Need Hope?

Are you feeling hopeless?

In this life of struggle and hardship, it's not difficult to find ourselves in a period of hopelessness. Maybe the world seems bleak and broken. Maybe the endless conflict from all directions is wearing you thin. Or maybe the struggle is something internal. Have you been sleeping poorly? Perhaps are waiting on the doctor to call with those test results? Wrestling with bad habits that you just can't break?

Before we get too far, I just want to say that you are not alone and your situation is not hopeless. Whatever you may be going through, there is hope. Continue reading and allow the Holy Spirit to show you how you can have true, lasting hope, no matter what is going on in your life.

What Does the Bible Say About Hope?

The Bible says a lot about hope. Today, we will look at 1 Peter 1: 3-9.

1 Peter 1:3 - "Blessed be the God and Father of out Lord Jesus Christ, who according to Hid great mercy, has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."

Right from the beginning, we see several things:

1. Praise is being given to God the Father

2. He "caused us to be born again to a living hope"

3. The source of this hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ

This sets an important foundation for us moving forward. Our hope is born in the resurrection of Jesus. This truth is reiterated throughout the New Testament, so it's vital that we understand it.

When we look for hope, we should be looking to the resurrection.

1 Peter 1:4-5 - "...to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Our hope is formed in the resurrection, but is focused on the future.

Our future life in heaven with God, which "will not fade away" and "is reserved for you" should be the object of our hope. The importance of this point cannot be overstated. There are some who will promise you that your pain will go away or that the bills will be paid on time. I would love to make that promise to you, but the true promise of hope is for what comes after this life. Don't be discouraged through. As you will see in a moment, while this hope may not guarantee you a clean bill of health ot a restored marriage, it will give you something better.

1 Peter 1:6 - "...In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials."

We rejoice for the future, even when today hurts.

Verse six brings about a theme often seen in the Bible - rejoicing in spite of hardship. Rest assured, there will be very few things in life more difficult than rejoicing in spite of hardship, but the promise of out future eternity with God should cause us to rejoice. I will discuss more on that shortly.

I want to emphasize the phrase, "...now for a little while...", which may mean this particular season of struggle or it may refer to the struggles you endure throughout your life. A hundred years feels like alot when you are on this side of it, but it is nothing compared to eternity. You may ask, why? That my hardship is short compared to eternity does not explain why it is happening.

1 Peter 1:7 - "...so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and hoot at the revelation of Jesus Christ..."

There is a reason why so many people ask the question, "Why does God let bad things happen?" whether they are growing in their faith or challenging it. The presence of hardship is an undeniable truth, so how do we reconcile that with an all-powerful, all-good God? Not only that, how do we continue to life up our hands in praise when out bodies and spirits are bruised and broken? This verse doesn't give us the how, but it gives us the why.

Our trials prove our faith and result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

We don't have a clear picture of what this will look like, but we have a clear indication that it is worth any trial you'll endure in this life. Any trial. Any hardship. Just look at Romans 8:18 which says: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

There is nothing at al that can happen to you in this life which will make the future glory seem like it wasn't worth the trouble. Not only are those hardships not with comparing with the future glory, but God is using those hardships for good. Romans 8:28 says: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose."

God makes all things work together for your good. The only condition is that you are one of "those who love God and are called according to His purpose".

So, what does it mean to be one of those who love God and are called according to His purpose?

1 Peter 1:8-9 - "...and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."

Love and belief categorize our relationship with Christ.

We love Him because He is our King and Redeemer. We believe in Him because He is alive today, though He did once die on a cross. Through this faith, we receive eternal salvation. We are no longer lost, no longer blind, and no longer condemned to eternity without Christ. In that wonderful and eternal truth, we greatly rejoice. There is nothing this life can heap on us that can diminish the joy that we should and can find in our relationship with Christ Jesus.

Do not be mistaken... I am not diminishing your hardship. God knows I am not diminishing my own. I know exactly how hard life can be and I don't have to look far to find those who have suffered far worse than I have. Our time in this world is painful and frustrating, BUT, there is hope. Our hope is in Jesus. Through His resurrection, Jesus changed everything. Our future is secure. We are redeemed and free to enter into communion with God as beloved sons and daughters.

Our response should be joyful rejoicing.

Do you believe?

There is only one condition. 1 Peter 1:3 says that we have been born again into a living hope.

Outside of Christ, there is no hope.

Have you been born again? If not, nothing we have discussed here will matter. In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me." The trials of this life are nothing when compared to eternal life with God, but they are also nothing compared to eternal life without God.

The passage in 1 Peter that we have just studied uses the word faith three times. Two of those times, the word is partnered with the word salvation. If we seek salvation, we must have faith. Faith in what, exactly? Jesus. It is only through Jesus that we can be saved. That is what it means to be born again.

There is much more to be said about Jesus than I can fit into this conclusion of this post, but in short, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I have also received, that Christ dies for out sins according to Scriptures, that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."

Jesus died so that you might be reconciled and He rose again, confirming all He said to be true.

He died to pay the price for you sins and my sins (Romans 5:8; 6:23). He rose again on the third day, bodily, showing himself to a vast number of witnesses (1 Corithians 15:5-8), and confirmed the declaration of His life and ministry (Matthew 12:38-41). He is Lord and Savior. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The resurrection of Jesus acts as a seal, giving us an immovable foothold upon which to place our hope (1 Peter 1:3).

So, do you believe? Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ?

If so, you have the hope of such eternal joy that is makes any hardship in this life "not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us". Not that your hardships won't hurt, but when we view them through a biblical lens, they will be insignificant in light of the joy that is to come. We can rejoice in hardship because it has a purpose and an eventual end (1 Peter 1:6-7).

If not, I want to invite you to do so now. Placing your faith in Jesus means that you have decided to believe in what the Bible says, not just in your head, but in your heart. It means that you have decided to trust that Jesus came and died for you. and that He rose from the grave. It means that you are trusting and accepting His sacrifice to cover the penalty for your sins.

It's true that this decision comes with expectations. If Jesus is your Savior, Jesus is also your Lord. He calls the shots. It is out great blessing, then, that Jesus cares so deeply for us. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest... Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

It comes with expectations, but the burden is light. It also comes with all of the promises that we have discussed here. It comes with hope.

Blessings.

What Now?

1. Pray

Have you decided to place your faith in Jesus today? If so, pray about it! Tell God what you have decided. He is already aware of it, of course, but you are now a child of God (John 1:12) and the Bible says that you have been made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). As a new creation and child of God, one of the greatest privileges you have is the ability to go to God in prayer. Because of your newfound faith, you have entered into relationship with God, and all relationships require communication - so communicate with Him! It doesn't have to be complicated. Here is an example prayer you can use if you would like:

"God, today I made the decision to trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe the Bible when it says that He died for my sins and was resurrected on the third day. Whatever I may experience, my hope in your promises will remind me to rejoice. Amen."

2. Contact Us

There is so much more to be said. If you have made this decision today, please let us know so that we can celebrate with you and help you take your next steps as a newly born (again) child of God!

If you were already born again before this, please contact us still. Whatever you may be going through, we want to pray with you, cry with you, and most importantly, rejoice with you.

You are NOT alone!

"By His grace and for His glory!"