View source for The Object of Hope

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<p>&quot;For we are&nbsp;<em>saved</em><em>&nbsp;</em>by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for  what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for what we do not  see—we wait for it with patience.&quot; Romans 8:24, 25<br><br>
  Some have&nbsp;<strong>no</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong>hope, being destitute of the very form of religion.  To them . . .<br><br>
  there is no God;<br>
  the Bible is no more than a book of fables,<br>
  hell is a fabrication, and<br>
  heaven is but a dream!<br>
  Millions have a&nbsp;<strong>false</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong>hope, having only a form of godliness—but being  destitute of its power.<br>
  Some have a&nbsp;<strong>good</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong>hope through grace—a hope . . .<br>
  wrought in them by the Holy Spirit,<br>
  excited and drawn forth by the everlasting gospel,<br>
  and fixed upon invisible realities.<br><br>
  This hope always purifies the heart and  regulates it; for they hope to be like Jesus when He comes, and to be with Him  forever—and every man who has this hope in Him, purifies himself, even as He is  pure.<br><br>
  This hope&nbsp;<em>prompts</em><em>&nbsp;</em>the soul . . .<br>
  to expect great blessings,<br>
  to aspire to lofty privileges, and<br>
  to attempt the most difficult duties.<br><br>
  This hope&nbsp;<em>protects</em><em>&nbsp;</em>the man from many dangers, and&nbsp;<em>preserves</em><em>&nbsp;</em>him from many evils.<br>
  This hope is&nbsp;<em>well-grounded</em>, on . . .<br>
  the oath of God,<br>
  the blood of the covenant,<br>
  and the pledge of the Holy Spirit.<br>
  This hope is&nbsp;<em>well-tried</em><em>&nbsp;</em>. . .<br>
  by Satan and the world without,<br>
  by unbelief and corruption within, and<br>
  by God in the dispensations of his providence.<br>
  This hope is&nbsp;<em>well-supported</em>, having for its support . . .<br>
  all the promises of the Word,<br>
  the experience of the Lord's people,<br>
  and the glorious character of God.<br><br>
  This hope is a&nbsp;<em>lively  hope</em>—being full of vigour, buoyancy, and  energy, so that it rises above all that opposes its progress, and enables its  possessor to reach the goal.<br><br>
  Well, then, may the apostle say,&nbsp;<em>&quot;For  we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees,  why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with  patience wait for it&quot;</em><em>&nbsp;</em>(Romans  8:24, 25).<br><br>
  <strong>The OBJECT of hope</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong>is . . .<br>
  the unseen—the invisible;<br>
  something great and glorious;<br>
  something durable and eternal. <br>
  In a word, it is HEAVEN!<br><br>
  That heaven which God has prepared for  those who love Him—where He dwells Himself with all His holy angels—where Jesus is, in all His majesty and glory!<br><br>
  That heaven . . .<br>
  to which the sanctified heart aspires,<br>
  for which the renewed spirit longs, and<br>
  after which our warmest and most enlarged desires go forth!<br>
  That heaven in which we shall enjoy  perfect holiness . . .<br>
  purified from all sin,<br>
  freed from all corruption, and<br>
  delivered forever from all filthiness of flesh and spirit!<br><br>
  That heaven in which we shall possess  complete happiness, so that there shall be . . .<br><br>
  no aching void,<br>
  no unsatisfied desire,<br>
  no longing wishes left!<br>
  We shall be . . . .<br>
  full of light,<br>
  full of life,<br>
  full of peace,<br>
  full of God!<br><br>
  That heaven where we shall have blessed  employment, serving the Lamb who was slain—performing a perfect service—a  service which at once honours and pleases Him, and satisfies and delights us—a  service full of holiness, full of love, and therefore most pleasant!<br><br>
  That heaven made up . . .<br>
  of eternal union to God,<br>
  of perfect enjoyment of God, and<br>
  of everlastingly glorifying God.<br>
  No mourning His absence there!<br>
  No sighing for communion with Him  there!<br>
  No lack of&nbsp;<em>anything</em><em>&nbsp;</em>there!<br><
  Every power will be employed—and will  enjoy its employment forever!<br>
  This heaven is promised us in the word.  We believe in its existence and excellency.<br><br>
  It is&nbsp;<strong>attainable</strong>; for whoever&nbsp;<em>believes</em><em>&nbsp;</em>on Jesus  has everlasting life—and he will raise him up again at the last day. He who<em> endures</em><em>&nbsp;</em>to the end—shall be saved.<br><br>
