[0:00] I greet you in Jesus' name this morning. Have you sold everything for that treasure?
[0:12] ! Where are we at today?! Have we given, have we sold everything that we might gain Christ?
[0:33] This morning, I have a verse I want to start with. I want to build on this. And that is in Colossians chapter 1.
[0:56] Here he's talking and we might go back and look at more of this chapter here in a little bit. But he talks about a mystery here.
[1:07] And in verse 26, he says, even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints, to whom God would make known.
[1:21] what is the riches of the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
[1:33] Christ in you, the hope of glory. And as I look at this, what is our hope?
[1:47] what is our hope? He says, the hope of glory. Our hope is glory. It's eternal life. It's, it is that after this life, there will be a resurrection and, and we will have eternal life.
[2:06] that is our hope. And I, um, so this morning I want to talk about our hope.
[2:18] The hope of eternal life. And is this, you know, I know that many people will look at this word hope and, and they have it as, well, I hope this will happen.
[2:37] I, I think it might, or, you know, I, it's like wishful thinking. That's not what we're talking about today. Let's look at a few definitions of, of the hope that I'm talking about today.
[2:54] It is to anticipate. It is, uh, to anticipate usually with pleasure in expectation or confidence.
[3:05] We have faith, hope, and trust. We trust in our savior. We trust in our Lord. And we have this hope that he is talking about.
[3:16] We are confident. We trust in him. We, in, in all, uh, we rely upon him reliance and to expect, to look for in the Webster.
[3:29] He says, a feeling that what is wanted will happen with anticipation or expectation. The object, what is the object of our hope?
[3:44] hope. You know, this morning, as we look at this word and as we look at, at, at these things, it all depends, it all rests upon who our hope is in.
[4:02] What is the object of our hope? who, who, well, then the Webster said, a person or thing from which something may be hoped.
[4:16] A person or a thing. Where we have our hope. So who do we have our hope in today? This is where it all rests upon.
[4:29] It rests upon whether our hope is in Jesus or whether our hope is in our good works and in doing the best I can and, and, and all of that.
[4:42] I believe that all of us have this hope. We have, we have a hope or we would not be here today. But what I want to look at is, is our hope in Christ or is it in ourselves and in our good life that we can live?
[5:05] So, so let's look again at these verses. You know, before this, in this chapter, he's talking about Christ and, and his greatness and, and, and he is the one that delivered us.
[5:22] Let's start reading in verse 13. Who has delivered us from the power of darkness. Talking about our Lord Jesus. He has delivered us from the powers of darkness.
[5:36] And he's translated us into the kingdom of his dear son. We are now translated. If we're born again, we're translated into the kingdom of Jesus in whom we have redemption through the blood of Jesus.
[5:54] Even the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things created that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
[6:16] all things were created by him and for him. And he is before all things. And by him, all things consist.
[6:30] And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things, he might have the preeminence.
[6:43] For it pleased the father that in him should all fullness dwell. And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself.
[6:57] By him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And you, he's talking about us who were sometime alienated and enemies in our minds by wicked works.
[7:11] Yet now hath he reconciled. And how has he reconciled us? In the body of his flesh through death, to present us holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, if we continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.
[7:34] So here he talks about our Lord Jesus. And he talks about who he is. The son of God and the one.
[7:46] He says, by him and for him, all things were and are created. So we have Jesus, the only name given among men, whereby we must be saved.
[7:58] But what is that verse that we read to start with? Is Christ in you the hope of glory? You know, so do you have Christ in you?
[8:11] Or do you only know about this Christ? There's the biggest difference. Do we know him personally? Is he dwelling in our heart?
[8:23] Or are we, do we just know about him? You know, I was reminded some years ago, I, a few of us had gone to a, to a men's seminar, whatever it was.
[8:40] And, and they had a speaker there. And this man gave his personal testimony. And he told us, he told us how he, you know, when he was young, he would, he was, he thought he was on fire for God.
[9:01] He, he, he, he thought he was a fanatic. He went out witnessing, passing out tracts and street preaching. And, and he got, he, at one point, one time they, they got together as a small group.
[9:17] And, and they just spent days until, they just read the Bible through, all the way through, all the way through, without, much of a break.
