1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,100 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 2 00:00:07,100 –> 00:00:12,680 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365. 3 00:00:12,680 –> 00:00:18,240 Or visit our website openthebible.org Let’s get to the message, here is Pastor 4 00:00:18,240 –> 00:00:22,299 Colin Well please open your Bible at First Corinthians 5 00:00:22,299 –> 00:00:24,120 in Chapter 15. 6 00:00:24,120 –> 00:00:28,420 Over these next four weeks we’re going to be looking at this marvelous chapter where 7 00:00:28,680 –> 00:00:35,160 the Apostle Paul lays out the transforming power of the Resurrection of our Lord and 8 00:00:35,160 –> 00:00:37,700 Saviour Jesus Christ. 9 00:00:37,700 –> 00:00:43,520 This chapter is absolutely full of hope and it is very, very, practical. 10 00:00:43,520 –> 00:00:50,500 So, don’t expect over these next week some vague speculation about the future. 11 00:00:50,500 –> 00:00:58,900 These verses speak directly to the realities of our lives in the world today. 12 00:00:58,900 –> 00:01:06,500 Where do you find hope when you realize that your own body is failing? 13 00:01:06,500 –> 00:01:10,339 Where do you find hope when ministry is discouraging? 14 00:01:10,339 –> 00:01:15,059 Pour yourself into serving the Lord, you’re faithful to the gospel, but there doesn’t 15 00:01:15,059 –> 00:01:16,300 seem to be much fruit. 16 00:01:16,300 –> 00:01:21,360 And sometimes you find yourself saying, is this it? 17 00:01:21,360 –> 00:01:27,300 And where do you find hope when you are grieving the loss of a loved one? 18 00:01:27,300 –> 00:01:33,519 There’s an empty chair at the table, you look at her photograph, but you don’t hear her 19 00:01:33,519 –> 00:01:35,699 voice. 20 00:01:35,699 –> 00:01:40,180 She’s gone and you really miss her. 21 00:01:41,059 –> 00:01:45,739 Now, these are the realities of life. 22 00:01:45,739 –> 00:01:54,739 Failing bodies, discouragements in ministry, loved ones we have lost and all of them are 23 00:01:54,739 –> 00:02:03,019 directly addressed in these marvelous verses that are before us in this great chapter. 24 00:02:03,019 –> 00:02:06,220 Now, the chapter is full of hope. 25 00:02:06,220 –> 00:02:09,220 That’s why we’ve called the series Hope has a name. 26 00:02:09,220 –> 00:02:13,860 And today, the title of the message is Hope in Jesus. 27 00:02:13,860 –> 00:02:16,979 Here’s the message today in a single sentence. 28 00:02:16,979 –> 00:02:27,380 That is hope in Jesus because He died and rose, through the grace that He brings. 29 00:02:27,380 –> 00:02:33,600 And it is for all who will receive and continue in the gospel. 30 00:02:33,600 –> 00:02:37,720 These are the three things that we’re going to look at together today. 31 00:02:37,720 –> 00:02:43,160 First then, there is hope in Jesus Christ because He died and rose. 32 00:02:43,160 –> 00:02:49,779 Look at verse 3, For I delivered to you, as of first importance, what I also received, 33 00:02:49,779 –> 00:02:56,080 that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. 34 00:02:56,080 –> 00:03:05,820 First Corinthians is a very long letter and it covers a vast array of very important themes. 35 00:03:05,820 –> 00:03:10,440 Paul speaks about some highly charged issues in this letter. 36 00:03:10,440 –> 00:03:12,179 He talks about marriage. 37 00:03:12,179 –> 00:03:14,320 He talks about singleness. 38 00:03:14,320 –> 00:03:19,100 He talks about how we should relate to the godless culture around us. 39 00:03:19,100 –> 00:03:21,179 Talks about worship. 40 00:03:21,179 –> 00:03:25,699 He talks about living a life of love. 41 00:03:25,699 –> 00:03:32,460 But what he presents here in chapter 15, he says is of first importance. 42 00:03:32,460 –> 00:03:33,699 Do you see that here? 43 00:03:33,699 –> 00:03:40,460 I deliver to you as of first importance, after everything that he’s covered. 44 00:03:40,460 –> 00:03:47,580 Whatever issues you find yourself drawn to and getting charged up about, 45 00:03:47,580 –> 00:03:52,300 never lose sight of what matters most. 46 00:03:52,300 –> 00:03:56,300 That Jesus Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, 47 00:03:56,300 –> 00:04:00,619 that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. 48 00:04:00,660 –> 00:04:06,860 The apostle says that is of first importance, and here’s what that means. 