Hope is one of the major assets that we have as Christians.  The Hebrews writer calls it a steadfast anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19).  What is our hope?  We hope to someday receive an incorruptible body in which we will spend the rest of eternity with God in heaven (1 Corinthians 15:50-57; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Peter 1:3-4).

This hope is not a fanciful dream, but an immovable fact based on the promises of God.  We must defend this hope by telling others why we are so sure about it.

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)
¹⁵  But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

When someone questions your hope of heaven, do not get angry or answer dismissively; rather, be prepared to give convincing reasons why you have such hope, and do it in such a way that you might persuade the doubter of truth, leading him or her to obey the gospel.  This week, let’s consider some reasons for the hope that is in us.

The primary reason for our hope is that it is a promise from God.  He has promised to give us eternal life if we accept His Son as our Savior by obeying the gospel of Christ.

John 3:16 (ESV)
¹⁶  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

It should be noted that the belief that Jesus referred to is comprehensive in nature, meaning it encompasses one’s willingness to obey the Lord’s commandments.  This is why the Hebrews writer said that Jesus is the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).

Why can we be so sure about God’s promise of eternal life?  It is precisely because He cannot lie. Listen again to the Hebrews writer, this time in connection with our hope.

Hebrews 6:18 (ESV)
¹⁸  So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.   

This is why we sometimes read of promises of God in the Bible as an accomplished fact hundreds of years before they actually come to pass.  This was the case with Abraham.  In Genesis 17:5, God told him that He had made him a father of many nations long before it took place.  It did not matter that Abraham was about a hundred years old, nor that His wife was barren at the time of the promise.  Once God spoke it, it was settled.  Nothing could stop it because God never lies.

While the promises of man are always on shaky ground, the promises of God are sure and steadfast because not only does He not lie, He cannot do so.  Lying is contrary to His very nature.  So, when God says we shall have a home in heaven after a while, we can believe it with every fiber of our being.  Our hope rests on solid ground.  This was the reason Paul gave for our hope.

Titus 1:2 (ESV)
²  In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.         

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.