The Hope of His Calling, Part 3

Introduction to Paul's Prayer and the Concept of Hope

0:03 I encourage you to turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1, and I shall read verses 15 through the first part of verse 19.

0:17 In this second major paragraph of the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we have the record of the great, perhaps better word is the massive prayer that he prayed on behalf of the Ephesian believers, therefore revealing to them and to us as believers the will of God for our own Christian growth and development. For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which ye show towards all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

0:58 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,

1:04 may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that, and then there follows the three things that he's praying, that they might know as a result of this increased measure of the Spirit's work in their minds and hearts, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,

1:27 what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of his power, to usward who believe. Our study in this prayer has brought us to this little phrase, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling. We have seen in our previous studies of this phrase that the source from which this hope comes, whatever it is, is that they have been called of God. And we examine the rich biblical teaching, particularly that which is, found in the epistles, concerning the concept of calling.

2:12 The calling of God is not merely a summons by God to the blessings of the gospel. It is not merely an invitation, regardless of how earnest or sincere. But the call of God is nothing less than that which has been traditionally called his efficacious or his effectual call. It is the actual movement of God through the Spirit to bring us, out of a state of nature and into a state of grace, out of a condition of condemnation and death, and into a state of justification and life.

2:50 So this hope, then, is something that cannot be known apart from a genuine work of God in our hearts making us a true biblical Christian. So whatever the hope is, it has its roots in the calling of God. Then last week we began to take apart the concept of hope. What is that hope, then, that always flows out of the calling of God?

Defining Biblical Hope: Fervent Yearning, Confident Expectation, Patient Waiting

3:19 And in defining the hope, I stated to you that we must not mix it up with our current usage of the word hope. When you say, I hope that so-and-so will visit me, I hope that such-and-such a team will win in the Super Bowl, what you are meaning by the word hope is that you have a strong, wish, a fond desire, or some kind of a general expectation. But the biblical concept of hope is far more profound and all-embracing than that. And I defined it for you using the help received from Hendrickson in the following way.

3:57 When Paul prays that Christians may know what is the hope which flows out of their calling, he was referring to that hope which is to be defined as the hope of God. As, and here it is, fervent yearning, confident expectation, and patient waiting for the enjoyment of the promised blessings of a complete salvation. Or as John Owen says, and I came across this in my study this week, and I'm sure, I'm relatively sure, there was no collusion between Hendrickson and Owen, but you'll notice how if the mind is disillusioned, disciplined by scripture, it'll come up in the same ballpark.

4:41 Hope is a firm trust in God for the enjoyment of good things contained in His promises at the appointed season, raising in the soul an earnest desire after them and an expectation of them. You see how you have all the elements? It has to do with promised blessings which come at the appointed season, and the hope, of course, refers to the future season, what yet awaits us in Christ, and it raises in the soul expectation and earnest desire. Now, I'm discontent with my treatment of the definition of hope last week for this basic reason.

5:26 I told you what hope was not, and then I gave you what I believe is an accurate definition of the biblical concept of hope, but I didn't prove my definition from the Bible, and some of you should have nailed me for that. Shame on you. I assumed that in your thinking there would be sufficient acquaintance with the general doctrine of hope that passages of the Word of God would come to your remembrance which spoke of this fervent yearning, this confident expectation, this patient waiting. But I was not satisfied with my own treatment of it, and so what I propose to do this morning is to show what are those promised blessings of the complete hope, of the completed salvation,

6:10 because I didn't describe them for you, and to show how hope relates to those blessings with these three elements of yearning, of expectation, and of waiting, and then if time permits, we'll finish up where we left off last week, showing some of the elements of that hope. Christ is the object. We started with that, and I had three other things that I wanted to lay before you. So that's what I propose to do this morning is to make up the inadequacies of last week's treatment, and then to complete what we didn't finish last week.

The Promised Blessings of a Complete Salvation: Individual, Church, and World

6:41 What then are these promised blessings of a completed salvation? Paul says, I'm praying for you that God the Father would give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation that you may know what is the hope of His calling. And that hope refers to the promised blessings of a completed salvation. So if they're to know what their hope is, they must have a greater acquaintance with the blessings that comprise that hope.

