it. We're going to sing it at the last. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

Now when we come to die and take our last breath on this earth, and when your work is done on this earth, all that's going to matter, and let me tell you this, all that's going to matter is knowing

Jesus Christ and having His blood cleanse you, wash you from all your sin because nothing else is going to do it.

I'm telling you. We should live every day as is our last day on this earth, and that is we're going to appear before God at the judgment because guess what?

Scripture says this, it is appointed for once man to die, and after this, the judgment.

I didn't say that. God said that. It is my responsibility as a minister and a servant of Jesus Christ and as your pastor to give those warnings as it is, but also to give you the hope.

And I give you today a living hope that there is a living hope, and that living hope is

Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He was crucified for your sins so that you don't have to perish and die and go to hell.

He came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. That's the great news.

Now, go back to the Scriptures. Go to chapter 2. Let's look at verse 12 and 13.

What does Paul say about this? This is about the unbelievers.

He, I'm sorry, that at the time you were without Christ. Now that's past tense.

He's speaking to the believers. Anytime that you read the Bible, it's always to believers.

It's never to an unbeliever. Some people will misunderstand that right away.

They say, hold on. You mean to tell me God's Word is not to the unbeliever? It is to the unbeliever, but it's not addressed to the unbeliever.

You see what I'm saying? There's a difference. He addresses the saints, but it is to the unbeliever that would want to come to Christ because there's an invitation for people to come.

We know that, right? But when the Scriptures were written, they were written to the church.

They were written to God's people. That's what I'm saying. You were without Christ. Those were the times that were past tense, we were without Jesus.

Then he says, being aliens, foreign from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers.

Notice these words. You were aliens, strangers from the covenants of promise. And what does he say?

Having no hope and without God. That's the reason why there's no hope for the unbeliever, because they're without God.

That's why it's simple enough, isn't it? They're without God in the world. Verse 13 is remarkable because it gives another picture of reality.

It is as God through the Holy Spirit shows us what gives us hope and who that hope is.

And because of Christ, we share in this great hope together. It is one hope of our calling.

And then he says this, but now in Christ. There's the change right there.

But now, present tense, in Christ. You see

Paul constantly saying this, in Christ, in Christ. You must be in only two sets of people in this world, folks.

Whether you're in Christ or outside of Christ. Lost or you're found, in blindness and darkness or in light and you can see.

On your way to heaven or on your way to hell. There's no gray with God. God don't see gray.

God's not colorblind. It's black and white, period. So, it says right here, you will now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off.

Notice the scripture says, it's so specific, isn't it? Without Jesus, you were way out there.

Far, far away, far off, but, look, have been brought near.

What brings you near? You were once far off, you're brought near or nigh by what we sung it today, the blood.

The blood. The blood of Jesus Christ. You know, it's sad to say, but a lot of churches not preaching the blood no more.

But this minister, this preacher is going to preach blood. I'm going to preach blood,

Jesus, because I'm telling you, the blood of Jesus, because there's nothing else it's going to do for salvation. Nothing outside of it's going to suffice but the blood of Jesus Christ.

You go through the scriptures, all the way from Genesis to Revelation, there's a string of blood. There's a crimson string all the way, all the way since Adam sinned,

God shed blood. He shed animals' blood. You see in the Old Testament, animal after animal was shed.

Read this in Hebrews, sheep, goats, all these animals sacrificed, sacrificed, sacrificed.

It seems gory, it seems messy, but God required blood. Someone may ask, why blood?

Life is in the blood. It's the most precious, take the blood out of your body, you're a dead person.

Without blood, you will not live. There is life in that blood.

It's the most precious thing, and the most precious of all blood is the blood of God's Son, Jesus Christ.

That's why, you know, people say, why a crucifixion, it doesn't make sense. There's been many people crucified, what's the difference between Jesus' crucifixion and other crucifixions?

Because it is who Jesus is. It's who he was when he died on the cross, through his incarnation, he was the most different person, he was set aside, he's the only person that came into this world without an

Adamic nature. That's the purpose of the incarnation. He had to enter, God had to enter into this world without having an

Adamic nature, and God had it all planned out. It was through a miracle of the virgin birth.

Great miracle, great miracle. Jesus entered into this world without having a nature bent or desirous towards sinning.

He didn't have that. His desire was holiness.

All the time it was pure holiness. You notice the difference between us and Christ?

Our desire a lot of the time is sinning, it's sinning, but Jesus was constantly holiness, holiness.