[9:29] And so, he knew a lot about God. And he thought he was a Christian. And he thought he was on the right track.
[9:39] And he thought he was actually a fanatic for our Lord Jesus. But not long after, he came to realize that he was not born again.
[9:51] He came to realize that he knew a lot about God, but he did not have God in his heart. And I was just so challenged with that testimony.
[10:07] And, just thinking of this, isn't it, the saddest thing that can happen to a man is when he thinks that he is right.
[10:18] When he thinks he's walking in the right way. But somehow, somehow he missed it. And he's not born again. He doesn't have the living Christ in his heart.
[10:35] Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is our only hope of glory, is Christ within us. Christ, Christ in us.
[10:54] When we become, when we are born again, we become the habitation of God through the Spirit. And we'll be talking about this as we go along here.
[11:07] In Peter, there's a verse that says, talks about the promises of God. And he says, that by these, ye might be partakers of the divine nature.
[11:23] Another verse says, that we have a lively hope, a living hope. Our hope is in Christ. It's our only hope. In Hebrews, in Hebrews 6, 19, I think I'll turn to that one.
[11:45] He says, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.
[11:58] You know, Jesus is our anchor. That is where our hope is anchored in. You know, if our hope is in my good works, if my hope is in, in, in trying to live a good life, in trying to live pleasing to God, you know, those are things that will follow if we are born again and we have Christ in our heart.
[12:33] in, in, let's get a couple verses here in Timothy and in Titus. In, in 1 Timothy 1, 1, he starts here and he says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God, our Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope, which is our hope.
[13:05] In Titus, chapter 2, I'll start here in verse 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
[13:43] Now, notice he says here, looking for that blessed hope. You know, we, if we have Christ in our heart, we can confidently look forward to the day when we will meet him and we will experience the culmination of our hope.
[14:03] The glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Isn't that, isn't that the end of our hope?
[14:13] That is when our hope will be realized, when we see him in his coming, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.
[14:35] Jesus came for this purpose. He came to redeem us. He came to set us free. He came to separate us from a lost and a dying world.
[14:50] Now, in chapter 3, in verse 5 to 7, it is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
[15:33] The washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. You know, what does it mean to be born again? You know, Jesus said in John 3, Jesus said, ye must be born again.
[15:52] Let's just look a little bit at what Jesus told Nicodemus here. And I believe that we all know, we all know that there's people that build on religion, they build on living a good life, and many of us have come from that background.
[16:21] But have we been born again? Have we, like Corinthians says, that old things have passed away, and behold, all things are become new?
[16:36] Jesus said in John 3, 3, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
[16:50] Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?
[17:01] Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
[17:12] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.
[17:24] You know, and Jesus brought this out, but you know, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is spirit.
[17:35] And I say it says that our own righteousness is as filthy rags. It is a terrible thing in the sight of God that the righteousness that we can build, that we try to establish in our own self, in our own flesh, that righteousness is a terrible, terrible thing.
[18:01] It is as filthy rags before him. what is it to be born again? It is a literal birth of the power and presence of God in the heart.
[18:16] A literal birth. You know, it is not something mystical, but it is of the spirit of God. That is what it is. And I want to go to Peter, where he talks about that seed of Christ that is put within us, is how we are born again.
[18:37] But remember, to be born again, it is a literal birth of the power and presence of God in the heart.
[18:51] In Peter, I believe I might have quoted this verse already, but that we are partakers of the divine nature. when we are born again, we are partakers of the divine nature.
[19:07] Now, let's turn to 1 Peter, and we will look here in verse 2 in the first chapter.
[19:19] Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
[19:30] Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you.
[20:00] Here he says unto a lively hope and how is this? He says to an inheritance this is our hope for the future is our inheritance that is incorruptible and it is undefiled and it fades not away and it is reserved in heaven for us for us who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time so we are if we are born again and we have this hope within us we are kept by the power of God we are kept unto that day by the power of God now let's look he's talking about Jesus and in the end of verse 7 that the trial of your faith be much more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tried with fire might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing of
[21:17] Jesus Christ this this is his desire and this is what he will do is he will keep us he will keep us that we will be found in this way at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls so this is that blessed hope that we that we have in our heart that we trust our Lord Jesus to fulfill in us is the salvation of our souls and he goes on he talks about how the prophets how they desire so much to to to understand this grace that that we are now partakers of but they got a glimpse of it but they did not really they could not really understand it
[22:32] I believe but let's drop on down verse 18 for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot who barely was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God seeing you purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit and unfaint love of the brethren see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently being born again not of corruptible!
