Several years ago, I read a story in the autobiography
of Charles Spurgeon, and I called it to mind last
evening when I was preparing the message for this morning. Mr. Spurgeon told how that a
family which attended his church, were
walking to church one Sunday morning, the father and the mother
and the children. And they were talking about the
church services, anticipating hearing Mr. Spurgeon preach,
as everyone did. And one of the little boys, I
don't know how small, probably not too small, But one of the
young lads in the family turned to his father and made this remark. He said, I sure hope the pastor
says something today that I can understand. I sure hope the pastor says something
today that I can understand. I don't see why the pastor shouldn't
say something today that everybody can understand. Actually, and I've given a lot
of thought to this, understanding is not our problem. That's not
our problem. Believing is our problem. It's
not understanding. Pharaoh understood Moses, did
he not? Don't you believe Pharaoh understood
what Moses was presenting to him? Let my people go. Thus saith
the Lord, let my people go. If you don't let my people go,
I'll judge you. He understood that, but he didn't
believe. He didn't believe. He didn't
believe until he buried his firstborn son. Israel understood God. They understood
what He said on that mountain with the thunderings and lightning.
Don't you believe they did? They understood those words.
They understood the sacrifices to a point, but they didn't believe. The Pharisees understood our
Lord. They took up stones to stone
Him, and He said to them, Many good works have I done among
you, for which of these do you stone me?" They said, we're not
stoning you for good work. We understood what you said.
You're a man and you make yourself God. Why, we know your mother
and your brothers and sisters. This is the carpenter. He can't
be God. They understood. I and my father
are one. They fully understood what he
was saying. In their head, they didn't believe
it. They couldn't comprehend the
mystery of godliness that God was manifest in the flesh, but
they understood what he said. They understood it. And the Jews
understood Paul. But they didn't believe. That's
our problem, not understanding. I believe. I'm not smart enough
to confuse you. And the things that I've said
here through the years, you've understood. I've understood them. I told my Sunday school class
this morning about a pastor friend, Brother Tom Smith, who ministers
in Charleston, West Virginia. He was in Bible college. He was
in training for the ministry. And he believed. what we call
sovereign grace. He believed what we call the
doctrines of grace, that God is sovereign, that man is fallen,
depraved, that God elected a people, that Christ died for those people,
that the Holy Spirit invincibly calls those people and they will
persevere and God will have a new heaven and a new earth and it's
predestinated a people to be like his son. And he and a young
friend argued all the time. You know how preachers in school
argue. You've been there, haven't you,
Ron? Argue, argue, argue, argue. And finally Tom said, let's don't
argue anymore. Let's just... He said, let's
don't argue anymore. He said, now I'll tell you what
you do. You go to your room in the dorm and you take the ninth
chapter of Romans and just read it. Just read it. Don't read
any commentaries with it. Don't read any writings of men
along with it. Don't read any Bible helps. Don't read any footnotes. Don't read anything but Romans
9. Just read Romans 9." The boy said, Oh no. Oh no. Tom said, Why not? He said, If
I do, I'll come out believing like you do. We understand. It's not understanding that's
our problem. It's believing. That's right. Turn to Hebrews chapter 1 a moment. That's the problem. It says in
Hebrews chapter 1 that God, verse 1, who at sundry times, God in
sundry times and different manners, spake in time past to our fathers
with a prophet. God spoke. God spoke to them. And God hath in these last days,
and we've been in the last days since Christ came, all the way
through the New Testament when we talk about in the last days
perilous times shall come and in the last days men shall be
lovers of themselves more than lovers of God. In the last days
they'll heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. That's the
last 2,000 years, the last day. Well, God hath in these last
days spoken to us by his Son. There's no better teacher than
Christ. We have teachers in this congregation, good teachers. And these teachers pride themselves
upon the ability to convey their thoughts to their students. If
you can't communicate, you can't teach. The best teacher is the
man or woman who can get across to the pupils what they believe
or what they The facts. And our Lord's a good teacher.
And He has spoken to us. The Lord Jesus Christ has spoken
to us. Turn to 1 John chapter 5. I'm
saying that understanding is not our problem. Faith is our
problem. Faith, belief is our problem.
