Hopeology, Part 8

God is our anchor of hope, Hebrews 6 verses 13 to 20 tells us that, and we're looking at hope, hope that is rooted only in God, hope that truly is received only by grace, truth that is, I lost my train of thought, is ratified in and through the resurrection, reinforced by the scriptures, a hope that truly is reaffirmed by the Holy Spirit, a rampart against Satan and all of his devices, hope is that which reproduces joy and removes the fear of death, that's what we've talked about when we look at hope and there is so much more to cover because scripture is filled with hopology. I'm reminded of our time together on Friday morning at the gravesite of Carol McLean who was instrumental with her and her husband at the beginning of our church 25 years ago

You know, Carol's name has its origin in Germany

It's a word that means, Carol's name means to be set free and whenever you're set free from slavery, whenever you're set free from bondage you have joy and so Carol's name came to mean joy, a song of happiness and Carol truly was set free from sin, therefore she was able to experience the joy of the Lord and Carol would exude joy and she was instrumental in this, not just the ministry of our church but the ministry to her husband and to her family and it was a great opportunity for us to reflect back just for a brief moment on her life and the great things that the Lord did in and through her, her husband and even her family

Her son Richard's with us today and his wife Joanne and Richard, we are so grateful for the ministry over the last six years to your mother specifically while Bruce was overseas and to be able to minister to your mom in a special way, that's just a great testimony in how to honor the Lord and honor your mother You truly honored your mom, that's a great thing

We praise the Lord for that and you as well as Bruce are that legacy that she's left behind and we experience the joy of that because Bruce is with us and I know that your church experiences the joy of that in your service and ministry there We're grateful for that and to be able to reflect back on everything about Carol, but Carol never feared death No, she lived in the glorious hope of all that God promised

The Bible says in the book of Colossians, the first chapter, these words, verse number 21, and although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death In order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach, if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard The hope of the gospel guarantees and assures that you will be found blameless in the presence of the living God Carol lived in light of that hope

We live in light of that hope Remember, hope is living in anticipation of the promises of God Faith is living in the conviction based on the precepts of God, but we hope in the promises that God has already spoken We live in that realm and so there's this constant anticipation about our lives that we are looking forward to all that God has promised Carol, look forward to that as you and I look forward to that, knowing that what God has said concerning the future is going to happen exactly as he said He will present us spotless, faultless, blameless before the throne of God

And we anticipate that And the woman whose name means joy heard those words enter into the joy of the Lord, because the joy that she had was nothing compared that the joy she entered into when she left this world and entered into the presence of the living God That's our hope Hope removes the fear of death As hope removes the fear of death, point number nine is that hope refines our present lifestyle Hope refines our present lifestyle Knowing what the Bible says concerning God's promises does something in the present You need to understand that our hope is not just a theological truth

Our hope has practical, moral, ethical implications It does something to our lives in the present Because we live in anticipation of the promises of God, it does something this very moment in our lives This is how the Bible states it in 1 John chapter 3 See, verse one, how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us If you have a King James version, it says, oh, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us. A great phrase

It's a phrase in the original text that is used in Mark's gospel when the disciples said, oh, what manner of man is this that even the winds and the waves, the seas obey him Potiphan is the word It's a word that means something that's alien, something that's foreign, something that's not of this world, right? And the love of the Father is not of this world It's a pure and heavenly kind of love It's an unconditional kind of love It's a love that that goes way beyond anything that we can understand this side of eternity

That's why John says, oh, what manner of love is this? What other generational kind of love is this? What kind of alien form of love is this? It's from another dimension It's a another dimension kind of love because we don't know it in this dimension That's the kind of love that God gives What manner of love is this? The Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God It truly is alien It's nothing normal It truly is a supernatural kind of love as Christ himself is supernatural

When the disciples said, what manner of man is this that even the winds and the seas obey him? It's he's from another dimension because no man from this dimension can do that No love from this dimension can do what God, the Father's love can do And Peter would even pick up on it over in second Peter chapter three and say it this way Verse 11, since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, that is talking about how, how this earth is going to be consumed with fire It's all going to just be done away with And the Lord's going to create a new heaven and a new earth

