Latest / Bible Tract Echoes Podcast / Paul Levin: The Christian's Hope

Transcript

Paul Levin: The Christian's Hope · Bible Tract Echoes Podcast

0:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, hey, friend.
0:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so very much for being a part of our radio program today.
0:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm evangelist Mike McCurry.
0:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I have the great joy of being the host of this particular radio broadcast Bible tracked echoes.
0:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm also the director of a ministry called Bible Tracks Incorporated and our founder.
0:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Dr. Paul Levine will be speaking to us today.
0:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Now let me tell you about what he's going to want to speak to you about.
0:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Now realize Dr. Paul, he's been dead for over twenty five years.
0:31
[SPEAKER_01]: You see, that's a little blunt.
0:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, here's the great thing.
0:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I know exactly where he's been that entire time.
0:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Is he in a coffin somewhere?
0:40
[SPEAKER_01]: No, friend, he is in heaven.
0:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And today, he's going to explain the Christians hope.
0:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, there are a couple of different kinds of hope.
0:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, maybe you are only aware of one kind, but Dr. Paul is going to explain the differences between just regular old hope and the Christians hope.
1:02
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to give us maybe a little bit of an English lesson.
1:04
[SPEAKER_01]: There is a noun hope and there is a verb hope.
1:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you'll listen in for the remainder of this broadcast.
1:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Not long ago, I had put out a little bit of a challenge, asked people to share with us their salvation testimonies.
1:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Of course, this week of broadcasts, focus in on that most important of topics, your relationship with Christ, where you will spend eternity.
1:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And a lady named Cheryl sent us an email not long ago and she shared with us her salvation testimony.
1:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd like for you to listen now.
1:38
[SPEAKER_01]: It just might be a help to you.
1:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's what she says.
1:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Hello dear friend and Christ.
1:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I was making potato salad this morning.
1:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Now we can pause right there and say hallelujah.
1:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen.
1:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what event you were making potato salad for.
1:54
[SPEAKER_01]: It's well, after the fourth of July, maybe it was just for the noon meal or maybe she was having company over regardless, Michelle, if the opportunity ever presents itself, if I could try some of your potato salad, I would be honored to be given that chance.
2:09
[SPEAKER_01]: But anyway, I digress.
2:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I was making, maybe I'm just a little hungry right now.
2:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Anyway, I was making potato salad this morning and she says, I heard your broadcast on the radio.
2:18
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been such a blessing.
2:20
[SPEAKER_01]: The Lord through that broad cast has prompted me to share the testimony.
2:24
[SPEAKER_01]: He has so graciously given me to display His great power and the power of redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ to the praise of His glory.
2:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Man, oh man, I already like to start with this.
2:37
[SPEAKER_01]: She says this, I grew up
2:39
[SPEAKER_01]: in a very non-Christian home.
2:41
[SPEAKER_01]: My mother and father divorced because of adultery when I was just five years old.
2:46
[SPEAKER_01]: This had a very negative impact on my childhood.
2:50
[SPEAKER_01]: My mother went through many boyfriends and neglected to properly care for my two younger sisters and myself.
2:56
[SPEAKER_01]: My father was a hard worker and tried as best as he could to provide for us, though he was often absent.
3:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Around the age of eleven, I began cutting myself to provide what I thought was relief for the internal pain I was experiencing.
3:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I was in and out of the psychiatric hospital several times for suicide attempts due to my anxiety and depression.
3:22
[SPEAKER_01]: After graduating high school, I moved in with my boyfriend at the time and began heavily drinking and using party drugs
3:29
[SPEAKER_01]: at age twenty two though my father died suddenly, and I began to use heroin to subdue my sorrow, but this only led to more sorrow and more difficulties.
3:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Throughout my early to mid-twenties I was in and out of jail put on probation, attended rehab, though I was asked to leave because I had relapsed during my time at this rehab, the idea of God as my higher power, if you will, in quotes, was introduced to me,
3:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And I began praying.
3:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Jesus was not preeminent in my life, but looking back, I can now see his hand in the events that occurred.
4:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I had many instances where he was clearly calling me, but I continued to run from his call in twenty nineteen.
4:09
[SPEAKER_01]: By God's Providence, I met the man who is now my husband at a small cafe where we both worked.
4:15
[SPEAKER_01]: He also was not a follower of Christ.
4:17
[SPEAKER_01]: He had a similar background in mind, his parents divorced when he was young.
4:21
[SPEAKER_01]: He suffered from anxiety and depression and used drugs to cope.
4:24
[SPEAKER_01]: We spent our time together living in sin and following the lusts of our flesh.
4:30
[SPEAKER_01]: One weekend.
4:31
[SPEAKER_01]: He went away camping with his father and I spent that weekend with his mother.
4:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Both are professing Christians but neither bear good fruit or live holy lives yet.
4:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Both spoke of Jesus as their Savior.
4:43
[SPEAKER_01]: At the same time, in two different locations, my husband, who was only my boyfriend at the time, and I were both being called a Christ.
4:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Though the gospel was not shared per se, we were still able to realize for the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was a son of God and we needed him.
