25-0803a Transcript

Preacher: Steve Cain

(1:30) Well, I hope I live up to your expectations. (1:34) It is my honor to be able to be here in this setting and to look out over the audience that I have.

(1:41) Looking forward to presenting the lesson that I have prepared for you this morning. (1:49) And it is one of those that is on my heart. (1:54) The message that I want to provide throughout my life is the hope that God does give to all mankind.

(2:03) And the fact that he wants to reconcile us all to him, that’s really why he sent his son to die on the cross for all mankind. (2:12) He’s making offer, he’s making provisions for anybody. (2:17) It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done in your past, what you’re guilty of, it doesn’t matter.

(2:26) He wants to reconcile you to him. (2:29) He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but that all should come to repentance, an everlasting life. (2:36) That’s what he wants.

(2:39) So he’s holding out to us and giving us that which we need, and that is the hope of eternal life. (2:47) So that gets me into the lesson concerning hope. (2:53) The word hope contains various different meanings to the average person, and it means to breathe into this thing.

(3:06) But we oftentimes use the word hope in wanting a desire, longing for. (3:16) So oftentimes when somebody is talking to me and they’ll say, (3:24) How’s everything going? How’s your health? (3:26) And I say, Well, I hope it’s okay. I hope I’m doing fine.

(3:31) But you know, that’s not the hope. It’s as difficult as it. (3:35) Many times we’re referring to hope, and hope is a very important thing in our lives.

(3:45) Why do people drop out of school? (3:49) Why do students drop out of school before they even come close to graduating? (3:54) They don’t even finish. (3:55) A lot of them drop out of school at six years old or sixth grade, seventh grade, maybe even earlier than that. (4:04) We have individuals who give up on life.

(4:08) We have individuals who give up on diets. (4:13) And why do they give up? (4:17) It’s because they have no hope. (4:25) Talk to a kid that has dropped out of school.

(4:29) Ask him, Why did you drop out of school? (4:32) I didn’t see myself as having any hope of passing. (4:36) I don’t know math. I don’t know English.

(4:41) And I just don’t know these things. (4:44) And so in order for me to be able to pass and go through school, I have to know those things. (4:50) And I don’t know them.

(4:52) I’m going to fail anyway. (4:55) I’m going to fail out. (4:56) I’m not going to get a diploma.

(4:58) I have no hope. No hope. (5:05) Imagine that.

Just no hope. (5:09) So you ask a person, Why did you quit your diet? (5:12) Did you need to be losing some weight or gain health and eat properly? (5:22) Well, I don’t have enough money to buy my food, or I don’t have anybody to eat with. (5:29) There’s no real reason for me to gain weight or to better my health.

(5:36) I have no hope. (5:39) It’s the same thing, isn’t it? (5:41) I have no hope. (5:45) The same thing is true about church.

(5:48) Look at our attendance. (5:50) We’re desiring to increase our attendance, and we’re going to talk about that tonight. (5:56) If you come back and take that in.

(6:00) We’re going to talk about that. (6:03) Why do they drop out? (6:05) Because they don’t see themselves living up to the expectations of God. (6:12) Or their church members, their fellow Christians.

(6:15) They just don’t see themselves being able to bring their lives in line with what is expected of a Christian. (6:23) And they just don’t see that happening, and so they drop out. (6:29) No hope.

(6:32) No hope whatsoever. (6:34) What brought this to my attention was one day, I was with my children. (6:41) They were still in school, in grade school.

(6:44) And there was a play, a class play, being put on. (6:48) So I thought I would attend that class play. (6:51) It was Sherlock Holmes and the Hounds of the Baskerville.

(6:56) Now, I don’t know if you’re familiar with that particular story or not. (7:00) But anyway, I’m sitting there, not really paying a whole lot of attention to the play or to the activities. (7:07) But I was taking it in, and we were getting close to the end of the play.

(7:14) And Sherlock Holmes solved the problem. (7:18) He solved who was guilty. (7:21) And the individual was in the room.

(7:25) And you have to appreciate the setting. (7:28) The setting is in the woods. (7:31) And why is it called the Hounds of Baskerville? (7:34) It’s because this woods was full of hounds.

