People all talk about hope. They say, “I hope to be a better person next year.” “I hope to make a contribution to the world in my lifetime.” “I hope I will go to heaven when I die.”
The problem with all of those declarations is the “I” at the beginning of them. If all we have to trust in is the “I” then we have no hope. Paul describes the person who doesn’t know Christ in this way:
Eph 2:12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Hope then becomes a present reality as it presents itself as a future reality. Trusting in Christ brings this hope into the heart and life of the child of God. Paul says in Romans 8:24, 25:
For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Hope then is a matter of assurance rather than a fantasy about what is going to happen. It is a quality imprinted on the heart of a believer. It is such a reality that giants of the faith have been willing to die because of it. The Psalmist said in Psalm 39:7
And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.
Hope then rests in a person, Jesus Christ. It is explained in the Word of God so that becomes foundational to hope as well. Paul writes in Romans 15:4
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Believers are people of hope. They have a bright outlook for today, but their hope goes beyond the grave so that the future is grounded in a wonderful hope for today. Lift up your heads. Trust in the Lord.
The capstone of hope is seen in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. His Disciples felt that His death had closed His life and that they had lost the hope for a new nation for which they had been waiting. Jesus’ resurrection told them that they would not have a new nation, but that they were part of a new kingdom, the kingdom of God. His death gave them life. His resurrection gave them hope. His presence in them confirmed that hope as it does in us. Paul describes that in Colossians 1:27
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
This hope then is present and future. It is comforting and challenging. John says that because of the hope of the coming of the Lord we should have the purity of the Lord in our lives. I John 3:3
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Hope that is not certain is not hope. It is a pretext because there is no way of knowing whether it is hope. There is no hope for those who are outside of Christ because the future is an uncertain thing. We can know that Jesus died for us. We can know that He rose for us. We can know that He lives for us. We can know that He will return to take His children to be with Him. That hope is available to all.
The problem with all of those declarations is the “I” at the beginning of them. If all we have to trust in is the “I” then we have no hope. Paul describes the person who doesn’t know Christ in this way:
Eph 2:12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Hope then becomes a present reality as it presents itself as a future reality. Trusting in Christ brings this hope into the heart and life of the child of God. Paul says in Romans 8:24, 25:
For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Hope then is a matter of assurance rather than a fantasy about what is going to happen. It is a quality imprinted on the heart of a believer. It is such a reality that giants of the faith have been willing to die because of it. The Psalmist said in Psalm 39:7
And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.
Hope then rests in a person, Jesus Christ. It is explained in the Word of God so that becomes foundational to hope as well. Paul writes in Romans 15:4
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Believers are people of hope. They have a bright outlook for today, but their hope goes beyond the grave so that the future is grounded in a wonderful hope for today. Lift up your heads. Trust in the Lord.
The capstone of hope is seen in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. His Disciples felt that His death had closed His life and that they had lost the hope for a new nation for which they had been waiting. Jesus’ resurrection told them that they would not have a new nation, but that they were part of a new kingdom, the kingdom of God. His death gave them life. His resurrection gave them hope. His presence in them confirmed that hope as it does in us. Paul describes that in Colossians 1:27
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
This hope then is present and future. It is comforting and challenging. John says that because of the hope of the coming of the Lord we should have the purity of the Lord in our lives. I John 3:3
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Hope that is not certain is not hope. It is a pretext because there is no way of knowing whether it is hope. There is no hope for those who are outside of Christ because the future is an uncertain thing. We can know that Jesus died for us. We can know that He rose for us. We can know that He lives for us. We can know that He will return to take His children to be with Him. That hope is available to all.
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