I'd like to begin by reading
just one verse. One verse of scripture here in
verse 15 of 1 Peter chapter 3. And then we'll go to 1 Thessalonians,
or 2 Thessalonians rather, for the answer. But in verse 15,
Peter writing and he says, but sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts. and be ready always to give an
answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that
is in you with meekness and fear. The title of my message this
morning is The Reason for My Hope. Peter exhorts us to be
ready If anyone would ask us, no matter who they are or when,
what's the reason of your hope? That is, your hope of heaven. But more than that, The reason
of your hope of acceptance before God. The reason of your hope
of reconciliation. What's the basis of it? Now,
if you would ask about anyone that question that enters a worship
service or a church this morning, they'd all have an answer. They'd
all have an answer. Now, according to God's Word,
there's only one answer. There's only one foundation.
There's only one grounds of acceptance for a sinner before a holy God. But the majority of people would
all give different answers. They would say, I hope to go
to heaven because I. Now what follows that may be
different. I joined this church. My parents
were members of this church. My grandparents were members
of this church. Or I made a decision. Or I was
baptized or confirmed. Something that I did. If the
reason consists in what I did, then it's wrong. Jeff, it's the
wrong answer. It's the wrong place to start. Turn if you will for a moment
back to Luke's Gospel chapter 18. Remember what our Lord said
concerning the publican and the Pharisee? We're told that he
spoke this parable in Luke 18, the certain which trusted in
themselves. That's the wrong place to start.
Who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised
others. Let's hear what the Pharisee
said first of all. This so-called prayer in verse
10. Our Lord speaking and he says,
two men went up into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee,
a separated one. There was a saying in those days
if only two men went to heaven one would be a Pharisee. That's
how they were looked upon. They were held in high esteem.
Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and
the other a publican. Now you know who he was. He was
a tax collector. He was considered a traitor.
He was a man who collected taxes from the Jews, his own people,
for the Roman government. God, I thank Thee that I am not
as other men are. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not
unjust. I'm not an adulterer or even
as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give
tithes of all that I possess. Everything was about Him. Now in that prayer that had so
much of what he did in it, so much about him, do you have an
inkling or a trace, any evidence whatsoever that that Pharisee
felt his need of anything from God? No evidence whatsoever is
there. He trusted as our Lord said.
He trusted in Himself. He had no need of anything. Can
you imagine that? Can you imagine? There must be
something really wrong with the man who thinks he's standing
in the presence of God, the Holy God, and he himself a helpless
sinner, and yet his prayer contains no cry of mercy? No need of mercy,
no need of grace. Something's wrong with that,
is there not? Oh, but now let's turn and listen
to the prayer of this despised tax collector in verse 16. A total of just seven words. This is what he said, verse 13. And the publican, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven. A picture
of his unworthiness. This is how he felt. But he smote
upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner. No boasting, only begging. Only a plea for mercy. That was his need. He could boast
of nothing. There was no I in that prayer. There was no boasting of anything
he'd done. He had nothing to boast of, but
he did have this, Jeff. He had a need before the holy
God, and by grace he knew what that need was. He comes before
God with just this one plea. God, have mercy on me. Be merciful to me because I'm
literally the sinner. Not a sinner among many, but
I'm the sinner. The same thing will be repeated
today. Most people will go to a church
and they'll sit down and they'll listen to something and they'll
get up and they'll go out exactly as they went in, having need
of nothing. Oh, but hear the words of our
Savior in verse 14. Look what he says concerning
these two men. He says, I tell you, It doesn't much matter what anybody
else says. The preacher may tell me, that
I'm justified the soul winner may try to tell me that I'm justified
but that doesn't make it so that doesn't make it true although
when he says he who is the only mediator between God and man
he who is God in the flesh if he says to me if he says to me
and of me that I'm justified it doesn't make any difference
what anybody else thinks or says. Look at verse 14 again. I tell
you, this man went down to his house. He's not like the Pharisee. The
Pharisee came in proud and he went out proud. He came in without
a need and he went out without any need met. He came in dressed
in his self-righteousness and he went out clothed the same
way. Oh, but this Pharisee, this despised,
or rather publican, this despised one, this one that stood afar
off, that didn't feel worthy to come any closer, that smote
upon his breast and uttered this simple, heartfelt, sincere prayer,
God be merciful to me, thee sinner, Christ says, I say unto you,
this man, oh what a blessed man he is, Blessed is that man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin. This man went down to his
house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalteth
himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall
be exalted." That publican was pronounced by Christ himself
as righteous in the court of heaven. In the court of heaven,
concerning that Pharisee, God Almighty looks down and says,
I say unto you, not guilty. Do you see him? Do you see that
despised publican? He's going home justified in
the sight of God Almighty. Can you imagine that man? That
publican, as he leaves the temple, not like he was when he went
in. Oh, now he leaves with the peace
of God. He entered in with the burden
of his sin on his back, like Bunyan's pilgrim. But oh, now
the burden has rolled away. It's gone. His sin has been put
away. He has been pronounced righteous
in the court of heaven. And he leaves that temple with
the peace of God in his soul. Because he has the peace with
God through the sacrifice of a substitute. That's what he
prayed. That's what he prayed literally.
