Mar 25, 2021
We all have a tendency to put our hope in the things of this world. There is nothing unusual about that, it's part of our human nature. But what if we could learn to put our hope in heaven on a daily basis? Or even within each hour? What would that be like? How would that affect the way we livens?
Transcript
Want to discover your freedom in Christ? Then listen in as Mike
stone and Kevin Smith talk about it today on grace coach. Today
we're going to talk about our hope and the hope that's mentioned in
the Bible.
And it's all based really Kevin on this key, verse Colossians, one
five, that says, the hope that is stored up for you and me in
heaven, that we have a great hope to look forward to.
You know, I looked up some other words that the Bible uses for
heaven. And Hebrews 1116 calls it a heavenly country. Luke 23, he
calls it paradise. JOHN 14, two, john calls it my father's
house.
And the second Corinthians Paul calls Heaven, a building from God.
So it's having home in heaven. One day, the day we're absent from
the body and present with the Lord. And often we put our hope in so
many things down here. I do it you do it, everybody does it. And
really the reason for this podcast about changing your hopers
because this is something I struggle with. Amen. Lately, I've been
struggling more with trying to find out where my frustration is
coming in, just in, in in this life, and it really had to do with
God wants to change my hope, or from the things that we spend so
much time doing down here thinking about people places and things
and to change our hope to the hope that stored up for us and
heaven. Yes, absolutely. We depend on so many things that are like
shifting sand
in their in their misplaced dependencies. Because they change their
variable. You know, so many things, our health, our wealth of
friends, I was just talking to some
guys earlier this morning. Just saying you know, you can't be a
people pleaser in depend on your well being, if people are gonna
like you, because people you know, are so up and down one day you
like, you know, the day you don't like them.
You know, you get your career, your business, whatever your
whatever you're doing it, you take this dependency on that. But
that could change. I mean, this last year COVID, you know, I know I
got laid off when COVID struck, and a lot of people, a lot of
businesses shut down. If I had my dependency of my identity on my
job, I would be a wreck right now. You know, a lot of people, a lot
of mothers that might be listening to us do their family and their
kids, their their get a lot of their identity and dependency from
their kids. But they're going to grow up and get married.
And they're not going to be as influenced, you know, in your life.
Always be your kids, but you can't depend on them and their love
the government, every crisis, they're infringing more and more in
our lives. And you know, that's a hot topic and very controversial.
We won't get into too much of the weeds of that. But the fact is a
fact you know, they're there. They're there. And they're growing
more and more classic, like we're talking about a lot of people are
giving people money in work depending on now.
They're talking about a universal basic income that's going to
become an amine, that's dependency right there. And if we're
dependent on the government,
that that could be a problem. Well, that'll change as soon as
there's a new, a new term, right? That's the term is four years and
that changes. Yeah. So we, we spend so much time putting out our
hope and the things you just mentioned, Kevin health, our wealth,
our inheritance, who likes us Who doesn't? Yeah, we do live in this
world. And we have to work out our salvation with fear and
trembling. But God wants us to think on things above and to put our
hope in heaven one day,
and it's gonna happen either we're going to die as a born again
Christian, and then be with the Lord that day, or will still be
alive and the rapture will come and will be
snatched away to meet the Lord in the air. Absolutely. Now that's a
hope that is certain to happen.
And we know that because the Bible speaks of it. Yeah. And we know
that God's Word is true. So that is what I feel is where I get hung
up. I think we all get hung up in putting too much weight, too much
dependency in the things of this world, just shifting day to day.
Yes, we really need to have a realistic expectation that Yeah, they
they're here now. But they may not be here tomorrow. So I wanted to
read a few scriptures about this hope that we have in heaven. And
Romans 824 says, For in this hope, we were saved. And he's
referring to the hope that is stored up for us in heaven. And he
says that hope that is seen is no hope at all. who hopes for what
they already have? What Paul is writing about in Romans is that we,
we have this hope, of eternal life one day. Yeah, the Father's
house, in Paradise, we have this hope. And that's why we were saved
to be with the Lord forever, one day. And that's a great hope to
hang on. Oh, I like the Hebrews verses and I know there's one that
I'm thinking of, here it is right here. Hebrews 11 one Now faith is
the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not
seen.
