MAN'S FOUR SPIRITUAL HOPES
Mankind has four spiritual hopes in God in which we all look to Him, because we cannot achieve any of the four without His power, grace, and charity, which is love. Because man has been sinful since the day of Adam and Eve, Our first spiritual hope is salvation, which we know is achieved in Christ Jesus.
1. Salvation. "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." (1 Thess. 5:8) "For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke." (Isa. 59:17) Here is prophecy that Jesus will bring salvation to Israel, but we also know it has been offered even to the Gentiles! "And he said, 'It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth.'" (Isa. 49:6) "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" (Eph. 6:17) The helmet guards our minds and thoughts. If we keep in remembrance our salvation is already won and victory is ours for Christ's shed blood on the cross, we steel our minds from the devil's temptations to worry about our salvation, because we hold the gospel to be true, and it asserts our salvation is guaranteed in Jesus' propitiation for all our sins through His sacrifice. Let the devil rail and accuse us, Jesus is our "lawyer", who will counter his accusations with one answer; "Debt paid!"
2. Resurrection. On this one point the Pharisees were correct, they simply didn't recognize their spiritual hope when He was in front of them! "But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, 'Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.' And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both." (Acts 23:6 - 8) The Sadducees were very lost, since they had no hope in a resurrection to begin with, but all who believe in Jesus find this spiritual hope of theirs rests in Him! Jesus even attested to the Sadducees that there is a resurrection, but since they didn't believe in Him, how could it have been expected for them to believe what He was teaching? "But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Matt. 22:31 - 32) So as all believers are convinced that Jesus cannot lie, we are confident in the hope in Christ Jesus not only for salvation, but in this resurrection that He guaranteed will take place! "Jesus said unto her, 'I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:'" (John 11:25)
3. The Second Coming Of Christ. "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Tit. 2:13 - 14) Our hope and belief is the same, those of us who believe on Him, that He will not only come again to redeem us, but that He will also reward us for our faith! "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." (Col. 3:4) Ah, the rapture in the air; what a spectacular moment that will be! "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2) Wow, to be physically and spiritually changed into bodies like His! How much we should be joyous to look forward to such a metamorphosis! "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom;... Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." (2 Tim. 4:1, 8) Those of us who know about how things will be when He comes again indeed long for His appearing, for we will be free of the things of this world!
4. Eternal Life. "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" (Tit. 1:2) While there are people who believe we die and then there's absolutely nothing left of our essence, those of us who believe there is an eternal life in bliss and heaven also believe we shall receive it from Christ. Our hope is in Him, and this faith is guaranteed because as it is herein written, God cannot lie! "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus," (2 Tim. 1:1) "That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Tit. 3:7)
And so we have these four spiritual hopes that our Father Creator who with His loving hands formed us in our mothers' wombs, has a plan that demonstrates His love for us throughout all eternity; we hope in the salvation promised because of our belief in Christ Jesus, His Son. We have hope to be resurrected because of our faith in He who was resurrected by our heavenly Father, who is promised to resurrect those who believe on Him. We have a hope in the return of this same Savior who was resurrected, that when He comes, we will see Him and be with Him in all His glory, and we have a hope in the promise of eternal life in paradise, in the New Jerusalem, and its eternal light, which is from our God; eternal life with Christ Jesus! "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jer 29:11) God never changes!
Amen!!!!
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