Eternal Hope: The True Essence of the Gospel

Devotional

Day 1: The Gospel's True Promise: Eternal Inheritance

The gospel is often misunderstood as a promise of a life free from troubles. However, the true essence of the gospel, as presented in the New Testament, is not about solving our immediate problems but about the promise of eternal life and the inheritance that awaits us. This promise transcends our current circumstances and is not about making the world a perfect place now but about the hope of what is to come. The real reason to believe in Jesus Christ is to escape the wrath of God and secure our eternal future. Our focus should be on the promise of eternal life, not on solving our immediate problems. [23:17]

1 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV): "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you."

Reflection: What immediate problems are you currently facing that might be distracting you from focusing on the eternal inheritance promised in the gospel? How can you shift your perspective today to prioritize this eternal promise?

Day 2: Repentance and the Reality of God's Wrath

True evangelism emphasizes repentance and the reality of God's wrath, urging us to focus on the inheritance that awaits us. This perspective should guide our evangelism and pastoral care, reminding us that while we may face tribulations in this world, our hope lies in the promise of eternal glory. The New Testament consistently highlights the importance of repentance as a response to the gospel, calling us to turn away from sin and towards the hope of eternal life. [24:02]

Acts 3:19-21 (ESV): "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago."

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you need to repent and turn back to God? How can you make repentance a regular part of your spiritual practice to align with the hope of eternal life?

Day 3: The Promise to Abraham and Our Inheritance in Christ

The promise of the Bible is a glorious future, beginning with God's covenant with Abraham and extending to all who believe in Christ. In Christ, we are made heirs to this promise, sharing in the inheritance of eternal life. This promise was initially for the children of Israel, but through Christ, it extends to all who believe, including the Gentiles. As believers, we are called to embrace this inheritance and live in the light of the eternal promise. [28:08]

Galatians 3:29 (ESV): "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."

Reflection: How does knowing you are an heir to the promise given to Abraham change the way you view your identity in Christ? What steps can you take today to live more fully in this inheritance?

Day 4: Living as Strangers and Pilgrims

As Christians, we are called to live as strangers and pilgrims in this world, looking forward to the day of ultimate salvation. Our hope should be our controlling thought, shaping our lives and guiding our actions. This means living soberly and righteously, denying worldly desires, and setting our hearts on the things above. By focusing on the eternal, we can navigate the challenges of this world with a perspective that is rooted in the promise of what is to come. [37:23]

Hebrews 11:13-16 (ESV): "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one."

Reflection: In what ways do you find yourself too attached to the things of this world? How can you begin to live more like a stranger and pilgrim, focusing on your heavenly home?

Day 5: Living with an Eternal Perspective

We must live soberly and righteously, denying worldly desires, and setting our hearts on the things above. Our focus should be on the inheritance that awaits us, living in anticipation of the day of glory. This eternal perspective should shape our daily lives, influencing our decisions, actions, and interactions with others. By keeping our eyes on the promise of eternal life, we can live with purpose and hope, even amidst the challenges of this world. [46:01]

Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV): "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Reflection: What practical steps can you take today to set your mind on things above and live with an eternal perspective? How might this change the way you approach your daily tasks and interactions?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, it is crucial to understand the true essence of the gospel and the promise it holds for us. Often, evangelism is misrepresented as a solution to our immediate problems, offering a life free from troubles if we come to Christ. However, this is not the gospel as presented in the New Testament. The core message of the gospel is not about solving our earthly issues but about the promise of eternal life and the inheritance that awaits us. The Bible consistently points to a glorious future, a promise that transcends our current circumstances. This promise is not about making the world a perfect place now but about the hope of what is to come.

The real reason to believe in Jesus Christ is to escape the wrath of God and secure our eternal future. The New Testament emphasizes the importance of repentance and the reality of God's wrath, urging us to focus on the inheritance that awaits us. This perspective should guide our evangelism and pastoral care, reminding us that while we may face tribulations in this world, our hope lies in the promise of eternal glory.

The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a testament to this promise. It began with God's covenant with Abraham, promising that through his seed, all nations would be blessed. This promise was initially for the children of Israel, but through Christ, it extends to all who believe, including the Gentiles. In Christ, we are made heirs to this promise, sharing in the inheritance of eternal life.

As Christians, our focus should be on this inheritance, living as strangers and pilgrims in this world, looking forward to the day of ultimate salvation. This hope should be our controlling thought, shaping our lives and guiding our actions. We are called to live soberly and righteously, denying worldly desires, and setting our hearts on the things above.

