A Life of Steadfast Hope, Part 2

Q: What does the Bible say about steadfast hope?

The Bible teaches that steadfast hope is rooted in setting our expectation on the grace to be revealed at the return of Jesus Christ. Steadfast hope is central to the Christian life, as indicated in 1 Peter 1:13, where believers are urged to set their hope completely on the grace that is to be revealed at the coming of Jesus Christ. This expectation of future grace shapes our present lives, motivating us to live godly lives in anticipation of Christ's return. The scriptural emphasis on hope serves as a reminder that our ultimate fulfillment is found not in this life but in the promises of God, particularly the grace and glory to be revealed at the second coming.

Q: How do we know that the return of Christ is a central doctrine?

The New Testament consistently emphasizes the return of Christ as a key component of Christian hope and life. The return of Christ is not merely an incidental teaching but a foundational aspect of the New Testament doctrine. Throughout various epistles and teachings of Jesus, believers are encouraged to live in light of Christ's second coming, which motivates their actions and perspectives. Passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4 and 2 Timothy 4 highlight the significance of the return of Christ as both a source of comfort and a motivating factor for holy living. This consistent emphasis across the New Testament reinforces its centrality in the faith of believers.

Q: Why is it necessary for Christians to live with the expectation of Christ's return?

Living with the expectation of Christ's return instills hope and motivates believers to live righteously amidst challenges. For Christians, the anticipation of Christ's return serves to anchor their hope and inform their daily lives. By envisioning the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises, believers are encouraged to pursue righteousness and holiness, as articulated in 2 Peter 3. Knowing that the present world is temporary and will be transformed emphasizes the importance of living lives marked by godliness. This perspective helps Christians navigate difficulties, knowing their trials are temporary in light of the eternal glory awaiting them at Christ's return.

Q: What role does grace play in preparing Christians for the return of Christ?

Grace trains Christians to deny ungodliness and to look forward to the return of Christ. According to Titus 2:11-13, the grace of God actively instructs believers on how to live in the present age while looking forward to Christ's return. This grace manifests itself by teaching Christians to deny worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously, and godly. In this manner, grace not only provides salvation but empowers believers to live in a way that reflects their identity in Christ and fuels their longing for His glorious appearing. Understanding grace's role deepens the Christian's commitment to a lifestyle of holiness and anticipation of future hope.

Q: How can the understanding of Christ’s return offer comfort to believers?

The assurance of Christ's return provides comfort by affirming the hope of resurrection and eternal life. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul addresses the grief experienced by Christians over the death of loved ones, assuring them that Christ's return will bring not only resurrection but also reunion. The promise that those who have died in Christ will rise first serves as a foundation for comfort amidst sorrow. This understanding fosters a hopeful perspective where believers can find solace in the reality of eternal life and the ultimate triumph over death, as Christ will make all things new at His coming. Thus, the expectation of His return shapes believers' responses to death and suffering.

