A Sure And Steadfast Hope

Hebrews 6:19-20
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

In the story of "Final Escape" by Alfred Hitchcock, a convicted bank robber John Perry was sentenced to do hard labor in a state prison lumber camp for 15 years.

Decided to break out of the prison, he befriended Doc, an inmate who was an alcoholic. Interestingly, Doc was responsible for taking care of the sick in the prison infirmary as well as burying those inmates who died.

As the story continued, Doc's granddaughter needed to have an operation. Doc was desperate for money to pay the hospital bills. Thus he offered to help John to escape if John would pay him.

The plan was to hide John inside the coffin of the inmate who died next. The coffin would be buried. After the gravediggers and guards had left, Doc would then dig up and get John out of the coffin. What a perfect prison break!

All went according to plan, until Doc didn't come to dig John up. As John struggled and turned, the shroud slipped off the face of the corpse sharing the same coffin with him. John lit a matchstick and was horrified to see that face. It was Doc who had died of a heart attack the night before.

That was the final escape. John succeeded in escaping the prison but ended up in another prison which was worse and deadlier. He was buried alive! The one and only person whom John thought could help him was dead.

How often we have placed false hopes on people or things or even money, thinking that they could help us through our troubles and tribulations in life. But very often, we will suffer more as we are deluded by our false and misplaced hopes; moving from one problem to another, from one trap to another and from one prison to another. Some of us are very successful in doing all the wrong things! Chasing after pretty rainbows, turning round and round, moving from church to church and from preacher to preacher but often ended up having more shattered dreams, wounded hearts and broken toys!

People can fail us but Jesus never. Our hope in Christ is sure and steadfast, having its foundation of faith in God. It is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us to our Father in heaven Who will secure and strengthen us in times of troubles.

In the English language, the word "hope" often conveys some traces of doubt. For example, “I hope it will not rain tomorrow.” Very often, the word "hope" is followed by the word "so." "I hope so." That's the answer many people would give when asked this question: "Do you think you will go to heaven when you die?" But our hope in God is not like this!

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for hope is "betach." It means "assurance, boldly, without care, confidence, hope, safely secure, surely."

In the New Testament, the Greek word for hope is "elpis/elpizo." It means "to anticipate, to welcome, properly, expectation of what is sure and certain."

There is no shadow of wavering or doubt in the Biblical hope! Our hope in God is a certainty and a true reality, not a passing good feeling. Our authentic hope carries no doubt and unbelief.

Psalm 16:9
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.

Psalm 31:24
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the LORD.

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Our hope is a confident expectation and assurance based upon a sure foundation for which we can wait upon the Lord with great joy and full confidence. It is surely and securely founded upon the Word of God, the sovereignty, love and faithfulness of God, and also what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had done for us on the cross!

Our hope enables us to establish a solid foundation upon which we base our faith and trust, believing that God always keeps His promises. Sometimes it may seem to appear otherwise when days become months and months become years as we wait in hope for God. However God is never slow. He has good reasons as He is patiently waiting for us to grow in faith in Him.

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Christ is the actual aspiration and goal of our hope. Our hope is not getting all our problems solved or all our troubles removed. Our hope is in Christ and Christ alone! He is our blessed hope and answer!

Colossians 1:27
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Titus 2:13
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

1 Peter 1:3-5
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

This hope is a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! Yes, this living hope is able to resurrect the dead!

The last and final saying that Jesus uttered on the cross was “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’”

Luke 23:46
And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.

In the darkest and final hour of His earthly life before He breathed His last breath, Jesus still hoped and believed in God the Father! These last words of Jesus from the cross showed His absolute and total trust in God. There was never a shadow of doubt! He was committing and placing Himself completely in the hands of God the Father for His safekeeping. Knowing that God the Father would resurrect Him from the dead on the third day! And God the Father never fails! He is faithful and true to what He has promised!

The Risen Christ is our blessed hope. Jesus has gone in there before us. As Christ has been raised from the dead, we too will have the resurrection of the dead when the time comes.

John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

1 Corinthians 15:12-26
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.
16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Hallelujah Christ is risen! Our preaching is not empty and our faith is not in vain! At His coming, those who believe in Christ, though they may die, they shall live. And whoever are alive and believes in Christ shall never die.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Our blessed hope is living, sure and steadfast, having the power to overcome even death! Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, let us be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Written on: 25 April 2018