The Power of Hope

Hope helps us get through hard things in order to gain better things. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV), Paul writes, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Hope is a core component of the Christian life. Love is the greatest, but as Paul writes to the Colossians, it is hope that produces love.

Notes

(Col 1:1, NIV) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

• Intimate relationship: Timothy, Paul's "brother" as if equals,
  • building him up and preparing others to honor him as they honor Paul.
  • Establishing Timothy as a qualified and trustworthy teacher in things pertaining to Christ, the Gospel, Christian life and doctrine—that he’s equal to Paul in knowledge and understanding—to people who may not know him but might guidance from him
  • Paul calls him his true son in the faith in personal correspondence (2Tim 1:2)
    • (1Tim 1:2, NIV) To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
  • Paul says Timothy has proven faithful, teachable, and trustworthy, taking on Paul's own heart for the churches he helped Paul establish.
    • (Php 2:19-22, NIV) I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.
• Timothy, like Jesus' apostles, gave himself completely to learn from his teacher, Paul, to serve him and do whatever he asked.
  • In so doing, he grew into the very nature and character of Paul.
    • (Luke 6:40, NIV) A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
  • Paul here calls him brother, and in Christ, they are indeed brothers as fellow servants of Christ, but on a personal level and on a kingdom level, Timothy would never claim equality with Paul
    • “On a kingdom level:” All that Timothy is and knows, he owes to Paul; it is a debt he can never repay and he will be eternally grateful to God for allowing him to learn from and serve with Paul
    • Paul can’t help but love Timothy more than others, so as to consider him his “true son in the faith”—Paul doesn’t say that of all his coworkers, but only for those closest and most committed to following, learning from and serving him
    • God is the same
      • God loves all people, but He doesn’t love all people the same
      • Basic love for all people – John 3:16
      • Died for all – Rom 5:8; 1 John 2:1-2; John 15:13
      • Followers more “family” than flesh-and-blood family (Mt 12:46-50)
      • Not all saved, not all receive the same reward
      • Greater and lesser in God’s kingdom (Mt 5:19-20; Mt 18:1-5; Mt 23:8-12)

(Col 1:2, NIV) To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

• Holy and faithful brothers
  • Believers like you and me
  • Holy – more later
    • Not just forgiven, but made pure, righteous, blameless, perfect in Christ (Eph 4:22-24)
    • Set apart from the world, abandoning their old ways to live by God’s ways (Rom 12:1-2; 1John 2:15-16; Jam 4:1-10; 1 Cor 15:9-10)
  • Faithful: our school year’s theme and August’s theme
    • Mr. Vossler has been focused on this
    • As we’ll see, they are obedient to Jesus, committed to doing His will, honoring and submissive to all Jesus wants for them and from them
• At Colosse
  • Paul doesn’t know this church (Col 2:1)
    • Church likely started by Epaphras (Col 1:7-8), a trainee of Paul’s, from Colosse or area
    • Trained perhaps when Paul was in Ephesus for three years
    • Also possibly started churches at Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22) and Hierapolis
    • Also in prison with Paul (Philemon 1:23)
  • Paul knows some of the people here
    • Written at the same time as Philemon
    • Both letters mention Onesimus (Philemon’s runaway slave, sent to them with detailed new about Paul), Archippus (part of Philemon’s household, a son?)
    • Similar list of companions who send greetings
    • Nympha and the church in her home
• Greetings
  • Grace: (Ms. Cheris) kindness, benefit, good will of God to us
  • Peace: peace (quietness, rest, no trouble or grief) and prosperity

(Col 1:3, NIV) We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

• Thankfulness – this month’s theme!
• Thank God when he prays for the Colossians—doesn’t directly thank them
• “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (Jam 1:17, NIV)
• Why? What makes them so special to Paul?

(Col 1:4-5, NIV) because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel

• The faith, love of the Colossians is because of God and from God
  • If anyone believes, it is because of God and He deserves all the credit! (John 6:44)
  • If you truly believe, you owe God a debt of gratitude you can never repay!
  • If people we love truly believe, we owe God a debt of gratitude we can never repay!
  • We didn’t make ourselves believe; we can’t make others believe
  • We can share the Gospel, plead with them, but unless God opens their eyes, no one can or will believe (Acts 13:48; Eph 1:4-6,11-14)
• Notice: faith, hope and love, these three (1 Cor 13:13)
  • Cause/Effect relationship
    • Faith and love spring from the hope in Heaven, revealed in the Gospel
    • Without the hope of the Gospel, there’s no cause for faith or love
  • What hope?
    • (Col 1:27) Christ in us, the hope of glory
      • Glory: another way of referring to heaven
        • Eternal life
        • Assurance of no eternal condemnation
        • Live again after we die, never to die again
        • New, indestructible body
          • This is not the only life we get
          • This life is not the most important
          • The value of this life lies in how we use it to prepare for the next (Lk 16:1-12; Lk 12:13-48)
      • Glory: also reward, honor, praise, exaltation
        • 2 Cor 5:9-10: judgment seat of Christ for rewards
        • Matt 6:19-21: store up treasures in heaven
        • Php 2:5-11: Jesus exalted for obedience unto death (Rom 8:17; 2:9-10) – believers are going to reign with Christ
        • Heb 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
  • How does this hope produce faith and love for all the saints?
    • (Lk 6:35) By knowing we have a reward awaiting us in heaven
      • Heb 10:32-34:
        • 32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.
        • 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.
        • 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
    • (Jn 10:17) We know that we can lay down our lives for others because one day the Lord will give our lives back to us (Jn 15:12-13)
    • (Eph 6:8) The Lord will reward us for whatever good we do, regardless of our status in society (slave or free, servant or master, wife or husband, child or parent, worker or supervisor, student or teacher)
    • (Rev 22:12) The reward Jesus prepares for us is based on what we have done in and with our lives
• Love (agape) for all the saints
  • Saints?
    • Not special people, but all who believe the Gospel of Jesus
    • Corinthians sanctified (made holy) and called (to be) holy
      • 1Cor 1:2 (NIV): To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
      • 1 Cor 6:9-11 (NIV): Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
    • Heb 10:14 (NIV): because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
  • Love for saints
    • Agape: Seeking the good/benefit (as God defines it) of others out of affection for them
    • See a brother or sister sin: you plead with them to repent
    • See a brother or sister in genuine need, you step up to help out
    • 1 John 3:14-20 (NIV)
      • We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
• Faith and love for saints flow from hope given by Gospel
  • True belief/acceptance of hope of the Gospel produces faith in Jesus and love for other Christians
    • Faith is the work of the Holy Spirit
    • Love for other Christians is part of the new nature God’s Spirit gives us when we believe
    • If you do not look around this room and see the other believers here and are not filled with compassion for them and a desire to see them live more perfectly in Christ, then something is wrong, something is missing in your understanding of the Gospel
    • Paul tells the Corinthians to examine themselves to see if they’re in the faith (2Cor 13:5), and I urge you to do the same
  • If you have not accepted/received/believed the hope offered by the Gospel, then of course there’s no reason for you to believe in Jesus or to do good to others, except to gain some personal advantage
    • I want to warn you and plead with you:
      • You can tell yourself that Jesus is just a figment of people’s imagination,
        • but that doesn’t make Him go away
        • that doesn’t change who He really is
      • He will return and judge all people
        • Those who love and honor Him will live forever with Him
        • Those who reject and deny Him will suffer torment for eternity
      • Do not destroy yourself!
        • Receive Him as Lord and learn to live as a citizen of His kingdom
        • Receive His forgiveness, cleansing and be made holy
        • Receive His promise of life forever with Him