Philippians-Joy Love Letter 03 a Two Fold Hope — James K. Boswell

Joy, Love, and Sharing the Gospel

Philippians and the first chapter, Philippians chapter 1, we understand that there's joy, a love letter, we haven't got very much to get through to. I may deal with the first nine verses tomorrow morning, but you've entered into the good of that during this particular day.

And remember that in the gospel, we could do that in three ways, but in the contrary. In verse number three, we share the gospel by praying, verses 7 and 8, by loving one another. Fellow believer, and by praying for the word, isn't it?

Remember you get L-O-V-E, I'm very fond of acrostics, and there you have love operate victoriously everywhere. ...in his epistles, he will give you wonderful dividends if you take time to read and to memorize the dear man of God.

God's Work from Salvation to Glory

I like about Paul yesterday that he has a deserving mind for suggesting to you that it is God's word until the day of your own death in his leaven. He starts in here, he says, being confident of this very thing in you until the day of Jesus Christ.

Think again of verse 5, the wonderful land of hope. And being confident, sometimes you get the word confident in this wonderful letter, it's filled with confidence from beginning to end. Know confidence of this very thing, that he has begun a good work in you.

And remember, it's not your working, it's the Lord working in you. And you having received him as your very own Lord and Savior, he's the very one who works in you. Go to chapter 2, and verse number 13.

Look at the last phrase of verse number 12, it says, Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Now notice, for it is God which works in you, both the will and the do of his good pleasure. He who commenced the work in chapter 1, verse 6, is continuing the work in chapter 2, verse 13.

For it is God that works in you. Now go to chapter 3, and verse number 20. The cessation is in heaven. The progress also lives for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change your body of humiliation, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, or his body of glory.

And notice now, according to the working, whereby is able he to subdue all things unto himself. He who has commenced the work, is continuing the work, and is going to consummate the work. In the first one, you have salvation.

Salvation. Chapter 1, verse 6. In the second one, you have sanctification. It is God who works in you, both the will and the do of his good pleasure. And then in chapter 3, verse 21, you have satisfaction.

The wonder of it all. Salvation, sanctification, satisfaction. Now what is he doing? God is transforming us, changing us, transfiguring us into his glory. I like this. I hope it might be that's why he saved you.

That's why he saved me. And the life of his son might be reproduced in us, day by day, moment by moment. That's why he saved us. And that's a wonder to think of that, right there in the home, in the office, on the campus, in the university, in the hospital.

Wherever there's a believer, it is Christ. Christ in the home, Christ in the office, Christ on the campus. Wherever we are as a believer, it is Christ. No longer are the Christ walking around in shoe leather.

Your life and my life are now shining of the angel in Christ. We recognize them no longer at all. The Bible says, in 1 Corinthians 6, verses 19 and 20,. What know ye not that you are not your own? You have been bought with a price.

Therefore glorify God in your body, which are God's. See, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost who is in us. And he's in us for one purpose, and that is to share through us all the life of the risen Christ.

So it's not my trying to live a Christian life, not my trying to produce fruit, not at all. There's a spontaneity and spontaneously we find the Holy Spirit manifesting in us and through us all the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But you begin to look in. You get more discouraged and disappointed and despondent, don't you? When you look away from yourself and hate, and your heart becomes occupied with hate, you're changed by beholding.

You continue to be holding, and so are you being changed from glory to glory into the same image. He who is convinced to work is continuing the work, and he's going to consummate the work by having his nature of light and love, a wonderful image.

My, what a wonderful moment that's going to be. And you know something? It may take place today. The same rise up again of that expression from the first day. Now can you imagine in your mind the little assembly there at Philippi, and you have just let it arise from great joy.

Lydia, the Philippian Jailer's Family, and Changed Lives

The girl who gets up to read the letter from the saintly man of God, every ear is open, and the reader, and now sitting there in that assembly, and they come down to this world, sitting there in that assembly, and she goes back to the riverside to remember when they're having that ceremony, and Paul and Silas arrive, and remember in a quiet way the Lord opened Lydia's heart again.

Oh, she went back to that story. What a joy flooding Lydia's soul. Ah, he who convinced to work, he's continuing the work. Oh, the wonder of his heart. And then there is the demon-possessed girl who followed Paul and knocked and remembered and thanked God to get us delivered from demon possession.

