It is indeed a blessed privilege
to be able to be here with you this evening. I thank the Lord for the honor
to be able to be with this precious congregation, for your pastor
that I love, I can't tell you how much I love
him. He's been my friend for a long
time. I want to ask you to take your
Bibles and turn with me to the book of Romans, chapter 15. Romans, chapter 15. Brother Scott
Richardson told me one time, And I've learned, try to listen
to what he says. I told somebody one day, he didn't
get off a watermelon truck last night. He said, when you get
up to preach, you tell what God's done for
you. And that's what I pray this evening
the Lord grant me the grace to do. Romans 15 verse 13. Now, the God of hope. Fill you. With all joy and peace
in believing. That you. May abound in hope. Through the power. Of the Holy
Ghost. Every person born into this world, somewhere along the line, they
have within their mental capacity, they've got some something that
is to them a hope. That word itself is defined as
a favorable expectation, a confidence. It has to do, this hope, with
the future. There is within Every man, there's some kind
of confidence when he starts thinking about life after life
or life after death. He starts thinking about what
am I going to rest my soul on? Or a believer, they say, who? This belief is based on something
that he's been taught, something he knows, something he feels
or thinks is the right thing. Now the problem with man, as
he is born in Adam, is that he's incapable of knowing, perceiving the God of hope. The reason that he cannot know
the God of hope, he's dead. He's dead. He's blind. He can't hear spiritually. He can't see. He's dead. He's incapable of seeking God. No man seeks after God. Man by
nature thinks he can, but the scriptures clearly reveal he
can't. He's incapable of faithfulness.
He's incapable of consistency, but in his mind, he has a hope. Man has some hope. Now for an unbeliever in the
Lord Jesus Christ, I know this. It's a false hope. It's based
on what he can concoct in his mind. What he can come to some
kind of mental thought process. I thought through on this. And
I began to think about how every person, no matter, no matter
what, every person that has a false hope, it's going to be based
on his. Somehow some religious experience
is going to be based on. He's going to start thinking
back on all of the self-righteous acts that he's done. Or if he
can't go back to that, he's going to start today. I'm going to
straighten up. I'm going to. I'm going to start
acting. He's going to... A man builds himself a hope. I want you to turn to Job 27.
Job 27. Job 27, beginning in verse 8. Job 27, 8, for what is the hope? of the hypocrite, though he hath
gained when God taketh away his soul. Will God hear his cry when
trouble cometh unto him? Will he delight himself in the
Almighty? Will he always call upon God?
I will teach you by the hand of God, at which is with the
Almighty will I not conceal. all ye yourselves has seen it.
Why then are you thus altogether vain? This is the portion of
a wicked man with God in the heritage of oppressors, which
they shall receive of the Almighty." What hope does a wicked, ungodly
man have before God? God takes his soul. Job 8.11 says this, Can the rush,
the reed, grow up without mire? Can the flag, the marsh grass,
grow without water? Whilst it is yet in his greenness,
and not cut down, it withereth, becomes dry before any other
herb. So are the paths of all they.
They forget God. And the hypocrites, the godless,
the hypocrite's hope, that is their expectations, shall perish. Whose hope, different word, two
different word, hope. Second one means stupidity, shall
be cut off whose trust or refuge, shall be as a spider's web. Man by nature has created a hope
and he rests his eternal soul on what the scripture reveals
is but a false hope. Something that he's created in
his mind and it's a false sense of security and by definition
out of the book of Job, that hope is a confidence in folly
or a confidence in stupidity. But for one that Almighty God
is called out of darkness. He has a hope. And his hope is the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ. All of his hope The man brought to consider the
frailty of this life. I told brother Don this, I said,
I tell you what the word that comes to my mind, the singleness, the focus of
the Lord Jesus Christ. John 14, six, the Lord said,
I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man comes to
the father but by me. And a believer by the grace of
God holds on. I can't help but think about
this passage of Scripture. This comes back to my mind so
many times when Jacob was wrestling with the man, the Lord Jesus. And he said to Jacob, let me
go. And Jacob, knowing I have one
hope, he said not. Unless you bless me, let me go. No. Turn me loose. No, I can't. I can't. If I don't have you, I have nothing.
