WhyHope
December 14, 2008
Buying car experience
22 years old
New what monthly payments needed to be
Agreed with salesman
Went to finance office
Payments were over the threshold
I questioned
There are no free lunches
I didn’t want a free car; I just wanted the deal we had agreed on
Bait and switch
Since then Cynical
I get regular emails telling me I have been left a hefty sum of money
NOTIFICATION OF BEQUEST
On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late Dr Jeremy
Lawther , I once again try to notify you as my earlier letter returned
undelivered. Late Dr Jeremy Lawther left the sum of seven million five
hundred thousand United States Dollars ($7,500.000.00 USD) to you in the
codicil and last testament to his WILL.
This may sound unbelievable to you, but it is true. He must have been in
contact with you in the past or you were recommended to him by one of his
numerous friends who wished you good. He was a member of numerous
organizations.
Please give your response to this email via barrthomasmith@gmail.com.
Yours in Service,
Barrister Thomas Smith
Can you really trust anyone?
If it sounds too good to be true _____________
I talk a lot about what God wants to do for you
I’ve been encouraging you to place your hope in God because that hope will eventually pay off
Be faithful, be strong, don’t give up – God will deliver
But on what basis do I have that hope?
Why believe God
Instead of IHOPE, WHYHOPE?
I believe that Scripture gives us some real valid reasons why we can place our hope in God.
God has promised it
And God does not lie
God always keeps his promise
Titus 1:1-2
From Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I encourage God’s own people to have more faith and to understand the truth about religion. Then they will have the hope of eternal life that God promised long ago. And God never tells a lie!
CEV
Hebrews 6:18-19
These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things encourage us who came to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong.
NCV
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
We can hardly fathom someone who doesn’t lie, because we don’t know anyone else like that.
Most of us don’t lie intentionally
Insurance application, tax returns
Do you swear to the best of your knowledge?
We lie because we don’t know everything
Circumstances change and we can’t keep our word
You get sick, you get busy, you have unexpected circumstances
God doesn’t get sick or surprised by unexpected circumstances
God has proven it
We are expecting a lot of God
We hope that when we die we will be resurrected and live forever with in heaven
Can we believe that claim?
It’s easy to make a claim, hard to get people to believe it.
I can tell you to come up here and hop on my back and we’re going to fly around the auditorium
Would you believe me? Would you get your hopes up?
But what if you saw me do that?
We can have hope in our own resurrection because God has done it.
The resurrection is so important a doctrine because it buttresses our hope like nothing else
If God could raise Christ from the dead, then I can trust that he can the same thing for me
He has a proven track record.
God is not some guy promising to do something for you that he hasn’t already done
He has proven himself
Past performance does not guarantee future results
With God past performance does guarantee future results.
1 Peter 1:3
Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on.
CEV
1 Peter 1:21
Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
NLT
If God could raise Christ from the dead he can do the same for you. And if you can raise people from the dead then he can help you with whatever problem you are experiencing. God has proven that he has strength and power beyond our imagination.
God has empowered us
I believe God made a promise
I believe he can do it based on his past performance
It’s not God I’m worried about, it’s me
Can I actually make it until the end?
Is my sin too great? Do I have the spiritual strength to persevere? Will I give up?
That’s so real because we have given up so many times.
Maybe we didn’t finish that degree.
Maybe we failed over and over to get the promotion you wanted?
Maybe you trained to run a marathon, but never made it?
We have so many dreams that haven’t come true because we just didn’t have it within us to make those dreams come true.
Is this one of those dreams?
Am I just kidding myself to think that I can be pleasing to God, that I can make it to heaven?
Why should I get my hopes up when I don’t know if I can actually do it?
Perseverance of the saints
God will empower his saints to persevere to the very end
There is no power on t his earth that can cause up to give up the fight
Now many times this doctrine is phrased as Once Saved Always Saved. I’m not proposing that we can’t fall away – I believe we can. That’s why there are so many warnings ion the Bible to Christians. But I believe that we can have the confidence that there is no reason why I can’t remain faithful. There is no reason why I can’t persevere.
I believe that in a knee-jerk response to Once Saved Always Saved we have created a Christians we are fearful at every step that they are on the brink of losing their salvation. That kind of Christian has no hope, or the power that hope instills within us.
Once again, I believe it is possible to forfeit our salvation, but if we do it’s not because we had to, or were forced to, or had no other option, or were overpowered by evil. No, I believe that I have it within me and that you have it within you to do this thing. To finish. I believe that God is with me and will never allow anything to overcome me.
The ninety-five year old woman at the nursing home received a visit from one of her fellow church members.
"How are you feeling?" the visitor asked.
"Oh," said the lady, "I’m just worried sick!"
"What are you worried about, dear?" her friend asked. "You look like you’re in good health. They are taking care of you, aren’t they?"
"Yes, they are taking very good care of me."
"Well, what are you worried about?" her friend asked again.
The lady leaned back in her rocking chair and slowly explained her major worry. "Every close friend I ever had has already died and gone on to heaven. I’m afraid they’re all wondering where I went!"
So often we live with these doubts about going to heaven. Others may doubt, but if we are faithful we can live without doubt. We can know we are going to heaven. When we doubt we questions God’s promise and his ability. He can keep us.
John 10:28-29
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
Jesus has given you eternal life, and you shall never perish; no one can snatch you out of his hand. The Father, who has given you to Jesus, is greater than all; no one can snatch you out of the Father’s hand.
The NT writers had this same confidence. Listen to the confidence that oozes off the pages of the NT:
Jude 24, 25
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
You’ve heard the term “on the bubble.” It refers to a team that may or may not be eligible for a tournament. So many times we feel as if we’re on the bubble. We’re not. We’re in!
A lot of controversy lately about College Football – the BCS. Now you Oklahoma fans have no problem with it. Texas fans, Tech fans aren’t too happy. You see the national championship game is decided based on a poll. The two top teams face each other and the winner is the champion. The problem is UT beat OU who beat TT who beat UT. Some are calling that the championship be determine on the field. Well, your salvation is not based on a poll –it has been settled on the field. Better yet, it was settled on the cross. When Christ died for you the victory was sealed. God has promised to see all faithful believers through to the end.
1 Peter 1:3-5
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
The story is told of a monastery in Portugal, perched high on a 3,000 foot cliff and accessible only by a terrifying ride in a swaying basket. The basket is pulled with a single rope by several strong men, perspiring under the strain of the fully loaded basket. One American tourist who visited the site got nervous halfway up the cliff when he noticed that the rope was old and frayed. Hoping to relive his fear he asked, "How often do you change the rope?" The monk in charge replied, "Whenever it breaks!"
All God’s faithful people can have a sure hope that God will indeed deliver on his promise of eternal salvation.
WHYHOPE:
God has promised it
God has proven it
God has empowered us
