Gospel Truths That Unite Us Part 1

Introduction

Magandang umaga HCM, na miss ko po kayong lahat, last week po nasa Baguio ako paakyat ng Mt. Province, malapit sa Sagada para mag pasa ng bidding papers namin sa office. And 8-10 hours din po yung byahe kaya hindi na po ako naka attend sa bahay sambahan natin. And I really long to see all of you, to worship the Lord together, to have fellowship. There is indeed no place like home.

But the good thing is, I was able to join the other saints sa Baguio to worship the Lord sa Pines City Baptist Church, they welcome me, I didn’t know most of them pero magaan yung pakiramdam ko towards them. Hindi ko sila kilala but it feels that we know each other for a very long time.

There’s a lot of difference in practice, may Morning and Evening service sila, may choir, may hymnal book etc. But the main reason why I feel very welcome with them because the saints in Pines have something in common in with saints in HCM, alam n’yo kung ano yun? — The Gospel.

Hindi lang tayo nililigtas ng Gospel, yung mabuting balita din ang kadahilanan kung bakit meron tayong pagkakaisa sa lahat ng mananampalataya.

And just to remind you, we did not create this unity, we didn’t purchase this unity, we did not plan it. It was God who did all of it. It is God the Father who predestined and planned it. It is God the Son who prayed and purchased it. And it is God the Holy Spirit who produce and provide this unity in the Church.

And last month, we have learned what is our part sa unity na ginawa at patuloy na ginagawa ng Diyos. Natatandaan n’yo pa yung 3 P’s? We are to pursue, protect and practice this unity. One of the major themes ng Ephesians is about unity.

Chapter 1-3 talks about that God’s glory is seen in the achievement of the Cross by uniting both Jews and Gentiles believers in one body — the church. Chapter 4-6 talks about kung paano natin ma a-apply yung yung na achieve ni Christ on the Cross so that yung glory ng Diyos ay labis pang makita sa Church.

Verse 1-3 sinasabi lang satin dito ni Paul kung paano natin mapapanatili yung pagkakaisa natin sa Gospel. That we are to walk with all humility, gentleness, with patience and bearing one another in love because without that it’s impossible na ma-protektahan yung pagkakaisa na ipinagkaloob satin ng Banal na Espirito in the bond of peace.

If verse 1-3 talks about the way of unity, then verse 4-6 will tell us about the why of unity. Verse 1-3 talks about the characteristics of this unity, verse 4-6 will tells us the content of this unity.

I invite everyone to stand as we read the Word of God in Ephesians 4:4–6

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

This is the Word of the Lord, Amen. Let us pray:

The title of this sermon is “Gospel Truths That Unite Us Part 1”

Few things that are challenging sa pagkakatawag satin na tayong mga Kristiano na maglakad ng may pagkakaisa. Mahirap siya kasi it comes from two directions kaya kailangan ng careful biblical discernment.

On one hand, we are called to have spiritual unity with all true believers. Pero on the other hand, our Lord Jesus also commanded us to watch out for false Christs and wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Merong example si J. Dwight Pentecost ng failure in unity. May isang church na nag-split nang sobrang tindi na umabot pa sa demanda sa korte—kahit mali ito ayon sa Bible. Tinurn down ng civil court, kaya umabot sa church court. Sa huli, isang side ang binigyan ng church property, kaya yung kabila nagtayo ng sariling church malapit lang doon. Pero saan ba nagsimula ang gulo? Sa church dinner, nung isang elder binigyan ng ham slice na tingin niya mas maliit kaysa sa iba. Grabe, no? This is an extreme case, pero it shows the problem. Wala tayong unity kasi kulang tayo sa mga virtues na sinabi ni Paul sa verse 2: humility, gentleness, patience, at forbearing love.

Pero may opposite error din—yung false unity. Halimbawa, netong nag daang SONA, nagkaroon sila ng interfaith prayer, kung saan may Roman Catholic, Iglesia ni Kristo, Muslim and protestant na ni represent pa ni Ed Lapiz.

Eto yung kabaligtaran ng Christian unity na tinatawag tayo ni Paul na ipamuhay. There is no way we can be united to the people and groups na iba ng paniniwala natin patungkol sa Gospel.

