The Blessed Hope

Happy Sabbath to all! As Gary Smith mentioned, Mark Mickelson and I are here, virtually coming back from the Council of Elder Meetings in Big Sandy. This is the first time we had the opportunity to be hosted. They have a nice church building. We were able to meet there instead of usually going all the way to Cincinnati, which they've had pretty nasty weather there in February, so we appreciated that and enjoyed very much the Texas hospitality.

I'm glad we didn't continue on, or we just putting on too much weight there with all the fine food the ladies prepared for us every day. And just highlighting a little bit about the Council of Elder Meetings, that we meet quarterly and of course go over basically how the church is doing. We have an agenda that covers the main items this time around. In February, we cover the budget, which is from July to June of every year. So the budget is approved as well as a strategic and operational plan, and that was done this time around.

We're very thankful that God has blessed the church and the work. We have a 2% increase over the income, which we're very thankful about and able to carry out God's work. He's not right now calling the entire earth, we know, but He is calling those people and preparing them for the coming of Christ and to be under Christ during that wonderful millennium. So we are all process of training, of learning how to serve presently so we can serve under Jesus Christ later on.

What a wonderful opportunity. We are truly called and blessed for that. Also in the home office, the media studio is well underway. Should be finishing around June. This is an expansion of the present home office, and actually it's like getting two for one, because with the expansion we're going to have a lot of the media personnel move there, and so that opens up a lot of the office space, which is quite cramped. We have one place there where it's the IT, or basically all the internet and all that technical information, and they're just packed in like sardines. If you go in there, they're like ten people packed in a small room, and so we're very thankful because that opens up four new offices that they can expand to, and at the same time have the media now working and concentrating all there, besides getting two more bathrooms, because you only had two bathrooms upstairs and two downstairs for this huge building, and so that was a big issue because in the second floor now you don't have to go and walk around a hundred feet just to get to the bathrooms.

You can go through to the media studio. So we're very excited, we're very thankful that God has opened up that door. I think it is a way of getting the gospel out as things deteriorate more in this world. That trumpet is going to have to sound more powerfully, with more impact, and we can actually do multiple things at the same time in that media studio. So instead of a little cramped place that was just an office, that was makeshift, that hardly had room for anything, with all this electronic and all the cables that weren't really set up originally for that, all that heat going through there, now we have a proper place, and so we thank you so much, brethren, for your offerings, for your good will and prayers about this.

Also, we have different committees that basically carry out the functions as they are needed. Mark Mickelson and I are part of the Doctrine Committee, and we go over the proposals that people send in with the different information that they have, and it is quite a rigorous process. We want to protect the doctrines of the church, and yet we go over any nuances, any information that people bring in, so we have projects that many ministers go through. And like I said, it's a rigorous process, so that we don't want to change doctrine unless it is absolutely understood that that is something God is revealing.

But for the average and normal times, we have the doctrinal integrity of the church that we are protecting. We're committed to that. We also go over the ordination proposals, so we go through the different candidates that have been sent by the ministry for ordination or credentialing, so we go through that. Some of those, of course, are executive sessions.

And basically, instead of saying executive, it should be confidential personnel issues. Of course, you're not going to publicly just discuss different people and different issues that are coming up. So it's all under the umbrella of executive, but that sounds sort of something secretive and special. No, it's just confidential information that you have, that you need to discuss without getting names and issues that are sensitive.

And then we have the GCE planning, the General Conference of Elders, coming up in May. So we finish all the presentations that will be given at that time and the agenda.

And of course, the feast planning, as it was mentioned, God's feasts are coming up here in just a few weeks. We start with a Passover again, and God intentionally set this up. Actually, the feasts begin not in Leviticus 23. They begin in Genesis 1.

There, when God set up in verse 14, where He says that there would be the moon and the stars and the, well, the moon and the different sun would be set up in such a way that it would be for the Moads.

The term means religious holidays. That was set up even before the creation of human beings.

