2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 – Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

What is hope for a follower of Jesus?

J.I. Packer describes it this way:

Optimism is a wish without warrant; Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God himself. Optimism reflects ignorance as to whether good things will ever actually come. Christian hope expresses knowledge that every day of his life, and every moment beyond it, the believer can say with truth, on the basis of God’s own commitment, that the best is yet to come.

The Greek word is elpis, meaning expectation or confidence. It’s a noun, not a verb, which surprised me. Hope is not something we do. Rather, it’s something we have – a gift from God, who is the God of hope.

Romans 15:13 – Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we say, “I hope,” we usually mean “I wish.” A child says, “I hope I get what I asked for on Christmas morning.” There’s not a confident expectation, but simply a desire expressed, with the full understanding that it may or may not happen.

Those who have experienced salvation, however, have a different understanding of hope. We possess a confident and sure expectation – a hope – that we will one day experience all that God promises us in His Word. It’s not wishful thinking, but rather a deep, abiding soul-satisfying assurance that sustains us through the trials of life.

Why can we have such hope? Why is our “expectation” so confident and sure?

Because, as the song writer so eloquently says, Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness!

Romans 5:1-11 – Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

God has already given us all the reason we need to hope. He sent His only Son, Jesus, into our world – even while we were yet sinners – to redeem us. Jesus has paid our sin debt, and we are already justified, saved, and reconciled to our Creator. Our hope is anchored in the work Christ accomplished on the cross – a completed work for all eternity. There is no reason to doubt the good promises of God, nor His love for us. He has proven trustworthy and given us hope.

Do you ever lose hope?

Do you doubt God’s goodness or His love?

God has poured out His love for us and secured our hope. The evidence is the Holy Spirit who lives in you, if indeed, you have turned to Him for salvation and forgiveness (Romans 8:9).

This Christmas, set aside any doubting, any worry or anxiety, or fear. Rebuke the enemy who tries to discourage you and diminish the hope that Jesus died to give you. Take hold of the gift of hope and live with the confident expectation that belongs to the child of God.

Hebrews 6:18-19 – So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.