You may open your Bibles, I wish
you would, to Hebrews chapter 6. I can't tell you because I don't
know the extreme peril of the times in which we live. I do know that it troubles my
heart continually. Not only what I see around me,
but what I see within me and what I don't see within me. A heart inflamed toward the Lord
Jesus Christ. I don't see that. It ought to
be. But if not, is it in you? Oh, God help us in these days. Heard a man say one time, there's
a bunch of preachers around and said, looking at what's going
on in the world and thinking about our children and grandchildren.
He said, how in the world are they going to get through it?
And the old preacher said, wisely, by the grace of God, just like
we did. They're going to endure just
like we did by the grace of God. And that's the only hope for
any man. We live in a day when we need to have hope. We need
a good hope, a sure hope. These are biblical terms too,
a good hope, a sure hope. And that's the title of my message,
A Christian Hope. A Christian Hope. In these times,
we need hope. I want to talk to you just a
few minutes, I hope, concerning hope that touches every facet
of our lives in the natural realm and in the spiritual realm. I'll
say it again in the message, but I'll tell you now, a man
who lives without hope He's not really living, he's just existing. Just existing. That's all. We used to see people in our
day back, I grew up in a poor part of the country, and we'd
see people come in, you know, and had a big car and had a big
farm. We knew who he was, you know,
and said, now that's really living. That's really living. There's
such a thing as really living, and there's such a thing as just
existing. Just existing. I don't want to
exist, and I don't have to merely exist. I have hope, and I want
to encourage your hope this morning, if I can, by the grace of God. What is hope? It's in the Bible
so many times. What is hope? It's more than
wishful thinking. Well, I hope so. It's more than
wishful thinking. You hope something turns out
that way. It's more than that. And it's
more than a mere desire. I've desired a lot of things.
I never had any hope of ever obtaining. Thank God now I don't
even desire them, but I have desired things I had no hope
of obtaining. And that's not a good way to
live. But hope is the expectation of
some future good. Something ahead, something in
the future that you desire and look forward to and expect to
find. That's what hope is. It's a hope,
a certain expectation of something in the future. Looking on the
bright, bright, bright side, it's a mental attitude. It's
a frame of mind. I have a sure hope, expectation. I'm encouraged. I'm not discouraged. I'm encouraged. I have hope.
And hope is the expectation of some future good. And one has
found a basis, a foundation for his hope. You have to have a
foundation for hope or it's just something silly, just silliness.
You have to have a foundation. And in this world, a man may
have hope and the foundation crumble and he'd be disappointed,
but hope does have a foundation. There's some reason why you expect
to achieve or reach a certain goal, come to a certain end.
You have a foundation. Secondly, we said, what is hope? It is the expectation of some
future good. Secondly, hope is so extensive
an influence that it keeps the human race in motion. You think about that. What would
we do if we had no hope? Man wouldn't go to college and
spend all that money and waste all that time if he had no hope
of getting a diploma. Hope keeps the world going. Even
a blue-collar man, he goes out and works with hope. He takes
his dollars and turns them into a roof over his head and food
on the table and conveniences and comforts. There's hope ahead. There's a future ahead. And he
works with hope. He goes out, checks the clock,
and checks in and out with hope. He's going to bring something
out of this paycheck, something out of these hours sold, these
hours spent in a factory or on the job someplace. Hope. And this influence is vigorous
and bold and enterprising. If you have hope of a certain
end, yeah, I know I can make it. I have a sure hope you're
going to press on, regardless of what the difficulties are.
Hope, hope is vigorous and bold and enterprising. It causes men
to encounter danger. It causes men to endure severe
hardships, and it causes men to surmount innumerable difficulties,
and all these things to apply to the founders of this country
that came over here with hope, we can do it. Others went before
us, we can do it. Yes, I think I'll pack up my
family and go, we can do it. And they came with a bright hope,
bright hope. In the natural realm, hope quickens
and enlivens men to strive for certain goals, future good things,
some desire to end. It inspires men to do that. And I say this again, to be without
hope. Just to be like Cain. He told
God, he said, this is more than I can bear. And no future hope. No hope, no bright light outta
heaven. More than I can bear. No hope for tomorrow and the
next day. 10 years from now. Cain saw how to spend a time
when he had no hope. The prophet said, you're cut
off. God's through with you. You're going down. He finally
fell on his own sword. No hope. And old folks, old folks
without Christ, oh, what an awful, awful thing. They're old. They lie on the deathbed. They're
dying and have no hope. If they're without Christ, they
may have some hope, but it's false. It'll crumble around their
head. Man's degree of hope determines
his degree of progressiveness and strength and determination. Hope will cause a man to roll
up his sleeves and spit on his hands Get in the battle. That's
hope. A boy without hope. Oh, without
hope. And I've tried to instill hope
in my children that they didn't get a job that
they just had to put up with and survive and hate Monday morning
and can't wait till Friday. I said, all three of you are
wise enough, smart enough, intelligent enough, you can go out and learn
any trade you want to learn. You don't have to do that. You
can have hope. You've got the ability. You've
got the ability. Then in the spiritual realm.