There she is now closed in the right mind, saved by God's next of grace, just sitting there in the assembly, and just saying, Oh, I'll never forget that day. I'll never forget that day. That first day happened in my life when I trusted the Lord Jesus, and I received him as my Lord and Savior.

And there you find the Philippian jailer, his wife and all his family are there with him in the assembly. Oh, it's great when the whole family are with you in the Kingdom of God. And there you find him now, they believing with all their heart.

Remember, he's believing with all his heart. Each and every one believes, and each and every one wear that tie, and remember, there they are now in the assembly, Philippi, and you hear this letter read from that first day.

Oh, he says, I'll never forget that day. I'll never forget it. Why, because it's midnight, and then as every man's band would move, there was that mighty earthquake, and it shook me out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His marvelous light.

It brought me from bondage into liberty, from darkness into light. It brought me from death into life, and the Holy Name. I'll never forget that night when I got Paul and Sully's on, and I sought to wash the wounds, the wounds of that liarship man.

Oh, then I knew I thrust him into the inner prison, that cold, damp cell, for all those marvelous wonders of God's maximus grace. Oh, that first day. I can never forget that first day. When I look around this group this morning, can you look back to your first day and your experience?

A moment when you received the Lord Jesus as your very own Lord and Savior. A moment when your heart opened to receive the Word of God like Lydia. Maybe in the quiet moment of your own heart. No great demonstration.

No going forward shaking the evangelist's hand. Although, but just as you're listening to the Word quietly, your heart is open, and you're responding, and you receive the life-giving Word, and you're born into the family of God.

No great demonstration like a thrusting fall of demons. Oh, no, like the damsel. No, no, no, like the earthquake, like the third angel. Maybe you've had an experience like that. I don't know. But if you've experienced a defecator in your kingdom of His marvelous light, I don't know.

But we all had different experiences. But thank God this morning, it was your first day when you were born again. A first day when you were born into the family of God. Oh, you say, Jim, I would like to think that was true.

But you know, I can't remember when I was born again. I can't remember when I received the Lord Jesus. Well, friend, please get this. Don't worry if you've lost your birth certificate, as long as you know you're alive.

That's the thing that really counts. Now, there are a lot of people who tell you, unless you know the time, where, the place, where, and no matter how, then you're not saved. You better come and trust Him again.

Oh, that's a lot of belonging. That's that reverently. I want to get down deep in your heart, my friend. I repeat this with all sincerity. I've known people who have come along and said, I can take you to that chair in that little gospel hall where I bow and I profess faith in Jesus Christ.

Oh, I could then, but the life is not exemplary. The life is not manifesting the beauty nor the virtues of the Lord Jesus. I know those who say, oh, sorry, sour, nasty temper they used to have. No change in the life.

I know people who come up and say, I can't remember when I received Christ, but I know, I know I received Him. And as I've done a baptismal life, and the beauty and the virtue of the Savior, then who am I going to believe?

But now listen, I can take you to a very spot for myself. I can always remember the tick of the clock. When I passed from death unto life as a boy, almost 14 years of age, I opened my heart to the Son of God's love on a Friday night.

Oh, I can always remember that. But that does not make me any more saved than probably someone here today who can remember when they passed from death unto life. But thank God today you've got life. And thank God you know that joy or sins are forgiven.

Although you have forgotten the day, thank God today you're alive in Christ Jesus. It's wonderful to be able to say that it's been a first day. I'm more than willing to receive Christ into your heart, and being confident that He who has commenced the work is going to continue that work.

Assurance of Salvation and Trusting God's Word

I love that. We're in Lincolnshire, in England. There's a train and there's a man sitting there. And as he got in, she got in, she said to this man, Excuse me, sir, but is... He said, Yes, madam, it's going to Boston.

I'm going to Boston. She said, Sir, are you on the right track? He said, Oh, yes, we're on the right track. We're on the right way. I'm going to Boston. So he came along and punched the tickets as they do back there in Britain.

She said, Excuse me, sir, but is this train going to Boston? She said, Yes, it's going to Boston. Now, there was this woman. She couldn't sit down or relax, nor rest. There was the man in his boot, relaxing, reading, enjoying the journey.

Now, please notice this. There were bulls in the train. The bulls were out of Boston. Worry, fretting, and puny. Then I'm quite calm, quite composed. But the bull got the bull in the train. And there are many people I come across in my ministry who are not sure whether or not the work is being done.

