Our Hope Motivates Us

Tim Keller in his book, Hidden Christmas, states, “You cannot judge God by your calendar. God may appear to be slow, but he never forgets his promises. He may seem to be working very slowly or even to be forgetting his promises, but when his promises come true (and they will come true), they always burst the banks of what you imagined. … God’s grace virtually never operates on our time frame, on a schedule we consider reasonable”

One theologian defines hope this way, “Hope, in a Christian sense is love stretching itself into the future.”

What a beautiful way to see it.

The Hope of this season is the Hope of the Future coming of Our Lord!

Our Hope is not in a baby coming on Christmas…that has already happened.

Romans 8:24–25 KJV

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

This is the spirit of our hope!

But the truth is the Bible uses the word Hope very differently than we usually do.

Hope in the Biblical sense is expected anticipation.

The Christians that Peter is writing to are not only going through the persecutions from without the church which he talked about in his first letter…but are now facing divisions and false teachers within the church.

Pressure from outside the church is hard enough, but deep divides within the church are more often much more painful.

It was true in the first century as it is now.

Wherever the pressure or hurt is coming from, we must never lose our Hope!

Anticipating the Coming of our Lord ought to point us to a life of holiness as we look forward to being with Christ.

This should motivate us to not only live holy, but serve others…and point them to that Blessed Hope!

Here in these verses I see Three Aspects of Our Hope that we need to look at more closely.

First of all it is a

I. Hope Not Based Upon Time

8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

We, like those believers from the first century, sometimes wonder just how long we are going to have to wait for this Hope to be realized.

Humanly speaking it is hard to keep hope alive when it has been so long without fulfilment.

But we must remember God said,

Isaiah 55:8 KJV

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

First of all...

A. God’s Not Limited by Time

8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Peter is not being rude calling them ignorant - the word just means hidden, not revealed.

He is just saying, I don’t want this fact to be hidden from your understanding.

God is not limited by time.

God created time when he created the sun, the earth, and everything else.

the science of physics tells us that time is a property resulting from the existence of matter.

God does is not matter, He created matter.

God is not limited by the physical laws of dimensions that govern our world.

He does not count time like we do.

We cannot possibly comprehend the idea of eternity, we can only fathom that which we are exposed to.

But God has always been and will always be.

His will was determined before time began!

2 Timothy 1:9 KJV

9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

The word translated world here is chronos, it means time, the world as we know it in the realm of time.

So time means nothing to his works and his decisions, other than how He chooses to impose His will on our time.

So God is not limited by time, Secondly

B. God Has Chosen a Time

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God is waiting until all that will come to repentance does so.

I’m so grateful that God not decide to come back in the 1800’s

I may have been born to lost people during the millennium.

But God is longsuffering - He is waiting until He knows the last one that will accept Him does just that.

So God is waiting - which really He is not since He is outside of time…he has just chosen the time that He knows is appropriate…and no one knows what that time is…not even the Son.

We see God is not Limited by Time

However He has Chosen a Time

And then we see in verse 10, that

C. God’s Time Is Unexpected

It is important for correct hermeneutics to realize that what is being discussed here is the Day of the Lord.

This is not the rapture…This is the Second Coming of Christ…however since the rapture is, I believe Scripture teaches , 7 years before the Second Coming of Christ… And since the time of the second coming is unexpected and unknown…this would mean that the time of the rapture is unknown as well.

So I do not believe it is poor theology to look at these verses in application to our next major event in God’s timeline.

The time when God gather’s His church together with Him in the air.

The truth is we do not know the day nor the hour when we will be caught up together with Christ.

But I do believe it is soon!

Are you ready?

You do not know that you have tomorrow, whether by death or by rapture…tomorrow is not promised.

If you are ready, we live in this blessed hope, that is not based on Time…but it is a

II. Hope Compelling Holiness

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

What is your focus this Christmas season?

Presents and Gifts

Decorations and Christmas Spirit

Parties and Gatherings

There is nothing wrong with any of these things.

We will, no doubt, all participate in each of these things this season.

But what is your focus.

The Blessed Hope that we have in Christ ought to help us see and realize that all these things around us will be dissolved in the day of the Lord.

None of it is eternal.

Seeing that this is true We ought to be compelled to that which is eternal - Holiness.

First, a...

A. Holiness in Character

The first area that this Hope should compel us is a holiness in Character.

11b ...what manner of persons ought ye to be ...

Peter tells them that the manner of person you are ought to be affected by this Hope.

This speaks to our Character.

Character is who you truly are…who you are when no one is looking.

Having this hope, ought to cause us to realize all of this doesn’t matter as much as who I am as a representative of Christ.

