Our Only Hope

Once we were without God and without hope. God is the exclusive source of eternal hope and without Him all is vanity and hopelessness. Men commit suicide when they believe they have no hope. And the world places their hearts on all kinds of false hopes that lend some temporary satisfaction, pleasure, and purpose. I was once like that. You were once like that. But when we came to know and believe in Jesus we found authentic and everlasting hope. Only another believer can truly comprehend the experience called hope that comes with being born again through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans chapter 5 that our hope makes our love for God expansive in our hearts and provides for us a boldness that is generated by this hope. Christ in us, the hope of glory. Many times this hope brings forth emotions that are truly unspeakable. What human words can completely capture the experience a sinner has when the God of the Universe and the Redeemer of all mankind comes to take up residence in his very being?
And even though we have been grafted into the divine family through Christ, and even though we are a new creation in Jesus Christ, we are still sinners who live, move, and have our being in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and not in the power of our own works regardless of how pious. Anyone who has walked with Christ for any length of time knows how easy it is to lose your joy and the reality of Christ’s presence in your life. And yet God cannot deny Himself and is so faithful to each of us, and even in the face of disobedience or even just spiritual coldness He refreshes and restores us to Himself, and sometimes with a greater spiritual depth that speaks volumes about His grace which can never be earned.
I cannot express to you how much I love the Lord Jesus and how much grace He has afforded me. If God would remove His grace over my life for one second I would be consumed. And if you gathered any and all my works of righteousness over these past 35 years, and if you multiplied them by one million, I still could never stand before His Majesty based upon that spiritual résumé. We all are in utter need of His matchless grace and all our works of righteousness reflect that grace and not our skill and energy. God’s grace has given us hope that cannot fade away, and in fact, that hope grows with each passing moment as it nears its complete fulfillment.
The coming of the Lord draws nigh. Behold, the Bridegroom comes! We must not be like those who slumber and take no notice of the signs of this generation. I do not know what day or what hour the Savior might come, but even a blind man can see that the world is being tossed to and fro and that the words of Jesus, spoken for our understanding, are being fulfilled daily. And although the days are evil and the signs are ominous, they speak of hope for those who look for and love His appearing. The events that echo the words of Jesus cannot be stopped or assuaged by human ingenuity or even fleshly talk of peace. Like a speeding train they are barreling down through history and with a destination that begins with a shout!
And with that shout hope is realized. It is not Jesus who lies. It is us. It is not Jesus who breaks His promises. It is us. It is not Jesus who is unfaithful. It is us. It is not Jesus who gets distracted. It is us. What shall we say, what can we say, when we stand before the Risen Christ and the Fountain of all Grace!? God will have provided for us new bodies for surely these temples of flesh would melt before Him. And what will be our experience when we exist completely in eternal hope and not only realize that we have inherited eternal life but that our gaze will always be transfixed upon the Lamb that was slain…for us!? And in the midst of such unimaginable wonder, we also will have spiritual temples that are capable of worship and praise without ceasing.
This is our hope; this is our life. Let us cherish this hope and never settle for a portion of pottage that the world offers. Hold fast to that which you have learned and known. Do not waver and do not surrender. Jesus is coming and the hope of the church will be exalted for the entire universe to behold. It seems like a fairytale and some religious mythology, but in reality there is more surety in the return of Jesus than there is in you and I drawing our next breath. Our hope is in the Lord and not in man.
Two men looked at the wooden planked bridge that crossed over the deep gorge. The fire was approaching and they knew that was the only way to escape. One man confidently strolled onto the bridge hoping for the safety of the other side. The other man tested each step, halted a few times, and walked nervously on that same bridge. Which man made it across? Both. Why? Because their journey relied entirely upon the strength and integrity of the bridge and not the skill or confidence of their own legs.

Looking for that Blessed Hope

and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.