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Colin Smith: Now we know from the Bible that when Jesus rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven and right now he is seated at the right hand of the Father where he is interceding for us. So if Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, how can he be present 24/7 with each and every one of us?

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I'm Steve Hiller, and I'm glad you're with us today. Colin, I'm glad you have to answer this question here because if Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, how can he be with us?

Colin Smith: Well, that is the person and work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. What a wonderful central truth in the Christian faith this is, that the Lord Jesus is as truly with us today right now as he was with the disciples when they were in the boat on the lake or wherever they had followed him during his years on earth. The way in which he is with us is by his Holy Spirit, who is given to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We're looking at this wonderful verse in Colossians chapter one and verse 27, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." So the Lord Jesus Christ is actually in us, and the way he is in us is by his Spirit imparted to us. We're going to look at that wonderful truth and how it makes a difference, leading us to hope. This is where hope is found, in God through Christ and by means of the Holy Spirit.

Steve Hiller: Well, let's continue to look at that as we continue our message called "Hope Through Christ." Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Confusing oneself with the Holy Spirit is actually at the root of a great deal of fanaticism, authoritarianism, and self-deception. You may have even met someone who has lost sight of the distinction between him or herself and the Holy Spirit. One of the ways that you know that a person has lost sight of that distinction is that they begin to speak as if everything they say is what God himself says. Of course, you cannot reason with such a person. That's why I say it's the root of so much fanaticism, authoritarianism, and self-deception.

The Holy Spirit, Jesus says, will be with you. That preserves a distinction. You are not the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is not you. Of course, that is why it is possible for a person who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God still at times to speak or act in a way that is foolish or even sinful.

But then Jesus says, "the Holy Spirit will be in you, in you." In other words, the Holy Spirit will actually be present and active in the life of every believer in Jesus, every one of Jesus' disciples. It's not just that the Holy Spirit is with you, wonderful though that is. When you trust yourself to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell, that's the word Jesus uses, to live in you.

What's the difference? Well, the difference is very significant. This means that the Holy Spirit is more than a mentor, more than someone who walks with you and simply tells you what to do. No, the Holy Spirit actually works in you, renewing your mind, changing you from the inside out, molding and shaping and directing your will, giving you strength that you did not have before and would not have otherwise, producing within you the good fruit of faith, hope, and love.

And you see, that is why there is hope for every person in Jesus Christ. You may be standing at the bottom of Mount Hope, as it were, and saying, "You know what? I don't think I have the ability to live this Christian life." And you know what? That's true. But when Christ lives in you, when he is present and active in and through his Holy Spirit, he will give you an ability that you did not have before and that you would not have otherwise.

So here is a wonderful, wonderful prospect and promise. When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, his Spirit will not only be with you but in you. He will produce a new life in you that you did not have before. When you grasp the first half of this marvelous verse, then you will begin to experience the second: Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Now let's think first, then, about this marvelous word glory. Jesus made this marvelous prayer to the Father on the night that he was betrayed, and it's a prayer not only for his disciples then but also for us. John 17 and verse 24, "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me." Jesus wants you to be with him. Jesus wants you to see his glory.

Will this be a seeing with our eyes or will it be an understanding with our minds and our hearts? The answer to that is both. Thomas Manton, a marvelous Puritan writer, says that there is a glorified eye as well as a glorified mind. I love that. You will have a glorified eye. In other words, your eyes in the resurrection body will be able to behold the brightness of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Think about it. If you were to see that glory now, it would be as blinding to you as it was to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. But in your resurrection body, you will have the capacity to see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall behold his face; we shall his power adore and sing the wonders of his grace forevermore.

But you know, there's more. Think about it. The angels are spirits and do not have bodies—no eyeballs for the angels. And yet our Lord tells us quite clearly that the angels always behold the glory of the Father in heaven. So not only will we see the glory of Christ with our own eyes in our resurrected body, we will have some grasp of his glory in our hearts and in our minds. That is going to fuel worship in a way that we have never known it before. Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before you, lost in wonder, love, and praise. That's how it's going to be when you see the glory of Christ.

