Bible Ballistics: Hope? August 18, 2013 Vol. 2 No.14

As we look toward fall, and ‘hope’ for cooler temps, I thought our subject for this week would be ‘hope’.  What is our hope?  How do we have hope? Is there a price to pay to have hope?  ‘Hopefully’ we can answer these questions and more this week.

Luke 9:20-25 is a good starting place, with the very words of Jesus himself,

    • “ He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. 21 And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; 22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. 23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?”   

Let’s investigate this passage.  (See Matt 16:16-21 for the parallel passage)

Here we see Peter’s declaration that Jesus is

    • “The Christ of God”, the promised Messiah.

Jesus plainly declares that He is that very Messiah, promised by the scriptures. He also commands them not to share this information.  The time—God’s time—was not yet at hand for that revelation to be made public, and He explains the delay by pointing them to “Calvary”.  His sacrifice was the pivotal event in all history.  Jesus tells them that He would die on a cross, but that HE would be resurrected after three days.

What does this have to do with hope?

    • It has everything to do with hope.
    • There is a price for hope.
    • Hope is from a word that means a “feeling of trust”, and trust or “faith” is only as good as the object in which it is placed.

My hope can be in money, but money is uncertain.

It can be in people, but they often fail.

It can be in governments or power but they also fail.

The only ‘hope’ that is sure, unfailing and certain is our God—

       The God of all creation,

The sovereign God of the universe.

 Our God is a secure place of “hope”.  He is trustworthy!!!

      • Psalm 89:33-34 “Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips”.
  • What then is the “price” of hope(trust/faith)?  Well, according to our Biblical passage the price is the death of Jesus, the blood of the Lamb of God.
      • John 1:21 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
        •  The sacrificial lamb who paid for my sin.
      • 2 Cor. 5:17-21 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead,
      • be ye reconciled to God.
      • 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin
      • that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 

God reconciled us to Himself through the cross of Christ—through Jesus’ blood.  So, being reconciled to God, I am called to be a reconciler, but the only reconciliation is through Jesus–  Jesus, the “corner stone”, the only way to God. 

    • Acts 4:11-12 “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Our hope can be sure and certain because the blood of Jesus is the only thing that can cleanse us from SIN———1 John 1:7-10,

    • “ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
  •  The “blood of Jesus…cleanses us from all sin…”,
        • only the blood of Jesus gives us hope—
        • only his blood paid the price for my sin, your sin!!
        • And that is my HOPE—my only HOPE.
            • Hope because He has paid the price for me

 Eph 1:7 declares, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”  And 18-20 continues, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,”   

The “hope of his calling”, is our salvation, and was secured in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  When we come to Him in salvation (by “grace through faith” Eph 2:8-10), Jesus tells us in Luke 15:7,

      • “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”  (who think they need none)

When we see our sin, and repent (turn from our own way/sin and to the payment Jesus’ blood made for sin) and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, we can receive the forgiveness and the salvation Jesus offers. As Paul declares in Col. 1:13-14

      • “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” 

Where is your hope? 

Is it in Jesus?

Make your hope sure today.

If your hope is already in Jesus, then walk in the confidence of that hope and pursue excellence and holiness by His Spirit…   Blessings on your week.