Hope in the Big Three

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Faith brings you to God

Hope sustains you while you wait to be in His presence,

Love is the actual experience that one will have eternally with God in heaven

Hope – Webster’s Dictionary “A confident expectation that a desire will be fulfilled.”

When the Bible uses the word hope it uses it in this sense.

•A cord

•Attached in safety

•Longing and expectation

•Security, desire, waiting

In the earliest times the Hebrew word for hope in the Old Testament was a word that meant a cord or an attachment, signifying that a person was attached in safety.

By the time the book of Job was written this word included the sense of longing and expectation.

When David and Solomon expressed this idea in their writings they included all three concepts of security, desire and waiting.

Psalm 16:9 ESV

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.

Proverbs 14:32 ESV

The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death.

Earthly Hope vs. Heavenly Hope

Earthly Hope – Relative, not 100% sure Heavenly Hope – 100% sure

There is one important difference with the meaning of the word hope that is in Webster's Dictionary and the meaning of the word hope contained in the Bible.

The hope in Webster's is based on the idea that one is relatively sure that things are going to work out. For example, final exam.

Based on what you know, your hope to pass the exam is well founded. BUT ARE YOU 100%? Stuff can happen

In other words, the hope referred to in Webster's is relative, that is why they call it hope, you are pretty sure but not one hundred percent sure.

When the Bible mentions hope, however, it is talking about something that is one hundred percent sure!

The Bible uses the term hope when it refers to something that is not yet present or visible but is certain to take place. WHY - it does not depend on me.

Pretty sure vs. one hundred percent sure!

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Explain “assurance”

Hope in this world is for things we do not have now but expect to have in the future... maybe (i.e. good health, prosperity, etc.).

Biblical hope, on the other hand, is certain because God not only guarantees it but has already given to us the things we hope for, we simply do not see all of them yet.

Hebrews 6:18–19 ESV

so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,

Planning + Hard Work = Earthly Hope

Faith in Christ = Biblical Hope

Romans 8:24–25 ESV

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

We have hope because through Jesus Christ we possess all the heavenly blessings.

We may not see all of them yet, but our names are on every one of them and God is saving them for us until the appropriate time (when He comes and we are resurrected like children awakened to finally open the gifts awaiting us).

Do you have 100% Hope of Heaven?

HOW DO I GET THIS HOPE?