1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,620 Listen to the world. 2 00:00:03,620 –> 00:00:07,080 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 3 00:00:07,080 –> 00:00:15,100 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website, OpenTheBible.org. 4 00:00:15,100 –> 00:00:19,799 Let’s get to the message, here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:19,799 –> 00:00:23,980 Well, please open your Bible at Second Thessalonians and chapter two. 6 00:00:23,980 –> 00:00:30,540 This is week three in our four-week series entitled Growing in Hope. 7 00:00:30,540 –> 00:00:35,320 We’re asking the question, how can I grow in hope? 8 00:00:35,320 –> 00:00:41,419 And we saw very simply first that hope comes from God. 9 00:00:41,419 –> 00:00:45,740 We looked at the experience of David at a low point in his life. 10 00:00:45,740 –> 00:00:51,299 He was dried out, he was downcast, he was in turmoil, but he challenged his darkest 11 00:00:51,959 –> 00:00:52,959 thoughts. 12 00:00:52,959 –> 00:00:58,660 Why are you cast down, oh my soul, hope in God? 13 00:00:58,660 –> 00:01:04,540 We saw that there is hope in God for every person, and that you find that hope through 14 00:01:04,540 –> 00:01:07,339 a relationship with him. 15 00:01:07,339 –> 00:01:13,839 David could speak about God as my rock, my salvation, my God. 16 00:01:13,839 –> 00:01:18,459 So that led us to the question, well now, how do you come to such a relationship with 17 00:01:18,459 –> 00:01:21,779 God in which you find hope in him? 18 00:01:21,779 –> 00:01:26,720 And we saw the answer of the Bible to that question is through faith in the Lord Jesus 19 00:01:26,720 –> 00:01:27,720 Christ. 20 00:01:27,720 –> 00:01:34,620 We looked last time at Colossians chapter one and verse 27, Christ in you the hope of 21 00:01:34,620 –> 00:01:36,099 glory. 22 00:01:36,099 –> 00:01:43,059 When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he himself comes to dwell in you by the Holy 23 00:01:43,059 –> 00:01:44,139 Spirit. 24 00:01:44,139 –> 00:01:51,879 Jesus said to his disciples, the Holy Spirit will dwell with you and he will be in you. 25 00:01:51,879 –> 00:01:59,459 Christ in you and it’s the presence of Christ by the Holy Spirit in a person’s life that 26 00:01:59,459 –> 00:02:02,419 makes a whole new life possible. 27 00:02:02,419 –> 00:02:06,900 We saw that the Holy Spirit is more than a mentor coming alongside and telling you what 28 00:02:06,900 –> 00:02:08,100 you need to do. 29 00:02:08,240 –> 00:02:15,820 He actually works in you, renewing your mind, shaping your will, changing you from the inside 30 00:02:15,820 –> 00:02:17,139 out. 31 00:02:17,139 –> 00:02:22,479 And this is why there is hope for every person in Jesus Christ. 32 00:02:22,479 –> 00:02:27,320 Christ in you is what makes the Christian life possible. 33 00:02:27,320 –> 00:02:32,580 You’re going to become everything that God created and redeemed you to be and it’s going 34 00:02:32,580 –> 00:02:37,600 to happen through Christ in you. 35 00:02:37,600 –> 00:02:45,899 So we’ve learned that hope comes from God and it comes through Jesus Christ. 36 00:02:45,899 –> 00:02:49,800 But there’s something else that we need to grasp if we’re going to grow in hope. 37 00:02:49,800 –> 00:02:54,220 So today, I want us to take a third step in our journey. 38 00:02:54,220 –> 00:03:03,360 Hope comes from God, it is through Christ, and now today I want us to see it is by grace. 39 00:03:03,360 –> 00:03:08,479 Look with me if you would at 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 16. 40 00:03:08,479 –> 00:03:16,380 Now “‘May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us 41 00:03:16,380 –> 00:03:24,860 eternal comfort and good hope through grace, may he comfort your hearts and establish them 42 00:03:24,860 –> 00:03:30,020 in every good work and word…’ 43 00:03:30,020 –> 00:03:33,259 Now notice that the Apostle is speaking here about hope. 44 00:03:33,259 –> 00:03:38,720 He speaks about eternal comfort and good hope. 45 00:03:38,720 –> 00:03:44,679 And he tells us what we have already seen, that hope comes from God and it comes through 46 00:03:44,679 –> 00:03:45,899 Christ. 47 00:03:45,899 –> 00:03:55,199 And notice the relationship, hope comes from our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father. 48 00:03:55,199 –> 00:03:57,419 But there’s something more here. 49 00:03:57,419 –> 00:04:03,240 The Apostle tells us that this hope comes from God our Father through our Lord Jesus 50 00:04:03,240 –> 00:04:07,660 Christ and it comes to us by grace. 51 00:04:07,660 –> 00:04:12,000 Now, what is grace? 52 00:04:12,000 –> 00:04:15,240 Well notice the word gave in this verse. 