Identifies the Lord Jesus Christ as the Christian's ultimate hope, not merely future glory but His person. This hope is explored through biblical passages, emphasizing that believers will be with Him, like Him, see Him, appear with Him in glory, reign with Him, and serve Him eternally. The core lesson is that the person of Christ is the singular focus of Christian hope, impacting present conduct and future anticipation. The message concludes by urging believers to live in light of this hope, serving Christ now in preparation for eternal service and reign with Him.
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Chapter I. I would only like to read the first verse. This first epistle of Timothy was written by Paul to his young son in the faith. One of the most important epistles that will give us direction and instruction relative to church, conduct, and government. You find the whole epistle deals with it. Tonight we're not going to take up that line of things in detail. Time would never permit it. Many nights would be needed to cover the whole epistle on that theme.
But look with me at verse one, please. As Paul writes saying, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, which is or who is our hope. I'm sure you will recognize immediately as a commencement of this epistle, the dearly beloved Apostle Paul leads us to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. I would like to emphasize that particularly. not only is he brought before us as the head of the house who is the chief commander so to speak but at the end of the verse take the expression our lord jesus christ who is our hope now if you were to raise the question improperly what is the christian hope and if you were to ask me to give an answer I would not say heaven in particular, though I'm sure we
all are hoping to be there and expecting if we know the Lord. But in our verse, the person of Christ is spoken of and given as being our hope. Can I repeat that? If one were to ask you and me, what is your hope? Would you give this answer? The Lord Jesus Christ. Not all that pertains to the coming eternal glory, but only the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now what does it mean that he is our hope? The person of the Lord Jesus himself. And I would look very simply and I trust without delay, take you to a few switches. that you and I may realize why. He Himself, not the glory of heaven, but that He Himself is our hope. I hope you have your Bible and will turn with me to these few scriptures. First Thessalonians chapter four, if you please. The epistle of Paul, going backward, don't have to go too far, Next couple of books are the Thessalonian epistles.
And in first Thessalonians chapter four, may I read in chapter four these words as we begin to read at verse sixteen and read through verse seventeen. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord, in the air, and so shall we ever be.
Note the next words, with the Lord. I know you will realize that we can very easily take in the fact that you read the context. The main teaching of this particular section is to tell believers who have lost loved ones who have gone to be with Christ and be reunited. But may I point out something that is not often emphasized. Greater than being reunited or united to all other believers, is what you have at the end of verse seventeen. We shall be always, that's the meaning of the word ever, we shall be always with the Lord.
With him. May I put it in this perspective. My hope at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ He said, I'm going to be with him. Regardless of the precious truth, there will be thousands and millions of others. But that's not the main truth. I'm going to be with him. Beloved, look, what does he mean to you for your hope? What's the greatest privilege? One of them. I'm going to be with him.
Let me suggest an illustration. Luke chapter twenty-three in verse forty-three, you don't need to turn to it, but it's concerning the conversion, the salvation of the dying thief. Remember what the Lord Jesus told him when he confessed the Lord. Today, said the Lord Jesus, shalt thou be? Where? with me in paradise. Now let me ask you the question. What was the most important fact of what the Lord said? Was it paradise? Was it not that he was going to be with Christ?
Did not that you're going to be with me? Now look, I know I'm going to be with a lot of other people. In fact, I hope all of you that are here, plus many, many, many others. My hope is I'm going to be with him, with the Lord. Now may I give it a practical application for the present time? Who did you come to the meeting for to meet tonight? I hope you didn't come just to hear me or see me. I hope you came to meet the Lord. You get the thought.
where two or three are gathered together. And I often think the Lord knew how small prayer meetings could be, even down to two or three. But he said, there am I in the name. So when I get to the glory, I shall be with him. That's my main hope. That's practically all my hope. If I'm not with him, I'm not in heaven. Go with me now, if you please, the first John, the epistle of John. Chapter three, the first epistle of John. Words that I'm sure you're very familiar with.
First John chapter three, let me read verse two only. John writing by the Holy Spirit, beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that. when he shall appear. Note the next words. We shall be like him. We shall be. Put it in the singular tense, if you wish. I shall be like him. You know, that's a blessed hope.
I'm not like Him down here in perfection. But as Paul wrote to the Romans in chapter eight, God's purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son. Would it be grand when you see every Christian looking like Christ up there? I shall be like who? Like my brothers and sisters? No. Better. And they'll all look the same, too. But I shall be like whom? Him. What a privilege. What a joy.
Paul writing to the Philippians said, We look for the Savior to come from heaven, who will change these vile bodies, the bodies of humiliation, and fashion them like unto his own glorious body. You know, I'm glad I'm going to look like the man from heaven. Don't look at me heavenly now. I don't believe I look heavenly. But when he comes, I shall be like him. Tell me. Can you name anything better?