1 John chapter 5. Listen to this. Beginning with
verse 7. Now listen carefully. There are
three that bear record in heaven. There's the Father. There's the
Word. That's the Son. In the beginning
was the Word. The Word was with God and was
God. The Word was made flesh. There's the Holy Ghost. And these
three are one. One God. I'm not going to try
to explain the Trinity. But when I say Trinity, you understand
what I'm saying. Our God is one God, yet revealed
as three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You may not believe it, Danny, but you understand it. I'm saying
Trinity. the triune God, and the three
that bear record in heaven, Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost.
And these three are one. And there are three that bear
witness in the earth, the Spirit of God, the water, the Word of
God, and the blood of Christ. And these three agree in one
purpose. Now, if we receive the witness
of men, and most of us here do, I've got folks in this congregation,
if I tell you that I'll be back here from the meeting Friday
and I'll be speaking next Sunday morning, then you just, you won't
keep calling the house saying, is he really going to do that?
You say, he gave us his word. If we say we're going to do something,
you believe the witness of men. Well, the witness of God's greater,
God's word See, we may promise something and we can't fulfill
it because we're not Lord of the circumstances and of providence. When God promises something,
He will fulfill it because He's the Lord of all things. And if
we believe the witness of me and the witness of God is greater,
now watch it, and this is the witness of God which yet testified
of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of His love. He that believeth
on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth
not God hath made God a liar. Why? It's not that he didn't
understand. Actually, his sin is aggravated
because he does understand. He knows what he's denying. He came unto his own and his
own received him not. He's the one they didn't receive.
He's the one they refuse. We know what we're rejecting,
we know what we're refusing. And he that believeth not God
hath made God a liar. Why? Because he believed not
the record that God gave of his Son. What is that record? Well,
look at the next verse. And this is the record. This
is the record. that God has given to sinners
eternal life, that spiritual life, that's divine life, that's
the life of God, that's the life we lost in the garden. There
are several kinds of life, there's mineral life, there's life in
the minerals, there's plant life, there's animal life, there's
human life, and there's spiritual life, divine life. Now when God
made Adam, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
He became a living soul. He was made in the image of God,
and he had not only physical life, natural life, but he had
spiritual life. He walked with God. He was holy. He worshipped God. He knew God. But God said, in the day you
eat of the fruit of the tree in the garden, you'll die. Well,
Adam didn't die physically. He lived, what, 800 years. But
when he took that fruit, something happened to Adam. He became a
different person. Prior to that time, he was brave.
Now he's a coward. Prior to that time, he was unashamed.
He was naked and didn't pay attention to it. Now he tries to cover
himself. Prior to that time, he was a genius. He named all
the animals. Now he's a fool trying to hide
from God in a clump of bushes. That's not even good thinking.
You don't hide from God in a clump of bushes. Prior to that time,
he was a man of love. He loved his wife Eve. Now he's
blaming her for his troubles. He said, she's the one that did
it. Why don't you kill her? Prior to that time, he's different. What's different? What's wrong
with this man, this holy, spotless man of love? He died. He died spiritually. He retained
a human life, a natural life. He retained that life of self,
self-preservation, self-righteousness, self-acclaim. He's nothing but
natural life. You see, there's an animal life.
Animals die, they're annihilated. We have pets we think a lot of. We cry when they die or something,
but not like a son or a daughter. Or an animal on the highway,
you see an animal got killed, well that's too bad, you know.
But human life is so far above animal life. Human life is so
far above animal life. And spiritual life is so high
above human life. And this is what Adam lost. Spiritual
life. He retained fleshly, natural
life. Human life. And he lived. And
we live. We're born from that. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh. When a child is born into this
world of a human mother and father, it's born a human child with
human life, with natural life, with flesh, but not with spiritual
life. Christ said you must be born
again. That which is born of the Spirit
of God is spirit. God is spirit. Adam and Adam
all die. In Christ we're made alive. The
first man is of the earth, earthy. God took him out of the earth.
The second man is the Lord from heaven. In Adam we die, in Christ
we're made alive again. We live, we're different. That's
what happens when a fleshly, natural person is born again
with the Spirit of God. He becomes different. He still
retains that natural life, that fleshly life, with all of its
problems. But he has a new life, he has
a new will, he has a new ambition, he's got a new attitude, he's
got a new spirit. That's life. And that's what
he's saying. This is the record, 1 John 5, 11, God hath given. This is a gift of God. This eternal
life. Thus eternal life. Divine life. And this life is in His Son. That's where it is. And he that
hath the Son of God hath life, and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. Now you understand that. That's what God says, that's
His Word. And these things have I written to you, that believe
on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have
eternal life. How am I going to know it? Based
on the promise of God, the Word of God. That's how you know it.
