Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Foundations of Hope
  What do you hope for? Is it a good job, a nice car, some cash, good health, popularity? These are some of the things that people put their hope in but I hate to break it to you…they are all fleeting. In other words, they all will go away. You might have a good job but it will end or you might get laid off. The nice car will begin to rust and break down. The cash never stays long and is all left behind at the gas pump. Good health and long life are not a guarantee. Popularity? Well, someone else who is “cooler” will show up and you will be yesterday’s cool person and today’s “average Joe”. So often we put our hope in things that are not going to last, in things that don’t really satisfy and in things that are temporary. We also tend to put our hope in things that cause us to compromise just to keep a hold of them. How many corporate executives placed their hope on the golden parachute only to realize that their compromise to achieve that hope took it all away?We need to put our hope in something that doesn’t disappoint. We need to put our hope in something that is permanent and that never changes.Hope is what keeps us going when things are tough. Without hope many people simply give up, don’t care and waste away their life in an aimless pursuit of nothing. Hope is an important part of your launch pad. Without hope that is founded in something secure your adult life will be full of despair. Let’s face it, tough times, even devastating times will come. Where you place your hope will determine where you come out on the other side.Here are some observations about hope that we see in the Scriptures.
- Hope in the Bible is a reality not yet realized - The lottery is not a reality for all but a dream for all but one. The promises of the Scriptures are a reality for all who put their trust in Him. “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20) Lotto does not promise you will win (they make very sure you know that in the fine print). The Bible promises all who place their trust in Christ will win “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Our hope is a reality that we just have not yet physically realized. There is nothing in this world you can hope for that can claim that truth!
- Hope is defined by the Scriptures - Our hope is defined by the Scriptures. All of Scriptures were given to us so that we might have hope. We don’t have to guess what to place our hope in. The Bible is there to define our hope. “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4).
- Hope is contained in the Gospel of Jesus Christ - The gospel of Jesus Christ includes and contains our hope. The Gospel is the good news that the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, is sufficient for our full atonement for our sins and that new life has been given us in Christ Jesus. This gospel contains our hope. This is why we preach the gospel…“because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel” (Colossians 1:5)
So what is our hope? In a nutshell…OUR GLORY!! Our hope is our being forevermore in the presence of God where we will dwell in His glory! Nor more battle with sin, no more pain, no more heartache but enjoying the presence of Jesus Christ forever!! Paul summarizes it well when he said of the Colossian church that they were “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27). Eternal Glory! Can you imagine that? Nothing else we might ever hope for in this world could compare with this glory. This is an indescribable glory, a pure, beautiful, exciting glory. Why do we cast our hope on things so fleeting as the material stuff around us when the Scriptures say our hope is eternal Glory?This hope of glory is also a living hope. Not a hope that perishes or fades away but a hope that will last. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” (1 Peter 1:3-4). What is our hope? Our hope is our glory! Our inheritance! Our being forever joined with God in all His glory!! What a glorious hope! This is why Paul was able to say, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). This is the kind of hope that brings comfort in hard times. This is the kind of hope that keeps us persevering for the sake of Christ and the hope of glory!So how do I have hope? Maybe your sensing by the prompting of the Holy Spirit that your hope is misplaced or has been repeatedly disappointed? Do you want to have a hope that lasts and doesn’t disappoint even when things get really, really ugly? Here is what the Bible says to do.1) Hope is gained by placing your trust in the source of all hope…Jesus Christ. This was Paul’s heart cry for presenting the gospel. His prayer was that “…the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:18). You see, without Christ you have no hope. NONE. There is no hope for you for anything without Jesus Christ. “remember that you were at that time separate from Christ…having no hope.” (Ephesians 2:12). Going to church gives no hope. Doing good things and being a good person gives no hope. Only placing your trust in Christ Jesus gives hope.I have used before the illustration of a chair to describe trust and faith. You can look at the chair and say that you trust in it. You can say that you believe it will hold you up. But until you sit in it you haven’t really trusted in the chair. It’s a good illustration and it serves it’s purpose…but it falls short. The problem is you don’t have to take the chair with you wherever you go. You can sit in the chair, say you trusted it and then get up and leave it there. Then, whenever anyone asks, you can say you trusted in the chair. Unfortunately, many people do that with Jesus. They say they have sat in the chair but they left him behind.No, trusting in Jesus is more like a parachute. Let’s say you have boarded a plane and when you are 35,000 feet in the air the Captain says “good afternoon, ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. I wanted to inform you that at some unpredictable moment during this flight, all the engines will fail and you will have to jump for your lives. I strongly recommend that you put on your parachute and keep it on until the jump.” If you believed the Captain, you would put on the parachute. You wouldn’t care if you thought it was uncomfortable or if others were laughing at you. You would put it on a keep it on. That is what trusting in Jesus is like. It is putting Him on because you know that only He can save you from the jump into judgment that we all are going to make. To have any hope at all you need to put Him on and keep Him on. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Romans 13:14)2) Hope is made sure by abiding in Christ. To follow up on the previous point of putting on Jesus Christ we must remain with Him. That is what abiding means. To abide is to remain. Jesus calls us to abide with Him because without Him we can do nothing (John 15:1-5). When we remain with Christ we have confidence in Him and can do and face all things through Him. This confidence give us assurance, it helps build our hope. It also helps remove the threat of shame and doubt. “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” (1 John 2:28) Abide with Christ. Live, remain, dwell with Christ in all things and fix your hope and your confidence on Him.3) Hope is gained by expectation. It goes without saying that hoping for something that is visible is silly. Why would I hope for something that I already have? The very definition of the word indicates that hope is for the unseen and thereby requires expectation. We are instructed to live with expectation as we are “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,” (Titus 2:13). We are to be looking for it! What is interesting about this passage from Titus is the whole context instructs us to live a life pursuing holiness while we are looking for the blessed hope. Now read the entire verse in its context. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:11-14) Did you catch that? We are to live a life pursuing holiness and godliness in this present age AND be looking, not to this world and the stuff in it, but for the blessed hope which is the appearing of the glory of Christ! Hope is gained by expectation.4) Hope is grown by trials. Hope is gown by trials for the simple reason we want to be rid of them. Pressure (which is the meaning of the word “tribulation”) pushes us closer and makes us long for our hope. And this hope will not disappoint us. “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5) Persevere in whatever tribulations you may be facing for the cause of Christ. Let it grow the hope within you.5) Hope purifies - Where you place your hope tends to indicate the direction you’re traveling. For example, it would be silly to hope to arrive in Chicago as you are boarding a plane headed for L.A.! Where you fix your hope indicates your goals and your direction in life. This is true as a believer in Christ. If you have fixed your hope on Christ you ought to be heading toward Him in all things. This is what the Apostle John meant when he said, “and everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:3). In the same way it would be wrong to hope to end up in Chicago while boarding a plane going to L.A., it is wrong for us to claim to hope in Christ while living in a way that is going in a direction away from Him. A hope in Christ purifies itself and aligns itself with Christ in all of life. A hope fixed on Christ purifies.So what do you have to hope for? Stuff? Popularity? Leading a “normal life” (whatever that means!)? Not ending up like your parents? Having a good job? If that’s all your hope is fixed on then your future looks rather bleak!Instead fix your hope on Christ and pursue the hope of glory with Jesus Christ. Let all of your life be concentrated on that hope! Dare to live a radically different life transformed by this hope! Look expectantly to the glory of Jesus Christ!
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13) Posted on 6:34 PM by Pastor Nathan
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