Hope is no less important in the spiritual realm. It excels
every other hope like a pearl excels a pebble. Hope in the
spiritual realm. Because though the earth may
crumble and though the stars may fall, We have hope. Hope
in the Lord. Hope thou in the Lord. Doesn't
matter what happens down here. We can still live with hope.
Live with hope. Bless God, pleased to intervene.
This world's going down, and it won't be long, I don't think.
But we have hope. Lady, we have hope. Hope is what
Christianity's all about. We have hope. We're in the world,
but not of it. We have hope. How can a man magnify the grace
of God who does not have a living hope in that God? When his faith
is so sickly, he hardly ever gets outside the confines of
doubting castle. How can he have hope? How can
he have joy, hope and joy in the Lord? The rejoicing of hope,
the Bible says. You can't have that. You can't
have that unless you've got some kind of faith. Who is willing to leave this world
as long as his hope and joy is so feeble concerning things above? If I didn't have a sure hope,
I'd be afraid of that deathbed. I would. For God's taught me
some things. Those who enjoy God, they aren't
so concerned about present enjoyments. Because we say with the psalmist,
and what's said in the scripture several times, the Lord is my
posture. What if you lose everything else
and you have the Lord? You've got everything. You've
got everything. The world is yours, Paul said.
The world is yours. What? The world? It belongs to
the believer. Hope, this is what William Gernal
said, hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy and
consolation that it can laugh while tears are in its eyes. It can sigh and sing all in one
breath. It's called in Hebrews chapter
3 and verse 6, the rejoicing of hope, rejoicing of hope. God gives his people hope. I want you to leave here this
morning with hope. I want you to know that it's
a good hope. I want you to know that it's a sure hope, and it
can be if it's in God. What's your hope, God? That's
my hope. What a foundation, a promise
of God, a word from God. What a foundation for hope. God
can't lie. I'll read something to you in
a moment, but let's go on a little bit. God gives his people hope. First Peter 1.3, He hath begotten
us again unto a lively, or better translation, a living hope. God,
we're born of God, born again. Unto, unto a living hope. I have living hope, a living
hope. Whatever else comes to pass,
I've got hope. It's a sure hope, it's a living
hope, it's a living, living hope. Not a dead thing, not a false
thing. And then the Apostle Peter, he
not only says God gives us this hope, this living hope, but he
tells his people, be ready always to give an answer to anybody
that asks you the reason of your hope. Somebody comes up and says,
you have hope. What's the reason? What's the
foundation of your hope? He said, be ready to tell him.
Be ready to tell him. Not with haughtiness, but in
meekness and fear. Be ready to tell him. We have
a living hope. God's people have a living hope.
We have a hope for the future. We have a hope for this life
down here in our God that we trust in him from day to day.
He gives his people hope. Now look with me to Hebrews chapter
6. I want to read this to you. I want you to read it with me.
Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 13. These words are so plain and
so simple, and they're God's words. Words from God. Listen.
Verse 13 of chapter 6. When God made a promise to Abraham,
because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,
the God who cannot lie, Said, just as sure as I'm God. Just
as sure as I'm God. David, that's what I found out.
Just as sure as I'm God. This is going to come to pass.
You're going to have these children and these nations going to come
out of you. Just as sure as I'm God. And that promise was, blessing
I will bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thee and so. After he patiently endured, he
obtained the promise." You knew he would, didn't you? Because
God said it. God said it. God said it and Abraham believed
it. Men verily swear by the greater and an oath for confirmation
is to men an end of all strife. You make some kind of an agreement
with a man or men and you have witnesses, have it notarized,
Go down to the courthouse, whatever, however it's done, however you
want to do it. And that's the end. You're pretty sure it's
going to happen. If it doesn't, somebody's got
his name on this oath, he's going to jail. God. Now listen to this. You
talk about condescending to us in our unbelief. Willing more abundantly to show
unto the heirs of promise the immutability, the unchangeableness
of his counsel, he confirmed it by no justice. He said it and then he swore
to it. All God has to do is speak and it comes to pass. But he
said it, and in his fortress, and he did that to give us stronger
hope, consolation. Listen, read on. That by two
immutable things, God's word, God's oath, which it is impossible
for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation. Who? Who have fled for refuge
to lay hold upon the hope that's set before us. Strong consolation. What's your hope? Give me a reason
of your hope. Yeah, I'll turn here and read
it to you. God said it. God said it. I'll read it to
you. Which hope we have, now look
what hope does, as an anchor both sure and steadfast, which
entereth into that within the veil. Oh, whether the forerunner
is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek. Oh, what grounds for hope. God
said it and God swore to it. What hope we have. Our hope's not based on feelings.