Ephesians 4 is about true unity among Christians. In verse 4, Paul described this as a unity in the Holy Spirit, since believers are together in one spiritual body and share one hope. In verses 5–6, he completes his argument by turning to our unity in Jesus Christ the Lord and then in the one God and Father of all who believe.

Main point: The Gospel unites God’s people as One Body through One Spirit in One Hope.

If you notice our passage ano yung paulit ulit na mention na word dito ni Paul? The word “one”, he says that 7 times. And in Scripture, when something is repeated many times, it emphasizes its importance.

The word ‘one’ gives us an idea of oneness, or unity. In the previous verse, sabi ni Paul we are to do our very best to preserve or to protect this unity na ibinigay satin ng Banal na Espirito. So in verse 4-6, Paul is implying that we must make every effort to guard and to maintain yung core doctrines ng Gospel. And in the following verse, sabi ni Paul we are to attain the unity of faith, we are to grow, we are to mature in this unity.

So Paul is telling the Christian in Ephesus and to us HCM, that verse 4-6 is very important, those are non negotiable truths that makes us a Christians. Those are the essential truth of the gospel. We are to guard this truths that unites us and we are to grow in this truths.

What we have in verse 4-6 is almost an entirety of a systematic theology, in compact edition, one body, it talks about ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church, one Spirit, it talks about pneumatology, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, one hope, it talks about eschatology, the doctrine of last days, one Lord, it talks about Christology, the doctrine of Christ. One faith, it talks about soteriology, the doctrine of salvation. One baptism, it talks about Sacramentology, the doctrine of sacraments or ordinances. And Lastly, One God and Father, it talks about theology, the study of God or more specifically Paterology, the study of God the Father.

It will takes us eternity to exhaust all of that, Martyn Lloyd Jones preached 7 sermon for each word, I’m tempted to do that pero we will do one verse as a time kasi sobrang bigat nung mga katotohanang itinuturo satin ni Pablo dito.

By now, I do hope na nakita n’yo kung gaano ka filled yung letter ni Paul ng Trinitarian formula. In Chapter 1, we see the trinitarian blessing. The Father has chosen us, the Son redeemed us, the Spirit sealed us. Also we see the first trinitarian prayer of Paul, Ephesians 1:17 “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the full knowledge of Him,” In chapter 2, The chapter 2 we see the Trinitarian access, Ephesians 2:18 “for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.” In chapter 3 we see the second trinitarian prayer, Ephesians 3:14–17 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, …that He would give you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” in Chapter 3 verse 18 that we be filled up with all the fullness of God, in chapter 4 verse 13 the believers maturity reached to the fullness of Christ, the one who fills all and in all and in Chapter 5 verse 18 that we are to filled with Holy Spirit. This letter is filled with trinitarian formula, and here in verse 4-6, we see it again, One Spirit, One Lord, and One God and Father.

Now we will be focusing sa main point natin, how the Gospel unites God’s people as One Body through One Spirit in One Hope.

I. The Gospel unites God’s people as One Body (v.4a)

So Paul here uses a metaphor, I think this is one of his favorite metaphors when pertaining to the church. He uses the word body to describe what a church looks like, he uses body to describe its different parts yet one. We may have 2 hands, 2 feet, 2 ears, 2 eyes, 1 mouth, 1 nose, it composes of many different parts yet they are one body and equally important. So is the church. Composes of different people yet all is important. Some parts may be weaker than the others but all parts are equally important, each part of the body is needed to function well, this is what Paul talks about in 1 Cor 12, eto yung reading plan natin last week.

So yung tanong, how do we come up na yung body na sinasabi ni Paul jan is actually yung church.

The body is referring to the church Ephesians 1:22–23 “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Being in Christ means being in His body.

Christianity cannot be done in isolation. If you are part of the body of Christ, it is implied na part ka din ng isang local church where you can love Christ as you love and serve His body.

The body of Christ here is composed of believing Jews and Gentiles. As we look back sa Ephesians 2:15–16 “by abolishing in His flesh the enmity… He might create the two into one new man, making peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having in Himself put to death the enmity.”