through 16, and then a life of
motivated fear, verses 17 through 21. And now this morning I sought
to open up verse 13 under the two headings that are suggested
very strongly by the grammar in the original, and those headings
were the supports or the prerequisites of steadfast hope, and then the
summons to steadfast hope. And we noted in our study that
the two supports or prerequisites for this steadfast hope are the
decisive action of girding up the loins of the mind and the
abiding attitude of mental and spiritual sobriety. And then the summons to steadfast
hope comes to us in terms of the very heart of that summons
to set one's hope, one's conscious expectation of certain divinely
promised blessings And the object of that hope is to be nothing
less than the grace that is to be brought unto us at the revelation
of the Lord Jesus. And the qualification of that
hope is that it is to be set perfectly or completely, resolutely,
with a sense of finality. And after opening up the text,
I sought to apply the text by underscoring in your hearing
that there are two central issues of biblical revelation contained
in this text and the placement of the text. First of all, that
doctrine leads to practice and that the Christian life can only
be lived by Christians. And then I stated, as our time
ran out, that there was a second observation based upon this text
that was a very critical concern in the Scriptures. And though
I've changed the wording from this morning, it's the heart
of what I had hoped to give you this morning, but God willing,
tonight we'll lay before you with even more parallel biblical
support, and that is this. This text highlights a basic
element of the New Testament doctrine of the Christian life.
It not only sets before us these basic observations concerning
biblical revelation, But the text highlights a basic element
of the New Testament doctrine of the Christian life. And what
is it? It is this. That the Christian
life is to be lived in the conscious conviction of the great fact
of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian life is
to be lived in the conscious conviction of the great fact
of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now it's clear from the
exposition of our text this morning that Peter obviously shares in
that perspective on the Christian life. For no sooner does he move
from the statement of what the Christian possesses and is in
Christ in virtue of God's great salvation And as he begins to
unfold his doctrine of the Christian life, he gives this front and
center position to the issue of believers living in the light
of the return of the Lord Jesus. encouraging them to gird up the
loins of their mind and remaining in a state of sobriety, their
first mandate from Peter is to set their hope perfectly on the
grace that is to be brought to them at the revelation of Jesus
Christ. As Wayne Grudem in his helpful
commentary has observed, He states that since Peter is about to
launch into an extended section of moral commands, beginning
at verse 14 and continuing with only a few interruptions through
the rest of the letter, this exhortation to hope appropriately
forms the transition point to the rest of the letter. If Peter's
readers will first know the great truths about their salvation,
verses 1 to 12, and then begin a habit of visualizing themselves
personally on a path of life leading, without fail, to unimaginable
blessings at the return of Christ, they will be mentally and emotionally
ready to strive for a life of holiness before God. I described
it this morning as Peter's concern that the believer who is on his
pilgrimage as an elect sojourner is flanked on the one hand by
this understanding of the greatness of his salvation in Christ as
already conferred upon him and as pledged by God's Word. And
on the other hand, by a constant vision of the consummation of
that salvation at the coming of the Lord Jesus. So as he is,
as it were, enveloped in an understanding and in a believing appropriation
of what he has in Christ, and what he shall receive from Christ,
he is then prepared to live as he ought for Christ. And that's the great burden of
this part of the letter. Now, the question is this, is
this something unique to Peter? And I'm asserting that this text
highlights that which is not some peculiar emphasis of Peter,
though the note of hope in the noun and verb form is found no
fewer than five times in Peter's first epistle. But Peter is simply
reflecting this baseline element of the whole New Testament doctrine
of the Christian life. a doctrine which clearly sets
before us the fact that the Christian life is to be lived in the conscious
conviction of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what we're
going to do in the time allotted is to take, as it were, an overview
of nine or ten pivotal texts in the New Testament, by no means
exhaustive. in order to help us in seeking
to do exactly what Peter tells us to do. I am not concerned
that we simply come away from this Lord's Day understanding
that in the first epistle of Peter that it is the duty of
believers to set their hope perfectly on the grace that is being brought
to them at the revelation of Jesus Christ. My concern is that
we will set our hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought
to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And to help us all to
do that, I want us to consider these other passages which clearly
reflect this dominant emphasis in the New Testament doctrine
of the Christian life, namely, that the believer is to live
that life in all of its manifold strands of responsibility and
privilege and relationships as a man or woman. who has this
burning, yearning fixation upon the return of his Lord. First of all, a specimen passage
in the teaching of the Lord Jesus himself. If you are familiar
at all with the Gospels, you know that the theme of his own
return was a dominant theme in the teaching of our Lord Jesus
and he never taught it theoretically but he was constantly applying
it as a regulating pressure upon the minds of his disciples and
we might turn to the so-called kingdom parables in Matthew 13
where one of the dominant emphases is the coming of the Lord Jesus
at the end of the age or we might turn to the Olivet Discourse
in Matthew 24 the parallel passages in Mark chapter 13 or in Luke
21. And in those passages we find
our Lord again and again speaking to His disciples and telling
them that in the living out of their life they are to live with
this conscious awareness that their Lord is returning. We might turn to the parables
of Matthew 25, growing out of the Olivet Discourse, in which
the stewardship of the Christian life is constantly locked in
to the reality of the Lord's return. But I pass over all of
that and I take just one specimen passage with you from Luke chapter
12. Luke chapter 12 and remember now what I'm seeking to demonstrate
is that Peter's emphasis here in 1st Peter 1.13 simply highlights
what is a basic element in the New Testament doctrine of the