Feelings come and feelings go. But the word of God is certain.
The word of God is certain. I know that in believers, Paul
said to the Thessalonians, he said, God has given you an everlasting
consolation, everlasting consolation and a good hope through grace. God has given you an everlasting
consolation and good hope through grace. This hope can grow very dim and
feeble. in the life of a believer for
different reasons. He gets involved with the cares
of this world and they kind of choke out his faith a while.
Different things, not giving diligence in the things of God,
spiritual things, which we might say is quenching the spirit. How can the spirit of work if
you don't use the word? He can't and he won't. He's the
Spirit of Truth. He speaks through the Word of
God. Ignoring these things. Now, hope. Bunyan said this one
time, and it's true. Hope is never ill when faith
is well. Because faith is the substance
of things hoped for. Hope is never ill when faith
is well. I have saving faith. I believe
what God said. I don't have any hope. No, that
can't be. Because faith is the very foundation
of hope. You can't separate the two. Faith
is the very substance of things hoped for. They are inseparable. Romans chapter 4, I'm not going
to turn there, but Abraham hoped against hope. He believed the
word of God. God came to that man, that old
man, that old woman and said, I'll give you a child. Sarah
was too old to have children. Abraham was too old to have children.
And yet he believed God. That's the foundation. That's
the foundation of hope. And he lived out his days waiting
for that child to come. Waiting for that child to come
from day to day. He knew he was going to have
a child. All the world, all the doctors, all the scientists,
all the pediatricians, they said, no, it's impossible. Abraham
said, no, it's not. God said it. And being fully
persuaded that God was able to perform everything he said, he
believed God and lived in hope. Believed God and lived in hope.
It's like those in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 13, these all died
in faith. Not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off, they were persuaded of them.
God said it. They embraced them. They confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims just passing through
this world looking for another country, a heavenly country,
spiritual country. That's the way they live. In
hope, in hope, in hope. I don't know what's gonna happen
tomorrow. I don't know what this world's gonna come to exactly.
I know it's going down. God's gonna bring it down. But
your hope's in God. God is your portion. Be of good
cheer. Weep for the world, but be of
good cheer. God had been pleased to use the
influence of hope to a great end in the lives of his people. When you say, how's that? He
set numerous promises before us. Persevere, keep on, lay hold
of eternal life, don't let it go. And the end shall be a crown
of life, a crown of righteousness, a crown of glory. That's the
end, the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls. And then he allures them with
the prospect of eternal glory. One day, everyone here who has
saving faith is going to be made exactly like the mediator. perfectly
conformed to the image of the Son of God. Without sin, perpetual youth
never get old. We used to sing this old song
back where I grew up in a land where we'll never grow old. And
we won't. It's an ever-present, never-changing
eternity we'll live in. No sickness, no sorrow, no heartache. And the great joy of our hearts,
in the light of what we were, is to sing praises to our great
Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. God spared not his son. Romans
8.32, I love this verse. God spared not his son, but delivered
him up for us all. Delivered him up to be a man.
Delivered Him up to be a servant. Delivered Him up to be of no
reputation. Delivered Him up to suffering. Delivered Him up to death. Cursed death on the cross that
He might deliver us from the curse. God, in the fullness of
time, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the
law to redeem us from the curse of the law. And he did. And the Bible says these Old
Testament priests, they offer the same sacrifices over and
over, day after day, year after year, and never took away one
sin. But this man, the God-man, When
he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, he sat down. It's done. At the right hand
of God. It's done. For by one offering,
he perfected forever. Danny, he perfected forever those
for whom he died. Perfected. And a couple of verses
later, God said that their sins and their iniquities, I'll never
remember again. What a sacrifice. No wonder he
said, it's done. They're put away. They're purged.