Not sure whether they're in the right train or not. But my friend, listen, if there's been a moment in your life when you've exercised faith in the Lord Jesus and you've received Him by faith into your heart, irrespective of your fears or your doubts or your suspicions, you're in the train.

I want to tell you, you go to land in the glory. Yes, you go to land in the glory. Some of us are quite certain and quite sure. And my friend, with no doubt or any suspicion about the matter at all, let's thank God for each and every one of us here this morning who know this joy and are able to say, blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.

Now, I want to talk to you in verse number six about a two-fold hope. I'm here, as I said, being confident of the very thing that He who's done good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

One, you have an assured hope, and secondly, you have an advent hope. Now, notice, being confident is the assured hope, to the day of Christ is the advent hope, and they're both running parallel one with the other.

Well, that's the practice to me. Now, what would you think of a man? I went home some night and said to his wife, no, darling, sometimes I feel I love you. Sometimes I'm quite sure I love you. Other times I'm not so sure.

Sometimes I feel I love you such a lot. Sometimes I don't feel I love you at all. Now, what would you think of a man like that? Now, what would you do to a man like that? Wouldn't you just take the frying pan and just smack him with it?

Are you sure it won't hit you? You see, do you see what I'm getting at? See? Now, sometimes I feel I'm safe, sometimes I'm not sure whether I'm safe or not. Oh, beloved, I want you today to take God at His word and rest upon what He says.

Now, here's the point. I'm going to give you an acrostic on the word assured, so put it down. The capital A-S-S-U-R-E-D, assured hope. And I'm going to give you one word for each letter. It may be a death blessing to you right now.

The Assured Hope: Christ's Work, Word, and Witness

Being sure. There are three things that make me sure that I am a child of God. The first thing is this, His work for me. His work for me upon the cross. His word to me. The three W's, His work for me, His word to me, and His witness.

Now, these are vital. These are vital. Upon you, in all demand, your twenty shillings shall receive the simple promise you believe. It sets your mind as much at rest as if the money you possess. So Christ, who died but now doth live, does unto you His promise give, that if you on Him do believe, eternal life you will receive.

Upon the first, you calmly rest, which is a saver. The twenty shillings shall receive the simple promise you believe. It sets your mind as much at rest as if the money you possess. So Christ, who died but now doth live, does unto you His promise give, that if you on Him do believe, eternal life you will receive.

Upon the first, you calmly rest, which is a saver. Which is the best. Heaven never cares what He says. We were privileged to have in our home, while in Britain, they came all the way from Berlin, three words, five words of English.

Yes, no, thank you, please. They were with us for seven years. They were doctor's children. Father was a medical doctor, the mother was a doctor of philosophy. The girl was eleven, the brother was seven.

He did something I never do with children. I sometimes do with grown-ups. But he asked all those who wanted to trust the Lord Jesus to raise their hands. Something like fourteen of the oldest scholars indicated they wanted to trust Christ by raising their hands.

Robert said to my wife, Robert, what about you? I said, auntie. He knew the change in the boy's life, and that's another evidence of the witness, by the way. A changed life. But we didn't put it down to that.

The purpose of not button-holding the young people, but pressing them to a profession of salvation. They sat in with us and had a Bible reading and a Bible study. They came to the meetings with us, and we trusted God to reveal to them by His Spirit what He would have them know.

Now, may I go a bit further. Next morning, the next day afternoon when eventually I got home, my wife whispered to me that Robert had trusted Christ with salvation. Him and me, I was ever so happy, because his sister had already professed salvation, and we were very happy about this.

But I never said a word to Robert that day. Next morning, just after the family worship, and just before they rushed off to school, I said, Robert, tell me you're a Christian. Now, is that true? He said, yes, uncle, it is true.

Now, I said, I rejoice in you, Robert. Tell me, how did it happen? Well, he said, the other night I was upstairs in my bed, and I was reading my German New Testament. He was very careful when he said that, because he wasn't supposed to read in bed.

But he said, hey, and when I came to Revelation 3 .20, I read, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hear my voice and open the door, I will come in. He said, uncle, I got out of my bed again.

Now, you think of a Jewish boy praying like this, who was taught to spit at the name of Jesus. He said, Lord Jesus, I thank thee for dying for me, to bear the penalty against my sin. I thank thee for rising from the dead for me.

And Lord Jesus, now, instead of I open my heart, thou wilt come in. I do it now. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Now, I said, wonderful, Robert. What happened then? Well, he said, I got thankful for coming into my heart, and got back into bed, and went to sleep.