[23:44] by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever! So when we're born again we have that seed of Christ put within us what is that it's the Holy Ghost comes and and and and we're birthed anew like that quote that I read to you being born again is a literal birth of the power and presence of God in the heart by the Holy Ghost Jesus is the living word and as we hear the word of God and we accept it and we say yes to him we are we can be born again if you've not experienced this if you've not experienced the life changing new birth you can today you can today we are redeemed not by silver and gold but by the precious blood of
[25:05] Christ the precious blood of Christ why is the blood of Christ precious because he is the only begotten son of the father he is the son of God who came to this earth and he lived a sinless life he was tempted in all points like as we are and yet without sin he lived a life above the power of sin he defeated the devil in his life and by his death he defeated our enemy and so now we'll be seeing here in a minute we are made righteous by him as we accept him God raised Jesus from the dead verse 21 he raised him from the dead and he gave him glory he it pleased the father that in him might all the fullness dwell
[26:23] Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father and God has highly exalted him above every name that is named not only in this earth not only in this world but in the world to come and he gave him glory that our faith and our hope can rest in him in God in our Lord Jesus as we sell what we have as we sell what we can do in our own self as we lay that down at the foot of the cross and we accept him and his righteousness and his provisions for us we can be born again now in second
[27:26] Corinthians a verse that I believe I've probably quoted so in chapter five I want to read verse 14 to 17 for the love of Christ constrain us because we thus judge that if one died for all then we're all dead and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again Jesus gave his life he laid down his life for us he loved us for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and so he laid down his life for us so what less can we do but to live our life for him says here verse 15 that they which live should not henceforth live for themselves but unto him but unto
[28:50] Jesus the one who died for us he laid down his life for us therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new you know when we are born again we become a new creation in Christ Jesus and that old life passes away old things pass away and all things become new has that happened in your life or have you tried to change the old life have you tried to to revamp that old life to remodel it into something that is pleasing to God you know that does not work it is only Christ in us that is pleasing to God what is that verse I don't have it in my notes but
[29:52] I believe I can find it the apostle Paul he said I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me the life that I now live I live what does he say here he says I died with Christ but I live the life I now live I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me and then he says I do not frustrate the grace of God for if righteousness come by the law then
[30:53] Christ is dead in vain you know if we could live a good enough life to be holy and righteous in the sight of God then it would not have been necessary for Christ to die it would not have been necessary for him to come and to give his life for us but it is totally impossible for us to live a life that is pleasing to God outside of being born again and filled with the spirit of God living our life by the power of God in Ezekiel there's a prophecy that says a new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you you you know I believe can you imagine here were these people in the old testament and they knew they couldn't they couldn't keep the law perfectly but here was a prophecy here was a promise that
[31:58] God would someday he would give them a new heart he would give them a heart after God he would give them a new heart and a new spirit he would give them a new life and he would give them power to overcome what a wonderful God that we have in Ephesians chapter two here's some verses that I memorized when I was in grade school and I want to read Ephesians chapter two it starts here you know chapter one talks about the greatness of our Christ and and the greatness of his power and how
[33:00] God has set him far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and he has put all things under his feet and he gave him to be the head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him that filleth all in all that is the end of chapter one the greatness of our Christ but yet it is the same Jesus the same one that God is so highly exalted is the one that wishes to dwell in our heart and he says in chapter two he starts with you hath he quickened who were dead and trespasses and sins and this is what happens when we become born again we are quickened we are delivered from that old life he says and he talks about that old life how we used to walk in the course of this world and and according to the prince of the power of the air and and all of that but then he goes on and we'll start reading in verse six and hath raised us and made us sit together in heavenly places in
[34:24] Christ Jesus that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them so when we're born again we are seated together with Christ in heavenly places and we are saved by grace it is only by the grace of God by the blood of Jesus Christ that we are saved in Romans 5 1 he says that it is by faith that we have access into this grace wherein we stand for it is by grace that we are saved through faith it's not of ourselves but it is the gift of