Can you suggest any better change? You can suggest a lot worse. That's a blessed hope. Him. I shall be like the Lord Jesus Christ, morally and spiritually. I'm not going to be divine, but morally and spiritually. In my character, holiness, sinlessness, purity. It's going to make me like himself. I'd like to have it happen tonight. Read the rest of the verse. I shall not only be with him.
I shall not only be like him. Know what John says. For we shall see him. And no, not as he was when he was upon the earth. As he is. I shall see him as he is. You may remember in chapter twenty-two of Revelation, in the new creation, in that coming day of eternal glory. It is written, we shall see his face. I shall see his face.
Now let me ask you a question. Do you know what he looks like? I want to tell you a little bit how he does look. You read Matthew seventeen, the transfiguration scene, when on that mountain of transfiguration the Lord Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John. And Peter writes of him in his second epistle and he said, we were there, we saw him in his majesty. And Matthew writes, his face did shine as the sun. Can you look in the face of the sun?
But I'm going to look into the face of the sun of God. And let me say, his face is brighter than the sun. Let me prove it. You go to Acts chapter twenty-six and verse thirteen. Look at it, you might as well look at it. Acts chapter twenty-six and verse thirteen. If you've ever followed the history of the dear apostle Paul, you may remember that when he was a young believer, and early in his history he called himself the least of the apostles. Later on he called himself less than the least of all saints.
Then he called himself, last of all, in First Timothy, one-fifteen, the chief of sinners. But you know, the dear Apostle Paul testified of his salvation. Not only that he was saved in chapter nine of Acts on the road to Damascus, but you find in chapter twenty-two, witnessing to the people of Jerusalem. He said, He was struck by a light from heaven, but he called that light, a great light. But now look here, chapter twenty-six and verse thirteen. He's speaking to King Agrippa. At midday, look at the word midday, at the brightest point when the sun was shining the brightest in its orbit.
At midday, O King, I saw in the way a light from heaven. Who was that light? the Lord Jesus. Now, no. Above the brightness of the sun. Shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. Now, nobody else saw it. But Paul was blind in my ear. May I say this. Please, may I say, you may not agree with me. I don't care. I'm going to enjoy it myself. The face of the Lord Jesus in glory is brighter than the sun. And I'm going to look at his precious face.
Not as he was. God has highly exalted him. He's delivering a name that is above every name. And I want to tell you. I'm going to look at his face. Oh, the joy of knowing. I shall see his face. A dear beloved friend many, many years ago said to me, He said, His wife said to him on one occasion, Gordon, when we get to heaven, will you look at me? He looked at his wife and he dearly loved her.
She's gone to be with Christ since. But he said, May, Maybe after I've looked at the face of the Lord Jesus five thousand years, I might turn around and look at you. Well, you know what he meant. Look, Christ was at hope. My beloved, let me please say this. I know myriad of saints are going to be there, but I want to see him. My dear mother on the dying bed kept saying, I want to see my Jesus. Is that the way you feel? Is that the way I feel? Who do you want to see in heaven? Take it through.
Who should you want more than any other? I know my mother and dad have gone. My wife preceding me has gone. And I want to tell you, there's a place greater than all I want to see, and I will. That's my hope. Well, let's go a little further. Go to Colossians chapter three, if you please. The book of Colossians chapter three. I am going to be with him. I am going to be like him. I am going to see him. But in Colossians chapter three and verse four, we have these words that the apostle wrote to the Colossians in chapter three and verse four, saying, When Christ who is our life shall appear, And this is concerning his appearing in glory when he comes to the earth.
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Go back to the consideration of the transfiguration again. One account, I think it's in Luke's account, tells us Peter, James, and John saw not only the Lord Jesus, the Moses and Elijah, who appeared with him in glory. They were glorified along with him. And you may read Second Thessalonians one, Revelation chapter nineteen, and any description of the Lord coming down in that glorious day of his manifestation in glory to the world.
I'm going to appear with him. in glory. I'm not glorified yet. But when he comes down to the earth, I'm coming with him. The Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints. Can I say it again? My fellow, believe or listen, you're sitting in the city of Florence in this building down on the earth. Who cares about you much around here? Who in the world today considers that the saints are going to be seen coming down from heaven in glory?
We don't look like much right now, do we? What a change is coming. We shall appear, I shall appear within in glory. You know, if I wasn't saved, I'd get saved again. But thank God I don't have to. Oh, the hope of the believer. Oh, why do I dwell on it? I cannot help but dwell on it. My heart is heart-sick over the conditions in the world. And has it been in our prayers tonight? The fact that there are myriads of souls and they're not saved on the way to hell. But what is your hope?
