The blessed hope is the rapture – Jesus returning to take His people home to heaven before Daniel’s 70th week commencing. It isn’t the ’blessed hope of salvation if I’m good enough’ – because none of us are. We’re saved by God’s grace, & by His good pleasure, through our faith in Christ.
Good short sermon on the rapture here by Lee Brainard: https://youtu.be/dAmoIVAduGQ
The Gospel 1 Cor 15:1-4:
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
Eph 2:8-9:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the saviour from your sin (John 3:16-18, Acts 16:29-31). The Son of God, God manifest in the flesh, the image of the invisible God (Col 1:5). Place your faith in Him & His work that He did for you, to reconcile you to God eternally. This is His sinless shed blood, death, burial & resurrection on the 3rd day. Simply trusting in that gets you saved, born again. Jesus did it all and paid it all. It is finished (John 19:30). Salvation is a free gift we receive through faith, believing the gospel.
Christ teaches us to strive to enter in at the straight gate – salvation is by faith alone, not anything else. People can really struggle to enter in at the straight gate, because they have real trouble trusting in what Christ did as sufficient to pay for all their sins.
We are not justified by our works or our own attempts at living clean or being righteous (Gal 2:16, Rom 5:1). We cannot contribute to our salvation, or right standing with God – Jesus paid it all because we couldn’t. Our salvation is eternal, and it’s a free gift received through faith alone, we cannot earn it. There are many false doctrines that teach you have to work for it, or work to keep it. But this is not scriptural. Getting saved implies someone else does the saving. If we have to work for it, then “it is finished” is no longer true – it wouldn’t be finished. But the thing is, that it is finished, as Jesus said. All sin has been paid for – all of it.
Rom 11:6 “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.”
Over two thousand years ago, God manifest Himself in the flesh (Jesus) (1 Tim 3:16, John 1:1-3, 14, Col 1:15-17). Jesus is the prophesied Messiah (Isaiah 9:6, 7:14, 53, Dan 9:25-26).
Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, & the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Jesus lived the perfect righteous sinless life. Then He took our place, by bearing the punishment for our sins – He died in our place (the wages of sin is death – Rom 6:23, Isaiah 53:4-6). Then He rose from the grave on the third day, as He said He would! Jesus was called the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Jesus acted as a sacrificial lamb – spotless and without blemish (no sin). He shed His perfect sinless blood – this gets us complete forgiveness of sins, justification, cleansing, sanctification, redemption, reconciliation, peace and closeness with God (Eph 1:7, 2:13, Col 1:14, Rom 5:9, 1 Pet 1:18-19, 1 John 1:7, Heb 13:12, Matt 26:28). We are forgiven all trespasses (Col 2:13). God gives us the victory through Christ (1 Cor 15:57). Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ (Rom 8:37-38).
You don’t get to Heaven by trying to be righteous enough yourself. The believer’s faith is accounted for righteousness
“For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,” Rom 4:2, 5 The believer is imputed with the righteousness of God (Rom 3:22, 2 Cor 5:21, Rom 4:22-25).
Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
We become spiritually born again, children of God (John 1:12-13). I think this is why it’s vital that our sins are forgiven and we’re cleansed, so that God’s Spirit can in dwell within us – remember that iniquity separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2), sin is an issue that needs to be addressed, and Christ addressed it fully on the cross. After we believe, we are SEALED with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph 4:30, 1:12-14)
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Amen