When he said, God be merciful to me, this is what he was saying. Be propitious through the sacrifice. Lord, look at me through him. Have mercy on me because of him. He leaves the temple singing
with joy. Oh, to grace how great a debtor. Daily I'm constrained to be. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
we may leave here with the same burdens that we had when we came
in. We may leave here with the same weakness of the flesh we
had when we came in. We may leave here with physical
suffering that we had when we came in. Although we can yet
leave here rejoicing because we've been declared righteous
by the King of Glory Himself. We've been brought by the hand
of the Mediator into the very presence of God Almighty Himself
and we've been reconciled to Him. No wonder our Lord said,
there's rejoicing in the presence of the angels over one sinner
that repenteth. Now for the answer to that exhortation
that Peter gave, to be able or rather be ready always to give
an answer to anyone that asks you the reason of the hope that's
in you. Turn with me, if you will, to
2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and
here we have the answer. And I pray that it's your answer. We'll read just two verses in
2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Paul writes and he says in verse
16, Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself And God, even our Father,
which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation,
and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish
you in every good word and work. A good hope through grace, or
in grace. A good hope in grace. God's grace alone. That's enough. That's enough
for a needy sinner. In Christ alone, through faith
alone. One hymn writer expressed it
this way. Till to Jesus' work you cling
by simple faith, doing is a deadly thing. Doing ends in death. Cast all your deadly doing down,
down at Jesus' feet. Stand in him, in him alone, gloriously,
Complete. Complete. Remember what we read
in 1 Corinthians 1? God had made Him to be unto us
righteousness and wisdom and sanctification and redemption. Christ is all, Paul wrote, and
you're complete in Him. It is finished. Yes, indeed. Finished every jot. Sinner, this
is all you need. Tell me, is it not? And of course the answer from
every needy sinner, the answer of his heart is this. Yes, it's
enough. I came to Him, the water of life,
and I drank of Him, and I don't thirst any longer, only to know
more of Him, and to win Him, and to be found in Him. All this
hope that Paul speaks of is not a man made hope. It's not based
upon anything that man has done, but it's a God-given, a good
hope, he says. A good hope through grace based
upon what Jesus Christ has done. Job said in his affliction, man
that is born a woman is a few days and full of trouble. We can testify to that, can't
we? Every child of God can. And our Lord Himself said to
His disciples, His followers, those who had believed in Him,
in the world He told them, you shall have tribulation. There's no way around it. There's
no exceptions to the rule. Every child of God in this world
shall have tribulation. And I've known some, and you
have too. Some of God's dear children seem to seldom be without
suffering. It seems to be their constant
companion. Oh, but we also have this sweet
promise expressed by another hymn writer. Some through the
water, and some through the flood, and some through the fire. Oh,
but all through the blood. Some through great sorrow, can
it? Oh, but God gives a song in the
night season and all the day long. What music to the believer's
ears to hear Christ himself whisper to them by his word, my grace. My grace is sufficient for thee. The operation, not the offer
of grace, but the operation of grace. Not the fable of grace,
but the reality of grace. Reigning grace, mighty grace,
it's sufficient for thee, because my strength is made perfect in
your weakness. Oh, for a sick or dying believer
to have whispered in his ear, though you walk through the valley,
of the shadow of death. You don't need to be afraid.
You don't need to be afraid. Fear no evil. Why? I've never gone this way before. I've never had this experience
before, Lonnie. I don't know what it'll be like.