49 00:04:06,860 –> 00:04:14,059 If anything ever becomes more important, more engaging, more compelling 50 00:04:14,059 –> 00:04:18,260 to you than what Jesus accomplished in his death and in his resurrection, 51 00:04:18,260 –> 00:04:24,940 you can take that as a sure sign that your spiritual life is in trouble. 52 00:04:25,019 –> 00:04:30,220 Here says the apostle is what matters most. 53 00:04:30,220 –> 00:04:35,380 So make sure whatever you do that this is what matters most to you. 54 00:04:35,380 –> 00:04:39,779 Now notice what he says matters most. 55 00:04:39,779 –> 00:04:44,179 Christ died for our sins. 56 00:04:44,179 –> 00:04:46,100 That’s of first importance. 57 00:04:46,100 –> 00:04:51,519 And what that means is that our sins matter. 58 00:04:51,519 –> 00:04:52,339 They really do. 59 00:04:52,519 –> 00:05:02,720 Now I expect that when the history of our times is written up I expect that they may 60 00:05:02,760 –> 00:05:10,760 be viewed as the most arrogant and self-righteous era of any time since the days of the Pharisees 61 00:05:10,760 –> 00:05:11,760 themselves. 62 00:05:11,760 –> 00:05:14,600 I mean think about it. 63 00:05:14,600 –> 00:05:20,559 Millions of people in our time have stopped believing in God and started believing in 64 00:05:20,600 –> 00:05:21,600 himself. 65 00:05:21,600 –> 00:05:29,640 Millions have stopped believing in original sin and have started believing in inherent 66 00:05:29,640 –> 00:05:33,760 virtue and goodness. 67 00:05:33,760 –> 00:05:40,260 Of course very few would claim surely to be perfect but most it seems today do claim to 68 00:05:40,260 –> 00:05:43,739 be fundamentally good. 69 00:05:43,820 –> 00:05:52,299 So if people think about sin at all they will think about it as an occasional and understandable 70 00:05:52,299 –> 00:05:59,359 lapse in living up to their own very high standards, and why in the world would Jesus 71 00:05:59,359 –> 00:06:03,739 die for occasional lapses in people living up to their own very high standards? 72 00:06:03,739 –> 00:06:07,679 That makes no sense at all. 73 00:06:07,679 –> 00:06:14,420 So let me remind you very briefly what the Bible says about sin. 74 00:06:14,420 –> 00:06:25,739 First, our sins are an offense against God, all have sinned and fall short of the glory 75 00:06:25,739 –> 00:06:27,100 of God. 76 00:06:27,100 –> 00:06:33,959 Not our own standards, but the life to which God himself has called us. 77 00:06:34,000 –> 00:06:38,640 Sin is not an occasional lapse in meeting the standards that we have set for ourselves. 78 00:06:38,640 –> 00:06:46,239 It is our continued and consistent falling short of the life to which God calls us. 79 00:06:46,239 –> 00:06:50,399 Second, sin alienates us from God. 80 00:06:50,399 –> 00:06:56,920 The apostle speaks in Ephesians Chapter 4 in verse 18 about how they are alienated from 81 00:06:56,920 –> 00:06:59,040 the life of God. 82 00:06:59,079 –> 00:07:06,299 You see, that is why the default human experience is not that God is near. 83 00:07:06,299 –> 00:07:10,019 The default human experience is that God seems very far away indeed. 84 00:07:10,019 –> 00:07:11,019 Why? 85 00:07:11,019 –> 00:07:13,720 Because we are alienated from Him. 86 00:07:13,720 –> 00:07:17,239 That’s one of the great effects of sin. 87 00:07:17,239 –> 00:07:21,859 Third, sin makes us antagonistic toward God. 88 00:07:21,859 –> 00:07:28,339 Romans Chapter 8 in verse 7, the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for 89 00:07:28,339 –> 00:07:30,260 it does not submit to His law. 90 00:07:30,260 –> 00:07:31,600 Indeed, it cannot. 91 00:07:31,600 –> 00:07:34,019 You see what that means? 92 00:07:34,019 –> 00:07:41,380 The more a person sins, the more angry and resentful and resistant toward God they actually 93 00:07:41,380 –> 00:07:44,299 become. 94 00:07:44,299 –> 00:07:49,899 Then the bible teaches that sin makes us unfit for the presence of God. 95 00:07:49,899 –> 00:07:59,500 Hebrews 12 verse 14, strive for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 96 00:07:59,500 –> 00:08:05,859 Sin got our first parents excluded, banished from Paradise. 97 00:08:05,859 –> 00:08:11,700 And sin will keep us out of heaven unless it is dealt with and removed. 98 00:08:11,700 –> 00:08:16,579 And then fifthly, sin makes us liable to the judgment of God. 99 00:08:16,640 –> 00:08:19,579 Romans chapter 1 in verse 18. 