The Hope Of Glory

"And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight; if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister . . . To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27, KJV)

Devotion 3 of 6

THE HOPE WE HAVE IS A "BLESSED HOPE"

The "living hope" to which we have been begotten is one bringing joyful benefit. It has been given and sanctioned by God. His Holy Spirit facilitates its realization within us. Contrary to the unregenerate, we are looking forward to the "appearing" of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, that is our "blessed hope." "Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). The present may well have dealt us some hard blows. Within and without, foes may beset us. Our life may not be attended with things that make for temporal happiness. But that is no matter. We are looking for the "blessed hope." When Jesus appears, trouble will disappear. When Jesus appears, we will also appear.

HOPE IS THE MEANS THROUGH WHICH PERSONAL PURITY IS ACCOMPLISHED

Purity of mind, heart, and body, cannot be accomplished apart from sanctifying hope. Law is not sufficient for this task. You cannot be holy because you "have to." I have tried, and so have you. Using such a procedure, our success-rate has been something less than acceptable. But God provided a way for purity to be accomplished -- it is HOPE. "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:3). No one will let go of this world until he is sure of his inheritance in the world that is to come. The salvation of Christ ministers this knowledge. The seriousness of a condition in which hope is not dominant cannot be overstated. A lack of hope enslaves one to the flesh. There is no way to escape the powerful effects of sin and guilt if hope is not enthroned in the heart. This is a circumstance requiring the consistent and arduous effort within the believer.

HOPE IS NECESSARY

Hope is not an option, it is a necessity. Our participation in Christ is dependent upon our hope! This is a weighty consideration, but we must not shun to embrace it. "But Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" (Hebrews 3:6). I am afraid that many do not take this saying seriously, if, indeed, they are even aware of it. Do not miss what it says! We are Christ's house IF we keep confidence and a rejoicing hope. They both must be kept FIRMLY, not loosely. It ought to concern us that this posture is scarcely known in any degree in the contemporary church! The condition is inexcusable! "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end" (Hebrews 3:14). When we were baptized into Christ, we knew we had done the right thing. There was a sense of fulness and cleansing. Joy and rejoicing was ours. A fire was ignited in our hearts that we thought would never go out or diminish. We were made "partakers of Christ." The Word of the Lord is that we maintain that status only to the degree we maintain "the beginning of our confidence, steadfast to the end." That is hope, and it saves!

THE DEFINITION AND PROMINENCE OF GLORY

What is "GLORY"? There is something about the word that frightens flesh. We are not speaking of "vain" or fading glory. That is what sinners seek. Their pleasures are only "for a season," appropriately called "the passing pleasures of sin" (Hebrews 11:25, NKJV). In Scripture, "glory" speaks of culmination, maturization, and revelation. It is the realization of the purpose for which we have been saved. It is the conclusion of the process begin by remission. It is the fruition of the work of grace within. It is the end of the race. It is receiving the crown. It is the experience of fulness, and the removing of partiality. PRAYER POINT: Father, I want a living vibrant hope that will consistently and effectively constrain. I long to dwell in your courts, and behold your beauty. Open the eyes of my heart to see the of your calling.

-- TOMORROW: A SPIRITUAL VOCABULARY --