HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS...a biblical call to help people with AIDS

There is no cure for H-I-V; 

but there is for S-I-N in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!

This Sunday is World AIDS Day... 

It is a day for us all to remember those who are infected with the AIDS virus--those who are HIV positive and to reflect on how little we as Christians have done in regards to this important issue; and a day to reflect the unavoidable urgency to be doing much more than we are in addressing this issue from a biblical world view both in precept and practice. And it is also a day to begin to reach out to those who are HIV infected with the glorious good news of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The frightening reality is that almost half of all people infected with HIV in the U.S. have died since first detection of the AIDS virus. And the epidemic in African countries and some Caribbean countries as well shockingly leave us speechless as to the untold millions of those HIV infected and the subsequent deaths.

AIDS is not the new leprosy; it is not God's judgment specifically against homosexuality as we think of O.T. cataclysmic judgment against entire cities or nations for sinful behavior (i.e. Sodom and Gomorrah). We could rightly say that there is personal judgment or responsibility to everyone who has contracted this disease due to homosexuality, sexual promiscuity among heterosexuals, or by illegal IV drug use (see Romans 1:26-27). However, AIDS is not solely a "gay disease" or an issue that the homosexual community is responsible for or faces alone. AIDS affects us all. In Africa, AIDS is primarily a heterosexual disease and many children are now orphans having lost both mother and father due to this pandemic.

Love Your Neighbor...Even if They Have AIDS
Why should Christians get involved in such a controversial and life-threatening disease? The answer is simple. It is the second of the two great commandments: "love your neighbor as you love yourself." Dying people do not need bigotry, hatred, disdain, self-righteous loathing, or societal isolation. They need a Savior and need to know the hope that is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. I was asked at an AIDS gathering under the Bush Administration in Washington D.C. a few years ago June a thought-provoking question by one of the doctors seated at my dinner table. He said, "Steve, isn't the most loving thing a Christian like yourself should do for someone who is HIV positive is give them dignity in their dying?" I thought for a moment and responded. "The most unloving thing that I as a Christian could do for someone facing certian death due to HIV infection is give them only dignity in their dying." Shocked as our table was, I followed up with these certain words, "for you see, giving someone all the dignity in dying in this life doesn't mean a thing if they upon giving their last breath wake up in perdition to be tormented by God's wrath for all eternity." I was not trying to be harsh, but truthful. Sometimes the "tyranny of the urgent" can out weigh the "need of the important." When dealing with AIDS we must keep eternity in view.

The Dignity of the Gospel
The most dignifying thing we can do as Christians, (while helping their physical plight) is to share the glorious good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. There is no cure currently for H-I-V, but there is for S-I-N in the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. In the midst of the devastating plight for those who have AIDS. there is also a wonderful opportunity for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to bring hope into very hopeless situations by loving their neighbor and being Christlike right in the center of their situation. And we can do this by proclaiming the gospel; for as we know in Christ Jesus there is the hope of eternal life beyond any sickness or disease that any of us might contract. 

So what should be our biblical mandate? Years ago when I got involved with this issue, I came up with a phrase that might assist us in getting out of our comfort zone and helping those in your community who have AIDS. It is this: "His holiness not compromised; yet His mercy not restrained."

"His holiness not compromised..."
God does not condone sexual promiscuity whether gay or straight--both are an offense to His holy character. And we must also include illegal IV drug use for even governments are called "ministers of God" (Romans 13:1-5) to restrain evil and keep peace for the general societal good. Its laws are to be honored. That is why there are important laws prohibiting the use of harmful narcotics because of the danger they inherently possess and how they ruin so many young lives, but also because through needle sharing the HIV virus is so easily transmitted as well.

Nothing that exalts itself against the character of God should be condoned as right and good. The prophet Isaiah warned against this when saying, "Woe unto them that call good evil and evil good; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20). God has a standard for holiness and all His creatures are held accountable to it--even evangelicals. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

His Inflexible Law and Undeserving Grace
The law of God unmasks each one of us doesn't it? For no one can keep perfectly God's law. The Apostle James is right, "if break one commandment we are guilty of breaking all." Isaiah says so convictingly to each of us, "all of [our] righteousness is like dirty filthy rags." Literally, he is comparing our own goodness (works of righteousness) worthy of being compared to a woman's menstral rags or human refuse. God is holy and His holiness cannot be compromised no matter what the social agenda might be or cause one is emotionally drawn to. But holiness without love can be cold-hearted orthodoxy; and love without holiness can lead to empty-headed sentimentality. We need both; holiness and love.

