Our Only HOPE In This Troubled World Is ....

Common Sense Commentary: It is inconceivable that God would create us and leave us with no HOPE.

Temporal, searching, earthly hope reaches out to an unknown God ... but only FAITH takes God's hand and is reborn into a new life of confidence, promise and the "Blessed Hope" of eternal Holiness in Christ Jesus.

So how does a weak, temporal, searching hope become FAITH to take God's hand? It simply BELIEVES God's holy offer and thereby takes His hand of Promise .... forgiveness in Christ, cleansing redemption and "Blessed Hope" for eternity. Temporal hope looks up for help, reaches out to the God he doesn't know but who knows him and is already reaching out to him. When he takes God's hand of promise, faith is born and made an eternal reality in Christ. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb.11:1.

David prayed, "Oh Lord, you are my ONLY HOPE and I know you WILL (faith) hear me because I accept you as my God." Paraphrase of Psm.38:15. Then, later, David was talking to himself and asked himself, "Why are you so discouraged? Rest your HOPE for deliverance in our God. He is our health and our God. Stop worrying David." Paraphrase of Psm.42:11.

Anyone can have a temporal "hope so" that things will get better and "maybe there is a god out there somewhere" kind of hope, but without Saving Faith. But no one can have true Saving Faith without also having the Blessed Hope ... a born again, living and eternal kind of HOPE.

I think maybe there are four kinds of hope: Religious hope in an illusory little false god, Hypocrite's hope, Sincere Searching hope for the true God, and Righteous Hope/Blessed Hope.

I. Religious Hope: There are hundreds of different Religions, false gods and objects of worship. I could not name them all if I tried so I won't name any of them. That is not my purpose here today but never forget, "There is NONE other name (but Jesus) under heaven given among men, whereby we MUST be saved." Acts 4:12.

II. Hypocrite's Hope: The hypocrite's hope is in his own imagined religion based on his goodness, works, church membership or appearances. The word "hypocrite" strongly implies religious fakery as is a church entrance door, which has no hinges, standing there with gleaming brass knob, pretending to offer access but it doesn't do anybody any good, causes confusion and serves no holy purpose. "The hypocrite's hope shall perish." Job.8:13

III. Sincere Searching Hope: This is the good, pre-salvation hope that drives the sincere sinner to find the one, true, but unknown God .... whoever or wherever He might be.... "and when I find Him I will accept Him as my God and serve Him." The sincere sinner has this promise from that one true God, "...You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart." Jer.29:13. The Apostle Paul, in Athens, was passing by a group of seekers of the one true God. He spoke to them, "I... saw your devotions" ...and "an altar
with this inscription, 'TO THE UNKNOWN GOD'. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, Him I declare unto you." Acts.17:23. Then, of course he preached unto them Jesus.

IV. Righteous Hope/Blessed Hope: (1) "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, ALL ye that HOPE in the LORD. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity ...."Psm.31:24-32:1. (2) "The HOPE of the RIGHTeous shall be gladness: but the expectation (false hope) of the wicked shall perish." Prov.10:28. (3) "We through the Spirit wait (patient endurance) for the Hope of RIGHTEOUSNESS by FAITH." Gal.5:5. (4) Abraham's FAITH produced RIGHTeous HOPE = "Abraham against HOPE ... Believed in HOPE, that he might become the father of many nations ACCORDING to (the word of God which promised it)." Rom.4:18. (5) Righteous Hope "rejoices in its hope, and "glories in tribulation" because it "knows that tribulation produces patience (endurance), and endurance produces experience (proof), and proof produces HOPE, and HOPE produces boldness (unashamed to walk the Christian life openly). And the crowning glory of all those blessings of spiritual growth is, "because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts...." Mostly paraphrasing Rom 5:1-5.
(6) "And now abideth (remains & continues) faith, hope, charity (agape love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (agape love). FAITH attends our Royal birthing through Christ into the Heavenly family.
FAITH'S HOPE is our promised, eternal, holy destiny in the Kingdom of our Father, God. Charity (agape love) is our Coronation and Crowning Glory of Christian growth, faithfulness and service.
(7) We Christians are now, "...Looking for that Blessed Hope and glorious appearing of our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13.

My faith rests in that hope. Acts 2:26

Pass it on. RB