(7:38) And nobody dared to go through those woods because they knew that the hounds would attack them. (7:44) And so, here they are. (7:49) They’re out here in the middle of these woods, in this house.

(7:54) And the culprit has been found out. (7:59) And he bolts. (8:02) He leaves the house, and he’s running through the woods.

(8:07) Dr. Watson says to Sherlock, (8:09) Do you think he has any hope? (8:16) Sherlock says, he has no hope. (8:23) Oh, that just rang all kinds of bells for me. (8:27) I don’t know what that does for you.

(8:29) But that just rang all kinds of bells for me. (8:32) And that’s the reason why I preface my lesson on hope with the way in which I did it in the introduction. (8:41) Because you see, there’s no need for us to drop out of our relationship.

(8:48) God wants us to be encouraged. (8:53) He wants to help us to keep on keeping on and to know that our efforts will not be rewarded. (9:05) He wants us to know that it will be rewarded.

(9:08) And he wants us to know that he bent over backwards to give us that hope that you and I need in order to be able to live a Christian life. (9:23) All my life, and as I said, I’m 84. (9:26) I can’t say all my life, but the majority of my life was raised in the church.

(9:33) And so I heard this comment many, many times. (9:38) If you were to die today, do you know if you would be with God eternally in heaven? (9:49) The typical answer would be, how can one know? (9:56) Or, I hope so. (10:00) But God wants us to be more positive about our relationship with God.

(10:06) And he wants us to know that he’s bending over backwards to help us have that hope of eternal life. (10:16) And so, if you want to look at this, here’s proof that this is true. (10:24) Take a look at Ephesians.

(10:28) First chapter. (10:29) I’m reading from the New International Version. (10:31) I don’t know what version you all are reading from.

(10:35) I see New American Standard Version being quoted up there on the screen. (10:41) I’ve heard the scriptures being read from the New King James Version. (10:45) And I like the New International Version.

(10:49) But I’ll read from any version that anybody would like, because I read every version. (10:54) I start out every morning reading five chapters of Psalms, one chapter of Proverbs. (11:00) And each month, I change versions that I read.

(11:06) And so, I have the Bible program on my computer, so I can just easily hit whatever one I want to hit, (11:17) and how I want to read it, and I read it for a whole month. (11:20) I go through everything that I read is in that particular version for that month. (11:27) But I like when it comes time to be the NIV.

(11:32) So, let’s take a look at Paul’s writing to the Ephesians. (11:38) And he’s explaining to them a mystery that has been revealed to him. (11:45) Up until now, it has been a mystery as to what God has done, is doing, and will do, and what purpose it is.

(11:54) Peter says that the people of the past, the prophets of the past, and students of the scriptures of the past, (12:02) studied the scriptures to see if the things that were being promised to them was for them or for the future. (12:10) And Peter says, they discovered that it was for the future, for you and me. (12:16) So now, Paul says that the mystery has been revealed to me, (12:21) and I want you to know what that mystery is, and I want to share it with you, (12:26) because all the apostles have had this mystery revealed to them, (12:32) and wherever they go, they’re discussing the mystery that God has given to him.

(12:42) So, Paul wants us to know what has been revealed to him about what God planned, (12:50) and why we are living through what we’re living through. (12:54) New International Version. (12:58) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (13:03) who has blessed us in heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

(13:11) So he’s telling us, God is active, God is blessing us, and he’s doing it through Christ. (13:19) And so he’s giving us every spiritual blessing in Christ. (13:25) For he, who’s he? We’re still talking about God.

(13:29) God has not changed, or Paul has not changed his subject. (13:33) He’s talking about God. (13:36) So, God chose us in him, so now we need to figure out who’s him is.

(13:44) And he just got through talking to us about the fact that God is blessing us through Jesus. (13:50) So, he hasn’t changed the subject matter, has he? (13:55) So, God is blessing us through Jesus before the creation of the world (14:03) to be holy and blameless in his sight. (14:08) You know, over the years, over the years, as I was growing up, (14:16) it was thought that perhaps when Adam and Eve ate of the apple, (14:23) or whatever it was, the fruit of the tree, (14:28) that it caught God off guard, (14:31) that God had to go back to the drawing boards to figure out how to save us (14:36) and just to bring us back to him.