You don't need anybody's witness except God's. God is true. Let
God be true and every man a liar. Now look at verse 20. And we
know that the Son of God has come. Personally, Christ came down
from heaven into this world in the body of a man, a body thou
hast prepared me, born of Mary, walked this earth. God in human
flesh. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. And we actually beheld His glory. The glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. This is the mystery
of godliness that God was manifest in the flesh. And He has come
and given us what? Verse 20, 1 John 5. He has given
us an understanding. Oh, I understand. I understand
what He said. He has given us an understanding
that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that
is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God. You know, God is not who we think
He is. God is who He says He is. This
is our great problem today, is we have a God of our imagination.
People say, well, I think God will do this, I think God will
do that, I think God's like this. God's not who you think He is,
God's who He says He is. Well, how in the world can a
man know God? How's God revealed? I'll show
you in just a moment, but let me ask you to turn to Acts 26. Acts chapter 26. Acts 26, listen
to verse 22. Now here's, I'm saying this.
Our problem is not really understanding. Our problem is believing. Our
problem is believing. Paul appeared before Agrippa
in Acts 26. Before Agrippa. And they had
a crowd of people there and there was a fellow named Festus there.
He was a noble leader, ruler. But Paul was witnessing before
King Agrippa. And verse 19 of Acts 26, he said,
O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. Now go
down to verse 22. Having therefore obtained help
of God, I continue to this day, witnessing, preaching, both to
the small and the great, saying none of the things and those
things which the prophets and Moses said should come to pass.
That's all I'm preaching. I'm preaching what the Scripture
says. I'm preaching what Moses preached, and what Isaiah preached,
and what Daniel preached, and what David preached, and what
all the prophets preached in the Old Testament. You see, my
friends, the summary of this Bible is this. This is a big
book, 66 books, but it's got this message. The Old Testament,
in 39 books, says someone's coming. Someone's coming. God has promised
a Redeemer. He has promised a Christ. He's
promised a Messiah. He's promised the seed of woman,
the seed of Abraham, the son of David. He has promised a priest
like Melchizedek. He has promised a king like David,
a prophet like Moses. He's promised a Redeemer. Someone's
coming. And the four Gospels say that
someone has come. And he's Jesus of Nazareth. That's
what it says. And the epistles say he's coming
back. That's what Paul says. I preach what Moses preached,
what the prophets preached. Now, verse 23, that the Christ
should come and should suffer, and that he should be the first
that should rise from the dead, and shall show light unto the
people, to the Gentiles. And as he spake for himself,
Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you're crazy. What made
him say that? He understood what he was saying.
Festus wasn't a fool. Festus sat there in his chair,
and Paul was standing there witnessing to the king, and he said, Festus
was sitting there listening to this, and Paul said that in the
Old Testament, prophecies and pictures and patterns, it says
that the Christ should come. And he said, Jesus of Nazareth
is that Christ, and He has left His throne in glory and come
to this earth in the form of likeness of men, made Himself
of no reputation, took upon Himself the form of a servant, became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He was buried,
and He rose from the dead. And the hope of Jew and Gentile,
male and female, old and young, white and black, is in this Christ.
And Festus jumped up and said, You're crazy! And that's what
he said. He said, you've studied too much.
You're beside yourself. Much learning hath made you mad. He was upset, but he understood
him. That's what I'm saying. He didn't
believe him, but he understood him. And Paul said, I'm not mad. Most
noble Festus, I'm not mad. I speak the words of truth and
soberness. And then he turned to the king
and he said, the king knows these things before whom I speak freely.
I'm persuaded none of these things were hidden from him. He said,
King Agrippa knows that Jesus of Nazareth lived on this earth,
and knows the miracles that he wrought, and the signs from heaven,
and the witness of John the Baptist, and the crucifixion, and the
burial, and the resurrection, and the denial by the governor,
and the denial by the soldiers, and the denial by the Pharisees,
and the appearance of Christ after his resurrection. He said
the king knows this went on. It's not hidden from him. This
thing was not done in some corner somewhere. It was done right
out in the public. And Paul turned to the king and
said, King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? Do you? Do you? He said, I know you do. You're no fool. I know you do. Understanding is not your problem.
I want to know if you believe. And King Agrippa said, Paul, almost you persuade me to be
a Christian. Yeah, right, Paul. I understand
what you're saying. I understand. But my problem is not with understanding.