100 00:08:19,579 –> 00:08:24,640 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness 101 00:08:24,640 –> 00:08:31,579 of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 102 00:08:32,719 –> 00:08:37,140 So if you’re to take what God says to us in the Bible seriously at all, will you take 103 00:08:37,140 –> 00:08:43,739 this into your mind and your heart today, that sin is not something in us that is sort 104 00:08:43,840 –> 00:08:50,840 of slightly off. It is a complete breakdown of our relationship with the God who made 105 00:08:52,859 –> 00:08:59,859 us, the God to whom one day we will all give an account. And its consequences, therefore, 106 00:09:00,179 –> 00:09:07,179 are catastrophic. And there is no power or resource within us that can rectify this problem. 107 00:09:07,179 –> 00:09:14,179 Your will is simply not pure enough or strong enough to save you from sin. And all the good 108 00:09:14,479 –> 00:09:21,479 that we have done could not diminish the effect of even one sin in our lives. And that is 109 00:09:26,679 –> 00:09:33,679 why the Apostle says this is of first importance, that Jesus Christ died for our sins. And that 110 00:09:38,179 –> 00:09:45,179 God in his love and in his mercy sent his son into the world. Jesus became one with 111 00:09:45,900 –> 00:09:52,900 us. All that was due to us on account of our sins was actually laid on him. And God did 112 00:09:53,679 –> 00:10:00,679 this so that what was due to him on account of his perfect life should actually be credited 113 00:10:01,500 –> 00:10:08,500 to us and freely given to us as if it were our own. This Gospel says the Apostle Paul 114 00:10:09,919 –> 00:10:16,919 is of first importance. It’s very clear that this Gospel is not for those who regard themselves 115 00:10:18,700 –> 00:10:25,119 as good or worthy. If you are filled with a sense of your own virtue today, this Gospel 116 00:10:25,200 –> 00:10:30,679 has nothing to say to you, nothing to offer you whatsoever, but to those who have wakened 117 00:10:30,679 –> 00:10:37,140 up to the Biblical reality that we are all sinners, the Apostle says there is the most 118 00:10:37,140 –> 00:10:44,140 marvelous hope. There is the most wonderful good news. Christ died for our sins. 119 00:10:48,280 –> 00:10:53,280 And then he tells us that Christ was raised on the third day. Look at what he says, for 120 00:10:53,520 –> 00:10:58,640 I deliver to you as of first importance, what I also received that Christ died for our sins 121 00:10:58,640 –> 00:11:03,820 in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third 122 00:11:03,820 –> 00:11:10,820 day in accordance with the scriptures. So Jesus dying for our sins would not have been 123 00:11:10,960 –> 00:11:16,479 good news if he had not been raised from the dead. If Jesus had not been raised from the 124 00:11:16,479 –> 00:11:22,979 dead then hope for us would have died and been buried with him. But Christ was raised 125 00:11:22,979 –> 00:11:29,719 on the third day and the apostle says this is of first importance. 126 00:11:29,719 –> 00:11:36,719 Now the Bible records 12 occasions when the risen Lord appeared to the disciples and Paul 127 00:11:40,239 –> 00:11:47,239 lists 6 of them in these verses that are before us today. Notice verse 5, he appeared to Cephas, 128 00:11:47,940 –> 00:11:54,940 that’s Peter, then to the twelve, then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers 129 00:11:55,659 –> 00:12:02,080 at one time, most of whom are still alive though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared 130 00:12:02,080 –> 00:12:09,080 to James. Then he appeared to all the apostles, last of all says Paul as to one untimely born 131 00:12:10,080 –> 00:12:17,080 he appeared also to me. Now let’s not miss the wood for the trees here. The central point 132 00:12:21,260 –> 00:12:28,260 that the apostle is making is that hope is not found in some thing. It is found in someone. 