Hope--#5

 

1Peter 1:3- 5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

I've discovered that hope is a reoccurring theme throughout the Bible and especially in the Epistles. The hope we have in Christ is active and alive. It's not a dead hope. It's a "lively hope". Christ rose from the dead to give us hope beyond the grave. For those of us who have been saved by the grace and mercy of God, this is what keeps us going. God has promised us an inheritance that will not be lost to corruption. In fact, it's in heaven now, reserved just for us.

Another thing that makes this hope a living hope is the fact that it is God's power that keeps us through faith unto salvation. Ephesians 2:8- 9 says, " For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast." It's the grace of God through faith that saves us and it's the power of God that keeps us saved, not our own works. All of this is a gift from God. I am so thankful that it's not my own good works that saves me or keeps me saved because if it was I would be in a world of hurt. Isaiah 64:6 tells us, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." And then in Romans 3:23 it says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" My own righteous works are like filthy rags beside the holiness of God. There is no way I can even come close to doing enough to make myself worthy of His salvation because even my best works are tainted with sin. So, in light of this fact, that makes the hope I have in Christ a very "lively hope" because without God's gift of grace, faith and keeping power, I would be dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2:1 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;"

How about you? What is your hope? Is it living or dead? Do you have the hope (certainty) of sins forgiven and a home in heaven? If not, I pray that God will bless you with the gift of faith in His dear Son so that you too can have this "lively hope".

Dear Father, I am amazed at Your love for a sinner like me. I praise You for the hope that You have given me. Help me to walk in that hope even when circumstances are difficult. Amen.

Hope---#4

Romans 5:1 -5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

This whole passage of scripture is rich with hope! Because the grace of God justifies us through faith in Christ Jesus , we have hope and this hope will not disappoint us because it is all tied up in the love of God and His glory. We may go through tough times in our lives, but God will use these to produce patience, character (as the NKJV renders it) and hope in our lives. Perhaps you wonder, how can tough times produce hope? It has been said that the troubles of this life wean us off the pleasures of this world and point us toward God and heaven. If we can get our eyes off our earthly circumstances and focus them toward heavenly things...toward Christ, then we will have hope. When people can see that we have an eternal hope in spite of our circumstances, it will bring glory to God and we can rejoice.

Hope looks to the future and keeps its eyes on the prize of the high calling of God.

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Richard Sibbes (1577-1635)Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

was a great Puritan preacher. Here is what he says about hope:

"Trust and hope are often taken in the same sense, though a distinction betwixt them hath sometimes its use. Faith looks to the word promising, hope the thing promised in the word; faith looks to the authority of the promiser, hope especially to the goodness of the promise, faith looks upon things as present, hope as to come hereafter. God as the first truth, is that which hope rests on. Trust or confidence is nothing else but the strength of hope. If the thing hoped for be deferred, then of necessity, it enforces waiting, and waiting is nothing else but hope and trust lengthened."

Our hope rests in God. He is faithful. Press on!

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Dear Father, You are faithful. We trust in Your promises. Our hope is in You. Amen.

Hope---#3

Hebrews 6:19-20 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

In part two of this series on hope, I talked about the hope of salvation and the blessed hope of Christ's return. Our verse tells us that this hope is an anchor of the soul. This anchor reaches in behind the veil.

In the Old Testament Jewish temple there was a heavy thick veil that separated the holy place from the Most holy place where God's presence dwelt. No one was allowed in this place except for the High Priest who went in there once a year to atone for the sins of the people. Hebrews 9:7 tells us:

"But into the second (Most Holy Place) went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:"

There was only one High Priest at a time. Another was not put into office until the one before died. When Christ came and made the supreme sacrifice for our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead, God made Him an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. God effectively abolished the need for earthly priests when He made Christ our High Priest for ever. Hebrews 7:24 says,

"But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood." {or, which passeth not from one to another}

At Christ's death the veil in the temple was torn in two.

Matthew 27:50-51 "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;"

Christ entered the Most Holy Place, offering up His own blood to atone for our sins. The veil was torn open making the way for us to come into God's presence through the righteousness of Christ. This should bring great comfort and hope to us as we meditate on these truths.

The second, third and fourth verses of the old hymn, "The Solid Rock", says,

"When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest upon unchanging grace;

In every rough and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay.

When I shall launch in world's unseen, O may I then be found in him;

Dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne."

Dear Father, The words to the hymn says it all. It's Your unchanging grace that is my anchor through all the storms of life. I pray that my readers also have this anchor for their souls. Amen.

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Hope--#2

Titus 2:11-14 ¶ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

As I was thinking about hope again this week, I was reminded of an old hymn.

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' Name."

In this verse we have the whole reason for our hope. Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from the curse of sin. It was the grace of God that brought salvation through Christ. It is the grace of God that saves us, not our own righteous works. God's grace teaches us to live righteously as a result of what God does in our hearts through salvation. Salvation is by grace and good works are the outward fruit of what God has already done in us.

God helps us along on this road to righteous living. The verses above says that Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity. However, we often overlook the part that says, "...and purify unto himself a peculiar people...". The Bible speaks of the purifying of silver and gold:

Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Did you see the part where God says He will bring them through the fire? Purification is a painful process. It can take place when we go through trials of various kinds. Just like the impurities of the silver and gold that come to the surface and can then be removed when the metal is heated by the fire, so God takes us through the fire of trials so that the impurities of our lives can come to the surface and be dealt with.

As we go through this purification process we need to remember that we have a blessed hope to look forward to in the future... the glorious return of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ!

Dear Father, These are wonderful truths to meditate on. Give us grace as we are purified here on earth and patience as we wait for Your blessed return. Amen.

Hope--#1

Heb 11:1 ¶ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

I recently got a tee shirt for my birthday that has printed on the front, "HOPE...it's a choice" and on the back it says, "My illness is invisible but my HOPE shines through". It is promoting National Invisible Illness Awareness Week the second week in September. This has spurred me on to think about hope, and what my hope is. I plan to do a short series of devotionals over the next few weeks on hope.

Many times I have let circumstances get me down and my hope has not shined through. I struggle with this constantly because my nature is to be melancholy. My hope (no pun intended) is that this shirt will help me to remember that even though my circumstances might not be good I can still let hope shine through and encourage others by it.

The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith springs from hope. When the Bible talks about hope it is talking about certainty, not just an "I hope so" kind of thing that may or may not happen.

Philippians 3:20-21 says, "For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

One day God will change our broken down diseased bodies to be like his glorious body. This is one of the things that is not yet seen, but which I earnestly hope for. It is a certainty. It will happen. God promised it.

When circumstances are hard, try to remember that it won't always be this way. There is an end...a glorious end for God's people and there is HOPE!

Dear Father, I thank You that You have given me hope for the future that no man or circumstance can take away. Help me to let my hope shine through the tough times of my life. Amen

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