My problem is with a stony heart. My problem is with all my plans
and blueprints that I've laid out, and I'm not going to tear
up. is with me. The problem is not with God.
The problem is not with the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice. The problem
is not with misunderstanding. I do understand. But I'm not
bowing. I'm not bowing. Alright, let's go back to my
text in Colossians. And let me speak plainly. Let
me speak plainly about this, briefly and plainly on this hope
of the gospel. This is what was said. This is
what was said. He says here in Colossians chapter
1. He said, verse 19, it pleased
the Father that in Christ, in His beloved Son, should all fullness
dwell. Everything is in Christ. Now
brethren, I can't emphasize that strongly enough. Everything is
in Christ. All fullness, fullness is full. Nothing can be added. It's lacking
nothing. All of the fullness of glory,
of the Godhead, of grace, of righteousness, of truth, of deity,
of power, everything's in Christ. God has given all things into
the hands of His Son. Everything. There's one fountain,
and Christ is that fountain. There's one source, there's one
water of life, there's one door, there's one way, that's Christ.
It's in Him. And verse 20 says, and He made
peace, peace with God. You see, heaven was at war with
sinners. And Christ came down here in
the flesh and made peace with heaven, peace with the law, peace
with God's justice, peace with God's righteousness through His
blood, through the blood of His cross. And he reconciled all
things to God. He reconciled all believers,
whether they're in heaven or earth. Christ was the reconciler. Reconciliation was by His sacrifice,
His substitutionary sacrifice. He made reconciliation. He satisfied. In the flesh, He did everything
that the Word requires, that the law requires of His people. On that cross, He took all the
wrath and judgment of a holy God. Everything that justice,
that wages of sin is death, He died. The soul that sinneth shall
die, He died. God is angry with the wicked.
His anger was poured upon His Son. He spared not His own Son. He didn't spare Him anything.
He walked the winepress of God's wrath alone. He drank the last
drop of the cup from the cup of God's wrath, the last bitter
dreg He drank it and he cried, it's finished! And died. He reconciled us to God. And
you who were alienated enemies, enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet He has reconciled us to God in the body of His
flesh through death. It's not by the waters of baptism
that we're reconciled to God. It's not by the elements of the
sacraments. It's not by the deeds of the
law. It's not by the works of the flesh. It's not by going
to church and tithing. It's not by witnessing and winning
souls. It is by the blood of Christ
that we're reconciled to God, and only in the body of His death.
He hath, and that's past tense, He hath reconciled us. And He'll present us how? Holy,
unblameable, unreprovable. You say, well, there's not a
person in here this morning that's holy. Not in the flesh, but we
are in Christ. There's nobody can stand up and
say, I'm unblameable. We are to be blamed. But in Christ
we're unblameable, unreprovable. All is promised to you if you
can believe, if you can believe, and if you can continue in that
faith. Grounded and settled and be not removed away from the
hope of the gospel. Now, the word hope here, What is the hope of the gospel
to which you're attached, preacher? What is the hope of the gospel
which you preach? What is the hope of the gospel
to which you're exhorting us? What is the hope of the gospel
that you're asking us to receive and believe? Well, the word hope,
my friend, is more than a wish. It's not like going outside and
saying, I got some broccoli planted over at the house and some cabbage.
I hope it rains tonight. I sure hope it does. That's saying
I wish it would. I desire rain. But I don't have
any reason to expect to rain. I just hope it does. Well, that's
not the hope we're talking about here. This hope of the gospel,
this hope, when the Bible says the blessed hope and he that
hath this hope and he hath begotten us unto living hope, this word
hope was saved by hope, this word hope is an expectation based
on a promise. That's what hope is. It's expectation
based on the promise of God, on the Word of God, and on a
work finished, on a work completed, on a work performed by His beloved
Son. Now that's the hope we're talking
about. I have a good hope. I hope to be like Christ. Why
do you expect that? Because God said it. I hope to
have a home in glory. Well, what's your hope based
on? Just a wish, a desire? More than that. Christ has already
entered in within the veil and taken my seat and secured for
me that which God promised me. And Almighty God must give His
Son what He bought. That's so. So what is this hope
of the gospel? I'll give you four things briefly.
The hope of the gospel arises from a right knowledge of God.
You can't hope with any certainty or assurance unless you know
something of Him who promised it. My assurance is just as big
as my God, as His ability and power. Think about that now.
