WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR AS A CHRISTIAN IN THIS LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN!
Prov 10:28-29
28 The hope of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) is gladness, but the expectation of the wicked (those who are out of harmony with God) comes to nothing.
29 The way of the Lord is strength and a stronghold to the upright, but it is destruction to the workers of iniquity.
AMP
28 The hope of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) is gladness, but the expectation of the wicked (those who are out of harmony with God) comes to nothing.
29 The way of the Lord is strength and a stronghold to the upright, but it is destruction to the workers of iniquity.
AMP
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00:29I ask you this question today, which is the title of this message, and it's called,
00:36What do you hope for as a Christian in this life?
00:41There is a wonderful testimony that depicts this title, which says,
00:47A devout old man was one day walking to the sanctuary with the New Testament in his hand,
00:54when a friend met him and said,
00:56Good morning, Mr. Price.
00:58Good morning, he replied.
01:00I am reading my father's will as I walk along.
01:04Well, and what has he left you?
01:08said the friend.
01:10Why, he has bequeathed me a hundredfold more in this life and the world to come,
01:17which is everlasting life.
01:20My father's will is the hope that he has left me.
01:24This beautiful reply means a comforting to his friend,
01:29who was at that time sad and afflicted with circumstances beyond his control.
01:36Praise the Lord for the encouragers that God sets around us,
01:41and who are grounded as his friend was as they walked along,
01:45and who was at the time very sad and in circumstances that were beyond his control.
01:52Matthew chapter 19 verse 29 declares,
01:56And anyone and everyone who has left houses or brothers and sisters or father and mother
02:03or child or lands for my sake shall receive many even a hundredfold times more
02:11and will inherit eternal life.
02:14This is a promise, dear one.
02:16It truly is amazing.
02:19Our hearts can deceive us into believing something that opposes God's truth and promises.
02:26And I always think about the scripture in Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 9,
02:32which declares,
02:33The heart is deceitful above all things,
02:37and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely morally sick.
02:42Who can know it?
02:43Who can perceive and understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind?
02:48It is astounding in how our hearts can fool and deceive us.
02:55God's word all through the Bible warns believers to guard their hearts.
03:01And I like the scripture in Proverbs chapter 4,
03:05beginning in verse 23,
03:08which warns and instructs the believer what is necessary to guard
03:13and keep your heart from being deceived.
03:16The scripture begins by saying,
03:19Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard
03:24for out of it flows the springs of life.
03:28Verse 24 put away from you false and dishonest speech,
03:34willful and contrary talks.
03:37Put it far from you.
03:38Let your eyes look upon be fixed with purpose and let your gaze be straight before you.
03:45Consider well the path of your feet and let all your ways be established and ordered aright.
03:52Verse 27, turn not aside to the right hand or to the left.
03:57Remove your foot from evil.
04:01Wow, what a lesson is found in these scriptures alone.
04:06It is the heart which is controlled by scripture and the Holy Spirit
04:11that assures our walk in the truth of the gospel.
04:16The Holy Spirit becomes our teacher.
04:19And heart usually means the mind.
04:23But with it, it has a much broader meaning in that it includes the emotions
04:29and even the whole inner person.
04:33We see here that the affections are particularly forefront as verse 23.
04:39Also, in combination with verses 20 through 23,
04:44helps us to see that life in view is not some prize that one gains all at once.
04:53Verses 20 through 23 admonishes us and calls us to attention.
05:00Verse 20, my son, attend to my words, consent and submit to my sayings.
05:08Verse 21, let them not depart from your sight.
05:12Keep them in the center of your heart.
05:15And verse 22 declares, for they are life to those who find them,
05:20healing and health to all of their flesh.
05:23And verse 23, keep and guard your heart with all vigilance
05:29and above all that you guard for out of it flows the springs of life.
05:35You see, this is a growing spiritual desire and exuberance
05:42that empowers a wise person and enables him or her to guard their own heart
05:48and protect what they have learned thus far in their journey as a Christian
05:53in this walk of faith and hope and leads into the wisdom of God.