Well, let's look at this calling. The blood of Jesus brings us nigh, and we have this hope, this hope,

Ephesians 4 .4, and one hope of your calling, Ephesians 2 .18, that you may know,

I'm sorry, 1 .18, what is the hope of his calling? To understand this one hope, we first understand the calling, your calling, it's your calling, notice this, his calling, your calling, his calling, to which we were all called into one hope.

Our calling is a holy calling. You see? What does this word holy mean?

The best way I can describe holiness, it's really not an English word that's adequate, to be honest with you.

But it does mean set apart, it means to be pure and white. It's really beyond all that,

I mean, honestly, it's such a foreign concept to us, why is it so foreign to us? Because of who we are, folks.

Even redeemed, we have a hard time with this, because God's holiness is so foreign to us.

Can I say this? The holiness of God is a threat to people. There's a reason why

God's holiness is a threat, because we were born as in Adam, we were born fallen, we were born with this bent towards sinning, and immediately when the holiness of God comes to us, traumatically through the

Word of God, like Isaiah, he was a holy prophet, and this man says, ha ha,

I am unraveled, I am traumatically just devastated, and as a prophet, a prophet would give curses or blessings, that was the role of a prophet of God.

But Isaiah was still with sin, he was not like Jesus. He was a man, he was a human being like us with a bent towards sinning, but he was a holy man, by the way, and he spoke

God's Word, and he even had to have a cleansing, and God came to him in a time when

King Uzziah died, and a lot of things was happening in that time of the nation of Israel, and here in the year

King Uzziah died, he saw the Lord high and lifted up.

Folks, it was traumatic, it was foreign to him. He saw another world, and that's why if you present the holiness of God to people today, it is a foreign thing.

It's a threatening thing, and by the way, God will be the ultimate threat to people if they do not make it right with God, and that's why

I'm saying the only way you can be right with God is through the blood of Jesus Christ. Make sure you have the blood applied to the doorpost of your heart, because when the death angel comes, that's all he's going to see, and when he sees the blood, he's going to what?

Pass over you. There's no fear of death, right, because the blood is the protection of God's people.

So the hope of his calling, this holiness, is a holy calling.

God has not called us to uncleanness, Scripture says, but unto holiness. Holiness means that we are set apart.

We are set apart differently, and I'm telling you, when you're a child of God, that's the way it is. You are to be different from this world.

You are different, and that's okay. Matter of fact, if you like the world, something's wrong.

You're not to be like the world, because most of the world is on its way in a path to hell and destruction, but you are that great light.

You are to be called different. You're not to be influenced by the world. I tell people all the time, well, you are to be the influencer.

Yeah, but so many people are influencing all around you. Hey, that's why you've got to set your eyes like a flint on Jesus, because, and that's why the

Scripture says, bad company corrupts good morals. It's always downward, because there is a multitude out there.

If sinners entice you, do not consent. You see, in Scriptures, why do you think the

Word of God gives us warning after warning and warning not to go their path and their way, you see?

Because we are to be holy. We are to be apart. Be ye holy as the Lord God is holy.

So this calling is a holy calling, and our calling to salvation is ultimately a calling, is a calling to be

Christ -like, eternal perfection, in a sense, and glory. In Christ we have different gifts, different ministries in the body of Jesus, different places of service, but only one calling.

We all share in this one calling. This one calling.

And the calling, according to Ephesians 1 -4, is to be holy and blameless before Him.

Now, that's before the eyes of God. That's where real integrity comes in, folks. Not when everybody else sees you, but when only

God sees you. It's in the darkness. That's integrity. Who you are in the darkness, in the secret place, is who you really are.

And God sees. It's who you are before God. It's who I am before God. Romans 8 -29.

And the purpose of this calling to be holy and blameless before Him is to become conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus.

Which will occur when we see Christ glorified. And we talked about that in 1 Corinthians 13 yesterday.

Which is imperfect, that will pass away. That which is perfect will come. That is

Jesus. When we are glorified. Right now we're not glorified. We're still in this sinful flesh.

We still sin, right? That's why we need to be sanctified. That's why I long to come with you.

And that's why I love to dig in God's Word. As I'm digging in God's Word, it is sanctifying me.

As I'm preaching to you now, there's a sanctifying effect about the Word of God, isn't there? There's a cleansing in it.

Sometimes that cleansing, when it hits up against our sin, sometimes we go, ouch, oh, ah, oh.