7:11 Well, what are they? I came across an amazing passage in tracking it down. And when I get on the track of something, I must feel a little bit like a detective does when he gets a clue here and a clue here, and he feels maybe the case will break open, and before long, he'll have handcuffs on the criminal. Well, as I was tracking this down, I got on the word hope and thought of all the commentaries I have which have any of the verses on hope, and as usual, or as so often, happens, I ended up in John Brown in his commentary on 1 Peter, and he's treating the concept of hope in 1 Peter 3.15,

7:46 a verse we'll look at, Lord willing, next week when we come to the practical implications of the hope. That verse in which he just said we should be ready to give a reason of the hope that is in us. And this is how he describes the Christian hope. And I wish I could put the book in everyone's hands because the whole page is almost completely quotations from textbooks and the poor people that get this on the tape, they'll just have to get a copy of it.

8:12 But down here at the bottom in the footnote, those are all references, probably about two dozen references from which he gets these phrases having to do with the Christian hope and he piles it all together. What is the promised blessing or what are those promised blessings? Listen to this wonderful collation of them by John Brown. Let us inquire more particularly what are the objects of the Christian hope?

8:37 The Christian is confident that he who has begun a good work in him will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. That he will preserve him from every evil work unto his heavenly kingdom. That he will make his grace sufficient for him. That he will strengthen him with all might unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.

9:01 That he will supply all his need according to his riches. That he will never leave him nor forsake him. That he will never leave him nor forsake him. That he will make all things work together for his good and even his afflictions however severe and long-continued to work out for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

9:20 He hopes that Christ will be magnified in his body whether by life or by death. And he has hope in death, hope after death. He hopes that when his spirit becomes absent from the body it will become present with the Lord. Being with him where he is and beholding and sharing his glory, mingling with the innumerable company of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect.

9:47 Being before the throne of God and serving him day and night in his temple, quoting from Revelation, while he who sits on the throne dwells among them and they hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them to fountains of living waters and God shall wipe them out away all tears from their eyes. His flesh also rests in hope. His hope is the hope of the resurrection to life, the blessed hope of the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. He looks for him from heaven to change his vile body and fashion it like unto his own glorious body.

10:27 He hopes that this corruptible shall put on incorruption, this mortal shall put on immortality, that that which is sown in corruption shall be raised in incorruption, that which is sown in dishonor shall be raised in glory, that which is sown in weakness shall be raised in power, that which is sown a natural body shall be raised a spiritual body. He is looking for him to come the second time without sin unto salvation and his hope is that when he shall appear he shall be like him for he shall see him as he is. All of these phrases of Scripture piled together. He's not done yet.

11:05 He is hoping for this manifestation of the sons of God, this adoption, the redemption of the body and this final hope is that body and soul shall be forever with the Lord. Such is the hope of the Christian with reference to himself and he cherishes the same hope in reference to all his brothers and sisters in Christ. He hopes that Christ who loved the church will after having purified her by the washing of water through the word present her to himself as a bride adorned for her husband, a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. He hopes for a gathering together of all the faithful at the coming of the Lord.

11:47 He hopes in the biblical sense now that when the Lord descends from heaven all the dead in Christ shall rise first and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and shall together be made perfect. Then he goes on to say the Christian's hope touches the ultimate truth. Triumph of the kingdom of Christ and then that this hope is not groundless. So you see, hope brings into focus all of these blessings promised to the people of God and if you try to reduce them to their irreducible number I believe you can do so by coming up with three things that are the sum and substance of the Christian's hope.

12:32 They have reference to himself, to the church and to the world. When it is said that the Christian's hope is fervent yearning, confident expectation and patient waiting for the promised blessings of a complete salvation what are those blessings? Well here you have this great list that John Brown has given to us. Let's reduce them all down to these three areas.

13:00 It is yearning and confidence and waiting for all the blessings that relate to me as an individual Christian and those blessings break down into two great categories. The blessings that yet await my spirit the blessings that yet await my body.

