Sermon
In Hope Of Eternal Life
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Turn with me tonight in your Bibles to the Epistle of Paul to
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Titus. Go to first and second Timothy.
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You'll come to Titus. Titus Chapter 1.
Titus 1 chapter mention
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We're going to read from verse 1.
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We're going to read the whole of the chapter.
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Let's hear the word of God. Reading, of course, from the
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authorized version those online, the words will come up and
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screen. But as I've said before, we
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encourage you to get a copy of the Bible and follow the
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reading. If you haven't got a copy of the
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Bible and would like one, please feel free to contact us and we'd
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be happy to supply. Not neat.
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Let's hear the word of God together.
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Paul a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
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according to the fee of God's elect and the acknowledging of
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the truth, which is after godliness in Hope of eternal
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life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began,
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But how often do tames manifested his word through
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preaching, which is committed unto me.
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According to the Commandment of God, our savior Too tight us,
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mine own son, after the common Faith, grace, mercy, and peace.
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From God, the father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Savior
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for this cause left, I Thee in Crete, that thou shouldst set in
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order, the things that are wanting, and their DNA Elders in
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every city, as I had appointed thee.
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If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful,
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Faithful children, not accused of Riot or unruly for a.
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Bishop must be blameless. As the steward of God, not
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self-willed. Not soon, angry, not given to
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Wine, no Striker, not given to Filthy lucre, but her lover of
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hospitality, a lover of Good. Men sober, just holy temperate,
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holding fast, the faithful word as he had been taught that he
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may be able by Sir. Doctrine, both to exhort.
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And to convince the gainsayers for there are many unruly and
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vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the
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circumcision whose mouths Must Be Stopped, who subvert whole
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houses teaching things, which they ought not for filthy lucre
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seek one of themselves. Even a prophet of their own
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said, the cretans are always Liars.
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He's evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true.
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Wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sold in the
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fear, not giving heed to Jewish fables and Commandments of men
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that turn from the truth unto the pure, all things are pure,
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but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure.
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But even their mind, and conscience is defiled.
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They profess that they know God but in Works they deny him being
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abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate.
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The my tax tonight is found and Titus Chapter 1 and verse 2, in
Titus 1 chapter mention
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verse 2, we read in Hope of eternal life which God that
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cannot lie promised before the world began.
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Now this evening, I want to Us to focus on the words in Hope of
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eternal life. I believe this is a wonderful
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simple statement and yet a very Sublime profound step and so
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simple that the children would be able to understand and grasp
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and yet social blade you could write a whole theological
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doctrinal book. Just in this one free years and
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hope of eternal life. See the apostle.
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Paul is. Writing a very short letter to a
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fellow Minister called Titus. Titus and the Apostle Paul had
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visited the island of Crete and a number of New Testament.
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Churches, were formed there. A number of Jews and Gentiles
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were gloriously born again, out of Crete's Pagan culture and the
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Apostle Paul, when he was leaving the island, he left
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taters behind to sort out some problems in these infant will
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call them struggling Church. Has Paul wanted them to be
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strong. He wanted them to get a good
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foothold for Christ and the gospel despite the Pagan culture
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despite the presence of false teachers and false teachers.
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Now you Crete is an island 160 miles long about seven to thirty
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five miles wide and places and a situated in the southern tip of
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Greece. In the Mediterranean Sea.
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I've never been there, but It's a lovely place to go to for a
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holiday. However, the Christian people
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had acquired a very bad reputation Paul sites.
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One of their ports among by the name of are pie Mendes.
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Listen to what he says in chapter 1 and verse 12.
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One of them sales, even a prophet of their own said, the
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cretians are always Liars. Evil beasts, slow, bellies. in
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other words, they were lazy gluttons.
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And Paul is displaying here, their Chief reputation among
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man, and yet into that Pagan culture with us, Chief
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reputation. For this lifestyle, the
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wonderful Sovereign, Grace of God, the power of the Gospel had
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taken root. And I had no tight that the
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Christians had been present and Jerusalem and the day of
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Pentecost where they heard the disciples speak in the crease
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and language, the wonderful works of God.
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I've no doubt that there and then some were converted not day
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upon hearing Peter preached. The gospel they later went home
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to plant the seed of the gospel and here's Paul and the
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missionary journey along with Titus, he's leaving the island
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and Titus has left behind Soundly certain Jews were making
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life difficult for the Christians.
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They were promoting false Doctrine and Tate Us by the
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grace of God, had a great reputation for dealing with
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difficult problems in the church.