God had in mind. That's why the moons and the way you set it up is all organized chronologically for this. And so the feasts are coming up. To me, they do not perfect people.

You can keep God's feasts and still not be a good Christian. But they are just like the analogy in a bowling alley where when you have little kids, like we have grandkids, they raise up the bumper rails so that the balls don't go in the gutter. So in analogy, God's feasts are these bumper rails that keep us from falling into the gutter, into the world, and they keep us focused. Now that doesn't mean you're going to get a strike. That depends on you. But at least you avoid the gutters. So that's what God's feasts keep us within the basic alley so that we don't go off the deep end.

That's what God provides for us. Also, very happy we have an elder here in the Houston Church, Mark Sappington, that we consider part of the Mexican ministry. He's helping us enormously there with different functions, and we're very appreciative of that. He's going to Monterey, Mexico for Passover, first day of Unleavened Bread, and so he helps us pastor, especially that northern area of Mexico.

Okay, those are basically the announcements that I have. My wife, Cottie, and I are here also, two for one. We were able to go to the council. We drove up from Houston, and now we drove back, and then before going back to Garden Grove, we have an opportunity to be with you here on the Sabbath.

Now, the subject today is a very positive subject I would like to discuss, cover. Actually, you can arguably make this case that there are three important words in the Bible that you can say are the most important words. Now, there are a lot of powerful words, but if you go to 1 Corinthians 13 in verse 13, it tells us about three of the most important words in the Bible. It says in 1 Corinthians 13 verse 13, for now there are faith, hope, and love, but of these three, the greatest is love.

Now, it isn't just love, though. There are two that are almost as important. Number one is love, because God is love. That is the main characteristic. One day, this universe is going to flow and overflow from that love that God wants to expand outward. But we also have faith and hope, and I'd like to focus on the word hope. First of all, I'll give you the term in Greek. It's always good to go back to the original writings, and the Greek is Elpis. That's hope in the Greek.

Basically, from the word study dictionary, it says a desire of some good or benefit with expectation of obtaining it. So hope means you desire something that is positive, that is good, that is beneficial, and with the expectation of obtaining it. So it's not a false hope, it's not an empty hope. It is a real hope. That's what the Bible wants us to have.

And just like in Hebrews 11, it's called the faith chapter, there's also a chapter in the Bible that focuses specifically on hope. And that chapter is Romans chapter 8. Let's go there to Romans chapter 8, starting in verse 16. Verse 16 through 28. Notice how many times Paul talks about hope here. Romans 8 in verse 16 says, the Spirit himself, it should say the Spirit itself, it's not a person, but it is a force, it is an influence from God, bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God. And if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. And then he explains here about this hope. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be considered or compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God, means children of God, both men and women.

For the creation was subjected to futility not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. That's describing hope. For we were saved in this hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for that which we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.

For we do not know what we should pray for as we are, but the Spirit should be itself, makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. So God moves a person, and focusing on that great hope. And actually, the Bible describes it in such a beautiful term, which is the title of this message, the blessed hope. It is why we are here today, the blessed hope. Notice in Titus, chapter 2, in verse 11.

Titus, chapter 2, in verse 11.

Paul uses this very term, talking about, again, that looking forward to that future kingdom.

Verse 11, it says, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people, zealous for good works. So notice this blessed hope, which is going to happen at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

So this blessed hope has to deal with the first resurrection, what is also called the best resurrection. We have been called to be part of that future blessed hope. Sometimes we can lose the view of this. Sometimes we get involved with our routines and trials and difficulties, and we lose that long-term goal. The blessed hope, it's worth all sacrifice, all sufferings, all difficulties, because God is working out a purpose down here below for all of us.

So let's look at our need for that hope and how to keep it alive. As long as you have that hope, the flame of faith is alive, is able to grow. As soon as it goes out, there's coldness, you begin to lose. All focus on that future kingdom of God.