4:59
[SPEAKER_01]: At the end of the weekend we reconvened and discussed our newfound hope and the Lord Jesus Christ we went out.
5:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Bought Bibles began to read firmly in a ten church.
5:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I believe at this time we were saved and God began his work of working on us.
5:13
[SPEAKER_01]: The more we read, the more we were convicted of our sin and separated from living together.
5:18
[SPEAKER_01]: After almost six months of separation and growing in the Lord through His Word, we were married.
5:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Praise be the Lord for His grace and salvation, all glory and honor belong to our great and holy God.
5:29
[SPEAKER_01]: The Lord our God rich and mercy sent His perfect son Jesus Christ to bear His wrath, which we sinners.
5:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So rightly deserves so that we could be redeemed and washed in the precious blood of him, who knew no sin.
5:42
[SPEAKER_01]: What a joy to hear this gospel testimony.
5:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Somebody coming to Christ may be even not understanding every single point of doctrine.
5:53
[SPEAKER_01]: But still, realize, and they had a need for something greater than themselves and coming to, and you can tell by the verbiage here.
6:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Coming to the realization that Jesus Christ is king, and he was the only one that could save them.
6:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much, Cheryl, for sharing this testimony.
6:09
[SPEAKER_01]: In just a moment, Dr. Paul Levine is going to talk to us.
6:12
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to explain the Christians hope that Miss Cheryl, so eloquently, put just a moment to go.
6:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Will you listen now as Dr. Paul Levine preaches to us?
6:22
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, now let's talk just a minute about hope.
6:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Now listen very carefully, kind of explain something to your body.
6:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Hope has to do with the future.
6:31
[SPEAKER_02]: Hope has to do with something which is possible in the future.
6:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Are you with me?
6:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Hope has to do with something good in the future.
6:41
[SPEAKER_02]: And hope has to do with something that's possible in the future.
6:45
[SPEAKER_02]: And then
6:47
[SPEAKER_02]: There's a difference between that kind of a hope and the Christians hope.
6:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, I want you to listen very carefully because this part I want you to understand.
6:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Hope has to do with something in the future.
6:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And hope has to do with something good in the future.
7:01
[SPEAKER_02]: And hope has to do with something that's possible in the future.
7:06
[SPEAKER_02]: That's hope.
7:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
7:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, the Christian hope is a little different than that.
7:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Listen, not carefully.
7:11
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll show you what the Christian hope is.
7:13
[SPEAKER_02]: The Christian hope has to do with the future.
7:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Go on to heaven.
7:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And the creation hope has got, it's got something to do with something that's real good in the future, like going to heaven.
7:26
[SPEAKER_02]: And the creation hope is something that's possible in the future, like going to heaven.
7:31
[SPEAKER_02]: But the creation hope carries the guarantees that you're going to go to heaven someday.
7:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Nor hopes or vines about it.
7:40
[SPEAKER_02]: See, you're not just hoping someday you're going to go to heaven.
7:43
[SPEAKER_02]: You absolutely know it.
7:45
[SPEAKER_02]: It's guaranteed.
7:46
[SPEAKER_02]: There's no ifs nor ends about it.
7:48
[SPEAKER_02]: And you're sure of going to heaven as you're sure you're here right now.
7:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, that's the kind of hope of Christian can have.
7:54
[SPEAKER_02]: That's kind of you have.
7:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Do you say, listen, listen, can you say, I know for sure, if I died right now, I go to heaven and there's not a shadow of a doubt about it.
8:05
[SPEAKER_02]: You see, now that's the kind of hope a Christian can have.
8:08
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, now look, there's two kinds of hope.
8:10
[SPEAKER_02]: There is a verb hope.
8:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Now listen to you get this part now.
8:15
[SPEAKER_02]: There is a verb hope.
8:16
[SPEAKER_02]: What is a verb hope?
8:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, a verb is something you do.
8:21
[SPEAKER_02]: A verb is an action.
8:22
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know what a verb is.
8:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Let me, can we have a little mic on it?
8:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Here we go.
8:26
[SPEAKER_02]: All right.
8:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, verb is an actuator.
8:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, I'm walking.
8:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Walking is a verb.
8:31
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm doing something.
8:32
[SPEAKER_02]: See?
8:33
[SPEAKER_02]: All right.
8:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, look, I'm hoping to go to heaven.
8:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm hoping I'm hoping to go to heaven.
8:38
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm doing something.
8:39
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a verbal.
8:40
[SPEAKER_02]: It's something you do.
8:41
[SPEAKER_02]: But there's also a noun hole.
8:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, a verb hole is something you do.
8:48
[SPEAKER_02]: But if a noun hole is something you have, see?
8:54
[SPEAKER_02]: All right.
8:54
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, the verb hole says, I hope someday I'll go to heaven when I die.
9:01
[SPEAKER_02]: But the noun hope says, I know I'm going to go to heaven when I die.
9:08
[SPEAKER_02]: You say, brother, Paul, how do you know that you're such a thing as a noun hope?
9:13
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, listen, Christ, in you, the hope of glory.
9:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Jesus Christ is not a verb.
9:19
[SPEAKER_02]: He's a noun, isn't he?