But Jesus has promised that we will actually share his glory. John 17 and verse 22, "The glory," Jesus says to the Father, "that you have given me, I have given to them." It's amazing. The disciples of Jesus will share his glory. This is something so certain that Jesus speaks about it as if it is something that has already happened. Of course, you find the same in Romans and chapter eight, where the apostle Paul says, "those whom God has justified, he also glorified."

He tells us what this means: that we are going to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ when we see him. We're going to be like him. All of God's children will reflect forever the beauty, the glory of God's one and only dearly loved Son.

Christ in you, the hope of glory. Now let's think about this word hope that is central to our series. The apostle Paul does not say Christ in you is glory now; he says Christ in you is the hope of glory. So you see, Christians live in this tension between what we have now and what we will have one day when we see Christ. We live in the tension, to put it another way, of the already and the not yet.

And the process that's going to end in you reflecting the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, that process has already begun. I'm thinking of 2 Corinthians chapter three and verse 18 where Paul says, "we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another." This is present tense. This is what God is doing by his Spirit now. The work of changing us into the likeness of Christ, the work of his glory beginning to be reflected in you, is already begun.

There's an "already," but there's also a "not yet." Romans chapter eight and verse 23, "we... who have the firstfruits of the Spirit," Paul says, "groan inwardly as we wait for... adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." He's saying we don't have that yet. We're waiting for it. It's our hope. It lies in the future.

So Christians live in the tension between what we have in Christ already and what we do not have yet. John Stott very helpfully spells out what it is like for us to live, as it were, between times, in this tension of what we already enjoy in Christ and what is not yet ours. Let me quote some words from him. "Already," he says, "we affirm that God has revealed himself." We really do know God because he's made himself known in Christ. "But not yet do we know God as he knows us." That's why we live with many mysteries and so many unanswered questions—the already and the not yet.

Then he says, "Already, God has put his Holy Spirit within us in order to make us holy." You have the power and the capacity to pursue a holy life already, now. Pursue it. "And yet," says John Stott, "not yet, however, has our fallen nature been eradicated, for still the sinful nature does what is contrary to the Spirit, so that if we claim ourselves to be without sin, we deceive ourselves." That's why we're in a battle. The Spirit indwells you, and yet you still know this temptation with many pulls towards sin.

Third example. "Already, Jesus is gathering," Stott says, "around him a people characterized by truth and love and holiness. These are distinguishing marks of the church. But not yet, however, has Christ presented his bride to himself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish." The marks of the new life of Christ can be seen in other believers, but you'll never find it perfectly anywhere.

One more. "Already," we affirm, Stott says, "God is at work in human society. Not yet, however, has God created the promised new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness." And that is why for all the blessings that we enjoy, the apostle Paul says that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up until the present time.

At present, we are living in between times, the hope of glory. We live between the grace that we grasp by faith and the glory that we anticipate in hope. Christ in you, the hope of glory. And these two belong together. If Christ is yours, living hope will be yours as well. It comes from God and through Christ.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called "Hope Through Christ." It is part of a larger series called "Grow in Hope." If you ever miss a broadcast in the series, you can come and listen online. Our website is openthebible.org.

One other thing I want to let you know about is our newest podcast. It's called Hike Through the Bible. Maybe you're going to be traveling this summer and you're looking for a new podcast to listen to on the road. I'd encourage you to check this out. It's a 50-episode journey all the way through the Bible story from Genesis to Revelation. As you listen to the podcast, you're going to see how the whole Bible fits together, that it's not a collection of stories but it's one story from Genesis to Revelation, and it will help you love Jesus more. Again, you can find Hike Through the Bible anywhere you get your podcasts. There's even a video version that you'll find on YouTube, and I hope you'll like and subscribe and take your journey from Genesis to Revelation with Pastor Colin.

Now let's get back to our message, "Hope Through Christ."

Colin Smith: Now I want this series to be as practical as possible, so let me try and give now three applications in which we see further how to grow in hope. The first, very obviously from this verse, is if you're to grow in hope, you must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is hope for you in God, and that hope will become yours in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. The hope of glory is Christ in you. If Christ is yours, glory will be yours.

Christ becomes yours in and through faith. This is why the apostle Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Hope comes from God. It comes through Christ. Christ becomes yours through faith as you believe in him. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and Christ will be in you. And when Christ is yours, living hope will be yours as well.