Wonderful. But tell me, how do you know Jesus came into your heart? He looked and said, well, oh, I feel better. I feel happy. I said, that's wonderful, Robert. That's true. You haven't told me how you know Jesus came into your heart.

Those big brown eyes looking at me now. He said, Uncle, do you think Jesus would tell a lie? I said, certainly not, Robert. When he said his word, I opened my heart, and I woke him in. He said, I just took him at his word.

He rejoiced to go to God and asked, may I ask you, are you willing to take the Lord at his word? Some people think Jesus loves me, this I know. You know it's such a school game. Jesus loves me, this I know, for a funny little fooling tells me so.

This I know, Father, tells me so. And that's how I know. I take the Lord at his word. An assured man is unabiding. He is an abiding man. You see, the word of God says in John 5, verse number 5, If ye have God in me, and my word upon you, ye shall bring forth fruit.

You see? And so the abiding man is an assured man. As ye have God in him, so walk ye in Christ. So walk ye in Christ. And so now, because I'm abiding in Christ, I have the glorious assurance of this new life in Christ Jesus.

Now, I don't try to keep myself in Christ. Oh, no. That's by the divine operation of the Holy Spirit. He has brought about the miracle of the new birth. And I'm accepted in Christ and stay in Christ. Oh, no.

There's life. There's life. Now I'm alive in Christ Jesus. And he, by his fruit, now lives in me. And there's an indissolvable union. Our union can never be broken. The wonder of this. Isn't it wonderful?

Steadfastness and the Receipt of Forgiveness

Now, let me ask you a little closer. The next verse is the letter S. An abiding man is a steadfast man. Not bedfast, but steadfast. Not a difference, you see? And what does it say? In 1 Corinthians 15, verse 58, it says, Therefore, brethren, be ye steadfast, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

So an assured man is steadfast. He's not going to fix himself up today and down tomorrow, on the mountain one day, in the valley the next day. Oh, no. And that reminds me again of the Boston Stump, a way back yonder in Lincolnshire in England.

There is a big monument called the Boston Stump. You're traveling between Lincoln and Boston by car. As you go along the road there, you see the Boston Stump. And down you go, down a hill, and you lose sight of the Boston Stump.

But up you come again, and it's still there. And by the way, there are seven hills between Lincoln and Boston. And you're driving along, you go down, you lose sight of the stump. And then you come up again, and there it is.

Long and done again. What's changing? Does the stump move all the time? No, the stump stands firm. It's there, firm, solid. The stump is still there. Every time we go down, my friend, it doesn't move, the stump.

Oh, no. And you and me go down in the valley, but you're assuring yourself it is real and vital, because it doesn't depend upon you. It depends upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And God accepted His beloved Son for all acceptability with all beloved ones.

And the day you see your salvation is in Him. And God accepted Him because He accepted Him. And so your salvation does not depend upon you whatsoever. He commenced the work in you. He's continuing the work.

And hallelujah, He's going to consummate that work. I'm so happy about that. Little Father Nothom, remember it says in the Book of the Acts, Chapter 2, it says, He continues steadfastly. Remember, it speaks about the old wife Ruth.

When the old wife saw that Ruth was steadfastly minded to go with her, I love that word, steadfast. Moving forward with a steady step. Not going fits and starts, but with a steady step, with a stillness step, and with a gleam in your eyes.

Why? You're an assured man. You're an assured woman. You know your sins are forgiven because you got the receipt. Here's the receipt. Acts 8, 13, verses 38 through 39. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and all that believe are justified from all sin.

You see, the account has been settled, and the receipt has been issued. Isn't it wonderful? The great work of salvation has been triumphantly accomplished. So beloved will you this morning rest upon God's best Lord.

Satisfaction and Usefulness in Christian Witness

The assured man is an abiding man. The assured man is a steadfast man. Then another case, he is a satisfied man. He is satisfied. Psalm 110, verse number 9 says, He satisfied the lowly soul, he filled the hungry with goodness.

And the assured man looks up and says, Lord, thou art enough. The mind and heart are filled. He says, now none but Christ will satisfy. None other name for me, whose love, whose life, whose lasting joy, Lord Jesus is found in thee.