133 00:12:29,039 –> 00:12:36,039 It is found in someone. Our hope is in Jesus who died and rose. Our hope is not in living 134 00:12:39,080 –> 00:12:46,080 up to an ethic. Our hope is not in pursuing a more disciplined or religious way of life. 135 00:12:47,840 –> 00:12:54,840 our hope is not even in a creed. Our hope is in a person. A savior to whom you can click 136 00:12:58,700 –> 00:13:05,700 on. A living person who is able to help you. A person you can come to know as your friend 137 00:13:08,000 –> 00:13:14,640 and as your helper and as your savior and as your Lord. In this chapter the Apostle 138 00:13:14,640 –> 00:13:21,640 Paul lays out the most marvelous hope that he brings. So there is hope in Jesus because 139 00:13:22,460 –> 00:13:29,460 he died and he rose then I want us to see from these verses secondly that there is hope 140 00:13:29,500 –> 00:13:36,500 in Jesus because of the grace that he brings. Now I want you to notice that the word grace 141 00:13:37,640 –> 00:13:44,640 is used three times in these verses especially verse 9 and verse 10. By the grace of God 142 00:13:44,640 –> 00:13:51,640 the grace of God Paul says I am what I am his grace toward me was not in vain I worked 143 00:13:53,320 –> 00:14:00,320 harder than any of them though it was not I but the grace of God that is with me. Now 144 00:14:01,119 –> 00:14:05,820 this whole wonderful chapter that we are going to be looking at throughout this month is 145 00:14:05,820 –> 00:14:12,820 just full of how Gods grace in Jesus transforms our future into each year. 146 00:14:14,640 –> 00:14:21,640 The glorious future that lies ahead of every single believer but Paul begins in these verses 147 00:14:23,260 –> 00:14:28,179 not with how Gods grace changes the future but with how it affects how it affects the 148 00:14:28,179 –> 00:14:35,179 past and how it affects the present. Notice how he speaks about the way in which it affects 149 00:14:36,960 –> 00:14:43,960 the past bringing redemption from our past sins. He says I am the leader I am the best 150 00:14:45,119 –> 00:14:52,119 of the apostles unworthy to be called an apostle and I almost feel the pain as he writes these 151 00:14:52,619 –> 00:14:59,619 words, can’t you? Because I persecuted the church of God. You know people who walk most 152 00:15:05,719 –> 00:15:12,719 closely with God often struggle with painful memories of things they regret from past errors 153 00:15:14,919 –> 00:15:21,919 years ago. How do you live with things that you said or did in the past that now make 154 00:15:23,200 –> 00:15:30,200 you deeply ashamed? Unless your conscience is completely and utterly dead, I expect that 155 00:15:31,039 –> 00:15:37,619 you know something at least, of what I’m speaking about here. You look back over the 156 00:15:37,619 –> 00:15:44,179 years and the voice of conscience reminds you of things that you said that you wish 157 00:15:44,320 –> 00:15:51,320 you had never spoken, things that you saw that you wished you’d never viewed. And you 158 00:15:53,299 –> 00:16:00,299 look back and you say, how could I have been such a fool? Now, Paul knew what this was 159 00:16:01,200 –> 00:16:08,200 like. I mean, when he looked back, he remembered that he had a foul mouth and a raging temper 160 00:16:08,880 –> 00:16:15,880 and he had perpetuated acts of violence that were against precisely the people he now loved 161 00:16:21,179 –> 00:16:22,599 the most. 162 00:16:22,599 –> 00:16:29,599 I persecuted the Church of God. That was the reality that Paul lived with. This was what 163 00:16:30,479 –> 00:16:37,479 he’d done in the past, and he could never forget it. How could he possibly do so? 164 00:16:39,200 –> 00:16:45,039 It may be that there is something that you have said or done that you bitterly regret. 165 00:16:45,039 –> 00:16:52,039 Or perhaps it is something that you failed to do. Paul says here that there isn’t Christ 166 00:16:52,159 –> 00:16:57,159 appeared to him, last of all. I think there is a certain winsomeness there of the way 167 00:16:57,280 –> 00:17:04,280 he raised Jesus. Oh, if only I had come to the LORD sooner. If only I had not wasted 168 00:17:05,040 –> 00:17:12,040 these years of my life. If only I had exercised faith. If only I had shown more courage. If 169 00:17:12,640 –> 00:17:19,640 only I had walked more closely with God. Every thoughtful person knows what it is to 170 00:17:20,439 –> 00:17:27,439 live with regrets, shameful sins, missed opportunities, wasted years. Now, where do you find hope when 171 00:17:37,420 –> 00:17:44,420 shame and regret from the past just presses into your mind and into your heart? Well notice 172 00:17:45,300 –> 00:17:52,300 what the apostle Paul says here. I persecuted the church of God, but by the grace of God, 173 00:17:57,300 –> 00:18:04,300 I am what I am and