(Delmont Record – 5/16/2014)

There’s Hope!

My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.  On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.  “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” text by Edward Mote.

I love this hymn.  I love it because it really gets to the heart of the matter – the source of our hope.  Hope for the Christian is something definite for it is rooted in something specific, concrete.  Our hope is in Jesus Christ.  And He is our total hope, our hope for everything.  He is our hope for the present; he is our hope for the future.  He is the reason we can believe that we are forgiven; He is the reason we can believe that we actually have a future – a future even beyond the grave. Those who put their hope in Jesus have a certain hope – a hope that is much more than just wishful thinking.

But I find that those without faith in Jesus Christ have a much harder time defining their hope.  If your hope isn’t in Jesus Christ today, what is your hope in?  And does your hope have an expiration date?  For most, the answer they might give is a temporary hope, for when death inevitably comes, hope in anything found in this world is lost.  To have true hope requires having hope in something beyond this world, something beyond what can be seen.  No matter your beliefs, I challenge you to name the object of your hope – and be specific.  If you believe in heaven, what is the source of your hope that you will be allowed in?  If it is anything less certain than the blood and righteousness of Jesus, then I would ask you how certain are you of that hope? Too often, when we take the time to examine the objects of our hope, we find that we are building on sinking sand.  We are placing too much stock in things that will not last – things that cannot endure the ravages of time. Even some who believe in God put their hope in the sinking sand of self-righteousness.  I’m a good enough person, God would certainly never keep me out of heaven.  Are you certain about that? What is your hope in?  Is it in something definite?  Is it in something eternal?  Or better yet, is it in someone definite and eternal.

God wants more than to simply give you hope; He wants to be your hope. Your hope will only last as long as the object of your hope lasts.  If you put your hope in wealth, your hope is lost at financial ruin.  If you put your hope in family, when they or you die, your hope dies as well.  In order to have an eternal hope, you need to put that hope in something eternal.  In order to have a certain hope, you need to put your hope in something certain.  Only the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ can meet those requirements.

Psalm 62:5-6 entreats us, Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. Hebrews 6:19 says that for those of us who trust in God’s Word, those of us who put their hope in His promises, We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  What hope have you anchored your soul to?  Is it firm and secure enough to weather even the fiercest storms of life?  Or are you hitching your soul to wishful thinking and sinking sand?  My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; what is your hope built on?