They're gone. God said, I don't remember anything
against them. Their sins are gone. I took them
all, and I put them on my son, and I punished my son. And when
he came out of the grave, they were all gone. They were all
gone. All gone. That's a hope we have. Our hope
is in the Lord, the Jesus Christ. To give an example or illustration
of that, the glory that's set before us, the hope. God uses
hope to encourage us and keep us going. Our Lord Jesus Christ
went through the same thing. And it tells us to follow his
example. He had hope in life, hope in God in his life, hope
in God in his death. In life, God said, I'll take
your hand. You will not fail. You won't be discouraged. You'll
be a conqueror. In death, He said, I won't leave your body
in the grave. Suffer corruption. I'll raise
you up. Died in hope. Lived in hope.
Died in hope. And the Bible says in Hebrews,
it says, Christ, for the joy that was set before Him, endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is now sitting at the right
hand of the Son of God. Lived in hope. Died in hope.
And the end of His hope. Sitting at the right hand of
God. saving his people, the ones for whom he died. Now I have
this question and I'll close, try to hurry. Preacher, some
of you might say, Preacher, I can see that hope is very important
in a believer's life, but the false religionists and
the hypocrites, they have hope too. They live in hope. But the Bible says the hope of
the hypocrites will perish. But the question is, how can
we know that our hope is real? How can we know if it has the
proper foundation? I read it to you, the Word of
God, the Son of God, the sacrifice of the Son of God. It has the
right foundation. Number one, if we have a sure
hope, it's because we've been shut up to the mediation of the
Lord Jesus Christ. We've been shut up to Christ. We've looked other places, perhaps,
but we never found hope. When you look to Christ, you
found hope and rest. Shut up to Christ. I mean by
that that you won't. You'll be like the Apostle Peter.
Christ said, will you go away too? Peter said, where? No place else to go. You have
the words of eternal life. And we know and we're sure that
you're the son of God. And we're shut up to the revelation
of Christ in our minds and our hearts. Through this book, we
know who he is. He is the son of God, eternal
God, become a man. He is now the God-man and will
forever be the God-man. There is a man like us sitting
at the right hand of God in the heavens. And one day we'll be
with you. We've learned who he is. We've
seen him as he is. We've embraced him by faith and
we've experienced that rest which believers have
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden. Christ said, what? You may find
rest. He said, no, I'll give you rest.
I will give you rest. Not something, it's a, you just
venture on this promise. It's a sure thing. You come to
me and I'll give you rest. You come to Christ, he'll give
you rest. This is a record that God has given to us, eternal
life and this life. is in his son. And if you have
the son, you have it all. You have life and every spiritual
blessing that God's prepared for his people. And we've experienced
these things. Brother Pharaoh Griswold stood
here in this pulpit one time years ago. He preached a wonderful
message on faith, saving faith, justifying faith. And as soon
as he came down, some young man came up to him and said, how
do you know that you're one of the people for whom Christ died?
And Brother Griswold said something like this. He said, this gospel
in this world, this gospel of the glory of God, it fits me. It fits my soul. It satisfies
my soul. It's made for me. It's true of
me. And it's true in me. It's my gospel. My gospel. Nothing else satisfies my soul
but this gospel. And by the grace of God, I've
made it mine. This message of the glory of
God and the salvation of sinners finds a place in my soul. That's
what he said, finds a place in my soul. I ask you this morning,
have you tasted that the Lord is gracious? You think of who you are and
what you are and what you deserve. Have you seen and tasted that
the Lord is gracious? Do you derive, receive joy and
comfort from that gospel of the glory of the blessed God? Does
that gospel comfort your heart, the gospel of the sovereign grace
of God in Christ Jesus? Then I say unto you, as Paul said to the Corinthians,
be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain
in the Lord, there's a hope set before you. Faith one day will
be no more. You'll enter into your rest. The Bible says, Whatsoever things
were written aforetime, all this book. Whatsoever things were
written aforetime in the Old Testament were written for our
learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures,
might have hope. Our hope is spelled out in this
book. We comfort and encourage our heart through the reading
and preaching of this book. James said, it's not doers of
the word that are blessed indeed, but hearers. Hearers and doers.
Hearers and doers. Not just the hearers, but the
doers. I said that wrong in the break. Not just the hearers,
but the doers. It is good. It is good. I'll leave you with
these words. It is good. Not my words, but
God's. It is good that a man should
both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. God help everyone of us to do
that. Quietly wait. Whatever comes
to pass on this earth down here, our hope is in the Lord. Our
citizenship's in heaven. May God bless His word to every
heart.