God is a God of love. "God demonstrated His own love toward us; in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). That is the motive and power of the cross--God's justice, righteousness, holiness and love was manifested through the once for all propitiatory sacrifice in Jesus Christ the Lord. We are told by the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts chapter seventeen verse thirty to "command all people everywhere to repent." As stated before, God doesn't condone homosexuality, promiscuity among heterosexuals, illegal IV drug use, etc. (And He doesn't condone the self-righteousness attitudes of Christians either.) But, the good news is He doesn't leave us to our sin; He provides a way of escape--forever! And in response to His forgiveness He calls us to "go into all the world and make disciples." And that includes the world of AIDS.

This should be our first impulse in response to the holiness of God in helping those that are HIV infected--to see them repent and come to salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. Why is this? Because if we have been given the undeserved grace of the Lord for the forgiveness of our sins, how much more should we be patient and gracious to all who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior? Do you remember the day that God by His grace arrested your life and granted you saving faith? How tremendous it was to be translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love? All our sins forgiven--past, present and future sins--no matter what we had done or who we had done it with--the Lord by His grace saved us.

Fire Can Never Make Ice 
If you have tasted the kindness of the Lord then you will share His life-giving truth with another. It is unavoidable. I have had so many opportunities to share the gospel with AIDS patients and to be a spectator of God's grace in those situations. Not one of them have ever been offended by sharing the truth of their sin and the good news of the gospel. They may have been offended because of the cross, but never because of the sharing. Many, in fact, have responded to the gospel of grace and what a joy to see another sinner repent for salvation in Christ alone. People with AIDS are much nearer the grave, eternity stares them in the eye and they need to know how to have life everlasting. As one AIDS patient told me after he had received the Lord, "Steve, I only have a few weeks left to live, but I want to spend my last days telling others about Christ and how they too can have eternal life in Jesus. For now I know that to be 'absent from the body is to be present with the Lord!'" He died one month later.

May I encourage you today to lovingly share that call of repentance to follow Christ even if they only have a few days or weeks to live.

"yet His mercy not restrained."
It is sad that many believers won't help those that are HIV positive because they think they are better than those with this disease; and this for one main reason--most people who contract the AIDS virus in this country come from the homosexual community (Contrarily in Africa, it is primarily contracted through heterosexual transmission). The church in America for the most part has been isolated from the gay community that we have lost opportunity, and in some cases abrogated our duty, in sharing the gospel with them.

The Apostle Paul gives the antidote again for this problem too. In Titus 3:3 he writes, "For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another." Homosexuality is not the unpardonable sin ladies and gentlemen... Though I have never been tempted or caught up in that particular sin--my sin issues were far worse. I had a worse problem than any prostitute or drug addict ever dreamed of. I had a worse problem than homosexuality in my life. You see, I suffered from the most severe of all sins: I was consumed with self-righteous religious pride. Biblically, it is the most grievous kind of iniquity. Paul is saying here that all of us are to have empathy for all who do not know the Lord because we all were consumed with the sinfulness of sin before we met the Lord. We are not to sit back in our smug evangelical chairs and condescendingly, with theological scorn, treat with religious disdain and arrogance those who do not know the Lord. Those who may have AIDS. Listen "His mercy should not be restrained." How dare we pass judgement on another who has not Christ rather than share the powerful message of hope in the gospel of grace? Are we willing to risk our carefully cultivated reputations for another? Are we willing to risk our very lives in sharing the gospel with another? To paraphrase Amy Carmichael, "if we are not, then we know nothing of Calvary love." In other words, "don't tell them Jesus loves them, until you're ready to love them too."