9:20
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, there's your noun hope.
9:23
[SPEAKER_02]: See, okay, now then, what kind of hope do you have?
9:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Do you, for I'm say, I hope I'm good enough.
9:28
[SPEAKER_02]: I hope I'm religious enough.
9:30
[SPEAKER_02]: I hope I've joined the right church.
9:32
[SPEAKER_02]: I hope I've been baptized right.
9:33
[SPEAKER_02]: I hope I've taken Lord Chopper right.
9:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I hope I've behaved myself well enough.
9:37
[SPEAKER_02]: I hope I'm doing good enough so that when I die, I'll go to heaven.
9:40
[SPEAKER_02]: That's your verb hope you're doing something.
9:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Or can you say, bless, God, I know when I die, I'm going to heaven.
9:46
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm not going there by my good works or by my religion or by my morality.
9:50
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going there through Jesus Christ who died from my sins and rolls again.
9:53
[SPEAKER_02]: And one day, I have to Lord thinner, I accept that Him as my Lord, Savior, and I know I'm going to heaven.
9:59
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's my hope.
10:00
[SPEAKER_02]: That's the known hope.
10:02
[SPEAKER_02]: So which kind of you have?
10:04
[SPEAKER_02]: You see, it's wonderful to be able to have the noun hope, not something you do, but something you have.
10:09
[SPEAKER_02]: What is the noun hope?
10:10
[SPEAKER_02]: It's the absolute perfect assurance of heaven.
10:16
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, a lot of folks don't think you didn't have that.
10:18
[SPEAKER_02]: You know why they don't think you can have the perfect assurance of heaven, because they think salvation is by good words.
10:24
[SPEAKER_02]: You know what, the average person thinks?
10:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, this is kindergarten talk to most of you, but I never know who might be here's never heard this.
10:31
[SPEAKER_02]: The average person thinks
10:33
[SPEAKER_02]: That when you get to the end of the trail and you meet God in judgment, He's going to add up and see how good you were.
10:42
[SPEAKER_02]: And then you're going to add up and see how bad you were.
10:45
[SPEAKER_02]: And if you've been good or then you were bad, you're going to have him.
10:48
[SPEAKER_02]: If you've been better, then you've been good.
10:50
[SPEAKER_02]: You go to hell and you won't old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old- old-
10:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Bad works, you'll go to heaven.
11:00
[SPEAKER_02]: But if your bad works out way, your good works, you'll go to hell.
11:04
[SPEAKER_02]: It's all up to how good you are and how religious you are.
11:07
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a million miles from the truth.
11:10
[SPEAKER_02]: I remember going to see an old man one time, body's soul.
11:13
[SPEAKER_02]: And when I started talking with him, he said, he said, I'm scared.
11:18
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm scared.
11:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And I said, what are you afraid about, mister?
11:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Why are you afraid?
11:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I felt sorry for him.
11:22
[SPEAKER_02]: There's no man tottering on the edge of the grave and he's scared.
11:26
[SPEAKER_02]: So I said, what are you afraid of?
11:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And this what he said?
11:28
[SPEAKER_02]: I am afraid that my bad deeds have outweighed my good deeds.
11:35
[SPEAKER_02]: And he figured that if he's bad deeds outweighed his good deeds, he didn't have a chance, he'd be lost and go to hell.
11:41
[SPEAKER_02]: So you know what I told him?
11:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I said, Mr. Even if your good deeds outweighed your bad deeds, you still wouldn't go to heaven that way.
11:52
[SPEAKER_02]: So he's in a bad fix.
11:54
[SPEAKER_02]: He's afraid that maybe he's bad.
11:55
[SPEAKER_02]: He's always good, but he finds out for me after we talk that even if he's good, he's outweight.
12:02
[SPEAKER_02]: He's bad.
12:02
[SPEAKER_02]: He still couldn't go to heaven that way.
12:05
[SPEAKER_02]: You see, friend, you don't go to heaven on a basis of how good your are or how religious you are.
12:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Heaven and salvation is not something you buy.
12:13
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not something you win.
12:15
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not something you earn.
12:17
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a gift.
12:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I have been so blessed, not only by Dr. Paul Levine, but by Cheryl, the testimony that you share with us not long ago.
12:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for that.
12:28
[SPEAKER_01]: If you have a testimony that you'd like to share, would you contact us in just a moment?
12:33
[SPEAKER_01]: The announcer will be on to tell you all kinds of ways that you can get in touch.
12:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so very much for listening today.
12:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I pray that you have a great day for his glory, and I pray you come to a saving knowledge of Christ if you have not already.
12:47
[SPEAKER_01]: God bless.
13:12
[UNKNOWN]: you
13:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for tuning in to Bible Tract Echoes, the radio ministry of Bible Tracts Incorporated.
13:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Want to see our gospel tracks and other resources?
13:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Visit us online at BibleTracksInk.org.
13:30
[SPEAKER_00]: That's BibleTracksInk.org or follow us on social media to learn how you can partner with this ministry.
13:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks again for listening.
13:42
[SPEAKER_00]: May the Lord richly bless you as you live for him.