Christian life and here is our specimen passage in Luke chapter
12 In this chapter, we find that our Lord has spoken to a mixed
multitude, beginning in verse 13, and he has given some sober
warnings against the sin of covetousness. Then in verse 22, he turns to
his disciples and he now applies this instruction to them. And
He tells them not to be anxious for their lives, what they shall
eat, nor for their bodies, what they shall put on. He encourages
a life of faith in which they can trust their Heavenly Father
to provide for their temporal needs. Then he says toward the
conclusion of that section that the issue that ought to preoccupy
their minds are the issues of the kingdom. Verse 31, Yet seek
his kingdom, and these things will be added unto you. Do not
be afraid, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom. Sell that which you have, give
alms, make for yourselves purses that wax not old, a treasure
in the heavens that fails not, where no thief draws near, nor
moth destroys, for where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also." Our Lord is encouraging His own disciples to have their
hearts fully engaged with the Kingdom. And no sooner does he
do that, but that he moves in verse 35 to a statement that
underscores our principle. Let your loins be girded about,
and your lamps burning. And be yourselves like unto men,
looking for their Lord, when He shall return from the marriage,
or the marriage feast, that when He comes and knocks, they may
straightway open unto Him. Blessed are those servants whom,
when the Lord comes, shall find watching. Verily I say unto you,
that He shall gird Himself, and make them sit down to meet, and
shall come and serve them. And if He shall come in the second
watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those
servants But know this, that if the master of the house had
known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched
and not have left his house to be broken through. Be ye also
ready, for in an hour that you think not, the Son of Man is
coming." Now our Lord in this passage underscores the principle
that if your heart is in the kingdom, you will be longing
for and live in preparation for the coming of the King. Now that's
the principle. That's the connection. He's encouraging
in the previous paragraph, let your heart be preoccupied with
the concerns of the kingdom, not with eating and drinking
and clothing and housing and these things. Your Father knows
your need. Your Father will provide in the
ways appointed. Let your heart be wholly engaged
in the affairs of His kingdom. For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also. but in having our hearts in the
kingdom. Our Lord goes on to say, we will
live in constant longing for and in readiness for the return
of the King himself. And there the imagery that we
saw from Peter, and some suggest that perhaps Peter could not
forget these words of the Lord. And they were the very things
that the Spirit of God brought to his remembrance when he wrote
his epistle. Let your loins be girded. Be in a constant state of readiness
and your lamps burning. It's the picture of someone ready
to go on his journey in this setting, ready to respond to
the return of the master of the house, that they would not have
to all of a sudden scurry about and get their loins girded and
go and trim their lamps and light them. No, no. Be in a constant
state of readiness and be like unto men looking for their Lord. That's the heart of the passage.
Be like unto men looking for their Lord. Be like unto men
in a constant state of readiness, of expectation, the heart's longing,
the focus of the soul upon their returning Lord. And we don't
have time to go in and open up some of the amazing statements
our Lord makes. This is, in many ways, a unique
statement. That at the return of the Lord,
the Lord Himself will serve the slaves. What a reversal. It makes the coming glorious,
that He Himself, in ways that are not fully explained here,
that He Himself will gird Himself, make them sit down to meet, and
shall come and serve them. Here is the Lord who, having
secured our salvation, serves us in His return. Surely something
of Peter's insights fit in this passage. It is grace that will
come in its consummate conferral of all of its gifts at the second
coming. Surely this is enough to make
us yearn, to make us long, to make us have focused energies
of the soul upon the return of our Lord Jesus in the language
of Peter. to set our hope completely, resolutely
upon the grace that is being brought to us at the revelation
of the Lord Jesus. Well, here's a specimen passage
that underscores what our Lord emphasizes again and again in
his recorded ministry in the Gospels that These who are His
followers are a people who not only attribute all of their salvation
to Him, to His death upon the cross, to the virtue of His resurrection
and His atoning work on their behalf, but His followers are
a people who live in focus, concentrated expectation of His return in
glory and in power. Now then we move secondly to
several key passages in the letters of the Apostle Paul. And again
these are only specimen passages. And we look first of all at a
passage that shows that conscious longing for the coming of Christ
is a major fruit of conversion. Remember what we are trying to
establish now. that Peter's emphasis on setting our hope perfectly
on the coming of Christ is simply reflective of the New Testament
doctrine of the Christian life. A doctrine which everywhere asserts
that living in the conscious expectation of his return is
a major element of a healthy, normal Christian experience. Now as we turn to the Apostle,
we see first of all that conscious longing for the coming of Christ
is a major fruit of conversion. Turn to 1 Thessalonians please.
Here Paul describes the conversion of the Thessalonians in these
words, verse 9. He said that when we go into
other places we don't have to give a report of what happened
when we were there at Thessalonica why don't you have to give a
report Paul he tells us for they themselves report concerning
us what manner of entering in we had unto you and how you turned
unto God from idols to serve a living and true God and to
wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead,
even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. Now Paul says
when we go to other parts and we begin to say, hey have you
folks heard what happened when we went to Thessalonica? They
say, yes we have. You don't need to tell us Paul, we've already
heard. Well what did you hear? Well we've heard that when you
and your companions came to Thessalonica and preached, there were many
in that city who turned unto the One True and Living God,
abandoning their idols. Paul says that's true. And furthermore,
we've heard that they turned, not just with a view to escaping
from judgment and wrath and hell, but they turned with a disposition
to serve this One True and Living God. They turned from their idols,
they turned unto the living God, and they turned with a disposition