The Gospel of Jesus Christ
And here are our marching orders for today: Paul continues on in Titus 3:4-5 by saying, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 5 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." At every turn, the Apostle Paul by the divine superintending of the Holy Spirit says we are robbed of all our boasting; we are robbed of all our pride; we are robbed of our very selves. "He saved us"--not because we are better than others; or wiser than others; or more righteous than others--"not according to works done by us in righteousness." NO! He saved us simply according to His own purpose, mercy and grace. And needless to say, if He can save us--He can save them too! Praise be to the Lord that we are saved not by the goodness of our works, but according to the riches of His grace. Amen? I wrote a song about people with AIDS several years ago that I sang at the Word AIDS Medical conference in San Francisco in 1990. The chorus says, "Do you feel their pain? Has it touched your life; can you taste the salt in the tears they cry? Will you love them more than the hate has been? Will you love them back to LIFE again?" (You can listen to this song above on the AIM Radio Player.)

Give yourself away this year for Christmas beloved. Get out of your comfort zone and share with someone the greatest gift of all--the gospel of Jesus Christ--God's "unspeakable gift to us." And as you do remember: His holiness not compromised; yet His mercy not restrained.

Rescue the Perishing,
Steve Camp
1 John 3:16-17

REMEMBERING 9/11 - A SOLEMN TRIBUTE

UNWORTHY SERVANTS; OUR RICHES IN GLORY...grace-filled humility and eyes fixed on our eternal home

"For me to live is Christ; and die is gain." 

-Phil. 1:21

"Not only the worst of my sins, but the best of my duties speak me a child of Adam." -WILLIAM BEVERIDGE

Luke 17:10 "So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

"That which cannot quiet the heart in a storm, cannot entitle a man to blessedness; earthly things accumulated, cannot rock the troubled heart quiet, therefore cannot make one blessed. When Saul was sore distressed, could all the jewels of his crown comfort him? 'They shall cast their silver in the streets...their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord.' (Ezek. 7:19)" -THOMAS WATSON

1 Timothy 6:6 "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content."

THE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL...protected by the power of God

1Pet. 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1Pet. 1:4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

1Pet. 1:5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1Pet. 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

1Pet. 1:7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1Pet. 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

1Pet. 1:9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

DO CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THAT SALVATION IS THROUGH CHRIST ALONE OR THROUGH OTHER RELIGIONS TOO?...a recent Pew survey may just surprise you

This is a most disturbing and yet revealing article. Not to surprising that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone) has been so distorted, accommodated and dumbed-down today that most American Christians, and therefore possibly most churches, do not affirm its efficaciousness as the only hope for the lost for eternal life. Even an atheist, according to Pew survey, will somehow get to glory though he/she rejects the very existence of God! Unbelievable (pun intended). Is it any wonder why I keep saying that the gospel matters; that truth matters; that doctrine matters; and that theology matters.

How wide do you think is the narrow road? Let me know your thoughts.

The reason for the season,
Steve
John 14:6

O COME O COME IMMANUEL...by Sufjan Stevens

TRUSTING GOD THROUGH LIFE'S TRIALS AND TRIBULATAIONS...by C.H. Spurgeon

Things have been getting rough economically in our nation and world for well over a year now. Another 512,000 lost their jobs in November alone (the greatest decrease in employment in the past 37 years). With this reality comes stress, fear, pain, desperate feelings - and needless to say, is exacerbated tremendously with the coming Christmas holidays.

So what are we to do? Where does our help come from beloved? We say with the Psalmist, "My help comes from the Lord!" Have you reminded yourself today of your daily walk of faith to your First Love? "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (food, clothing, shelter, etc.). Not millions of dollars untold - but provision for your daily sustenance. Remember, our "lives do not consist of the things that we possess."

So are you hurting and troubled today; going through times of uncertainty financially and wondering about tomorrow and the weight of providing for your family seems overwhelming and crushing? I feel that burden too my friend. I am right there in that same boat with you for ministries and churches also feel this economic squeeze.

So together, let us turn our eyes to the heavens and our hearts toward our loving Sovereign, Savior and King. I find this article by brother Spurgeon a great source of encouragement again to my heart and soul today. And though I have posted it here before, my eyes never tire of reading these comforting truths mined from the depth of God's Word and fashioned to our lives in the crucible of suffering and grace.