Hindi sinabi ni Paul 2 body, 1 believing Jews and yung 1 believing Gentiles, believing Jews and Gentiles are not two separate groups, in Christ they are one body — the church.

That unity between Jews and Gentiles that they are one body is big deal. Ni rebuke ni Paul si Peter for showing partiality and in way being racist. Galatians 2:11–14 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles, but when they came, he began to shrink back and separate himself, fearing the party of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before everyone, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

So in the church, if we are favoring other Christian and neglecting other believers, if piling mga tao lang yung sinasamahan natin, we are being hypocrite. That’s why we intentionally design the reflection group, different ages, we don’t want that inside the local church, may division, we can learn from one another and love one another as we get to know each other.

The body here is referring to all the christians, hindi lang sa HCM, o sa Bulacan, sa Baguio, sa Cavite sa US at kung saan pa man, it refers to the whole body of Christ which includes the church forefathers, the reformers, the puritans and all the Christian who died at yung mga magiging Christian pa. This body is the universal church or yung ni re recite natin sa Apostle’s/Nicene Creed referring sa catholic or universal church, yung catholic dun is not referring to the Catholic church, the body the Paul is talking about here is the universal church, the invisible and indivisible body of Christ.

How do we become part of the body?

We become part of the body through the Gospel alone. Ephesians 3:6 “that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,”

Because Christ lived the perfect and righteous life and die as a substitute in our place, dying the death that we deserve and on the third day rose again. It’s only because of that we become members of the body, members of Christ body. If Christ did not came here, there will be no church, if he did not live the perfect life, there will be no righteousness for the church. If he did not shed his precious blood, there will be no redemption and forgiveness of sin for the church, if he did not die, we will not be reconcile to the Father and we will not be united to one another. If he did not resurrected on the third day, we are still in our sins and the wrath of God will righteously condemn us and we still have to pay for our sins in hell for all eternity.

The reason we are in the church is not because you have done a lot of good works, you have a pleasing personality, parents Christian mo, we have 0 contribution, we have nothing in ourselves that make us worthy to be part of this body. Not even the things na ginagawa natin bilang mga Kristiano make us worthy na makabilang sa katawan ni Kristo. That’s why when we understand that we magnify the grace of God in Christ, by saving us from our sins and making us part of His body.

Hanggat meron ka pang natitirang pride sa mabubuting mong ginawa, na tingin mo sa sarili mo mabuting tao, hindi ka belong sa body ni Christ.

What is common in this body that unites us is that all of us are sinners, all of us admit that we all fall short of the glory of God and of us agree that we have rebel against God and none of our good works can save us from His wrath, but at the same time we also believe in the Gospel, that Christ died for sinners like us. And that’s what set apart the body of Christ from the rest of the people, this body believe that Christ died for them to saved them. The reason why we are member of the body of Christ is because of the Gospel.

You can be a member of a HCM but doesn’t mean you are indeed a member of the body of Christ. You can be a member of a local church and not be saved. Just like Judas is a member of the 12 yet he is not a genuine follower. Like Demas who use to work alongside with Paul to advance the Gospel yet he leave behind the Gospel because he love the world. You can be in the church, doing church things yet you are almost a Christian. You can be a member of a local church yet not be a member of the universal church. And that’s the scariest thing that can happen. Yung akala mong ligtas ka pero hindi pala.

That’s why I want you to ask yourself kung talaga bang na experience mo yung Gospel ni Christ. Hindi mo lang alam yung Gospel by head knowledge pero na bago ka talaga ng Gospel. The Gospel is God’s power unto salvation, the power to saved us from His wrath and the power to transform us to be more like Christ.

The body is where the wisdom of God and His purpose is revealed. Ephesians 3:10–11 “so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,”

It is in the church kung saan nakikita natin yung karunungan ng Diyos, yung mga plano ng Diyos. That’s why you missed a lot pag wala ka sa church. And ginagamit N’ya yung church, as His word is being proclaimed and explained and applied that we get to know God experientially.

Ano yung tugon ng Iglesia bilang katawan ni Kristo sa mga pagpapalang natamasa natin sa Gospel?