According to the Bible, the world has no hope. But this is your hope. This is my hope, my fellow believer. And one of the things is I'm going to come down with him in that coming day and appear with him in glory. Oh, what a change that will be. Zechariah chapter fourteen in verse five tells, the Lord will come with all of his saints. My goodness. What a joy to have nobody with saints around you, huh? Instead of sin-loving people. General, I tell you what, the saints of the best people on the earth.
But what will it be when we come with him in glory? I shall be with him, I shall be lighted, I shall see him, and I'm going to appear with him in glory. But go with him to Revelation chapter five, please, quickly. Revelation chapter five, the last book in the Bible. Let me read in that fifth chapter what you well know, I'm sure. When we shall see him in the midst of heaven's glory. round about the throne in that coming day. Chapter five in the book of the Revelation. And let me just read it by me. Only the tenth verse.
Part of the great song that we shall sing in worship and praise to the Lamb. Thou hast made us unto our God, kings, and priests. And please note these words. And we shall reign on all over the earth. We shall reign on over the earth. Beloved, look, pardon my hope when he comes, I am going to reign with him. I'm going to reign with him. Read, if you will, Revelation chapter nineteen from verse chapter, chapter twenty rather.
And read, if you will, from verse nine, chapter twenty-one from verse nine, going down chapter twenty-two and verse five, you've got the description of the holy city, the new Jerusalem, which I believe is bullied, and particularly the church saints. But you will find that in the glory of that city above the heavens, where you and I will reign from over the earth, all the nations on the earth are going to walk in the light of that glory and you and I will reign with it let me put it this way you know that the Lord bride is the church and thus married to him as she will be in Revelation nineteen the early part of the chapter she's going to share his reign Paul writing in first in second Timothy chapter three made this statement.
I think in verse twelve, if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him. Please let me tell you today, it's no raining time. It's suffering time. In that day we shall reign. We shall reign. Here look in Revelation chapter twenty-two, please. Relative to that same statement. Let me read at the end of the verse. You can read the rest of it. At the end of that great description of the Holy City. The last phrase. They shall reign. How long?
Forever and ever. Forever and ever. They shall reign forever and ever. You know I'm glad I'm saved. I read in Revelation chapter fourteen that there are going to be people in hell who will suffer forever and ever. But I will be reigning forever and ever. The Lord Jesus Christ is my hope. One more thing.
And that's in Revelation twenty two verse three. At the end of verse three, no. I shall not only be with him. I shall not only be like him. I shall not only see him. I shall not only appear with him. I shall not only reign with him. But you have it at the end here. His servant shall serve who? Him. We shall, I shall serve him. Perfect service in that time, in that eternal day. My beloved look, let me say it kindly, in the prayers, in the burden that some of our dear brethren had for the loss.
Why not serve him now? Why not serve him now? May I put it in this particular perspective briefly? I'm not here to serve you as much as I should be here to serve him. And if I serve him the way I should, I know it will be the right service for you. But here's the truth. We shall serve him. Why wait till that day? One sure thing.
I don't know what will be the position of my service, but I know this from Scripture. It will only be in accordance with what I've done and been for him down here. My service in eternity for him depends upon my service I do for him here. Please, the rewards. For that blessed eternal service, the places of honor in the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we shall serve him.
Can I say it again in closing? I need it for my conscience. I shall have no place in serving him there that will be only on the basis of how well I've served him here. But let me repeat again, the Lord Jesus Christ is my hope. I shall be with him. I shall be like him. I shall see him. I shall appear with him in glory. I shall reign with him. And thank God I'll serve him a lot better in his name.
You know, I'd like him to come. How about you? But please, let's be like one dear saint. A dear old saint by the name of Sophie that lived many years ago in the old country of England. She was quite a soul winner. And she prayed, Lord, when Jesus comes, let me have my hand on some sinner's shoulder. How we need to do that. But let me say that, please. In a world that will not get better. Don't tell me the world can better. Not according to this book and not according to what I hear and see. But there's one thing I've got to hope.
The person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as our brother closed in his prayer tonight, one of our brethren, I say just the same, even so come Lord Jesus. Shall we pray? Blessed Lord Jesus. We thank thee for all you are. Our little we appreciate and appropriate and apprehend what you mean to us, what you mean to your Father, and we humbly pray, though we see around us sin and failure, though we see amongst the testimony of the Lord in Christendom, division and strife, many other forms of trouble and triumph.
Yet, Lord Jesus, the house may be in disorder, but you are our hope. May these precious thoughts, Lord, changes in our conduct and character. To be even now more likely, conform to thine image, Lord, as we shall be eternally and forever in that coming day. We ask it, commending ourselves, to thy blessing and thy word, which we began in this service tonight by singing. Bless thou the truth, dear Lord, Lord, to me. And may it be our prayer as we close from every heart.
Bless this truth, Lord, to me tonight. In thy name and for thy glory. Amen. Thank you for coming.