Hope is a wonderful thing.  The Bible says that we are sustained by it (Romans 8:24).  The Hebrews writer calls it an anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19).  Hope sustains us by keeping us from drifting away from God while living our lives, causing us to live with purity (1 John 3:3).

Sadly, popular preachers, and those trying to become popular, push and promote false hope.  I recently saw a commercial that was advertising the preaching of Joel Osteen. His sermon was entitled, “The Best Is Next.”  Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?  Preachers whose primary aim is to make people feel good often use short, cute phrases that will be remembered but are usually unscriptural.  They may gain the reputation of being great communicators and people may love to hear them preach but, in the end, they are all thunder and no rain.  Thunder is loud and awe-inspiring but has no value whatsoever.  Rain, on the other hand, may sometimes be a nuisance to people, but it is essential to the earth and to life itself.

True hope is essential in this downtrodden world of ours, but the false hope advocated by some preachers is as useless as thunder.    It is loud and impactful but does nothing for the soul.  Let us get back to the sermon preached by Joel Osteen that I previously mentioned.  Here is a quote from it.

“What God has in front of you, is more fulfilling, more rewarding, than anything you’ve seen in the past…The best part of your life, is the next part of your life.”   

What is Joel referring to here?  He is referring to things such as personal relationships, finances, job success, etc.  How do I know?  Here is some more:

“God says I’ve saved the best for next.  The best positions, the best relationships, the best in your finances.  The best in your health…”  

This is classic false hope preaching.  Is it possible that what is in front of us is better than what is behind us?  Of course.  But it is also possible, from a physical and material standpoint, that it is not.  God never promised us better health and finances in the future.  The hope that we have is heavenward, not earthly.  Yes, God will provide for us.  He has promised to take care of our needs (Matthew 6:33).  But nowhere in the Bible has God said, “I’ve saved the best for next.”  That is false hope.  Do not be fooled by it.  It might fill stadiums with people.  It might cause the proclaimers of such false hope to be loved by the masses and accumulate a great deal of popularity, allowing them to sell books and get rich, but it does not help anyone draw closer to God.

Biblical hope does not encourage us to trust in temporal rewards.  They are too fleeting.

1 Timothy 6:17 (ESV)
¹⁷ As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

While God sometimes blesses us with material possessions, we are never encouraged to hope for them because they are too uncertain for us to have any kind of confident expectation, which is a central aspect of biblical hope.  Even God’s material gifts can be lost, stolen, or corrupted (Mattew 6:19).  Biblical hope focuses on the time when we will pass through the veil (Hebrews 6:19) and are clothed with a glorified body like our Savior’s (1 John 3:2-3), not on the physical existence that we experience in this world.

Inspired writers like Paul were honest with their readers, telling us that we will suffer persecution if we are godly (2 Timothy 3:12) and that as long as we are in the flesh, we will groan being burdened (2 Corinthians 5:2-4).  That does not sound like Joel Osteen or other preachers peddling false hope, but it is the truth, and it is the truth that will set us free not anticipating something that God never promised.

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