Living Hope

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

which according to his abundant mercy

hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection

of Jesus Christ from the dead."

(1 Peter 1:3)

Are you a born again Christian with a living hope?

There was a terminally ill young man who went to the hospital every week for his usual treatment. One day, a new doctor was on duty, and cruelly said to him without any compassion, "Do you know you will not live out the year?" After the treatment, he stopped by the medical director's desk and with tears in his eyes and a broken heart said to him, "That doctor took away my hope," and the director replied, "I guess he did, but it is time to find a new one." He was right. There is hope even when the situation may seem hopeless. It is the Christian hope which God promises in the Bible.

Maybe today you feel down too, because you think there is no hope for you. My beloved, there is hope in Christ for everyone: for the family that has financial problems, for the father or child diagnosed with cancer, for the wife struggling to conceive, for the boy messed up with drugs, for the young girl considering an abortion, and for the many thousands who lost jobs and life savings. The holy scriptures tell us that each of us has been created by God, He loves us, and He wants us to have a full and fulfilling life. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). He meant a full life, an eternal life that goes beyond temporary existence, and a fulfilling life lived in harmony with His Creator now and forever.

The apostle John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote that the purpose of this gospel is "that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31). Also, the apostle Peter reminds us that "God... hath begotten us again unto a lively hope..." (1 Peter 1:3). This hope does not mean desire or expectation, but it means full confidence in Jesus, which dismisses all doubt, fears, and uncertainty about Jesus and His promises. The apostle Paul speaks about this hope as an "anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast..." (Hebrews 6:19). This hope rests upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ, who is unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8). Christianity is not like other religions, but it is a relationship with a living person, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is on the throne of God. Our relationship is eternal. Jesus said, "because I live, ye shall live also" (John 14:19). Let us review some of the verses the apostle John wrote in his gospel about Jesus, which explains why Jesus came, what Jesus does, and what Jesus offers.

• "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17).

• "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

• "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46).

• "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10:11,15).

• "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).

• "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).

• "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).

Finally, if you are not a Christian, you may ask, "How can I receive Jesus and what He offers?" Jesus answered this question for Nicodemus, who was a ruler of the Jews and a teacher of Israel when he came to Jesus at night. Jesus told him, "Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). "Born again" actually means "to be born from above." The new birth is essential, for salvation because man by nature is a lost sinner and must be born again by believing in God's Son, Jesus Christ. Nicodemus was a very religious person and sincere seeker of truth, and Jesus told him clearly, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

You have to receive Jesus by faith into your life to become "born again" to establish a relationship with Him and become a child of God. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).

Admit that you are a sinner, and you need God's forgiveness. Trust only in Christ to save you. Believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Turn (repent) from your sins, and accept Jesus into your life by faith as your Savior to receive eternal life and living hope. If you have never done this before, I pray for you to do this right now. This will be the most important decision of your life. I did this myself as a young man, and I have never regretted it. Because of God's love, mercy, and grace, I am here today to minister to you and to encourage you to become a blessed man which the Bible describes.

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7,8).

My Hope Is Built (Video)

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly trust in Jesus' Name.

Refrain

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

— Hymn by Edward Mote, 1834

A Mansion Over The Hilltop (Video)

I've got a mansion just over the hill top,

In the bright land where we'll never grow old;

And some day yonder we will never more wander

But walk the streets that are purest gold.

— Hymn by Ira Stanphill, 1914

"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."

(Titus 1:2)

BIBLE VERSES

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to

a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..." (1 Peter 1:3)

"Blessed is the man whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7,8)

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope."

(1 Timothy 1:1).

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is in Him." (Jeremiah 17:7)

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus." (Titus 2:13)

"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." (Titus 1:2)

"The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death." (Proverbs 14:42)

"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer." (Romans 12:12)

"The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish." (Proverbs 10:28)

"For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease."

(Job 14:7)

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and

a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

"Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord." (Psalm 31:24)

FAITH makes all things possible,

LOVE makes all things easy and

HOPE makes all things work!

QUOTES

"Without Christ, there is no hope." — "Prince of Preachers," Charles Spurgeon

"Is there a hope when hope is taken away? Is there hope when the situation is hopeless? That question leads us to Christian hope, for in the Bible, hope is no longer a passion for the possible. It becomes a passion for the promise."