He says, since all these things are to be done away or destroyed in this manner, what sort of people or what manner of people ought you to be in the holy conduct and godliness In other words, what other worldly kind of people ought you to be from another dimension, living in holy conduct, living in righteousness You need to be from another dimension because you're citizens of another kingdom So Peter would say earlier that we are aliens and strangers in this foreign land because we have been loved by an alien kind of love by a God That's an alien kind of God

He's from another dimension and he has demonstrated his love toward us And that while we are sinners, he died for us so that we might be a part of his glorious kingdom All that to say is that John says these words, what manner of love is the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God and such we are For this reason, the world does not know us because it did not know him He was from another dimension We live as if we are from another dimension And then he says, beloved, now we are children of God and it has not appeared as yet what we will be

We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we'll see him just as he is And everyone who has this hope, what hope? The hope simply that stated when he appears, we will see him as he is And when we see him as he is, we'll be just like him Everybody who has that hope fixed on him, purifies himself even as he is pure In other words, if you have this hope, the hope that lives in anticipation that one day you will see him face to face, and one day you'll be like him Everybody who has that hope, that hope has a transforming effect on your present lifestyle

It refines everything about you It totally reproduces in you the character of the living God John is saying that there is a transformation that takes place, a sanctifying process that takes place that once you are a part of the kingdom of God, the hope that purifies is the hope that is from the living God that totally revolutionizes who you are in what you do That hope refines your present lifestyle Over the years, I've quoted to you from the book Old Paths by J.C Ryle And J.C

Ryle was a man who wrote in the late 1800s, early 1900s, and was able to convey to us some of the core truths of the scriptures And this is what he said over a hundred years ago about the hope that refines the soul, that purifies the soul, that cleanses the soul, that perfects the soul There's something about the hope of God that does something presently every single day in our lives Listen to what he says The man that has a good hope will show it in all his ways It will influence his life, his character, and his daily conduct

It will make him strive to be a holy, godly, conscientious, spiritual man He will feel under a constant obligation to serve and to please him from whom his hope comes He will say to himself, what shall I render to the Lord for all of his benefits to me? He will feel I am bought with a price Let me glorify God with body and spirit which are his Let me show forth the praises of him who has called me out of darkness into his marvelous light Let me prove that I am Christ's friend by keeping his commandments

In other words, he is telling us that there's something about this hope that compels us, that moves us, that if you have it, it transforms your life Then he says this, this is a point which has been of infinite importance in every age of the church It is a truth which is always assailed by Satan and needs guarding with jealous care Let us grasp it firmly and make it a settled principle in our religion If there is light in a house, it will shine through the windows If there is any real hope in a man's soul, it will be seen in his ways Show me your hope in your life and daily behavior

Where is it? Where in does it appear? If you cannot show it, you may be sure it is nothing better than a delusion and a snare In other words, he says, as light shines forth through the windows when it comes on in the house, so too your hope will be seen in every area of your life You can't get around it because it truly is the hope of the glory of the Lord, Christ in you, the hope of glory

And the glory of the Lord is the presence of God manifested in light and the presence of God is in us because Christ in you, the hope of glory, and that light is going to shine through every element of our lives And that's what J.C Ryle is trying to explain He says this, he says, the times demand a very distinct testimony from all ministers on this subject The truth on this point requires very plain speaking Let us settle it in our minds deeply and beware of letting it go Let no man deceive us with vain words He that doeth righteousness is righteous

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked The hope that does not make a man honest, the hope that does not make a man honorable, the hope that does not make a man truthful, sober, diligent, unselfish, loving, meek, kind, and faithful in all the relations of life is not from above It is only the talk of the lips which tendeth to poverty He that boasts himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain

In other words, the anticipation of all that God promises motivates us to such a degree that it affects every aspect of our character and every aspect of how we live He says there are some in the present day who flatter themselves they have a good hope because they possess religious knowledge They know a lot about Jesus They know a lot about the Bible He says they are acquainted with the letter of their Bibles They can argue and dispute about points of doctrine They can quote texts by the score in defense of their own theological opinions They are perfect Benjamites in controversy

They can sling stones at a hairbreadth and not miss And yet they have no fruit to the spirit, no charity, no meekness, no gentleness, no humility, nothing of the mind that was in Christ And then he says this, let us beware of any hope that does not exercise a sanctifying influence over our hearts, lives, tastes, conduct, and conversation It is a hope that never came down from above It is mere base metal and counterfeit coin It lacks the mint stamp of the Holy Spirit and will never pass current in heaven The man that has a real hope no doubt may be overtaken in the fall

