Enduring Hope
Written by Alan Berthiaume | Pastor of Adult & Family Ministries
Topic Summary:
We live in a world with an ever-diminishing sense of hope. When negative circumstances of life amass, people often react with despondence, bitterness, apathy, and cynicism about the future. However, God’s Word instructs those who belong to Christ not to share this same gloomy outlook. We are to have an enduring hope. Sounds easier said than done, but the answer lies not so much in the “how,” but in the “who.”
Article:
According to a poll published by Pew Research (1) in April of 2023, most Americans have a dim or pessimistic view about the nation’s future. If you have spent time around the water cooler, this trend likely seems consistent with the attitude of your neighbors. With the rising cost of gas, the fighting in Ukraine and Israel, and the direction of public education, it is easy to get caught up in the spirit of disparagement that seems to surround the average American.
In the midst of such ominous circumstances, where is hope? The answer may surprise you.
Hope is not dependent upon one’s circumstances at all. True hope for every American, every colleague, and every neighbor is not obtained through a shift in the local or geo-political state of affairs. For hope to be consistent, it must be tethered to something outside of our circumstances, something that is always true. Charles Spurgeon rightly said, “Hope what you please; but remember, that hope without truth at the bottom of it, is an anchor without a holdfast. A groundless hope is a mere delusion.”
So, what is the believer’s anchor for hope? Thankfully, the Bible tells us. Psalm 71:5 says, “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.” Our hope is the Lord. The writer of Hebrews says this hope we have in Christ is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19).
“The reality is that regardless of where you live on this planet or how hard life can be at times, Christ is the source of the believer’s hope, and he never changes (Hebrews 13:8). That’s the key.”
Since our hope in this life is tethered to Christ, our hope is sure, it is certain, it is constant. In fact, it is said to be living or thriving. The Apostle Peter, who walked with Jesus, learned this principle. Despite the terrible persecution Christians were experiencing under the hand of the Roman Emperor, Peter encouraged his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, saying, “[God] 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” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Our hope is alive because Christ is risen from the grave. Note that. Because he lives, our hope lives on too! Furthermore, this hope that lives on in Christ is described as our “inheritance” – a clear reference to our eternal home in glory, which is sure, whole, and never-ending.
With such a remarkable inheritance awaiting us, we of all people on the planet ought to live as those who have hope. In fact, the Apostle Paul expressed how this “blessed hope” of ours affects the way we live in this present age, reminding us to turn away from “ungodliness and worldly passions” in favor of lives full of “good works” (Titus 2:11-14). Hope changes the way we live. To be fair, hope changes the way everyone lives. Those without hope, or whose hope is in passing things, live with a pessimistic and ever-changing worldview.
“In contrast, those whose hope is the risen and living Savior live with a sense of purpose—a sense that their lives are greater than their circumstances and therefore they should endeavor to glorify God with their actions.”
When we stop to consider these truths, we are reminded of what we live for. We live for our Lord. Where the secular world struggles to have purpose or meaning in life, those in Christ know exactly why they are here, and what they are meant to do. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28), and whatever we do, we are to do to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). That is what living with hope in Christ looks like. We seek to glorify God in all things, not just the big life decisions, but the seemingly mundane tasks of everyday life, too. It’s all for him, and that spurs on our hope day by day.
Therefore, the solution for our world to find hope today is the same as it has been for millennia. The hope is Christ. It is him. That’s it. Ephesians 2:12 reminds us that without Christ there is no hope in this world. So, what the world needs now is Christ. It is only by knowing him, and what he has accomplished for our sin through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the grave, that people will have a hope greater than their circumstances. A hope that is true and lasts forever. So, spread the message of hope this holiday season. Spread the message of Christ.
1 https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/24/americans-take-a-dim-view-of-the-nations-future-look-more-positively-at-the-past/