Oh, isn't that just wonderful? Jesus can satisfy the heart. Grandness and peace he doth impart. Each passing day, all through life's way, Jesus can satisfy the heart. A friend of mine was preaching in Hyde Park, London, England some time ago, and he's preaching, he's a Scotsman, and he says, I'll give five pounds to anyone who can truthfully say his son is far apart from Christ.

Again he says, I'll give five pounds to anyone who can truthfully say I'm son is far apart from Christ. The big bony Irishman looked across the crowd, dressed in medieval uniform, said, I say, mate, I'm not son is far apart from Christ.

Preacher never mind, he went on preaching. Said, I say, mate, I'm quite son is far apart from Christ. He didn't stop preaching, he went on. Of course, the crowd was getting larger and larger all the time, you see.

That's what the preacher wanted, is to get a message in. I say, mate, I tell you, I'm son is far apart from Christ. So the preacher stopped and said, Thank God I'm glad to meet you. You're the first man in all my travels I've ever met who's son is far apart from Christ.

God bless you. He went on preaching. But he said, wait a minute, sir. Said, you told me if I was son is far apart from Christ, you'd give me five pounds. What is this? If you're son is far apart from Christ, what do you want my five pounds for?

Now, may I help you right here? Jesus comes son is far apart. Gladness and peace, he comes in part. So the assured man is an abiding man. He is a steadfast man. He is a satisfied man. He is a useful man.

He is useful. And it says in 1 Peter 3 verse 15, Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart, that you might be ready to give a reason for the whole. That's the thing to everyone that asks of you. Isn't that wonderful?

You see, an assured man is useful. A man that's not really sure whether he's really born again or not, will not be much use to anybody. He will not. When I say may I help you here, a man is really born again by the Spirit of God, and knows a joy of new life in Christ Jesus, he becomes useful.

And he's ready ever to give a reason for the hope that's within him. Ready to witness the saving and keeping power of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see my friend, and there's a witness of a changed life.

The witness of a changed life. A friend back in Scotland, if I may be allowed to refer to this, was an awful man to drink. Before he was saved, an awful man to drink, and he had a vile temper. A vile temper.

But you know the Lord made jock, and God saved him and transformed his whole life. One day he's packing by the saloon where he used to go into for his drinks, and he's carrying one of those old-fashioned Singer sewing machines on his shoulder.

The old-fashioned little treadle, don't you know? On his shoulder. The bartender standing at the door as he's passing by, he says, my jock. He says, that salvation is making you strong. Carrying a big sewing machine like that upon your shoulder.

He says, yes, it's true. There was a time when I couldn't carry sixpence past your door. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I'm getting it now. But you know sometimes we're passing by, and the smell of that stuff would come out.

It would come out. Damned nature, which is still there, as with every believer until you get to the glory. And I say it in passing because some of you are not quite so young. Not one of us are out of danger until we're in heaven.

Sometimes what's taken a whole lifetime to build up of a character and testimony can go like that in one unwatchful moment. None of us are out of danger. And this man, you know, when that smell would come out, he told the damned nature, try and, you know, have a desire to go in.

What do you need to do? You need to stand still right there and say, Lord, look after your property. It's in danger. Now, isn't that simple? See what I'm getting at? He's depending upon the Lord. Said, Lord, look after your property.

It's in danger. And he got past all the salutes. Old teenager, a very sweet girl, a very pretty girl. Very intellectual. But she had one besetting sin. Even Lord God met this girl one day and God saved her.

She began to pray. And one of the women said, my, that girl is developing. She's maturing. Her language is beautiful in prayer. And it went on month after month. So one of the women, some of the older women, who could be quite catty at times, went up to her and said, you're leaving us behind you, aren't you?

Behind you. You're the same thing. And your spiritual life is far beyond ours. We've been saved for a long time, but you left us behind you. What's the secret? And she said, do you never lose your temper now?

You're tempted to lose your temper? And she said, when Satan comes knocking at my heart door, asking me to fly off the handle, I just say, Jesus, will you please answer the door? See, this time it's, I'm sorry, I'm at the wrong door, and passes on.

It's simple, but have you learned that? Utterly depending on the lineup of the Lord himself, all the useful Christians, and us, he becomes radiant. He's a radiant Christian. Probably didn't get my arm there, did you?

Radiant Christian. And it says in Psalm number 34, verse 17, They looked unto him, and were enlightened. But the Revived Version is a beautiful change. They looked unto him, and became radiant. And you know, you radiate from a glow from the wind.

