Biddeford Church of Christ

I suspect that many of us have heard the words, “Hope springs eternal.” Do you know where it comes from? I learned it comes from a poem entitled An Essay on Man written by a man named Alexander Pope in 1732. The poem is lengthy and seeks to reveal that this life is frail and that hope of the eternal is where genuine hope is to be found. Listen to these words from the poem, “The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home, rests and expatiates in a life to come.” What I appreciate about this poem is the reality it sets forth; that is, this life is at times difficult. That said, it also presents the idea that even though that is true, such difficulty should not rob us of hope. This is the subject of today’s article and lesson.

            So, are you a “worry wort”? Is your cup half empty? Are you like me at times, nauseated by the “eternal optimists” that seem to be void of any real sense of reality? I get it! Is there a difference between optimism and hope? The simple meaning of optimism is the mental attitude of expecting positive outcomes. I see the subtle difference, do you? The optimist does not know the future but chooses to think positively about it. But is that biblical hope? J. I. Parker writes, “Optimism is a wish without warrant; Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God Himself. Optimism reflects ignorance as to whether good things will ever actually come. Christian hope expresses knowledge that every day of their lives, and every moment beyond it, that the best is yet to come.” Our text today reflects that very idea and is meant to build on last week’s lesson concerning evangelism. Let us consider Hebrews 10:13-16 and be reminded that there is always a reason to have hope while we live in this often-broken world.

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.” (Hebrews 11:13-14)

            Who embraced the promises of God? All those who were just listed in this extraordinary faith chapter. It begins with this simple truth, “Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see” (ETRV, Hebrews 11). Faith is where hope is both found and anchored! That word “real,” means “the concrete essence;” “the confident assurance” – the NKJV says substance and the NIV says confidence. As one person writes, faith “imparts reality in the view of the mind to those things which are not seen” and it “enables us to feel and function as if they were real.” Abel, Enoch Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, all anchored themselves in God’s faithfulness, trusting that He would follow through in His promises. Promises they had yet to receive when living, that were “afar off” in the world they lived in, but they were “assured of them.”  The NIV says, “they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.” Faith enables us to see the unseen promises of God so vividly that it directs our steps in the world we live in, regardless of one’s circumstances. See what? A homeland! Listen to what the text goes on to say.

“And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:15-16)

            Sadly, all have the option to go back to the world and its ways. But faith invites us to grasp hold of the unseen, “a heavenly country.” The writer of Hebrews would say, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). A confession that says, “that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven” (Hebrews 10:34). Can you hear the song? This world is not my home; I am just passing through. My true treasure is laid up somewhere beyond the blue. That is faith speaking! That is where hope is anchored! That is why I can confidently say without shame that God is my God and He is faithful to His promises. One day, I will be home.

            I get it. I live in this broken world like everyone else. I see the hurt and pain and the sin that is so damaging and destructive around us. It is easy to lose hope when one’s focus is on it. Seeing the glass half empty is so easy to do. Faith invites us to see life through a different lens that believes in God’s trustworthiness. Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3). To the faithful, that place is our homeland (Philippians 3:20), a heavenly country, the city that awaits us. It is a place where “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Hope springs eternal! This is what awaits the faithful and it is all made possible through Christ. That is a message worth proclaiming.