And of course it follows that without Christ you really have no ground for hope. The apostle does not say "good" in you is the hope of glory. He doesn't say "trying your best" in you will be the hope of glory. No, Christ in you, the hope of glory. So believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust yourself to him and hope will be yours.

Then, secondly, let's learn today to enjoy what Christ has given. You know, when we talk about hope, it would be very easy to fall into the mistaken idea that somehow the Christian faith is all about jam tomorrow and no jam today. But God's promise is not only the hope of glory; God's promise is Christ in you. So enjoy what is yours in Jesus Christ today. Think about it. In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. In Jesus Christ, you are loved. In Jesus Christ right now, you are a new creation.

The apostle Paul says in Romans and chapter five that being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So he says, "we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." And then he says, "hope does not disappoint us." Why are we not disappointed by hope? Well, he gives the answer. Here's why we're not miserable in this world while we're waiting for the better one to come. Hope does not disappoint us because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom he has given to us. Christ lives in you. And you therefore already have a taste of what is to come. So enjoy what is yours in Jesus Christ now.

How are you to grow in hope? You've got to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. You've got to enjoy what is yours in Jesus Christ now. And here's the last thing: anticipate what Jesus Christ has promised. You know, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have the most marvelous future. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.

Some people talk about living your best life now. And you know, living your best life now is what a person does if they're going to hell. If Christ is not in you, the only happiness you'll ever know is the happiness that you have in this world. If Christ is not in you, you'd better enjoy all that you can right now because there'll certainly be nothing in the future for you to enjoy—not beyond this world.

But you see, if Christ is in you, your best life lies ahead of you. You're in an altogether different position. You have living hope. Listen to how David describes it in the Psalms. He says to God, "In your presence is fullness of joy, and at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore." And then he says this, "As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness."

Brother, sister in Christ, ahead of you are joys that are greater than anything you have ever known. Ahead of you is strength greater than anything you have previously enjoyed. Ahead of you lies peace and love and flourishing in a perfect world where faith is turned to sight, where God's redeemed people will be made perfect in love, where sin and sorrow and suffering are no more and every tear is wiped away from your eyes. In that perfect world, you will behold him. You will dwell with him and he with you. You will glorify him and you will enjoy him forever.

Steve Hiller: What an encouraging thing to think about as we wrap up our time together: enjoying and glorifying God forever. You're listening to a message entitled "Hope Through Christ." It's part of our series "Grow in Hope," today looking at Colossians 1:27.

If you missed any of the broadcasts in our series, come and listen online at openthebible.org. There you can stream the program or download an MP3 for free. You can also listen if you have the Open the Bible app. You'll find that for free at your app store. It's a great way to listen to Pastor Colin's teaching on demand whenever it fits your schedule. One other way to listen is to get a copy of this entire series, "Grow in Hope," on CD. Ask about that when you call us at 1-877-OPEN-365. That's 1-877-673-6365, or you'll find ordering information online at openthebible.org.

Open the Bible is a listener-supported program. It's your generosity that allows us to bring you Pastor Colin's teaching each day. As you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a copy of Pastor Colin's brand new 30-day devotional book. It's called "Grow in Hope." Colin, who is this book for?

Colin Smith: Well, this is for everybody who wants to have hope. I think that's absolutely every person. We all need hope. If you would like to have hope drip-fed into your life for 30 days, then "Grow in Hope" is a devotional that will do just that. It's full of the promises of God. It shows that hope comes from God, it comes to us through the Lord Jesus Christ, and it comes to us by his marvelous grace. So 30 days of hope, I think that's something that everyone can use, and I hope it's going to be a blessing to everyone who reads it.

Steve Hiller: We'd love to send you a copy of this as our way of saying thanks for your financial support. You can give online at openthebible.org or when you call 1-877-OPEN-365. That's 1-877-673-6365, or again the website is openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." God's Word is the food that will nourish your soul. You need it every day. Open the Bible Daily is a daily devotional that will open the Word of God and lead you to Jesus. It's available for free on our website, openthebible.org. For more information, visit openthebible.org/daily. That's openthebible.org/daily.