of desire and delight to serve this God to whom they turned.
Paul says that's true. And they said furthermore, you
know what else we heard? We heard that these people who were enmeshed
in a lifestyle totally preoccupied with the now. He described something
of that lifestyle in chapter 4. He had to give detailed instruction
on the most elementary matters of sexual morals. These Greek
towns were permeated, you know something about Corinth, they
were permeated with Roman ah morality. And there were those
deeply enmeshed in these various forms of abandonment to sensuality. And he says, to these people
the gospel came, not in word only, but in power and in the
Holy Spirit, and when it did, These people who had been totally
oriented to the now, to the world of sight and touch and feeling
and smell, suddenly they had a totally new orientation. They
turned from their idols to God with a disposition to serve and
to wait for his son from heaven. Their whole life was now framed
by this focus upon the return of the Lord Jesus. Their whole
perspective was dominated by this reality that the Christ
who by his saving work had delivered them from the wrath to come was
the Christ who would come to confer the full gamut of the
blessings of salvation that he purchased by his own redemptive
work. This is why earlier he could
say in explaining what he gives thanks for on behalf of the Thessalonians,
look at verses 2 and 3, we give thanks to God always for you,
making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without
ceasing your work of faith, that is your work born of a disposition
of faith, and labor of love, that is your labor born from
a disposition of love. and patience or steadfastness
born of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to you
because we see in you those fruits of true conversion. You are now
working as men and women who have come to faith. You have
come to embrace the living God as your God and Christ as your
Savior. And now your energies are being
dispensed in a way that reflects that believing attachment to
Christ and to the living God through Christ. And he said,
we give thanks that now there is evident in you this work of
faith, this labor born of love, love to God and love to men,
for the fruit of the Spirit is love. He that loves not knows
not God, for God is love. Can anyone be converted who doesn't
come into a basic orientation of life marked by faith and love? Can the Spirit of God regenerate
a man, come to indwell a man, and there be no basic life of
faith or love? Impossible. But it's just as
impossible that he does a saving work and there is not this strand
of hope. That is a confident expectation
of the consummate future blessings of salvation promised in Jesus
Christ. So that when Paul describes the
conversion of the Thessalonians, he describes it in a way that
underscores the fact that conscious longing for the coming of Christ
is a major fruit of conversion. Ah, but someone says, he says
that to the Thessalonians, but he doesn't say that of all other
believers. Well does he? Or doesn't he? Well I want you
to look at 2 Timothy chapter 4 and I think you'll see the
answer. Toward the close of his final charge to Timothy, his
spiritual son in the faith, giving him a realistic assessment of
the difficulties in which Timothy will have to minister as there
is a turning away from truth and a proliferation of false
teachers After charging Timothy, he then says in verse six, for
I'm already being offered, that is poured out as a drink offering,
already being offered. The time of my departure is come. I fought the good fight. I finished
the course. I've kept the faith. Henceforth,
there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day. and not to
me only, but also to all them. And how is he going to describe
the rest of God's true people? He could have described them
and to all them that have trusted in the same Savior, that have
loved the same Savior, that have served the same Savior, but that
is not his generic description of the true people of God. You
see how he describes them generically? Unto all them, that have loved
his appearing. That's a synonym for a true Christian.
Who is a Christian? A Christian is one who trusts
in the Lord Jesus alone for salvation. True. A Christian is one who,
out of love to this trusted Savior, seeks to frame his life by His
Word. He is an obedient subject of
the Lord Jesus. That's true. You could describe
a Christian in a lot of ways, but here Paul describes Christians
generically as those who love His appearance. It is an indispensable
mark of true conversion. That love will have various degrees. It will be influenced by a number
of factors, not the least of which is understanding, meditation,
reflection. I understand all of those variables. But the baseline of this passage
underscores that if there is not a fundamental love for His
appearing, an orientation of life that looks forward to the
grace that will be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
an otherworldly perspective, then there is reason to question
whether or not our professed faith is indeed genuine saving
faith, conscious longing for the coming of Christ, is a major
fruit of conversion. Secondly, as we look at some
pivotal passages in Paul, conscious longing for the coming of Christ
is a major result of the tutelage of the grace of God. Conscious
longing for the coming of Christ is a major result of the tutelage,
the training of the grace of God. Turn to Titus chapter 2,
if you will please. Titus chapter 2. I hope you don't mind just having
a Bible study on the Second Coming, that's what we're doing tonight. And let the homiletical purist
squirm, and I hope we'll be blessed. In Titus chapter 2, Paul is giving
directions to Titus regarding the kind of instruction he is
to give to those Christians on the Isle of Crete. He begins
chapter 2 by saying, speak the things that befit the sound or
healthy doctrine or healthy teaching. Here's that relationship again
between doctrine and practice. He said, speak the things that
are befitting to healthy doctrine. And what are those things? He
gives specific delineation of practical godliness to various
categories within the church. Aged men, aged women, young men,
young women, etc. Now, in order to underscore why
it is so pivotal that the believers in the Isle of Crete understand
how to live in a manner that is befitting to healthy doctrine,
Paul says in verse 10, here's the rationale for all of this,
4, the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
instructing us, training us, tutoring us, instructing us to
the intent. This is what the grace of God
in the gospel teaches us, if you and I have come under the
tutelage of the grace of God in the gospel, this is what we
have been taught. Instructing us to the intent
that, number one, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly and righteously and godly in this present age. Well isn't that enough? to be
taught by the grace of God that we ought to be committed to a