If I don't have you, they listen. Some of the disciples heard what
the Lord said. It was a hard saying and he followed
him no more. And the Lord looked at his disciples
and he said, will you go away also? And Peter said, Lord. Where are we going to go? You have the words of eternal
life. Let me ask you this. Where will you go? A believer
has a hope. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians
1, 2, and 3, we give thanks to God always to you, making mention
of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of
faith and labor of love and patience of hope, of expectation, of confidence
in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father. Titus 2, 13, 14, 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. Our hope. Our expectation. Our confidence. Where were you going to go? Show the believers hope. Christ. He is our confidence. What is your confidence? Of acceptance
with the God of all mercy. What is your hope? What is your
expectation? What is your what is your one
hope? It's him. I have nothing else. There's nothing that I can say,
there's nothing that I can do, there's nothing that I can think
that's going to qualify me before. I am the way. Confidence. Job said in Job 19,
25 to 27, for I know that my Redeemer liveth. Dawn, that's a good statement.
I know, I know. I told brother Don a while ago,
I said, you know, you think about talking about the God of all
peace and comfort. I think about these, these, these
two words right here that come back to my, my mind often everlasting
arms. And I tell you at two in the
morning, boy, I'm telling you. The peace that passeth all understanding. Job says, I know that my redeemer
liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
And though after my skin, worms destroy the body, yet in my flesh,
shall I see God whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes
shall behold and not another, not a stranger. It's him. It's
him. Though my reigns be consumed
within me, or though it appears from a human point of view, that
all hope is gone. I know. Almighty God settles the heart
of his people. Christ is our hope, but I've
got a question and this, this is, this is my question. And for you that believe, this
is your question. I know it is. How is that hope
made to be my hope? I know, Bob, that he is the hope
of his people. I know that. But how is he my
hope? Paul says in Romans 15, 13, now
the God of hope, the God of hope. This is what I know. Hope. The Lord Jesus Christ. For him
to be my hope. Didn't originate with me. It
didn't start with me. The scripture says that we were
chosen. Ephesians 1, 4 and 5. According as he hath chosen us
in him. before the foundation of the
world that we should be holy and without blame before him
in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. Almighty God, the God of all mercy, the father
of all mercy. It pleased him. to choose, to set his affection
to love upon a people, a people that were dug out of the same
pit as every other person. It wasn't that we chose almighty
God. That's what the Lord Jesus Christ
said. You didn't choose me. I chose you. To show mercy and compassion
to whomsoever he would. The God of hope. My hope is not
built upon my free will, my profession of faith, my self-righteous acts. The God of hope. Hope originates with God. The Lord of heaven. He did this,
that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels
of mercy, which he had aforeprepared unto glory. And he did it because
he chose to. This is my hope. God Almighty
chose, according to his own will and purpose, to show mercy to
me. Christ is revealed to us. God Almighty, by divine revelation,
by His Spirit, to that new creation, because flesh would never know
and never believe, God saw fit, because it pleased Him to. Born again. Born from above. Born because He chose to show
mercy and grace. This is what I know. Salvation
is of the Lord. All of grace. Redeemed as the possession of God Almighty
where He is. The possession of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We were given Him. He bought
us. Redeemed us. The scripture says that we were
out of the same lump. One vessel unto honor. I looked that word up. One vessel
unto honor. Worth the cost. Worth the cost. When I stopped and I even try
to consider what was paid to my shame, I
can say all that I know, all that I can. And I can try to
say it as honorably as I can. And to my disappointment, to
my shame, I think to myself, I can't enter in to the debt
he paid. But to him, he said, one vessel
under honor, another under dishonor. But to those that he everlastingly
loved and looked upon in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ,
worth the cost. What did it cost? It cost the
blood of our blessed Savior. Revelation 5, 9, 4 and 20 elders. They sung a new song saying thou
art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for
thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of
every kindred and tongue and people and nation. The regenerated saint of God
possesses hope, true hope, chosen to possess that hope, purchased
by that hope. But that hope must be revealed
to them. I don't have the capacity. The Lord Jesus Christ, when he
asked them, who do men say that I am? They gave answers. Who do you say I am? Peter said,
you're the Christ. And the Lord told Peter, and
he said unto him, blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which
is in heaven. Our hope, our expectancy, is
Christ. Him himself. Source of it is
God. Price of it is blood. But let me ask you this. What's
the evidence of it? I want to know. I'm sitting here
and I'm listening to exactly what these scriptures are saying.
What is the evidence of a good hope? How do I know that he's my hope?
This is where the rubber meets the road right here. I know that
God has people. I know that he's chosen them.
