We sang in the song, There is
a Fountain, these words. The dying thief rejoiced. That means in their heart, in
his heart. It's not just being happy, it's
not just speaking well about what's good. It's not just feeling
good about what's going on or whatever is surrounding you or
for whatever cause you might have. It's rejoicing from within. That's what the word rejoice
there means. He rejoiced. He rejoiced to see that fountain
in his day. And there may I Though vile as
he, wash all my sins away. I have a message today for me. Maybe the Lord will be pleased
to bless you with it. I hope so. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, we read
in verse 13, that I would not have you to
be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, and that
means have died, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have
no hope. I was in San Diego at the first of last month, as
you know, and I met a young woman, two As a matter
of fact, one married, one not, one single. At the home of our
brother Mike Smith, who is the, who's doing the best he can to
hold the church together, we know that Christ is the one who
holds the church together. But Mike's doing all the duties
of a pastor other than preaching. And during that time there, he
had planned a barbecue with his sisters. And one of them had been ill.
Her name is Kimberly. I don't want to use the term
one anymore. I want to use her name. Her name is Kimberly. and she had been ill for some
time. They didn't know what it was,
they'd just been ill. She wasn't feeling right. She
definitely wasn't rejoicing like we saw, like we sang in the psalm. But yet, she was having a good
day. And I got a chance to sit with
her and talk with both sisters by the pool. And they, I had originally planned
on not telling them that I was a pastor, because when you tell
somebody you're a pastor, the first thing you start hearing
is about, oh, how I did this, and oh yeah, all of a sudden
you just start hearing about all of the experiences a person
has been through religiously. And for most of the time I was
there and they didn't know. And then I think Karen let it
out accidentally, but we got around to talking a little bit
about religion and what my thoughts were of who God is. And it was
real obvious that she didn't believe this. I don't think she had much belief
of anything at that time. She died. Last night. I got up at four o'clock as I
normally do on Sundays and I wrote my notes. I had already hoped
to bring a message titled One Hope. And then I saw the The message from my dear brother. When one of our brethren hurt, we do too. It was his youngest
sister. Some of you know already that
Mike lost his son, his oldest son. kayaking on a river in Colorado
last year, just barely a year ago. What he's going through is beyond
my understanding. My brothers and sisters still
live. My children still live. But my heart breaks for him. Paul, writing under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, is telling the Thessalonians here, the church
at Thessalonica, we sorrow. We sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope. Does my brother Mike have hope
right at the moment for his sister? You know, have you ever said
to yourself about a loved one? They showed no sign of knowing
the Lord in spirit nor in truth. Have you ever said that about
one of your loved ones? Here's why this message is for
me. Oh, how I have erred in putting hope in outward signs. It always comes around to this
discussion, doesn't it? They didn't show any signs. of knowing who the Lord is. I
don't know that I have any hope for Him. How wrong. How wrong of
me to do that. Do I put any hope in what I see
in this flesh? No. I don't. I can't. I can't put any hope
in what I feel. I can't put any hope in what
I think. I can't put any hope, especially
in anything I do. Everything about this man who
stands before you is tainted with sin. Everything. There's no hope in this flesh.
Well, why would I seek hope in somebody else if I won't even
look for that hope in myself, if I can't even look for that
hope? Why would I? And you know I'm
doing it in my heart. You know I'm judging in my heart.
Don't tell me you can't judge others. We do it all the time.
Look how we judge each other in politics. My mother, now here comes a confession
to you. My mother was a religious woman,
and I don't know if she was saved any more than I know if any of
you are. I can't read your hearts. I don't
know what the Lord has done in your lives. I don't know what
happens, what you think, what the Lord might do. You know,
that thief! Rejoiced, what? In the last hour. He was hanging on the cross. He
was dying. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 12
we read these words that at that time ye were without Christ being
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from
the covenant of promise having no hope and without God in the
world. Before the The Apostle Paul wrote
those words. He wrote these words, But God,
who is rich in mercy. Now let me just make sure I read
it properly. Hang on, I'm going to turn over
there real quick. Read it right because I don't want to trust
it to memory. But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love wherewith He loved us even when we were
dead, and sins hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
ye are saved." Do you truly believe that? I thought I did. I think I do.