(14:39) But Paul’s saying here, the whole ordeal was planned (14:46) because he intended to bless us through Jesus. (14:51) So, Adam and Eve fell right into God’s plan. (14:58) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

(15:02) We know that, don’t we? (15:04) So, that includes Adam and Eve and anyone who has and continues to live (15:11) are falling short of the glory of God. (15:14) So, he wants us to realize that God is planning a way to redeem us (15:22) and to reconcile us to him. (15:24) And so, he’s planning this.

(15:27) So, for he chose us in him before the creation of the world. (15:32) This is before any of us existed. (15:36) Before Adam and Eve was existing.

(15:38) This was in God’s mind and it was conceived. (15:43) What do we know about God? (15:46) What is your definition of God? (15:49) It wasn’t too long ago. (15:51) In fact, it was just this week, I believe, (15:53) that they put up a statue for Superman.

(16:00) I hope you don’t go see that. (16:03) But anyway, Superman. (16:06) What about Superman? (16:09) Superman can do everything.

(16:11) He’s faster than a speeding bullet. (16:13) He can leap tall buildings. (16:15) But he has a weakness, doesn’t he? (16:17) Does that make him Superman? (16:20) No.

(16:21) He’s not Superman because he’s got a weakness. (16:24) His weakness is kryptonite. (16:27) All you’ve got to do is bring some kryptonite from his planet (16:31) that he was originated from.

(16:33) He would become an ordinary person. (16:37) So, you call him Superman? (16:41) So, the question is, what about God? (16:48) God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present. (16:56) Is there anything that God doesn’t know? (17:00) Is there anything that God can’t do? (17:04) No.

(17:05) So, whatever is consumed in God’s mind is going to happen. (17:14) It’s going to happen. (17:17) So, consider that.

(17:19) So, for he chose us in him before the creation of the world (17:24) to be holy and blameless in his sight, in love. (17:29) And notice this. (17:31) Everything that is happening in our lives and what God is doing for us (17:36) and will do for us and has done for us is out of love.

(17:44) So, Jesus came to die for our sins. (17:48) That’s just because God loved us. (17:51) For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

(17:54) Right? (17:55) So, he wants to provide us with an opportunity to be reconciled to him. (18:02) Why? (18:02) Because he loves us. (18:06) His grace is the product of love.

(18:11) And Jesus' coming is the product of grace. (18:17) So, everything that you and I are experiencing is from love. (18:23) It is from the love of God and Jesus being God.

(18:28) It’s the love of Jesus, too. (18:31) And it’s not only God the Father or God the Son or God the Holy Spirit. (18:36) They all love us and they all have and are performing for us out of grace.

(18:44) Because of grace. (18:46) So, notice, as we go through this, his sight and love. (18:55) He predestined us, picking up when we’re, I believe, five.

(19:00) He predestined us for adoption to sonship. (19:06) How about that? (19:07) When does that happen? (19:09) Obviously, that happens when we become a Christian. (19:12) When we put Christ on at baptism.

(19:15) That’s when we become children of God. (19:18) And God becomes our Father. (19:20) And Jesus becomes our Brother and our Savior and our High Priest.

(19:28) He represents us. (19:29) But anyway, I digress a little bit. (19:32) I get ahead of myself.

(19:33) Not digress. (19:34) I get ahead of myself. (19:35) Okay.

(19:37) So, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ. (19:43) In accordance with his pleasure and will. (19:48) To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us.

(19:54) In the one he loves. (19:56) In him, we have redemption through his blood. (20:01) The forgiveness of our sins.

(20:04) In accordance with the riches of God’s grace. (20:08) That he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (20:14) He made known to us the mystery of his will.

(20:18) According to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ. (20:23) To be put into effect when the times reached their fulfillment. (20:30) To bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

(20:38) God is providing us with hope. (20:41) Can we be reconciled to him? (20:44) Yes, we can. (20:46) He is reaching out to us.

(20:48) And he’s providing with the opportunity to be reconciled to him. (20:52) And he wants us to come to him through Jesus, doesn’t he? (20:57) There is no other name under heaven whereby man may be saved. (21:01) He wants us to come to him through Jesus.

