Romans 8:24-25; Titus 2:13-14
Hope is a live wire that sustains men in their sojourn on the earth. It is the solid foundation upon which every man progresses to eternity. It is the foundation upon which our faith is built. The Bible says , '...without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hope and faith can never be separated. They are both essentially needed in the Christian race, just as cement and water are needed in moulding blocks. One cannot survive or succeed without the other, for "... FAITH is the substance of things HOPED for, the evidence of things not seen"- Hebrews 11:1.
The world says, 'Seeing is believing.' But as Christians, you don't believe that which you see, but that which God says. Here is where the natural man fails in his decision to follow God, for he wants to see before he believes. But without hope, no man can enter Heaven or see God because it takes faith to believe in God and Heaven. But when you remove hope from your Christianity, you damn your soul. It takes hope to save a man - Romans 8:24. In the same vein, it takes Faith also to save a man- Ephesians 2:8-9. Hope plays an important role in your born again experience, sanctification, Holy Ghost Baptism, deliverance, etc. Divine faith brings about salvation, and divine hope connects you to your heart's desire and destination. With hope in us, their is no problem, situation or circumstance which the Lord cannot handle. But when we lose hope, it feels like the world is about to collapse on us, and we get frustrated, confused, depressed, and can even contemplate death. For Job, he had hope inspite of all that happened tohim- Job 1:20-21. Even when his wife tried to dissuade him in his decision to bless the Lord, he refused to be hopeless - Job 14:14. No wonder his hope was rewarded at the end. Jesus said to Thomas in John 20:24-29, "...blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
Hope is the strength that keeps us going, for "...if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." Hopelessness leads to frustration , then to depression and confusion, and finally (in some cases) to suicide or premature death. Many have died before their answers could come. And because of certain things going on around, many have concluded there is no God or Heaven. Hopelessness pushes men into destruction. But hope is a solid ground which gives you a future. When you are down, hope strengthens your faith and enables you to say like Job, "I know my Redeemer lives." With hope, we defeat the world; but without hope, troubles, challenges and the world will overwhelm and defeat us. Every pain,sorrow, frustration and depression came when man lost out of the Garden of Eden. Man first died morally, physically, mentally and spiritually when he lost out of the Garden, and it is in such state that all natural men are - Genesis 2:17. Although he had been created to live for and fellowship with God, yet when he sinned, he was cast out. And every suffering we go through today are as a result of man's fall out of Eden - Genesis 3:16-19. Man wasn't even aware of his background till the Lord said, "From dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thoureturn." And I ask, "In such a despondent and spiritually stagnant situation, was there any hope?
Yes, for the Lord then said of the woman's seed (to the serpent), "...it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel." This was Jesus in view!
So I bring this to you, "What will be your hope when life will be over, beauty will fail and money will fade? What will be your hope when the Owner of your life will require its account from you?...when there will no longer be a need to sell and buy, and the earth becomes alien to you? My hope will be to see Jesus. Solomon says, " For to him that is joined to the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion"- Ecclesiastes 9:4. As long as there is still life within, that dog can still bark, and chase off robbers from a home. But a dead lion can do nothing, no matter how huge, fierce looking or fat: it is still dead. But who is this 'Living?' He is a Man. He is the only One who can quicken you from death to life. He paid for your resurrection. Death could not hold Him; and He says, "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." If you are yet to be born again, you are a moving corpse and a dead man, despite your title, post or position in the Church and society. Every sinner is dead in sin- Ephesians 2:1- and is considered to be dead by Heaven. The Scriptures also say, "...the soul that sinneth, it shall die.' To be quickened from sin and death, you must be joined to the Living. Isaiah 38:18-19. The 'Living' is Jesus Christ. If you surrender to Him, you will no longer be damned forever; instead, the life of Jesus in you will take you to where He is after death.
What is our Christian hope? It is that one day, we will see our Redeemer. Our bodies shall be changed and we shall receive an incorruptible body. This isthe hope which keeps us going, despite the pain,shame, disappointment and discouraging situations around. It is the Hope over death, which the wholeworld fears. If you run into Christ in hope, He will translate you from death to life. If you don't havethis hope, you are living a hopeless life; which is the reason why you are living the way you like to please your flesh. If you waste your life in sin,refusing to repent, you will end it in condemnation, as you had your Bible and the Spirit of God for guidance, but have refused to heed to Them. Jesus abolished death for our sakes; and now, the Gospel brings the hope of life to mankind - 2 Timothy1:10. This Gospel is the Power of God unto salvation -Romans 1:16. But without faith, the Gospel cannot be practised. Jesus is the Hope ofthe whole world. If only they will believe in Him. He is our Hope both now and at the end of the world - John 14:1-3. Also, He is our salvation- Isaiah 25:8-9, 1 Timothy 1:1. And our work is to believe in Him. Yes this is the work of God. Many people are seeking to work, literally, for God, yet they don't live for Him. If you work for God as a sinner, such work is fruitless, because there is no salvation in mere works - John 6:24-29. If you do the works of attending Church, working in it, or donating money without actually pursuing Jesus, or striving to be with Him in His Kingdom, then your works are useless. The Lord cannot be bribed with money, as the whole earth belongs to Him. What is the work of God? Only believe in His Son whom He sent to you. This is our hope. It's our faith. It is the reason we are running this Kingdom race.
In need of change in a hopeless situation? I charge you to go to Jesus. He turned the hopeless situation of Mary and Martha into hope - John 11:19-45. He is our only Hope. He restored the hope of the widow of Nain. Luke 7:11-16. And the woman's tears were turned to hope; and there was joy in the city. It is only the Joy that comes from the Lord that can endure the test of time, and last - Psalms 16:11. Joy gotten from building houses, having children and several other earthly acquirements and achievements cannot last. Our hope is not on the earth or in the skies. It is in Jesus, who holds the keys of death and hell.
So I charge that you come to Jesus. If you want to miss death and hell, come to Him. For on that great Day of Judgement, several books of records will be open. They hold records of all sinners on earth. And there will also be 'A Book' which is called 'the Book of Life', containing the names of the saints of God. Reasonably, for there to be only ONE Book containing the names of all saints of God, it means only a few are walking in alignment with the Lord. No wonder He said, "Strive to enter..." Without Him, we cannot make progress in this race. But with Him, we will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Why not cry out to Him to help you not to miss His Kingdom? He is our Hope.
REMAIN BLESSED.
Pst Ig Nwabuo