53 00:04:15,240 –> 00:04:23,559 Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father who loved us gave us good hope. 54 00:04:23,559 –> 00:04:25,440 So our hope is from God. 55 00:04:25,459 –> 00:04:30,079 It is through Christ and this hope is given. 56 00:04:30,079 –> 00:04:32,480 It is not earned. 57 00:04:32,480 –> 00:04:36,339 And that is the meaning of this wonderful word grace. 58 00:04:36,339 –> 00:04:42,559 Now, I want us to see today that hope does not come from the law. 59 00:04:42,559 –> 00:04:45,220 It’s not earned by what we do. 60 00:04:45,220 –> 00:04:50,279 It does come through grace and in the light of that we’re going to look at some further 61 00:04:50,279 –> 00:04:54,959 strategies as to how we can grow in hope. 62 00:04:55,040 –> 00:04:59,720 First then, hope does not come by the law. 63 00:04:59,720 –> 00:05:05,119 Now, I’d like to look at one other verse of Scripture today and that’s from John 5 64 00:05:05,119 –> 00:05:07,179 and verse 45. 65 00:05:07,179 –> 00:05:09,339 Look at these words of the Lord Jesus, 66 00:05:09,600 –> 00:05:15,339 Do not think, he says, that I will accuse you to the Father. 67 00:05:16,140 –> 00:05:24,380 There is one who accuses you, Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 68 00:05:26,100 –> 00:05:32,959 Now notice that Jesus is speaking here to people who have set their hope on Moses. 69 00:05:33,739 –> 00:05:36,579 Now Moses of course received the law from God. 70 00:05:36,600 –> 00:05:41,119 He was the one who gave God’s laws to God’s people. 71 00:05:41,679 –> 00:05:48,440 And so to set your hope on Moses, as these people to whom Jesus speaks here, were doing, 72 00:05:48,839 –> 00:05:54,119 is to base your hope on obedience to God’s law. 73 00:05:55,119 –> 00:06:00,640 So here were people who had set their hope on a life of obedience. 74 00:06:01,440 –> 00:06:06,679 They believed that hope comes from God and they knew that God had given the commandments 75 00:06:06,720 –> 00:06:12,200 and so they had concluded that they could have hope in God if they did what God said. 76 00:06:13,160 –> 00:06:18,239 If I live a good life, well, God will see what I have done 77 00:06:18,239 –> 00:06:21,600 and he will then welcome me into the joy of his presence. 78 00:06:21,760 –> 00:06:24,480 That was their hope. 79 00:06:25,959 –> 00:06:27,600 Now notice what Jesus says here. 80 00:06:28,200 –> 00:06:33,519 You have set your hope on Moses, but here’s the problem…. 81 00:06:34,519 –> 00:06:36,000 Moses is not your friend. 82 00:06:37,239 –> 00:06:40,000 Moses is your accuser. 83 00:06:40,920 –> 00:06:48,799 There is one who accuses you, Moses on whom you have set your hope. 84 00:06:50,959 –> 00:06:53,839 Now, why would Moses have been their accuser? 85 00:06:54,480 –> 00:07:02,239 Well because none of these people, and none of us have kept the law that Moses gave. 86 00:07:03,760 –> 00:07:05,920 Take the 10th commandment, as an example. 87 00:07:07,279 –> 00:07:08,959 You shall not covet. 88 00:07:08,959 –> 00:07:12,640 There’s part of the law given by God, through Moses. 89 00:07:14,160 –> 00:07:16,559 And you see the good in this command. 90 00:07:16,559 –> 00:07:18,000 You shall not covet. 91 00:07:18,000 –> 00:07:19,359 And so you try to keep it. 92 00:07:19,359 –> 00:07:21,600 You say, well I must not covet. 93 00:07:22,480 –> 00:07:26,000 And what that means, it’s that I must learn to be content. 94 00:07:26,720 –> 00:07:29,359 I must be grateful for what I have. 95 00:07:29,359 –> 00:07:31,519 I must live within my means. 96 00:07:32,480 –> 00:07:34,959 It also means, of course, that I must find 97 00:07:34,959 –> 00:07:38,880 as much joy in what God gives to others as I would 98 00:07:38,880 –> 00:07:41,119 if God had given these same things to me. 99 00:07:42,959 –> 00:07:44,640 But now think about it. 100 00:07:44,640 –> 00:07:47,440 Can any of us honestly say 101 00:07:48,799 –> 00:07:51,279 that, when you see other people’s gifts, 102 00:07:52,160 –> 00:07:53,200 and opportunities, 103 00:07:54,160 –> 00:07:54,880 and friends, 104 00:07:55,679 –> 00:07:56,399 and looks, 105 00:07:57,119 –> 00:07:58,000 and skills 106 00:07:58,880 –> 00:07:59,600 and homes 107 00:08:00,320 –> 00:08:01,200 and possessions, 108 00:08:02,160 –> 00:08:07,279 can any of us honestly say that we never covet 109 00:08:07,279 –> 00:08:08,799 not even a tiny little bit? 110 00:08:12,000 –> 00:08:15,679 If you set your hope on Moses, 111 00:08:16,799 –> 00:08:18,640 on obedience to the law of God, 112 00:08:18,640 –> 00:08:19,519 if that’s your hope, 113 00:08:19,519 –> 00:08:21,600 you’re in for a rude awakening. 114 00:08:21,600 –> 00:08:23,679 That’s the point of what Jesus is saying. 