And it does. And if it's not happening, there's no cleansing.

It's like a hammer. It's like a sword. The Scripture is. It doesn't pull punches.

When I'm studying Scripture, I'm constantly, my toes are being smashed.

I said, ouch, all the time. I said, Lord, help me. Because I fall so short of it.

But I'm thankful. Conviction is my friend. And it brings me closer to Christ.

If affliction comes, it's good that I was afflicted. Because Jesus is looking at me and saying, it's because I love you and I want you to be more like me.

You see. That's what it's about. And it comes hard. Trials.

All these trials I think has hit all of us. And I know why. Satan is just not going to sit back and not do anything because God is doing something.

Or he's getting ready to do something. I think he's doing something right now. A lot of times it says, you know, we expect something in our own minds.

But God is constantly working. He's working in our hearts. Even a lot of times when you think he's not working, he's working.

Why? How can I say that? Because the God who keeps you and keeps Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

That's right. He's always working. And we ought to have faith that he is working.

So this is a wonderful thing that comes to us and we one day will be glorified. It is the Spirit of God now has placed us into the body of Christ and into each other and who guarantees our future glory.

Aren't you glad of that? Yes. Well, we could go on to say that this hope is future too. It's future for all eternity with Jesus Christ in heaven and in his kingdom and enjoying him for all eternity.

And all that is yours and all because everything that he has is yours through his blood.

Now I say through his blood because Jesus paid the ransom. He paid the price and the price was his blood.

It was costly to God. Let us keep this in mind. When we walk the walk as we are told to walk the walk, there's a great cost for our salvation.

And our testimony should bear that, you see. And all that is yours and all because of the shed blood of Jesus on the cross that he accomplished by God raising him from the dead.

It was paid for at the cross through his blood but it was kind of like sealed when

God the Father raised up his son. And it's a living Christ. Now he's still not, we preach

Christ crucified but we know this. That's the payment for the sin. We point people to the cross but it goes further than the cross.

There's the burial. He buried those sins. Okay? It doesn't stop at the cross, does it?

He buried our sins and then when Jesus rose again, it's accomplished, folks.

I tell you what, something runs through me when I speak about the resurrection. I will forget when

I first came to Christ, one of my relatives, distant relatives, and I never would see him very much.

He's dead now but I hope he made his peace with God before he died. He was a Catholic, a devout

Catholic. He came up and he gave me a crucifix. I took it in my hand and I said,

I was going like that, and I could tell he didn't like the gift. And he said, you don't like my gift? And I said, well, I said, sir,

I was very young in the Lord at the time. I was only like 17, 18. He said, I'm so glad that you found

Christ as your Savior. Really, it's Christ who found me. I handed the crucifix back and I said, sir,

I really don't need that crucifix. I don't need an emblem. I said, thank you for your thoughtfulness.

But I said, sir, I have been crucified in my heart. I'm dead to this world.

I'm still dying, okay? We know that through sanctification. But I said, Jesus has died for me and paid the penalty for my sin.

But can I tell you that that is an emblem of his death. And I know it is,

Catholics take this to remind them of the crucifixion. I said, that's well and good, but you must die in your heart to your sins.

And then I went a little further. And Catholics don't get this, and Ben knows what I'm talking about because his mom was a

Catholic once. I said, have you ever thought about the resurrection? I said, we serve a living

Christ. This Christ is risen from the dead. I said, he is not on that cross.

He has risen again, and he's at the right hand of the Father, and he lives forevermore. And he looked at me and he goes, whoa.

He didn't understand it. He didn't. Because, you know, they're into religiosity. They're into forms and pagan practices and rituals and superstitions.

I can go on and on. But we serve a living Christ. Commentator Barnes says this about this living hope, to put it this way.

He says, the meaning here is that Christians have the same hope. And that they should therefore be one.

They are looking forward to the same heaven. The hope for the same happiness beyond the grave.

Jesus gives that to us through his resurrection. It is not as on earth among people of the world, where there is a variety of hopes.

No. Where one hopes for pleasure, and another for honor, and another for gain.

But there is a prospect of the same inexhaustible joy. The hope is fitted to promote union.

There is no rivalry. For there is enough for all. Hope on earth does not always produce union and harmony.

Two men hope to obtain the same office. Two students hope to obtain the same honor in college.

He goes on to say this. Two rivals hope to obtain the same hand in marriage.

