If you'd like to follow me in
the Bible this morning and read our text, I'm going to be speaking
from the book of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 16 and 17. I really believe firmly in my
heart that I have a message for you today that will be most beneficial
to those who know Christ. I believe it will be instructive
to those who do not know the Savior. And I believe it might
be challenging to those who, up to this time, have had no
spiritual interest. My subject is a good hope, a
good hope for a grace. Now, in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse
16, Paul writes, Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, our Lord
Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved
and have given us everlasting consolation and good hope, good
hope through grace. Comfort your hearts and establish
you in every good word and work. There was an old-timer called
Richard Baxter. I have his works in my library
and have spent some time with him. He wrote the book entitled
The Saint's Everlasting Rest. And I believe that's been out
lately, been republished. But anyway, Richard Baxter said
this, I preach as one who may never preach again. I preach
as a dying man to dying men. Now, my friends, I am conscious
of the fact that it's appointed unto men once to die. I'm going
to die. And the years are moving along
rapidly. And it won't be so awful long
till I shall go the way from which I shall not return. It
won't be so awful long before they're going to say the Master's
come and he's calling for you. It's appointed unto me and wants
to die. And after that, the judgment.
So I'm interested in a good hope. I realize I'm a dying man and
I realize I'm preaching to dying men. And I realize eternity is
mighty near at hand. I realize I'm in the sunset years
of life. That's perfectly obvious to you
and that's obvious to me. And I'm interested in a good
hope. I'm interested in some assurance in life. I want to
have some assurance, some confidence of an interest in Christ. And
I want to have some comfort in death. I don't want to come to
the day of my death, uncertain and unstable, do you? I want
to have some comfort in death. And I want to have some hope
for eternity. So I ask this question, first
of all, what is a good hope? What would you call a good hope? Our text says God has given us
a good hope. Well, what would you call a good
hope? Well, could I tell you what I believe a good hope is?
I'm going to give you six or seven things. First of all, being
born in sin, and I know that I was born in sin. Like David
said, I was shapen in iniquity. I was born in sin, and so were
you. I was born in sin. I'm a son
of Adam. I was with Adam in the fall.
I have the root of sin and iniquity in me. That's in me. That dwells
in me. Paul said, sin dwelleth in me. When I would do good, he said,
evil is present with me. My parents didn't have to teach
me to lie. They didn't have to teach me
to be envious and jealous and proud. They didn't have to teach
me to hate people. You see, I was born with that
nature. That just comes natural to hate. It doesn't come natural
to love. It comes natural to hate. It
doesn't come natural to be generous. It comes natural to be greedy.
We have a nature, root of sin in us that was born in us. It's
born in every son of Adam. Now a good hope, you know what
a good hope would be to me? It would be to be born again.
To have a new nature. In Adam I received an old nature,
in Christ I received a new nature. A nature that loves as spontaneously
as that old nature hates. A nature that's spontaneously
generous, as that old nature is spontaneously greedy. A new
nature, a new root, a new life, the life of God. That's what
I'm interested in. And I'd call that a good hope,
wouldn't you? To be born again. The Lord Jesus
said, except a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of
God. He cannot even understand the kingdom of God. So I would
say that a good hope, first of all, is to be born again. And
then secondly, Having no righteousness, I don't have any righteousness
of my own. You don't either. There's no
goodness in us. The Bible says, in my flesh dwelleth
no good thing. That's what it says. And it says,
in the flesh no man can please God. And then Isaiah said, in
Isaiah 64, we all do fade as the leaf. Our iniquity is like
the wind that's driven us away. Our righteousnesses are filthy
rags in God's sight. Oh, they look pretty good to
us, and they look pretty good to our preacher, and they look
pretty good to our neighbor, but they don't look too good
to God, because he sees the bottom of them. He sees the source,
and he sees the motive. God sees all those things. So
I don't have any righteousness of my own. I don't have any goodness
in me by nature, and a good hope to me would be to be clothed
in the righteousness and holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. That'd
be a good hope. To stand before God, as Paul
said, without fault, without blame, unreprovable in His sight. That'd be a good hope, wouldn't
it? Holy, Paul said in Ephesians 1, and unblameable in the sight
of God. That'd be a good hope. You know,
in Romans chapter 10, verse 1, Paul talked about those religious
people of his day He says, my heart's burdened for them. I
want them to be saved. I bear them record. They have
a zeal of God. They have a religious zeal and
enthusiasm, but it's not according to knowledge. Not according to
knowledge. He said they're going about to
establish their own righteousness. And will not submit to the righteousness
of God. For Christ is the end of the
law, the goal of the law for righteousness to them that believe.