115 00:08:23,679 –> 00:08:25,359 The law is not on your side. 116 00:08:25,359 –> 00:08:26,480 It’s not your friend. 117 00:08:26,480 –> 00:08:27,760 It’s your accuser. 118 00:08:29,600 –> 00:08:32,479 So hope does not come by the law. 119 00:08:34,640 –> 00:08:38,799 Now, does anyone set their hope on Moses today? 120 00:08:40,239 –> 00:08:41,359 Yes, absolutely. 121 00:08:42,880 –> 00:08:43,679 Millions do. 122 00:08:44,880 –> 00:08:47,919 And the place you’re most likely to find 123 00:08:47,919 –> 00:08:50,640 many of them is in church. 124 00:08:52,239 –> 00:08:53,039 You see, 125 00:08:53,039 –> 00:08:58,000 it is possible to believe that hope comes from God 126 00:08:58,000 –> 00:09:01,760 and to believe that it comes through the Lord Jesus Christ 127 00:09:02,400 –> 00:09:04,559 and then to set your hope 128 00:09:05,440 –> 00:09:08,479 on living a good enough Christian life. 129 00:09:10,400 –> 00:09:13,359 And here’s what you will experience 130 00:09:14,239 –> 00:09:18,320 if you set your hope on obedience to God’s law. 131 00:09:19,280 –> 00:09:22,400 What you’ll find is that when you’re doing well you’ll think, 132 00:09:22,479 –> 00:09:23,760 I’m really doing rather well, 133 00:09:24,400 –> 00:09:26,559 and you’ll immediately be tempted to pride. 134 00:09:27,679 –> 00:09:29,200 And when you do badly, 135 00:09:30,000 –> 00:09:33,280 well then immediately you’re going to find that you’re tempted to despair. 136 00:09:35,679 –> 00:09:37,919 And you’re going to find that you will live 137 00:09:37,919 –> 00:09:43,760 under the constant cloud of haunting questions that never go away. 138 00:09:45,919 –> 00:09:47,520 Have I done enough? 139 00:09:48,960 –> 00:09:50,239 Have I prayed enough? 140 00:09:51,119 –> 00:10:00,080 Have I been a good enough mother or father or son or daughter or husband or wife or brother 141 00:10:00,080 –> 00:10:01,359 or sister? 142 00:10:01,359 –> 00:10:03,200 Have I been a good enough neighbor? 143 00:10:04,799 –> 00:10:06,320 Have I been a good enough friend? 144 00:10:08,000 –> 00:10:10,320 Have I been a really good witness? 145 00:10:11,679 –> 00:10:13,119 Have I been a good example? 146 00:10:14,559 –> 00:10:16,799 Is my faith good enough? 147 00:10:18,080 –> 00:10:19,200 Do I love God 148 00:10:20,000 –> 00:10:20,960 enough? 149 00:10:21,520 –> 00:10:24,719 Have I been a good enough christian? 150 00:10:26,239 –> 00:10:32,479 And you know to all of these haunting questions your conscience will whisper the answer 151 00:10:33,599 –> 00:10:34,099 No 152 00:10:35,919 –> 00:10:36,419 No 153 00:10:38,479 –> 00:10:38,979 No 154 00:10:42,239 –> 00:10:43,679 If you set your hope 155 00:10:44,479 –> 00:10:50,239 on fulfilling all that god has called you to do, you will not have any hope at all 156 00:10:52,080 –> 00:10:55,760 Your conscience will tell you that there’s more that you could have done, 157 00:10:55,760 –> 00:11:01,599 that there’s more that you should have done, you will never feel that you have done enough 158 00:11:03,039 –> 00:11:08,239 and in the end the law on which you set your hope will condemn you 159 00:11:09,200 –> 00:11:19,359 Hope does not come through the law but God gives hope by grace 160 00:11:20,719 –> 00:11:24,960 That’s the central point of the text that we’re looking at today 161 00:11:25,520 –> 00:11:28,479 Do you remember at the beginning of John’s gospel John says, 162 00:11:28,479 –> 00:11:36,320 The law came through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ 163 00:11:36,320 –> 00:11:43,599 And he says we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness 164 00:11:44,799 –> 00:11:48,400 So we’re going to focus on grace in our text today 165 00:11:48,400 –> 00:11:51,280 Let’s look at it more closely together 166 00:11:52,559 –> 00:11:54,400 Hope does not come from the law 167 00:11:55,919 –> 00:11:57,840 Hope comes by grace 168 00:11:57,840 –> 00:12:01,359 See this in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 16 169 00:12:06,320 –> 00:12:18,640 And grace is God 170 00:12:18,640 –> 00:12:21,599 giving what we don’t deserve 171 00:12:23,520 –> 00:12:27,039 And hope comes through grace 172 00:12:28,799 –> 00:12:30,159 Now do you see that 173 00:12:30,159 –> 00:12:33,840 this cuts right through all these haunting questions 174 00:12:33,840 –> 00:12:35,359 about how well you’ve performed 175 00:12:35,440 –> 00:12:36,479 in the Christian life 176 00:12:38,960 –> 00:12:40,159 How much have you prayed? 177 00:12:40,159 –> 00:12:41,200 How well have you lived? 