life of universal holiness involving on the one hand denying ungodliness
and worldly lust and on the other the positive statement living
soberly, righteously and godly in this present age. No, that's
only one half of the curriculum in the tutelage of grace. The
other major dimension of that curriculum is this, looking for
the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God
and Savior, Jesus Christ. The grace that takes us in hand
and teaches us that we are to deny ungodliness and worldly
lust and live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age
also invariably teaches us that in conjunction with that we are
to be looking for the blessed hope and appearing of our great
God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Now can you imagine someone who
claims to have come under the tutelage of the grace of God,
who has no understanding of or commitment to a life in which
he denies ungodliness and worldly lusts, and is seeking by the
grace and power of Christ and by the Spirit to live soberly,
righteously and godly in this present age. Does the Bible recognize
as a Christian Someone who does not have the elementary commitments
to a holy life, involving the negative and the positive. Well,
you know your Bibles well enough to know the answer to that. Of
course not. Follow after the holiness without which no man
shall see the Lord. Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God. And text after text. Well, according
to this passage, if anyone has come under the tutelage of grace,
he has also been taught that though he has present privileges
and responsibilities in this present age, the best is yet
to come for him. And therefore, grace teaches
him to look for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of
his great God and Savior, even Jesus Christ. The Apostle not
only sets before us the fact that conscious longing for the
coming of Christ is a major fruit of conversion, but conscious
longing for the coming of Christ is a major result of the tutelage
of the grace of God. But then thirdly, in the Apostle's
corpus of New Testament literature, we find that conscious understanding
of what will occur at the coming of Christ is a major component
of comfort. A conscious understanding of
what will occur at the coming of Christ is a major component
of comfort. Turn now to 1 Thessalonians chapter
4. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Verse 13. That we would not have
you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep that you
sorrow not even as the rest who have no hope. Paul apparently
became aware that among the Thessalonians there was a form of uninstructed
inordinate grief when their loved ones who were Christians died.
Now how he received that information do we don't know. But he clearly
states we do not want you to be ignorant concerning them that
fall asleep. Fall asleep is a beautiful spirit-inspired
euphemism for a Christian dying. He falls asleep in Jesus. That's the biblical language.
And he said, I don't want you to be ignorant concerning them,
because if you're ignorant, you're not going to have the consolations
that you ought to have, in order that you do not sorrow, even
as the rest who have no hope. So you see what his subject matter
is. He wants to go after a wrong kind of emotional response to
the death of Christian loved ones and he does so by overcoming
their ignorance with respect to their true condition and their
true prospects. Now how does he overcome their
ignorance to remove their inordinate, unfounded sorrow? Does he go
into a dissertation on the intermediate state and tell them the kind
of things that he writes in 2 Corinthians 5? To be absent from the body
is to be present with the Lord or Philippians chapter 1. I have
a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better.
No, he says nothing about the intermediate state. He doesn't
tell them to comfort themselves and comfort one another by affirming
the blessed truth that when a believer dies, falls asleep in Christ,
his spirit departs, goes into the immediate presence of Christ,
is instantaneously completely sanctified, it joins the ranks
of the spirits of the just men made perfect. Absent from the
body, present with the Lord. A wonderful truth taught in the
scripture. But he makes no reference to
the intermediate state. What does he do? Well, let's
see what he does. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, Even so, them also that are fallen asleep
in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say to you by
the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, that are left
under the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them
that are fallen asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God. and the dead in Christ shall
rise first, then we that are alive and are left shall together
with them be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort
one another with these words, And what are the words with which
he would have them comfort one another? Words that would bring
with them a conscious understanding of what will happen at the coming
of Christ. He wants them to know that with
respect to their loved ones who have died in Christ, far from
being second class citizens because they were not alive at the coming
of Christ, they will be given preferential treatment. Isn't
that what the passage says? When the Lord descends from heaven
with a shout and the voice of the archangel and the trump of
God, the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then, then, then a word of time their sequence
they rise first then we that are alive that are left shall
be caught together shall together with them be caught up in the
clouds preferential treatment he says is going to be given
to your loved ones far from any notion that apparently was floated
there at Thessalonica that in some way to be One who had to
go through the door of death and not to be alive at the parousia,
at the coming of the Lord Jesus, at the revelation of the Lord
Jesus, would somehow put you in a second class spiritual citizen
category. Paul says no. Just the opposite
is true. You need to understand that when
the Lord himself returns, and when he returns with the entourage
of his holy ones, those who have died in Christ shall be cared
for first and then we together with them shall be gathered unto
our Lord and forever be with him." Comfort one another with
these words. No wonder he concludes the letter
With this wonderful statement in verse 23 of chapter 5, the
God of peace himself sanctify you wholly. Now notice, as he
thinks of their total sanctification, what it includes. May your spirit
and soul and body. You see, there is no platonic
notion in biblical theology. That somehow the body is just
the shell and the soul is imprisoned in this incompatible shell. No! In all that we are as psychosomatic
entities into which God has breathed the breath of life is sacred
to God. And our salvation finds its culmination
not in the perfection of our spirits at death, but in the