I think I truly believe that. Yet here I am judging this poor
girl, this woman who was taken from this world by an illness,
who suffered for several months with it. Here I am judging whether
she's saved or not over what I've seen. I'm yelling at myself. God, forgive me. Was that not John Reeves that
I just read about having no hope and without God in the world? I may have had some kind of imaginary
hope of, well, I do this, or I do that, or I didn't do this,
or I didn't do that. But there was no basis of truth
at all. My hope was in something I could
see, something I could do. Look at Philippians chapter 3. Turn over to Philippians. Flip
you into the beat of the left. Philippians chapter 3, beginning
at verse 1, we read these words, Finally, my brethren, rejoice
in the Lord, to write the same things to you, to me indeed,
is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware
of evil workers, beware of concision. Stop there for just a moment
before you go to verse 3. This is talking about me. This
is talking about that sin that is within me that can rear up
its ugly head in just a drop of a pen. This is that ugly sin that judges
somebody on what I see with my eyes, rather than trusting in
the Lord, where my trust should be, rather than hoping in Him,
which is where my hope should be. We say that we have a hope that
the world doesn't have. And then I turn around after
saying that very thing and put my hope in what I see instead
of Him. Those words in chapter 2 can
be applied to me. Verse 3, for we are the circumcision
which worships God in spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus,
and have no confidence in the flesh. Well, if I have no confidence
in my own flesh, where am I getting off trying to put confidence
in their flesh? Our God can do anything He desires,
folks. And His desire is that He should
save His people. There's no question about it.
The slightest little doubt that God's people would not be
saved, even if it's something that I see within my own eyes.
Do you realize we can apply this very thing to each other? 26 years I've been coming to this
church, several times I have seen Groups of people separate
over stupid, foolish little things. Instead of remembering that we're
all sinners. And that we're all saved by the
grace of God. You see where I'm going with
our hope? Don't fall to what I have. Don't
let yourself fall into the trap that I have. When we say our hope is I'm concerned. I'm concerned
for people that are traveling from long distances, some by
themselves. But where's my hope? My hope
should be in the Lord. If He is desired and purposed
for them to be here, they will be here. If He is desired. and purpose
them to be home with Him, they will be exactly where He has
purposed them to be. That's where my hope needs to
be. I hope this message, I pray this
message gives you hope, the hope that we see in Scriptures, not
the hope that we think of in this flesh, not the hope that
we think is wise in our minds, but the hope that God gives us
from His Word, By revelation, we know that this
flesh is weak. We know that if God were to remove
his powerful hand of restraint, my thoughts would be right there
with the silliness and the foolishness of man's imaginations. Yet scriptures talk about a hope,
a hope for the hopeless. Look with me over at Ephesians
4. Look at verses 4 and 6. There is one body. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 4,
there is one body, one spirit, even a year called
in one hope. That's what we're talking about
right there. One hope. Not hope in you, not hope in
me, but hope in Him. That's what it's talking about
being one with. When Christ comes and cuts away
that old stony heart that said, I will not have you rule over
me, when we bow the knee to Him as our King, as our God,
Because He has made us and caused us to bow. Everything of this world becomes
damned. Isn't that what we sing in that
song, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus? Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Oh,
I think I have it right here. Look fully. on His wonderful
face, and the things of earth will go strangely dim in the
light of His glory and grace. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all
in you all. Now I'd like you to turn back
again to the right to Colossians chapter 1. While you're turning there, allow
me if you would to read from the Psalms 118 verse 8. Is it better to trust in the
Lord than to put confidence in a man? Does that mean somebody else? Or does that mean this man who
stands before you? Verse 9, it says, it is better
to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Who's John Reeves' prince? Who's
the prince of John Reeves? The very one who thought, I'll
do it my way. Proverbs 25, 19, confidence is
in And an unfaithful man in a time of trouble is like a broken tooth,
a foot out of joint. Micah 7 verse 5, trust ye not
in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide. And then we read this already,