(21:06) And the ultimate thing is that when we pass away. (21:11) And go into the realms where Jesus is in God’s honor. (21:18) He wants us to glorify him.

(21:21) Why? (21:23) Because out of love, he reconciled us to him. (21:27) And because out of love, we’ve been reconciled to him. (21:31) We can look forward to being with him eternally in heaven.

(21:38) Hope. (21:40) We have hope. (21:42) So where’s the hope? (21:44) As we read in 1 Peter.

(21:48) What was the scripture again? (21:50) 1 Peter 3, verse 15. (21:54) Let’s take a look at that one more time. (21:56) For as we look at that, we are to be able to give a reason for the hope that lies within us.

(22:11) Let’s take a look. (22:12) 1 Peter 3. (22:14) And let’s re-read that. (22:16) Let’s pick up at verse 13.

(22:18) I did sell ourselves for a little bit. (22:21) And Scott challenged me when I gave my scriptures to him. (22:27) I didn’t give him the whole thing.

(22:30) I was just showing my notes. (22:32) But anyway, I wanted to look at these things. (22:35) So verse 13.

(22:36) Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? (22:42) But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. (22:48) Do not fear their threats. (22:50) Do not be frightened.

(22:52) But in your hearts, revere Christ as Lord. (22:59) Always. (23:00) What? (23:02) Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

(23:11) Do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, (23:18) to that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (23:29) So what is Peter telling us? (23:34) You need to have that knowledge that if I were to die today, will I be with him eternally in heaven? (23:45) But the answer should be, yes. (23:52) How do you feel that way? (23:57) Because God extended to me the opportunity to reconcile with him and have all my past and all my sins forgiven.

(24:09) All my past, all my sins forgiven. (24:15) But what about now? (24:17) You know, I was raised again back when I was 18, 19, 20 years old, something like that. (24:27) You needed to be ready to…​ (24:33) I’m trying to think whether I’m going to include this or not, but I’m going to.

(24:40) How can you know? (24:42) How can you know that you’re going to be with God eternally in heaven? (24:45) I’ve already given you the answer to that. (24:49) So as I’ve heard these things, another thing would be brought up. (24:55) And that is, well, if you pray, you need to be praying before you die.

(25:01) Because your sins will keep you from being considered as worthy of being up in heaven. (25:10) So what are they telling me? (25:13) If I know I’m going to die, I better be praying as I die, God please forgive me of my sins. (25:19) But what if I’m in an accident and I have no opportunity to ask God for forgiveness of my sins up to this point? (25:28) What am I going to do about that? (25:31) How can I be assured that I’m going to be with God eternally in heaven? (25:39) Especially if I haven’t had the opportunity to be.

(25:41) You know, that’s one of the reasons why Catholics baptize infants is because they used to practice baptism just before you died. (25:54) Used to. (25:58) But they realize, you know, hey, can’t always do that, can we? (26:05) But the thing is, we have an answer for them, don’t we? (26:10) 1 John, first chapter.

(26:12) Take a look at 1 John. (26:14) As I turn to 1 John, first chapter, John introduces the fact that he and his disciples and fellow disciples (26:35) had the opportunity to witness Jesus. (26:40) They walked with him, they handled him, they touched him, they communicated with him, they ate with him, they slept with him.

(26:47) And they wanted us to realize that they had a privilege that you and I really don’t have from that standpoint of recognizing and seeing Jesus firsthand. (27:02) But we do from faith, don’t we? (27:05) Recognize that God is providing us. (27:11) So what do we believe about God? (27:15) Hebrews, the 11th chapter.

(27:17) Don’t turn there. (27:19) You can write it down if you want to. (27:22) Hebrews, the 11th chapter, tells us what pleases God.

(27:29) What pleases God is that we believe that he is and that he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him. (27:38) So we must have a great faith about God and his existence and that there is a judgment day and that there is a heaven and a hell. (27:51) And we must respect the fact that that judgment day is going to determine whether we go to heaven or whether we go to hell.

(28:01) We must respect that. (28:04) So we must have a faith that God is. (28:07) And we must want to reconcile ourselves with him.

