ONE HOPE

There are many false hopes preached in various churches today.

* Health, wealth, financial success, marital bliss, no earthly problems

* Miraculous powers, tongues, healings

* Super human morality, Holy Spirit as being our hope instead of the seal guaranteeing our hope

Define Hope:

* Hope: an expectation of good (1a) in the Christian sense a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation.

I Corinthians 13:13, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity."

* THE ONE HOPE IS FOR SOMETHING CHRISTIANS DO NOT YET HAVE.

Romans 8:24-25, "24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it]."

* THE ONE HOPE FOR CHRISTIANS IS NOT IN THIS LIFE.

I Corinthians 15:19, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."

Romans 15:4, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

THE ONE HOPE IS THE RESURRECTION TO ETERNAL LIFE AT CHRIST JESUS' RETURN.

* Acts 24:15, "And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and un-just."

Titus 3:4-7, "4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Titus 1:1-2, "1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."

Colossians 1:5, "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel."

Colossians 1:21-23, "

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister."

Galatians 1:8, "8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be ac-cursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

Romans 8:18-25, "18 For I reckon that the suffer-ings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corrupt-ion into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within our-selves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body. 24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it]."

Colossians 1:27, "To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

II Corinthians 4:16-5:1, "16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal. 1 For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

I Peter 1:13, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Hebrews 6:19, "Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil."

I Thessalonians 1:3, "

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father."

The One Hope is a confident expectation of Christ's return and our glorification into eternal beings. By this hope we are saved if we are not moved from it. This hope held out in the Gospel message that must not be changed, compromised, watered down, twisted or tarnished, for it is the message of love, forgiveness and reconciliation to us all, each sinner bought back by the physical death of Jesus on the cross for us.

The One Hope must shine like a jewel, call like a beacon, inspire like a song, encourage like a prize, and hold like an anchor. Therefore, cursed is the man who ever changes the message of the Gospel and that One Hope which it holds out to all peoples, to all nations, at all times: the hope of eternal life.