As a Christian, you have hope. In fact, you have great hope. It is, in fact, a living hope according to the Bible.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, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:3-6 NIV)Christian hope is not simply wishful expectation:These are "wishes" that have nothing at all to do with Christian hope. The Greek word translated hope means a "favorable and confident expectation" (Vine's Expository Dictionary).I hope I have a good day today. I hope it doesn't rain today. I hope I hear from my friend today. I hope I win the "Big Game" this week. I hope the preacher finishes his sermon real soon! Main Point: Christian hope is a certain future that give us a confident present.
1. A Certain Future
The Apostle Peter also writes of this living hope as "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade -- kept in heaven for you" (1:4).The Christians to whom Peter wrote had lost many material possessions. They were being persecuted for their faith. They had lost their homes. Their families were split up. Life was just plain hard for them. So Peter reminds them of their living hope of a great inheritance.
God has a great inheritance stored up for you in Heaven. This inheritance is more precious than homes, than all the gold we may possess today. For one day, "The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare" (2 Pet. 3:10, NIV). God will destroy the earth as we know it and usher in a "new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1, NIV).
Though we certainly have a great inheritance of spiritual riches today in Christ, there are profoundly more awaiting us in Heaven. The Apostle Paul wrote, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Cor. 4:17, NIV). Our inheritance in Christ is a certain future that can never "perish, spoil, or fade" unlike all the things we possess. Everything wears out, even our bodies. But our certain future in Christ is a glorious inheritance that will never wear out. It cannot be tarnished with time and it cannot be tarnished by the world's opinion of it.
So we have a living hope in Christ of a certain future. That certain future gives us a confident present.
2. A Confident Present
The Apostle Peter writes here: "In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope" (1:3).Peter remembers how he first encountered the miraculous power of Jesus, realizing Jesus was not a man but the Son of the Living God. Peter was a fisherman who had worked all night and caught nothing. Jesus told Peter to cast his net into the water and at once the net was so filled with fish the nets began to break. Peter knew that only God could command fish into the net. The Bible says, "When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8, NIV). Peter was very aware of the "great mercy" the LORD had shown him. Through the resurrection of Christ He received a "new birth" and a "living hope." With Peter, you and I can rejoice that we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). No longer are we burdened by the guilt of our sin, no longer are we defiled by shame, but we are transformed, cleansed, born-again as a child of God. That is our living hope in Christ. It is not a dead hope -- a hope that cannot help. It is a living hope that brings great confidence to us each day.
Christian hope is a certain future that give us a confident present. And our hope is alive because Jesus Christ lives forever!
Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please send your e-mail to:
Email: ministryrequest1@WordTruth.Com
Web Site: WordTruth.ComCopyright 11/16/2001, Randy Lariscy.