13:19 My hope is that if I die I shall be with the Lord and being with him I shall join the company described in Hebrews 11 the spirits of just men made perfect. That's the confidence of the believer so that he can face death and say to that great king of terrors your teeth have been pulled your destructive influences have been chained death can but release me to look upon the face of my Savior without sin. That's the hope. The yearning.

13:57 The confident expectation. The patient waiting of the child of God. It has reference to himself as a Christian in terms of the perfection of his spirit but it doesn't stop there. Because as a Christian a human being I was not made to be a disembodied spirit.

14:13 I was made to be a body spirit entity serving and glorifying God. And so the confidence of the Christian his hope has reference to his body that though in the words of Paul it is sown in weakness it goes into the earth to rot and turn to dust it shall be raised up in his eternal monument of the mighty power of God a body fashioned like unto his own glorious body. So the promised blessings relate then to the Christian and his need. But it has a broader perspective.

14:51 It is a confidence and an expectation and a yearning for the promised blessings to the church as a whole the whole body and bride of Jesus Christ. And as Mr. Brown has so accurately stated in his commentary that perspective is that the church is a body of God. That the church will be without spot or wrinkle and presented to the Lord Jesus a glorious church.

15:16 We have confidence in the blessing that the church now, the church militant the church imperfect shall become the church triumphant and the church perfect. But our hope goes beyond our own individual needs and beyond the needs of the church and it actually touches the world. And I'm thinking here not so much of the world of mankind for we have no hope for those who die impenitent. We have no larger hope than the hope we are warranted to have in scripture.

15:49 There is in the history of the church a theology called the larger hope that God will ultimately save all the sons of Adam and that maybe even after a time of purification in hell they'll all make it to heaven. That is a large lie not a large hope. For the scripture says those who die impenitent in the day of judgment will hear the king say to them depart from me ye cursed into eternal fire and these shall go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life. There is a parallel between the duration of the punishment and the duration of the bliss.

16:31 And so when I speak of the Christian's hope touching the world I'm thinking of it in terms of Romans 8 the creation of the world. The creation itself shall be delivered from its present bondage. Peter says the time is coming when there will be a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And so there is promised that this world itself will one day reflect that original intention of God that it would be very good and constantly bear witness to his love and to his power.

17:07 And so then, the promised blessings of a Christian if I may summarize in this way are blessings which focus on the ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ with reference to the problem of sin and evil wherever it rears its head.

17:28 And presently there is still sin and evil in me as a believer. And even though my spirit is made perfect at death my body rotting in the grave is a monument to sin. And my hope is that God is not done with me until both body and spirit are a monument to the triumph of Christ. The spirit made perfect joined to a body raised up an immortal never dying body that will not need sleep or rest or aspirins or chiropractic adjustments or any such thing.

18:07 That's my hope. And then that hope extends to the church. The church now, rent by division. The visible church oft times a means of grief to her Lord by sin and failure and declension.

18:23 My hope is that the mighty triumph of Christ will be manifested in the perfection of that church and in the perfection of this world. Now it is with reference to these particular blessings that biblical hope has these three ingredients. Fervent yearning for such things. Confident expectation of such things.

Biblical Proof of Hope's Elements: Yearning, Expectation, Waiting

18:49 And patient waiting for them. Now let's look at those elements in scripture. As I say, I gave you the definition last week but I didn't prove from the Bible and I'm not satisfied until we've done that. 2 Corinthians chapter 5.

19:03 2 Corinthians chapter 5.

19:13 Now notice Paul's expression of hope. Verse 1 of chapter 5. For we need no, here's a statement of certainty that if the earthly house of our tabernacle, our dwelling place be dissolved. He's referring to his body as his earthly dwelling place.

19:38 He said we know if this be dissolved we have a building from God a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For verily in this we groan longing to be clothed upon with our habitation which is from heaven. If so that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For indeed we that are in this tabernacle, speaking of believers including himself who knows that he's justified who knows that he's accepted in the beloved, who knows that he's being progressively sanctified but he's conscious that the remains of sin yet in him and sin that often comes by means of the

20:23 appetites and desires of the body, a heart that longs to serve God without weariness and yet this body he often drags around so that he calls in Romans the body of this death. He said we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened not that we be unclothed but that we be clothed upon that that which is mortal may be swallowed up of life. You see what he's saying? He said my longing is not just to die and to have my spirit rinsed loose from this body.

