Sure Hope

Sure Hope: Indwelling Spirit Romans 5:5

Hope does not disappoint." God will never disappoint one who hopes in him. No one is going to be disappointed. No one who has put his hope in Christ is going to end up being disappointed in eternity because God didn't keep his promise. That's not going to happen. God will fulfill his pledge. We have made a permanent peace. We stand permanently in grace and we have been given a permanent hope, which everything that occurs in our life, only enhances. It does not take away. (Mac Arthur)

Firm Hope 5 and hope does not put us to shame,

This hope is not only for the future, but for the present. 2 Tim 1:8-14 . . . which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been trusted to me. There will be trails, there will be problems, there shall be tribulations, there will be difficulties, but if you have this hope you will never be put to shame, you will never feel that you are let down. (Jones) A man who is not clear about the Christian faith is liable to be put to shame by circumstances; Questions like How do you explain that suffer that you experience as a believer? Why would God allow that? Why does God allow someone who is serving Him faithfully to go through those things? The moment we become doubtful, and cannot answer people, who say these things, we are ashamed or put to shame. Jones Hope far from making us ashamed, or producing a tendency to be ashamed, rather does the opposite; it leads to glorying. Hope does not make you feel ashamed, The man who really has got this hope, and who sees it, is a man who is not only going to overcome these trials and tribulations, he is going to boast in them, he is going to glory in them. (Jones) Thus, Martyrs died gloriously because of increased hope.

Foundation of Hope

v. 5 God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

People Indwelled our . . us Romans 8:9,16, 1 Cor 12:13, 1 John 3;24, 4:13

Point of Indwelling who has been given to us

The Holy Spirit is given to all Christians without exception, You cannot be a Christian without having received the Holy Spirit., There is no question about that it means it is impossible, it is inconceivable. We must not think of the Holy Spirit merely as an influence upon us; the Holy Spirit has been given to us, which means that the Holy Spirit dwells in us John 14:15-16 Rom 8:9, 11 (Jones)

Point of Conversion Acts 2:38, 19:2

Precedes Sanctification -Sanctification is the a progressive work of the Holy Spirit and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives. Titus 3:5, Once we have been born again we cannot continue to sin as a habit or a pattern of life, because the power of new spiritual life within us keeps us from yielding to a life of sin (1 John 3:9) (Grudem) The initial step in sanctification involves an definite break from the ruling power and love of sin. Rom 6:11-14

To be dead to the ruling power of sin means that we as Christians, by virtue of the power of the Holy Spirit and resurrection life of Christ working within us, have power to overcome the temptations and enticements of sin. (Grudem)

Presence indwelling through the Holy Spirit

Evidence of the Spirit

Proof of the New Birth Titus 3:5-6, 1 Cor 6:9-11, John 3:1-8,

You cannot say of a man that the Holy Spirit dwells in him unless he has been born again, unless he has a new nature. There is no receptacle in the natural man to receive the presence of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:12-14). It is only the new nature that can receive Him. The work of regeneration is preliminary and preparatory to the coming of the Spirit dwelling in us. The fact that we are . . . born of the Spirit is a guarantee of our final perfection. It is inconceivable that this work of God in our soul should vanish and disappear or be destroyed. That is why you cannot fall from grace. What a monstrous suggestion that is, that a man can be a Christian one day, and that then he can sin and fall from grace, and cease to be a Christian; and then on a later day become a Christian again! Such an idea implies a most defective view of regeneration. A true understanding of regeneration as the work and action of God the Holy Spirit in the soul makes that utterly impossible. The regenerated man may sin and backslide, but he is still a child of God, he is still a partaker of the divine nature. The “seed” is still in him, and always will be in him; it cannot disappear. Our salvation is the work of God that guarantees our final glorification; and the Holy Spirit within is the guarantee of that work Phil 2:12-13, Eph 1:13-14, (actual Gk word is down payment) 2 Cor 1:22, 1 Peter 1:3 (Jones)

Proclamation of Christ 1 Cor 12:3

Practical Effects of New Birth:

Outward expression Rom 8: 1) Spiritual walk,v.4, 2) Spiritual mind v. 5, 3) Spiritual peace v. 7, 4) Spiritual service v. 8, 5) Spiritual growth v. 13, 6) Spiritual guidance v.14, 7) Spiritual affirmation v. 15-16, 8) Spiritual perseverance v. 17-25, 9) Spiritual Intercession v. 26-27, 10) Spiritual assurance v. 28-31

Obedience to His Commands 1 John 3:23-24

Obvious Fruit Gal 5:22 but the fruit of the Spirit is love, John 15:8 known by their fruit Matt 7:20;

Outpouring of Gifts 1 Cor 12:7-11

Pledge of the Finality Because of New Birth Phil 1:6, Jude 24-25

Contrast with Heb 5:14-6:10, Gal 1:8, 1 Tim 4:1,

People Talking to Jews not yet Christians v11 you have become dull of hearing.