06:00We see that one's very own words that come out of their mouths reflect his or her heart.
06:09How careful are you with your words that come out of your mouth
06:14in relating to those around you, dear listener?
06:18We are warned in verse 24, put away from you false and dishonest speech
06:24and willful and contrary talk put far from you.
06:29Contrary means speech that is obstinate, contentious, perverse, ill-humored,
06:39cantankerous, which means quarrelsome and argumentative.
06:44You see, the tongue is the organ of taste and speech.
06:50Figuratively speaking, the Bible tells us in Psalms chapter 64 verse 3
06:58that the tongue can be sharpened like a sword or like a serpent.
07:04Verse 140 verse 3 is a reference as to its ability to utter caustic poisonous words,
07:13which are hurtful and harmful to those to whom it reaches,
07:17but also and moreover to those whose mouths these come out of
07:21because they are doomed to utter destruction.
07:25In Psalms chapter 140 verses 2 and 3 declares
07:31those who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day,
07:37they make their tongues as sharp as serpents and the poison of vipers is on their lips.
07:44Wow. You see, the tongue is like a bow,
07:49and it can project lies according to Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 3,
07:54or it is like an arrow, which could be shot out of the mouth,
07:58striking down with its deceit, according to Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 8,
08:04which communicates that their tongue is a deadly arrow because it speaks deceit.
08:10The tongue can be used as a weapon, and the Bible tells us too
08:15that the tongue can be used viciously for flattery,
08:19as stated in Psalms chapter 5 verse 9, which declares,
08:24For there is nothing trustworthy or steadfast or truthful in their talk.
08:29Their heart is destruction for a destructive chasm, a yawning gulf.
08:35Their throat is an open sepulcher.
08:38They flatter and make smooth with their tongues.
08:42So why is the sin of flattery so evil in God's eyes?
08:47Well, it is because flattery is always associated with deception.
08:53It is the act or practice of flattering by cunning and deceitful comments
08:59with pleasing syrupy words or comments or insincere compliments,
09:05which are faults for self gain and are for personal sick pleasure of retaliation.
09:13Flattery is the act or practice of pleasing by cunning and deceitful
09:19false praise or compliments, which are insincere in the heart
09:24of those who use a sinful means and self gain for selfish purposes.
09:30Dear listener, we must be single minded in our pursuit of wisdom,
09:36which we need to arrive at in our intended destination.
09:41Hebrews chapter 12 verses 13 and 14 tell us and cut through
09:48and make firm and plain and smooth straighter paths for your feet.
09:53Yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction
09:59so that the lame and halting limbs may not be put out of joint,
10:03but rather may be cured. Verse 14.
10:06Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration
10:12and holiness without which no one will ever see the Lord.
10:17You see, the believer has this great responsibility in this pursuit
10:22and path of wisdom in order to go in the right direction.
10:27Verse 14 admonishes us to exert much effort and energy and struggle
10:34or fight forcefully to live in peace with everyone, which will lead
10:39to the required necessary consecration and holiness, which will lead
10:44into the grace and the mercy of God and the hope of eternal life,
10:48which is found in Jesus Christ alone.
10:51You need to understand that the tongue is an indicator
10:56of an individual spirit. Yes, it is the indicator of a person's spirit.
11:05It reveals what is in their heart. Remember our opening scripture
11:11that told us that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked
11:15and who can know it? Unless we're growing in maturity,
11:20we will not even see or know the offense, the hateful, condescending,
11:25divisive and hurtful words that come out of one's mouth.
11:30Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 15, verses 18 and 19,
11:36whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart.
11:40And this is what makes a man unclean and defiles him.
11:44For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, reasonings,
11:48disputings and designs such as murder, adultery, sexual vice,
11:53theft, false witnessing, slander and irreverent speech.
11:59Now, just to mention on the positive side of the tongue,
12:04it is used to sing praises to God and to declare his wondrous works.
