What You Believe Matters 6 – Jesus, the Source of Our Hope
I once heard it said that “Hope is the oxygen of the soul.” The more people I meet and talk to the more I see this as true. I have been around people who have lost hope or are slowly losing hope. It is always a bad scene. Where hope is gone, so is life. Hope gets us up in the morning and walks us through our day. But the funny thing about hope is that it is only as good as what you place your hope in. This hope that Jesus offers is one that can change us not only in this world but in the world to come as well.
The creed continues to talk about Jesus as it talks about his return from the dead. The next line is “On the third day he rose again.” This is one of those b3eliefs that can become a dividing ground for many people. It is an amazing claim that we hold onto as Christians. But, even more of a thing to think about is the fact that Jesus called his shot before he took it. Matthew 12:30-40 says, “Jesus answered, “Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle for a sign. But no sign will be given to them, except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights.” [Matthew 12:39-40 (NCV)]
I mean if you can predict your own death and resurrection and pull it off, you can be trusted to bring hope to all of us. Jesus did not stay a sacrifice for our sins. He became a savior we could place our hope in and believe in. It takes the sting out of death when we realize that Jesus came back from it and shows us that there is definitely a reason to find hope for a world without death and pain. The Bible even talks about no more tears in the world to come. So we place our hope in Jesus’ great comeback from the grave for what comes next after death.
The next phrase reminds us that even though Jesus came back from the dead his ministry to and for us in heaven. “He ascended into heaven; he is seated at the right hand of the Father.” Jesus is not just sitting at the right hand but he is doing some good things for us. “So what should we say about this? If God is with us, no one can defeat us. He did not spare his own Son but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one, because God is the One who makes them right. Who can say God’s people are guilty? No one, because Christ Jesus died, but he was also raised from the dead, and now he is on God’s right side, begging God for us. [Romans 8:31-34 (NCV)]
Read those verses again real slow. Jesus intercedes for us with God. Paul asks the question about who can accuse the ones God has forgiven? No one can, because Jesus looks and says put that to my account. To thank that he is begging God for our well being. That He is speaking for us. Right hand people have some definite pull with whoever sits on the throne. Jesus uses his pull for us. Think about how much hope that gives us. The one, who loves the world, loves each of us enough to have conversations with God for each one of us. When we cannot go one he steps in and prays to the Father for us and helps us make it to the next step. I can find hope for today, because Jesus is in my corner.
Then we get a phrase that has been used to dump on people and produce a fear based relationship with God. “And he will come to judge the living and the dead.” Paul writes to Timothy and it can be a sense of hope that we have to share with others. “I give you a command in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, the One who will judge the living and the dead, and by his coming and his kingdom: Preach the Good News. Be ready at all times, and tell people what they need to do. Tell them when they are wrong. Encourage them with great patience and careful teaching, because the time will come when people will not listen to the true teaching but will find many more teachers who please them by saying the things they want to hear.” [2 Timothy 4:1-3 (NCV)]
This last part of this section is the hope we have to share because of the other two phrases. We can share the fact that Jesus is coming back and he will judge us, but through the eyes of grace and love. That he will encourage us still. That all the pleading with God will pay off for us on this day. We need to share hope, correction and encouragement with each other. We need to remind people that this hope is tough and it will be the light at the end of every struggle that we face.
So if hope is what we need, then we need to look no further than Jesus to find a hope for tomorrow, today and even for those around us. So find your hope in the one who called his shot and hit it out of the park. Plus, he is the one who is pulling for you now and talking with his Father about you.