[35:41] God and you know it's a free gift we cannot earn it we cannot earn it we cannot live a good enough life to earn it but it is a free gift if we will come to him and allow him to fill us to come and to birth us anew if we will lay down our old he will give us that new life if you will bring your single candy he will give you a whole bag I love that this morning it was very good if we will come and give our life lay down our life at the foot of the cross he will give us a new life he will give us abundant life he will give us a life that is full of the Holy Ghost he will give us a life that will overcome he will give us a life that has the hope of eternal life it is the gift of
[36:59] God it is the gift of God now in Romans chapter 10 he's he's talking about Israel but I believe that we have many people trying to do this even in our day you know and let me say before I forget it the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the son it is a free gift and when we reject that and we refuse to lay down the old but we try to establish our own righteousness like I quoted Isaiah says our own righteousness is as filthy rags it is a terrible thing in the sight of
[38:01] God why because we rejected the righteousness of our Lord Jesus we rejected his provisions and the free gift that he gave now in Romans 10 he says brethren my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge you know remember the the man I told you about that had that testimony of being a fanatic for for Jesus but yet he didn't know Jesus personally he was not born again this describes him he had a zeal of God but it was a zeal in his flesh in himself for they being ignorant of
[39:09] God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God and I believe today we have many people doing this they they reject the righteousness of God and so they are ignorant of his righteousness they are ignorant of the provisions of God because they have not submitted themselves to him and so they go about to establish their own righteousness you know the Jews they they go about to keep the law and to establish their own righteousness in that way and we have many people today that try to live a separated life to establish their own righteousness in that way it's the same it's the same as the
[40:13] Jews it just manifests itself in a different way and by doing that they have not submitted themselves into the righteousness of God you know when we reject when we reject the righteousness of God you know the way it usually is is we hear the word of God you hear the word of God about being born again we hear the word of God about coming to the foot of the cross and and laying down that old life and and dying to self and and allowing that old man to to die to die with Christ and to arise a new man in Christ we hear that but somehow it doesn't become reality we reject it it's a terrible thing when we reject the provisions of God and we go about to establish our own righteousness but if we do not submit ourselves to the righteousness of God we will continue to try to be to live a life pleasing to God in our own strength in our own flesh verse 4 for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth you know all we need to do is believe in
[41:49] Jesus believe that he shed his blood for us believe that he is the son of God and he gave his life that I can have eternal life Jesus came and when he did that was the end of humanity trying to live a good enough life to please God you know when we're born again and we live the new life it will please God and it will be full of good works but we we cannot do good works to please God to merit our salvation verse six but the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring
[42:53] Christ down from above or who shall descend that is to bring up Christ again from the dead but what sayeth it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in the heart that is the word of faith which we preach that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth on the righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation so here in very simple terms in very simple words he tells us what we need to do to be born again is when we hear the word of God when we hear this word and and faith arises in our heart he says if we confess with our mouth the
[43:57] Lord Jesus and we believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead we shall be saved we shall be saved you know if we believe in Jesus and we confess that with our mouth for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation if we believe in the heart then we must also say it with our mouth and I believe it will come out it will come out why because we will have a new heart and our heart will be overflowing!
[44:43] You know I one time I this was so wonderful I was talking with a young man and you know just you know how are you doing and whatever and you know he he said well I'm just not sure if I'm born again and I said well I mean we can make sure we can take care of that and so he prayed and you know what one of the first things he said after he had prayed he said I gotta go tell somebody praise the Lord if it's real in your heart you will want to go tell somebody amen hallelujah whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved oh yes hallelujah so this morning if you're not sure if you don't if you're not sure that you have that that real hope of eternal life in your heart you can take care of that this morning yes you can yes the
[46:09] God of hope he will fill you with all joy and peace in believing do you have that joy do you have that peace it's available for each one of us today he will meet you wherever you're at you know if you're not sure it is of the utmost importance that you become sure this morning may the Lord bless you