He may stumble occasionally in his practice and be drawn aside from the right path for a while, but the man that can allow himself in any willful and habitual breach of God's law is rotten at the heart He may talk of this hope and as much as he pleases, but he has none in reality His religion is a joy to the devil, a stumbling block to the world, a sorrow to true Christians, and an offense to God Oh, that men would consider these things Oh, that many would use some such prayer as this from antinomianism and hypocrisy Good Lord, deliver me

He says so much more about it. I wish I could read the whole chapter to you, but I read all of that to set the tone for this Hope truly refines our present lifestyle To say you have the hope of the living God and live in habitual sin, as Mr Ryle says, is the joy of the devil, the joy of the devil He does say that, yes, we will fall into sin, and yes, there is times in which we fall maybe even into gross sin, but we don't stay there Why? Because the Holy Spirit, the resident convictor of the soul, convicts us of our sin

Is the hope you say you have in Christ truly refining your present lifestyle? If I was to ask your wives, gentlemen, about how the hope of the living God has revolutionized your marriage, your family, what would she say? Because true hope shines forth, right? Your children can see it Your wife can see it Those you work with can see it If they say to you, I see no light shining through, maybe you don't have the hope, you say you do It's very important for us to live in examination

The psalmist said in Psalm 26, those precious words, vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering Examine me, O Lord, try me, test my mind and my heart The psalmist was concerned that the Lord would truly test him, proof him, try him He wanted to know what was in him He would ask the Lord to examine him and to vindicate him according to his integrity So, Lord, you have complete reign to examine my life That's the way all of us should live, truly asking God to be the sole examiner of our lives

In 2012, a book came out, and that book was entitled, A Dangerous Calling It's a book written by Paul Tripp to help men going to the ministry understand the danger of pastoral ministry When the book came out, I ordered the book, and I was reading it one day, and Drew, my son, was on staff at that time, and Drew walked into my office and said, hey, Dad, what are you reading? I said, I'm reading a book called A Dangerous Calling

He goes, how is it? And my response to him was, what were they thinking? Did they not know that when they entered the ministry, it would be a dangerous call? How do they not know that? Who didn't prepare them for that? And the book is filled with story after story, illustration after illustration of men who were once in ministry who disqualified themselves or probably were unqualified to be in the ministry anyway, but when they got there, they just could not handle the hardship that was before them And Mr

Tripp has written to help men understand not only the dangers of the calling, but the delight to that calling as well, and how it is you are to maintain that trustworthy, faithful spirit Interestingly, that there were six different men who wrote excerpts in the book describing the benefits of the book and how great it is You know, when authors write books, they have different prominent men write different sentences or paragraphs about the book to show you how important it is

Three of those men who in 2012 were pastors of churches who wrote about how great the book was are no longer pastors of churches One man, his name is Paul MacDonald Is it Paul? I'm sorry, James MacDonald James MacDonald, who was the pastor of Harvest Chapel and an author, has disqualified himself from ministry He led his church into $21 million of debt and allegedly hired a hitman to kill his son-in-law This is a man who pastored a large church in the Midwest

Another man who wrote a portion of things concerning how great the book was was Tolian Chividian, who was the nephew of Billy Graham, who was the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, who in 2015 had resigned from his pastorate because of multiple affairs and has since remarried, after divorcing his wife, another woman The third man who also wrote accolades about the book is a man that is well known in the homeschool movement His name is Joshua Harris He wrote a book called, I Kiss Dating Goodbye, way back in 1997

He was a conference speaker at age 17, and he would travel around speaking at these homeschool conventions When he wrote the book, I Kiss Dating Goodbye, which sold over a million copies, he became a prominent figure, not only in the homeschool movement, but on the Christian circuit for guest speakers At age 30, he became the pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, a mega church, and just recently has come out saying that he has divorced his wife

The whole purpose of the book, I Kiss Dating Goodbye, was all about how it is that we need to move away from, quote, the dating scene and incorporate the courtship scene In homeschool, parents went bonkers over this thing My wife and I, we didn't, but a lot did, and they treated it as if it was almost the Bible that we got to stop dating We need to start courting, and this is what Joshua Harris says about courting This is what we need to do, and then all of a sudden, people began to court because that was the way to remove yourself from ensuring a divorce later down the road