glorification of the body at the second coming of the Lord
Jesus. That's the apex of redemptive privilege and only then is the
whole purpose of God in salvation for his people realized. And
he goes on to say, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, faithful is he that calls you who will also do it. Someone may ask, do you believe
In perfect and entire sanctification. We say yes, absolutely. Sanctification of body, soul
and spirit. Entirely sanctified. The question
is when? At the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And it is this that Paul wants
these believers to understand. He doesn't want to have to wait
until the pastor comes into the home and opens up a passage and... No, he said, you comfort one
another with these words. Be so steeped in these realities
with a conscious understanding of what will occur at the coming
of Christ that you can administer comfort to one another with ease. Not feel it all awkward or tentative,
but you can say to a grieving loved one, look my brother, my
sister, look beyond the pallid face. Look beyond the bitter
memories of those last hours and the horrible influence of
sin upon the body in which it took it to a grave. Look beyond
all of that. And hear, you returning Lord,
hear by faith the voice of the archangel, hear by faith the
trump of God, hear its piercing notes, see by faith the graves
opened, and see the returning Lord taking care, first of all,
of that loved one. at whose death you now grieve.
And the memory of the circumstances of his or her passing fill you
with all of these negative emotions. What are you to do to your brother
or sister? Comfort with these words. Then in 2 Thessalonians he uses
the same truth of the coming of Christ. It's so central in
New Testament thinking regarding the Christian life. It's to be
a comfort not only when we think of our loved ones who died in
Christ, but when we think of facing opposition from the ungodly. These Thessalonians were taking
it on the chin. Paul can write and say in verse
3 of chapter 1, 2 Thessalonians, we're bound to give thanks to
God always for you even as it is meat. that your faith grows
exceedingly, and the love of each one of you toward one another
abounds, so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches
of God." Now notice what he glories in. For your patience and faith
in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you
endure. Paul was conscious that in the
midst of more than an ordinary amount of persecutions and afflictions,
these Thessalonians, though relatively young believers, were maintaining
a posture of steadfast faith. They were not turning back. Now,
he's going to instruct them as to how they should think about
this opposition. and he says certain things with
respect to that opposition as it relates to the world about
them and to the ungodly themselves but then he turns in verse 7
and directly addresses these Thessalonians and to you that
are afflicted rest with us when at the revelation of the Lord
Jesus from heaven You who are afflicted, rest with us. Understand that there is a point
in human history when all of your sufferings and persecution
and opposition will be seen in its true light. And I want you
to understand that. Now notice what he says. Rest
with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with
the angels of his power in flaming fire rendering vengeance to them
that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus, who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction
from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his might,
when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled
at in all them that believed. The one and the same coming of
the Lord Jesus. The one coming in which He will
be glorified in His saints and marveled at in all that believe,
it will be the revelation of Jesus Christ. We will see His
glory in ways we could never see it by faith here below. Never
behold it mirrored in the Scriptures. The most eloquent tongue inflamed
with the power of the Holy Ghost could never begin to show His
glory. In that day we'll see that glory. He will be marveled at and we
will be amazed at what we see. But that coming that will ravish
the hearts of the people of God. When he is glorified in his saints
and marveled at in all them that believe. He wants those very
saints to understand that that same coming of that same Lord
Jesus will be the final ultimate crushing of all his and their
enemies. He comforts them with the doctrine
of divine retribution at the second coming of Christ. Do you
see that in the passage? The same coming that he isolates
in chapter 4 of his first epistle and says comfort one another
with these words. And all he describes is what
the returning Lord will do for his dead and living saints. Now he describes in 2 Thessalonians
1 what that coming will mean not just for his saints but for
all who know not God. and obey not the gospel. Those
who are opposing these Thessalonians, those who were bringing them
under persecution and afflictions, he says, I want you to know that
in conjunction with the second coming, Christ will deal with
all of his and his people's enemies and I want you to rest in this
blessed reality. verse 7 and to you that are afflicted
rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus and we will
rest in the reality that the God who says vengeance is mine
I will repay will according to this passage take vengeance again
have you got a Christ who is a vengeful Christ we've seen
him as the concerned Christ who watches over the dust of His
saints and will give that dust preferential treatment at His
return. But the same Christ whose heart
is large with infinite love and care for His own, who died in
Him and whose bodies are in the graves. is the Christ through
whom God will mediate all of his righteous vengeance against
all of his and his people's enemies. And Paul underscores that a conscious
understanding of what will occur at the coming of Christ is a
major component in the Christian's comfort. Comfort in the face
of the death of loved ones, comfort in the face of opposition and
persecution, And we could trace out many other ways in which
this truth that is foundational to the New Testament doctrine
of the Christian life is used by the Apostle. But now we must
hasten on to look at one passage, what I'm going to call the dominant
passage in Peter's epistle. We've looked at a specimen passage
from our Lord. We've looked at these key passages
from Paul's pen. Now note with me the dominant
passage in Peter's epistle. dominant passage in Peter's epistle. Some commentators have noted
that if Paul is the apostle of faith and John the apostle of
love, Peter is the apostle of hope. Now you can't put any hard
fast category. John says every man that hath
this hope in him purifies himself. Hope is found in the Joannine
corpus. Paul is also the apostle of hope
and of love. But in terms of overall emphasis,
we do find an emphasis In Peter on this matter of hope, it is
Peter who speaks of setting our hope perfectly on the grace that