his grace to me was not in vain. You see what he is saying? Now I 174 00:18:04,579 –> 00:18:11,579 remember what I was. I use it as a lens through which to view what the Lord Jesus Christ has 175 00:18:16,719 –> 00:18:24,219 done in my life. My sins horrible as they were are what he has redeemed me from the 176 00:18:27,640 –> 00:18:33,319 grace of the Lord. Jesus Christ has brought a real change in my life. I am no longer the 177 00:18:33,979 –> 00:18:41,979 person that I was. Do you see? This is very important, that the answer to memories that 178 00:18:43,660 –> 00:18:51,660 bring a sense of shame and regret is not only that Christ wonderfully forgives. The answer 179 00:18:52,239 –> 00:18:57,900 to the shame of the past is by God’s grace I have changed. That is what the apostle Paul 180 00:18:58,000 –> 00:19:04,000 says here. I persecuted the church, but I’m sure not doing that now. I’m not the person 181 00:19:05,099 –> 00:19:11,099 I was. The grace of God really has changed me. And it’s by the sheer grace of God that 182 00:19:14,099 –> 00:19:22,099 I am what I am. And his grace towards me was not in vain. Paul never claimed that he was 183 00:19:23,099 –> 00:19:28,099 all that God calls any of us to be. He would say, and I take this from Philippians in chapter 184 00:19:29,000 –> 00:19:35,000 three, he’d say I’m a long way from being perfect. But Jesus Christ has made me his 185 00:19:37,800 –> 00:19:43,800 own and I am pursuing the purpose for which he has laid hold of me. The answer, dear friends, 186 00:19:44,060 –> 00:19:49,160 to the regret and shame of the past is more than that you are forgiven. By God’s 187 00:19:49,160 –> 00:19:55,660 grace, you will be able to say as a believer, I’m not what I should be, I’m not 188 00:20:05,060 –> 00:20:11,060 what I want to be, I’m not what one day I will be, but I’m not what I used to be. 189 00:20:14,760 –> 00:20:20,239 And by the sheer grace and mercy of God, I am what I am. 190 00:20:23,400 –> 00:20:31,400 When you find yourself troubled by past shame, past regret, use it as an opportunity to remind 191 00:20:33,319 –> 00:20:40,119 yourself of what the grace of God has done in you. The very fact that you now regret 192 00:20:40,359 –> 00:20:47,160 what you once chose is an evidence of how far you have come. You are not the person 193 00:20:47,160 –> 00:20:52,359 that you were. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed you, 194 00:20:52,359 –> 00:20:58,439 and his grace toward you has not been in vain. 195 00:20:59,640 –> 00:21:04,439 There’s hope in Jesus, through the grace that he brings 196 00:21:04,439 –> 00:21:08,439 for our present callings, and that grace affects not only the past, 197 00:21:08,439 –> 00:21:13,400 but it affects the present. Notice what Paul says about this. 198 00:21:13,400 –> 00:21:16,760 Not only does his grace bring redemption from our past sins, 199 00:21:16,760 –> 00:21:21,160 it brings strength for our present callings. 200 00:21:21,160 –> 00:21:25,079 Verse 10. By the grace of God, I am what I am, 201 00:21:25,079 –> 00:21:28,119 and his grace toward me was not in vain. 202 00:21:28,119 –> 00:21:31,319 On the contrary, here’s what God’s grace brought about 203 00:21:32,119 –> 00:21:36,280 He says, I worked harder than any of them, 204 00:21:36,280 –> 00:21:40,359 though it was not I, but the grace of God 205 00:21:40,359 –> 00:21:46,680 that is with me. So Jesus brings grace not only to redeem 206 00:21:46,680 –> 00:21:51,719 us from our past sins, but to give us strength for the calling that he gives 207 00:21:51,719 –> 00:21:54,920 us to pursue today. 208 00:21:55,079 –> 00:22:00,359 What was the effect of grace flowing into the life of the 209 00:22:00,359 –> 00:22:06,520 apostle Paul? Well he says it right here, I worked harder than any of them. 210 00:22:06,520 –> 00:22:12,520 I was energized, I did more than any of the others, 211 00:22:12,520 –> 00:22:19,400 though it wasn’t actually me. He says, it was the grace of God that is with me. 212 00:22:19,400 –> 00:22:22,599 Now, here we come to something that is again a very 213 00:22:22,599 –> 00:22:26,599 important and practical principle in these verses 214 00:22:26,599 –> 00:22:29,880 of Scripture. Where did the apostle Paul 215 00:22:29,880 –> 00:22:34,839 get the energy for the work that he was called to do? 216 00:22:34,839 –> 00:22:39,719 I mean, it was an overwhelming task, the work to which he was called. 