The Christian Hope

PART ONE

Hebrews 6:13-20 (Read and Comment- what a wonderful and sure hope we have!)

I. What is the Christian's hope?

1. What the Christian hope is not:

Def. # 1. A feeling that what is wanted is likely to happen. (Webster)

This is not the Christian hope! The words feeling and likely are not descriptive of the Christian hope.

Def. # 2. Desire accompanied by expectation. (Webster)

This is not the definition of the Christian hope. There is still nothing sure in this definition. Our desire and expectation do not secure our hope. (I may desire and expect a raise, but that doesn't mean I'll get one.)

Everyone has some kind of a hope. What is your hope in this morning? Is it in this life:

-Is your hope to live a long and healthy life?

-or to get married, have children and grand children?

-to be wealthy or financially secure?

-to be great as men count greatness, or highly esteemed by your peers?

-to live your life in pleasure? (kind of like one big party)

-to live out your life in peace and safety without fear of being molested?

Read 1 Cor. 15:19

The Christian hope is not in this life, or the things in this life!

The Christian has not been assured of any of these things! In fact, no one has been assured of these things!

Def. # 3 Hope may be defined as the object of one's hope (such as a person or thing).

-Is the object of your hope a person- perhaps your husband or wife, or your children?

-Is the object of your hope money, or stocks & bonds, or real-estate, or business

propositions?

-What about the economy, or modern technology, or modern medicine? (Walt Disney)

Our hope is not in material wealth; or physical health.

-It is not in earthly pleasures and earthly joys.

-It is not in mankind, or man's accomplishments.

At very best, all these things are temporal- they are going to fail; they are going to spoil; they are going to die; they are going to burn up- its just a matter of time!!!

2. What the Christian hope is:

A better definition of Christian hope is:

3. A desire and confident expectation that God will keep His promises to His people. (Repeat). This definition places our hope in God and not us, or things in this world.

This is the teaching of our text in Hebrews. Let's see some of the things that we hope for:

1. The Christian hope is salvation complete. That is, for God to complete what He has started in the lives of His people.

(Read: Phil. 1:6; 1 Thes. 5:23-24)

2. The Christian hope is to receive that new body that God has promised us.

(Read: Phil. 3:20-21) How many would like to have a body? If you don't now, you will!!!

3. The Christian hope is the return of Jesus in the rapture.

(Tit. 2:13; 1 Cor. 15:51-52)

4. Christian hope is the resurrection. (All through the book of Acts the resurrection is depicted as the Christian hope.

(1 Thes. 4:13-17) This is the rapture of the dead and living saints.

- We don't have to fear death

- We don't have to sorrow as others who have no hope.

- Jesus is the resurrection and the life! (John 11:25)

5. The Christian hope is to dwell with Christ forever in those heavenly mansions.

(John 14:1-4)

6. The Christian hope is a sure and glorious inheritance . (1 Peter 1:2-5)

What do you think is the possibility of loosing that inheritance? It is impossible for to lie, Who promised us the inheritance (as we saw in our text).

7. The Christian hope is to see Jesus as He is? (1 John 3:1-3)

How is He?

8. The Christian hope is the Lord Jesus Himself!

(1 Tim. 1:1; Col. 1:27)

Jesus is the object of our hope. He is the fulfillment of all the things we've mentioned. When Jesus becomes our hope, all these other things also become ours in Him!

II. Who has this hope?

(Hebrews 6:17-18)

1. Who has this hope?

-The heirs of promise!

-The spiritual seed of Abraham.

-All of God's chosen people.

2. How can one know if they are one of these?

(vs. 18)

-Who have fled for refuge (Allusion to the O.T. cities of refuge. Explain)

-Spiritually speaking, what do you need to flee from? Your sins, from the law of God that is against you, and from the wrath of God for having broken His Holy law.

-Fled for refuge: That is, in great haste, because of great fear of judgment which is about to fall upon you from God! This is an urgent matter. There is no time to lose!!!!!! Today is the day of salvation. There may be no tomorrow for you.

-The refuge is Christ Himself, the very object of our hope.

-To lay hold means to embrace Jesus by faith, that He died on the cross for your sins, to suffer God's justice in your behalf, that He is truly your Savior, your safe refuge from the wrath of God, because He bore the justice that was intended for you!

Invitation

Will you lay hold on Jesus this morning? Will you trust Him as your refuge? If you do, then you too will have the Christian hope we have spoken of this day.

To us who are saved, we have a glorious & sure hope. May we rejoice in the hope that God has given us in Christ Jesus.

(Sermon preached by Pastor Burke at the Faith Baptist Church of Lawtey, Florida)