(That we are to glorify God forever) The church is where God is glorified forever. Ephesians 3:21 tells us “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

Ang tamang tugon ay luwalhatiin natin ang Diyos bilang Iglesia N’ya. Tanungin mo yung sarili mo, are you glorifying God sa buhay mo? When others look at your life and see your work, will they give glory to your Heavenly Father? Will the people around us will glorify God or will they blaspheme the Name of God because of you?

God gives teachers to the church to equip every member to do good works and strengthen the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11–12 “And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ,”

Biblically speaking, each members is called for the work of service, meaning, if we are a member of a local church, I am called to serve, there’s work of service waiting for us which God prepared for each one of us before the foundation of the world.

The Church members should not be a consumerist, each one of us should be servants, each one of us have a gifts, talents, skills, where we can use to build up one another. Are you using what God has given you to serve His people?

Also, being a member of the body of Christ, we are not only called to serve, but we are also called to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. If something good happen, we must praise God together for His goodness for our churchmates, if someone is hurting, all of us should be hurting as well.

You know what? If wala kang pake towards other believer that’s a red flag. You must examine yourself why you are not rejoicing, why you are not hurting.

Also, being a member of the body of Christ, when you sin, everyone is affected. Just like a small cancer cell can multiply and grow so sin unconfessed and not repented will multiply and hurt the body.

“Sin puts man himself in the centre. It makes me feel that I alone am important, and that what I feel and what is happening to me is what really matters. We spend our time in thinking about ourselves and our personal interests. The New Testament teaching takes us right out of that by giving us a wonderful picture of the Church.” - Dr. MLJ

Ibig sabihin mga kapatid, everything that I do, every decision that I make, ITS NO LONGER ABOUT ME! I should always think about the church, what’s beneficial, how can I bring the members of HCM closer to Christ.

When I deside whose the woman I should pursue, anong trabaho yung kukunin ko, I should involve the church and consider the church since what I will be doing will not just affect me but will also affect them. Being part of the body, everything that we do will have an effect to body.

Most of the worst decision that I ever did in my life is that I didn’t consider the body of Christ. I did not consider the church. That I failed to submit to one another as reverence for Christ. I did not listen to the spiritual leaders that God appointed. Nung hindi ako naging accountable sa lahat ng actions ko, when I tried to hide my idols rather than i expose sila. Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them—for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they will do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

And the best thing I experience in life are the things that I consider the church. When I listen to the godly man and woman that God appointed in my life. To love Christ, it’s inevitable to love His body. To neglect His body, is to neglect Christ altogether. To hurt the body is also to hurt yourself. (Kung susuntukin ng kamay mo yung muka mo, hindi ba masasaktan ka lang?)

Therefore where one has pain we all suffer; where one has joy we all rejoice. Where sin infects one, the whole body is infected with sin. Wherever holiness flourishes, the whole body is strengthened.

HCM, the Church is the expression of God’s unity. That God’s oneness is best exemplified in the unity of the Church.

Transition = Like a human body has one spirit, Christ’s body (the Church) has one Spirit—the Holy Spirit. The third person in the Trinity.

II. Gospel unites God’s people through One Spirit (v.4b)

He is the source of the unity in the Church. Without the Holy Spirit, there will be no unity, and there will be no church to begin with.

The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force for us to tap into to be emotionally high. And hindi lang s’ya nandito satin pag na e-exite tayo. If we are in the body it means that the Holy Spirit is always in us. And He is the reason kung bakit tayo nasakatawan ni Kristo.

Kagaya ng sabi ni Paul sa 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For also by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

We became a Christian, a member of Christ’s body because of the Holy Spirit.

How?

Before anyone can truly be part of the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit must first prepare their heart. By nature, we cannot be joined to the Lord in His glory and purity because we are sinners—spiritually dead and under God’s wrath (Eph. 2:1–3). Paul makes this plain in 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” This is the Spirit’s work, and without it, we cannot belong to Christ’s body or experience true unity in His church.