"Give us this day our daily bread..." It is a simple prayer of dependency upon our Lord for all things. May it be branded each day upon our minds as we serve Him in the pots and pans of our everyday lives. 

"Lord grant us the mercy to see Your Sovereign hand today in our lives. You love us with an unfailing, never ending love. You have made us your children by the fathomless gift of Your saving grace. And so we come to You afresh and cast our cares on You, for You care for us. Glorify Yourself this day through your elect ones in the earth. You will never leave nor forsake us. Help us to trust in You. For Thy name's sake and praise we pray, Amen."

Steve

Psalm 121 

"At evening time it shall be light." 

-Zechariah 14:7b

I shall not notice the particular occasion upon which these words were uttered, or try to discover the time to which they more especially refer; I shall rather take the sentence as a rule of the kingdom, as one of the great laws of God's dispensation of grace, that "at evening time it shall be light." Whenever philosophers wish to establish a general law, they think it necessary to collect a considerable number of individual instances; these being put together, they then infer from them a general rule. Happily, this need not be done with regard to God. We have no need, when we look abroad in providence, to collect a great number of incidents, and then from them infer the truth; for since God is immutable, one act of His grace is enough to teach us the rule of His conduct. Now, I find, in one place, it is recorded that, on a certain occasion, during a certain adverse condition of a nation, God promised that at evening time it should be light. If I found that in any human writing, I should suppose that the thing might have occurred once, that a blessing was conferred in emergency on a certain occasion, but I could not from it deduce a rule; but when I find this written in the Book of God, that on a certain occasion when it was evening time with His people God was pleased to give them light, I feel myself more than justified in deducing from it the rule, that always to His people at evening time there shall be light.

The Church at large has had many evening times. If I might derive a figure to describe her history from anything in this lower world, I should describe her as being like the sea. At times the abundance of grace has been gloriously manifest. Wave upon wave has triumphantly rolled in upon the land, covering the mire of sin, and claiming the earth for the Lord of Host. So rapid has been its progress that its course could scarce be obstructed by the rocks of sin and vice. Complete conquest seemed to be foretold by the continual spread of the truth. The happy Church thought that the day of her ultimate triumph had certainly arrived, so potent was her Word by her ministers, so glorious was the Lord in the midst of her armies, that nothing could stand against her. She was "fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners." Heresies and schisms were swept away, false gods and idols lost their thrones; Jehovah Omnipotent was in the midst of His church, and He upon the white horse rode forth conquering and to conquer. Before long, however, you find it always has happened that there came an ebb-tide. Again the stream of grace seemed to recede, the poor Church was driven back either by persecution or by internal decay; instead of gaining upon man's corruptions it seemed as if man's corruptions gained on her; and where once there had been righteousness like the waves of the sea, there was the black mud and mire of the filthiness of mankind.

Mournful tunes the Church had to sing, when by the rivers of Babylon she sat down and wept, remembering her former glories, and weeping her present desolation. So has it always been—progressing, retrograding, standing still a while, and then progressing once more, and falling back again. The whole history of the Church has been a history of onward marches, and then of quick retreats—a history which, I believe, is, on the whole, a history of advance and growth, but which, read chapter by chapter, is a mixture of success and repulse, conquest and discouragement. And so I think it will be, even to the last. We shall have our sunrises, our meridian noon, and then the sinking in the west; we shall have our sweet dawnings of better days, our Reformations, our Luthers and our Calvins; we shall have our bright full noon-tide, when the gospel is fully preached, and the power of God is known; we shall have our sunset of ecclesiastical weakness and decay. But just as sure as the evening-tide seems to be drawing over the Church, "at evening time it shall be light."

We may expect to see darker evening times than have ever been beheld. Let us not imagine that our civilization shall be more enduring than any other that has gone before it, unless the Lord shall preserve it. It may be that the suggestion will be realized which has often been laughed at as folly, that one day men should sit upon the arches of London Bridge, and marvel at the civilization that has departed, just as men walk over the mounds of Nimrod, and marvel at cities buried there. It is just possible that all the civilization of this country may die out in blackest night; it may be that God will repeat again the great story which has been so often told: "I looked, and low, in the vision I saw a terrible beast, and it ruled the nations, but lo, it passed away and was not." But if ever such things should be—if the world should ever have to return to barbarism and darkness—if instead of what we sometimes hope for, a constant progress to the brightest day, all our hopes should be blasted, let us rest quite satisfied that "at evening time there shall be light," that the end of the world's history shall be an end of glory. However red with blood, however black with sin the world may yet be, she shall one day be as pure and perfect as when she was created. The day shall come when this poor planet shall find herself unrobed of those swaddling bands of darkness that have kept her lustre from breaking forth.