217 00:22:39,719 –> 00:22:43,319 In 2nd Corinthians, he lists what he endured 218 00:22:43,319 –> 00:22:46,359 in the course of his work as an apostle. It is 219 00:22:46,359 –> 00:22:51,719 extraordinary reading. He details the number of times he was beaten, 220 00:22:51,719 –> 00:22:59,319 stoned, lashed, shipwrecked. He lists days without food. 221 00:22:59,319 –> 00:23:04,760 He speaks about nights without sleep. He speaks about being exposed to danger 222 00:23:04,760 –> 00:23:09,959 and to cold. And then he says, apart from these things, you know, as if that wasn’t 223 00:23:09,959 –> 00:23:14,040 enough, apart from these things there is the daily 224 00:23:14,040 –> 00:23:20,680 pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 225 00:23:20,680 –> 00:23:26,760 It’s what it meant for him to be an Apostle. He carried that weight, 226 00:23:26,760 –> 00:23:32,520 that burden. Read these verses from 2 Corinthians in chapter 11 when you’re 227 00:23:32,520 –> 00:23:36,920 tempted to feel sorry for yourself. I found it has helped me on many 228 00:23:36,920 –> 00:23:42,199 occasions. You find yourself wondering, 229 00:23:42,199 –> 00:23:47,719 where did the Apostle Paul get the staying power 230 00:23:47,719 –> 00:23:52,920 to just keep doing what God called him to do when there was so much 231 00:23:52,920 –> 00:23:58,839 that was pushing against him? And right here, he gives us the answer. 232 00:23:58,839 –> 00:24:02,680 I worked as hard as I did for this reason 233 00:24:02,680 –> 00:24:07,079 because of the grace of God that is with me. 234 00:24:07,079 –> 00:24:13,640 God’s presence with me, God’s kindness towards me, that 235 00:24:13,640 –> 00:24:20,040 is what kept me going. Now there’s someone here today 236 00:24:20,040 –> 00:24:24,040 and you are facing an overwhelming challenge 237 00:24:24,040 –> 00:24:27,560 and perhaps even in the last day or so the thought has gone through your 238 00:24:27,560 –> 00:24:30,599 mind, God has given me a task here that just 239 00:24:30,599 –> 00:24:35,079 seems to be beyond me. You find yourself saying, I don’t 240 00:24:35,079 –> 00:24:39,880 think I can do this. Oh yes you can. 241 00:24:40,280 –> 00:24:47,079 By His grace you will be able to do and sustain all that He 242 00:24:47,079 –> 00:24:51,959 truly is calling you to do. That’s the testimony of the Apostle Paul here. 243 00:24:51,959 –> 00:24:55,239 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the risen Christ 244 00:24:55,239 –> 00:25:00,760 is with you. His presence will give you the strength that you need 245 00:25:00,760 –> 00:25:07,400 and sustain you. He will enable you to do all that He is calling you 246 00:25:07,400 –> 00:25:13,479 to do. That’s the testimony of the Apostle Paul. 247 00:25:13,560 –> 00:25:18,359 And that leads us to the third thing here, these are wonderful verses, 248 00:25:18,359 –> 00:25:22,680 there’s hope in Jesus in the realities of life today. 249 00:25:22,680 –> 00:25:28,680 Why? Because Jesus died and rose. How does that make a difference to our 250 00:25:28,680 –> 00:25:31,959 lives today? Well it’s because Jesus died and rose 251 00:25:31,959 –> 00:25:36,920 that grace floods into the lives of all who believe, redeeming us from 252 00:25:37,079 –> 00:25:42,199 past sins and giving us strength for our present callings. 253 00:25:42,199 –> 00:25:47,160 And then here’s the last thing today. There is hope in Jesus 254 00:25:47,160 –> 00:25:54,040 for all who receive and continue in the gospel. And notice carefully what 255 00:25:54,040 –> 00:25:57,000 the Apostle says in these first two verses. 256 00:25:57,000 –> 00:26:03,319 Now I would remind you brothers of the gospel I preach to you which you 257 00:26:03,319 –> 00:26:08,520 have received, in which you stand, and by which you 258 00:26:08,520 –> 00:26:12,920 are being saved if you hold fast to the word I 259 00:26:12,920 –> 00:26:18,920 preach to you unless you believed in vain. 260 00:26:18,920 –> 00:26:24,040 I want to end briefly today with an invitation, 261 00:26:24,040 –> 00:26:32,040 a warning, and a promise. Here’s the invitation. Receive the gospel, 262 00:26:32,040 –> 00:26:36,040 receive it. Notice what he says here, I would remind you brothers 263 00:26:36,040 –> 00:26:42,599 of the gospel I preach to you which you received. 