178 00:12:41,200 –> 00:12:42,400 How faithful have you been? 179 00:12:44,159 –> 00:12:47,919 Grace simply sets all these questions aside 180 00:12:49,919 –> 00:12:53,679 because your hope is not based on you measuring up 181 00:12:55,520 –> 00:12:58,080 Hope comes through grace 182 00:12:58,080 –> 00:13:01,280 That is it is God giving you what you don’t deserve 183 00:13:01,280 –> 00:13:07,039 He gave us eternal comfort and good hope through 184 00:13:09,119 –> 00:13:09,599 grace 185 00:13:11,119 –> 00:13:13,679 Hope comes from God through Christ 186 00:13:14,880 –> 00:13:16,320 And it’s by grace 187 00:13:18,640 –> 00:13:20,400 Now when I think about grace 188 00:13:20,960 –> 00:13:26,559 the first thing that comes to my mind is that Jesus died for our sins 189 00:13:27,359 –> 00:13:30,239 Our sins were laid on Jesus 190 00:13:30,960 –> 00:13:38,080 He gave his life as a sacrifice so that our sins would not be charged against us 191 00:13:39,679 –> 00:13:41,840 But you know there are two parts 192 00:13:42,719 –> 00:13:49,039 To what God has done for us in Christ two dimensions as it were of God’s grace 193 00:13:50,159 –> 00:13:53,440 God on the one side has taken away our sins 194 00:13:54,239 –> 00:13:55,280 and on the other 195 00:13:55,919 –> 00:13:57,919 He has credited to us 196 00:13:58,799 –> 00:14:00,000 Christ’s 197 00:14:00,140 –> 00:14:02,140 righteousness 198 00:14:02,320 –> 00:14:04,159 You can think about 199 00:14:04,159 –> 00:14:06,159 God’s grace to you 200 00:14:06,479 –> 00:14:08,479 Being like a robe 201 00:14:08,719 –> 00:14:10,719 That is draped around you 202 00:14:11,200 –> 00:14:14,400 You might find it. Helpful actually if you put on a robe in the morning 203 00:14:14,960 –> 00:14:22,400 when you put that robe on to think about how it represents the two sides of God’s Grace 204 00:14:23,679 –> 00:14:26,880 Two sides of the robe are folded over you 205 00:14:26,880 –> 00:14:29,119 On the One side 206 00:14:29,520 –> 00:14:35,679 God folds you in the forgiveness that is yours through the death of Jesus 207 00:14:37,039 –> 00:14:41,299 And on the other side God folds you in the righteousness 208 00:14:42,239 –> 00:14:45,440 That is yours through the life of Jesus 209 00:14:46,640 –> 00:14:50,159 Jesus died the death that we should have died 210 00:14:50,159 –> 00:14:52,219 The death that we should have died 211 00:14:52,859 –> 00:14:55,559 And Jesus lived the life 212 00:14:56,539 –> 00:14:58,539 that we should have lived 213 00:14:58,700 –> 00:15:00,700 In other words, Christ did 214 00:15:01,419 –> 00:15:03,419 What we have failed to do 215 00:15:03,820 –> 00:15:06,780 And he lived his life for us 216 00:15:07,580 –> 00:15:14,140 So when our hearts condemn us in regards to what we have failed to do we find hope 217 00:15:14,780 –> 00:15:19,900 not only in resting in the death of Jesus for us but also 218 00:15:20,219 –> 00:15:25,739 resting in the life of Jesus for us. The death he died and the life 219 00:15:26,539 –> 00:15:28,539 he lived 220 00:15:29,020 –> 00:15:32,059 I’ve been reading a book by Andrew Bonner 221 00:15:32,780 –> 00:15:38,219 in which he shows how to apply the perfect life of Jesus 222 00:15:38,780 –> 00:15:40,780 to your conscience 223 00:15:40,859 –> 00:15:42,859 when you find yourself very troubled 224 00:15:43,419 –> 00:15:45,419 by a sense of your own failure 225 00:15:46,059 –> 00:15:50,140 Now i’m putting this in my own words, but i’m drawing from boner’s 226 00:15:50,919 –> 00:15:52,919 examples 227 00:15:53,739 –> 00:15:56,299 Did you waste your youth 228 00:15:59,260 –> 00:16:01,260 Jesus christ 229 00:16:01,340 –> 00:16:03,419 grew in wisdom 230 00:16:03,419 –> 00:16:05,179 and in favor 231 00:16:05,179 –> 00:16:07,179 with god and man 232 00:16:07,179 –> 00:16:11,580 See he lived the perfect youth and childhood 233 00:16:12,619 –> 00:16:14,219 for you 234 00:16:14,219 –> 00:16:16,780 he lived the youth and childhood that you didn’t 235 00:16:18,059 –> 00:16:23,919 So don’t let your wasted youth or childhood lead you to despair 236 00:16:26,380 –> 00:16:28,380 Have you neglected prayer 237 00:16:29,979 –> 00:16:34,460 Christ rose early in the morning to pray and he prayed through the night 238 00:16:36,140 –> 00:16:38,059 Boner says 239 00:16:38,059 –> 00:16:44,380 This god will impute to me as if I had prayed every day and every night 240 00:16:46,059 –> 00:16:52,940 See god by his grace and mercy will regard you as if you had prayed as much as jesus himself did 241 00:16:56,140 –> 00:16:59,500 Have you sought your own will rather than the will of god 242 00:16:59,900 –> 00:17:07,900 Do you perhaps look back even years ago to a decision you made. You felt god was calling you to 243 00:17:07,900 –> 00:17:14,859 something costly, and well you weren’t up for it, you pulled back. And years later you look back on 244 00:17:14,859 –> 00:17:20,219 that decision and the