God shall yet cause His name to be known from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof,

"And the shout of jubilee Loud as mighty thunders roar,
Or the fullness of the sea, When it breaks upon the shore,
Shall yet be heard the wide world o'er."
"At evening time it shall be light."

We know that in nature the very same law that rules the atom, governs also the starry orbs.

"The very law that moulds a tear,
And bids it trickle from its source,
That law preserves the earth a sphere,
And guides the planets in their course."

It is even so with the laws of grace. "At evening time it shall be light" to the Church.... Christian let us descend to lowly things. Thou hast had thy bright days in temporal matters: thou hast sometimes been greatly blessed: thou canst remember the day when the calf was in the stall, when the olive yielded its fruit, and the fig-tree did not deny its harvest; thou canst recollect the years when the barn was almost bursting with the corn, and when the vat overflowed with the oil; thou rememberest when the stream of thy life was deep, and thy ship floated softly on, without one disturbing billow of trouble to molest it. Thou saidst in those days, "I shall see no sorrow; God hath hedged me about; He hath preserved me; He hath kept me; I am the darling of His providence; I know that all things work together for my good, for I can see it is plainly so. "

Well, Christian, thou hast after that had a sunset; the sun which shone so brightly, began to cast his rays in a more oblique manner every moment, until at last the shadows were long, for the sun was setting, and the clouds began to gather; and though the light of God's countenance tinged those clouds with glory, yet it was waxing dark. Then troubles lowered o'er thee; thy family sickened, thy wife was dead, thy crops were meagre, and thy daily income was diminished, thy cupboard was no more full, thou wast wondering for thy daily bread; thou didst not know what should become of thee, mayhap thou wast brought very low; the keel of thy vessel did grate upon the rocks; there was not enough bounty to float thy ship above the rocks of poverty. You used both industry and economy, and you added thereunto perseverance; but all in vain. It was in vain that you rose up early, and sat up late, and ate the bread of carefulness; nothing could you do to deliver yourself, for all attempts failed. You were ready to die in despair. You thought the night of your life had gathered with eternal blackness. You would not live always, but had rather depart from this vale of tears. Was it not light with thee at evening time? The time of thine extremity was just the moment of God's opportunity. When the tide had run out to its very furthest, then it began to turn; thine ebb had its flow; thy winter had its summer; thy sunset had its sunrise; "at evening time it was light." On a sudden by some strange work of God as thou didst think then, thou was completely delivered. He brought out thy righteousness like the light, and thy glory as the noonday. The Lord appeared for thee in the days of old; He stretched out His hand from above; He drew thee out of deep waters; He set thee upon a rock and established thy goings.

Taken from Words of Cheer for Daily Life

A timely and needed encore presentation

A LIVING HOPE...unshakable assurance in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

"So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you." 

(Colossians 3:12-13)

1 John 2:28-3:3, “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. [29] If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. [3:1] See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. [2] Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is. [3] And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure."

Most people use hope today as a synonym for making a wish; fulfilling a dream or satisfying a desire. To some it maybe a roll of the dice to obtain something that is seemingly out of reach and unattainable: a new car; the longed for promotion; the right mate for life (are you single, saved, satisfied and searching?) or maybe a chance to win the lottery. Some are looking for hope beyond hard circumstances, impossible trials with presumably a ‘no light at the end of the tunnel’ situation. We’ve all been at that place at one time or another in our lives of feeling like we're walking around with both feet planted firmly in mid-air, haven't we?

Some turn their search for hope to the empty promises made by late-night salesmen offering you the latest fast ticket to success. Or some might look for advice from psychics or mediums, who claim "divine futuristic omniscience" into the deep hidden secrets of your life.