Notice in Luke chapter 12, we always quote Matthew 6, 32 and 33, but actually, Luke chapter 12 is the parallel, and it has it a little differently. So it's always good to look at just the different versions here in the Bible, not just the typical quote, but also a parallel quote.

Luke chapter 12 verse 31, Christ is speaking, he says, but seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. So he says, you put God's kingdom first. That's where the focus is. And he says, don't fear, it is God, the Father's good will to give you that kingdom.

He's given us that hope. He's given us that goal. It should be the outstanding goal in all of our lives. We can go through a lot of difficulties, but guess what? That hope is still there.

It cannot be removed. It cannot be taken away. It's coming. It's just a matter of whether we want to be part of it or not. And to make it a little more vivid, hope is part of having that vision and having a long-term view of things. So here, I got myself a little spy glass here.

I used to use these back in the days of the galleons and pirates. So do we have a long-term view of life or just a short-term view of life? And when you look through it here, you can see things that are far away much closer. And so the things that are right in front of you are not just the things we should focus, but the long-term view. Now what happens if you take this spy glass and you look at it this way? Everything looks little now. You see, we just focus on the immediate things.

Sometimes we forget to have that long-term view that gives us hope, that gives us strength, that does fortify our faith.

I'll never forget when I read years ago of a lab experiment, and these psychologists were testing different behaviors, and they wanted to see exactly the behavior about hope. And so they came up with this experiment, which was a big barrel, half full of water, and then they took a rat and they put him in the barrel. And they let the rat go there, and well, the rat swam around, and of course, trying to claw up those smooth sides, it could never get out of the barrel.

So it swam there for a couple of hours, and finally the rat drowned.

And then they repeated the experiment, but with one change. They put another rat in, it swam around, then it got real tired, and what did they do? They pulled the rat out, they fed it, they let it rest, and then they put it back in, and they timed again. How long? Well, this rat swam like twice as long as the other one. Why? Because it always had the hope that somebody was going to pull it out. It always had that expectation. No matter how tired it was, well, he'd been pulled out once before he was fed. And so they saw the element of hope.

When you have a living hope, a blessed hope, you're able to withstand and sustain things much more than people that have no hope, that don't have expectations.

And so let's look here in Hebrews chapter 11. And notice these men and women of faith, but we should also call them men and women of hope. In Hebrews chapter 11, starting in verse 1, the first thing to notice is that faith and hope go together.

Hebrews 11 verse 1, it says, now faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen. So these are nice words, but what do they mean?

Notice there is an element of hope in faith. The key is, it says, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is the evidence or the tangible proof that backs what is hope for.

It is the practical application of hope. You can have hope. You don't have faith. You're not doing anything about it. It's just an intellectual thought. Oh yes, I want to be in God's kingdom.

Oh yes, I want to be there with Christ. I want to reign with the saints. But if you don't do anything about it, that hope is not going to be fulfilled. You need faith. So we can put it this way.

Faith is the walk. Hope is division. And love is the attitude. You need all three.

You can't do everything just having hope. You can have the right goal. If you don't walk and have the practical application, it's not going to be carried out. Just like a lot of people have a lot of hope, but they don't do much about it, that's an unrealistic expectation. You've got to work for that hope. I remember we were talking a little bit with the family over there, the Mishniks that we stayed with, and Big Sandy, and just going over a little bit of the background.

One thing that helped me so much in my life was that when I was seven, I lived in Cuba, and Fidel Castro took over the country. He was turning it into a communist system. So my father, who had known him at the university days, sent us to the U.S. in time before they closed that hermit kingdom and closed all access to leaving it. So my mother, sister, and I left at the age of seven.

