Our Hope Is in Jesus

Text: 1 John 3:1-3

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

All Saints Day, which we celebrate today, is a day that often brings with it mixed feelings for us as Christians. While it’s a time to remember those who have died in the faith, especially in this past year, it’s also a time to rejoice in all the saints who have gone before us and are now enjoying their eternal rest. So, it’s a day that should bring great comfort to all of us who have lost loved ones because what the world sees as loss, we see as a transition. A leaving behind of the troubles of this world and an embracing of the fact that we have the promised hope that death has already been emptied of its power. We have hope. And that hope is in the One who did what it took to make us God’s children, as John calls us in his epistle.

OUR HOPE THEREFORE IS IN JESUS.

          Yet, this hope that we have is always under attack by worldly, sinful, and devilish lies. It’s not hard to see where the world attacks this hope we have in Christ. Even at the time John was writing this epistle the church was under attack from both Jewish and Gentile religions. Many of the apostles had already been martyred for their adherence to the faith they held to so strongly. We don’t have to look all that far to see the threat of the same type of persecution to the church today. And it’s not just in places where Christianity is outlawed and met with violent opposition. Even here in our beloved United States, anti-Christian rhetoric is abundant. It’s not hard to imagine a future where it will become tougher and tougher to openly proclaim what is true. Consider this as you exercise you right to vote this week and ask yourself whether one side or the other will strengthen or weaken your freedom to practice the faith you have received and which you desire to pass along to your children and grandchildren.

Besides the possibilities of open persecution, it’s clear that the world around us has eroded confidence in the truth of Scripture and its application to our lives. A recent Gallup poll indicates that fewer than 20% of Americans now say that the Bible is the literal Word of God.  More than that, over 30% of Americans say that the Bible is a collection of “fables, legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by man.” It’s all very depressing and can color the hope that we have toward the world, and perhaps even toward the promises of God.

The truth is that it’s the father of lies, the devil himself, that’s constantly attacking the hope we have in Christ. He’s constantly reminding us of our sinfulness and leading us toward the path that draws us away from the source of our hope. The primary weapons in the devil’s arsenal are the lies that separate us from the promises of God, and which lead us to despair. Lies like the question he posed of Eve, “Did God really say…?” Think about all the ways you’re led astray in your life by the lies of the devil and I imagine so much of it is listening to that very question. “Did God really say…?” You know what? He did actually say…  And He meant it. Because He knows far better than we do what’s best for us. So don’t let this world, your sinful condition, or the lies the devil wants you to believe cause you to lose hope in the promises we have in Christ Jesus.

Because the truth is, as John says, “we should be called children of God; and so we are.” Yet, like all children, we have weaknesses. Spiritual weaknesses. Weaknesses we too often don’t want to share with others. Questions that creep in. Why do I struggle so much while others seem to be doing so well? If I have these doubts, am I really a child of God? That kind of thinking only isolates us, which is exactly what the devil wants to do. Separate God’s people from the herd so he can pick us off one by one. Don’t let him do it. Instead of looking internally for our hope, we need to look to the truth of who we are in Jesus. Because the only hope that’s guaranteed is the hope that sees what’s been done completely outside ourselves. Our hope is in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Only eyes made clear through faith can see this. These are the eyes that can see what John is talking about when he says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” Eyes of faith that are no longer clouded by the world, our sin, or the lies of the devil. Eyes that recognize that even when things go bad, when enemies attack us, when we’re overwhelmed, it doesn’t mean that we’re no longer children of God. In fact, these are all the things Jesus tells His followers that we’ll face. Jesus faced all of it and much worse. We His children shouldn’t expect any less. “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” The devil doesn’t attack those who are already his. He goes after those he doesn’t yet have a hold on.

But even in the midst of all this, we’re reminded of the kind of love our Father has given to us. A love that continually reminds us that we’re His children. A love that gives us hope. And not just hope for today but hope for the promised future we have in Christ. One day Jesus is going to appear again, in all His glory, coming back from heaven for all to see. And although all the details of that day haven’t been shared with us, what we do know is that on that day our bodies will be raised along with the bodies of all the saints who have gone before us – all our loved ones who have died in Christ – and we will be glorified, like His glorious body, to live together with Him forever.

With all the things in the world of which we can’t be certain, this is the truth and certainty on which we can stand. Because Christ was raised from the dead, so too will we who believe in Him be raised from the dead. So too will Joan, who we remember today. So too will all of faith for whom you have mourned. So too will each and every saint who has gone before us. And while John tells us, “Beloved, we are God’s children now…” he also tells us that “what we will be has not yet appeared.” Living in faith today and being God’s children in this world is great, but it’s nothing compared to what God has in store for us in eternity. In this we trust. And in this we find true hope.

One of the first adventurers on the mighty oceans who sailed around Africa was the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias. In 1488 he went around the southern tip of the continent in a stormy sea. He made it around the cape, but his ship barely held together, so he called the place the Cape of Storms. Later on King John II of Portugal changed the name to the Cape of Good Hope, because he saw the route that passed it as the pathway to the jewels and treasures of India. You can call this a life a life of storms if you wish. But if you can see the glorious redemption of eternity ahead of you, you can call it what it is only in Christ – a life of good hope.

A life of good hope because we rejoice that one day we shall all gather before the throne of God. We hear about the saints gathered at that throne in our reading from Revelation today, “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” As you go forth today, know that our salvation, forgiveness, and hope are built on this promise. This promise of the resurrection that will never fail us. For our hope is in Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.