I hope for a lot of things. I hope the McRib comes back to McDonald's. I hope Taylor Swift finally finds her soul mate. And for the love of all that is good and pure in this world, I hope my beloved Minnesota Vikings win a Super Bowl in my lifetime. What do I really mean when I use the word ‘hope’ in this way? This kind of hope is more like wishful thinking; nothing more than an optimistic reach for the stars through a galaxy of possibility.
OUR REAL HOPE
This Sunday we’ll sing a new song titled Hope Has A Name. We’re gonna shout out that we have hope for our future because of Jesus Christ. Is this hope the same as my optimism on behalf of the Vikings? Is it simply a holy wishing for the best?
I would argue that it’s not. Hope gets defined and applied very differently in the Bible. We say that Christ is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1; Ephesians 1:12). We hope for salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8), God’s glory (Romans 5:2), the resurrection (Acts 23:6), and glorification (1 John 3: 2-3). This type of hope certainly cannot be left up to chance.
Christian hope is a confident expectation that God will fulfill every single promise He’s made. It’s an assurance that anticipates the conclusion of God’s redemptive plan. That’s why I love the chorus of Hope Has A Name. It’s simple, yet profound.
Hope has a name, His name is Jesus
My Savior's cross has set this sinner free
Hope has a name, His name is Jesus
Oh, Christ be praised, I have victory.
Our present hope is in the past work of Christ. Christ’s shed blood has freed us from the penalty of sin and given us the privilege of sharing in Christ’s victory over death. This hope is not a possibility, it’s a reality.
OUR STRUGGLE WITH HOPE
Most of us hope in tons of other things. We place our hope in our careers, relationships, or our kids. We look at all the things in our life that we can control and we hope in them. In this way, we domesticate hope. But there’s a problem: hoping in anything but Christ is an exercise in futility.
Circumstance will always distract us. Disappointment, frustration, and insecurity, among many other things, will continually remind us that without a confident hope in the definite work of Christ we are most to be pitied.
WHAT HOPE LOOKS LIKE
True hope is always forward-thinking. It doesn’t become complacent. It longs for consummation. I cannot wait to sing the final verse of this song with you because it accentuates this truth.
There'll be a day my hope complete
Now home in glory, Your face I'll see
My pain no more my fear will cease
I bow my life, I fix my eyes, on Christ my King
Hope drives us to the place where we long to be—in the presence of the King.
Everything else will fade away. Everything else will disappoint. The only thing that is guaranteed is Christ’s eternal reign. Therefore, the only hope that’s worth anything substantial is hope placed in Him.
NEW SONG ON SUNDAY
The band is pumped to sing this one on Sunday. Our heart is to direct our eyes to our true and sufficient hope and to sing ourselves into a posture of rest—a place where we can confidently trust in the promises of God. A place of hope.