I know the Lord Jesus Christ has died for him. I know that
he is the hope of his people, but here's what I want to know. What confidence do I have that
he's mine? The scripture says, now the God
of hope filled you with all joy and peace in believing. Believe it. I don't want to be blinded. I don't want to have that seared
conscience. This is serious. It's life and
death. It's forever. Here is a promise to all that
God Almighty has chosen to show mercy. They will be filled. with joy and peace, gladness. Not in what they've done, but
what he's done. Not in what they've accomplished,
but what he accomplished, what he purposed. And they possess
joy and peace. Quietness is that word. They
know that reconciliation has been made for them by the blood
of Christ. And they settle down and they believe God. They believe him. Let me ask
you this. You believe him. Now that that a Philippian jailer. came to the Apostle Paul, and
he asked a question, and he said this, Sirs, what must I do to
be saved? Now I know that men could take that question
and say, you see there now, you see what it says, what must I
do? And they'll twist it. And they're
going to ask or say that there's going to have to be something
that's going to have to originate with you. What must I do to be
saved? When the Apostle Paul answered
him, if the question that was asked him was stated like that,
he would not answer this. He did. A Philippian jailer did
ask him that, but let me tell you what he asked. What is the
evidence? Obviously, if God's done something
for me, something will happen. What is
that? What is the evidence? What is
the action that God's done something for me? And Paul said, you believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Almighty God grants, gives, faith, and God's
people believe Him. Abraham believed God. What did he believe? He believed
that righteousness of Christ was imputed to him. He believed
that God had shown mercy to him. of hope, filled you with joy
and peace in believing. God's people believe God, and
they do not sit back and start going over in their minds and
start thinking back on things they've done for Him or accomplished
for Him. They believe that God Almighty has saved them by His grace,
and they rest. Faith. Faith is the substance. It's the ground. It's the confidence
of things hoped for, expected. It's the evidence. It's the proof
of things not seen, accomplished deeds. Evidence. Proof of it. Christ
is our hope. Given Him, given to us in Him
by God. And I'll tell you this, our hearts are excited As we're taught by
the Spirit of God, a greater manifestation, understanding
of His mercy to us for Christ's sake. I dare say that anyone will disagree
with what I'm about to say, but I'm telling you every time your
pastor stands up and preaches to you. Different passage. Different text, different title,
but message. Same gospel. And every time you
hear it, you sit there and while you're listening, you're thinking
to yourself, this message is sweeter. Tell me one more time, how many
times have you heard of hope and confidence in Christ. How
many times have you heard of mercy and grace? And every time
you hear it, you say to yourself, you tell me one more time. Tell me one more time how God Almighty has shown mercy
to me. I was thinking about that passage
of scripture just then. It went through my mind. I was
thinking to myself, in that day of judgment, the great white
throne judgment, and all men will be standing there. And it
says in the books will be open. All the books, all the record. of man's rebellion, self-righteousness. And then it says in the book,
and as soon as you heard the book, you thought that's what I want to talk about.
That's what I want to hear. Tell me, tell me again. Tell
me again. How God Almighty, before the
foundation of the world, tell me one more time how God chose
to show mercy to me. Tell me one more time how He
gave me to the Lord Jesus Christ. Tell me one more time about the
surety. I want to hear one more time
how He came into this world. Tell me how the Word was made
flesh. And He came into this world.
And tell me one more time how as my federal head, as He represented
me. Tell me one more time how as
He obeyed God in every word and thought and deed And knowing
that he has always stood for me and he's always answered for
me. And tell me one more time how
that voice was heard from heaven. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. And tell me again how God Almighty
has always looked upon me. in favor being found in Him. And tell me one more time the
evidence of God having done something for me is that I believe Him. Tell me one more time how God
grants faith to believe Him. Tell me one more time. How He
made sin. How there upon that tree. Tell me one more time. How He
suffered as my substitute. My mother sitting here tonight.
I've used this illustration before. I'm going to use it again. If my mother had committed murder,
I was sentenced to die. And I, being her loving son,
said, I'll tell you what, I'll just die instead of, I'll die,
you know, just. And I was electrocuted and she went free. Someone said that's
substitution. No, it's not. Because then he'll just look
at her and just say, well, she got off. Her son just, you know. But if I could be made Marian
Stoniker and die as a substitute, that's
substitution. He made him sin who knew no sin. that I might be made the righteousness
of God. Tell me one more time how God
Almighty has shown mercy to me. And then I want to hear one more
time, tell me it was all of grace. And don't tell me what I've got
to do for God. because I know that there's nothing
in me. There dwells no good thing. The God of hope filled you with
all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope.
How? Through the power of the Holy
Ghost. The joy and peace in believing
God has been taught me by God himself that has revealed to me the Lord
Jesus Christ. And my heart this evening I want to feast on him. I want
to taste of him. I want to drink of him. God almighty. Teach me again tonight. Help me. Allow me the privilege. to be able to hear one more time of sovereign grace, the God of
hope, for Christ's sake. Amen. Thank you, Pastor. Thank you so much for great books.
Record number 114, if you will.