All these people found themselves divorcing, including even the author himself But the tragedy was not just that he divorced his wife, but that he came out and said that he actually isn't even a Christian Now, think about that He pastored a mega church for a number of years in Maryland as an unbeliever What teaching did the people of that church ever receive? Just a couple of weeks ago, he came out with this statement He says, I am learning that no group has the market cornered on grace

Really? This week, I received grace from Christians, atheists, evangelicals, ex-evangelicals, straight people, LGBTQ people, and everyone in between Of course, there have also been strong words of rebuke from religious people While not always pleasant, I know they are seeking to love me The information that was left out of our announcement, the announcement that he and his wife made about the divorce, is that I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus Massive shift The popular phrase for this is called deconstruction The biblical phrase is falling away

Now, we've looked at that phrase in Hebrews 3 and in Hebrews 6 Because the warning of falling away is in danger of never ever being able to renew yourself again to repentance, right? And therefore, the falling away that's used in Hebrews 3 and Hebrews 6 and Matthew 13 is never ever used in reference to a believer, only to an unbeliever And so he says these words The popular phrase for this is deconstruction The biblical phrase is falling away By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I'm not a Christian

Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith, and I want to remain open to this, but I'm not there now Martin Luther said that the entire life of believers should be repentance There's beauty in that sentiment, regardless of your view of God. I have lived in repentance for the past several years, repenting of my self-righteousness, my fear-based approach to life, the teaching of my books, my views of women in the church, and my approach to parenting, to name a few

But I specifically want to add to this list now to the LGBTQ community. I want to say that I am sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality. I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry. I hope you can forgive me To my Christian friends, I am grateful for your prayers

Don't take it personally if I don't immediately return calls. I can't join in your mourning. I don't view this moment negatively. I feel very much alive and awake and surprisingly hopeful Really? This is not a negative thing that I have renounced Christianity. I don't view this as negative, that I embrace the LGBTQ community, and I want to ask your forgiveness for coming out against marriage equality

By the way, just a week after this, he marched in the LGBTQ parade in Vancouver, British Columbia, and had pictures all over the internet with his rainbow shirt on and rainbow cupcakes and everything else And this is a man who pastored a church, a good church, supposedly, you know, and what did he teach them? And now he says, I don't view this negatively that I'm not a Christian It's not negative. I don't view it negatively that I've embraced the LGBTQ community as all-inclusive in terms of what I believe. I don't consider it negative that I've divorced my wife

It's all positive. I'm awake. I'm alive The only person who says that is a person who doesn't know Christ You can't say you're alive and live in sin You can't say that Say, well, wait a minute You mean to tell me that this man would write this book and other books that he has written, that he would travel the Christian circuit and speak to hundreds of thousands of people all across this country and overseas, and this man would be a pastor of a megachurch in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and not be a believer? There are so many people like that around the world You wouldn't believe it

You see, the hope that lives in anticipation so refines the soul, it revolutionizes everything about your present life It does It scares me for this church in Maryland The things that he taught over the years, because you see, he just didn't wake up one day and say, you know what? I'm going to leave my wife You know what? I'm going to walk in the LGBTQ parade in Vancouver You know what? I'm not a Christian He just didn't wake up one day and do all that That took place over a process of time And I'm not talking weeks. I'm not talking months. I'm talking years And yet nobody saw that

Nobody had any inkling of that Nobody was aware of that Nobody was able to discern those things And that's where he is today You see, when you say Christ in you, the hope of glory, you live in anticipation of seeing Him face to face, knowing that He could come back at any moment and receive you unto Himself And that alone has a purifying, refining aspect of my life But Mr Harris says, I don't view any of this as negative. I see it all as very hopeful It makes you wonder, doesn't it? That's why Paul would say these words

He said, for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, Titus 2.11, instructing us to deny ungodliness, worldly desires, and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age Listen, if you have received the grace of God, right? We talked about in point number two, hope is received by grace because everything about salvation is a grace gift Well, because the grace of God has appeared, God's grace teaches you something To the believer, it teaches him to deny ungodliness It teaches him to deny worldly lusts

