that third verse that says the hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets before we reach the heavenly fields. And all of those sacred sweets are right here in this book. Thousands upon thousands.

Turn with me to Titus chapter three. Titus 3, we'll be here one more time today to finish verse 7, which says, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

For our Bible study this morning, we looked at what it means to be justified by his grace. And for our morning message, we looked at the fact that by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the doing and dying of Christ, by his justifying blood, we have been made heirs. made to be direct heirs of the Father with Christ. And tonight we're gonna look at the last phrase in verse seven. According to the hope of eternal life. The hope of eternal life.

We ended the message this morning by saying every soul who has this hope possesses this promise. Every soul who truly has this hope possesses this promise, and that's what we're gonna look at tonight. The promise of eternal life.

Let's begin reading in verse four. Titus three, verse four, it says, but after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 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.

Our title tonight is The Hope of Eternal Life. What a glorious thing to think about. What a glorious thing to think about. The hope of eternal life.

You know, we were able to really zero in on justified for the Bible study and really zero in on made heirs, what it is to be an heir. Well, eternal life. Eternal life, the hope of eternal life. The life that is going to come for God's people. There is a life coming. for God's people. There's a life coming. Everybody is so concerned and consumed with this life. But there's a life coming for God's people and it's glorious, it's truly glorious.

These are three precious thoughts, three precious declarations in one verse. Justified by His grace, made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life.

Romans 8 24 says we are saved by hope. We're saved by hope. And here's the reason why. Look with me at first Timothy chapter one just a few pages back. First Timothy one. Verse one, it says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God, our savior and Lord Jesus Christ, which is, is in italics, our hope. The commandment of God, our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.

We're saved by hope because Christ is our hope. Christ is our hope. The word hope means expected anticipation. That's what all of God's people have, an expected anticipation. And all of God's people have that because Christ is our expected anticipation.

We just talked about, you know, before we walk the golden streets, you know, the streets may be paved of gold. I don't know. That's not my concern. Right now I can walk on blacktop outside or concrete or grass. Really doesn't matter much either way. It's not my concern. Christ is our hope. Christ is the hope. Christ is our expected anticipation.

Look at Titus chapter 2. Titus 2 verse 13, it says, looking for that blessed hope. That's what we're looking for. We're looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.

Christ is our hope. Our hope is a person. We're looking for that blessed hope. What is it? The glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our hope is a person. And because of who that person is and what that person did, verse 14, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a people, a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Because of who that person is and what that person did.

Hebrews 6 says we have a sure hope. We have a sure hope. Turn over to Hebrews 6.

Verse 13 says, For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, the unchangeability, he confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable or unchangeable 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 set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.

Whether the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus made and high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Our hope carries us all the way into heaven itself, glory itself and because Christ our forerunner entered into the holy of holies for us, before us. Thank God we had a forerunner. to go meet God before us. And because he did, he went bringing his own blood, he made an atonement for our sin.

Because Christ did that for us, we have a hope. We have an eternal hope of an eternal life. And this hope is an anchor for our soul. It is sure and steadfast. It's a hope that cannot be removed. It's an expected anticipation that cannot be removed. We have a hope of eternal life. And it's because Christ is our hope and Christ is our life. He's our hope and he's our life.

Colossians 3 verse 4 says, when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory. Christ is our hope. Christ is our life. He is our eternal life. Now, I just want us to see that in the scripture. And then I want us to just enter in what it means for us, what the scripture says that means for us in reality, okay? I wanna look for a minute at what we should be expecting in our expected anticipation. What does the scripture say this eternal life with Christ looks like?

First, go with me to 1 John 1. 1 John 1. Verse 1 says, THAT WHICH WAS FROM THE BEGINNING, WHICH WE HAVE HEARD, WHICH WE HAVE SEEN WITH OUR EYES, WHICH WE HAVE LOOKED UPON, AND OUR HANDS HAVE HANDLED OF THE WORD OF LIFE. This is speaking of Christ. Verse 2, FOR THEE LIFE WAS MANIFESTED, AND WE HAVE SEEN and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us. Christ. Christ is our eternal life. I really want to establish that before we get to this, what I think is a beautiful ending. I really want to establish that. Christ is Christ. Christ is our life.

Turn over to 1 John 5. 1 John 5, verse 11, it says, And this is the record that God hath given unto us eternal life. And this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. Verse 20 says, and we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true. Even in his Son, Jesus Christ, this is the true God. and eternal life. Eternal life. To have Christ is to have eternal life. And every soul who was ordained to eternal life receives faith to believe on Christ, our life. Every soul who has been given that faith and is completely, totally looking to Him alone for all of this hope and all of this life This is what the scripture says about this hope that we've been given.

All right. Now, I just want to, all I want to do is read some scriptures that tell us what this life with Christ is going to be like. All right. We have a hope of a real life. This life is Christ. This life is in Christ. This life is because of Christ. This life is with Christ. And it's a real life that's really coming to God's people. I pray this will be enjoyable.

Turn over to Isaiah 65. Verse eight says, thus saith the Lord, Isaiah 65 verse eight, thus saith the Lord, as the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, destroy it not, for a blessing is in it, so will I do for my servants' sake, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah, an inheritor of my mountains, and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

There's going to be a place that my people are going to inherit and dwell there. Verse 17, for behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy. It's going to be rejoicing. It's going to be joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in my people. And the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days. For the child shall die in hundred years old, but the sinner being in hundred years old shall be accursed.