And then my dad was there in the resistance movement for about a year and a half, and he was involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion, coordinating it from Havana. But that was a fiasco. And finally, he was able to escape to the Venezuelan embassy, and they were able to smuggle him out of the country. But when he came to Miami, there were hundreds of Cubans who had been coming in and some in rafts and other ways. But the thing is, they had just one line, and the immigration officer was there asking, who, what was your name? What do you do? And so many of the people, they said, well, I was very important back. Oh, I had this mansion I lived in. They didn't care about that. They cared about what could you do? What was your profession? And many of these were kind of Playboy types that are kind of like the Las Vegas in Havana type of mentality, because before Las Vegas, you had Havana, where people would go. And they said, well, sir, I'm sorry, you might have had a lot of money, but you're going to have to go over to Joe's Diner and start washing dishes here in Miami, because you never got a profession. And when my father stepped up, gave his name, they said, well, what do you do? He said, well, I'm a medical doctor. And they said, fine, you're a medical doctor. Tomorrow you get to go to Mercy Hospital, and you start working as a doctor. Well, can you imagine the importance that was? They took everything from my dad. He just had the clothes on his back, five dollars in his pocket. He had a family, and my brother had been born at that time, so we were three there. And my dad, because they took everything except what he had in his head, we were able to come out of that experience already with a job, with a profession.

And so, you see, hope needs that application of practical learning. What do you do so that hope is fulfilled and accomplished? It's not because of just having wishful thinking. You have to do something about it while you can. Yes, hope. Hitch your wagon to a star. Be the best you can.

But work toward that goal. You're not going to hitch it unless you do the pushing. Just like in our faith, you have to do your part. You have to put that wagon, and you make sure that you hitch it on this blessed hope that God had it. Notice, as Hebrews 11 goes on, in verse 2, it says, For by it, talking about the faith, the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Again, you build up faith by practical application of what you hope for in the future.

To me, this is such an important point there when I started learning about that God is a creator God. That He created the animals and the creatures, not through evolution, a blind process through mutation and natural selection. No, the Bible says God created things and He created them very good.

And so that's what has been discovered that the genetic code in human beings, which in a human being is about three billion letters long. You could have like 70 encyclopedia Britannicus, side to side, as far as the volume of information. Well, somebody put that in there, and that didn't just evolve through random chance. And so it says here, you build on that.

So you know what? I quit being an evolutionist. I started believing because this is where the truth was, not in a lot of man's imaginary ideas. It goes on to say in verse four, By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. And through it, he being dead still speaks. So Abel was the first one that had the spiritual spyglass. He looked, yes, God is going to have a kingdom. I want to be part of it. And so he offered a better offering. It wasn't just some small token. No, he gave God the best. It says he chose the best. See, it's the same way.

We're here on this Sabbath day because we take our time and we're offering it to God.

This is the time we could be doing many other things, but what do we do? We present. We're here giving God our time, our focus, our devotion, because we want our faith to be active, a spiritual application of hope. Actually, the Sabbath pictures the coming thousand-year kingdom of God. Has there been six days of man's work? So God has given man approximately six thousand years. But then the seventh day is the millennium, the thousand years.

So it pictures that. Every time we keep the Sabbath, we picture that hope of that coming kingdom that we want to be in. But in a practical application, because I remember there are people that are very intellectuals. Oh, yes! Just like this gentleman, we had a trip early on. Gary Smith was with me there in Pasadena when we started work going to Spanish University on our sophomore year. Then afterwards, I went on a trip after graduating and becoming a minister to through Mexico. And we had a visit. We had 110 visit requests at that time throughout that area. And we visited this gentleman, and he started saying, oh yes, I've read your literature. I thought it's very interesting. And you know what? I thank God every day from early in the morning. I thank God in the afternoon, at noon, and then in the evening. And I'm just praising. I'm starting to feel, boy, this guy's more spiritual than I am. And he just talked such a wonderful thing about the relationship with God. And then we talked about the Sabbath day.

And he said, oh yes, well, no, I don't keep the Sabbath. No, I just want to praise God. I want to give Him glory. So you see, where's the practical application? Yeah, He didn't want to change His life. But you can just praise God all day, and you're still not doing His will. So we see here, again, faith has to be accompanied with hope. Let's go on here to verse 8 about Abraham.