  It is&nbsp;<strong>certain</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong>to every believer—as certain as the promise of God,  the care of the Holy Spirit, and the intercession of Jesus  can make it. It is certain, for Jesus  has taken possession of it in our nature, in our name, to prepare it for our  reception. Many of our&nbsp;<em>brethren</em><em>&nbsp;</em>are  already collected there, and have entered upon it as a part of the&nbsp;<em>family</em><em>&nbsp;</em>to whom it is bequeathed. Our<em> treasure</em><em>&nbsp;</em>is laid up there; our&nbsp;<em>hearts</em><em>&nbsp;</em>and our&nbsp;<em>hopes</em><em>&nbsp;</em>are there, and&nbsp;<em>we</em><em>&nbsp;</em>shall soon be there too.<br><br>
  We are&nbsp;<em>in  the way</em>, we have made considerable&nbsp;<em>progress</em>, and the end&nbsp;<em>will</em><em>&nbsp;</em>be safely reached. We are&nbsp;<em>kept</em><em>&nbsp;</em>by the power of God, which guards, protects, and  enables us to persevere. &quot;If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to  God by the death of his Son—much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by  his life.&quot; Yes, heaven is certain to every believer, for he is passed from  death unto life—and shall never come into condemnation!<br><br>
  <strong>The COMPANION of Hope.</strong>&nbsp;&quot;But  if we hope for what we do not see—we wait for it with patience.&quot; <br><br>
  It is distant—and we must journey in  order to reach it.<br>
  It is future—and we must wait for it.<br><br>
  <strong><em>Between us and it</em></strong><strong><em>&nbsp;</em></strong>. . .<br><br>
  there is&nbsp;<em>time</em>—which  should be spent to God's glory;<br>
  there are&nbsp;<em>sufferings</em>—which  must be endured in God's strength;<br>
  there are&nbsp;<em>enemies</em>—which  must be conquered by faith in Christ;<br>
  there is&nbsp;<em>work</em>—which  must be done, that grace may be honoured;<br>
  there are&nbsp;<em>trials</em>—which  must be borne with fortitude and courage;<br>
  there is&nbsp;<em>death</em>—which  must be experienced and overcome in the strength of the ever-living One.<br>
  We must therefore&nbsp;<em>wait</em><em>&nbsp;</em>for it—and we can wait, for . . .&nbsp;<em><br>
    strong desire</em><em>&nbsp;</em>will produce steady expectation, and&nbsp;<br>
  steady expectation will produce&nbsp;<em>great patience</em>,  and&nbsp;<br>
  patience will enable us to do and suffer all God's holy will.<br>
  This hope will enable us to bear our  trials, however numerous and however great they may be; for supported and  sustained by faith, it will never flinch or give way.<br><br>
  Therefore the apostle exhorted the&nbsp;<em>tried</em><em>&nbsp;</em>and&nbsp;<em>persecuted</em><em>&nbsp;</em>Hebrews,  &quot;So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You  have need of&nbsp;<strong>patience</strong>—so  that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For in just a very little while—He who is coming will come and will not  delay!&quot;<br><br>
  Patience will enable us to&nbsp;<em>do  God's work</em>, however arduous, trying, or  self-denying it may be; so that by patient continuance in well-doing, we shall  look for glory, honour, and immortality—even eternal life; and when our Lord  reports on our state, he will say, as he did of his church at Ephesus, &quot;I  know your&nbsp;<em>works</em>,  and your&nbsp;<em>labour</em>,  and your&nbsp;<em>patience</em>.&quot;<br><br>
  Patience will enable us to&nbsp;<em>wait  God's time</em>, both for the blessings of grace and  the possession of glory. We shall take the advice of James  when he says, &quot; Be&nbsp;<em>patient</em>,  then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land  to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring  rains. You too, be&nbsp;<em>patient</em><em>&nbsp;</em>and  stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near!&quot; Yes, we shall be found  &quot;rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in  prayer.&quot;<br><br>
  A good hope of a glorious heaven  enables us to&nbsp;<em>wait</em><em>&nbsp;</em>with  patience, and we become, &quot;followers of those who through faith and&nbsp;<em>patience</em><em>&nbsp;</em>inherit the promises!&quot; And as it was with Abraham—so will it be with us;—of him we read,  &quot;And so, after he had patiently endured—he obtained the promise.&quot;<br><br>
