The Blessed Hope

Dr. Jeff Schreve: God is working on us to make us more and more like Jesus. He's chipping away and he's sanding away and he's cutting away those things that are not like Jesus. And what does he use? He uses difficulties. He uses trials and tribulations. Even though you don't like those things and I don't like those things. We like for everything to go smooth, just to be smooth sailing. But God uses the storms to teach us and to help us grow. And so we just know that, hey, it's little by little by little, we grow in the Christian life.
Guest (Male): The Apostle Paul told Titus that the grace of God instructs us as to how we are to walk through this life. The grace of God is the gospel, and it sustains us, it saves us, and pushes us to grow in our faith. Have you learned the key lessons of grace? This is From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Shrieve, and thank you for joining us for part two of this timely lesson about the power of grace. Today, Pastor Jeff reminds us of the depth of God's grace with three lessons about God's forgiveness. And about how he desires for us to reflect his glory like a mirror as we live in honor to him. The message is entitled In the Classroom with Grace. And it's from Pastor Jeff's series Beyond Amazing, Understanding the Grace of God. And you can listen to any of these programs you may have missed when you go to fromhisheart.org. This entire series is also our gift to you to say thank you for your support this month of any amount. Just go online for details. Now though, open your Bible to the book of Titus chapter 2. Here's Pastor Jeff, exploring how to live in the classroom with grace.
Dr. Jeff Schreve: Here's the question. Have you learned the key lessons of grace, of the gospel, of the grace of God? Lesson number one, the grace of God saves us. What do we learn from grace? Well, we learn that the grace of God saves us. For by grace you have been saved through faith. Now, God's grace, when he says in verse 11, for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. He's probably talking about the incarnation, when God the Son took on flesh and became a man. The Bible says, of his fullness, we have all received and grace upon grace. The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. So it's the the grace of God and the God of grace who saves us. Now, Jesus came to save undeserving sinners, and how does he do it? He does it by his grace. For by grace, Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, for by grace you've been saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast. And Jesus died for all sinners, but only saves those who respond in faith. In the classroom with grace, we find out that the grace of God is what saves us. Second lesson, key lesson from the grace of God. It's the grace of God that sanctifies us. Not only saves us, but sanctifies us. Look at it again, for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. And what does it do? It teaches us. It instructs us. Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age. Now, what we see in the passage in Titus 2 is we see the three tenses of salvation. You know, we talk about being saved. Hey, have you ever been saved? But then the Bible talks about the fact that you are being saved. And the present tense of salvation is called sanctification. Sanctification is the process by which God makes us like himself. See, God saved us to live a life of holiness. See, God wants us to reflect his glory by our actions and reactions. God wants for people to look at our lives and say, that person is a follower of Jesus Christ. We were reading a book in staff meeting about discipleship. And one of the things that the author of this book said was, you know, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ, are you following him? If you're not following him, you're not following him on the path of righteousness. And your life doesn't look anything like what a Christian's life should look like. Well, then you got to ask yourself, are you really following? Because you can call yourself a follower of Jesus all day long, but a follower of Jesus is going to look like Jesus. It says in Acts chapter 4, when Peter and and John were before the Sanhedrin and they were so bold, it says, and they recognized them as having been with Jesus. Man, we can tell these guys have been with Jesus. These guys sound like their teacher. Their lives reflect the Lord Jesus Christ. And God wants us to reflect his glory. And he wants us to honor him by the way we live. So what does it say in verse 12, the grace of God tells us that it matters how we live. You know, the question in Romans, where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. Shall we continue in sin that that grace may abound? You know, that's the question. So Romans 5, he says, hey, you're steeped in sin, but where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. And grace is greater than all our sin. And so the people say, oh, well, hey. If if my sin brings grace, then shall I continue in sin that grace may abound? Maybe that's a good formula. I just keep sinning it up. And the Apostle Paul says, God forbid, what a ghastly thought. No, you don't continue in sin that grace may abound. He saved you from sin. So the grace of God says, it teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires. We say no to some things. We say no to a life of irreverence before the Lord. We say no to worldly desires. First John chapter 2, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away and also its lust, but the one who does the will of God abides forever. So a Christian is supposed to say no to certain things and