20:54 of clay. But he said my longing is for the day of the resurrection when the body of clay shall be swallowed up with an immortal body. You see the hope of the believer is not the disembodied state. The hope of the believer is the consummate glory of his salvation when in body and spirit he shall be perfected at the last day. Now you see

21:18 how he expresses his fervent yearning. He uses these terms verse 2 for verily in this we groan longing verse 4 indeed we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened. You ever hear anyone so consumed with desire that their desire became groanings?

21:44 I just wish there were tape recorders back in the days of the apostles.

21:50 And what I'd love to have recorded is not so much Paul's preaching though that would be a wonderful thing but I'd love to have a recording of his prayers.

21:59 I believe some of the most profound spiritual experiences I've ever had have not come when listening to others preach. Though thank God that's been true. But it's when I've prayed with men who know God. And if we could have heard Paul when the subject of his prayer was this groaning out of his desire for that day when he would have what was already promised a body like unto the glorious resurrection body of Christ we'd know something of this element of firmness.

22:33 Fervent yearning that is always a part of biblical hope. Fervent yearning. Well what about confident expectation? Well that's also in the passage though we're going to turn to another for he says for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved we have a building from God.

22:52 You see the note of certainty? Confident expectation. But turn to another passage if you will please. Philippians chapter 1 Here he has that expectation not only with reference to himself but with reference to all that are in Christ Jesus. Verse 6

23:10 of Philippians 1 Being confident the note of certainty being confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you he called you and in calling you he's given you a hope and part of that hope is expectation for the future blessings of salvation and he says we are confident that he who began the work will complete that work. You see the note of confident expectation perfecting his work at the day of Jesus Christ. He has it with reference to himself. Verse 20 of the same chapter. According to my

23:53 earnest expectation and hope that in nothing shall I be put to shame but that with all boldness as always so now Christ shall be magnified in my body whether by life or by death. Here is this confident expectation. Not a wishful thinking, a mere longing but the note of unswerving confidence. Romans 8 verse 18 the same element of hope is very forcefully set before us. Romans

24:27 8 and verse 18. Here the hope is with reference to the world and I've tried to select passages that show the focus of the hope being the individual believer, the church corporate and the world. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to usward. Confident expectation for the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. For the

24:57 creation was subject to vanity not of its own will but by reason of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only so but ourselves also have the first fruits of the spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for our adoption to wit the redemption of our body. You see what he ties

25:35 together. He says when I as a believer have the full realization of my hope then this world, this created order shall also come in to the full manifestation of God's saving purpose for this world.

25:52 And it will be delivered from that curse under which it was placed because of man's sin. And as long as sinful man walks upon it every step he takes as a sinner the earth as it were echoes out its amen. Thou art cursed. Thou art cursed.

26:08 Thou art cursed. And we see around us a creation under the curse of God. But in that day Paul says it will be delivered. And this was no wishful thought of his. This was

26:20 no little kind of a side issue with him. He puts it right in the heart of all of the glorious purpose of God in redemption for his people. And he says it shall be delivered into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Fervent yearning.

26:38 Confident expectation. And then you see the note of patient waiting. Keep your eyes right on the Romans 8 passage. Verses 24 and 25.

26:48 For in hope were we saved but hope that is seen is not hope for who hopeth for that which he seeth? You don't confidently expect the promised blessing if it's already been given. You may gratefully acknowledge the gift and say thank you. But what would you think of someone who put a gift in your hand and then you said, why that's lovely of you and I confidently expect and yearn for the thing that you've given me. He'd look at you and say

27:15 what do you say? You've got the gift in your hand. This is what Paul is saying. He said, for in hope we were saved but hope that is seen is no longer hope for who hopeth for that which he seeth?

