Numbers 23:19The Bible often speaks about hope.  Our Christian definition of hope is different than the world’s idea of hope, it’s far superior.  To have a biblical hope is to have a “sure anchor of the soul, firm and secure.”  The world’s hope is wishing for the best, waiting to see what happens.  “I sure hope I never have to go through what they went through.” “I reallly hope I win the lottery one of these days.”  “I hope my team wins the Super Bowl.”  That kind of hope is nothing more than wishful thinking, a gamble, an unfounded desire that has no power to bring anything to pass, because it is not founded on Jesus Christ.  Instead of wishing or hoping for something to happen, a believer knows that their hope is solid, because it is grounded in the Word of God and we know that “it is impossible for God to lie.”  Hebrews 6:18 & Numbers 23:19.  Our hope is like faith… a faith that cannot be moved by circumstances or what the eyes see because an unseen God is seen simply by our faith in Him and His faithfulness toward us.

 

Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”  Our hope is grounded in our acceptance of God’s Word that Jesus is God’s Son sent into the world to save us from our sins.  Our hope is based on the promise that all who believe on Him will be saved through Him.  “For God so loved the word that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16  “…if you confess whith your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” Romans 10:9

 

Our hope is based upon the truth of what Scripture says about Christ’s great suffering, His humiliating death and His resurrection on the third day in our place.  Our hope is based on the promise that all who believe in Him will one day be raised form the dead.  Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, whover hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from dealth to life” John 5:24.  Our hope is based upon the promise that one day He is going to come again and we will enjoy heaven with him and a glory such as “no eye has seen and no ear heard and no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.”  The bible says: “Our hope is an anchor for our soul, firm and secure, and enters the Presence behind the veil,” Hebrews 6:16.  Our anchor reaches not to the bottom of the sea (like a boat’s anchor) but behind the veil.  That’s the veil which God tore in two when Christ cried out on the cross, “It is finished!”  Our anchor is secured in Jesus Christ.  He is there as the one who has gone on ahead of us.  He is our forerunner.  And our anchor is attached to Him.  Because He has gone before assures us that we will follow.  He is the anchor of our soul.  Our hope is anchored, hooked into the One who has gone ahead and prepared a place for us.  We can be rest assured that as believers, we have stability here and now and eternity guaranteed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  There is no hope in mankind, circumstances, or in any other thing in the universe but “we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10 because “Jesus Christ is our hope.” 1 Timothy 1:1