— Theologian and Author, Lewis Smedes

"Hope is called the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19) because it gives stability to the Christian life. But hope is not simply a 'wish' (I wish that such-and-such would take place); rather, it is that which latches on to the certainty of the promises of the future that God has made."— Theologian and Author, R.C. Sproul

"God makes a promise. Faith believes His promise. Hope anticipates its fulfillment. Patience quietly waits."

— Author, Jack Countryman

"Hope is faith holding out it's hand in the dark." — Author, George Lles

"There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them."

— Author and U.S.Ambassador, Clare Boothe Luce

"Christ showed us hope transformed into sacrificial love." — Evangelist, Chuck Colson

"Jesus gives us hope because He keeps us company, has a vision and knows the way we should go."

— Pastor and Author, Max Lucado

"When you say that a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God"

— Pastor, Charles L. Allen

"Eternal life is not a peculiar feeling inside! It is not your ultimate destination, to which you will go when you are dead. If you are born again, eternal life is that quality of life that you possess right now."— Evangelist, Major Ian Thomas

"Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand."

— Priest, Philosopher and Theologian, Thomas Aquinas

"Our world today so desperately hungers for hope, yet uncounted people have almost given up. There is despair and hopelessness on every hand. Let us be faithful in proclaiming the hope that is in Jesus."— Evangelist, Billy Graham

"Simply by our proximity to Jesus, we can bring hope and life to people and places trapped in discouragement and despair."

— Pastor, Author and Speaker, Louie Giglio

"Where there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present."

— Pastor, Author and Professional speaker, John Maxwell

"The only hope for this or any other society is to hear the Word of the Lord and obey."

— Pastor and Author, John MacArthur

"Outside of the cross of Jesus Christ, there is no hope in this world. That cross and resurrection at the core of the Gospel is the only hope for humanity. Wherever you go, ask God for wisdom on how to get that Gospel in, even in the toughest situations of life." — Christian Apologist, Ravi Zacharias

Do you have a LIVING HOPE?

Nothing Is Impossible

Nothing is impossible

With the Lord in our lives

He causes doors to open

So we can walk inside

To brand new opportunities

We never knew before

To a new exciting level

In our walk with the Lord

With faith in our hearts

And our hand in His hand

We can cross any canyon

And through seas on dry land

For He will make a way

As in faith our walk begins

What seems to us impossible

Is possible with Him

When feeling like it's all too much

Remember in the past

How God had made a way for you

When you came to Him and asked

And He again will answer you

And show you so much more

As you keep on trusting Him

And walking with the Lord.

— M.S.Lowndes

South Auckland, New Zealand

The Anchor of Hope

For centuries, anchors have been a symbol of hope.

This emblem was especially significant to the early persecuted church.

Many etchings of anchors were discovered in the catacombs of Rome, where Christians held their meetings in hiding.

Threatened with death because of their faith, these committed Christians used the anchor

as a disguised cross and as a marker to guide the way to their secret meetings.

Located beneath the ancient city, 600 miles of these tomb-like burial chambers

served as a place of refuge during perilous times of persecution.

Thus, the anchor - found even on some tombstones today - has become the symbol

of guaranteed hope for the eternal security of true Christians.

— June Hunt

More Than "Hope So"

The cynical editor and writer H. L. Mencken once defined hope as "a pathological belief in the occurrence of the impossible." But that definition does not agree with the New Testament meaning of the word. True Christian hope is more than "hope so." It is confident assurance of future glory and blessing. Hope is found throughout the Scriptures. An Old Testament believer called God "the hope of Israel " (Jeremiah 14:8). A New Testament believer affirms that Jesus Christ is his hope (1 Timothy 1:1; and see Colossians 1:27). The unsaved sinner is "without hope" (Ephesians 2:12), and if he dies without Christ, he will be hopeless forever.

Peter is preeminently the apostle of hope, as Paul is the apostle of faith, and John of love. In 1 Peter he writes that believers have a "living hope " because we trust a living Christ (1:3). This hope enables us to keep our minds under control and "hope to the end " (1:13) for the return of Jesus Christ. We must not be ashamed of our hope but ready to explain it and defend it (3:15).

This confident hope gives us the encouragement and enablement we need for daily living. It does not put us in a rocking chair where we complacently await the return of Jesus Christ. Instead, it keeps us going when the burdens are heavy and the battles are hard. Hope is not a sedative; it is a shot of adrenaline, a blood transfusion. Like an anchor, our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life (Hebrews 6:18,19); but unlike an anchor, our hope moves us forward, it does not hold us back.— Warren W. Wiersbe.