264 00:26:42,599 –> 00:26:50,839 Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, offers grace to every person, 265 00:26:50,839 –> 00:26:54,439 grace that will redeem you from your past sins, grace that will give you 266 00:26:54,439 –> 00:26:59,239 strength for your present calling, and as we will see next time in the rest of 267 00:26:59,239 –> 00:27:03,560 the chapter, grace that will bring you into a glorious 268 00:27:03,560 –> 00:27:09,000 eternal future but you must receive this 269 00:27:09,000 –> 00:27:16,680 grace. You must receive it. And you do that by believing 270 00:27:16,680 –> 00:27:24,359 the gospel believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins 271 00:27:24,359 –> 00:27:33,079 and rose again. Trust yourself to him, receive by believing 272 00:27:33,079 –> 00:27:39,560 the grace that he offers to you. That’s the invitation. Here’s the 273 00:27:39,560 –> 00:27:45,239 warning. Continue in the gospel. 274 00:27:45,239 –> 00:27:49,319 Continue in the gospel. Notice again what he says. 275 00:27:49,319 –> 00:27:52,439 I would remind you brothers of this gospel that I preached to you, which you 276 00:27:53,260 –> 00:27:57,880 received, but not only that in which you stand 277 00:27:57,880 –> 00:28:00,839 and by which you are being saved if you hold 278 00:28:00,839 –> 00:28:04,599 fast to the word I preach to you unless you 279 00:28:04,599 –> 00:28:11,800 believed in vain. Now does receiving the gospel mean 280 00:28:11,800 –> 00:28:17,000 that if at any time in your life you said yes to Jesus 281 00:28:17,000 –> 00:28:22,040 that you will be saved, irrespective of what you subsequently believe or how you 282 00:28:22,040 –> 00:28:24,680 subsequently live and the answer to that from this verse 283 00:28:24,680 –> 00:28:29,959 is absolutely not. Absolutely not. 284 00:28:29,959 –> 00:28:33,560 That’s not what it means to receive the gospel at some moment in time you 285 00:28:33,560 –> 00:28:36,040 happen to have said yes and then you walked away from the Lord 286 00:28:36,040 –> 00:28:40,040 Jesus Christ. That is not receiving the gospel. 287 00:28:40,040 –> 00:28:44,839 Here’s how you know that you have received the gospel. 288 00:28:44,839 –> 00:28:48,119 You know that you have received the gospel if you stand 289 00:28:48,199 –> 00:28:52,119 in it and hold fast to it that’s what true 290 00:28:52,119 –> 00:28:55,800 believers do and that’s how we know who the true 291 00:28:55,800 –> 00:29:01,160 believers are. True faith perseveres. 292 00:29:01,319 –> 00:29:05,160 Now clearly Paul is writing to genuine believers and they were 293 00:29:05,160 –> 00:29:08,359 as he indicates in this verse standing in 294 00:29:08,359 –> 00:29:11,880 the gospel and holding fast to it but as we’re going to see 295 00:29:11,880 –> 00:29:16,199 next time the reason that Paul says what he does here 296 00:29:16,199 –> 00:29:19,319 is very clearly that there were some who were 297 00:29:19,319 –> 00:29:25,800 abandoning the faith that they had once professed. 298 00:29:25,800 –> 00:29:28,920 Now you know the world is always inventing 299 00:29:28,920 –> 00:29:36,079 new words to describe old sins we hear today about people 300 00:29:36,079 –> 00:29:42,280 deconstructing their faith they’ve come to the conclusion that the 301 00:29:42,560 –> 00:29:46,479 faith they once professed to believe is simply a human 302 00:29:46,479 –> 00:29:52,359 construct that it was cobbled together by the Apostles and the 303 00:29:52,359 –> 00:29:57,119 early church that it has morphed over the centuries and now 304 00:29:57,119 –> 00:30:01,520 therefore needs to be taken down like a rickety old bridge 305 00:30:01,520 –> 00:30:05,119 that has become unsafe 306 00:30:05,119 –> 00:30:10,319 and here’s the warning that the Apostle is given quite clearly 307 00:30:10,359 –> 00:30:13,359 across the centuries 308 00:30:13,540 –> 00:30:19,160 A deconstructed faith will not redeem you from your past sins 309 00:30:19,160 –> 00:30:25,199 A deconstructed faith will not give you strength for your present calling 310 00:30:25,199 –> 00:30:29,160 A deconstructed faith will not save you will certainly not bring you into the 311 00:30:29,160 –> 00:30:35,060 glorious future that Christ has prepared for those who truly love Him 312 00:30:35,060 –> 00:30:39,400 and Paul wants us to know and he’s very clear about it right here