In a world where everything is constantly changing, there is great comfort in knowing that some things will never change.  The last one of those things that we want to consider this week is our heavenly hope.

One of the most comforting things we have as Christians is our hope in Christ.  We should be thankful that it never changes.  We should also be sure that this hope is never too far from our minds.

Hebrews 6:18–19 (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.  ¹⁹ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.

There are two things that the Hebrews writer says here that are important to remember.  The first thing is that we must set this hope before us.  It should not be somewhere in the back of our minds that we think about every once in a while.  It should be in the forefront of our minds.  Why is that important?  It is because of what this hope does for us.  This is the second important thing the Hebrews writer points out in the verse.  Hope is an anchor for the soul.  It keeps us from drifting, sustaining us in Christ.

1 John 3:3 (ESV)
³ And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

This is why Paul once wrote that we are saved by hope (Romans 8:24).

Let us remember what this hope is.  There are three aspects of hope.  The first is the “what” of our hope.  This refers to the glorified bodies that we will receive in the resurrection.  It is what John was referring to in the context of 1 John 3.  He emphasized that when Jesus returns “we shall be like Him.”  Paul often wrote of hope from this aspect.

Philippians 3:20–21 (ESV)
²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Then there is the “where” of our hope.  This refers to heaven, where we will spend all of eternity.  What a wonderful place heaven will be.  A place where there will be no more death or pain and, therefore, no more mourning, crying, or tears of any kind (Revelation 21:4).  Most importantly, heaven will be a place where we see God face to face.

Revelation 22:3–4 (ESV)
³ No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face…

Finally, there is the “Who” of our hope.  This, of course, refers to Christ.

1 Timothy 1:1 (ESV)
¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 

This reinforces the truth that our hope never changes.  Since Christ is our hope and He never changes (Hebrews 13:8), we do not have to worry about our hope ever changing.  Until Jesus returns, we can, with confident expectation, look forward to being clothed with a glorified body in which we will spend all eternity in the presence of God.  We should all be eagerly waiting for this time to come.

1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)
¹³ Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

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