Hope Will Always Be Found In Jesus Christ

A few years before my father passed away in 2003, I remember something strange that happened. My dad was a man who always enjoyed reading the newspaper and keeping up on current events. When I would pay a visit to him and my mother, he would always be ready to talk about the news, what the President was doing, and what was happening with the economy, or the war against terror. However, in the last couple of years, I could tell that there was a change of attitude over some of the subjects he discussed. His wit was always sharp even at the age of 93, when God took him home. But in those last couple of years, he was showing some nervousness and fear. Perhaps it started with the tragic events of September 11. Whatever it was, I could tell that he became obviously worried over the future and what was to come of our country. Needless to say, there was little I could say to him in the way of comfort, in terms of practical news on the world scene. However, I did my best to encourage him to remember that even when all else seems to be failing, God is still in control. The great message of the Bible is that hope is found in Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is 1 Corinthians chapter 13, often called the “love” chapter. Although love is the predominant theme in that chapter, there is another theme that stands out toward the end, that of hope. In the King James Version, the words read this way, beginning in verse 8: “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” We must never lose sight of what Paul says in the final verse: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” Paul declares that the greatest virtue of all is “charity” or love. However, there is no mistaking the theme of hope that occurs in these final verses. Now, we suffer hardships and trials. Now we are limited in our understanding, and we grope for answers. But Paul says, “The day is coming when we will know; we will begin to understand.” That is what hope is all about. Hope is what makes Christianity different.

Today, we Christians are in a fight. It is true that we are fighting for the right to express ourselves, and the right to keep our values in the public square, and to restrict immorality from running rampant. However, we are in a fight for much more than that. We are in a fight for the Christian worldview, or the Christian way of understanding life, mankind, the world, and our future. The world at large, today, tells us Christians that our ways of looking at life and morality are “old” and “superstitious” and they are tired of us “preaching religion” at people, preferring to believe that mankind does not need a God or a Savior. They believe man is big enough and smart enough to take care of himself. Unfortunately, it feels like we Christians are losing the battle in this “culture war.”

However, there is one thing left on the side of Christians. We have hope, the likes of which no one else has. Slowly, many people in the world today are becoming aware that the world is getting in deep trouble, more and more as the years go by. Yes, we are more advanced scientifically and technologically than ever before. Yes, our volume of knowledge now doubles every year or two if not in a matter of months. However, despite all of this wealth of science and information, mankind is still violent, problems are still gigantic, and populations are more out of control now than ever before. The scientific/naturalistic/atheistic worldview has no answer to this crisis. Islam, Buddhism or Hindu has no answer for this crisis. There is only one chance for hope and one choice for hope, and that is found in Jesus Christ alone.

Mankind is in a terrible mess. All other religions and ideals try to depend upon man to fix the mess, but man is incapable of doing so. On the other hand, the Bible tells us that the mess that man is in is because of sin. Christ came to free the world of sin, by appealing to individual men to receive his cleansing and forgiveness. Those who will choose the message of Christ will find a sweet and precious hope for the future. But what about those who do not? It does not matter, because Christ will return one day, and vanquish sin for the rest of eternity. Praise God, we do not have to depend upon the frail and futile attempts of mankind to fix his own problems. God has a plan, and His plan will not fail. Hope truly springs eternal. “Jesus saith unto [Caiaphas], Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64).

A note for readers of this column: Because of some new restraints on my time, this will be our last article from First Baptist Church Decaturville. We want to sincerely thank the Decatur County Chronicle for their kindness in printing our articles, and to all of you readers, many of whom have followed this article from the week it first began in July of 2005. God bless you all and thank you for your many kind words through the months. Please be aware that you are always welcome at First Baptist Church in Decaturville.

James Sanders
Pastor, First Baptist Church Decaturville
sandersjc@yahoo.com