Australian aborigines pictured heaven as a distant island beyond the western horizon. The early Finns thought heaven was a distant island in the faraway East. Mexicans, Peruvians, and Polynesians believed they went to the sun or the moon after death. Native Americans believed that in the afterlife their spirits would hunt the spirits of buffalo.
The Gilgamesh Epic, an ancient Babylonian legend, refers to a resting place of heroes and hints at a tree of life. In the pyramids of Egypt, the embalmed bodies had maps placed beside them as guides to the future world. The Romans believed that the righteous would picnic in the Elysian fields while their horses grazed nearby. Seneca, the Roman philosopher, said, “The day thou fear as the last is the birthday of eternity.” Although these depictions of the afterlife differ, the unifying testimony of the human heart throughout history is belief in life after death. Anthropological evidence suggests that every culture has a God-given, innate sense of the eternal — that this world is not all there is.
You see, everyone, no matter if you believe in God or not, has a hope for the afterlife. We just read a list of groups that believe there is something good in life to come. But there are those don’t believe in God and hope there is not afterlife, because they know in their heart, they are rejecting a God who loves them, and are fearful of the outcome of that rejection, so it is easier for them hope there is no afterlife, thus avoiding the judgement of God.
But today I want to concentrate on those of us who believe we are Christian believers. And in this message, I want you to tally up points of the characteristics that a believer in Christ Jesus processes.
[Title] The Believer’s Hope
Here are seven characteristics of the believer’s hope. So, the idea score would be a 7-out-of-7, but don’t be concerned if you do not achieve that score…it is not the end of life as we know it to not achieve that score today. What is should be is a list of items that you need to work on, starting with communicating your lack in that area to Jesus.
It is a Living Hope
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5
Our hope is based on a living person, that person being Jesus Christ.
This scripture tells us that we are conceived, again, into a living hope, by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. This is something no idol can achieve for you, being that the idol is dead, without life.
We were dead from sin, but as we see here, Jesus’ resurrection brought us back to life. That’s why the scripture tells us that Jesus was the first born of the dead. Because without his death and resurrection into eternal life, it would not be possible for us to also have the chance for eternal life.
It is a Saving Hope
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:7-10
Paul is telling us that we are the light, “who are of the day”. The saving hope that we have is a bright light that is seen by all. He is also saying that we need to equip ourselves by being firm in our faith and to have a strong love for each other. This is what a saving hope brings, love for your fellow man. Additionally, he tells us that we need to hold to the hope of salvation, which is our saving hope. It is the hope that is approached after knowing that we have a living hope.
It is a Sure Hope
But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Hebrews 6:19
The author of Hebrews lets us know that the hope of salvation is a sure thing. Here the author uses an anchor of God’s goodness to tell us that just as an anchor holds a ship in choppy waters, so does our hope hold our soul firm to the promises of our Lord and God.
Just like a ship’s anchor goes down to the ocean floor, so does the believers anchor go up into the true, heavenly sanctuary where we are anchored to God. Do you find security being anchored to God, knowing that during the rough seas of life that God has you firmly settled?
It is a Good Hope
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
What is a good hope?
It is something that can be counted on to be there.
It is good because the source of that hope is also good, because it flows from Jesus Christ and God our Father.
It is good because it is everlasting, as it is given through the free common grace of God. That grace that is available for all, but much more for those who put their hope and trust in Christ Jesus.
It is an Unseen Hope
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Romans 8:22-25
Here we have something that has brought trouble to many a people… the lack of blind faith. Because unseen hope is blind faith. I used to hang my hope on science, but once God introduced me to Jesus Christ, I started to see the holes in science, and how people would make up things because that could not live a life with blind faith. In science no one hopes for things but is determined to make something come into being.
But having this blind faith or unseen hope saves us as the scripture tells us, because we can trust it because God’s word does not have any holes in it and has not, nor ever will fail us. But this is a hope that has not yet come; otherwise, it would not be hope. We hope for life eternal that is yet unseen but is yet to be. We hope for those things that we do not hold, but long to grasp. In that hope we trust that God has promised it, so we know it to be there at the time He wills.
We live on the unseen hope of salvation that is promised to us, and yet we do this with patient obedience. God and Christ are unseen, yet we hope to see them.
It is a Blessed Hope
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Titus 2:11-14
We know that this hope is a blessed event in the life of a believer, as it is the hope of the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Again, it is an event that we do not know when but are assured that it will happen…that we will see Christ Jesus face-to-face and be ushered into heaven.
The writer of the book of Titus tells how we should wait for the blessed hope, we do so with patient joy because we know that the day will come when all things will be revealed to us: the blessed hope of our salvation.
It is an Eternal Hope
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:4-7
Even though we are disobedient, lustful, hateful, and general knuckleheads, God in His infinite mercy gives us grace that we may turn to Him. God is showing the ultimate amount of patience with a rebellious people, that being us, allowing us time to get right so that we can have eternal life.
We were justified by His grace so that we could have an opportunity to come to Him in faith and love. Because of our hope in those things to come, we were made heirs with Christ.
It was not by our works, but by God’s mercy that we are able to hang on the hope of eternal life.
So, I ask you, what is it you hope for?
• Is it a new car?
• Is it a suitcase full of money?
• Is it a neck full of gold chains?
• Or is it the riches that Jesus has to offer you?
Because you can go out right now and get a new car. But how long will it remain new?
You can go right now and get a suitcase full of money. But how long will the money last you?
You can go out and buy a bunch of chains and jewelry, but how long will the bling-bling keep you happy, and how much fear will you be in wondering who is going to steal them from you?
Jesus offers you a hope eternal, something that will never get old, pass away, lose its glitter, and cannot be taken from you.
Is Jesus the hope that you have?
Is salvation and eternal life that Jesus offers you the hope that you hold on to?
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then the answer to both questions should be yes!
At the beginning of this message, I asked you to keep a tally of the hope you have, related to God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and eternal life. Now look at that ratio and then look at these last two questions I asked: Is Jesus the hope that you have? Is salvation and eternal life that Jesus offers you the hope that you hold on to?
If you can answer yes to but these questions, then the ratio you previously tabulated only shows that you do not know yourself well enough or you may have second-guessed your hope. Because all the seven characteristics of the believer’s hope are bound up in these last two questions. Saying yes to these two questions means that you do have hope for all seven, but you just may not understand it, which is fine, because as you hold firm to Jesus, He will illuminate all to you.
