Living the Christian’s hope! Text: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15: 13). As Christians, we should wish for true hope. Jesus is our true hope (1 Timothy 1: 1). More important, the Scripture affirms that hope is a vital part of our faith (Hebrews 11: 1). So as Christians, we must be confident in what we hope for because hope is the object of our faith (1 Corinthians 13: 13). For you to have true hope: · You must be in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 14) because out of him, there is no hope (Ephesians 2: 12) and you can only be place in him by baptism (Galatians 3: 26-27; Romans 6: 3). · Christ must be in you (Colossians 1: 27) because Christ lives in Christians (Galatians 2: 20). · You must have been begotten (1 Peter 1: 3) – born of water and the Spirit (John 3: 3 – 5). · You are justified (Titus 3: 7) by faith (Romans 5: 1; Galatians 3: 24) and by the blood of Jesus (Romans 5: 9). For you to live the Christian’s hope successfully, you must fulfill the following: · Purify yourself (1 John 3: 3) · Remain steadfast (Hebrews 6: 18 – 19; Romans 5: 3 – 5) · Wait and be righteous (Galatians 5: 5) · Be ready to answer anyone about it (1 Peter 3: 15). Conclusion Let me leave you with this line of thought. God has given hope of eternal life to those who live faithfully in Jesus Christ. Let us never give up hope. Rather, let us lay hold of eternal life. It is well! Prayer Dear Lord, I pray to hope in the return of Christ and for me as a believer to purify myself in this life, in Jesus name, Amen!
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 03:00:36 +0000