Problem v 11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Path for Change:

Pursue the New Covenant 1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, 1) dead works -not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, Heb 9:13 Acts 20:24 2) 2 and of instruction about washings, 3) the laying on of hands, 4) the resurrection of the dead, and 5) eternal judgment.

Power that can Change 3 And this we will do if God permits. Rom 1:16

Permanence 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, Rom 1:24, 26, 28 therefore God gave them up, Gen 6:3, Neh 9:30

Position that doesn’t change v. 6 since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. Matt 12:24-32

Picture of Grace

7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Perseverance of the Saints 9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things--things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. Mark 13:22, 1 John 2:19-20

You've gotta get off the basic elements, and you've gotta come all the way to Jesus Christ. Leave the ABC of repentance from dead works for the New Testament teaching of repentance toward God unto life. Leave the ABC of faith toward God for faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Faith toward God doesn't mean anything if you don't come through Jesus Christ. Leave the ABC of ceremonial washings for the cleansing of the soul by the washing of the Word, which is regeneration. Leave the ABC of...of laying hands on a sacrifice, which identifies you with the sacrifice, by laying hold of the Lamb of God, not by your hands, but by what? By faith. Leave the ABC of the resurrection of the dead for the full revelation of resurrection in the New Testament. Leave the ABC of eternal judgment for the complete truth of judgment, the Judge and heaven and hell as revealed in the New Testament. In other words, separate yourselves from the primer and get on to the mature understanding of God in the New Testament. Mac Arthur Well, who are these people?" they're the same people who come all the way up to the edge but never been saved. It says they were enlightened, not saved. They've tasted, not eaten. They were partakers, not possessors of the Holy Spirit; and there is no direct salvation term . . . used in the New Testament. It doesn't say they were saved, justified, righteous, called, elect, believers, sons, children of God, redeemed, sanctified, adopted, made holy, chosen, bought, regenerated, born again. Nothing. They had all the information. It doesn't even say anything about the direct ministries of the Spirit. It just says they were involved in what the Spirit was doing. They were around seeing the signs and wonders and mighty deeds that the apostles did. Doesn't say they were born of the Spirit, sealed by the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, anointed by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, baptized by the Spirit, or filled with the Spirit. So we don't believe they're believers. Point is, they had all the revelation, and they fell away. (McArthur)

Once you belong to Christ you always belong to Christ. Heb 3:14 It does not say that you will become a partaker of Christ if you persevere. It says you HAVE become a partaker if you persevere. . . . Persevering does not earn your participation in Christ; it verifies your participation in Christ. Perseverance is not a payment for getting into Christ. It is a proof that you are in Christ. So the person who drifts along in sin and makes no business in life of holiness does not fall out of Christ. He was never in Christ. Heb 10:14 When Jesus died, he perfected a group of people forever. He has done this in the past. It does not say that his death will perfect them if they get sanctified. It says that his death HAS PERFECTED those who are being sanctified. It's done and it is eternal. The pursuit of holiness (sanctification) does not earn us this perfection that Jesus secured for us in the past; instead the process of sanctification simply shows that we are among that number who were eternally perfected by the death of Jesus. So a person who drifts into sin and neglects the pursuit of sanctification and falls away from God is not a person who was once saved by the death of Jesus and then lost that salvation, because Heb 10:14 says that salvation is an everlasting accomplishment for a certain group of people. And our assurance of being part of that people is our perseverance in faith and the pursuit of holiness. . . . if someone drifts away from God and makes shipwreck of faith, they do not lose a salvation that they once had but show by their lack of perseverance that they never truly belonged to Christ, were never born again, justified, adopted, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. (Piper)

The person who can fall away from God:

1) That person can be enlightened—have much truth and insight into the Bible and the gospel.

2) He can have tasted the heavenly gift and be a partaker of the Holy Spirit—the very Spirit of God can be at work in his life convicting of sin, drawing to Christ, revealing truths.

3) He can have tasted to goodness of the Word of God—sat under its influence from mother and Sunday School teacher, and pastor; confessed it to be good.

4) And he can have tasted the powers of the age to come—he can, Jesus says in Matthew 7:22, prophesy and cast out demons and do mighty works in Jesus' name.