Some searches for hope though, are not so casual. We remember all too well the tragic deaths of thirty-nine people known as Heaven's Gate-cult in their emasculated mass suicide with the hope of rejoining together in a spaceship hidden behind the comet Hale-bopp.

THE CHARACTER OF LIVING HOPE:

But that's not what the Bible means when speaking of hope. Hope, biblically, is not a whim, a cultist dream, a roll of the dice, or even a simple wish. Biblical hope, is a reality; a fact not yet realized rooted in eternity; it is that which the Lord has pledged and declared to be true with the full assurance that it will come to pass in His sovereign plan. In other words, hope is:

Holy Obedience to Promises Eternal

Listen to these powerful words from Scriptures as to what real hope truly is: Hebrews 6:19-20a,

"This hope we have as an anchor for the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us…"

The writer of Hebrews says that our hope is, an anchor for the soul; sure; steadfast; fixed—connected with the One who entered as a forerunner for us. Literally, we are "chained with Christ" for eternity and that is good news.

1 Peter 1:3-5 reinforces the sure and steadfast hope that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected (kept) by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

How encouraging are those words. Our hope is living; obtained through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And then listen to this list of promises: it is imperishable, undefiled, will not fade away, is reserved in heaven and protected (kept) by the power of God. Now that is hope beloved... amen?

The Apostle Paul gives us further reason to rejoice in our hope when saying in Colossians 1:5,

"because of the hope laid up for you in heaven which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel."

The hope that we have as Christians is in separable from gospel truth. How sure is this hope? As surely as Jesus died and rose from the grave; as sure as we are justified and are being sanctified; as sure as we have been born again; we have hope!

Therefore, based on the truth of God’s Word, we can define hope as being:

Hope, is undiminished trust in Christ in response to the promises of God as established in His Word by the Holy Spirit, and then waiting patiently for His sovereign fulfillment.

A World of Hopelessness
If to be in Christ is to have hope eternal, then to be without Christ is to be absolutely hopeless. There is no hope apart from salvation in the Lord.

Job 8:13, "the hope of the godless shall perish."

Job 27:8, "for what is the hope of the godless… when God requires his life?"

Isaiah 8:19-22, “And when they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. And they will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward. Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.”

Ephesians 2:12, "remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the common- wealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in this world."

Isn’t that a dim picture of the hope that the world offers? Even the hope that is depicted in most magazines, newspapers, sitcoms, talk shows, etc. is usually placed in three things: brains, bodies and bucks. That's why the Lord says through the weeping prophet Jeremiah, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glories, glory in this, that he knows and understands Me, that I am the Lord" Jeremiah 9:23-24.

We do not build our hope on this world...
"the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" for "this world is passing away and the lust of it…" 1 John 2:17a. Why? "For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" 2 Cor. 4:18b. "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to [fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches] but in the living God" 1 Tim. 6:17.

We do not build our hope on ourselves...
"Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, “You have made my days as handbreaths; and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor." Psalm 39:4-5.

Listen to these penetrating words by Charles Spurgeon:

"Before the Eternal, all the age of frail man is less than one ticking of the clock. This is the surest truth that nothing about man is either sure or true. Take man at his best, he is but a man, and a man is a mere breath, unsubstantial as the wind. He is constant only in inconstancy. His vanity is his only verity; his best, of which he is vain, is but vain; this is true of every man, that everything about him is every way fleeting. Those whose glory is in themselves will hang the flag at half-mast;" for "all flesh is as grass and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass…" Isaiah 40:6b-7a.

"Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue… Since his days are determined, the number of his moths is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass" Job 14:1-2,4b.

THE COMPONENTS OF LIVING HOPE:

Question: What comprises the foundation that this living, eternal, imperishable, sure, steadfast anchor for the soul is built upon? There are seven pillars in the Word of God that our hope is firmly rooted in and established:

1. the Source of our hope is God:
Psalm 43:5, "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God…"
Lamentations 3:21, "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope." The memory of God's devotion to His people brings hope out of hopelessness."
2 Thess. 2:16, "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word."
Titus 1:1-2, "Paul, bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and acknowledgement of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began."