Philippians 3 verse 3, for we are the circumcision which worship
God in spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence
in the flesh. We who belong to the Almighty,
we who have been called from the darkness we once walked in,
we who have been shown our true nature, dead in trespasses and
sin, the spiritual deadness that we once lived in, see there can
be no confidence in any man, any woman, they are all flesh,
all have gone after their own way, after what seems right in
their own eyes. That's our nature. A true child
of God knows this is our very heart. To see life in Christ
Jesus, one must see our own depravity, our own state before a thrice
holy God. To know that we are saved is
to know what we are saved from. I remember one of the, a message
that And that was the message, is
are there any sinners here today? Henry Mayhem. Are there any sinners? Do you know Christ came to save
sinners? Once I was blind, but now I see. How have I come to see? What
have I come to see? I've come to see grace. How did I come to see? I came by grace, to see grace. That means there was nothing
I could do about it. He was gracious, and I saw His grace through the
preaching of His word. Listen to these words, as it
is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall
we say then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid, for he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. there is no hope in this flesh,
and that there is only one hope. Look at verse 21 of Colossians
chapter 1. And you, that were sometime alienated,
and enemies in your own mind by wicked works, yet now hath
he reconciled. We all came out of that darkness
that we all once walked in. We were all crucified for His people. Not
for the world. The Lord Jesus didn't pray for
the whole world. He prayed for them that the Father
had given Him. That's grace. Because we all
deserve His wrath. We were reconciled in the body
of His flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in His sight. If ye continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel which ye have heard and which was preached to every
creature which is under heaven. Wherefore, I, write Paul, am
made a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and
fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ
in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church. Wherefore,
I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which
was given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, even the ministry
which hath been hid from the ages and from generations, but
now is made manifest What is the riches of His glory? Of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The hope of the Gospel. What is the Gospel? Christ. God
Almighty becoming flesh. That's Christ Jesus the Lord.
God humbling Himself. the majesty that was His, the
glory that was His, putting it aside for a moment and walking
in human flesh. You know, we know that the Word
of God tells us that God can't even have sin in His presence.
Yet here we see this mystery, this great wonder that God Himself
became flesh and walked among sin. Not only did He walk among
sin, When you grasp that, even the
littlest bit that you can, even the smallest amount that you
can, grasp the love of God. How can you say God loves everybody?
If He truly loved everybody, nobody would go to hell. If He
truly died and shed His blood for all mankind, then nobody
would die. But that's not what Scripture
tells us. Jacob, have I loved? Esau, have I hated? That's what
we just read for you a moment ago in Romans chapter 9. People
just don't want to hear that, don't you? One of the things, let me go
back to my confession again about my mother. One of the things
that makes me wonder, that causes me to be judgmental, is that
my mom thought God saves under all kinds of different religions.
Well, they hear this about the truth, they hear that about the
truth. One hope. Not many, one. One hope. When Christ takes up the residence
inside of you, He makes you holy as Himself. Are you washed in
the blood? Christ in you, the hope of glory. If Christ does not intervene,
there is no real hope. What did that thief on the cross
rejoice in? He rejoiced in the blood of Christ,
in salvation of the Lord. Today, Lord, if it be your will,
remember me when you get to your glory. It says there in Romans, for he
saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and
I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, so that
it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that but God. Grace, grace, grace. Ephesians 2 verses 8-9, For by
grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it
is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We
must be given faith. Who am I to say that you have
faith? I am thankful that God has given
some of you a voice to declare your faith to me. I'm so thankful. It blesses my heart. But I can't have any assurance
in that. My only assurance can be in this. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And what did He come here for?