Grace teaches me to live a certain way, sensibly, righteously, godly in the present age If you say you've been saved by grace and live in habitual sin, denouncing God, that's not grace, that's disgrace And Paul would go on to say, looking for the blessed hope in the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus That's what grace teaches you Who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds

That grace is going to purify you in such a way it makes you absolutely ecstatic and zealous and eager to do what God said you need to do If that grace that you say you possess and you receive from God does not do this in your life, that's not the grace given to you by the living God That's disgrace And you are the delight of the devil You are the joy of hell Because what you have done is you have camouflaged the beauty of Christianity to an unbelieving world, telling them that you can live any way you want It's okay Just believe in Jesus Just believe in Jesus It's way more than that

The hope of the living God refines my present lifestyle And the next time we're together, I want to talk to you about how that exactly happens. I want to spell it out for you very simply and systematically how living in anticipation of seeing Christ face to face so refines my character, so cleanses my soul, so revolutionizes my way of thinking that everything that's on the inside can't help but shine forth and burst forth to the outside

We live in an age, we live in an age that has so diluted the gospel that anybody, anybody can say that they're a Christian. A week after, a week after Joshua Harris came out with his statement about the fact that he is no longer a Christian, Marty Sampson, who is the worship leader for Hillsong, came out with these words And there are a lot of young people today who listen to the music of Hillsong, and it has a great impact around the world But the worship leader came out with these words a week after Joshua Harris said that he was no longer a Christian

Marty Sampson said, time for some real talk. I'm genuinely losing my faith, and it doesn't even bother me Really? You're losing your faith, it doesn't even bother you? Oh, by the way, if you're a true believer, you can't lose your faith, because it's a gift granted to you by the living God, so you can't lose it He says, what bothers me now is nothing. I am so happy now, so at peace with the world, it's crazy

Are you kidding me? This is a guy who's on national TV, this is a guy whose music is renowned throughout the Christian community and even the unbelieving world, and he is saying, I'm losing my faith, and it doesn't even bother me. I am so happy now Really? That's why the Lord gave you the Holy Spirit and not the happy spirit, because he's more concerned about you being holy than he is about you being happy But the world's all about being happy, see? He says, this is a soapbox moment, so here I go

As if this guy has anything to say. I mean, come on, people, we've checked our brains out at the door We are so non-discerning in the Christian community today, it's pathetic But he thinks he has a soapbox that he can stand up on and speak He goes, how many preachers fall? Many No one talks about it How many miracles happen? Not many No one talks about it Why is the Bible full of contradictions? No one talks about it Is the Bible full of contradictions? He says, how can God be loved, yet send four billion people to a place? Doesn't even call it hell Doesn't even call it hell

It just says to a place He questions the love of God He questions the authority of Scripture He says, no one talks about it Christians can be the most judgmental people on the planet They can also be some of those beautiful and loving people But it's not for me. I am not in anymore. I want genuine truth Genuine truth? Not that I just believe it kind of truth Science keeps piercing the truth of every religion Lots of things help people change their lives, not just one version of God Got so much more to say, but for me, I'm keeping it real

Unfollow if you want. I've never been living my life for others All I know is what's true to me right now And Christianity just seems to me like another religion at this point. I could go on, but I won't Love and forgive Absolutely Be kind Absolutely Be generous and do good to others Absolutely Some things are good no matter what you believe Let the rain fall The sun will come up tomorrow. I think his name is Annie The sun will come up tomorrow Seriously? All I know is what's true for me right now That's the common mantra for today This is my truth What's your truth? But this is my truth

And people all around the world who read that will say, yeah, I'm losing my faith, too And I'm not sad about it. I'm happy about it Oh, yeah. I have a truth Like Marty Samson has a truth Like Joshua Harris has a truth Like Reverend Sun Yung Moon had a truth Like Joseph Smith had a truth Really? No There is one truth It is the truth of the living God that we embrace and believe because God said so It's absolute Absolute And that absolute truth is the only thing that gives you hope. A hope that refines everything about how I live my life Every moment of every day Let me pray with you

Father, thank you for the opportunity we have to study your Word and to be in it today May your grace sustain us May your Spirit convict us May we truly examine our lives to make sure that the hope, the hope that we have is truly the hope that is rooted only in God, received by grace, ratified in and through the resurrection, reinforced by Scripture, reproduces great joy because it removes the fear of death and refines my present lifestyle We pray in Jesus' name Amen.