Paul's Grace Message: THE LORD JESUS CHRIST OUR HOPE

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST OUR HOPE - By Jon D. Bekemeyer

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST OUR HOPE

By Jon D. Bekemeyer

Scripture Reading: I Timothy 1: 1

According to Webster, the word hope describes a "feeling that what is wanted will happen." People can endure many difficult circumstances in life if they believe things will im prove, if they have hope.

In the Bible, the word hope certainly embodies the idea of anticipating better things, but it goes even further than that. In common usage the word hope has an element of doubt but not so in God's Word. It is, as Vine puts it, "favorable and confident expectation." As believers, we are absolutely sure of wonderful things in the future. How can we be so sure? Our text has the answer- the Lord Jesus Christ is our hope! He Himself guarantees good things to come.

Too often we have the problem of wanting it all NOW. But remember this- what Paul wrote in I Corinthians 4:8 was a firm rebuke: "Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you." The rebuke came because this is not the time to reign; this is the time to suffer (Romans 8:18 et. al.). Indeed we are told in II Timothy 2:12 that if we are to reign with Him, we mustfirst suffer with Him.

Does this mean that we have an excuse to be negative, downcast and forlorn? NO! A thousand times, NO! In the midst of the pain and difficulties oflife, we find the sufficiency of God's grace and the comfort of His love. Our lives are marked by optimism and satisfaction as we now rejoice in hope. Truly, our hope is in the Lord.