I don't know What I'll face? And nobody can go with me. My
children can't. My companion can't. No one can
go with me. Why should I not be afraid? What
can sustain me? What can help me cross that valley
without fear? Oh, because that one who spoke
those words? Fear not. Also said this, for
or because I am with thee. I'm with thee. I've loved thee
with an everlasting love, and I'm with you. When it comes time
for you to cross over, when I speak from the throne of my majesty
and say, come up hither, I'll be with you. I'll take your hand
and I'll gently lead you that last step of the way into my
eternal presence forever. Won't that be something? Brothers and sisters in Christ,
won't that be something? Paul again says, a good hope
through grace. This is not temporary. It's an
everlasting consolation. As everlasting as the covenant
of grace. As everlasting as the triune
God. This is no shifting sand of man's
doing. That's what man's religion is. Man's religion, based upon his
own works, is just shifting sand. Oh, but this is the solid rock
of that one who said, upon this rock, Peter, upon the truth of
what you just said, that is, that I'm the Christ, that I'm
the Messiah, that I'm the sent one, that I'm the anointed one,
the one sent from God, upon myself, Peter, my glorious person. my glorious worth, my own merit,
my own power, my own grace. Upon this, the church will be
built. I will build my church. It's
not something that man does. The foundation of the church
is not based upon Baptist, upon preacher, upon Pope, but it's
based upon the person and the work of Jesus Christ himself. Therefore, he says, That being
the case, that being the foundation upon which the church is built,
the gates of hell, the powers of hell shall not prevail against
it. I give my sheep eternal life. They're in my hand. Their security,
their safety, their everlasting salvation is not dependent upon
anything they do. Do you hear that? That's good
news. Now the Pharisee would find no
good news in that. He didn't have need of anything.
But that poor publican, that would make him jump up and click
his heels. He'd say, oh, that's good news.
You mean my salvation. My acceptance, my entrance into
glory is not dependent upon me. Oh no, oh no. Look away, look
away, look away to Him, the Lamb of God. He said, the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. Why? Why? Will they not attempt
to? Will not the floods arise? Will
not the winds blow against this house founded upon this rock? Will not the rains descend? Oh
yes, oh yes, but it'll not fall. Why? Because it's founded upon
this rock, the Rock of Ages, the only sure and certain foundation
for the church. I don't think it'll be a shock
to you for me to confess that I struggle every day, every day
with sin and self. It's a daily conflict. I think
I can enter in somewhat with the apostle who cried out, oh
wretched man that I am. I know something about that.
I'm not in that class of professed believers who claim they've reached
a state of sinlessness. I've not got there yet. I've
not arrived there yet. And I struggle with that every
day. And every day I need comfort. I need consolation. Where am
I going to look? Where am I going to look for
that? Where can I find comfort for my sinful Selfish, wandering
heart. Where can I find hope? Is there
hope for such a one as me? Where can I look? Where can I
find help in time of need? The exact same place I found
it at the first. The exact same place I found
it at the first. When peace was first spoken to
my heart, When His Spirit bore witness with my spirit that I
was a child of God, that I was accepted, when He whispered in
my ear as only He can, Thy sins which are many are all forgiven
Thee, I wasn't looking at myself. I wasn't looking at anything
that I'd done. I wasn't looking at anything
that I'd experienced. Oh, but I was looking solely
and only to one. One. And that was Him, the sin
bearer. Him the substitute. Him who took
away my sins. Him that John pointed everyone
to and said, look away from me. I'm not the Messiah. I'm not
him. I don't have the bride. I'm not
the bridegroom. Look away from me and look to
him, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. And
he himself said, look unto me. Look unto me. And it's still
true. It's still true, Louis. Bless
God, those words are still true. And the same thing will happen
this very hour if God is pleased to give grace to a needy sinner
and opens their blinded eyes and they hear him say, look unto
me and be ye what? Saved. Save, look unto me and
be ye saved because I am God, the mighty God, the everlasting
Father that sits upon the throne of grace. He says, look unto
me and be ye saved. That's my comfort, to look away
from self, to look away from sin, and look unto him who is
full of grace and truth. Grace. You know what the word
means. It means unmerited favor. Undeserved. The free favor of God. It can't be purchased. It can't
be bought. It's absolutely free. Is anybody
thirsty? The prophet said. Is anybody
thirsty? Does anyone have a need? Whoever
drinks of the water of this well, they'll thirst again, our Lord
told the Samaritan woman. But if anybody drinks of the
water that I shall give him, this free-flowing fountain of
everlasting life, is anybody thirsty? You've gone to the religion
of the world and you've drank and you've come back thirsty.