27:25 But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with what? Then do we with patience wait for it. You see, Christian hope is in a sense saying thank you before the thing is even in our hands. We're so certain it's going to be there.

27:41 He said, we are so confident that these blessings will be ours that we can patiently wait and time in a sense doesn't mount the hill of beans to us because we know that the blessings are promised by the God with whom a thousand years is a day and a day is a thousand years. And though men mock at us and say you've got your pie in the sky by and by religion and my grandfather and great grandfather and men of the past talked about Christ coming and delivering the earth. From the bondage of corruption and the gathering together of the church and the glorifying of the saints. Hundreds thousands of years have passed it hasn't come yet. We say that's alright.

28:20 We patiently wait. Why? Because we have biblical hope that is rooted in the faithfulness of the God who has promised. That's why Paul could say then do we with patience wait for it.

28:36 Hope has this element of patient waiting. You find it again in James 5 verses 7 and 8. That will be the last reference we'll look at in this regard. James chapter 5 verses 7 and 8. Be patient

28:50 therefore brethren until the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth. Being patient over it until he receive the early and latter rain. Be he also patient.

29:06 Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is where? At hand. James wrote this close to 2,000 years ago. And he says the coming of the Lord is right at hand. You see these people are saying

29:23 you know the Lord's coming must be near because the Jews are back in Jerusalem. Well what about the people long before the Jews started to go back to Jerusalem? Was the Lord's coming not at hand? The whole teaching of the New Testament is from the time he went back through the clouds into the presence of the Father there to sit and reign until all his enemies be made his footstool from that time until the time he comes even though it be 10,000 years or 10 million years is still a coming which is at hand.

29:57 The Lord is on his way. That's why these phrases the Lord is nigh. The coming of the Lord is near. The return of the Lord is at hand.

30:06 Why? Because the blessings are so certain and promised with God's own covenant. Infulness in his own character woven into the fabric of the promises that they are as certain now as they will be the moment they come to pass though many hundreds or thousands of years pass between the actual event itself. Well I hope I've done the right thing in going back and correcting what I felt was an inadequacy and giving the definition and giving it a little more biblical substance. This is the hope that

Christ as the Object and Ground of Hope

30:39 Paul prays that they might know. A hope that focuses upon these promised blessings relating to the Christian himself, to the whole church, and to the world. A hope that has these elements of yearning, expectation, and patient waiting. Now to conclude our study this morning let me very quickly catch up the threads of some of the elements of that hope that I tried to touch on last week.

31:07 The nature of that hope we saw is that it has Christ as its object and its ground. 1st Timothy 1.1 Christ is called our hope. And so all those promised blessings must never be detached from the Lord Jesus Christ who gives them. The second thing we

The Word of God as the Unchanging Basis of Hope

31:26 should understand about that hope is that the unchanging revelation and basis of that hope is the word of God written. If Christ is the object of that hope, if all those promised blessings center in him, if If I'm fervently yearning for and confidently expecting and patiently waiting for what is promised in Him, where do I find that hope? What ground is there to have that confidence? Well, I submit to you that the unchanging revelation and basis of that hope is the Word of God written.

32:03 Look at Romans 15 and verse 4.

32:09 Romans 15 and verse 4. For whatsoever things were written, and that's the key word, whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the Scriptures we might have what? Hope.

32:37 What is the unchanging revelation and basis of the Christian's hope? What is written? What God has given to us through the penman of Holy Scripture. And in a very special way, it is that message of God's salvation in Jesus Christ.

33:01 The message of the Gospel, which in a particular sense is the basis of that hope. As we saw in a previous study, it is the Gospel which comes with a message of hope. Colossians 1 verses 5 and 23. Now let me say by way of application to those present this morning.

Application: Examining the Basis of Your Hope

33:21 Do you profess to have a Christian hope?

33:25 Some measure of yearning to be perfect in the presence of God? Some measure of confident expectation and patient waiting? Let me ask you this very simple question. What is the basis of that hope?

33:43 From what source did you get that hope?

33:50 If it's any other source than the Word of God written, you better get rid of it. It's bogus. It's counterfeit.