different course that your life took and you have a profound feeling that 245 00:17:20,219 –> 00:17:26,699 you let him down. You didn’t have the courage to do what you sensed he was calling you to do 246 00:17:26,699 –> 00:17:32,619 and you live with a great sense of regret. Have you sought your own will rather than the will of God? 247 00:17:35,099 –> 00:17:46,380 Jesus said to the Father, Not my will, but yours be done. He gave what you withheld 248 00:17:46,380 –> 00:17:54,439 and God regards you in his grace and mercy in Jesus Christ, as if you had been as willing 249 00:17:54,439 –> 00:18:05,260 to pursue that costly call as Jesus himself was. Examples could be multiplied and you can 250 00:18:05,260 –> 00:18:11,800 work this out for yourself. Have you been worldly? Jesus was not of this world. Have 251 00:18:11,819 –> 00:18:19,359 you been double-minded? Jesus was always single and resolute in his purpose. All these things 252 00:18:19,359 –> 00:18:25,219 he did. He lived the life that we have failed to live, and he lived that life for us. And 253 00:18:25,219 –> 00:18:34,359 then, Bonar, because he was a pastor, makes this application. Have I been a good enough 254 00:18:34,359 –> 00:18:42,280 pastor? You see, the questions of whether we’ve been good enough at what God has called 255 00:18:42,280 –> 00:18:50,819 us to do go everywhere. And where is a pastor or a missionary or a Christian leader to go 256 00:18:50,819 –> 00:18:59,099 when we feel our own failings? Well, we find hope not in what we are doing for Christ but 257 00:18:59,140 –> 00:19:07,739 in what He has done for us. He is the perfect shepherd that no one else has ever managed 258 00:19:07,739 –> 00:19:19,380 to be, and what He did He did for us. Bohner says, his shepherd’s heart and work cover 259 00:19:19,380 –> 00:19:28,699 over ours. Do you see this beautiful truth? Jesus is everything we have failed to be. 260 00:19:29,459 –> 00:19:34,920 He has done everything that we have failed to do, and God counts 261 00:19:34,920 –> 00:19:43,380 all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us as if it had been done by us. 262 00:19:43,380 –> 00:19:51,619 Hope does not come from the law. Hope does not come from what we do for the Lord Jesus 263 00:19:51,619 –> 00:19:56,979 Christ. It comes from what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us, the perfect life 264 00:19:57,140 –> 00:20:01,540 that he has lived for us and the sin bearing death that he has died for us. 265 00:20:01,540 –> 00:20:09,859 Hope does not come by the law. Hope comes by grace, our Lord Jesus Christ, and God 266 00:20:09,859 –> 00:20:22,099 our Father, who loved us, gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace. 267 00:20:22,099 –> 00:20:28,979 Understand this clearly. Every person relates to God in one of two ways — 268 00:20:28,979 –> 00:20:33,060 the default, of course, is that we relate to God on the basis of law. 269 00:20:33,060 –> 00:20:37,939 As we’ve seen, there is absolutely no hope there whatsoever. 270 00:20:37,939 –> 00:20:43,859 The law is our accuser, and if your hope is set on your accuser, well you are in 271 00:20:43,859 –> 00:20:49,140 deep trouble indeed. But God sent Jesus into the world, and 272 00:20:50,020 –> 00:20:54,099 opened up another whole way of relating to him. 273 00:20:54,099 –> 00:20:57,699 Instead of relating to God on the basis of 274 00:20:57,699 –> 00:21:04,739 law, you can choose to relate to God on the basis of grace, 275 00:21:04,739 –> 00:21:10,500 and when you do that you will have hope. 276 00:21:10,660 –> 00:21:15,619 Now we said earlier that if you base your hope on obedience to God’s law, 277 00:21:15,780 –> 00:21:19,780 well, your experience is going to be that you’re tempted to pride when you succeed, 278 00:21:19,780 –> 00:21:24,420 you’re tempted to despair when you fail, and you live under the shadow of the 279 00:21:24,420 –> 00:21:31,699 condemning questions, have I done enough? What will be your experience if, 280 00:21:31,699 –> 00:21:37,540 by faith, you choose to relate to God on the basis of grace, 281 00:21:37,540 –> 00:21:41,300 grace that he offers you freely in the Lord Jesus Christ. 