is to be brought to us. And there are many references
to the second coming in 1st and 2nd Peter, but the watershed
passage in Peter is 2nd Peter chapter 3. After affirming the certainty
of our Lord's return, He then states that three things will
result and ought to result in the lifestyle of the people of
God as a result of their confidence of the return of the Lord Jesus. We pick up the reading at verse
9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness, but is longsuffering to youward, not wishing that
any perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day
of the Lord will come. the day of the Lord will come
as a thief, in the which the heavens shall pass away with
great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent
heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned
up. Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy living
and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming
of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat but according to his promise we look for a new heavens and
a new earth wherein dwells righteousness wherefore beloved seeing that
you look for these things give diligence that you may be found
in peace without spot and blameless in his sight You see what Peter
is emphasizing? The certainty of the Lord's return. Again, it's not an abstract doctrine. Yes, I believe Christ will return
again. I believe at His return He will
glorify the saints and judge the wicked and renovate the heavens
and the earth and usher It's not a matter of saying, yes,
I believe all of that and it's out there as one of the things
locked up, as it were, in the hard drive of my theological
convictions to be brought up occasionally when I push the
mouse of some occasion to want to think of it. No! It is there
as a dominant perspective that regulates life. And the way it
regulates life, verse 11, seeing these things are thus to be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy living
and godliness? It will have an influence upon
your overall lifestyle in terms of a commitment to practical
godliness. And it will produce in you a
looking for and an earnest desiring. Difficult to translate that particular
Greek word. You'll notice the marginal reading
of the ASV. Hastening, earnestly desiring,
reaching out towards the coming of the day of God. A commitment
to holiness joined with a looking and earnest desiring of the day. and then a keen anticipation
of the fruition of that day. But according to his promise,
we look for a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness
and then he comes back and underscores the first strand of emphasis
wherefore beloved seeing you look for such things he comes
back to the practical emphasis again of a life of godliness
and holiness you see what Peter is saying the conviction that
the Lord is returning is a conviction that touches the whole of life
It touches us when we're making those little decisions in the
direction of righteousness or sin, that which would leave us
unspotted or that which would paint and spot us. It touches
us with respect to all holy living and godliness. It touches us
with respect to where are our deepest longings? Are they fixed
upon anything that is bound by time and sense and sight? Or are our deepest longings fixed
upon that which now by faith we see, looking for and earnestly
desiring the coming of the day of God? And as we look around
us, do we even think As we walk in a situation where we see the
fruit of ungodliness, do we think every square inch of the ground
on which I now walk will one day be suffused with nothing
but righteousness. There's going to be a new heavens
and a new earth. that will have some continuity
with this present earth. It's going to be renovated. It
will, in the language of Romans 8, be delivered from its bondage
of corruption. And at the return of the Lord
Jesus, this present world will be one wherein dwells nothing. But righteousness. Righteousness
in every man. Righteousness in every relationship. Righteousness in every structure. However life will be structured
in the new heavens and in the new earth. Surely that perspective
will make all the difference to these pilgrims living in a
hostile society. living in the midst of a situation
totally unfavorable to a life of godliness a thousand influences
to dull the conscience and to make us earthbound and time bound
and we need to keep our eyes fixed looking for and earnestly
desiring the coming of the day of God but not only is this the
emphasis in our Lord's teaching the Apostle Paul, the Apostle
Peter we don't have time to look at that emphasis in John's epistles
but it is the dominant emphasis in the last book of the scripture
and I want you to look at two bookend texts as we bring our
study to a close tonight two bookend texts you remember that
the book of the revelation was written not for people to make
charts and speculate about the future but John himself in a
period of intensifying persecution has been exiled For the sake
of Christ, he's on the isle of Patnos, and the risen Christ
who moves amidst the seven golden lampstands, the seven churches,
knowing, succoring, empathizing, correcting, admonishing, instructing. He wants this letter, this epistle
to be sent to these seven churches. And among the dominant purposes
is that those who are facing persecution would understand
the ultimate triumph of Christ. That though now they are oppressed,
and though the powers of evil that will be depicted under various
images, the beast and the dragon, and these gathered hosts of evil,
the world pictured as great Babylon, all of these will ultimately
be defeated by Him who is the King of Kings and the Lord of
Lords. but notice the consolation that is given in that overarching
purpose of the book John verse 4 of chapter 1 John to the seven
churches that are in Asia grace to you and peace from him who
is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits
that are before the throne and from Jesus Christ who is the
faithful witness the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of
the kings of the earth unto Him who loved us and loosed us from
our sins by His blood and made us to be a kingdom, priest to
His God and Father, to Him be the glory and dominion forever
and ever. John no sooner identifies Christ
in the glory of who He is and in the wonder of what He's made
us, a kingdom, priest unto His God and Father, but the first
thing he then says in verse 7, Behold, he comes with the clouds. John, I'm writing to the seven
churches. Grace to you and peace. And this
comes from the living God, from the Spirit, from Jesus Christ,
Christ who is faithful witness, firstborn from the dead, ruler
of the kings of the earth, the Christ who loved us, loosed us
from our sins in his own precious blood, gave us this tremendous
status. The world may be treating you,
the Lord is saying through John, the world may be treating you
like it's off scouring, but Christ has made you a kingdom of priests
to his God. And that Christ, he says to his