To save sinners. How am I supposed to... Everybody's
a sinner. How am I supposed to know who
is? Where am I getting off judging this poor lady who passed away
last night? You get what I'm saying? You
see where I'm going with this? Do you understand what I'm trying
to tell you? God help us. God teach us. Not
to have any trust, not to have any hope, not to have any confidence
in what we see, hear, smell, do, or think. When we have questions about
those kinds of things, we can do one thing. Same thing my pastor
Gene, who's been living on this earth for 84 years, does every
day. Whatever the Lord's got for me.
There it is. If today's the day I go home,
okay. If I have to stay in this world
a little longer, and I'll tell you something, folks, his body
is telling him I don't want to stay here any longer. Some of you know that, don't
you? I don't want to be here anymore. I'm sorry our sister Polly isn't
with us this morning. She feels that way. Her body's
stopping. She's going through painful times
of her, that her body just doesn't work anymore. She just wants to go home. Yet today, it's not today, okay.
That's Jean Harmon. We must be given the faith to
believe what this book tells us. And that faith that God gives
us is what leads us to hope and trust and look to Him. What is the hope of glory in
me? Like I told you, the Lord changed
my message at the last minute this morning, so you'll forgive
me if I seem lost. I'm not. I'm just trying to figure
out where I want to go next. I actually came to the pulpit
with the first page. I was able to change myself and
put some things in there that weren't there before, take some
things out. What is the hope of glory in
me? That the love of God and His
Son would be found in me. Look at 2 Thessalonians 2. 2
Thessalonians 2. Paul writing again to the saints
at Thessalonica, he writes in verse 13, But we are bound to
give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. whereunto he called you by our
gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast
and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether
by word or epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and given us everlasting
consolation, a good hope through grace. Comfort your hearts and
establish you in every good word of work. Listen to these words
of Hebrews 6. Wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed by an oath that by two immutable things in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set
before us, which hope we have as an anchor to the soul, both
sure and steadfast." Go back to Colossians, if you
would. And I want to look at these couple
of verses once again. Colossians chapter 1. And I'll
bring this to a close. Beginning at verse 20, "...and
having made peace." You see folks, this is where
our hope starts. God the Father, it pleads, look
at verse 19, "...for pleased the Father that in Him, in Christ,
should all the fullness dwell." Because of what He did on that
cross. "...and having made peace." by him to reconcile all things
unto himself, I say, whether they be things in earth or things
in heaven, and you that were sometimes alienated and enemies
in your own mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in
the body of his flesh through death to present you holy, unblamable,
reprovable in his sight. If Christ has died for a people,
Every. Single. One. Every. Single. One. Maybe my mom. I know she's heard
the truth. Maybe my sister. I know she's
heard the truth. Who am I to judge them in any
way whatsoever? Everyone for whom he died is
going to be with him because of his blood. Isn't that what
we just read there? Made peace. through the blood
of His cross. Now look over verses 26 and 27
again, if you would. Even the mystery which hath been
hid from ages and from generations, that now is made manifest to
His saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches
of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Where is your hope this day? Do you have hope that you're
saved because you're here this morning? Do you have hope that
you'll be with God for eternity? Because you have done anything? Thought something? That's what the world puts their
hope in. Things that they do. That's what we put our hope in
before. May God teach us and cause each
and every one of us to put our hope in the one hope. There's
only one. There's not many. There's only
one. And that hope is in who He is,
God in the flesh. That means everything He did
was perfect. That means everything He did will accomplish exactly
what He has purposed it to do. If it could be any other way,
He wouldn't be God. It's our hope in what He has
done. Perfect righteousness. Perfect
satisfaction to God the Father for all things. We stand in Him,
we stand as perfect and righteous as our Savior. Is your hope in
the fact that God accepted the sacrifice of His Son? You know
that's why He's raised from the dead and sitting on His throne
today? He's sitting there because God accepted His sacrifice for
you and I. It's good enough. It's perfect. That's where our hope needs to
be, folks. Not only do we not want to put any hope in this
flesh, we don't want to put hope in what we see either. But John,
isn't he talking about blind faith? Yes, I am. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Isn't that what he says?