And they shall build houses and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build and another inhabit. They shall not plant and another eat. No one will overtake, overrun, attack. Nobody's coming in to take over. This is secured for my people. For as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain. Nothing you do will be in vain. You ever done something and thought, well, that was useless. Throw that away, let's start over. That will never happen again. You'll never say, what in the world? That'll never happen again. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble, for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord. and their offspring with them, and it shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer."

Before you ever have a question or a need or whatever it may be, the Lord Jesus Christ will answer and supply, meaning you'll never have a need. Before you even know you have a need, you'll have what you need. It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and the dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. What does all that mean? I don't fully know. but I believe it and I like the sound of it. It sounds like peace. Sounds like peace. It sounds like safety. It sounds like happiness.

Let's read three scriptures together. Okay. Three that kind of go together. Turn over to first Corinthians two. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 9 says, But as it is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

I love the thought of that. I love reading that. Have you ever invited someone you love over and made preparations for them? Something you're doing for them. You'll have a birthday party or who knows what. You want a surprise and you want it to be joy for them. Well, you can make cakes and pop streamers all you want to, but you will Never see anything. You'll never hear anything. You'll never imagine anything like what God has prepared for them that love him.

He said, I'm going to prepare a place for you. And. It can't be fathomed. It just cannot be fathomed. What eternity will be like? What eternal life with Christ will be like? It can't be fathomed. You've never seen anything like it, heard anything like it, imagined anything like it.

All right, now, hold on to that thought. Go to 2 Corinthians 4. Second Corinthians four, verse 15. It says, for all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that God has prepared for us in Christ and with Christ our eternal life. It is an exceeding eternal weight of glory.

Verse 18 says, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. They're eternal.

All right, now hold on to that and go to 2 Corinthians 12. 2 Corinthians 12, verse 1, it is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago. whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth. Such in one caught up to the third heaven.

And I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth, how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Our Lord told that thief on the cross, today you're gonna be with me in paradise. Paradise, a far more exceeding weight of glory that I hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man.

And Paul said, the Lord Jesus Christ brought me there. Verse three, I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. God knoweth how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not, if you have a center margin, it says possible for a man to utter. It is not possible for a man to utter.

He said the eye, this eye right here knows nothing of it. This ear knows nothing of it, this mouth knows nothing of it. He said it's glory that could never be told. It is joy, it's peace, it's safety, it's unity, it's love that could never be told.

All right, now turn over to Hebrews 12. Verse 22, but you are come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.

You know, I love the thought that in Matthew 18, our Lord, um, I'm going to use the word insinuates that he stations at least one angel with all of his people. Um, he said, be careful how you treat my little ones because their angels are always beholding the face of the father. Sitting up waiting for the command, sitting on go.

And we've read about his angels. You know, we've, we've, we've looked at it before. They are powerful, mighty warriors. Angels are warriors. They are powerful warriors. In second Kings 19, God gave the command and one angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. One angel. And it doesn't say that it took all night. It may have taken two minutes.

But I love the thought of God stationing an angel with each one of his people. In 2 Kings 6, it says that the mountains were full of angels round about Elisha. It could have been hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands. How wonderful is the thought of that?

But can you imagine being in the company of a number that no man can number, a company of angels, God's angels, that no man can number. When our Lord said that he ordained safety and peace, he meant it. He meant it.

an innumerable company of angels who are the ministering spirits of God sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs. We read that at the start of all this this morning in the Bible study. That's their purpose. They were created to do his bidding in ministering to his people and they love their creator and they love his people.

And verse 23 right here goes on to tell us that the general assembly, the church of the firstborn, that's God's people, they will be in Zion, verse 23. To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge, that's Christ, we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, that's Christ. And to the blood of sprinkling, that's Christ. That speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Christ, his angels, his people. And to add to the clarity of that, go over to Revelation 7. Revelation 7 verse 9 it says, After this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes and palms in their hands.

This eternal life involves an innumerable company of angels and an innumerable company of God's saints. unnumberable times two. And everyone there, verse 10 says, cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. Everybody there. is crying salvation to our God, which sits on the throne and unto the land.

Verse 11 says, and all the angels stood round about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts and fell before the throne on their faces and worshiped God, saying, amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God forever and ever, amen.

And one of the elders answered saying unto me, what are these that are arrayed in white robes and whence came they? And I said unto him, sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat. For the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of water. and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

This eternal life is a life with the Lamb. It's a life with the direct touch and affection and care of the Lamb, Christ the Lamb. Go to Revelation 21. I'm done, Revelation 21. Verse 1, it says, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea.

And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. And they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. For the former things are passed away and he that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, write for these words are true and faithful.

I love how many times he said there's going to be no sorrow, there's going to be no pain, there's going to be no death. He said it over and over and over. He said everything is going to be brand new. Brand new.

Revelation 22, verse 1. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it and on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bared twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse.

You want to know what eternal life is like? No more curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. And his servants shall serve him. Now watch this. And they shall see his face. I think I just got to the best part. But you're glad I didn't stop early. There's gonna be no more curse. And we're gonna see his face.

And his name shall be in their foreheads. Oh, they'll be thinking on him. They will speak of him. They will fellowship around him. He'll be on our minds, on our hearts continually.

Verse five says, and there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light. Christ is our light. and they shall reign forever and ever. Forever and ever.

Verse six, he said unto me, these sayings are faithful and true, and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

This eternal life Christ, our eternal life, is coming quickly. That's what I want to end on, is coming quickly.

Verse 20, he which testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.