Sometimes things seem hopeless. It isn’t too hard to feel this way because we live in a world full of people who think that things are hopeless. Such people have no or little hope for today, much less for tomorrow. Such hopelessness arises due to a misplaced hope that is focused on temporarily created things. When people place their hope in the things of this world, it’s no wonder they have a feeling of hopelessness. This is because hoping in the things of this world that are destined for destruction is futile. 2 Peter 3:10 tells us that, “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” Instead, we should hope in the things not of this world. It is those things that will last forever and not fail us.
In John 18:36 Jesus told us that His kingdom is not of this world. Still, Jesus’ disciples hoped that He would be the one who would deliver Israel from the Roman occupation and restore Jerusalem to the glory days of King David. Their hope was squelched when Jesus was arrested, executed, and buried. The reason their hope in Christ turned hopeless was because they hoped that Jesus would be the earthly king they so desired. There hope died when Christ died. There hope was later restored after Jesus resurrected, but it was still misplaced. In Acts 1:6 the Apostles asked Jesus, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” They still didn’t understand that Jesus never came to establish an earthly kingdom. Their hope in a restored Israel like during the time of King David was not in God’s plan. They had a dead hope.
The Apostles’ hope became a living hope on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit revealed to them the true nature of God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is spiritual, eternal, and immeasurable. The hope Christians have is in the eternal kingdom of God with Jesus as its eternal King! The Apostle Peter writes about the living hope that all Christians share in 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.”
The hope that all Christians share comes not through the earthly ministry of Christ that led to His death on the cross. The hope that all Christians share comes through His eternal ministry as Lord of lords and King of kings. The hope we have is in the living, resurrected Christ who gives us the promise of eternal life when we are baptized into His death so that we may live a new life in Him (Romans 6:4).
The living hope Christians have is in our resurrection because of Christ’s resurrection. Christ is alive and we hope that we too will be alive when Christ returns. It is a living hope that we have because Christ lives. This means that even though every misplaced hope might prove hopeless, we can hope in Christ because He lives (1 Peter 1:7-8).
Since we have a living hope we can all confidently sing in hope song #464, “Because He lives I can face tomorrow, Because He lives all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives.”