You've gone to the pleasures that this world has to offer,
and you've drank deeply, and yet you're thirsty. No peace
in your heart. No peace with God. You're thirsty. Our Lord says, if anybody's thirsty,
come to Me. Leave the wells, the worldly
cisterns, the broken cisterns of this world, and come to Me.
Cast aside your garments of self-righteousness and look unto Me. Is anybody
thirsty? We read it a moment ago, didn't
we? In Revelation, if any man thirst, let him come and take
the water of life freely. It's freely. And drink. And it becomes mine. It becomes
mine. His righteousness is mine. I'm
clothed in that perfect garment of pure righteousness before
the throne of God. In verse 16 of 2 Thessalonians,
Paul says, Jesus Christ himself Himself. Not just what He does,
but who He is. And God, He writes, even our
Father, Christ and mine. Our Lord said that night, just
before He went to the garden and was betrayed by Judas and
arrested and drug off to stand trial, He said, let not your
hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. Whatever faith you have in God,
whatever you thank God to be, whatever trust you have in Him,
is He trustworthy? Christ said, so am I. So am I. The same faith that you have
in Him, you can place in me. If you've seen the Father, you've
seen me. If you have me, you have the
Father. All that the Father can give,
all that He demands, all that He requires, you have it in me. Believe in me. Look unto me. Let not your heart be troubled. Turn, if you will, to Hebrews
chapter 6. Here's the good hope. It speaks of that hope within
the veil. That place, not the earthly tabernacle,
but within the veil of the very presence of God Himself. In Hebrews
6, verse 18, that by two immutable things in which it was impossible
for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation. We have
fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which
hope we have right now as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil. Whither
the forerunner is for us entered, For us, even Jesus made a high
priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Jesus Christ
himself, that's the anchor. Oh, brothers and sisters, we
have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while
the billows roll. What can give us sinner? A good
hope. A forgiveness of his sins. What
can give a sinner a good hope of acceptance before God? Of
heaven. Only this. A good hope. A good hope that rests upon this
foundation. A good hope through grace. That's my reason. That's the
only answer I have. Through, not because of myself,
but through grace alone. Turn to Galatians. Galatians
chapter 1. Paul writes of this hope here
too. Galatians chapter 1 verse 5. He writes, "...for the hope which
is laid up for you in heaven or of you have heard before in
the word of the truth of the gospel, which is come unto you,
as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it does
also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace
of God in truth." In truth. Oh, a good hope through my works? Oh no. Oh no. Through my faith? Oh no, that's not where it's
at. Paul said, I'm not worthy to
be called an apostle in 1 Corinthians 15 because I persecuted the church
of God. I wasted it. Wasted it. But he doesn't stop there. Why? Because grace, the grace of God,
the grace that is in Christ Jesus arrested Saul of Tarsus. Christ revealed Himself to Saul
of Tarsus. Christ tasted the grace of God
that is in Christ Jesus. And in the next verse he wrote,
But, oh blessed, blessed but, but by the grace of God, by the
grace of God I am what I am. I'm not what I used to be. I'm not what I was. I'm not that
Christ rejecter anymore. I'm not that vile, filthy, God-hating
sinner that I used to be. I was. I absolutely was. But, bless His holy name, I'm
not anymore. And I have only one reason why
that's so. Only one hope that I have, and
that's because of the grace of God. But, I say with the apostle,
by the grace of God alone, period. But by the grace of God, I am
what I am. I'm not what I once was. Grace
has made me to differ. Grace taught my soul to pray,
really pray, like that public when he read about. Grace taught
my soul to pray and made my eyes overflow. This grace that's kept
me to this day and will not let me go. Kenny, if it had been
left up to me, I'd have left. Because I tell you, there's within
me, right now, right now, a heart that's prone to wonder. And if
left to myself, like that multitude that had their bellies filled
and followed Him for a little while, they turned away and followed
Him no more, I'd have been in that crowd. And the only reason
I'm not is because His grace just will not let me go. And I thank him for that. Turn,
if you will, to 1 Corinthians. I know this is a familiar passage.