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So, Paul left in there to help get the church on a solid
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footing. So here, H to him, this short
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ladder, I want you to think of taters and Crete along with the
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people of God. And here's the theme of the
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latter. How to Live out the gospel in a
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pagan world. And to me, that's the summary of
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the whole book, God's people who were genuinely and truly
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received must by the grace of God.
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Engage in Godly Deeds, evidence fruit of Salvation as a laborer
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for Christ under the authority of the local church.
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Versus 124 forms. The introduction to the latter.
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It's a lengthy introduction. It's full of instruction full of
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wonderful. Chris each truth could be
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expanded upon as we enter further into the latter, but
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tonight were just examining one thing and I've broken it up into
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constituent Parts. Not theme is in Hope of eternal
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life. I want you to think of a number
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of things. I want you to think of the fact
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of the hope of eternal life. And hope.
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See some people imagine that hope contains the idea of doubt.
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It's wishful thinking. I hope to do this and that, so I
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could say, well, I hope to visit Crete this week.
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Well, I would be not be going to create as be wishful thinking on
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my part or I could say well I hope to do this and that and I
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wish to go here and go there but never got around to doing this
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and that I hope I get this job that have applied for but
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there's no realistic expectation that I will.
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I could say well I hope I win the lottery.
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Well, I won't because that's gambling.
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It's in before the Lord. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow
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or who's that? Nope.
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Doesn't snow next week. Week.
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Well, again, we have no realistic expectation.
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That, that desire would come to pass, is he?
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It doesn't mean that I know that when we use the word hope,
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that's the way we use it. But how man use hoop and how
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God, the Holy Ghost uses. Hope is two different things.
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You see when God uses the word. Hope there's 133, references to
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the word hope and the, the Bible, the word, hope here means
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to look to the future with a confident.
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Expectation. It points to God's covenant
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faithfulness in relation to his presence as promises in this
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power. It also means to we it in the
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Lord with the humble confidence and trust in him alone, listen
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to the word of God and sound 42 verse 5.
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Why art thou? He cast down O my soul and we're
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disquieted within me. Hope thou in God for, I shall
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yet, praise him for the help of his countenance.
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What does that? That mean hope.
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Thou in God, it means look to the future with a confident
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expectation. It points us to God's covenant,
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faithfulness of has promised his presence has power.
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It means to we it on the Lord with a humble confident.
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Trust in him. If we were to turn their to
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another Sam Sam. 130. It says, in verse 7, that
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Israel. Hoping the Lord means exactly
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the same thing for with the Lord, there is Mercy.
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And with there was plenty of Redemption for he shall redeem
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Israel from his iniquities. And you see The children of
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Israel. They were taken up with God's
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covenant, faithful promise and they fix their heart and mind in
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that promise on its certainty. And on the centrality of all
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that God had promised and at the heart of God's promise was
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Christ, remember Galatians 4 and 4.
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But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth
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his son, hi mierda. If a woman me and under the law
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for what purpose can redeem them that were under the law that we
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might receive. Listen to this, the adoption of
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sons and then the New Testament as it begins to unfold.
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You've got the unfolding and you've got the full revelation
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of all that God promised in relation to Christ and that
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promise as I'm telling you from the First Gospel promise Genesis
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3:15, And all the way through to Galatians 4 and 4 were centered
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and godson. And over there in the book of
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Colossians and remember we preached in us as we preach
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through Colossians 1 to whom God would make known, what is the
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riches of the glory of this mystery?
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Among the Gentiles? Which is Christ in you the hope
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of glory. You see Christ is our hope and
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remember that Paul was able to say for in him, that's in
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Christ, all the promises of God are ye and a man, you see?
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It's not just, you've got an idea, it's not just, you've got
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a concept. It's not that you've got a
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feeling and you sense that something good is going to
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happen. Isn't there a song about that?
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Something good is going to happen II.
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Can't The singer that I can't even hum it, but that's not what
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this Hoops abide, it's richer, it's deeper, it's greater, it's
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better because there's a confident expectation of this
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thing happening because it's rooted in God's faithful,
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Covenant, promise. That's the fact of this hope to
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eternal life. I want you to notice.
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Secondly, and quickly, I want you to think of the focus of Our
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Hope, because if it's true and I believe it is, it's factual that
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Christ is our hope of eternal life.
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And remember, we live in a pagan world with a pagan culture, all
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around us, the power of sin, the Power of Satan and evil.
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We Fierce trials and Temptation. We Fierce temptation to sin.
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We we are alive to all the problems and Perfection is of
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life. We live with difficulty and
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disappointment disaster. We've got disease in the one
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hand with death and the other, and yet he can be fierce, all of
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that. Here's the answer Christ is our
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Our hope you see whenever you have got a sovereign God on the
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throne, who tells us that Christ is our hope then you can see a
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way through despite the trial and trouble despite the problems
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and the pressures of life, you can see a late in the valley.
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In fact, the Bible talks about a Door of Hope in the valley of
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achor Door of Hope, Christ is adored by looking to him by.
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We're heading to him by having a confident.
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Expectation, he will fulfill all that he has promised, you see?
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if I think of the Christian Life, Some people have this
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mindset. That I can't have a certain
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expectation of eternal life. Until after I'm dead and
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whenever a die, God will give me eternal life.
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But it's not. I hope when I died again,
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eternal life, it's not. I hope one day to Guillen
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eternal life. It's not even.
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I hope to be granted by God one day, eternal life.
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See, some people have this main said that?
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There's a test And if your words lie, if you pass the test, if
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you've been approved then you're granted the Fulfillment of this
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promise. But but that's not the concept
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that that should not be your focus.
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Your remember I said of Christ without hope your dad and send
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your darkened because of sin your Disease by sin, but in
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Christ You've got hope of eternal life and that's promised
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my but it's not only promised it's possessed.
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Not, I remember John 3 and 16 for gold what?
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So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that
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whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have what
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everlasting life. I remember John says in John
John 3 chapter mention
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chapter 3 and in the verse 36 he made a tremendous statement he
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that believeth on the son hath everlasting life and he that
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believeth not the son shall not see life but the wrath of God.
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Abideth on him. If you're in Christ and Christ
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in u.s. the hope of glory then the focus of that Hooper's what
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has promised us possess nine. You're not waiting until the
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Judgment Day to find out. If you're worthy running brought
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into heaven and given this gift, you're not waiting at the door
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of having to see if Peter would maybe let Yen.
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I don't know where this idea of Peter at the door of happened
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ever come from. I feel, it's a could a crude
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form of Roman Catholicism. Solecism Peter of course they
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teach those the the Pope's are. You've got to think of the Pope
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at the door of Heaven, admitting were they candidate said well
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that's not the picture if you're born again and if you've
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experienced remission of sins and there was a day and Taemin
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your life on yourseif Christ as Lord and Savior.
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Then listen to what the Apostle John says in John chapter 1 and
John 1 chapter mention
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verse 12, but as many as received him to them gave he
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power to become the sons. Sons of God, that word power
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means the right or the authority.
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Even to them that believe on his knee, which were born not of
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blood. See it's not a rat attorney nor
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of the will of the flesh. It's not of your own wealth, nor
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of the will of Mom, it's not the will of the preacher of the
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parent, but of God, And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among
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us and we beheld his glory. You see, if you we it till you
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die to find out. If you've got eternal life,
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it'll be too late. And that day, if you went to
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that day, you'll have no hope you'll have no Assurance.
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If you have not got Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior, then
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you do not have this hope of glory Christ.
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Just a promised, savior Christ is a pervaded savior, he's a
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personal savior, he's a powerful Savior.
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And then hen, if you've received him, you've this confident
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expectation of all that God has promise will be fulfilled and
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listen to me, carefully will be fulfilled to the very latter As
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you focus in this hope, think of this, he alone can deliver you.
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From the penalty of sin, which is death, he alone breaks, the
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power of canceled sin sets, the prisoner free.
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He alone takes the love of sinning, on your heart, takes
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away the very pleasure of sin. He alone can deliver you from
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fear of death, who many people are afraid to die.
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And yet Christ, as the great deliverer, listen to what the
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Apostle Paul says in Hebrews and in Chapter 2 and verses 14 and
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15 for his much. Stay and his children are
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particulars of Flesh and Blood. He also himself likewise took
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part of the sea Here's the reason, one of them, that's
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through death, that's his death on the cross.
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He might destroy him. That had the power of death.
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That is the devil and deliver them who through fear of death
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were all their lifetime subject, to bondage, the very weapon that
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Seaton used against mom The fear of death crazed is the great
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deliverer, Kevin sees that and used it his death on the cross.
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To destroy the Devil. Triumphing over him and has
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cross work. You don't have to fear death.
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I know that some ask that question, do you know fear
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death? Well I shade of Christ you
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should because the wages of sin is death but less than the gift
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of God that's in Christ. It's what eternal life.
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It's promised but glory to goddess possessed night.
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Maybe you have a fear of meeting Gordon the judgment.
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Well, I've got wonderful news for you.
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Do you know whenever the Angels send God shut them up to your
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Journal damnation. He never lifted a finger.
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He never stirred a thought to see you one of those sinning
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angels yet in our fall into their state of sin and misery
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and Adam. God promised us savior.
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Genesis 3 and 15, the seed of the woman would bruise the head
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of the serpent even though the servant would strike at his
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heel. Some people ask me.
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Well, what did God ever? See in me to see of me?
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I want the answer that. He see nothing worthy.
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He saw that you were bought dead and send a vile hail deserving
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Sinner. And in free Greece, he sought
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you ate and free Greece. He bought you with the precious
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blood and free Grace, he brought you to the feet of Christ.
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I'm right here. Said it was down at the feet of
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Jesus or the happy. Happy day that my soul find
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peace in believing and my sins were washed away.
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This is all part of that confident expectation that in
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Christ. God Saves us from sins Palin tea
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and sends power and sends pleasure.
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He takes away our fear of death, he takes away our fear of
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meeting God and the judgment Could I add something else?
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Even when you die physically on your corpses, please stand the
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casket. What happens to your soul?
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Your soul leaves the body. That's what death is.
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Its The Giving Up With The Ghost and not justified.
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Soul leaves the body. It's already made perfect and
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Glory. You're seeing King Jesus Fiesta.
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Fears. This is what we call the
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intermediate ski it. And even that that's not the end
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because there's more And this should be our Focus.
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There's a resurrection ski it. That's coming at the last Trump.
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When Christ returns in power and Glory, there's going to be the
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first resurrection and one day, the body and soul of all who
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have died in Christ, will be resurrected called the
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resurrection of the body. Romans chapter, 8, 23.
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And I'm 24. Peter, preached us Timothy
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talked about this here, is he? When we think of the Gospel.
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I want you to thank not only if the Incarnation a mystery, the
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Virgin birth, the send this life, the atoning death, but you
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got to think of Christ bodily, Resurrection.
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You've got to think of Christ's intercession have them.
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You've got to think of the resurrection of the Redeemed by
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Christ at his return. I want to ask the question.
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Will you be among the redeemed in that day?
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If you die tonight. Have your Justified.
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So love baby at perfect and have him.
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Someone said that when they get the have and I think it was
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Robert Murray make she and they'll be surprised who is
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there? And the divorce surprised who's
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not there. But they'll be wonderfully
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surprised that they're there, but that surprise is rooted in
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this confident expectation. They'll be full of gladness and
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joy. Well, I could ask you to Nate.
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Do you understand your child of God?
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You're fully. Mm.
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Finally free from sin. You're free from old failure in
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the flesh, free from all temptation, to send free from
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all, trials and troubles and thus, like free from Fear free,
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from worry, free from p and freed.
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You, enjoy all that. God has or all that God has for
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you. In Christ free to enjoy Christ
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of list of Greek. This is the create Focus.
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This is the hope of eternal life that we have in Christ.
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I want you to think of the feature of this hoop to eternal
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life, as I've tried to emphasize that who was here, and I in Hope
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of eternal life. It's about the present time.
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You see? It's at this moment.
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Remember job. He lost all that.
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He had the farm as fortunate as family think of his body, wreck
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with pee in his mind, he couldn't sleep.
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Maybe you're listening to me right now and you're not able to
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sleep, but listen to what job was able to say over there in
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Job, chapter 19, and in the verse 25, he said this for, I
Job 19 chapter mention
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know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the
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latter day upon the Earth and though after my skin worms,
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destroy this body and my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see
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for myself and mine eyes, Shall Behold and not another though my
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reans be consumed with an you see.
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He felt his heart and mind with the promise that he possess my.
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That's the feature that we should focus on that features
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rooted in. What God has promised, God has
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purchased and crate, God has pervaded and Christ.
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And he was gripped with a confident, expectation of not
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fulfillment. Very quickly.
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Here's the fourth, thought the foundation of this hope what's
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it? Founded on if you go back to
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Colossians to Colossians chapter 1, and it says in verse 1 and 2
Colossians 1 chapter mention
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on the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness
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and hope of eternal life. You see there's a link here, the
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foundation of those hope to eternal life is rooted in the
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truth of the Gospel. It rests are not impregnable
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Foundation, the Sea of and work of Jesus Christ.
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Just, as I've said, Christ was born for us.
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Lived, for us, died for us. Rose again for us, ascended, for
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us, we're seated and him. He intercedes for us.
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We can lay hold of crais as person is purpose, as Pasha and
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his power, his pardon Christ is praying for you right now.
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You're on his heart, he Bears you up on his shoulders and that
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hope is meant to be an anchor to the soul.
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You see how many people has the journey through life?
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With no hope. Maybe lose their job.
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They lose their health and use their money.
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Their loved ones are taken away, they lose their reputation to
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lose their respect. What does it rest on?
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At rest, the nest, no matter what happens on the journey.
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Because you've got an anchor to the soul, which is Christ.
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And no matter what change takes, please?
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You rest and not saving work of Christ.
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You rest in the sweet word of Christ eternal life, which God
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that cannot lie promised before the world began, you see you
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can't promise something to someone unless not someone is
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present and to whom did the Lord make the promise, that wasn't a
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Titus, it wasn't to the people of God in Crete it wasn't to you
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and me and it was certainly wasn't the ultimate wasn't to
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the angels of wasn't with any me.
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Had moral, man, it was buried with Christ.
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The son of God, he's the one to whom God promised in the
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Covenant of redemption. Before the world began that he
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would give eternal life to all who receive Christ as Lord and
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Savior under one. Something one believer in
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Christ. Can't feel them to reach heaven
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because if he did, it would make God to be a liar and we hear you
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have in the scripture. God cannot lie.
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There's nothing more certain. There's something at God,
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Kennedy, he cannot lie. And if you read Hebrews chapter
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6, verses 9 to 18, and 20 called swear by himself.
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He could swear by no, greater He invoked his own name.
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It's not the foundation. Think of the fear that this Hope
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was we finished. It says, according to the faith
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of God's elect and the acknowledging of the truth which
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is after godliness and hope of eternally, you see who person's
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strengths lie and strictly linked to feareth.
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Think of the words, the faith of God's elect and over in Romans
Romans 5 chapter mention
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chapter 5, we read in verse 5, these words and hope maketh not
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ashamed because the love of God, is she'd abroad in our hearts,
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which is given to us by the Holy Ghost and The point that was
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being made here as by whom also, we have access by faith into
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this grace, wherein, we stand and rejoice in Hope of the glory
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of God. She fears and Christ.
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Fiat has forsaken. All I trust him.
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Heart of the Gospel, heart of the person and work of Christ.
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That hope that we have. as Richard in on his link to the
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very day and the fact that we have laid hold and Christ for
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eternal life, Have you a glimpse of Christ?
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Tonight is your circumstances body and heart are you
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experiencing dark troubles? Are you worried about the evil
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that obtains in the country? Will, where's our hope?
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Well, there's such a thing as the fee of this hope.
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It's linked to fear think, as we finish the fruit of this hope,
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it's according to Godliness. You see the fruit of a living
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faith leads to the fruit of a lively.
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Hope, we're not see of by length of godliness, but of the are
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sieved genuinely born. Again, you will live a life of
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godliness. Could the life of God has been
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planted in your soul. The gospel pervades for the
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fruit of a holy life. Not just Soul burning, which
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Important and I encourage you to win.
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Souls this year for Jesus Christ, someone sent me a little
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invitation through WhatsApp and it says, how to get people to
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come to church. Well, you know, any nine percent
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over 100, this is the chief way, a friend invited me.
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An acquaintance asked me to come a family member ask me to come
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and that's important that you do that because faith comes by
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hearing and hearing by the word of God.
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Holiness not not sinless Perfection we grieve and mourn
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and he had our sins but there's a spirit of Holiness planted in
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us. There's a spirit of giving,
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there's the there's the fruit of the spirit a name fool for it.
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How many have no friend had many of just an empty / Fashion on,
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they have no fruit of this hope of eternal life because it's Not
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according to Godliness. I'm one, I final thing.
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And I say this, as we finished the forever of this hope, You
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see if you have this hope of eternal life, you keep your eye
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in the Redeemer, no matter what happens.
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You keep your eye in the reward. And the reward is half of it
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home, you will endeavor to live a life of loving service.
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You'll Endeavor to live a life of cheerful service fees full
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service. So I stress this because many of
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New Hope because many are playing the food, they're living
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with their God and their living without Christ is not true of
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you tonight. You're listening.
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Perhaps there's some lost soul out there and you're saying, but
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I've got no, who Pastor preacher, then we recommend this
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to you Christ in you. The hope of glory, you can have
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this forever hope that we'll never feel it.
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Never be done away with because this hoop It's the hope of God
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in the gospel in Hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie.
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Promised before the world began, may the Lord, take these few
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thoughts and bless them to you tonight as we have sought to
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Endeavor to open up this text of scripture.