(28:11) We want to be pleasing to him. (28:13) We want to be able to say, yes, I believe in you, God, and I believe in your divine intervention, providence and preservation. (28:21) I believe that you involve yourselves in my life the way it is.

(28:25) And so I want to be with you eternally in heaven. (28:28) So that requires faith. (28:33) But there’s something else that requires faith.

(28:37) And what is that that requires faith? (28:41) That God is presenting Jesus as our Savior. (28:46) And it takes faith to accept Jesus and that God provided him with the opportunity to die on the cross for you and me. (28:57) It takes faith to believe that Jesus was God, as the Philippian letter points out to us.

(29:11) And did not consider being God a thing to be grasped, but he became one of us. (29:15) It takes faith to believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and me. (29:23) And that if we become a disciple of his, he will forgive us of our sins and present us before God without spot and without plemish.

(29:34) It takes faith in believing that. (29:37) I have to believe that. (29:39) It takes great faith.

(29:42) So, you have become a Christian. (29:45) You’ve been baptized for remission of your sins. (29:51) Do I have to pray before I die? (29:56) John tells us no.

(30:00) John gives us some words that we think that we really need to hang on to. (30:07) And so as we read 1 John, picking up at verse 5. (30:15) This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you. (30:20) God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.

(30:26) If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. (30:42) But, and there is the big but. (30:45) And here is where our hope lies.

(30:51) But, if we walk in the light, this is verse 7. (30:57) If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his son, will purify us from all sin. (31:13) What is that? (31:15) From the day you were baptized to now, until the day you die, Jesus is walking with you. (31:27) He is your friend.

(31:28) He asked me about a song. (31:30) What a friend we have in Jesus. (31:32) That would be a beautiful song.

(31:36) What does it take for you? (31:37) You have friends. (31:39) What does it take for you to break up that friendship? (31:44) What would it take for you to walk away from that friendship? (31:50) It would take a lot, wouldn’t it? (31:56) Visualize Jesus as your brother. (31:58) He is your friend.

(32:00) He is your high priest. (32:02) And as long as we are trying, and as long as we are walking in the light as he is in the light, and that is what it means. (32:08) Our demeanor.

(32:09) Our demeanor is, I am a Christian. (32:12) I am trying to be righteous. (32:14) I am dedicating my whole life, as Paul would write in Romans, the 12th chapter, present yourself as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.

(32:26) So, if I am doing those things, Jesus' blood continues to cleanse me. (32:32) And I don’t have to worry about whether or not I am dying with a prayer in my mind. (32:40) As long as I am walking, keep on trucking, keep on keeping on, and that is where our hope is.

(32:48) And it keeps me from falling out. (32:52) It keeps me from quitting. (32:54) It gives me every incentive to keep on keeping on.

(33:02) And I try to instill that in my wife. (33:08) She said, oh my God. (33:10) Who knows? (33:12) Fear? (33:15) What’s that? (33:18) How about you? (33:23) What is the hope? (33:25) Do you have that hope in eternal life? (33:30) You can have it.

(33:32) God wants you to have it. (33:34) He has made every provision in this. (33:37) By His grace, He has made every provision out of His love for us.

(33:43) He has made every provision for anybody, (33:48) whosoever will. (33:51) He has made provision for those who want to be reconciled to Him, (33:57) and honor Him as God, and live their lives in the manner and fashion that God pleases. (34:09) Divine intervention, providence, and preservation.

(34:12) That’s my thing. (34:13) I love it. (34:15) You’ll hear it from me often.

(34:18) But how about it? (34:21) Where do you stand? (34:23) What is your relationship with God? (34:26) Can you give a reason for the hope? (34:28) And that hope better be in you. (34:31) That hope needs to be in you. (34:36) If not, we’d like to extend to you the opportunity to become a Christian.

(34:40) Everything’s ready. (34:40) I would perceive that there’s water, and I would perceive that there are garments, (34:45) and I perceive that we can assist you in doing whatever it is you need. (34:50) And if you need the prayers of the congregation or whatever, (34:55) I’d like to extend to you the opportunity to do so.

(34:58) But together you stand and sing the song of encouragement that has been selected.