yes to other things. So we say no to ungodliness and ungodliness and worldly desires and we say yes to living sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age. We're to be people who are zealous, as it says in verse 14, for good works. That's what God wants to see take place. So that we're in the process of being made more and more and more like Jesus. Now, think about how you act, think about what you do, what you participate in, what you approve, what you watch, where you go. And you ask yourself the question, is that something that would bring honor to Jesus? If Jesus were to be with me in bodily form, would I behave much differently than I'm behaving now? You know, he's he's with us by his spirit. He lives inside. Everywhere you go, he goes. You go to the nightclub, he's going to the nightclub, reluctantly. But he's saying, okay, this is where you want to take me? This is what you want us to watch on television? This is what the music we're going to listen to? You know, you got to ask yourself those questions because we say no to unrighteousness and ungodliness and yes to living sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age. Think about just living sensibly. That that means to have a sound mind. You know, it makes sense to follow Jesus. It makes sense to do what he says. The the laws of God and the commands of God, they're not like, well, that's you talk about wanting to kill all the fun in life, just do what God says to do and you'll have zero fun in life. No. You know, the people that we see that participate in all kinds of sins, how happy are those folks? I remember sitting face to face with a lady and she had given herself over to drugs, to alcohol, to sexual immorality. She lost her job because she had gotten drunk at lunch, came back to work and got in a big fight with another employee and everything, just kind of came to a head and her boss just like, you can't work here anymore. She lost her job. And I remember sitting down with her and she looked me straight in the eye and she said, I hate my life. I hate my life. Well, wait a minute. I thought I thought if you gave yourself over to drugs and to sex and to alcohol and to just living it up, that that was going to make you happy. make you happy? You know, we live in a world of insanity today. I mean, Romans chapter 1 says that God gives people over to a reprobate mind, a mind that doesn't function properly anymore. That's the world in which we live in because we've rejected God. God says, okay, you don't want me, here you go. And there is sexual immorality, there's homosexual perversion in our nation and there's a mind that doesn't work anymore. We we live in a world where people's minds don't work anymore. You talk about being sensible. They're not sensible at all. They're ridiculous. They're insane. We live in an insane world. Where everything, woe to those who call evil good and good evil. What has God called his people to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present evil age? That we would shine for Christ. That we would stand up for Christ. Suffer hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. That we in this world in which we live, this present evil age, that you you're saying that trans people don't exist. Trans people don't exist. They don't. There are men and there are women. There's nothing else. Now, there are people who are struggling with gender dysphoria, those people exist. But to say that you are an XY, but God made a mistake and you should be an XX, that doesn't exist. To say you're XX and God made a mistake, you should be XY, that doesn't exist. And to I don't care how many surgeries you have, I don't care how many hormones you take, you're never going to change the way God made you because it's God who does that. As John MacArthur said, the whole transgender movement is a it is the biggest in your face. God, you're not going to tell me who I am. I'm going to tell you who I am. And God says, no, you're not. No, you're not. So as Christians, we live sensibly, we live righteously, we live godly in this present evil age. We love people enough to tell them the truth. Because the world is going to hell in a hand basket and they need to see Christians who are living this out. They need to see Christians who are like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Guest (Male): How are you doing in that department? Are you aware of the impression you make on other people as it relates to having Jesus in your heart? Would it shock others to know that you are a follower of Christ? Pastor Jeff will return in just a moment with more as we close out the lesson in the classroom with grace. Hey, wouldn't it be wonderful to draw closer to Jesus in your life? One way to help that growth happen would be to visit where he lived. What he endured and feel his presence as you worship him in Israel. Have you ever dreamed of exploring the wonders of the Holy Land while enjoying inspirational teaching, Christian fellowship, luxury accommodations, and splendid cuisine? All of this and more can be yours. Pastor Jeff is inviting you to join him in Israel. He's going April the 2nd through the 11th of 2007. It's next year. And he's been many times and wants to teach, worship and share this magnificent place with you. A lifetime of memories awaits you as you visit Tehran, Mount Carmel, Qumran, the Garden Tomb, the Mount of Olives and oh, so much more. You can get all the details when you go to fromhisheart.org. And click the Holy Land trip banner. Just go to fromhisheart.org, check it out and get ready for an unforgettable travel experience. Now, let's conclude this lesson in the classroom with grace.
