Jeff Carter
We began last month to discuss the idea of hope and how foundational hope is to our very well being. We cannot exist without hope—and so God, in His infinite wisdom, designed life and all of history around, first; the promise that Messiah was coming. This was the hope mankind clung to. This was the hope that sustained them through the seemingly endless trials of life. And next; when that hope was finally fulfilled, when Messiah came, God then promised that Christ would return. This renewed hope has carried us on ever since. Christ will return to make all things right. Hope truly is the currency of the soul.
As we began to explore last month, hope is that through-line that connects all of history together. It is the driving force in the heart of mankind which keeps us moving forward. Without hope, we become despondent; in essence, not really living any longer. With hope, we press on with optimism and even joy. Hope is the energizing principle which gives us life. Knowing that this is the way the heart of man operates (in fact, designing us in this way), God placed at the climax of history the fulfillment of that great initial hope.
The first promise God made to his creation was that He would send a redeemer, a savior (Gen 3:15). This promise was the foundation of the hope that drove mankind to live, love, work, serve and persevere through a thorn-filled life. Creation was broken because of sin, and the hope God gave mankind was that He had a solution. So we were able to press on.
Hope is what drove Adam and Eve to persevere, even after the Fall and after their family was destroyed by murder. It was the promise of the seed of the woman that gave them hope. Then all throughout subsequent history God continually reaffirmed that initial promise.
God chose Abraham to be the fountainhead of a people through whom the Messiah would come. It was hope and trust that God keeps His promises and could raise the dead (Heb. 11:19) that enabled him to offer up his only son. It was hope that Israel clung to through 400 years of slavery; that God would indeed send a deliverer. It was hope that sustained the Israelites in the desert for 40 years, when the promises of God seemed to be in question. It was hope that God would send a righteous king that heartened generation after generation in Israel who watched godless kings lead them into idolatry. It was hope that inspired God’s people to trust for 70 years in Babylon, after the most disheartening events in their nation’s history. The temple and city were destroyed and their God had ostensibly been defeated by the gods of Nebuchadnezzar. The encouragement of Jeremiah and Ezekiel and the godly witness of Daniel drove them on to hope. Hope in the promise of the seed of the prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15); in the child of the virgin who would be called Immanuel (Is. 7:14); and the righteous branch in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23)—all of these reminders from God fueled this hope.
And then it happened. The Messiah came. Jesus, God in human flesh, came to offer us life by dying on the cross for our sins. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. He is the promised savior. He is the fulfillment of all the hopes and dreams that carried God’s people on through the worst of times. Christ’s advent is the fulfillment of the hope that fueled and sustained and buoyed and encouraged and emboldened and inspired weary hearts ever since Adam’s Fall.
So now that Christ has come—now that Advent is fulfilled, in specifically what do we hope? We have already mentioned the return of Christ as the pinnacle of our hope. But just to complete the picture a bit…
We also live in the hope of the resurrection of the dead. That this life ends in death is the dread of all mankind. But resurrection hope cancels out this dread. We already discussed Abraham’s confidence in God’s power over death. Joseph, Moses and David all held to a resurrection hope (Hebrews 11, 2 Sam 12). Job articulates this hope most eloquently (Job 19:25). Ezekiel and Daniel are rich with resurrection pictures. Needless to say, this is one of the most prevalent themes throughout scripture. The New Testament is brimming to the full with such references. But let me highlight just a couple:
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you
Romans 8:11
If we possess the Spirit then just as surely as Christ was raised incorruptible, so we will be also. We need not fear death.
I want to know Christ–yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:10-11
This, too, ties our resurrection to Christ’s…but with an added dimension. Just as Christ suffered, so shall we. It is part of the package. Hope in our coming resurrection is a foundation of our faith.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5
So, in addition to the hope of resurrection we live in the hope of Heaven. Our reward, our inheritance, our dwelling with God is all wrapped up in the single word, Heaven. We live with an expectancy of receiving what He has promised us in glory.
Why do we hope? Because things are not as they should be. We hope because we suffer. Hope is inextricably tied to suffering. Sharing in Christ’s suffering is the guarantee of sharing in His glory.
Where does hope come from? According to Rom 5:3-5, hope comes in an unbreakable chain; through character and perseverance, as brought on by tribulation. It is through the enduring of tribulation that the seeds are planted from which hope eventually grows.
Hope is not just a vague “wishing for” or desiring of something better. In other words, hope is hope in something. It is a belief, a trust, a confidence in the promise-keeping nature of God. This hope; that links the ‘sharing in suffering’ with the ‘sharing in glory,’ is the hope that God will do what He has promised. He will make all wrongs right. He will raise up those who have been down-trodden for His names’ sake. He will bring to glory those who have shared in the sufferings of His Son.
Even post-Advent, hope is what drives us on still. It is the hope that God will again keep His promise and Jesus will return to dwell with us forever—when hope will be no more. In a sense, if you think about it, Heaven will be the absence of hope—not in the sense of hopelessness, but in the sense of completion and fulfillment. There will no longer be a need for hope. Hope is what drives us to look to heaven as our actual home. When we arrive home, we will be complete. We will have peace. We will be with God—which is the ache of every human heart. But until then God has given us this incredible gift called hope.
-Jeff
Please join us for two new upcoming classes: “The Book of Ruth” with Dr. Ken Way, Thursday mornings in January; and “Understanding Islam & Engaging Muslims” with Jacob Daniel, Thursday evenings in January—both classes begin on January 7th.