  The blessing is&nbsp;<strong>certain</strong>—as certain as the oath and promise of God can  render it; and therefore, however God may act towards us in a way of  providence, we may still say with Job, &quot;Though he slays me—yet will I  trust in him!&quot;<br><br>
  The blessing is so&nbsp;<strong>great</strong>, that it will be a full and sufficient reward for  all our&nbsp;<em>sufferings</em>,&nbsp;<em>toils</em>, and&nbsp;<em>waiting</em><em>&nbsp;</em>here below; therefore let us take encouragement  from Peter's words: &quot;Dear  friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though  something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in  the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be  overjoyed when his glory is revealed.&quot; If we&nbsp;<em>suffer</em><em>&nbsp;</em>for Christ and with Christ now—we shall share in all the<em> glory</em><em>&nbsp;</em>of Christ at his  revelation.<br>
  <em>Patient waiting</em>&nbsp;is  opposed to&nbsp;<strong>complaining</strong>,  which is one of the fruits of the flesh, and indicates carnality of mind.<br>
  <em>Patient waiting</em>&nbsp;is  opposed to&nbsp;<strong>anxiety</strong>,  which ought never to be allowed to harass or distress the believer's soul.<br>
  <em>Patient waiting</em>&nbsp;is  opposed to&nbsp;<strong>idleness</strong>;  for he who patiently waits in hope of glory will be&nbsp;<em>diligent</em><em>&nbsp;</em>to be found of the Lord in peace, without spot, and  blameless.<br>
  <em>Patient waiting</em>&nbsp;is  opposed to&nbsp;<strong>despondency</strong>;  for how can he despond who hopes for glory, and patiently waits for it?<br>
  <em>Patient waiting</em>&nbsp;produces&nbsp;<strong>courage</strong>, and casts out all slavish fear.<br>
  <em>Patient waiting</em>&nbsp;generates&nbsp;<strong>comfort</strong>, and leads us to sources of the richest  consolation.<br>
  <em>Patient waiting</em>&nbsp;makes  us constant and&nbsp;<strong>persevering</strong>;  so that those who unite hope and patience never draw back unto perdition—but  always believe unto the saving of the soul.<br><br>
  Hope&nbsp;<strong>tranquillizes</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong>the troubled soul, even in the midst of its  troubles; and therefore David  repeatedly says, &quot;Why are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you  disquieted in me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of  my countenance, and my God.&quot;<br><br>
  It also&nbsp;<strong>protects</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong>in the hour of conflict and danger, and is  therefore compared to a piece of defensive armour, as Paul  exhorts, &quot;Let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate  of faith and love; and for an&nbsp;<em>helmet</em>—the  hope of salvation. &quot;For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath—but to  obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we  wake or sleep—we should live together with him.&quot; Thus the&nbsp;<em>head</em><em>&nbsp;</em>is screened and protected—by the hope of salvation;  while the&nbsp;<em>heart</em><em>&nbsp;</em>is  protected—by faith and love.<br><br>
  Beloved, have&nbsp;<strong>you</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong>a&nbsp;<em>lively</em><em>&nbsp;</em>hope?  That is, a vigorous expectation of everlasting glory, as the free gift of God,  coming to you through what the Lord Jesus Christ has done and suffered? Fully  expecting the&nbsp;<em>rest</em><em>&nbsp;</em>of  heaven, and to share in the&nbsp;<em>glory</em><em>&nbsp;</em>of  Christ when he comes—do you patiently wait for it?<br><br>
  There will be much to tempt you to  doubt; much to agitate, disturb, and distress your mind; but the&nbsp;<em>hope  of glory</em><em>&nbsp;</em>should keep you steady, as the anchor cast on the  rock does the vessel, in the midst of the troubled sea. As your&nbsp;<em>hope</em><em>&nbsp;</em>is—so will your patience be. A lively, earnest,  vigorous hope—will produce settled, steady, and enduring patience; so that you  will:<br><br>
  quietly bear your troubles,&nbsp;<br>
  meekly carry your cross, and<br>
  calmly press on toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling, which is of  God in Christ Jesus.<br><br>
  Gracious Lord, give us a steady&nbsp;<em>hope  of glory</em>, and enable us patiently to bear all  that falls to our lot below—ever remembering, that it is through&nbsp;<em>much  tribulation</em><em>&nbsp;</em>that we must enter into the kingdom of God!</p>

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