Dr. Jeff Schreve: God wants to reflect his glory by our actions and by our reaction. Now, remember this. Your actions are one thing. That's how you act. Your reactions are that reveals what's going on on the inside. You know, you can act a certain way, but somebody cuts you off in traffic. Somebody does something to you unexpectedly and then you react. That's that shows what's inside. You know, your life's like a a tube of toothpaste. You've heard me say that before, it's a tube of toothpaste. When you get squeezed, what's coming out? Whatever's on the inside is coming out. And so we have to spend time with the Lord so that what comes out is the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. And so remember about this sanctification process, because we're all in the sanctification, every believer is in the sanctification process. How does that happen? It happens little by little by little. God is working on us to make us more and more like Jesus. He's chipping away and he's sanding away and he's cutting away those things that are not like Jesus. And what does he use? He uses difficulties. He uses trials and tribulations. That's why it says in James, consider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. God is using those things. Even though you don't like those things and I don't like those things. We like for everything to go smooth, just to be smooth sailing. But God uses the storms to teach us and to help us grow. And so we just know that, hey, it's little by little by little, we grow in the Christian life. So, the grace of God, what is it teaching us? It teaches us about salvation. The grace of God saves, the grace of God sanctifies us, makes us more and more like Jesus. And then thirdly, the third tense of salvation, the grace of God sets our heart on fire for his return. The Lord is coming again. Now, we're saved, that's justification. Just as if we've never sinned. God wraps his gavel and says, you are forgiven, your name is written in my book. You belong to me. Sanctification, you go through the process of being made more and more and more like Jesus. Sanctification never ends. You don't get to the place where you're like, man, I'm so glad I'm done with sanctification. I have become like Jesus. Now I'm just waiting for him to return because there is no more work that needs to be done on me. Nobody has ever gotten there. But then the last tense of salvation, we shall be saved. That speaks of the coming of the Lord. That speaks of glorification. Now, justification, we're freed from the penalty of sin. Sanctification, we're freed from the power of sin. Sin shall not have dominion over you. It says in Romans 6, for you are not under the law but under grace. And sin can't be and and is not going to be your master anymore. Now we have to that's true on paper that we're free from the power of sin, but we have to work that out, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. But then there's coming a day when we're free from the presence of sin. And God takes our old flesh and he separates us from our old flesh and he makes us like the Lord Jesus Christ. So he says, looking for, verse 13, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus. Who is Christ Jesus? He is our great God and Savior. You struggle with the deity of Christ right there, verse 13, the deity of Christ, our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. And who is Christ Jesus? He is the one who gave himself for us, that we that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify him for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds. So the grace of God, that sets our hearts on fire for the return of the Lord. Now you mark this down, the coming of the Lord is our blessed hope. That's what we're hoping for. Now, blessed hope is not a wish, it's not our blessed wish. It's our confident expectation that the Lord is coming soon. We don't know when he's coming. He doesn't tell us that. He just says you mark it down, I'm coming. You be ready because I'm coming. At an hour when you think not, the Son of man comes. So we are to look up and be watchful for our redemption is drawing near. We don't know when. Could be today. The rapture is a signless event. And guys like Ed Heinsen and others, Ed, who is in heaven now, who spent so much of his life talking about the rapture and the second coming. He said, the blessed hope is the rapture, and the appearing, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, is the return of Christ when he plants his feet on the Mount of Olives, when he sets up his kingdom in Jerusalem. Now, that is separated, those two phases are separated through the tribulation period, a seven year separation between those. But we're waiting for the blessed hope when the Lord comes back in the clouds to get us. First Thessalonians chapter 4 tells us about the rapture of the church. The dead in Christ shall rise first and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air. To meet the Lord in the air and thus shall we always be with the Lord. And Paul says in Philippians, when that happens. Philippians chapter 3, for we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of his glory through the exertion of the power that he has even to subject all things to himself. Our citizenship is in heaven and we're eagerly waiting for the Lord to come back. And when the Lord comes back, the things that you struggle with now in with the things of sin, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, boastful pride of life. That's you're going to be released from that. You're not going to struggle with that anymore. You're going to be set free from the body of this death. As Paul said, wretched man that I am, who will set me free from the body of this death? The Lord Jesus, when he comes back, will set us free. So the coming of the Lord is our blessed hope and the coming of the Lord gives us strength to press on. So we don't quit. So we don't throw in the towel. Hey, when you're going through the sanctification process, when you're living in this present evil age, it is hard. When you're going through the tribulations, consider it all joy when you encounter various trials. That's hard to do. You have to do that by faith. And it's easy to get discouraged. John the Baptist, he got discouraged as he was in prison. And he had two of his disciples go to Jesus, are you the one or should we expect someone else? Because I'm starting to lose steam here in Herod's prison. No, I'm the one. You go tell John, I'm the one. Hey, it's easy to lose steam, but what helps you in the Christian life not lose steam, is you think about the coming of the Lord. Adrian Rogers says that Christians ought to live as if Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning and is coming back tonight. Man, you live like that. You keep the death, burial, resurrection and return of Christ so near and dear to your heart. Hey, could you imagine how different would you live if you thought the Lord was coming back tonight? You'd live different, I'd live different, we'd live different because we'd be so excited about his return. Jesus said, when you see all these things taking place, when you see the bottom dropping out of this world of insanity in which we live, look up and be watchful for your redemption is drawing near. That's a good praise the Lord there. John says this. See how great a love the Father's bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God. And such we are, for this reason the world does not.