That's the righteousness I want. I want that righteousness, old
John Jasper, the preacher from Richmond, Virginia, back during
the Civil War, who pastored one of the largest black churches
of the South. And he was famous, and people
came from many miles to hear John Jasper preach. And one day
a man walked up to him, and probably in ridicule and mockery, said,
John Jasper, you think you're going to heaven? And the old
black preacher said, yes, sir, I believe that I am. Well, he
said, let me ask you a question, John Jasper. He said, when you
get to heaven, and somebody meets you at the gate, and they say
to you, John Jasper, what right have you got to be here? What
are you going to say? And John Jasper replied, I'm
going to answer, if somebody asks me what right have I got
to be in heaven, I'm going to answer, I've got no right to
be here at all. I'm not here on my rights. I'm
here on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. My friend, that's
what I want. I'd call that a good hope. Not
to be accepted in my works and deeds and fruits and labors,
but to be accepted in the beloved, clothed in that blessed wedding
garment of righteousness. You know, the old song leader
said, when I stand before his throne, dressed in beauty not
my own, then, O Lord, shall I fully know, and not till then, how
much I owe." And another hymn writer said, with his spotless
garments on, I'm as holy as God's own son. That'd be pretty good
hope, wouldn't it? To be clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. And then thirdly, being guilty
of sin before God's justice, and I am, you are. Being guilty
of rebellion against God in our Father Adam back down in the
Garden of Eden. We rebelled against God. We fell
in Adam. In Adam, judgment, death, condemnation,
sin passed upon all men. In one man we died. That's what
the scripture says, Romans 5. And having my hands, with all
the rest of this race, dripping red with the blood of God's own
Son, yes sir, when they tried to crucify Him, my voice was
just about as loud as anybody else's, and yours was too. I'm
guilty of sin. I'm guilty of sin by choice,
by practice, by nature, by birth. That's right. Guilty of sin. Well, I'll tell you this. A good
hope would be to hear God say, by sin be forgiven me. You know,
Paul wrote in Romans 8, Romans 4, 7 and 8, blessed is the man
to whom God will not charge sin. Happy is the man to whom God
imputeth not iniquity." Now you think about that. My sins are
gone. All my sins are gone, washed
in the blood of Christ, cleansed by the precious fountain of blood
that flowed from Emmanuel's veins on Calvary's cross. My sins are
gone. My sins hold the bliss of that
glorious thought. My sins, not in part, but the
whole, are nailed to the cross. I bear them no more. It is well,
praise the Lord, With my soul, that'd be a good hope. That'd
be a good hope. All right, fourthly. Being frail
flesh, and I am. Being frail flesh, and so are
you. And subject to trial. And subject
to temptation. All manner of temptation. In
the world you shall have tribulation, temptations, and trials. And
also subject to the onslaughts of the evil one. You know when
our Lord taught his disciples to pray? He said, you pray, deliver
us from the evil one. You know, he warned Peter. Peter
was boasting about what he'd do and what he wouldn't do. And
the Lord Jesus said, Peter, Satan hath desired you that he might
sift you as wheat. Let me tell you something, friend.
You're no match for his subtlety. You're no match for his power.
And you don't want to get in the ring with him either. I hear
these TV preachers talking about rebuking the devil and driving
the devil away and saying, things to the devil. Let me tell you
something, friend. That just shows one thing. They don't know
the first thing about Satan and who he is or anything about him.
Did you know that Michael, the archangel, would not, would not
challenge Satan? He said, the Lord rebuked thee,
Lucifer. The Lord rebuked thee, Satan.
I know he's not almighty. God's almighty, but he's mighty.
