What do you hope for? Hope is a good thing. Scripture speaks of it quite a bit.

Hebrews 11 is known as “the faith chapter” of the Bible because it gives example after example of how people lived by the faith they have in God and His promises. Look at how that faith chapter begins:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

When God talks about the hope we have in Jesus, it is a sure thing. It is not wishful longing. Our hope in Christ is a certainty, a done deal. It is certain because Jesus already earned our forgiveness and life and salvation by His sacrifice, by taking our punishment.

Galatians 5 speaks of the “now not yet” aspect of our faith. We know what Jesus earned for us. We know that it is ours. But we won’t experience it in all its fullness until we enter the presence of our Lord after this life is over.

5 … by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

At the Last Day, when we stand before Jesus as our judge, we have every reason in the world to be afraid. We know our sins. We know we are guilty. We know we deserve to be condemned for all eternity. But because the Spirit of God has led us to believe in Jesus, we can rest easy. When we stand before Christ as our judge on the Last Day, we have the certainty that our faith will lead Jesus to declare us “not guilty” and usher us into the eternal joy of heaven.

We cannot expect the world to understand what we have.  Paul was God’s chosen messenger in the early church to take the message of Jesus to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. Paul knew the world would have a hard time understanding our hope as believers. At one of his trials, when he was on his way to Rome he was appealing to a King who understood Jewish teachings and this is what he said.

Acts 26:6-7 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me.

Those who have not been led by the Holy Spirit to know and believe in Jesus will not understand the hope that we have in Him. But that does not negate our hope. It is real because Jesus earned it for us.

Peter knew what it meant to have hope in Christ. He got out of the boat and walked on water. He felt the hand of Jesus pulling him to safety when he doubted. And after he denied knowing Jesus, he was forgiven and restored and assured of his place in God’s kingdom. He knew all about hope. And God would lead him to write these words in his first letter that has been passed down to us today:

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

You and I have this hope because of Jesus. We know that He came into the world to take our place in punishment. He lived in obedience to all the law of God and then offered His perfect life as the payment for the sins of the world. He promised that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. That is our confidence. That is our certainty. That is our hope.