as well as 313 00:30:39,520 –> 00:30:46,439 many other places that the gospel is not a human construct. Do you notice he 314 00:30:46,439 –> 00:30:53,619 speaks of it as the gospel I received it’s the gospel that God Himself revealed 315 00:30:53,619 –> 00:31:00,859 to the Apostles and to the prophets and what he’s saying is look you will be 316 00:31:00,900 –> 00:31:10,099 blessed if you receive it and if you continue in it. There is hope in Jesus 317 00:31:10,099 –> 00:31:16,579 Christ for who for all who will receive the gospel and for all who will continue 318 00:31:16,579 –> 00:31:23,099 in it is it very clear in the Bible Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 14 we have 319 00:31:23,099 –> 00:31:29,060 come to share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the 320 00:31:29,060 –> 00:31:33,119 end that’s how we know that we’re really in Christ that we hold our original 321 00:31:33,119 –> 00:31:38,739 confidence firm to the end. Jesus says the one who endures to the 322 00:31:38,739 –> 00:31:45,819 end will be saved and right here the Apostle says I want to remind you of the 323 00:31:45,819 –> 00:31:49,660 gospel I preach to you which you received in 324 00:31:49,660 –> 00:31:57,640 which you stand by which you are being saved if you hold fast to the word I 325 00:31:57,640 –> 00:32:09,579 preached to you. Then lastly a wonderful promise if you receive the gospel and 326 00:32:09,579 –> 00:32:19,380 you continue in the gospel you will be saved by the gospel notice what he says 327 00:32:19,380 –> 00:32:23,760 I would remind you my brothers of the gospel I preach to you which are 328 00:32:24,359 –> 00:32:30,859 received in which you stand and by which you are being saved. if you hold fast to 329 00:32:30,859 –> 00:32:37,380 the word that I preached to you the promise of God to all who receive and 330 00:32:37,380 –> 00:32:44,020 continue in the gospel is that you will be saved by it and notice that Paul 331 00:32:44,020 –> 00:32:50,060 speaks of our salvation here in the present tense you are being saved. 332 00:32:50,060 –> 00:32:54,859 The continuing process 333 00:32:55,079 –> 00:33:03,479 before the Savior was born an angel told Joseph in a dream you will call his name 334 00:33:03,479 –> 00:33:13,099 Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. That’s the promise. Jesus 335 00:33:13,099 –> 00:33:21,800 will save you from your sins. He will give you strength to overcome them. He’ll 336 00:33:21,800 –> 00:33:27,619 save you from the guilt and the condemnation that sin brings. He’s going 337 00:33:27,619 –> 00:33:36,099 to deliver you from the control that sin exercises. And one day he’s going to save 338 00:33:36,160 –> 00:33:46,680 you from the very presence and even the very possibility of sin. There is hope in 339 00:33:46,680 –> 00:33:54,180 Jesus. There’s hope in Jesus because he died and rose again. There’s hope in 340 00:33:54,180 –> 00:33:59,839 Jesus through the grace that he brings. And there is hope in the Lord Jesus 341 00:34:00,619 –> 00:34:09,560 for all who will receive and continue in the gospel. Let’s pray together. Father we 342 00:34:09,560 –> 00:34:17,439 thank you that in this world where so much darkness reigns you have given to 343 00:34:17,439 –> 00:34:26,540 us the light of hope in and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grant that 344 00:34:26,639 –> 00:34:35,540 he may be of first importance to us. Grant that his marvelous grace flowing 345 00:34:35,540 –> 00:34:42,239 into our lives will deliver us when we find ourselves facing shame and regret 346 00:34:42,239 –> 00:34:47,419 for the past. Strengthen us in what you call us to pursue in the present and 347 00:34:47,419 –> 00:34:55,139 prepare us for the glory that yet lies ahead. Hear our prayers and grant that we 348 00:34:55,260 –> 00:35:02,020 may continue faithfully in the gospel until faith is turned to sight and we 349 00:35:02,020 –> 00:35:07,199 enter into all that Christ has purchased for us forever and ever through Jesus 350 00:35:07,199 –> 00:35:10,060 Christ our Lord. 351 00:35:10,899 –> 00:35:15,540 You’ve been listening to a sermon with pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 352 00:35:15,540 –> 00:35:21,419 To contact us call us at one eight seven seven open three six five or visit our 353 00:35:21,419 –> 00:35:25,280 website openthebible.org