Let Us Not Place our Hope In Anything or Anyone But JESUS
“but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”
(1 Peter 3: 15 NASB)
- A farmer looks toward the sky and thinks, ‘I sure hope it rains today.’
- A child sees the weather forecast and hopes for a snow day from school.
- A student turns in his exam, thinking, ‘Man, I sure hope I passed.’
- A person suffering with a health concern hopes for a good medical report.
- A hard-working person performs his job, hoping the employer will notice and give him a raise.
- An employee might even change his employment, hopeful the next position will bring him more joy.
True Hope is NOT a circumstance we experience in life.
Then consider the ways individuals hope even when doing unsavory actions God labels as SIN.
- A criminal even performs a crime, all the while hoping he doesn’t get caught.
- A teen returns home after curfew, stealthily tiptoeing down the hallway past his parents’ bedroom, hoping they do not realize just how late the hour is when the teen got home.
- A married person willingly has an affair, committing adultery, all the while hoping he doesn’t get caught.
- An employee skims money from the cash register drawer, hoping his boss doesn’t notice the difference in funds.
HOPE
Surely the word, like the word LOVE, is much overused. In fact, for a season, I attempted to not use the word HOPE in my speech, hoping I would remember to not use the word hope. Needless to say, my hopes were unmet because I found myself speaking aloud the word I most hoped to avoid.
Therefore, if True Hope is NOT a circumstance, & if—
- True HOPE is not a situation.
- True HOPE is not a condition,
- True HOPE is not an event.
- True HOPE is not even wishful thinking.
Then where in the world can a person find True HOPE?
TRUE HOPE is only found in a CERTAIN PERSON!
TRUE HOPE IS JESUS CHRIST!
All other hoping is just optimistic thinking. Yes, that is right.
- We are optimistic it will rain or snow.
- We are optimistic to pass an exam.
- We are optimistic that our health will improve.
- We are optimistic to not get caught doing wrong.
Optimism is not TRUE HOPE.
Optimism is based upon what you and I can accomplish in our own strength & only on this earth.
TRUE HOPE IS THE PERSON OF CHRIST JESUS & THE WORK HE ACCOMPLISHED ON CALVARY’S CROSS!
&
TRUE HOPE IS THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS WHEN HE OVERCAME DEATH!
There is a melody, sung by Lauren Daigle, a song that puts lyrics to music and allows us to see exactly where ONE FINDS TRUE HOPE!
- Please pause to listen to the melody “O’Lord.”
- Please see with me how we can know with TRUTH the reason for our HOPE!
- Thus we turn where TRUE HOPE IS FOUND ONLY IN JESUS!
- Please read with me GOD’S HOLY & INFALLIBLE WORD!
“Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?
(1 Peter 3: 13-15 NASB)
But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED,
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”
Therefore, hope is not a circumstance, a situation, a wish, a desire, optimistic thinking, or anything we can dream up in our brains.
TRUE HOPE IS THE RESURRECTED PERSON OF CHRIST JESUS!
So, let us who have believed in Jesus, who have asked Jesus into our hearts, who have received the gift of God’s Salvation—His Amazing Grace—found only through Jesus—
Let us not become discouraged:
- When our circumstances do not change as we had hoped they would,
- When our daily tasks seem overwhelming,
- When our health seems to falter,
- When our marriages fall apart right before our eyes,
- When the cancer takes up residence in our bodies,
- When our children walk astray,
- When our heart seems so overburdened, or
- When our struggles seem to be more than we can carry.
Let us INSTEAD RECALL THE PROMISE OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS—
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
(The Gospel According to Matthew 28: 18-20 NASB)
[Jesus spoke with His eleven disciples after His resurrection from the dead.]
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Let us be prepared to tell the world from WHOM OUR HOPE COMES!
HE has a name: JESUS CHRIST, THE SAVIOR & THE MESSIAH!
“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15: 13-19 NASB)
and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
- Meaning those who have believed in & accepted Jesus as their Savior have HOPE that is worthless—IF CHRIST WAS NOT RAISED FROM THE DEAD!
- Meaning those who have believed in & accepted Jesus as their Savior have FAITH that is vain—IF CHRIST WAS NOT RAISED FROM THE DEAD!
- Meaning those who have believed in & accepted Jesus as their Savior have preached a false HOPE & testified a false FAITH—IF CHRIST WAS NOT RAISED FROM THE DEAD!
- Meaning those who have believed in & accepted Jesus as their Savior and have ALREADY DIED “have perished” forevermore—IF CHRIST WAS NOT RAISED FROM THE DEAD!
But praise GOD, CHRIST JESUS DID RISE FROM THE DEAD!
In God’s Word, Paul continues with these words of God’s Amazing Grace, His Assurance & His HOPE—
Christian, Let Us Not Place our Hope in Anything or Anyone But—JESUS!
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
But each in his own order:
- Christ the first fruits,
- after that those who are Christ’s at His coming,
- then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father,
- when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
The last enemy that will be abolished is death.”
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15: 20-26 NASB)