How do you hold on to the full assurance of hope and not begin to rest on some past emotional experience as though that's going to carry you to glory.

So what is it that sustains hope? That's the question that John Piper answers from Romans 15-4

in this episode of Light and Truth.

This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on May 4th, 1986.

Maybe somebody this morning is coming under the influence of the Holy Spirit in such a way

that the upshot is going to be regeneration.

How would it happen? What would it be like? Let me describe

what it might be like. You come in here as a lost sitter, you sit down in the pew, you feel a little bit uncomfortable

in this religious atmosphere, but nothing not a good dinner and some TV this afternoon

won't take care of.

You look around and actually it is sort of interesting to be here.

In fact, you've thought from time to time in your life, I wonder if I've ever

could really become religious. I wonder if I could be like those people.

I never happened, but that would be an interesting thing.

If I could become like one of those people who really sings and seems to get emotional about God and talk about him as though he's real.

And so he's curious to be here.

And then the message begins and the first thing you hear is that all men are sinners and that they're not only sinners but they're

sinful they have a love affair with evil with disobedience and that by nature we

are all anti-God and that sounds reasonable. And, for the first time in your life, that sounds reasonable.

And you say to yourself, yeah, everybody I know is like that and me too. The message goes on and you

hear the additional word, the wages of sin is death. Everybody who is opposed

to God and rejects God and doesn't believe on his son has the wrath of God lying upon them.

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