12:10The Bible tells us that the tongue of the wise promotes health.
12:15In Proverbs chapter 12, verse 18, which says,
12:20there are those who speak rashly like the piercing of a sword,
12:24but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs chapter 10,
12:29verse 20 declares the tongues of those who are upright
12:34and in right standing with God are as choice silver.
12:38And this is like saying that the tongue is like a treasure
12:42and likened to choice silver. Choice silver is refined silver,
12:48which has gone through the process of purification.
12:52And it is associated figuratively with wisdom.
12:55And wisdom is declared to be more valuable than silver.
13:00This is why it is said that the tongue of the upright is likened to a treasure.
13:06It is because the treasure in this case speaks of wisdom
13:10that outflows the mouth from within the heart of the mature individual
13:15who lives within the Lord Jesus Christ.
13:19So why, dear listener, do we speak about the tongue today in regards to our message,
13:24which is entitled, What do you hope for as a Christian in this life?
13:31Years ago, we used to have a book called Hung by the Tongue.
13:37The title rather speaks for itself, don't you think?
13:41In the book of James, we read chapter three, beginning in verse seven,
13:46the exhortation regarding the tongue for every kind of beast and bird
13:51and reptile and creature of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.
13:58But no man can tame the tongue.
14:01It is an unruly, evil, full of deadly poison.
14:05With it, we bless our God and father.
14:08And with it, we curse men who have been made in the similitude of God.
14:13Verse 10.
14:14Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.
14:18My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
14:21Does a spring send forth spring water and bitter from the same opening?
14:27Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives or grapevine bear figs?
14:33Thus, no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
14:38You see, human beings have brought all the major forms of animal life under control.
14:45For example, people have taught lions, tigers, and monkeys to jump through hoops.
14:50They've taught parrots and canaries to sing and to speak.
14:55Dolphins and whales have been trained to perform various tricks and tasks.
15:00But apart from the Holy Spirit's help,
15:03no human being has ever been able to subdue his or her own tongue.
15:09It is much more dangerous than any deadly animal because it never rests.
15:15It can destroy with words.
15:18Between mankind, fire, animals, and the tongue all have power to destroy.
15:26And if it were not for the Holy Spirit and the believer's life,
15:29life without hope would be worthless.
15:33Our hearts can certainly deceive us to look at ourselves more often and highly than we should.
15:42And many think that because they go to church every week or recite scripture
15:47or do nice things for people, they're saved.
15:50There's a story that I recently read that depicts the deception of the human mind.
15:56And it tells us where our only hope lies.
16:00The story begins by telling,
16:03the Wild West of yesteryear was full of illusions on distant horizons.
16:09One of George Custer's young officers was sure that he saw a party of Indians a mile away.
16:16As a soldier charged, the Indians looked plainer at each moment.
16:21But arriving at the point, there were no Indians at all.
16:25Only some buffalo carcasses.
16:28Other travelers had seen ships skimming across the desert sand in full sail
16:34or railroad tracks elevated on pilings or water birds with brilliant plumage.
16:41All of these illusions occur when light rays pass through the atmosphere and are bent and distorted.
16:49But no optical illusion in nature exceeds illustrations that can be left by our own hearts and minds.
16:58By diagnosis, according to the word of God, the human spiritual heart is beyond cure.
17:07Unaided by God, the response of each one of us towards knowing his or her own heart must be in complete hopelessness.
17:17Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 9 declares,
17:21Who can know it?
17:23No one can fathom the secrets or pierce the darkness of his or her own heart.
17:32And this is especially true at the point of the question about whom we trust.
17:37And here again, our hearts can fool.
17:41But there is a hope.
17:43And it rests in this.
17:45God knows your heart.
17:47He sifts, searches, explores, and probes the human heart.
17:53He tests and examines human emotions.
17:56Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 10 declares,
17:59I, the Lord, search the mind.
18:02I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doing.
18:09Well, the author ends by saying,
18:12This is our hope.
18:15When we get to know God, we get to know our own hearts.