34:00 Is it because you were brought up in a church that said God's not too bad and He'll weigh the good with the evil? So if you just don't be too bad, then don't be too good either. You'll scare people away. But just be sort of nice in the middle, sort of in the middle of the road with good and evil and everything will turn out all right.

34:17 And maybe you have something that looks like Christian hope this morning. You say, well, I know I haven't been perfect, but I know Jesus has compassion. Compassion on sinners. And He died to do something with the problem of sin, so maybe He'll make up my inadequacies.

34:31 And what He doesn't make up, maybe the prayers and intercession of Mary and the saints and a few others will make up for me. And on that basis, I have some measure of hope. Oh, my friend, you never got that out of the Bible.

34:43 If that's your hope, it's not a scriptural hope. It's through the Scriptures that we have hope. The Scriptures that say, there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved but the name of Christ. The Scriptures.

34:56 The Scriptures. The Scriptures. The Scriptures. The Scriptures that say, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

35:01 The Scriptures that say, except you repent, you'll perish. The Scriptures that say, by grace you're saved through faith. The Scriptures that say, there is one God, one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.

35:15 And if you have a true hope, a valid hope, then that hope is never shaken by the proper exposition of any part of the Word of God. I have a reputation in certain circles. Preachers say, no, I wouldn't have it. I wouldn't have that fellow Martin preach.

35:30 Because he gets people upset and doubt in their salvation.

35:36 You see, what the problem is, people begin to doubt when they begin to face the right exposition of certain parts of the Word of God. My friend, if the Bible jars your hope, don't you claim to get your hope from the Bible. God's not inconsistent with Himself. And if your hope is rightly derived from the Bible, every true exposition of the Bible will be certain.

36:01 He says that through they already had it. He says, as you're more acquainted with the Scriptures, you'll get more of it. You're afraid to go to the Scriptures and really ask yourself, am I in the faith? Am I truly forgiven?

36:18 Are my sins really blotted out? Do I really have a right to believe that I shall be glorified at the resurrection? You're afraid of any part of the Bible, my friend. You've got a bogus hope.

36:32 You better get rid of it. If you value your soul,

God's Covenant Oath: The Certainty of Hope

36:37 to the Christian I say, what makes our hope so certain as it comes to us, is that the God who speaks in the Scriptures has bound Himself with His own covenant and promise and oath. Hebrews 6 speaks of it in the strongest words. Hebrews 6, verses 17 to 19. Listen to them.

37:01 Wherein God being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of His counsel. Aren't those rich words? God willing to show more abundantly to His disciples and willing to show the unchangeableness of His own counsel. What did He do?

37:20 Interposed with an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope that is set before us. Oh, my friend, you need never fear that in grasping at the hope promised in Scripture, that you're grasping at straws or grasping at papier-mâché that will crumble under a firm grasp. No, no. God's promises have woven into them, into their very substance, His own oath.

37:59 God swears by Himself. A swearing, the writer to Hebrews says, which shows it is impossible for God to lie. And I say to the unconverted boy, or girl, visitor, friend in this building this morning, if you are ever to have a solid hope, it must come as you lay hold of that promise to mercy for sinners who embrace the Lord Jesus. And then that leads me to touch briefly on the means by which we enter into that hope.

Union with Christ: The Means of Entering Hope

38:34 If the basis of it is the Scriptures, how do we enter into it? Colossians 1.27 and 28 tells us where Paul speaks of this hope in these various things. very instructive terms to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of glory if Christ is in you you have the hope of glory if he is not in you you have no hope of glory whom we proclaim admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect where?

39:14 in Christ you see the means by which we come into the possession of this hope is union with Jesus Christ the hope that is held forth in the promise of the gospel based upon the written scriptures is a hope that becomes ours when we are joined to the Christ who is the object of that hope and you say how am I joined to Christ? by faith faith is that bond of union between the sinner and the Savior all of God's blessings are stored up in Christ hope included and there is no blessing parceled out apart from him and you must be in Christ

39:58 in the vital union of true faith and so I press the question upon your conscience this morning are you in Christ? I'm not asking you do you believe that he was a historic person? do you believe everything the Bible reveals about him? I'm asking you are you in Christ?