1 Corinthians chapter 6. But here's the result of God's
amazing grace. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 9. Paul writing in, he says to those
at the church at Corinth, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall
not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived. Don't fool yourself. Don't lie to yourself. Neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor infeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covenants, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
kingdom of God. It's not going to happen. And
look what he says in verse 11. And such were some of you. You
were in that class. Such were some of you. But... Oh here's divine grace, but... By the grace of God, I am what
I am. But ye are washed, but ye are
sanctified." Present tense. As before, such were some of
you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. This is the foundation of my
hope. If you dive to the very depths,
to the very bottom, you'll find this. You'll find this. Grace. Grace. I look in God's word and
I read this sweet promise. This is a faithful saint and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. And I fall down on that. I fall
down on that and I rest everything on that. He came into the world
to save sinners, not to help them save themselves. That's
not good news. Not to do a part and then tell
them the rest is up to you. That's not good news. That's
not the gospel. The gospel message is vastly
different. Call His name Jesus. For He shall
save His people from their sins. All of their sins. All of His
people for eternity. He shall do it. Whatever it takes. Whatever is required. Whatever
God demands. Whatever justice requires. The
Lord of glory, Jesus Christ, shall do it. He shall save his
people from their sins. I came to him as a helpless,
guilty sinner with this prayer, like that leper. You remember
him? In Mark chapter 1, he came to
our Lord, this poor dying man, and fell down before him and
said, Lord, if you will, you remember his prayer? If you will,
you can make me clean. It's all up to you. All up to
you. This man had been to the school
of grace, hadn't he? He didn't come as a proud sinner
believing that God owed him something, that he deserved God's mercy.
No, he said, if you will, if you will, you can make me clean. And oh, how sweet was the answer
of grace to his heart when our Lord said, I will. I will. That's an omnipotent I will,
brother of the Lord. That's the same one that said,
let there be light. And there was light. That's an
omnipotent word that says, I will. And you know what it accomplished?
You know what it produced? That filthy dying leper was made
whole. He was cleansed from the very
moment that our Lord said, I will. Oh, that very moment that a sinner
believes, that very moment from Jesus, a pardon, a full, free,
gracious, irrevocable, complete, everlasting pardon he receives. Oh yes, I will. I will. And the third, third thing, my
hope rests here. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
son, John wrote, cleanseth us from all sin. It rests there. The Lord God
told Moses, I'm going to pass through the land of Egypt tonight
as might the firstborn, every one of them, except those who
are in the house. where that blood of the Paschal
Lamb has been applied. And our Lord said, when I see
the blood, nothing else. Isn't that comforting, child
of God? When I see the blood, we're all prone to look to self. Have I prayed enough? It's just
human nature. Say, oh, that's what Arminians
do. It's human nature. Have I prayed enough? Have I
given enough? Have I been faithful enough? Let me ask you, when is it ever
enough? Is it ever enough? Oh, no. Our Lord said, when I see the
blood, that's the reason. That's the only reason. That's
always the reason. Always. When I see the blood,
not your faithfulness or your unfaithfulness. When I see the
blood, I will pass over you. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
in the very teeth of my sin, in the very teeth of my sin,
I have a good hope. When Christ, my substitute, cried,
Finished. When He uttered that from the
cross, my sins were put away. Completely and forever. And oh, the bliss, oh, the bliss
of this glorious thought. My sins, not in part, that wouldn't
help me, not in part but the whole, are nailed to His cross,
and I bear them no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
oh, my soul. My hope rests there. That's my
reason. accepted in to be loved. His
righteousness is the only robe that will cover us. His blood
is the only mark that saves us from eternal death. Not one person
has ever entered heaven into the courts of glory with any
other testimony but this, unto him that loved us and washed
us from our sins in his own blood, to him be glory forever and ever."
When we stand at the graveside of one of our dear brothers and
sisters in Christ, those who have died in the Lord, Hear the
words of the wise man in Proverbs. The wicked is carried away in
his death. Oh, but the righteous, he has
hope. He has hope. In 1 Thessalonians
chapter 4, just a page back from our text, we read these words
in verse 13. But I will not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep. have died,
that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." Those who
die without Christ die without hope. But Paul says we have a
good hope, a good hope in grace. For we believe that if Jesus,
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. To be absent from the body is
to be present with the Lord. And then reading our text again
as we close the message, verse 16 of 2 Thessalonians 2. Now
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself And God, even our Father, which
hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and
good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you
in every good word and work. God bless you. I pray that God
will make His word effectual to your hearts.