18:21You do not know your own heart by looking into it yourself.
18:26You know your own heart by getting to know God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
18:33Well, that couldn't be nailed any more solidly good.
18:38It's very true, dear listener.
18:41We learn as we grow in maturity, according to the word of God, that life without hope is absolutely worthless.
18:50And as a Christian, we learn that our hope must be grounded upon something,
18:55because it's unfounded, baseless hope that is the product of an irrational mind.
19:02Hope should involve not only this life, but also the life that follows death.
19:09First Corinthians chapter 15 verses 19 and 20 declare,
19:15If we who are abiding in Christ have hope only in this life, and that is all,
19:22then we are all a people most miserable and to be pitied.
19:27Verse 20.
19:28But the fact is that Christ, the Messiah, has been raised from the dead,
19:33and he will become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep in death.
19:38Hallelujah!
19:40Let it be known that our hope lies in the fact that Jesus Christ, our Savior,
19:47was raised or resurrected from the dead, and his body did not see decay in the grave.
19:54First Corinthians chapter 15 verse 4 informs us,
19:59He was buried, that he arose on the third day, as the scriptures foretold in Psalms chapter 16.
20:08If we hope only for what death will eventually bring in an end to our lives,
20:14we will be the most miserable than all men.
20:18And this means that we as believers must have hope beyond the grave.
20:25For some and many people, their hope is that God will take them out of the misery of their lives
20:31and never give thought that there is another life beyond the grave.
20:37But dear listener, Jesus Christ is not only for this life.
20:43He is our eternal life forever and eternity.
20:47Certainly, Apostle Paul's concern was that Christ be magnified in his body,
20:54and we see this in Philippians chapter 1 when he tells us by beginning in verse 20.
21:01This is in keeping with my own eager desire and persistent expectation and hope
21:08that I shall not disgrace myself nor be put to shame in anything,
21:13but with the most utmost freedom of speech and unfailing courage now as always heretofore,
21:20Christ the Messiah will be magnified and get the glory and praise in this body of mine
21:26and be boldly exalted in my person, whether through my life or through death.
21:32For me to live is Christ, his life in me, and to die is gain, the gain of glory of eternity.
21:40Verse 22.
21:42If however it is to be the life in the flesh and I am to live on here,
21:47that means fruitful service for me.
21:50So I can say nothing as to my personal preference I cannot choose,
21:55but I am hard pressed between the two.
21:58My yearning desire is to depart, to be free of this world and set forth,
22:03and to be with Christ, for that is far, far better.
22:08Verse 24.
22:10But to remain in my body is more needful and essential for your sake,
22:15since I am convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and stay by you all
22:21to promote your progress and joy in believing.
22:25In verse 20, we see that Paul using the terms eager desire and persistent expectation.
22:33This is saying that he had carried about the most confident expectation
22:41that Jesus would stand by him, so that he would be able with utmost freedom
22:47to speak and testify the gospel of grace of God,
22:51and that Jesus would be magnified and glorified and receive all praise.
22:57Paul tells us, however, to be absent from the body meant that he would be with Christ
23:03in an even greater state of existence.
23:06Ah, hallelujah.
23:08I know that I have taught that Jesus Christ's resurrection is the foundation of our hope,
23:15but I repeat it again, because this is the very foundational proof
23:20that Paul gave of Christ's physical resurrection.
23:24And in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, beginning in verse 4, he declared,
23:31and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scripture,
23:37and that day he was seen by Cleopas and by the twelve,
23:42and after that he was seen over 500 brethren at once,
23:47out of whom the greater part remained to the present,
23:52but some have fallen asleep.
23:54Verse 7, after that he was seen by James, then by all of the apostles.
24:01Then last of all he was seen by me, also as one born out of due time.
24:07I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle,
24:13because I persecuted the church of God.
24:17But by the grace of God I am what I am, and by his grace towards me was not in vain,
24:25but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I but the grace of God which was in me.
24:3211 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preached, and so you believed.
24:41You see, the risen Christ is our hope.
