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Hope of Heaven
The apostle Paul wrote (Titus 1:2) that believers have, “a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” He went on to say that God (3:5-7) “saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Approximately one hundred fifty Bible verses speak of hope. (Colossians 1:27) “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Romans 8:23-24) “We wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.” (1 Peter 1:13) “Be self- controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Hope is a desire, a longing, or anticipating something pleasant. Everyone hopes for something or some change. We hope for many things to be a reality in the course of a day. Real hope is not just wishful thinking or anticipating something, however, because Christian hope is a positive conviction that God’s promises will be fulfilled. Faith is directly connected to hope. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” (Hebrews 11:1). Perfected faith in the perfect sacrifice of Christ makes hope a certainty. Faith and hope are related. Faith looks more to the past but hope to the future. We hope for something tomorrow, but never hope for something yesterday. God has always kept His promises in the past, so we can be sure that He will fulfill our hopes in the future. Everyone needs to have hope, as it is an essential ingredient for a right outlook on life. With hope, a person believes that the situation will improve. If a person has no hope, Satan could bring serious depression upon them. God will empower us to get through anything, when our hope is in the Lord. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). People in the world place their hope on plans of the world (which eventually fail) because of having no solid foundation for the hope. The world says sooner or later things will improve, but they do not have to improve and often do not. The world’s hope is uncertain because it is based on the ever-changing circumstances of life, but the believer’s hope is certain because it is based on the never- changing God of the universe (Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 7:21; James 1:17). The believer has a living hope based on a living Savior. (Hebrews 6:19-20), “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever.” God is always faithful and His promises always fulfilled, so “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful,” (Hebrews 10:23). Christian hope is centered on Christ as Savior. Jesus conquered death and now promises His followers a special place in His Father’s house. He said (John 14:3 NLT), “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” Christian hope is based on Christ as God (in the flesh). “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together,” (Colossians 1:17). (NLT) “He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.” Unbelievers (who reject Christ) are “without hope and without God in the world,” (Ephesians 2:12). The promises of God are guaranteed by the resurrection of Christ so we can be joyful and confident in receiving what God has promised. (1 Peter 1:3-4) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you.” All Christian hope is built on Jesus’ blood and righteousness. When Abraham was about 75 (and Sarah 65), God gave this promise (Genesis 12:2), "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Many years passed and the Lord appeared to him again when Abraham was 99. God said (Genesis 15:5-6), "’Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Abraham’s hope was based on God’s promise. The apostle Paul said (Romans 4:18), “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’" When the answer doesn’t come, when things don’t add up, and when trials seem too difficult, hope keeps us steady in faith. Abraham believed so he was, “fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised,” (Romans 4:21). The Apostle Paul was chained to a guard in a Roman prison, but he did not complain and sang songs of praise, because he had hope that God would set him free. His circumstances changed dramatically. (Acts 5:19-20), “During the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ‘Go, stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people the full message of this new life.’" The new life had a living hope of seeing God’s promises fulfilled. Even though the apostle was in prison, he was inspired to write four NT books, because he had a living hope that God would change his situation. The apostle wrote (Philippians 1:19-21), “I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Leaving this life means going to a better one for the believer. Near the end of his ministry, the apostle wrote (2 Timothy 4:6), “The time has come for my departure.” The Greek for departure was used by sailors to mean taking up the anchor and letting it down in another harbor. (7-8), “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.” The believer has a blessed hope of being eternally anchored in heaven (when this life is over). God’s grace is what gives a living hope. (Titus 2:11-14), “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope -- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (14 NLT) “He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right.” Many signs point to the blessed hope being a reality. Israel has become a nation and the Jews are returning to their homeland. Since NT times they held on to their identity, but now they have their own national state. Arab states are desperately trying to take their nation from them, but they will not succeed. (Zechariah 12:3), “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone, a burden for the world. None of the nations who try to lift it will escape unscathed,” (NLT). Another sign is spiritual apathy on a global scale. Hundreds of millions give no thought about their spiritual condition, because they are totally indifferent to the work of Christ on the cross. The faithful believer, however, has a living hope that Jesus is returning. “Blessed are all who are watching for me,” (Revelation 16:15 NLT). Our responsibility is to remain faithful to God. The motivation for godly living is this living hope for heaven. (1 John 3:2-3), “Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” Knowing that all have sinned (but no one can save their soul by outward good works), could cause discouragement, but the hope of heaven is the promise of salvation (through the work of Christ). (Romans 6:23), “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We must forsake the city of destruction (as a writer described life on earth) and pass through the gate of repentance (into heaven). Our hope for the future is based on the sacrifice of the Lamb. (Romans 8:23-24) “We wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don’t need to hope for it,” (NLT). The hope of heaven is made a reality by our genuine faith in the atonement work of Christ. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God,” (Romans 5:1-2). †††
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Century Gospel Church © 2010 |
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