I know he's not omnipotent. God is, but Satan's not, but
he's awful powerful. I know that he's an adversary
or a roaring lion that seeketh whom he may devour. And I know
he's been in the business. He's been in the business of
deceiving men for 6,000 years. I know he knows more about human
nature than anybody else except God. And you don't want to challenge
him and you don't want to do business with him. You want to
turn him over to your Savior and your Lord. That's right. When Satan's around, you want
to say, Lord, you deliver me. I can't deliver myself. But I
tell you, we're frail flesh, and we're subject to fall. We're
subject to fall. Let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest ye fall. That's what Scripture says. You
know what a good hope would be? A good hope would be one that
will enable me, by the grace of God, to continue in the faith
of Christ as long as I live. You know, Scripture says, he
that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. You know
the scripture says in Hebrews 3, Jesus Christ is the son over
his house, whose house we are if we continue steadfastly unto
the end. The Bible doesn't hold out any
hope to a man who runs half a race or three-quarters of a race,
but to the ones who finish the race. The crown goes to those
who cross the line. Paul said, the time of my departure
is at hand. I've fought a good fight. I've
fought, kept the faith. When it talks about the Old Testament
believers, it says they all died in faith. They all died, that's
true. They all died. But brother, let
me tell you something. These folk died in faith. And
they weren't looking back to an experience they had in the
junior department 45 years ago. They weren't looking back to
a profession of faith they made in a hotshot revival campaign
under a Hollywood evangelist and called it salvation. They
died in the faith. In the faith. John said they
went out from us because they were not of us. If they had been
of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. That salvation
is continuing in Christ. All right. Fifthly, being a dying
man, as I said at the beginning of this broadcast, I shall one
day go the way of all flesh, when that'll be, only God knows. The times, my times are in his
hands. And the scripture tells us that
the number of our months are with the Lord. He has set our
bounds and we cannot pass. Job 14. I'm going to go the way
from which I shall not return. I'm going to die. You know what
a good hope would be? A good hope would be to be able in that
day to die the death of the righteous. And my latter end be like his. I fear too many people walk in
what we call a profession of faith for a time. And then when
they get old, they begin to grasp for some kind of straw, you know,
straws of hope at the end. What I want to do is grow stronger
in Christ. I want to grow stronger in Christ.
I want to come to the end of life and be able to say with
David, although my house be not so with God, God hath made with
me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure, this
is my salvation, this is my desire, although he make it not to grow.
I want to come to the end of life and be able to say with
Stephen, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, without any fear of
dying. To be able to say with Paul,
I'm in a strait betwixt the two, I have a desire to depart and
be with Christ, which is far better. I don't know why that
it seems like the older people get and the nearer they get to
God calling them home, they say heaven's their home, but they
hold a little harder to this life and a little more firmly
to the things of this earth when we ought to be at that day letting
them go. We ought to be releasing our
grasp on these things. We ought to be able to say with
the Apostle Paul, for me to live is Christ and for me to die is
gain. I'm ready to be offered. A faith
that does not give me strength to live in Christ will be of
no benefit when I come to die. What is a good hope? Well, having
a corrupt body. This body is corrupt. This body
already is decaying. It's already getting weaker and
weaker and weaker. It's already getting frail. It's
going back to the dust. That's the goal of this flesh.
It's going back to the dust from which it came. One of these days
they're going to put me in the ground and the worms are going
to destroy this body. This body is going to rot and
decay. It's a corruptible body. It's a mortal body. It's a shameful
body. It's a weak body. It's a sinful
body. And it's going back to the dust. 500 years from now you can't
find enough of me to hold in the palm of your hand. It'll
be gone. Well a good hope is that in that
day when Christ comes When the trumpet of God sounds and the
voice of the archangel and the clouds roll back and Christ shall
appear, a good hope would be that I'd have a part in that
first resurrection. Blessed and holy are they that
have a part in that first resurrection. And this corruptible shall put
on incorruption. And this mortal shall put on
immortality. And that which was buried in
shame shall be raised in glory. And that which was put in the
ground in weakness shall be raised in power. And that which was
put in the ground in the corruption of human flesh shall be brought
forth in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know what David
said? I'll be satisfied when I awake with his likeness. Oh,
my friend, these eyes shall see him in that day, the Lord that
died for me. And all my rising bones shall
say, Lord, who is like unto thee? That'd be a good hope, wouldn't
it? Well, in the seventh place, having a desire to forever be
with Christ. That's my desire. To forever
be with Christ and be conformed to his image. A good hope would
be to one day awake with his likeness. You know, John wrote
in 1 John 3, behold what manner of love, what amazing love, what
undeserved love, what incomparable love. what unsearchable love
the Father hath bestowed upon us of all people, that we should
be called the sons of God. And it does not yet appear what
we shall be. You can't look at us and tell
what we're going to be. You'll have to read it in the
Bible, because we don't show any signs of what we're going
to be. We look just like everybody else, just as depraved outwardly
and just as weak and sinful. But when he shall appear, we're
going to be like him. But we shall see him as he is. We're going to be like Christ.