people, he is coming. He is coming. The first thing
He impresses upon them to give solid encouragement is the fact
He is coming. He is coming with the clouds.
And every eye shall see Him, and they that pierced Him, and
all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over Him even so. Amen. The first prayer of the
book of the Revelation is a prayer of the coming. of the Lord Jesus
even so let it be John says Amen now we come all the way through
the book to the last chapter and how does the book close closes
with the words of the Lord Jesus being followed with a prayer
verse 20 of chapter 22 he who testifies these things says yes
I come quickly. Amen. So be it. Come Lord Jesus. The book begins and it ends with
the coming of the Lord Jesus. A prayer in the first announcement
of his coming. Amen. Let it be even so. And a prayer with which the book
closes. I come quickly, Amen, come Lord Jesus. Now dear people, I've only given
you a very small smattering of the text permeating the New Testament. But I hope this has been enough
to demonstrate the validity of the observation we've made from
1 Peter 1.13 that in the New Testament doctrine of the Christian
life, The fact of the coming of the Lord Jesus is not a secondary
or tertiary emphasis. It is at the very center of the
major strands of emphasis with respect to the Christian life. God willing, when we come to
this table next Lord's Day evening, even in that, the second coming
is placed before us. As often as you eat this bread
and drink this cup, you do preach the Lord's death. Not until you
die. That's true. You will preach
it there until you die. But death is not the terminus
for the Christian. You preach the Lord's death till
he comes. Everywhere you turn, you meet
it. Why? Because it is a dominant element
in the New Testament doctrine of the Christian life. So that
leads me to the obvious question. You know what I'm going to ask
you. Is it a dominant reality in your life? Or must you confess as I've had
to confess with shame that there are times when days pass and
I do not consciously think my Lord is returning. This text
has convicted me from one side of my heart to the other and
up and down in every other direction. As I've had to pour over a text
that says as a foundational element of the Christian pilgrimage Set
your hope with finality upon the grace to be brought unto
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And I've had to say,
oh God, I haven't begun to begin to be that kind of a Christian.
I've been ashamed of myself. I've had to confess my sin of
being earthbound. You think it's an easy thing
to preach if you want to be honest with the word of God first of
all in your own heart? This text has ripped me up one
side and down the other. Don't shrink from an honest confrontation
with that question. I've had to live with it for
hours. Is this a dominant element in your Christian life? If not,
could it be that that's the explanation for the lack of progress in many
areas of your Christian life? if God is ordained that it should
have such a pervasive influence and it is not having that influence
then are we not like the person who is seeking to pursue good
health while omitting some vital components of foodstuffs that
are necessary for good health I only ask the question I don't
point the finger and condemn but I do ask the question and
only you can answer it And if you cannot say, yes, it is a
dominant element in my Christian experience, then may God help
you as I trust He's helping me to take the exhortation of Peter,
girding up the loins of our mind, identifying those areas of our
mental activity that are leaving us tangled in the robes of an
undisciplined thought life. and gather them all up and in
conjunction with a spirit of sobriety set our hope with finality
and fixity upon the grace that is to be brought unto us at the
revelation of Jesus Christ. For you who sit here strangers
to God's grace I pray that just the reading of that passage in
2 Thessalonians will strike fear to your heart He is coming, and
should He come this night and find you unbelieving, your eternity
will exegete the words, taking vengeance on them that know not
God and obey not the gospel. Your experience will exegete
the words, who shall suffer eternal punishment from the presence
of the Lord. and the glory of his might. May God grant that you turn from
your sin, cast yourself upon this gracious Savior who is utterly
and irrevocably committed to bring to the weakest of his people
all of the blessings of his grace that he purchased in his cross. And so certain is that grace
that Peter can describe it as already bearing down upon us.
And bless God, one of these days it will overtake us at the revelation
of Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Our Father, we do thank you for
your holy word, that it is a lamp unto our feet and a light to
our pathway. And when we hear men speculating
about the future, as they speculate about the past, as they try with
unaided reason and with all of their scientific equipment to
answer the most elementary questions of where did this world come
from and where is it going, how we thank you for your word. We
thank you that it is a sure word. and we pray that we may fasten
our hearts upon its realities that we may, by your grace, live
as your people in the light of the blessed hope and glorious
appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Forgive
us, O Lord, for our lack of gathering the loins of our minds. Forgive
us for our lack of sobriety. Forgive us for being earth-bound
and sense-bound. We confess to you our sin and
ask for grace and help. Seal your word to our hearts
and be merciful to us as we seek to live this coming week as those
who embrace from the heart every duty, every responsibility, who
lay hold by faith of every privilege that is ours in Christ. but whose
spiritual eyes are fixed upon that day of consummation. May
we be found among those who love our Lord's appearing. We ask
in his

A Life of Steadfast Hope, Part 2

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about steadfast hope?

How do we know that the return of Christ is a central doctrine?

Why is it necessary for Christians to live with the expectation of Christ's return?

What role does grace play in preparing Christians for the return of Christ?

How can the understanding of Christ’s return offer comfort to believers?

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About Albert N. Martin

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A Life of Steadfast Hope, Part 2

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about steadfast hope?

How do we know that the return of Christ is a central doctrine?

Why is it necessary for Christians to live with the expectation of Christ's return?

What role does grace play in preparing Christians for the return of Christ?

How can the understanding of Christ’s return offer comfort to believers?

Sermon Transcript

About Albert N. Martin

Comments

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