24:45His burial emphasizes the finality of our Lord's death,
24:50and serves as evidence of reality of his resurrection.
24:54He could not truly have arisen if he had not truly died.
24:59No argument can stand before the historical fact that Christ's resurrection existed.
25:071 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 20 declares,
25:11but the fact is that Christ the Messiah has been raised from the dead,
25:17and he became the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep in death.
25:23Now, Jesus became the first fruits of them that slept, or who have died,
25:29and because he was raised from the dead, he will also raise us up.
25:36His confirmations and promises about our resurrection are trustworthy and true,
25:43and we see this in John chapter 5 verse 25 when we are told by the Lord himself.
26:05And also in John chapter 11 beginning in verse 25,
26:13I am myself the resurrection and the life.
26:16Whoever believes and adheres to, trusts in, and relies on me,
26:21although he may die, yet he shall live.
26:25And whoever continues to live and believes in, has faith,
26:29cleaves to me, and relies on me shall never actually die at all.
26:34Do you believe this?
26:36She said to him, Yes, Lord, I believe.
26:39I do believe that you are the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of God,
26:44even he who has come into the world.
26:47It is for your coming that the world has waited.
26:51Dear listener, Jesus Christ has made everything possible
26:56that we need to be successful in our journey.
26:59Did you notice that Jesus said in verse 26,
27:05Whoever continues to live and believes in, has faith,
27:08cleaves to me, and relies on me, he shall never actually die at all.
27:13Our hope in him as Christians in this life is to grow in our knowledge and our love
27:20and faith for our Master who loves us with an undying love.
27:25We don't just profess Jesus to be our Savior and give a weak, feeble, insincere repentance
27:32and then think that our salvation is cinched and final.
27:37But the scripture tells us that whoever continues to live and have faith in him
27:43and hold fast to him, all of which bespeaks of obedience to his commands
27:49and pursuing him to really, sincerely know him in an intimate fellowship,
27:56these are those who will never actually die at all.
28:01Let it be known that never dies at all means that the bodies of flesh
28:08will die and decay in the grave.
28:11But spiritually, our spirit and soul will live beyond the grave.
28:17Dear ones, let us remember on our journey as we progress onward
28:23that prayer is the important factor in our relationship and fellowship with our beloved Savior.
28:30Paul prayed an awesome prayer in Romans chapter 15, verse 13, when he said,
28:37May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing
28:44through the experience of your faith that by the power of the Holy Spirit
28:49you may abound and be overflowing, bubbling over with hope.
28:54I love that scripture. You see, the mention of hope points to the future.
29:01Throughout this last epistle of Paul, he kept referring to the fact that
29:06God had not finished his work, his saving work in his readers lives.
29:12They were still under construction as Christians.
29:16There was more to God's salvation that they had not yet experienced.
29:21And salvation, as you know, is an ongoing process
29:25until the very day that our Lord Jesus Christ comes to take us home.
29:30In Paul's closing words on God's righteousness,
29:34he focused his readers on the rest of their sanctification and final glorification.
29:42The God of hope is the God who inspires hope in and provides hope for his redeemed ones.
29:51Christians can be filled with all joy because of what God has already done for them
29:57and what he is still doing for them and in them.
30:01We can also be peaceful, filled with all peace,
30:05as we realize what Jesus is doing for us now and what he will do for us in the future.
30:11But remember, we all have responsibility and are taught to govern our tongue
30:18so as to prove ourselves perfect and upright men and women of God Almighty.
30:24As was stated, we have everything we need to be successful in our journey
30:30towards our heavenly home because of what our Savior has done and provided for us.
30:36He is our hope of eternal life. He is everything that we need.
30:42You see, our risen Christ is our hope.
30:47His burial emphasizes the finality of our Lord's death
30:52and serves as evidence of the reality of his resurrection.
30:57It is in Christ alone that we have eternal life.
31:02Do not neglect your pursuit of him whom your heart loves.
31:27For more information visit www.fema.org