And my friends, that'd be a good hope, wouldn't it? To one day
wake up perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Now
we see through a glass dimly, but then face to face. Now we
know in part and we preach in part. But when that which is
perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
That's a good hope. But what's the source of this
hope? What's the source of a good hope? Where can I get a hope
like this? Well, it says in our text, God who loved us, God who
loved us, hath given us, he hath given us a good hope through
grace. Who gave it to us? God did. This kind of hope is not in ourselves. It's not in our... You can't
look within your heart or within your mind and find any comfort
or any consolation or any reason to have a good hope. Oh, you
know, old John Newton used to say, "'Tis a point I long to
know, and oft it gives me anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or
no? Am I his or am I not?" You can't
look within yourself and find any reason for having any hope
at all. I'll tell you, if you turn your eyes to Calvary and
see where the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, if you turn
your eyes to heaven's councils of eternity and see where God
in his purpose and grace determined to have a people and gave them
to his son and made Christ their shepherd, you can have a reason
to hope. It's not in ourselves. It's in
him. He's the source of a good hope.
And it's not in our works. Actually, when we've done everything
God commanded us to do, we have to say we're unprofitable servants.
Man at his best state is altogether vanity. People talk about doing
good works of religion. Let me tell you something. What
are good works? Who's done any good works? Who
maketh thee to differ? What is thou that thou didst
not receive? Whatever I have, if it's any faith or repentance
or love or grace manifested in my heart at all, it's not I,
it's Christ that dwelleth in me. I can't take credit for something
God does. It's Him, it's not us. So our
hope's not found in our good work. Actually, we don't call
Him good at all. There's no good in man, it's
in Christ. And then our good hope is not
in the law. Our good hope is not in the rituals
of religion. But it's by his grace, for by
grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it's
the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Listen
to David in Psalm 65 forward. Blessed is that man whom thou
choosest and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell
in thy courts. That's a blessed man. What was
the source of his grace? What was the source of his coming
to God? God. What was the source of his
continuance or perseverance? God. We're kept with the power
of God through faith. Not apart from faith, but through
faith. And that was the power of God.
Listen to David in Psalm 62, 1. Truly my soul waiteth upon
God. From him cometh my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation. I have a good hope, but it was
given to me. And it was given to me not as
a reward, not as a wage, not as a result of my merit. It was
given to me through grace, grace, amazing grace, how sweet the
sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now
am found, and by God's grace I see. Grace is unmerited, unmerited
faith. And then in the last place, here's
my last question. This good hope, what is the foundation
of this good hope? Well, let me give you three things,
and I want you to think carefully on these three things. First
of all, you can examine your hope by these three questions.
First of all, is your hope based on the word of God? Now, my friend,
a man can't have a good hope because he feels like It can't
be because of an experience. It can't be because of a feeling.
A good hope is based on the Word of God. God has written His Word,
and we can hope if we can find it in His Word. We believe God. We don't believe feelings, and
we don't believe experiences, and we don't believe voices we
hear, or dreams or visions. We believe God. Listen to David.
Psalm 119.49. Remember the Word. Remember thy word unto thy servant,
upon which thou hast caused me to hope. I believe God will forgive
sinners, because he says so in his word. I believe Jesus Christ
is the Son of God, because I read it in God's word. I believe Christ
died on the cross for sinners, because I read it in God's word.
I believe Christ was buried and rose again, ascended to the right
hand of God, where he intercedes for us, because I read it in
God's word. I believe he's coming again because I read it in God's
Word. I believe God will receive me, the chief of sinners, by
faith if I come to him, because that's what he says in his Word.
Abraham believed the promises of God. It was counted to him
for righteousness. And it was not written for his
sake alone that it was counted to him for righteousness, but
for our sake also if we'll believe on him who raised Christ from
the dead. Your hope must be based on the Word of God. Hope is it
based on the person and work of Christ? Word of God and on
Jesus Christ now listen to Paul in first Timothy 1 verse 1 Paul
an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior
and the Lord Jesus Christ Who is our hope? And again, he said
Christ in you the hope of glory Is your hope based on the word
of God? And is your hope built on the
person work of Jesus Christ? Huh? Christ died for our sins. Why should God receive me into
his presence? Because Christ died for me. One
old hymn writer wrote this, I once was lost, but now I'm found.
And by God's grace, I'm heaven bound. But my only hope, my only
plea, is that when Christ died, he died for me. Those people
at the judgment said, Lord, we've preached in your name and did
many wonderful works and cast out demons. He said, I never
knew you. Not a one of them said, but Lord,
you died for me. Oh, that's our hope. And then last of all, is
your hope felt in your heart and revealed in your life? If
it's a good hope, it'll be felt. A hungry man can't eat without
being satisfied. A thirsty man can't drink without
being refreshed. A weary man can't lie down without
being relaxed, and a naked man can't be clothed without being
comfortable. And to be in Christ is to know
it.