The first step the Spirit takes in this change is convicting us of sin. Naturally, we are content with ourselves. We may know we do wrong, but we feel little sorrow for it. We may think we’re “good people” or that our faults are minor. But when the Holy Spirit begins to work, He opens our eyes to reality. Jesus said, “When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8). This means two things happen at once:

We see God as He truly is—holy (great and good), there is no one like Him, morally pure and perfect. We may have prayed before, but we didn’t really know Him until the Spirit revealed His holiness to us.

We see ourselves as we truly are—not only guilty of wrong actions, but yung buong pagkatao natin punong puno ng kasamaan. Na ma-realize yung mga puso natin ay baluktot, na tayo ay nag rebelde sa nais ng Diyos, and that deep down, we do not want Him to govern our lives.

Eto yung ginagawa ng Banal na Espirito sa lahat ng Kristiano bago nila maunawaan yung mabuting balita. The Holy Spirit open their eyes to see the bad news of their condition. This conviction brings us low. We feel our lostness, our emptiness, and our helplessness. It humbles us, strips us of pride, and shows us that apart from God’s mercy, we have no hope. If every member of the visible church knew and felt this, there would be no division—because the Spirit produces unity in shared humility. When we are all on our knees, aware of our sin and need, there is no room for boasting.

Do you belong to the church only in name and attendance, or have you truly been washed, sanctified, and justified by the Spirit?

When was the last time you were deeply grieved over your sin—not just its consequences, but the fact that it offended a holy God?

Is there any area of your life where you’re secretly glad God doesn’t interfere?

There are 4 Big Truths about the Holy Spirit in the book of Ephesians.

1. He Brings Us to God The Spirit’s work begins with bringing sinners into a saving relationship with God through Christ.

Faith’s Seal (1:13) – Seals believers at the moment of faith, marking us as God’s own possession in Christ.

Fresh Insight (1:17) – Gives wisdom and revelation so that we grow in the knowledge of God and His Gospel. Facts Revealed (3:5) – Reveals the mystery of Christ now fulfilled in the Gospel.

Father’s Access (2:18) – Grants us direct access to the Father through the Son.

2. He Builds Us as God’s People The Spirit does not save us to live in isolation—He joins us into God’s new covenant people, the Church.

Family’s Foundation (2:22) – Makes us God’s dwelling place, united in Christ.

Family Unity (4:3–4) – He is the source of our unity,

3. He Works in Our Lives The Spirit continually transforms believers to live holy lives that reflect Christ.

Fortifying Strength (3:16) – Strengthens our inner being so that Christ dwells in our hearts through faith.

Fruit Growing (5:9) – Produces the fruit of light—goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Full Control (5:18) – Fills and directs us so that our lives are under His influence, not our sinful desires.

4. He Guards and Equips Us The Spirit keeps us in the faith and equips us for spiritual warfare until the day of redemption.

Firm Foundation (4:30) – Can be grieved by our sin and disobedience, calling us to holiness.

Fighting Gear (6:17–18) – Arms us with the sword of the Spirit—the Word of God—and empowers our prayers in the battle against spiritual darkness.

In Ephesians, the Spirit is not an optional “add-on” to the Christian life—He is the One who brings us to God, builds us into His Church, transforms us to be like Christ, and guards us to the end. His work is essential for both personal holiness and the unity of God’s people. Without the Spirit’s work, there is no salvation, no church, and no perseverance.

Transition: Just as an individual is made up of body and spirit, the apostle reminds the people that the church, despite its many different members, is one body indwelt by one Spirit (Eph. 4:4; 2:22). And just as our body and spirit, although different, have the same hope of being redeemed by the work of our Savior, so also the church in both its physical and spiritual dimensions is called to the same hope of redemption in Christ (Eph. 4:4).

Ephesians 1:13–14 "… you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Ephesians 1:13–14 shows the “already and not yet” reality of our salvation. In Christ, we have already been redeemed through His blood and sealed by the promised Holy Spirit, marking us as God’s own. Yet we have not yet experienced the fullness of that redemption, which will be ours when Christ returns and we enter into the complete enjoyment of our inheritance. The Spirit is God’s pledge—a down payment—that guarantees He will finish what He began, all to the praise of His glory.