282 00:21:41,300 –> 00:21:46,180 Well, if you have a relationship with God that is based on 283 00:21:46,180 –> 00:21:51,300 grace, well then when you succeed, you will be just so 284 00:21:51,300 –> 00:21:55,540 thankful because you know that what has been done 285 00:21:55,540 –> 00:21:59,780 is the effect of God’s grace working in your life. 286 00:21:59,780 –> 00:22:03,859 And when you fail, you will still have hope 287 00:22:03,859 –> 00:22:09,140 because you know that your hope does not rest on what you’re doing for God or 288 00:22:09,219 –> 00:22:13,060 what you failed to do for God, but on what in Christ He has done for 289 00:22:13,060 –> 00:22:17,939 you and you will have an answer 290 00:22:17,939 –> 00:22:21,780 to these haunting and condemning questions, the answer 291 00:22:21,780 –> 00:22:29,780 lies in the perfect life of Jesus which God graciously counts 292 00:22:29,780 –> 00:22:34,979 as yours. Hope does not come by the law, 293 00:22:34,979 –> 00:22:41,380 hope comes by grace. Now in the light of what we’ve learned 294 00:22:41,380 –> 00:22:45,540 here let’s draw out again some practical 295 00:22:45,540 –> 00:22:49,780 strategies for growing in hope. Here are four 296 00:22:49,780 –> 00:22:53,300 directly drawn from the verse of scripture that is before 297 00:22:53,300 –> 00:22:57,459 us today. How to grow in hope? First think 298 00:22:57,459 –> 00:23:03,540 often about the love of God. Notice our Lord Jesus Christ himself and 299 00:23:03,540 –> 00:23:09,380 God our Father who loved us. Now Paul wants to get that 300 00:23:09,380 –> 00:23:12,979 wonderful truth settled in our minds and in our hearts 301 00:23:12,979 –> 00:23:16,579 before we go any further. So we must think about this often God 302 00:23:16,579 –> 00:23:23,300 our Father the Lord Jesus Christ who loved us. 303 00:23:23,859 –> 00:23:30,260 Think about it one sin is enough to make you suspect 304 00:23:30,260 –> 00:23:34,099 that God may be against you. We see that of course in the 305 00:23:34,099 –> 00:23:39,619 story of Adam and Eve in the garden, they had walked with God but just one 306 00:23:39,619 –> 00:23:42,819 sin was enough to send them hiding in the 307 00:23:42,819 –> 00:23:45,859 garden because they feared what God may do 308 00:23:45,859 –> 00:23:52,979 to them if they got too close to him. The sinner’s first instinct is always to 309 00:23:52,979 –> 00:23:56,900 hide from God in fear and as long as you think 310 00:23:56,900 –> 00:24:02,420 that God is out to get you, you will not be growing in hope 311 00:24:02,420 –> 00:24:10,739 but if you could believe from the heart that God really does love you 312 00:24:10,739 –> 00:24:14,099 and that in Jesus Christ he has proved his love for you 313 00:24:14,099 –> 00:24:19,619 forever beyond all question if you could really believe that 314 00:24:19,619 –> 00:24:26,739 you would have hope. So think often about the love of God 315 00:24:26,739 –> 00:24:34,099 and the proof of it in Jesus Christ. God so loved the world that he gave his 316 00:24:34,099 –> 00:24:38,900 one and only son this is love not that we loved God but 317 00:24:38,900 –> 00:24:42,260 that he loved us and gave his son 318 00:24:42,260 –> 00:24:49,380 to be the propitiation for our sins. God shows his love for us in this 319 00:24:49,380 –> 00:24:56,020 that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. 320 00:24:56,020 –> 00:25:01,619 Remind yourself often that God loves you and you will grow 321 00:25:01,619 –> 00:25:08,420 in hope. Second stop counting the good that you have 322 00:25:08,420 –> 00:25:12,339 done stop counting the good that you have 323 00:25:12,339 –> 00:25:15,780 done. Look again at our verse may our lord 324 00:25:15,780 –> 00:25:19,140 Jesus Christ himself and God our father who loved us 325 00:25:19,140 –> 00:25:22,819 and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through 326 00:25:22,819 –> 00:25:29,619 grace. You see counting the good you have done 327 00:25:29,619 –> 00:25:35,939 is what a person does if they are relating to God on the basis of law 328 00:25:35,939 –> 00:25:39,540 you begin to think of the good you have done 329 00:25:39,540 –> 00:25:44,180 as you would think of savings in the bank well you know i did something good 330 00:25:44,180 –> 00:25:49,699 that’ll go towards my ultimate salvation but you see as we saw earlier 331 00:25:49,699 –> 00:25:54,260 there is absolutely no hope there whatsoever 332 00:25:54,260 –> 00:25:57,619 a relationship with God that is based on law 333 00:25:57,619 –> 00:26:03,540 can only ever end in condemnation the law will be your accuser 334 00:26:03,540 –> 00:26:07,540 and your accuser will remind you when you’re trying to count the good you 335 00:26:07,540 –> 00:26:11,619 have done of all the good that you’ve not done 336 00:26:11,619 –> 00:26:16,900 and of all the wrong that you have done as well 337 00:26:16,900 –> 00:26:21,459 so stop counting the good you’ve done if you can stop that habit 338 00:26:21,459 –> 00:26:25,939 it’ll be an enormous relief to you start relying 339 00:26:25,939 –> 00:26:34,180 on the good that Jesus has done and you will grow in hope 340 00:26:34,420 –> 00:26:39,140 hope diminishes it’s eclipsed wherever you count 