You see where he is going? And the consequence, he says, is jealousy, contention, and strife.

Then he says this. The reason is that but one can obtain the object, not so with the crown of life.

With the rewards of heaven. All may obtain that crown. And all may share those rewards.

How can Christians contend in an angry manner with each other when the hope of dwelling in the same heaven swells their bosoms and emanates their hearts?

Isn't that great? We share that one hope of our calling.

It's a holy calling. But there's hope. We share in that same hope. There's not two hopes.

There's one hope. Jesus. You see? That's Paul's message.

It's Christ. The hope of our calling. One hope to which we are called. So what does the

Bible say about this hope? First and foremost, our hope is in God. Now here's my points.

Our hope is in God. That's the first hope. Psalm 39, 7. How do we know this?

Because Pastor David just thought of this? No, Pastor David didn't think of this. This is the Word of God. Psalm 39, 7.

And now, Lord, I do wait for. And then he answers it. My hope is in you.

My hope is in God. 1 Peter 121. Who through him believed

God in God. In God. Who raised him, speaking of Jesus, from the dead and gave him glory.

So that your faith and hope are in God. You see?

It's all pointing. Even Jesus' death, burial and resurrection points to our hope in God.

That's the only way you're going to have hope in God. The second point is this. Our hope is in Christ.

I'm going to just give you Scripture here. 1 Corinthians 15 .19. If in this life only we have hope in Christ.

We are all of men the most pitiful. That means miserable.

In other words, people that don't have hope. That are without God. Am I right about this?

They are miserable people. That's right. They take their lives. They don't have a reason to live.

I like what the old song says. Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. And we can face tomorrow because of Jesus.

Because he loves you so. 1 Timothy 1 .1. Paul an apostle. He began most of his epistles by this.

Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ. Or a bond servant. He said that a lot. But here he says an apostle of Jesus Christ.

By the commandment of God. Listen to what he says. Our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ. Our hope.

You see that? Our. He didn't say my hope. Even though he would be right.

In saying my hope. Because Jesus is his hope. But you notice. Why did he say our? Because he's not the only one in the church.

Isn't that great? This is apostle Paul. The Holy Spirit inspired him to say our calling.

Our hope. You see. Our hope. Next. I got a lot of little points here.

These are bullet points I'm giving you. Third. Our hope is in God's promises. Now first of all.

Our hope is in God. Second. Our hope is in Christ. Third. Our hope is in God's promises.

Acts 26. 6 and 7. And now I stand. And I am judged. For. The hope.

Of the promises made by God to our fathers. That's what he says. To this promise.

Our 12 tribes earnestly serving God. Night and day. Hope to attain.

Don't miss that. They hope to attain. That's the saints.

For this hope's sake. I tell you. After this message. Hope is going to be there right there.

You're going to see this all through scripture. This is what the word of God says about the saints. He says.

To hope to attain it. For this hope's sake. And then he's saying this to King Agrippa.

King Agrippa. I'm accused by the Jews. This is how Paul the

Apostle answered King Agrippa. And he was the man that says. Paul. You almost persuade me to be a

Christian. But almost ain't good enough. You must be born again.

This man here. Paul was reasoning with him. About the judgment to come. And righteousness. And self -control.

Temperance. But here he says. It's the hope of our. The hope.

Titus 1 .2. He says this. In hope of eternal life. In hope of eternal life.

Which God. Who cannot lie. It's impossible for God to lie.

That's something God cannot do. God can do all things. But that's one thing God cannot do. He cannot lie.

Promised. Before. Time. Began. You see.

God gave his word. And when God gives his word. You can take it to the bank. It will be kept.

Because God is a faithful covenant keeping God. He cannot deny himself folks.

It's impossible for God to lie. Because he is truth. There's no other truth outside of God.

Jesus was that truth incarnate. That's why Jesus says. I'm the way.

The truth. And the life. And I am your way. That Jesus says this. To the father. There's no other way.

And you know Jesus said. That's why when we worship him. We must worship him in what? Spirit and in truth.

Take out the truth. You're not going to please him. Well next. Our hope is in the mercy of God.

Now what is the mercy of God? Mercy is another word for compassion. God has many attributes.

But this is one attribute that's beautiful. He's compassionate. Aren't you glad God's compassionate?

Without compassion. We would not be here right now. We would be in hell. I'm telling you.

Because of God's compassion toward us. We live another day. By the way.

There's common grace. And there's special grace. The heathens out there. That shake a fist toward God.