It says, By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. So you see, he had that spiritual pipe. Yes, I'm looking forward to that coming kingdom. I want to be part of that coming kingdom. I am willing to sacrifice and leave my kin, my country, to go where God wants me in my life to go. We do not become owners anymore.

God is the one who's in charge, and we just say, yes, sir, here, this is what you want me to do.

I will do it, sir. This is what you want. And so it goes on. Let's go to the example of Moses.

Let's go to verse 13. It says, These all died in faith, not having received the promises.

In other words, the hope of that coming kingdom. But having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. You see, they were looking at that future kingdom. They confessed. But you know, it says here, they also embraced it. They embraced that hope. Something real to them. Something not just for a short time in life. People can lose their hope. People can just go back into the world and forget about that blessed hope of that coming kingdom. Notice what it says here in verse 35. It says, Women received their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. See, we're being offered a better resurrection. I call it like the lottery ticket of the universe. You've got it. If you're faithful, then one day you can go and get that redeemed to be part of that first resurrection, to be there when Christ covers. Imagine being there with Moses, Abraham, with all the faithful through the ages, and little old us are going to be able to be part of that. That's worth every cent of our lives every effort, every minute of our lives to be able to obtain a better resurrection. But you need this, the spiritual spyglass, because you can't see it right now. You just have to hope with that coming kingdom and what it's all about. So notice what it says continuing on in verse 14. It says, For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland coming kingdom.

Did we leave our nets behind to follow Christ and His coming kingdom? He's training us now through the Holy Spirit. And truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had the opportunity to return, to enjoy their lives, to not go through the different tests and trials of the training for the kingdom of God. But now they desire a better that is a heavenly, and the term here country it should be kingdom, actually, that is coming down.

Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

And so again, hope is something that we can't lose. That's spiritual hope, if we're going to remain faithful. And again, I don't, I just bring up little anecdotes of life, just like everybody else here.

You could talk about the little anecdotes that pushed you through life and help you and encourage you. I just am sharing things for the benefit of all here. One thing about hope that I know every day is so valuable. When God asked us to pray and He gave us the different illustrations and the prayer outline there in Matthew 6, after honoring God, the first subject that He mentions is, thy kingdom come. I must say that's almost, that's one of my favorite parts of prayer, when we come to that. Thy kingdom come, just to have that vision of that hope that is coming.

And actually, I've divided that, thy kingdom come into 10 parts. So God's kingdom first is the goal, the principal goal. Because if we don't make it, everything else, if we had possessions and riches and fame, that's nothing if we lose being part of that first resurrection. So that is the first spiritual goal, to make it into the kingdom. We're not here necessarily because everybody's so wonderful and spiritual and great. We're here because we've been called. We have a personal calling before God to be part of that kingdom. And the devil is going to tempt us time and time again to pull us out of that vision. He doesn't want us to be reigning under Christ. He wanted to reign.

And so now, as bitter as he is, he doesn't want people to be part of that kingdom. So it is the goal. It is the hope. It keeps us looking ahead every day as the day unfolds. Do we have that long-term view? Do we have that spiritual spyglass that we're looking and saying, well, I need to get through this day because I'm looking to that coming kingdom. That's our hope.

And with that hope, it strengthens our faith. That's the number three. Again, hope is the goal.

Faith is the walk. And love is the attitude during the day that we need to have. And so then you have the faith that is strengthened by this. Then you have the fourth, which is it gives us meaning in life. Do people feel sometimes, well, I don't know what life is about. I don't have much meaning. Well, the meaning is we've been called to be part of God's kingdom. And so it gives us meaning that we have great value in our lives because of our calling. It also gives us satisfaction because everything crooked will one day be straightened out with Christ as the loving and supreme judge. So satisfaction. Yes, justice is not going to be met in an equitable way, in a fair way here, but we have satisfaction coming because of that kingdom.