A representative to my family

a representative to my neighbors

A representative to my community

Who you are…matters!

But not only ought we to have Holiness in Character

B. Holiness in Behavior

11c ...what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation

This Greek word that is translated conversation goes further than what we say…but it speaks to our entire behavior.

Is your behavior holy?

I know I fail far too often!

But remember that the Bible tells us...

Proverbs 24:16 KJV

16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: But the wicked shall fall into mischief.

What makes a just man is not the fact that he never falls

Romans 3:23 KJV

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

What makes a just man is that he gets back up, repents, seeks forgiveness and goes forward.

I am going to fail.

Maybe today

maybe tomorrow

Maybe I’ll have a good week and it will be a few days.

But our focus ought to be a holiness in our behavior!

And then thirdly it is a

C. Holiness in Piety

The verse says holy conversation and godliness.

You might say isn’t piety the same thing as holiness?

We often use it almost as synonyms.

But the meaning of piety is dutifully holy.

What we are talking about here is This Hope that we have in Christ should spur us to holiness.

It ought to stir in us a duty to live holy…set apart unto God.

We should live right out of gratitude for what God has given us…but truth is we have a duty as servants of Christ to live the way our Master calls us to live.

This Hope is not based upon our time.

This Hope Compels us to Holiness...

Third, let see to day that it is a ...

III. Hope Based Upon Promise

13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

...

17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

This promise is made by a God who is not slack concerning His promises.

What He says He will do

He cannot Lie

And He cannot make an error

So this promise will be kept!

And thereby, as we hope in that promise we are kept...

A. Kept in Anticipation

13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

We do not just go on about our lives as if this promise means nothing.

No any real child of God will live in anticipation....looking for the new heavens and new earth

A Place where there is no sin, no sorrow, no mourning!

A placed where righteousness dwells.

We do our best to live holy lives here and now…but aren’t you looking forward to the day when when you won’t have to struggle with holiness.

Don’t loose the feeling of anticipation!

Secondly we are...

B. Kept in Peace

14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Our Hope in that Promise spurs us to live in peace.

This peace is not just a peace inside…but it speaks specifically of harmony.

If your focus is right....

If you are looking for the right thing...

You will live in harmony with...

Your family

Your church members

Your neighbors

Your leaders

Your community

Romans 12:18 KJV

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

If it is possible

As much as it depends upon you ...

On your side...

live peaceably with all men

This hope will keep us in Peace

C. Kept in Truth

17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

The previous verse warned about being influenced by those who twist the scripture

And now Peter says, therefore beware lest you be led away into error.

Be very careful who influences you!

In a desire to learn more about the Bible many will listen to preachers online or on TV

This would include Preachers who do not line up with the doctrine of the church that God has led you to join.

The devil deceives with partial truth!

He always has!

Stay away form prosperity gospel preachers, and others who do not speak the truth!

Stick to the preachers who are of like faith and doctrine as the church that God has sent you to.

I have seen far too many Christians get led away with the error of the wicked...

He’s not talking here in this verse, about just falling into sin…not this verse is connected to the previous verse about those who twist scripture.

Be careful who you allow to influence you!

There are even some who call themselves baptist who have begun to go into error.

Pastor should I only listen to baptist preachers?

I don’t think it would be a bad thing!

There are many men of God from the past who stuck to the truth of God’s Word but were not baptist.

But at least the baptist name gets you closer to knowing what you have.

There is a big push to remove the labels form our churches, has been for many years.

If I went down here to Neiman’s family market and went down the can food aisle and grabbed a bunch of cans…canned meat…canned vegetables…canned fruit…etc. and I removed all the labels.

Then if I asked you to grab a few cans and make something specific.

It would be very difficult to do it.

Why because Labels are important.

I know there are some who like to buy labeless cans have fun opening them and trying to use them…But I would just as soon know what I’m buying so I can get the result that I am trying to get!

This hope will urge us to stay in the truth!

Then lastly, This Hope that is Based upon His Promise will allow us to be

D. Kept in Growth

18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

He says allow the truth to not only keep you from error…but allow the truth grow you in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

When we live our lives in the Hope of His Coming, we will be kept in growth.

We will seek to be more like Him that made the promise

We will seek to know more about Him

Conclusion

As we begin this journey in our study on the Truth about Our Hope.

A Hope that began that quiet night so long ago in a stable.

Our hope is found in that little babe.

May that hope motivate us to stay faithful awaiting His coming!

May it motivate us to live holy

holy in character

holy in behavior

holy in piety

May it motivate us to be kept

in a spirit of anticipation of His coming.

kept in peace and harmony

kept in truth

and kept in a life that is growing!

Why don’t we commit today live in that Hope...

And focus on that which God wants us to focus.

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