You think about that. Now, for example, if someone
tells me he's going to do something for me, my belief that he's going
to do it depends on his power and his ability. And I tell you,
the greater his power and his ability, the more confident I
am he'll do it. See what I'm saying? For example,
if I came a few old a debt on a house, $50,000. And I came
up to you this morning, I said, now, I'm sorry you owe that kind
of money and you don't have it and you're incapacitated. I'll pay it for you. Well, you
won't have too much assurance because you know I don't have
that kind of money, that kind of ability or power. One of the
richest men in the world said to you, don't worry, I'll pay
it. Boy, you just relax. You run home and tell your wife,
we're out of the woods. Because you have confidence in Him. And
I'm saying this, that the hope of the gospel depends on your
estimation of God. The strength of your hope, the
confidence of your hope, the assurance of your hope depends
upon your opinion and estimation of the power of God. Our Lord
said to the Pharisees, you do err. You know what it is to err?
Make a mistake. Go the wrong way. You do err
not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. If you knew
the Scriptures and the power of God, you'd believe. Our Lord Jesus said, This is
eternal life, that they might know thee, the only true God,
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Whence cometh this knowledge
of God? Turn with me to Psalm 19. Just
a moment. Psalm 19. Turn to Psalm 19. Whence
cometh this knowledge of God? To know God in His greatness,
in His power, in His sovereignty, in His majesty, in His righteousness,
in His holiness, in His ability to do what He says, to know the
living God. Whence cometh this knowledge?
Psalm 19, it's a two-fold book. Number one, it's the book of
creation, the heavens declare the glory of God. and the firmament
showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech,
night unto night showeth knowledge, and there is no speech or language
in this whole world where the voice of creation is not heard
and seen." That voice goes out throughout the whole earth. David
said, when I consider the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars,
the things which thou hast made, what is man that thou art mindful
of him? Creation. All right, secondly,
look at verse 7. The law of God, that's the word
of God. You see, sometimes in the Bible
the word law means the Levitical law, sometimes it means the moral
law, sometimes it means all the word of God. And in this case
it means the whole word of God. The word of God is perfect, converting
the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the
simple. And I'll tell you the third way
a knowledge of God comes, and that's through the incarnate
word. Our Lord said, he that has seen me has seen God. Show
us the Father, he that has seen me has seen God. So this hope
of the gospel, from which we will not be moved away, is a
hope that arises from our confidence in and our knowledge of the greatness
of God. The greatness of God. Abraham
believed God. that he would do all that he
promised. Secondly, this hope of the gospel
arises from a right knowledge of ourselves. Now, my friends,
listen. The man who knows God cannot help but know himself. The man who knows God cannot
help but know himself. Turn to Job chapter 38. Job chapter
38. You know, Job, I'm not going
to say too much about Job's position or knowledge or these things
in the early chapters, but in chapter 38, this religious righteous
man, this moral man, this man of integrity, Job, this man of
some faith, still had not had a true revelation of God. He
said, I've heard of you, Lord, now mine eye seeth thee. And
to straighten him out, God gave him such a revelation in Job
38, then the Lord, his friends had been talking to him, now
the Lord speaks to him. And says, Job, verse 2, who is
this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird
up now your lorns like a man, and I'll demand of thee, and
you answer thou me. Where were you when I laid the
foundations of the earth? Declare if you have understanding.
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if you know? In other words,
he's saying what Paul said to the Gentiles. Who are you that
replies against God? He says in verse 6, Whereupon
are the foundations of the earth fastened? When the morning stars
sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy, who shut
up the sea with doors when it broke forth as it had issued
out of the womb? Who keeps the sea within its boundaries, keep
it from washing over all the shores of the earth? Who holds
the tides? Who set the sun in space? Who
put the moon out there to have its drawing power and influence
upon this earth? Verse 17, have the gates of death
been opened to you? Have you seen the doors of the
shadow of death? Verse 22, have you entered into
the treasures of the snow? Have you seen the treasures of
the hail? Verse 33, knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? Canst
thou set the dominion thereof in the earth? Verse 34, can you
lift up your voice to the clouds and make it rain? Come on, Joe! Verse 35, can you send lightnings
that they go and they say unto you, here we are! We'll go where
you say. Who had put wisdom in the inward
parts and given understanding to the heart? Who can number
the clouds in wisdom? Verse 40, who provides the raven
his food when the young ones cry unto God? They wonder for
lack of meat. Turn to chapter 39, verse 13. Did you give the goodly wings
to the peacock? feathers and wings to the ostrich,
which leaves her eggs in the earth and warmeth them in the
dust? Verse 26, does the hawk fly by your wisdom, stretch her
wings towards the south? Who directs those little birds
to go down to the south in the winter and back up here in the
north in the summer? You got any information on that
joke? Oh, I tell you, go through that
And verse chapter 40, what happened when Job saw the power of God,
the greatness of God in the book of creation? You know what he
did? Verse 4 of chapter 40, he said,
I'm bound. What shall I answer thee? I'll
put my hand on my mouth. Once have I spoken, I will not
answer. Twice, I'll proceed no further. Isaiah saw the Lord
and he said, I'm a man of unclean lips. Woe is me, I'm cut off.