40:17 remember it's the hope of his calling and what's the essence of his calling? 1 Corinthians 1.9 God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord do you know anything of union with Christ?

Grace: The Ultimate Source of Hope

40:34 the resting of the weight of your soul upon him as he's offered in the gospel the running out of your affections to him in gratitude for his mercy the subjugation of your will to him as he speaks in his word by sheep hear my voice and they follow me if you know nothing of union with Christ you know nothing of hope for the means by which we enter into it is that union with him and then last of all what is the ultimate source of that hope? 2 Thessalonians 2.16 Paul uses a very interesting phrase found nowhere else in the word of God 2 Thessalonians 2.16 now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father

41:18 who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word what's the ultimate source of our hope? it is the hope that comes through or in the realm of grace you see it matters not what blessing we're touching on whether a subjective blessing of the hope within us or the objective concept of that for which we hope may I say it reverently? there is an invisible umbilical cord connecting every single blessing God gives

42:02 to the womb of his eternal and amazing grace so that you cannot rightly conceive of any blessing without tracing it back to sovereign eternal grace this is why Paul prays that the Ephesians may know what is the hope of their calling for the more we discern discover and appreciate what grace has conferred upon us the more we are spurred to a life of obedience and holiness the greater our vision of God's amazing grace the greater our longing to please the God who has given that grace God never motivates

42:45 his children by law he directs them by law but he motivates and trains them to do what? to do what? to do what the law tells me you see? there is no antithesis between law and grace it is the display of grace that captures my heart and makes me say Lord what wilt thou have me to do?

43:14 and God's answer is do what I told you in my law grace brings us to the disposition of obedience law directs us into the course that that obedience should take Paul says I pray that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and as you know more about that hope the more you'll appreciate its ultimate source in the grace of God the more you'll appreciate its source in the grace of God the more you'll want to serve the God who has conferred that hope upon you I ask you dear sinner friend this morning

Final Exhortation and Prayer

43:58 oh you say nobody here is a sinner ah yes if you're not joined to Christ you're still under condemnation and wrath and you'll never have hope till you're justified by faith for Paul says being justified by faith we have peace with God and not only so but we rejoice in hope of the glory of God hope is the fruit of being accepted in the beloved the call to you this morning is not to try to create some hope of your own but it's the call to repent and to believe the gospel a gospel which says Jesus Christ once he takes you in hand will never let go until he's made you all that he's purposed to until he's removed from you every last trace of sin

44:43 and made you over into his own perfect likeness this I submit to you is at least the edges of the biblical doctrine of hope may God help us to know what our hope is and then Lord willing next week we'll look at five or six passages of scripture which teach us what the practical effects of the knowledge of this hope will do what they will be in the heart and life of the child of God let us pray how we thank you that you've come to us in your son through the gospel

45:26 as given to us in holy scripture declaring this great privilege of entertaining possessing a hope through grace and we pray that you will help us to know more of that hope which is ours because you've called us we pray for those amongst us who have no biblical hope because they've never been called Lord call them this morning oh enable them to hear and to obey your own call through the scriptures to repent and to believe the gospel we pray father for those who

46:11 possess some measure of a hope but who have no biblical grounds for that hope we pray that you will strip them of that hope this morning take from them we pray the false that they may know the truth consume every hope in this building this morning that is doomed to be consumed by the eye of the Lord Jesus in the day of judgment father heal with us in mercy help us as your people we think particularly of those who are passing through deep personal conflicts may they derive much consolation from the knowledge that it is in but a short time all of the things that now perplex them

46:56 and loom so large on the horizon will be the very object of a holy laugh as we look back and see how foolish we were to let earthy things cloud our vision of that to which we have been destined by your grace oh father fill us we pray with a vision of a hope that will give us strength in present trial confidence in present time to know that you have not abandoned us you have not left us nor will you ever leave us until we wake beholding your face hear us and to this end bless your word to our hearts

47:41 dismiss us with your blessing resting upon us we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen