An Eternal Living Hope

This message was preached by Navaz D at Word ofGrace Church on November 24th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here

 AN ETERNAL LIVING HOPE - FINAL

There are some truths more important in life than others. Not every truth is on the same plane and it has a different effect on us

Eg) America lies in the northern hemisphere. True or false? You will get burnt if you put your hand in the fire. True or false? Both statements are true but they hold different values for us.

I am going to read a few scriptures.

Heb 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,

Rom 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame/disappoint, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us

Ps 39:7 My hope is in you

Ps 62:5 Rest in God alone O my soul for my hope comes from Him.

1Cor 13:13 And now these three things remain – faith , hope and love…

Colossians 1:27 Christ in you the hope of glory

1Pet 1: 3 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.

This brings me to my topic. “  An Eternal Living Hope ”

Paul in 1 Cor 13:13  said now these 3 things remain: faith, hope, and love. Why did he pick these 3 and not prayer or evangelism etc?

Faith – because without it we can’t see God and cannot experience new birth and most importantly cannot please God.

Love – because it is the first, greatest and the new commandment to not only love God, but to also love one another. Without love, everything amounts to nothing.

Hope Why Hope? Have you thought about it? I have been pondering on this for a few weeks now.

Lets look at 1Peter 1:3-8

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, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ 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. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 

Because we believe in Jesus we have a living Hope and an inheritance that will never spoil not fade.

WHAT IS HOPE?

The oxford dictionary says Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.

Wanting something to happen or be the case. A feeling of trust.

While the above are true and even used in the bible, the biblical usage of the word hope is this.

Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future — it expects it to happen. And it not only expects it to happen — it is confident that it will happen. There is a moral certainty that the good we expect and desire will be done.

What or who you hope in is important.

So the object of our hope is important.

The object of our HOPE is in the truth that God is eternal, immortal, unchanging, infallible and constant. Our Hope is something that should not waver because it is rooted in the faithfulness of God.

 Faith and hope to work together. Rom 4:18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,

In other words, whenever faith in God looks to the future, it can be called hope. And whenever hope rests on the word of God, it can be called faith. John Piper

Nothing has taken him by surprise, and never will.  Not even the fall of his most beautiful creation- us.

Salvation was not a plan B. Hope has always been anchored in eternity. Hope was defined in eternity past before the foundations of the world were laid.

We know this because in Revelation 13:8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

So HOPE was birthed before doubt destroyed the divine destiny God has for the pinnacle of his creation – us.

If you make any finite object your hope viz.  money, career, relationship, job you can loose hope when these things are stripped away from you. Hope anchored in anything temporal is hopeless.

That is why a living hope that will never die is what we need.

WHAT DOES HOPE DO?

1.   Hope brings perspective just as hopelessness does.

Victor Franklin who survived the concentration camps in Germany during WWII said the ones that gave up hope are the ones that did not survive.

Christians are different from any other being on the planet because of this one but very vital truth in our lives called HOPE. Not any hope – it is an ETERNAL LIVING HOPE

Why is it important?

Eg) Two men were hired to do the same job. One was paid Rs 10,000 and the other 10 lakhs. After a couple of months, the one who was paid 10k started to grumble and complain.  They were experiencing the same situation but they had different outlooks. Their outlook was colored by their future expectations.

What we believe about our future controls how we experience the present.

ETERNAL LIVING HOPE is at the core of the gospel. The gospel is not about good ethics and living right. If that were all, we don’t need the Christian faith as there are many religions with good ethics being taught.

This ETERNAL LIVING HOPE is certain – It is of no value if you are not sure. The resurrection of Jesus is the way to be certain. It achieved its purpose. The cross paid the demands of sin, therefore, the resurrection.

2. Hope gives meaning to life

 that suffering can try and take away from us.

V6 ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 

Peter was writing to people who were suffering a great deal for their faith. Some were killed, tortured, property confiscated etc.

He tells them to rejoice because this suffering is but for a little while and that, their coming through the fire of trials will result in them getting V7.  Praise glory and honor from Jesus himself.

Trails and suffering open up the human soul and expose

its foundations. Life only has meaning if we have hoped that even death cannot destroy.

HOW DO WE GET THIS ETERNAL, IMPERSIHABLE, LIVING HOPE?

 We get this through Jesus our living hope.

HOPE AND SUFFERING

 The word suffering is the same word used to describe Jesus suffering in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was saying that his soul was crushed with agony and suffering.

Peter says you can suffer and experience joy at the same time because you have not put your hope in circumstances. Jesus sweated drops of blood and cried for the cup to be taken away. There was no pretense and false bravado.

 When you run away from facing hurt and sorrow, you refuse to allow yourself to grieve and you get angry and harden your heart through indifference or anger, which can make you bitter or cynical. 

When we face our sorrow, it softens us and makes us compassionate.

Imagine Jesus endured suffering for the joy and hope set before him. Jesus did not endure the cross to get a crown. His prize was our redemption. That is what he died and suffered for i.e the joy of seeing that spurred him on. Is 53:11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,  and he will bear their iniquities.

We are Jesus’ living hope and He is our living Hope. So when our lives are deeply hidden in Christ he becomes our living hope that transcends time, trials and tears.

CONCLUSION

Peter is asking us to greatly rejoice in this fact that when we have overcome all this we will receive praise, glory and honor when Jesus is revealed and the end of all things has come.

We will be able to endure hardships, sickness, loss, and all kinds of injustices and problems because we have an eternal perspective to everything that we go through here on earth.

We know that nothing we go through is in vain. There is an eternal living Hope – to be united with Jesus, to be with Him in paradise where there will be no more pain, no more suffering, no more tears.

There are crowns awaiting us, mansions prepared and cities to rule and all this for enduring a few years on earth for a life with Jesus that will go on forever and ever.

This my friends is the Eternal Living Hope – Jesus himself. And as if that were not enough, he has rewards to give us as well.

Have you anchored in the Eternal Living Hope? Let us remind ourselves and encourage each other with this truth.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Where is your treasure? | Austine K

This message was preached by  Austine K at Word of Grace Church on November 17th , 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and propheticcontributions please click here

Matthew 6:25 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 

“THEREFORE” This word always takes us back to the previous thoughts.

The thought here is laying up treasures on earth where moth and rust can destroy it or in heaven where it is indestructible. The context of this passage is on giving. Jesus also talks about the two masters - God and money and man cannot love both masters, he must despise one and be devoted to the other.

Do you think Jesus is telling us not to save money? Or not to invest? Or that we have to be poor? Absolutely not! We know from the parable of the talents and other places in the Bible that we are expected to be wise with our money and God has given us the ability to produce wealth. What this passage is really talking about is putting money before God. When we don’t give into the kingdom of God we allow our money to be the first priority before God and money becomes our idol. But sometimes when we give, it causes us to be anxious because of our circumstances. 

Q) Who doesn’t get anxious?

I’m sure everyone does in different phase of life. They may get anxious about exams, jobs, marriages, children, house rent, taxes and other bills.

Jo and I were anxious few months ago about job, finance, children, buying a home, car. She was getting an opportunity to work with the UN in the UK and Dubai and they were willing to offer me a job. It was an easy way out to go there, earn money and get all these things that we want.

Now God is not against all these things for us because He likes to bless but we felt God asked us to put our roots down here, serve the church and we know that in time to come God will bless. When You devote yourself to love and serve God, anxious thoughts will also come. That’s why Jesus emphasizes “Do not be anxious” 5 times. But there is a peace that comes with obedience and with obedience comes the security of God’s blessing. This is a security we don’t have to work or strive for, it comes from knowing that when God asks you to do something he will also Provide. 

Last Sunday Colin spoke about the wise and foolish builder. The wise man listens to the word of God and puts it into practice and by doing so he builds his house on the rock, the foolish man listens to the word of God and doesn’t do anything about it and he builds his house on the sand. They both face the same problems in life and during these trials the house that was built on the rock stands and the house built on the sand crashes down. Similarly we’ve got to build our life like the wise builder by being obedient to the word of God so we can build a house on the rock by giving into God’s kingdom without worry or anxiety or we can keep our treasure for ourselves and build a house on the sand.

Q) How can you overcome anxiety?

1) Look to the creation

2) Ponder upon God’s faithfulness

3) Seek first the Kingdom of God

1) Look to the creation

Matthew 6:26-30 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

The birds don’t plant gardens or fields, nor do they harvest crops, they don’t store food in the barns, yet our Heavenly Father feeds them.

They are not his children, nor is He their Father. He is their creator.

If He feeds the birds which are not His children, how much more will He feed His child? You are more valuable than they. They only have a creator – that is creation relationship, you have a father – that is a son or daughter relationship.

What good does anxiety do? Secondly, which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life. Anxiety leads to health problems like Depression, Panic attacks, cardiovascular disease, High BP, breathlessness; and so much more. Instead of adding, anxiety can reduce our lifespan.

Jesus asked, why are you worried about clothing when the cure is look to the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, they do not raise a cotton crop, they do not spin. The ladies used to have to make their own material before they could even make their clothes. They used to have what was known as spinning wheels, where they would spin the wool or cotton into yarn or thread then weave the yarn in the loom to make the garment they were proposing to make. Lillies are beautiful red and white and so many beautiful colors. Consider this: Solomon in all his glory and wealth was not beautifully clothed as the lilies in the field.

So when anxiety starts to overcome you, look to the creation and ponder on how God cares for everything he has created.

This brings me to my next point and that is

2) Ponder upon God’s faithfulness

Last year, before our wedding Jo and I were anxious about a lot of things. We were concerned about finances and finding a flat, visa and families coming together and furniture and everything that we had to manage. This year we have a new bunch of things that we are concerned about, but we know that God was more than faithful to us last year. He blessed us abundantly and we know that he is the same God and he will take us through once again. Anxiety is a never ending cycle but when you look back on your life, you will be able to see God’s faithfulness.

 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

So our Father knows what we need and has known it through all the generations. He is a good Father and has always provided. So when Satan tries to make you anxious, remind him of how he’s been defeated in the past and what his future is!

1. Seek first the kingdom

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

This means above everything else - seeking the Kingdom should be our highest priority. 

What is the Kingdom of god - it is the will of God being expressed. It is Gods government, his rule and his authority and seeking the Kingdom of God is simply being obedient to the will of the Father. It often means dying to yourself and being obedient. 

So what does this mean?

It means putting God’s will above your own.

Let’s look at the example of Moses. He constantly sought the will of the Lord. God told Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt. Now this was an insecure path looking at the physical realm. They are walking away from security into an unknown land but Moses understood that His security came from obedience to God and not life in the palace and so for every need big or small he would run back to God and say God, what would you have me do? So when there was no way and enemies were behind them God parted the seas. When there was no water, God gave it from a rock. When there was no food God sent quail and manna in the desert. When there was no compass God himself went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. 

“In modern day Moses would say i can’t find parking, please show me a parking spot. One day he will say my gps is not working then God will say look to the clouds”

Moses was seeking the will of the Father in every decision he had to make.

We need to ask ourselves this question What is the will of the Father in my life?

*I want to get married to this person, what is the will of the Father?

*I want to relocate to another city, what is the will of the Father?

*I’m struggling with my colleagues and I want to change my job, what is the will of the Father?

*I believe in Jesus but I don’t want to get water baptized? what is the will of the Father?

*I’ll come to church but I won’t connect with people, 

what is the will of the Father?

*I’m struggling this month so I won’t tithe, what is the will of the Father?

So we’ve got to a people who love God and obey his commands.

What do you mean by seeking His righteousness?

When you seek the will of the Father, you chase righteousness. Seeking the kingdom of God and righteousness goes hand in hand. 

Proverbs 15:9 “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who pursues righteousness.” 

So we’ve got to be people who pursue righteousness in everything we do.

We see this example in Jesus life. 

John 6:38

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus went about doing the will of the Father and proclaiming the Kingdom of God with signs and wonders. Jesus knew that he was going to die a painful and horrific death and yet he prayed to the Father let not my will but your will be done. He was obedient to the will of the Father to the point of death even death on the cross. 

Jesus daily spent time conversing with the Father and that’s how he was able to imitate Him. God calls us sons and daughters and Jesus is our role model, just like Jesus we need to spend time conversing with the Father so that we can know in our lives what his will is for us. 

So for example when Jesus says give and do not be anxious, irrespective of the circumstance, give in faith that He will provide for all your needs. There’s no need to be anxious about your provisions when you’ve been obedient to the will of the Father. 

Anxiety is faith in the wrong Kingdom. When you are anxious it is difficult to seek the kingdom of God. It stems from a lack of faith in God and from A wrong focus on the things of this world instead of on the things God. We need to set our mind not on the things of the world but on the things of God. 

Colossians 3:1-2 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek first the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

As you feed on God’s word, you will be freed. Faith will eliminate anxiety. Faith comes from hearing and meditating on the Word of God. Are you feeding on anxious thoughts or Gods word?

So to summarize, you can either seek the kingdom of God and store up treasures in heaven or serve the master of money and store up treasures on earth. So when you feel anxious, look to the creation and his providence - how he has provided for them from the beginning till now. Ponder on his faithfulness and how he has been good to you all these years and most importantly prioritize seeking first the Kingdom of God. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Faith/Works | Colin D

This message was preached by  Colin D at Word of Grace Church on November 10th , 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and propheticcontributions please click here

When we were at Challenge in Mumbai, there were two kinds of pools – one was shallow and one was deep. St Jerome shared this – The word of God is shallow enough for a child to come in and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for a theologian to swim in without ever touching the bottom.Theologians are struggling with so many things in the Bible. Bible has a lot of deep truth just as a coin has 2 sides. Sometimes we focus only on one side without looking at the other side.

There are many paradoxes like trinity…

Paradox:- Faith and Works

Eph 2:8-9 – For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by works, so that no one can boast.

But Matt 7:21 – Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord Lord’, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Some Christians emphasize on works and others on faith. Faith without works is death. The righteous will live by faith. Balance between Faith and Works

Matt 7:24 – Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

Account of the Wise and Foolish builder:

Matt 5:21-22 – “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘you shall not

murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement. But I tell you that anyone

who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement.

Matt 5:27-28 – “you have heard that it was said, ‘you shall not commit adultery, but I tell you

that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his

heart. Raising the standard – what we see in the above verses is that Jesus has raised the standard. Matt 5:43-45 – “you have heard that it was said, ‘ love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your father in heaven.

These are amazing truths. But towards the end Matt 7:24 – “ therefore, everyone who hears

these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Matt 7:24-27 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into

practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Similarities:-

1. Both of them heard the Word

We are all builders. If we heard his word, we are a builder.

2. Both are building

3. Both men were tested

In this world, we will have troubles and trials.

And on the other side, there are blessings, peace, prosperity

What happens to foolish man?

When we come to faith, we trust in Jesus and his truth comes to us.

In Psalm 23, it’s written that he would prepare a table in the midst of our enemies.

James 1:2-4 – Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, or whenever you face trials of

many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let

perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Differences:-

The first one built his house on the rock and the second one built his house on the sand.

Matt 7:26 – But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not puts them into

practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Matt 7:24 – Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice

is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Here, Jesus is talking about us. When we read the word and obey, it means we’re building on the rock.

On the other hand, when we read the word and not disobey, we are building on sand.

The house built on sand fell and the house built on rock did not fall because it’s foundation is on the rock.

How many commands are there in the New Testamant? 1050 commands.

Rom 12:19-21 – Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written; “It is mine to avenge; I will repay”, says the Lord. On the contrary; “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he’s thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap

burning coals on his head”. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Faith is important, our salvation is by faith, we are saved by faith alone. Martin Luther said, “We are saved by faith alone” Faith that saves is never alone. But works will follow. If you are truly saved, we will begin to obey God. Your salvation is secured. Praise God!

Imagine when they show on movies or books – “All characters are purely fictional” - disclaimer

Husband and Wife:

Husband works hard and comes home. Imagine – wife has gone out for shopping, with no food

cooked, leaving the house untidy. This shows that wife doesn’t love her husband. When they

got married they committed to each other on certain things.

Jesus is the bride groom and we are the bride. While we were still sinners Christ died for us. Did

Jesus show His love for us? YES!

How do we show our love for him?

John 14:21 – Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me…

We show our love to Jesus by obeying His commands.

Does hearing a sermon or reading the Word bring a blessing upon you?

Matt 7:24 – Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice

is like a wiseman who built his house on the rock.

Matt 7:26 – But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice

is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.

There are 2 kinds of people –

1. Those who love Him

2. Those who does not love Him

John 15:9-10 – As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you

keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my father’s commands

and remained in his love

It is very clear that faith is important. Faith leads us to heaven.

Rom 1:5 – Through Him, we received grace and apostleship to call all the gentiles to the

obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.

But what next?

Luke 17:28 – “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and

selling, planting and building.

Luke 17:27 – People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage upto the

day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

All they did was eat and drink.

Luke 11:27 – As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is

the mother who gave you birth and nursed you”.

Luke 11:28 – He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it”

John 13:17 – Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

So, hearing the word or reading the word is not enough. You don’t get blessed hearing or

reading the word.

You are blessed when you practice whatever you have heard and read.

You are saved by Faith alone. But Faith that saved you is not alone.

How can we practice whatever we hear or read?

Maintain a journal. Daily, in the journal, write down any of the SPECK

S – Sin to avoid

P – Promise to hold onto

E – Example to follow

C – Command to obey

K – Knowledge to rejoice in

Even Jesus obeyed God.

Heb 5:8-9 – Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made

perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated

by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek

Jesus was tested in each and every way. We will also be tested in different ways. But we need

to obey God’s commands so that we will be strong during the testing time.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.