The Fruits of Hope

Joy "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1,2)

Courage "Tribulation works patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed." (Romans 5:3-5)

Salvation "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why doth he yet hope for?" (Romans 8:24)

Patience "If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." (Romans 8:25)

Assurance "Hope we have as an anchor of the soul." (Hebrews 6:19)

Purity "Every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself." (1 John 3:3)

Fruitfulness "Blessed is the man whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7,8)

Watchfulness "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning." (Psalm 130:5,6)

Comfort "Sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Tranquility "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psalm 42:11)

Readiness "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you." (1 Peter 3:15) —MWTB

Hope is the best antidote for the poison of discouragement.

French author Victor Hugo was exiled for political reasons to a rocky island off the coast of France. Every evening at sunset, he climbed a steep cliff overlooking the ocean to drop a stone into the water below, taking great pleasure in this daily ritual. A group of curious children saw him, and asked why he dropped stones into the water. The author went silent for a moment and then replied, "Not stones, children. I am throwing self-pity into the sea." "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him" (Psalms 42:11)

Dear Friend, are you having a pity party? Don't wallow in despair. No matter how things look now, God will lead you through. Hope is the best antidote for the poison of discouragement. Renew your confidence in the Lord and throw pity overboard.

What Hope Means

Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.

— G. K. Chesterton, Quoted in Signs of the Times

Keep Hope Alive!

Believe it or not, you can live up to 70 days without food. You can exist for nearly 10 days without water. And you can live for up to six minutes without air. But there is one thing you can't live without - hope!

Hope is the confidence that things are gong to get better. It is a reason for keeping on even when your life looks like it is falling apart.

The prophet Jeremiah knew the secret: "Blessed (happy) is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him" (Jeremiah 17:7). God, the all-powerful Creator of the universe who cares about your every problem, can build a secure future for you.

The person who has never trusted Jesus Christ may see life as hopeless. And he is right, for without Christ he is "without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12).

But Jesus Christ offers what you could never purchase and no one can take from you:

Love that is not based on your feelings or merits but on the never-ending mercies of God (Romans 5:8).

Freedom to know and enjoy God because Jesus Christ has taken the punishment for your sins (1 Peter 3:18).

Friendship that will never disappoint you because Jesus promised,"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

A reason for living because following Christ gives true meaning and purpose to life (John 14:6).

An unshakeable future firmly based on Christ's promise: "I will come back and take you to be with me" (John 14:3).

An eternal home where the killjoys of earth - selfishness, hatred, death - will all be gone (Revelation 21:4)

You can be sure that you have put your trust in God by taking these steps:

Recognize that your sin separates you from God: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Realize that God loves you, and that Jesus died for your sins: "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Receive Him into your life by faith: "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

You can pray something like this: "Lord, thank You for sending Your Son to die for me. Without Him I would be lost forever. I invite Him into my life to be my Savior." — Good News Publishers

The Christian's Hope to the End

"We desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the Forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus" (Hebrews 6:11,19,20).

The saints needed the warning and the urge to go on, but the apostle was assured that those whom he was addressing were truly saved people. The proof of their reality was seen in their faithful service and love to fellow-saints leading to self-denying ministry. This gracious spirit he desires them to show to the end in the full assurance of hope, not giving way to slothfulness, but imitating those in past ages who, through faith and patience, became inheritors of the promise. The word and oath of God were all that Abraham had for many years, but he held on in faith because he knew that God could not be untrue to His promise.

We, too, have strong encouragement to lay hold on the hope set before us; that is, the hope of final and eternal salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. This hope is to us the soul's anchor, not cast into the hold of a ship, nor resting upon the shifting sands of human systems of thought, but fastened to the heavenly mercy seat, inside the veil. This anchor has been carried in by Jesus our Forerunner. Thus, though we be here on earth tossed about upon the sea of time, our anchor holds within the veil.

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:13).— Dr. H.A.

Cherishing the Hope of the Lord's Return

If our hearts are cherishing the abiding hope of the Lord' s return, we shall hold lightly all earthly things. It is morally impossible that we can be in the attitude of waiting for the Son from heaven, and not be detached from this present world. One who lives in the habitual expectation of Christ' s appearing must be separated from that which will be judged and broken up when He comes. May our hearts be affected and our conduct in all things influenced by this most precious and sanctifying truth. — C.H. Mackintosh

"I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep

that which I have committed unto Him against that day"

(2 Timothy 1:12)