You don't get this at the cosmetic counter. A summit comes from the wind. A glow, a radiant thing. There's a charm, this sweetness about the believer, that knows the joy of a full salvation, has the assurance of this new life in Christ Jesus.

They look unto him, and they become radiant. The same word is used, you know, in Psalm number 119, where it says, The Revived Version, a young man claims his way. You know what the Revived Version says?

The Revived Version, youth make his way radiant, by taking heed thereto according to the word of God. And so as we continue to behold him in the word of God, so are we changed from glory to glory in the same image.

And so the radiant Christian, the assured Christian, is a radiant Christian. There's a glow about him. And there's a joy about him. There's a tranquillity about him. There's serenity about him. He is expectant.

The Advent Hope and Christ's Return

I love that, you know. But what is he expecting? He's expecting his Lord to come back at any moment. He's living on the picture of expectancy. And you see the assured man, when all the joy is said and all forgiven, the joy of a new life in Christ Jesus, and the joy of feeding upon the word of God, fellowshipping with God's people, and the joy of living in intimacy with the Savior.

He's just longing for that day. He's praying, even so come Lord Jesus, even so come today. Even so come Lord Jesus, catch up thy bride away. Oh how my heart is yearning, longing for my returning. Even so come Lord Jesus, even so come today.

You go to the harbor, there's the tides up, and the harbor is dry. You see those boats, they're all tied up inside. There they are. There's no movement there, none whatsoever. And now the flood tide comes in, throws the harbor up.

You look at those little boats, what are they doing? They're tugging away, pulling away the cable. They want to get away from the side. They want to be on board, get away to the mighty ocean. When the harbor is dry, there's no tugging, there's no moving.

So it is in the life of a believer. When your life and my life is dried up and patched up, however there's no springs of living water, there's no desire for the Lord to come, no desire to see souls saved, no desire to read his word, no desire for fellowship with God's people.

But ah, when the floodgates open, and all the love of the Lord Jesus, and that love life floods and fills us whole, and the Holy Spirit floods and controls every following, oh, there's a desire for the Lord, there's a desire for the Lord's people, there's a desire for the Lord's word, there's a desire to see souls saved, and above all, there's a desire to see them face to face.

Isn't that true? All of the world. You see, a sure man is an expected man. Then he, I love this, he's definite. That's my next point. He's definite. No doubting about it. No maybe. I hope so. I trust so.

I feel so. He says, I know whom I have believed, which I have committed unto him against that day. John said, I know that my Redeemer lives. John said, I know I fast from death unto life. Isn't that just wonderful now?

Oh, look at the attitude. Grip your heart, and grip my heart this morning. There you have your sure hope. You have, he's an abiding man, he is a steadfast man, he is a satisfied man, he is a useful man, he is a ready man, he is an expected man, and he is a definite man.

No doubt, but actually definite. And the advent hope is just as precious. May I give it to you? You know, and I'll give you the outline, because I haven't got time to develop it. But you'll notice, first of all, the advent hope, that means the coming of the Lord Jesus, which may take place this very day.

Oh, I trust to living on the tiptoe of expectancy. I trust in expecting him to come back at any moment for he's coming in the circle of dawn. I'm waiting for him, so very plain, he's coming in the circle.

Affirmed, Delightful, Valuable, Encouraging, and Triumphant Hope

You know, you've had a mountaintop experience here, haven't you, during these past weeks and months? You've had a wonderful time. You're just a little in the mountaintop, and now suddenly you've got to go way back to the bleak land, down into the valley.

But I want to tell you, he's going with you. Oh, you're not going to leave him here in popular palms. The same Christ will come to love and come to know the people where they're headed to. He's going to go right back with you, and your father's not only the God of the mountain, he's the God of the valley too.

He's going to meet your every need right there, and go home, realizing the value, and the joy, and the power, and the impetus, that little moment by moment, day by day experience, the Lord himself is with you.

Your faculties have been charged, been supercharged, and now Christ is so real, so precious to you. Now I want to tell you, beloved, you're going, but he's going with you. He's going with you. He's not going to leave you, nor disappoint you, nor to let you down.

He's a wonderful Lord. And the first thing I want to give you, it is an affirmed hope. It's affirmed. Now isn't that precious? It's affirmed by the Lord himself. If I go, I will come again. It's affirmed by the angelic messengers, the men of God in white, and you're gazing up into heaven, the same Jesus, for you're standing up in heaven, you shall soon come in like manner as you have seen him go.