They go on living the way they want to live. They live in rebellion against God. God shares common grace with them.

You know. Honestly. They have another day to live. And they take another breath. But we don't take that for granted.

Do we? We don't take our existence for granted. Especially we don't take our salvation for granted.

Because of God's compassion. God. You live. And we have eternal salvation today.

Because God was compassionate toward you and me. He loves you.

And by the way. The word mercy is a Hebrew word. It means hesed. It means hesed.

You know what it means? Hesed means loving kindness. So he's not only loving.

He's kind. God is all loving. And he's all kind. He's all merciful.

And by the way. It's infinite. And it's eternal. In other words. It's forever and ever.

And it goes on and on. It's just great about God. And it's infinite in the sense that.

It's so beyond our imagination. Of what we even know.

So God is merciful. Our hope is in the mercy of God. Today.

We can hope because God is merciful to us. Psalm 33 18. Behold the eyes of the

Lord is on those who fear him. And on those who hope in his mercy.

Hope in his mercy. Next would be this. Our hope is in the work of the

Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit. We would have no hope.

Right? Why do we pray? We pray on dependence of God. And believing and hoping.

That he would do something. Beyond and above. What we can even ask.

Or what we can even think. Romans 15 13. Now may the God of hope. May the

God. He's the God of hope. Right? Fill you with all joy and peace. And believing that you may abound in hope.

By the power of the Holy Spirit. See? It's by the power of the

Holy Spirit. So our hope is in the work. And the power of the Holy Spirit. Folks, we know this.

As we pray for lost souls and our lost relatives. We can't convert them, can we? You can lead a horse to water.

You can't make him drink. Isn't that true? I'm telling you. It must be God that transforms the heart.

But we know God is able to do the impossible. We can't do the impossible.

God expects us to do the possible. Like Jesus when he raised Lazarus from the dead. What did Jesus tell the men to do?

Roll the stone. They could do that. Roll the stone. But who can raise him out of the grave?

Only Jesus had the power to say, Lazarus, come forth. And by the way, if he didn't say

Lazarus, everybody in them graves would be coming out. I'm telling you. All he had to do is speak the word.

When the storm came about, when they were about ready to perish, and the disciples said,

Master, don't you care we perish? All he had to do. He was sleeping. He didn't care. Oh, he cared for them.

But you know what I'm saying? He wasn't worried about his own life. So he gets up out of the boat, out of his sleep, and he says,

Peace, be still to the storm. Then they were terrified. What man are man is this? He is

God. Our hope is in him. So Galatians 5 .5. For we through the

Spirit, notice this, we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

The hope of righteousness by faith. Let me go on. Next, our hope is in and obtained through what?

Grace. Hope is in and obtained through grace.

2 Thessalonians 2 .16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and our

God and Father who has loved us and given us an everlasting consolation and good hope by grace.

Good hope by grace. What's grace? God's unmerited favor.

You and I are in this hope today and in Christ because of grace.

We cannot earn it. We cannot work for it. God is saying this is my gift to you.

You don't deserve it but I give it to you lovingly.

So our hope is obtained. How is it obtained? By grace. It's obtained also by the

Word. By the Word of God. Psalm 119 .81 My soul thanks for your salvation but I hope in your

Word. Our hope is in the Word of God. Next would be patience and our comfort of the

Scriptures. Patience and comfort of the Scriptures. Romans 15 .4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning.

Old King James says our admonition but it means learning. That we through the patience, perseverance, endurance and comfort of the

Scriptures might have hope. There you have it. Might have hope.

It is also our hope is obtained not only by grace, not only by the Word, but not only by through patience but it's also obtained through the gospel.

We must not miss this. It's through the gospel. Colossians 1 .5 Because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven.

This hope is laid up for you in heaven. Of which you heard before in the

Word of the truth of the gospel. So we've heard about this hope through the gospel.

The gospel is the good news. It's good news, isn't it?

It's good news. It's not bad news. We hear enough bad news, don't we? Just cut the TV set on.

Listen to the news. There's a lot of bad news. But if you want good news, start reading

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And I'm telling you, you'll get some good news. It's through the good news.

Verse 23 of Colossians 1 If indeed you continue, there must be a continuation.

Jesus says, If you love me, you will continue in my Word. You see, there's a continuance, a perseverance.

You continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast and are not moved away from what?

The hope of the gospel. That's what he's saying. The hope of the gospel which you heard.