2. the Security of our hope is Christ:
1 Timothy 1:1b, "Christ Jesus, who is our hope…"
Colossians 1:27, "Christ in you the hope of glory."

3. the Strength of our hope is the Holy Spirit:
Romans 15:13, "...that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Galatians 5:5, "For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."

4. the Scope of our hope is in the Word:
Romans 15:4, "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

No one ever lives greater than their view of God; and our view of God is formed by what He has revealed concerning Himself, by His Spirit, through His Word. We may see His invisible attributes, eternal power and Godhead revealed through general revelation (Romans 1:18ff), but the self-revelation of who God is and His redemptive plan for man is solely revealed in special revelation - the Word of God. Therefore, if in our worship, we pervert the Word - we pervert a right view of God; if in our music, we distort His truth - we distort a true representation of His character; if in our songs, we misrepresent the Scripture - we misrepresent the Savior; and if in our worship, we twist His truth - we cause people to worship someone less than who He really has declared Himself to be. What a responsibility to handle accurately the word of truth.

Psalm 119:42, "So shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I [hope] in Your word."
Psalm 119:49, "Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope."
Psalm 119:74, "Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Your word."
Psalm 119:114, "You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.”
Psalm 119:147, "I rise before the dawning of the morning and cry for help; I hope in Your word."
Psalm 119:166, "Lord, I hope for Your salvation and I do your commandments."

5. the Speech of our hope is joy and victory:
Romans 5:2, "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Romans 5:5, "and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
1 Thess. 5:8, "and as a helmet, the hope of salvation."

6. the Sign of our hope is sanctification:
1 John 3:3, "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

7. the Surety of our hope is the Lord's return:
Titus 2:13, "Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."

How tremendous and sure is our hope as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Question: Do you have the assurance of this living hope in Christ today? Do you have the comfort that your life is hid in Christ and that there is not any situation that can rob you of your joy in Him? If not, then trust in Christ this very hour, repent of your sin; confess Jesus Christ as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead; and know for certain that there is real hope through the gospel of grace that can never fade away.

UNSHAKABLE HOPE IN THE MIDST OF PROFOUND GRIEF...this is the assurance of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ

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, to an inheritance that is imperishable, 

undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 

who by God's power are being guarded through faith 

for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, 

if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 

so that the tested genuineness of your faith—

more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—

may be found to result in praise and glory and honor 

at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

-1 Peter 1:3-7

THE EVIL OF SIN..makes men wretched insidious malefactors; invokes the wrath of God upon them; and is conquered only through Christ Jesus the Lord

"but God shows his love for us in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood,
much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God
by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled,
shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation."
-Romans 5:8-11-

by John Flavel

If the death of Christ was that which satisfied God for our sins, there is infinite evil in sin, since it would not be expiated but by an infinite satisfaction. Fools make a mock at sin, and there are few in the world who are fully sensible of its evil- but certainly, if God should exact of thee the full penalty, thy eternal sufferings could not satisfy for the evil there is in one vain thought. You may think it severe, that God should subject his creatures to everlasting sufferings for sin, and never be satisfied with them any more. But when you have well considered, that the Being against whom you sin is the infinitely blessed God, and how God dealt with the angels that fell, you will change your mind. Oh the depth of the evil of sin! If ever you wish to see how great and horrid an evil sin is, measure it in your thoughts, either by the infinite holiness and excellency of God, who is wronged by it; or by the infinite sufferings of Christ, who died to satisfy for it; and then you will have deeper apprehensions of its enormity.

If the death of Christ satisfied God, and thereby redeemed us from the curse; then the redemption of souls is costly; souls are precious and of great value with God. "Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition; but with the precious blood of the Son of God, as of a lamb without spot." (I Peter 1: 18,19). Only the blood of God is an equivalent for the redemption of souls. Gold and silver may redeem from human, but not from hellish bondage. The whole creation is not a value for the redemption of one soul. Souls are very dear; he that paid for them found them so: yet how cheaply do sinners sell their souls.

If Christ's death satisfied God for our sins, how unparalleled is the love of God to poor sinners! If Christ, by dying, has made full satisfaction, then God can consistently pardon the greatest of sinners that believe in Jesus.