And it goes on and on. But it's like to think hope for but we
haven't seen it.
unseen thing, but we're hoping for it. But it's the conviction of
things not seen. Now, here's the funny thing is Yeah, that hope in
heaven we haven't seen because hope that is seen is no hope at all.
But here are the things that we do see those things here on Earth
in our lives. We put a lot of weight in a lot of hope in and then
yes, things change, people die. Our health changes. Well, we see
that all the time. things just happen to our bodies. And if we just
look at a picture 30 years ago, we're like Who is that?
I don't recognize that person.
I got head hair back then.
I have a good buddy of mine.
Every time we do a zoom call, he says we're racing to see who loses
their forehead. Oh, fast. Boy, you should just cut the video feed
there.
Oh man, I love Titus 213. And tight Paul is saying to Titus while
we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ. And so he's he's talking here about the
rapture, waiting for the appearing of Jesus to come back and snatch
those who are born again. And Paul is calling that the blessitt
hope
is a day we are in the Father's house. So again, you know, we're
talking about, like you just said, when you either Christ's wrap
raptures. So we go to heaven, but in the hope in Titus, one, two,
in the hope of eternal life. Now, yes, once we get to heaven, you
know, we're going to see God we're going to do Jesus, but our
eternal life literally begins the moment we believe we're eternal
creatures, but our eternal life with God begins then, you know, and
that's really the hope. It's just going to be a different context.
Different life. Yeah, we have a different body, Adi, we're going to
see God face to face. But right now our it's really about your
eternal destiny. We're all an eternal being. Just Where are you
going to spend that eternity? And and how are you going to get
there and all that stuff? You know, some people are going to die
and go to hell, they're going to be separated from God for all
eternity. And we need to be heartfully praying for those people.
And those who are not, you know, we're going to be in heaven with
the Father. Yeah. It just makes sense to me to put
the full weight of our hope in something that we are guaranteed,
right? We have a guaranteed inheritance. We know it's going to
happen, the Bible speaks
He speaks of it over and over. And to put our full weight and
dependency on that, even though we can't see it, the Word of God
says it's going to happen. And to shift away from all the hope that
we put down here, Hebrews 619 says it like this, we have this hope
as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner
sanctuary, behind the curtain. So this hope that we have that we're
talking about the hope of heaven one day
is an anchor for our soul. It keeps Yes, it keeps us walking
peacefully. And there's contentment that comes in. When you focus
on the hope of heaven one day, that hope is truly an anchor. I
experienced that today. Getting ready for this podcast. Looking up
all these scriptures, I experienced this hope as an anchor for my
soul, as I was going about my business. Yes, you know, walking the
dog doing a little work, having lunch I was it was on my mind all
of these verses, and it gave me great joy and peace. Amen. So I
love Hebrews, that verse you read, I'm going to backup a couple of
verses, because it really solidifies the hope. So this is Hebrews
chapter six, verse 16, says, For people swear by something greater
than themselves, and all their disputes and oath is finally his
final for confirmation. So when God desire to show more
convincingly to the heirs of the promise, the unchangeable
character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath to
unchangeable things in which is impossible for God to lie, we who
have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast
to the hope set before us. So it's just basically 16 was like if I
make an oath with you, we're we're swearing that oath by something
greater than us. All right, ie God. But then it transitions. The
verse verses transition to God actually making the oath. So it's
not you and me making an oath to each other. But the verse
transition to God making an oath. And he said, he secured the oath,
by himself by to unchangeable thing, well, that's a good thing,
because we would just mess it up. Absolutely. Desert, like, Did
mess it up for hundreds of years. They are up and down. I, oh,
yeah, God, I'll do it. And five minutes later, they're making a
golden calf.