We hear it. But our hope is in the gospel which was preached to every creature under heaven.

And then Paul says this, Of which I, Paul, became a minister, a servant.

That's what minister means. Used to be the servant. Our next, our hope is obtained not only by grace, not only by the

Word, not only by patience, not only by the gospel, but by faith. Romans 5, 1 and 2

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. This is a great verse here.

We have peace with God. We've been justified by faith. That's why we have peace with God, folks. Because we've been justified by God, by faith,

I'm sorry, through Jesus Christ, through the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access.

In other words, you have a way by faith into this grace in which we stand and what?

Rejoice in hope of the glory of God. See, we can rejoice in hope in the glory, of the glory of God.

The result of experience is hope. It's found in Romans 5, 4.

The result is this. And perseverance, then character, and character, and hope.

See? The word character is repeated twice here.

It means approved. That's the Greek word for character. It means approved.

So our character is approved through Christ. Okay, a better hope is brought in Christ.

Hebrews 7, 19. Listen to this. There's a better hope. For the law made nothing perfect and complete.

On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God.

What is that better hope? The Lord Jesus Christ. Everything about Jesus is better.

He is the best. But He's better. He's better.

Well, very quickly, let me go through this in my closing. And then I'm going to...

Basically, in the closing here, I'm going to give some applications. So the hope is described as what?

The hope is described as good. It's a good hope. 2 Thessalonians 2, 16.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and our God and Father who has loved us and given us an everlasting consolation and good hope by grace.

It's a good hope by grace. It's a lively hope. I mentioned this earlier. Lively hope.

1 Peter 1, 3. It's as the Apostle Peter just blesses

God. And he's blessing Him. He said, Blessed be the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His abundant mercy... Look at how he's blessing Him.

His abundant compassion. God is so full. Notice this. You'll see this in Scripture.

He's full of compassion. Full. Not just halfway, but full of compassion.

And then he goes on to say this. Abundant in compassion and has begotten us again to a living hope.

A living hope. A lively hope. Through what? The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Because Jesus lives, we can live too. Next is a sure and a steadfast hope.

I point to you today that the hope that is in Jesus is sure and is steadfast.

Hebrews 6, 19. This hope we have is an anchor. Know what an anchor is?

An anchor, you know, you see them on ships, boats. It's something that's grounded.

The anchor takes a hold of a rock or something. Actually, it is a rock. And the rock is able to hold that ship from the storms.

When the ship is parked, it can be blown and tossed about. But when that chain is tossed, this is very simple, but it's so important.

Jesus is our anchor, our anchor through the storms. That anchor holds because of the rock, you see.

And the Scripture says we have a hope. The hope we have is an anchor of the soul.

You see, your soul, it will not be jeopardized or tossed to and fro if it's anchored in Jesus.

Nothing else is going to... If it's anchored in anything else but Jesus, it's going to be blown about.

But it's both sure and it's steadfast in which enters into the presence behind the veil.

A veil hides something. We can't see what's behind a veil, right? Our sin hides, keeps us from entering that veil.

But Jesus has... That veil was ripped when Jesus said it is finished.

God ripped the veil years ago after Jesus died from top to bottom.

It wasn't ripped from the bottom up. God's hands ripped it. Why did

He do that? Because He was saying, through My Son, you can come right into My presence.

Through His blood. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has made a way.

And Jesus is that sure and steadfast anchor. Proverbs 10, 28 says it is a hope that is gladdening.

It's gladdening. Makes you glad, doesn't it? I'm glad. The hope of the righteous will be gladness.

The hope of the righteous will be gladness. But the expectation of the wicked will perish.

By the way, the hope is blessed. It's a blessed hope. What's this blessed hope?

I'm going to pretty much end with this. It's when our Lord Jesus Christ will return in great glory with the holy angels.

It's coming, folks. Looking. Listen to what the Scripture says. Looking.

Are you looking? For the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great

God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Notice what He said there. Our great

God and Savior. It shows you right there, Jesus is God. God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This hope, according to Romans 5, 5, does not make ashamed.

Because it says, now hope does not disappoint. This is a hope, folks, that does not disappoint you.

Because this hope, because, now He tells us why. Anytime you see the word because, it means why.

Hey, kids, don't you ask that question to your parents a lot? Why? Why? Yeah.

Why? Why? Give me some reason. Well, the Scripture can tell you why.

It gives you reason. It gives you reason why this hope does not disappoint.

Why does it not disappoint? I'll tell you why. Because, I'm reading right from the

Scriptures, Romans 5, 5. Because the love of God has been shed, or poured out, in our hearts.

That's supernatural. That's regeneration. By the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

That is the power of the Spirit that has given us this hope. You can't obtain this to yourself.

You can't take a hold of this by yourself and your own strength. This is something that has come in the power and the strength of God and the

Holy Spirit. Well, last and final, and I think this is, I want to drive this home to all of us, and I think we're all right here.

This hope triumphs over all of our difficulties. Who's having difficulties?

I'm going to raise both hands. I'm serious.

I know this. It may not look good before my eyes, but I do not walk by what

I see before my eyes. What does the Scripture say? We walk by faith.

We don't walk by sight. You know why? Because everything I see by sight can be changed.

Because we serve and serve a God that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all what we ask or think, above anything we can even think of.

Hallelujah. God is God. Yes. I say that.

You know, I saw a sign that says, God's good. I said, I agree with that 100%. But before, I saw in the peripheral vision of my eye, and I thought, but you take away that one

O and capitalize that G. That means just as much to me or even more than God's good.

I know God's good, but the reason why God's good is because God is God. You see what

I'm saying? Because God does not act any way beyond Himself, but when He says it, you can take it and believe it, and God will make it happen.

Now, according to His will, it won't be your will or my will, or the way we think. It's His will, and He's going to do it the way

He believes is best. And that's when we pray, and I say, Lord, that's why we say,

Thy will be done, because Jesus knew to pray that. Even the way of the cross looked difficult and hard,

He drank those bitter dredges in that cup of the Father that the Father gave Him, and it's like as the

Father gave Him that cup, and He says, this is tough. In other words, this crucifixion's going to be hard, and it's more than just physical crucifixion, folks.

Jesus endured the wrath of God, and when Jesus took this upon Himself, and He struggled with this, folks, in His flesh, but with great crying and tears and supplication,

Jesus, and you know this, and His praying, folks, surpasses any praying that we ever would even touch.

His praying was so powerful and so fervent that He began to sweat, and through His pores was blood coming out.

And in that moment, and in that time, He kept going back.

Nevertheless, not my will, but Your will be done.

That's what we gotta pray, folks. Even in the most difficult times, not what we will, but what

You will. It may be tough. It may not be what we think, but God can do exceedingly, abundantly, above what we can ask or think.

It triumphs over our difficulties because in Romans 4 .18 says this, Who, contrary to hope, to hope, in hope, believed.

Do you hear that? Who, contrary to hope, in hope, believed, so that He became the

Father of many nations. Speaking of Abraham, according to what was spoken, so shall your descendants be.

Isn't that great? This is the Abrahamic covenant. And you know the story, and I close with this.

God tested Abraham. All the promises that God gave

Abraham was in His son Isaac. Isaac could have easily been

Abraham's idol, but Abraham knew better. Abraham's hope was in God and what

God sent, and His promises. And then God said, Okay, I'll see if you mean it.

I'll see if you really fear me. Just not love him. He loved him, but He said, I'm going to see if you fear me.

Read the Scriptures. It says that. And even before he went to the top of Mount Moriah, we know that Abraham believed

God. Why do we know that? He told this servant that was with him. He says,

I and the land will return. We're coming back. Isn't that great?

Why? Because he knew God would keep His word. He knew it.

And he said, I and the land, talking about Isaac. We're going to come back. We're going to return. We're going there to worship.

And then we're coming back. And you know, think of this. Think about if God required this of him. And this was a time when pagans, when pagans was offering their children and throwing them into the fire.

And you know, Abraham didn't understand it, but God required of him, you take Isaac and you offer him up to me.

That would have been hard, especially at that time period. But what did

Abraham do? He believed in God. He believed in His word. He believed in His promise.

That's why He's called the Father of Faith. And He takes them to Mount Moriah. He offers them.

And I'm telling you, He believed, and you can read the Scriptures on this, He raised a knife, and you know the story.

He knew that even if He killed them, God can raise them from the dead. That's, folks,

I don't know, that's a lot of faith. And He didn't get there overnight. Those times

He failed. He grew in faith. He grew stronger and stronger. He failed sometimes.

He even lied in Egypt about his wife, didn't He? But we know He became stronger and stronger and then here

God requires Him to take up Isaac. And He believed in God. So today, in your most difficult trials, know that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.