It also should give us motivation to get up and to realize what a blessed hope we have every day of giving God our life, our service to Him. And then it also provides for us to persevere, to not give up, not give in, to continue forward. You fall, you get up again, let's go, because that future goal is there, just like these Olympic athletes. What happens if they didn't go through trials and failures and tests? They never would have made it up there in the podium, and that's just a physical medal that they get. Whereas here we're running for the spiritual crown of life that will never fade. And then the eighth element is joy. We're going to have so much joy. Maybe now we're not able to get as much, but in God's kingdom it's going to be a kingdom of joy and happiness. We're not going to have to worry about school shootings and all of these things created by human nature. And so it gives us joy. The ninth, peace, kingdom of peace. Man will not do violence to man. And finally, righteousness, because it says there in 2 Peter 3 that the new heavens and the new earth have come where righteousness will reign.

So these are all different things that we should look through that spiritual spyglass to encourage us to not lose hope. In 2 Peter chapter 1, 2 Peter chapter 1, starting in verse 2, it says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as his divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. In verse 9, it goes on to say, For he who lacks these things, this vision, this hope, is short-sighted even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble, for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So again, this is the hope that we have. We can't look at our feet, can't go around in life with the spyglass backwards, and just everything that is big and important before God, we reduce down and we exaggerate what is trivial. Let's not make mountains out of mole hills, nor mole hills out of mountains. You've got to have the right perspective. What is the most important things? And prioritize our lives accordingly.

In 1 Corinthians 9 verse 24, this race of faith is compared to a long marathon race. 1 Corinthians 9 verse 24. It says, for crisis, let's see, 1 Corinthians, gotta get that right here, verse 24, says, do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus, not with uncertainty, thus I fight not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. So hope is the right goal, but faith is the practical application, what we do every day to make that kingdom of God a greater reality, that we are getting closer and closer to it. God is not a respecter of persons. He's not looking for superhumans out here, just looking for people that are going to run with patience, that endurance.

Hebrews chapter 12, as we begin to wind down here, Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1.

Paul says, therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So we have the spiritual coach to be there guiding us in our lives, but we need to maintain that hope. Hope in three things more than anything else. Number one, hope of that coming kingdom. Acts chapter 3 and verse 17. Here's another description of that hope.

Acts chapter 3 verse 17 through 21. It's called the axial or pivotal Scripture in the Bible, because you pivot from the present evil world to that blessed new world. Acts chapter 3 verse 17.

It says, Yet now brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets that the Christ would suffer, he has thus fulfilled, repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. So again, we're living in the present evil world, but we're looking to that hope, the change. So the first thing is to have that hope in the coming kingdom. Secondly, the hope of the coming transformation of ourselves.

Yes, because it's not just a kingdom, we are going to be transformed into glorious children of God.

So this isn't just an improvement upon ourselves, it's a whole transformation.

We're going to have our human nature removed, so we're never going to have to struggle again.

Notice what it says in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 1.

2 Corinthians 5, verse 1, it says, For we know that if our earthly house, talking about our bodies, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven.

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven.

If indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, don't want to die, but further clothed, in other words, be transformed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.

Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.

So that coming kingdom, it's going to also mean a coming transformation.

Imagine what it is to be transformed in that first resurrection, the best resurrection.

And then the third aspect of hope, the hope of the coming glorified family of God.

First John chapter 3 verse 1, because it's not just about us.

It's going to be about all the beloved brethren who are going to be transformed from the time of the last person before Christ returns, that will be transformed.

And it says in verse 1, Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He is revealed, talk about Christ, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself just as He is pure. This is part of the purpose of preparing for this coming Passover. Yes, that we purify. We're in a process eliminating past sins, eliminating these things that keep us from running the spiritual race toward that coming Kingdom. So we have to learn to use this spyglass correctly to put things in their proper spiritual perspective.

Yes, hope is the goal, faith is a walk, and love is the attitude that will get us to that coming Kingdom. Remember then in our prayers, when we focus on that Kingdom of God, it's all about that blessed hope.