Now, the good thing on this side of the cross, Kevin is that we
have forgiveness. They had forgiveness year to year, but we have a
one time sacrifice for sin. Where if we do blow it, if we do mess
it up, when we really can't mess it up, because we have been
forgiven by God completely. And that's why that hope can't change.
You know, some teach that you could lose your salvation. You can
have destiny, your destination in heaven one day, and your
destination in hell the next was right, because we have been
forgiven by God that that is impossible. Because all of our sins,
the things that mess us up have been taken away.
Yes, not covered. But they've been taken away. There's a huge
difference. First Corinthians 15 says it so well.
Paul says, and if our hope in Christ is only for this life down
here on Earth, then we are to be pitied.
More than anyone in the world.
Wow. Right. Why do you think he said that is unbelievable, because
he's saying getting that in anyone else in the world? Yeah, he's
saying that. Don't let your hope be in earthly things. He said that
over and over. He said it in Colossians three, keep your mind on
things above keep your heart and heavenly things. That's why
Paul wants us to know about this hope that's stored up for us in
heaven, and to focus on that as much as we can down here. And we
will find great joy and contentment. And I challenge anyone to
listen, to spend some time thinking about this hope that we have in
heaven. And you will experience great joy and peace for the time
that you do that. And so right there, Paul says, To put that into
practice, that does that does not come naturally.
You know, you and I, we don't naturally think like this. That's why
we have to put our dependency on Jesus, and to practice putting our
minds on things above and into the hope that stored up for us in
heaven and having our minds renewed Romans 12. One and two, you
know, we don't know everything, you know, perfectly every day as we
put things into practice, like you're saying, you know, God guides
us and direct us like, okay, he may thought you knew that you know
what I meant by that verse. But as you put it in a price in the
light, you learn more clearly what works. That's right. And what
doesn't work. Ephesians 118, Kevin says, I, this is Paul, again, I
pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, in order that
you may know the hope, to which he has called you the riches and
glorious inheritance in his holy people. So here's Paul saying, I
am praying for you. And I am praying that the eyes of your heart,
and I love that right the eyes of our heart may be enlightened,
that we may know this hope
and spend as much time awake time during the day and at night,
thinking about this hope that stored up for us in heaven. It's very
exciting, the riches of His glorious inheritance in his holy
people.
Here's Paul again, in First Timothy, really talking practically
again to us command those who are rich in this present world not to
be arrogant, nor to put their hope in Wellington, which is so
uncertain, and so uncertain. It's so uncertain, we all know how
Bitcoin is up and down, man. Well, how about stock market, real
estate prices, everything it, it could be up one day and
coming down, what goes up must come down. That's right. But it
says, Don't put your hope and wealth which is so uncertain, but put
their hope in God who ritually provides us with everything for our
enjoyment. So that's real practical teaching, you know, by the
Apostle Paul,
we can be very bold with this hope, very confident, somebody might
look at you and think you're cocky. You're overconfident, but we
can be overconfident.
Because we have this hope, and we can be very bold with it.
This is for each and every person to know this hope in heaven. That
is the reward that is the the great gift that we're all going to
receive as born again, Christians. Again, either the day we die or
the day the rapture comes in, takes us off, takes us away.
And just for all those people who are listening who may not have a
clue, you may just somebody sent you this podcast and you don't
know what it means to be born again, you don't know what this
eternal life is or how to get it. It's basically having a heartfelt
conversation with God, saying, God, I've blown it. I am in
desperate need of a relationship with you. And acknowledging that
the only right way to be in relationship with God is through
accepting what he did to make a way for you to be in relationship
with him through his the death burial resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And that's all you have to do is say, hey, God, I know I need to be
in relationship with you. I know I'm destined for hell. And I want
to be with you in heaven for the rest of the life and just saying,
okay, I accept it. I believe that I I surrender. What I've been
trying to do to be
Be a good person to do right to do good and or for what you have
done in Christ. That's basically how you enter into relationship
with God and just with a thankful heart. Here Romans 10 nine, says
it like this, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised from the dead, you will be
saved. Thank you for listening to grace coach. If you want to
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