Key Takeaways

1. The gospel is not a promise of a trouble-free life but a call to escape God's wrath and secure our eternal inheritance. Our focus should be on the promise of eternal life, not on solving our immediate problems. [23:17]
2. True evangelism emphasizes repentance and the reality of God's wrath, urging us to focus on the inheritance that awaits us. This perspective should guide our evangelism and pastoral care. [24:02]
3. The promise of the Bible is a glorious future, beginning with God's covenant with Abraham and extending to all who believe in Christ. In Christ, we are made heirs to this promise, sharing in the inheritance of eternal life. [28:08]
4. As Christians, we are called to live as strangers and pilgrims in this world, looking forward to the day of ultimate salvation. Our hope should be our controlling thought, shaping our lives and guiding our actions. [37:23]
5. We must live soberly and righteously, denying worldly desires, and setting our hearts on the things above. Our focus should be on the inheritance that awaits us, living in anticipation of the day of glory. [46:01]
** [46:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:55] - Misconceptions in Evangelism
[21:42] - The False Promises of Cults
[22:17] - The True Promise of the Bible
[23:17] - The Real Reason to Believe
[24:02] - The Thrust of New Testament Evangelism
[25:00] - The Reality of Christian Suffering
[26:37] - The Assurance of Future Glory
[27:40] - The Central Biblical Theme
[28:08] - The Promise to Abraham
[30:27] - The Old Testament Perspective
[32:18] - The Hope of the Gentiles
[33:03] - The Inclusion of the Gentiles
[36:05] - The Mystery Revealed
[39:07] - The Great Commission
[43:16] - The Inheritance in Christ
[46:01] - Living with Eternal Perspective
[49:41] - Closing Prayer

Sermon Clips

"Far too often, evangelism takes this form: the message is that are you in trouble, are you unhappy, are you failing somewhere, do you need some help? Very well, come to Christ and you'll get it. Well, of course, it's very true that if you do come to Christ, you will derive certain benefits, but I cannot find the Christian gospel presented in that way in the New Testament itself." [00:20:55]

"The Bible, unlike the cults, you know, doesn't seem to promise us very much in this life and in this world. What it does promise us is something which lies in the future and only tells us about what happens to us here is to give us an assurance of that that is going to happen to us in the future." [00:22:17]

"The real reason why men should believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is that they're as they are under the wrath of God, and if they die into the wrath of God, they will go to hell, and their eternal future will be one of misery and unhappiness. That's why people should believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." [00:23:17]

"The great thrust of the New Testament evangelism is always in terms of this wrath to come, the two great possibilities that face us for all eternity. That's how the New Testament does it. It's the theme that we're dealing with here. Why should I be concerned about knowing that I'm a child of God?" [00:24:02]

"The promise that was made most clearly of all to Abraham, there it really begins in a clear way because it goes further back. You've really got it in Genesis 3:15, seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpent's head. Then it becomes very indefinite and interesting, but it's there." [00:28:08]

"God made these promises much more explicit to Abram than he'd done before and made a covenant with Abram. Then what was it? Well, that in his seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, that it was in and through him he was going to send this great blessing, a final and ultimate salvation." [00:28:48]

"The Apostle in writing to the Ephesians who were Gentiles reminds them of this. He says in chapter 2 verse 11, wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands." [00:31:40]

"In Christ, the position has been changed. Even the Gentiles can come in. The Gentiles who were aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the promise, the covenants of the promise, what is happening today? Well, he says here it is, but now in Christ Jesus, ye sometimes who were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." [00:33:03]

"This is the glorious thing that's happened there. The Gentiles who used to be outside in Christ, they've become Abraham's seed, and therefore because they're Abraham's seed, they've become heirs according to the promise. This was the marvelous thing that had happened in Christ." [00:34:47]

"All those heroes of the faith, they lived in faith by faith, and they died in the same faith. They didn't receive the promise they sight afar off, and because of that, they counted themselves as strangers and pilgrims in the earth. Like Moses, they kept their eye on the recompense of the reward." [00:37:23]

"This is the great promise and as I've already reminded you, the Apostle Paul puts it in that way to the Ephesians. He in verses 13 and 14 are of that first chapter of his and then do you remember that great prayer that he offers for them? It's at the end of that first chapter of Ephesians." [00:39:07]

"This is the hallmark of the Christian that his eye is upon the inheritance that he realizes he is a child of God and because he's a child, he is therefore an heir, an heir of God and joint heir with Christ. This I say should be our controlling thought. We should be looking for the coming of that Great God and our Savior." [00:46:01]

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