341 00:26:39,140 –> 00:26:43,300 the good that you’ve been doing hope rises 342 00:26:43,300 –> 00:26:49,619 as you rely on the good that Jesus has done and you know this is 343 00:26:49,619 –> 00:26:55,939 very practical there are some of us who really struggle with a sense of 344 00:26:55,939 –> 00:27:01,859 unworthiness now where does that come from 345 00:27:01,859 –> 00:27:08,339 and you say well I just feel so unworthy where does that come from 346 00:27:08,339 –> 00:27:14,579 well you see it comes from counting the good that you have done 347 00:27:14,579 –> 00:27:19,459 and feeling that you have come up short that’s where it comes from 348 00:27:19,459 –> 00:27:24,260 you look at others and you wish that you had done what they have done but you 349 00:27:24,260 –> 00:27:28,819 haven’t done it and that’s why you feel unworthy 350 00:27:28,819 –> 00:27:34,020 so you see what is the answer to these feelings of unworthiness 351 00:27:34,020 –> 00:27:39,540 it is to stop acting as if your relationship with god was based on the 352 00:27:39,540 –> 00:27:42,819 law and start thanking god that your 353 00:27:42,819 –> 00:27:47,219 relationship with him is based on grace 354 00:27:48,420 –> 00:27:55,939 and then a third strategy receive what jesus gives by faith 355 00:27:55,939 –> 00:28:01,060 notice again in our wonderful verse may our lord jesus christ himself and god 356 00:28:01,060 –> 00:28:05,619 our father who loved us and gave us 357 00:28:05,619 –> 00:28:09,060 eternal comfort and good hope through grace may he 358 00:28:09,060 –> 00:28:16,020 comfort our hearts you see that god gave us eternal comfort that is a 359 00:28:16,020 –> 00:28:20,180 comfort that relates to eternity the comfort of 360 00:28:20,180 –> 00:28:23,619 knowing that all will be well with you forever god 361 00:28:23,619 –> 00:28:28,579 gave us good hope it’s a gift 362 00:28:29,140 –> 00:28:37,140 hope is yours by grace it is a gift it is given 363 00:28:37,140 –> 00:28:44,660 god gives this gift by grace but you see a gift that is given 364 00:28:44,660 –> 00:28:49,780 also has to be received and grace is the way that god gives the gift 365 00:28:49,780 –> 00:28:55,219 faith is the way that we receive the gift 366 00:28:55,300 –> 00:29:00,180 so listen to this from the apostle paul in romans in chapter 15 367 00:29:00,180 –> 00:29:04,260 and verse 13 he’s speaking about hope and he says 368 00:29:04,260 –> 00:29:09,540 may the god of hope fill you with all joy and peace 369 00:29:09,540 –> 00:29:15,459 in believing so that by the power of the holy spirit you may 370 00:29:15,459 –> 00:29:22,579 abound in hope notice that he describes god as the god of hope hope comes from 371 00:29:22,900 –> 00:29:26,180 as we saw from the beginning of this series 372 00:29:26,180 –> 00:29:30,020 and his prayer ends with people who are abounding 373 00:29:30,020 –> 00:29:34,900 in hope and so the question is how does the hope that comes from god through 374 00:29:34,900 –> 00:29:37,780 christ how does it actually get into us well 375 00:29:37,780 –> 00:29:45,859 god by his grace gives it to us we receive it by faith by believing 376 00:29:46,339 –> 00:29:50,500 and remember that the apostle paul is writing these words to 377 00:29:50,500 –> 00:29:56,579 believers in other words god has called us not only to an 378 00:29:56,579 –> 00:30:00,660 act of faith at the beginning of the christian life god calls us to 379 00:30:00,660 –> 00:30:07,619 a life of faith we walk by faith not by sight 380 00:30:07,619 –> 00:30:15,540 and hope and joy and peace and comfort in the christian life 381 00:30:15,540 –> 00:30:19,380 are all gifts of god they are all offered to us 382 00:30:19,380 –> 00:30:23,859 freely by grace and they are all received 383 00:30:23,859 –> 00:30:33,060 by faith believing is the means by which you receive what god gives 384 00:30:33,060 –> 00:30:40,579 as you believe you will have hope and the more you believe the more hope 385 00:30:40,579 –> 00:30:45,619 you will have how can you grow in hope well think 386 00:30:45,619 –> 00:30:50,020 often about the love of god stop counting the good that you have done 387 00:30:50,020 –> 00:30:54,180 receive what the lord jesus christ offers by faith and here’s the last 388 00:30:54,180 –> 00:30:58,420 thing pursue every good work 389 00:30:58,420 –> 00:31:05,140 and word notice the outcome of our verse today 390 00:31:05,140 –> 00:31:11,140 now may our lord jesus christ himself and god our father who loved us and 391 00:31:11,140 –> 00:31:14,979 gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace 392 00:31:14,979 –> 00:31:21,459 may he comfort your hearts and establish them in every good 393 00:31:21,459 –> 00:31:28,260 