The Believer's Hope

Australian aborigines pictured heaven as a distant island beyond the western horizon. The early Finns thought heaven was a distant island in the faraway East. Mexicans, Peruvians, and Polynesians believed they went to the sun or the moon after death. Native Americans believed that in the afterlife their spirits would hunt the spirits of buffalo.

The Gilgamesh Epic, an ancient Babylonian legend, refers to a resting place of heroes and hints at a tree of life. In the pyramids of Egypt, the embalmed bodies had maps placed beside them as guides to the future world. The Romans believed that the righteous would picnic in the Elysian fields while their horses grazed nearby. Seneca, the Roman philosopher, said, “The day thou fear as the last is the birthday of eternity.” Although these depictions of the afterlife differ, the unifying testimony of the human heart throughout history is belief in life after death. Anthropological evidence suggests that every culture has a God-given, innate sense of the eternal — that this world is not all there is.

You see, everyone, no matter if you believe in God or not, has a hope for the afterlife. We just read a list of groups that believe there is something good in life to come. But there are those don’t believe in God and hope there is not afterlife, because they know in their heart, they are rejecting a God who loves them, and are fearful of the outcome of that rejection, so it is easier for them hope there is no afterlife, thus avoiding the judgement of God.

But today I want to concentrate on those of us who believe we are Christian believers. And in this message, I want you to tally up points of the characteristics that a believer in Christ Jesus processes.

[Title] The Believer’s Hope

Here are seven characteristics of the believer’s hope. So, the idea score would be a 7-out-of-7, but don’t be concerned if you do not achieve that score…it is not the end of life as we know it to not achieve that score today. What is should be is a list of items that you need to work on, starting with communicating your lack in that area to Jesus.

It is a Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5

Our hope is based on a living person, that person being Jesus Christ.

This scripture tells us that we are conceived, again, into a living hope, by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. This is something no idol can achieve for you, being that the idol is dead, without life.

We were dead from sin, but as we see here, Jesus’ resurrection brought us back to life. That’s why the scripture tells us that Jesus was the first born of the dead. Because without his death and resurrection into eternal life, it would not be possible for us to also have the chance for eternal life.

It is a Saving Hope

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:7-10

Paul is telling us that we are the light, “who are of the day”. The saving hope that we have is a bright light that is seen by all. He is also saying that we need to equip ourselves by being firm in our faith and to have a strong love for each other. This is what a saving hope brings, love for your fellow man. Additionally, he tells us that we need to hold to the hope of salvation, which is our saving hope. It is the hope that is approached after knowing that we have a living hope.

It is a Sure Hope

But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Hebrews 6:19

The author of Hebrews lets us know that the hope of salvation is a sure thing. Here the author uses an anchor of God’s goodness to tell us that just as an anchor holds a ship in choppy waters, so does our hope hold our soul firm to the promises of our Lord and God.