Hope That Is Seen Is Not Hope

 

Truly, through Jesus, who is our hope (1 Tim. 1:1, Col. 1:27), we have been saved from our former sins (Eph. 2:8; for a more detailed explanation of salvation, see “Have I Already Been Saved...?”). For we were once by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:2-3) and enemies of God, but God, through Jesus, made peace again between Himself and us, and gave us again a living hope.

 

Ephesians 2:11-13 “11Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands; 12that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ.”

1 Peter 1:3-4 “3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.”

 

Therefore, now we must hold fast, without wavering, to this living hope which God has given us through Jesus. And for this, we must encourage one another and strive to gather together.

 

Hebrews 10:23-25 “23let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised: 24and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; 25not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.”

 

This is because each of us can be weak, and therefore, as the last days draw nearer, we need to work together.

 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up. 11Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? 12And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.”

 

As these passages say, all of us who take the promise of Jesus as our hope must work together and fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12) against unbelieving thoughts that say, “There is no resurrection from the dead,” or “I cannot believe in the coming of Jesus.” For just as the old serpent deceived Eve away from the word of God in the beginning and brought death upon mankind (Rom. 5:12), today also our adversary the devil blasphemes Jesus and us (Rev. 13:6), so that the promise of Jesus may not become the hope of our salvation.

 

1 Corinthians 15:12-19 “12Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?... 16For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised: 17and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.”

 

2 Peter 3:3-9 “3knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts, 4and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5For this they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God... 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

 

Therefore, in this time when our adversary the devil seeks to overthrow our faith (2 Tim. 2:18), if we can work together and help one another hold fast to the hope of our confession to the end, this will surely be profitable for one another (1 Pet. 5:8-9).

 

1 Thessalonians 5:7-8 “7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. 8But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

Hebrews 3:6 “but Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end.”

 

As Romans 8:24-25 says above, hope is not hoping for what we see with our eyes, but hoping for what we do not see. Therefore, we need to wait for it with patience. Because Jesus will surely come again into this world and save us, just as He promised, we must endure to the end with this hope.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 “13But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.... 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; 17then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

 

Truly, this word becomes a great comfort to us (Rom. 15:4). As this passage says, death is never the end. Whether they have already died, that is, fallen asleep, or are alive now, all who are in Jesus will in the end live together with Jesus forever. Therefore, we must believe this word and surely take it as our hope.

 

John 11:25-26 “25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; 26and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

 

Thus, the hope God has promised us is the hope of resurrection and eternal life.

 

Titus 1:1-2 “1Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ... 2in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal...”

 

Because we now live believing this promise and looking to the hope of resurrection and eternal life, it is very important for us not to be impatient, but to wait with patience.

 

James 5:7-11 “7Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain. 8Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Murmur not, brethren, one against another, that ye be not judged: behold, the judge standeth before the doors. 10Take, brethren, for an example of suffering and of patience, the prophets who spake in the name of the Lord. 11Behold, we call them blessed that endured: ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, how that the Lord is full of pity, and merciful.”

 

As this passage says, in yet a very little while, Jesus will come again to this earth (Heb. 10:37). Therefore, as those whose citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), we must not live on this earth like those who set their hope on the world. Rather, as those who hope in Jesus in this world, we must keep ourselves pure, that is, spiritually pure before Jesus, in the name of Jesus (Rev. 14:4).

 

1 John 3:2-3 “2Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. 3And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

 

Amen.