work and word every good work and word so 394 00:31:28,260 –> 00:31:35,300 notice what grace produces notice the outcome of god’s grace 395 00:31:35,300 –> 00:31:42,099 in a believer’s life every good work and word 396 00:31:42,099 –> 00:31:45,540 now the very simple principle here is that what goes 397 00:31:45,540 –> 00:31:52,739 in eventually comes out if someone is treated with continued 398 00:31:52,739 –> 00:31:57,060 cruelty no one would be surprised if over time 399 00:31:57,060 –> 00:32:03,780 that person became cruel to others but you see on the same principle 400 00:32:03,780 –> 00:32:10,900 what if god’s love and grace were to fill a person’s life 401 00:32:10,900 –> 00:32:17,939 what comes out of that is works and words that reflect 402 00:32:17,939 –> 00:32:25,300 the grace that that person has received and notice that this is not something 403 00:32:25,300 –> 00:32:28,900 that just happens occasionally once in a while a person comes out with a good 404 00:32:28,900 –> 00:32:33,939 work or a good word it’s actually normal it’s the 405 00:32:33,939 –> 00:32:38,739 overflow of a life that is lived on the grace of the lord jesus christ 406 00:32:38,739 –> 00:32:43,300 he says that their hearts will be established 407 00:32:43,300 –> 00:32:48,500 in every good work and word 408 00:32:48,739 –> 00:32:51,859 now you see someone may wonder as you’re 409 00:32:51,859 –> 00:32:55,380 taking in this wonderful theme from the bible 410 00:32:55,380 –> 00:32:58,900 you may wonder well now wait a minute if hope comes 411 00:32:58,900 –> 00:33:05,619 from grace rather than law if it comes from believing rather than 412 00:33:05,619 –> 00:33:11,540 doing how will any good work ever get done 413 00:33:11,540 –> 00:33:15,380 and the answer to that question dear friend 414 00:33:15,380 –> 00:33:19,540 is that grace will take you further than the law 415 00:33:19,540 –> 00:33:22,260 ever could 416 00:33:22,739 –> 00:33:29,300 you will do more for love than you would ever do for law i mean 417 00:33:29,699 –> 00:33:33,140 and dear friend think about it taxes are a 418 00:33:33,140 –> 00:33:38,900 matter of law and what do we all do we all follow 419 00:33:38,900 –> 00:33:43,219 the path of minimal compliance what is the least 420 00:33:43,219 –> 00:33:47,380 amount that i am required under the law to pay is there anyone who’s saying 421 00:33:47,380 –> 00:33:51,780 please can i pay more taxes of course not 422 00:33:52,180 –> 00:33:55,939 the law leads to minimal compliance 423 00:33:56,099 –> 00:34:04,500 but you see there are no limits to what a person will do for love 424 00:34:04,500 –> 00:34:08,739 when you receive grace 425 00:34:08,899 –> 00:34:13,139 you want to reflect it to others you really do 426 00:34:13,139 –> 00:34:17,300 and it won’t be because you’re trying to prove something 427 00:34:17,300 –> 00:34:20,659 and it certainly won’t be because you’re trying to gain something grace 428 00:34:20,659 –> 00:34:24,979 means that you’ve received already and having 429 00:34:24,979 –> 00:34:30,979 received you now really do have a desire to give 430 00:34:30,979 –> 00:34:38,899 so what good work of grace will you do what good 431 00:34:38,899 –> 00:34:44,500 words of hope will you speak 432 00:34:44,580 –> 00:34:53,459 here’s a wonderful prospect a congregation of believers 433 00:34:53,459 –> 00:34:58,739 filled with hope going out into the world 434 00:34:58,739 –> 00:35:04,419 and reflecting the grace that we have received 435 00:35:04,419 –> 00:35:12,899 in every good work and word let’s pray together 436 00:35:12,899 –> 00:35:17,699 father we are so grateful today that when the law could only condemn us you 437 00:35:17,699 –> 00:35:21,780 have opened up for us a way of finding living 438 00:35:21,780 –> 00:35:27,300 hope in and through the grace that is ours 439 00:35:27,300 –> 00:35:34,179 in the lord jesus christ grant that as the knowledge of your 440 00:35:34,179 –> 00:35:38,580 grace settles in and floods our minds and our 441 00:35:38,580 –> 00:35:44,419 hearts that our hope may increase 442 00:35:44,419 –> 00:35:52,500 and that out of it we may be able to reflect words 443 00:35:52,500 –> 00:36:01,060 and works that will bring grace into this broken world 444 00:36:01,060 –> 00:36:07,300 and bring hope that comes from christ 445 00:36:07,639 –> 00:36:14,840 your one and only son these things we pray together in Jesus name 446 00:36:15,639 –> 00:36:20,919 you’ve been listening to a sermon with pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible 447 00:36:21,239 –> 00:36:26,479 to contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN365 448 00:36:26,639 –> 00:36:31,280 or visit our website open thebible.org