Peter saw the power of Christ when he gathered in the net full
of fish, and the net break, and he turned to Christ and said,
Lord, depart from me, I'm a sinful man. My friends, this hope of
the gospel arises from a right knowledge of God and a right
understanding of ourselves. And let me tell you something.
I could spend some time this morning taking you to the Scriptures
and showing you how sin started, where it came from, and how it
affected us, but let me ask you this. If there's a burglar in
the house, how he got there isn't important. We've got to get him
out. We spend all our time running around saying, well, he went
in this window here. No, he came in this window over here. He's
in there ransacking the house. We've got to get him out. So
how sin started and where it came from is not the major issue. We've got a sin problem. How
to get rid of it is the issue. How to get it out is the issue.
All right, bring me the third thing. The hope of the gospel
arises from a right knowledge of the person and work of Christ.
Now, let me turn, if you will, to Hebrews chapter 10, the person
and work of Christ. And this is our hope arises,
the hope of the gospel from this right here. In Hebrews chapter
10, he starts off telling us about the tabernacle in the wilderness
and its sacrifices and priesthood where God met men and men met
God. And he said those sacrifices
couldn't put away sin. They were pictures and types
of Christ who would come and tabernacle among us. This body
is called a tabernacle, a tent, a dwelling place. And it says
down here in verse 5, Wherefore, when he cometh into the world,
that's Christ, he saith to God the Father, Sacrifice an offering
thou wouldest not. That's not what satisfies God.
But a body hast thou prepared me. A body. And verse 7 says,
Lo, I come in the volume of the book, the Old Testament is written
of me to do thy will. Now over here in verse 9. Then
said he, I come to do thy will, the will of redemption, the will
of salvation, O God. He taketh away the first, the
first tabernacle with its priesthood and sacrifices, Sabbath days,
ceremonies, pictures, patterns, that he may establish the second
Christ. By the which will we're sanctified
through the body, through the tabernacle, through the tent
of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest standeth daily in
the Old Testament tabernacle, ministering and offering the
same sacrifices which can never take away sin. But this man,
the God-man, after he'd offered one sacrifice for sin forever,
sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting
till his enemies be made his footstool, for by one offering
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. And God
says in verse 17, and their sins and iniquities will I remember
no more. Now where forgiveness of these
is, there's no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren,
boldness to enter into the holiest, the presence of God, how? By
the blood of Christ. That's the hope of the gospel.
In closing, turn to Romans 4. The fourth thing is this. The
hope of the gospel arises from faith in God. Now I'm not saying
I believe there is a God, I do. I'm not saying I believe God
can do something, I do. I'm saying that we believe God.
Believing in God, the devil does. Believing God, the faithful do. I believe Him. Don't just believe
in Him, I believe Him. And I believe He'll do all that
He promised and this This is that of which the faith of Abraham
consisted. Look at Romans chapter 4, verse
20. Abraham staggered not at the
promise of God through unbelief, but he was strong in faith, giving
glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised,
he was able to perform. Now here's that two-fold book.
I learn, I come to knowledge of God by the book of creation. And by the book of inspiration,
and through the book of inspiration, I see that God will do what he
says. And I believe him. Because he's
able. The scripture says he's able
to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him. He's
able to keep us from falling. He's able to present us faultless
before his throne. And he's able to raise our vile
bodies. Abraham believed God that he
was able. And he said, now this was written
not for his sake alone, but for our sakes, to whom righteousness
shall be imputed if we can believe. That's the hope of the gospel. Let's turn to page 359 and join
together singing, my faith looks up to thee, thy lamb of Calvary. Faith looks to Christ. 359. Mike,
you come later. My faith looks up to thee, thou
lamb of God.