The Christian’s Hope
Introduction
1. Alexander Pope, the English poet who lived from 1688-1744, penned the famous words, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast...”
2. Whether on the battlefield or at the sickbed of a loved one, no words in the English language are more devastating than, “There is no hope.”
3. Dante, in The Inferno, said the sign over the gate to hell reads, “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.”
4. Of all people who are living, the Christian is the only one who has true hope.
a. Romans 15:4. “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
b. Romans 15:13. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
5. In this lesson, we are going to present and analyze the hope of the Christian.
I. Hope Defined
A. The dictionary defines hope as “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.” (Webster’s 7th New Collegiate Dictionary)
B. According to Scripture, hope is an integral part of one’s faith. (Heb. 11:1) 1. Moffatt, in translating Hebrews 11:1, said, “Now faith means we are
confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see.”
2. Hope is linked with faith because faith is the ground of our hope and hope is the object of our faith. (1 Cor. 13:13)
C. It is:
1. A hope of eternal life. (Titus 1:2; 3:7)
2. A hope of salvation. (1 Thes. 5:8; Rom. 8:24-25) 3. A hope laid up in heaven. (Col. 1:5)
4. A hope of resurrection from the dead. (Acts 23:6) 5. The hope of the gospel. (Col. 1:23)
• The hope of the fulfillment of all the promises presented in the gospel.
6. The hope of His calling. (Eph. 1:18; 4:4)
• The prospect before those who respond to His call in the gospel.
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7. Hope that is:
a. Good. (2 Thes. 2:16) b. Blessed. (Titus 2:13) c. Living. (1 Pet. 1:3) d. Glorious. (Col. 1:27) e. Sure. (Heb. 6:19)
f. Steadfast. (Heb. 6:19)
g. The anchor of the soul. (Heb. 6:19)
II. Why Do We Hope?
A. Because God, who cannot lie, promised it. (Titus 1:2) 1. He is “the God of hope.” (Rom. 15:13)
2. He “confirmed it by an oath.” (Heb. 6:17-19)
3. It was given through God’s grace. (2 Thes. 2:16) B. Because of Jesus.
1. He is our hope. (1 Tim. 1:1)
2. Because of His resurrection, we also have hope for the resurrection. (1 Pet. 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:12-20)
III. Who Can Have This Hope
A. Those who are in Christ. (1 Thes. 4:13-14)
1. Out of Him, there is no hope. (Eph. 2:12)
2. One is placed in Him by baptism. (Gal. 3:26-27; Rom. 6:3) B. Those whom Christ is in. (Col. 1:27)
1. When one is baptized into Christ, he puts on Christ. (Gal. 3:27) 2. Christ lives in the Christian. (Gal. 2:20)
C. Those who have been begotten. (1 Pet. 1:3)
1. Those who are born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:3-5)
2. Those who have been cleansed by the washing of regeneration. (Titus 3:5) D. Those who are justified. (Titus 3:7)
1. One is justified by faith. (Rom.5:1; Gal. 3:24)
2. One is justified by the blood of Jesus. (Rom. 5:9)
• One contacts the blood of Jesus in baptism. (Rom. 6:1-5)
IV. Those Who Have This Hope Must: A. Purify themselves. (1 John 3:3)
B. Rejoice in their hope. (Rom. 12:12)
C. Remain steadfast. (Heb. 6:18-19; Rom. 5:3-5) D. Wait. (Gal. 5:5)
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E. Be righteous. (Gal. 5:5)
F. Have boldness of speech. (2 Cor. 3:12)
G. Be ready to answer anyone regarding it. (1 Pet. 3:15)
Conclusion
1. God has given the hope of eternal life to those who live faithfully in Jesus Christ.
2. Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774), the Irish writer and physician and son of an Anglican cleric, wrote:
“Hope, like a gleaming taper’s light, Adorns and cheers our way;
And still, as darker grows the night, Emits a brighter ray.”
3. Let us never give up hope.
4. Rather, let us lay hold on life eternal.
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