Old Llantrisant Hill
- v5 - There is a hope that doesn't disappoint
- We are made to hope
- Yet disappointments are a regular thing
- Most evident at Christmas - example
- Yet the issues of people's hearts are not dealt with
- What are your hopes for the next year and decade?
- Looking at the Christian hope and how it is developed
- We are like an iceberg in our hopes, disappointments and experiences
- Looking at the difference in hope between believers and non-believers
- Looking at the direction of travel in our spiritual life
- The sequence
- v1 - Peace with God
- Foundational
- Justified by faith
- Example of Abraham
- The same for us
- We have received the righteousness of God through faith
- We are justified by faith
- Peace
- Not just the absence of noise or argument
- A relationship restored with God
- James 2:23 - friendship with God
- Rom 5:9-11
- No peace to the wicked
- A restlessness
- Often well disguised
- v2a - Access to God
- The door is opened and we enter into a realm of grace
- Brought into the kingdom of God
- Specially chosen
- Free access
- Jesus speaks of a great banquet
- We may miss the way in
- It is possible not to see the door
- It is also possible to refuse to enter through the door
- It is not exclusive
- What an awful thing to be outside
- There will be a time when it is too late to enter in / respond to the invitation
- v2b - A Certainty with God
- We have escaped the judgment and condemnation of God
- He will pour out His blessings
- We rejoice in the glory of God
- We shall be partakers in this glory
- The believer's hope is steadfast and certain
- Compare this to the hope of even great men - examples
- A bleak emptiness - fear of the unknown
- Quote from Journalist: Why do people engage in smalltalk? - because the alternatives are terrifying
- The Christian's heart is full
- Example of A Christmas Carol
- What do you see when you look into the future?
- v3-4 – Purposeful troubles
- Suffering and tribulation is not without purpose
- The suffering of the unbeliever is random
- The suffering of a believer produces perseverance, character and hope
- Example of Job's tears
- Suffering for the believer is productive
- v6-8 – Everything rests on Christ
- The unbeliever is self-reliant
- The believer is freed from this bondage
- God demonstrated His love in Christ (v8)
- Incontrovertible facts
- Visible and knowable
- Love poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (v5)
- The hope that does not disappoint
- Certain
- Not arrogant - a simple, humble faith
- Assured
- A prospect and a Person
- Our rock
- Closing Remarks & Prayer