We still wait for that redemption to be fully experienced and realize, but we don’t wait in vain, for God the Holy Spirit is our guarantee that God will do what He promised.

And it is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to hope all the more. Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

We share a common hope in Christ. Formerly, we were “without hope” (2:12-13) until we were called to Christ. Now we have hope, and we must live in a manner worthy of our calling.

And this hope is the reality of every true believer. That’s why sabi ni Paul, Ephesians 4:4 “,just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;”

III. The Gospel unites God’s people in One Hope (v.4c)

Ephesians 1:18 “so that you—the eyes of your heart having been enlightened—will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”

The “hope” is a certain future—not wishful thinking.

Hope is not “sana mangyare to”

Hope is the Spirit-given assurance that God will certainly accomplish all He has promised in Christ, producing joyful endurance in the present as we await His future fulfillment.

Romans 5:3–5 “And not only this, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

HCM, are you hurting, are you in pain? Are you anxious, worried, panicking? Maybe you are asking God why he allow things to happen to you? Maybe you doubt if God indeed will do what He promised? Maybe the pain that keeps you awake at night that no body knows is making you weak and helpless.

Ano sabi ng Diyos satin HCM?

hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

HCM, in times of discouragement, namatayan ka, nalaman mo na may terminal cancer ka, natangal ka sa trabaho, nag-away kayo ng asawa mo, bumagsak ka sa exam, pasaway yung mga anak mo. Naghiwalay kayo ng boyfriend mo kasi you stand sa conviction mo, naka received ka ng injustice sa trabaho mo, nanakawan ka, wala kang asawa, mag isa ka lang sa buhay, maliit sahod mo, Instead of listening to yourself na failure ka, wala kang kwenta, hindi na magbabago yung situation mo ngayon, hanggang jan ka na lang, and all the lies from the enemies, what you do is this: you preach to yourself that Jesus will comeback again, He will return and He will make all things new.

Sabi ni Paul “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

“For our momentary, light affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

in Revelation, binigyan tayo ng glimps of what awaits us,

Revelation 21:3–5 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. The first things passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.””

HCM, most of our discouragement, and hopelessness is simply because you keep looking sa sarili mo kesa tumingin ka sa Diyos. You keep looking back sa mga pagkakamali mo kesa you look forward to what God has promise. You keep listening sa sinasabi ng emotion mo kesa sa sinasabi ng Diyos.

Despite differing views (pre-, mid-, post-trib; pre-, a-, post-millennial), all agree: Jesus is coming again.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

What is our hope in life and death? That we belong to the Lord. And He will return for His own.

This hope must stir us to live a Godly life. Titus 2:12–13 “instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, (Why? Because we are) looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Colossians 1:22–23 “but now He reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— if indeed you continue in the faith firmly grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.”

This hope is centered in the glory of Christ . Colossians 1:27 “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” 1 Peter 1:3–4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, having been kept in heaven for you,”

We must share this hope. 1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear,”

The blessed hope, the hope of the gospel, living hope, and the hope that is in you.

Conclusion

the Gospel unites God’s people as One Body through One Spirit in One Hope. Because of the Holy Spirit we become member of the Church and we have this living hope that no one can ever take away from us.

John 14:2–3 ““In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

That passage in a jewish culture is traditionally a word of a man to his betrothed woman, the man need to leave for a time and build a house for he future wife, usually the man build a house near the house of his father, and after building it, he return to his betrothed and bring her to their new house to consummate their marriage.

And this is what Christ as a husband is doing for his wife, the church. Christ is preparing a house for us, and when everything is done and finished Christ will return for His Bride, His body, His church. And we can be sure of that because what we have now is the Holy Spirit, He is our guarantee, like an engagement ring, He is our assurance that God indeed loved us and will never forsake us. The Holy Spirit will help us to know Christ better and and prepares us to be more like Christ until He return.

If you are not in Christ, when Christ return, what you will experience is everlasting torment. And while there still time I urge you to repent of your sins and believe in Christ. That’s the only way you can be part of His body and have this living hope. Beg the Holy Spirit to do the work that only Him can do.

Let us pray: