THE ONE HOPE

ONE HOPE

Ephesians 4:4 -6 "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

There is only one hope though 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 via the Holy Spirit as being our hope instead of the seal guaranteeing our hope

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

There are three tests of the true One Hope.

1. THE ONE HOPE CONTINUES TODAY.
I Corinthians 13:13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

2. THE ONE HOPE IS FOR SOMETHING CHRISTIANS DO NOT YET HAVE.
Romans 8:24-25, "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

3. THE ONE HOPE FOR CHRISTIANS IS NOT IN THIS LIFE.
I Corinthians 15:19, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

So What Is The One Hope?

OUR HOPE IS BASED UPON THE BIBLE

• Romans 15:4, "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

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

• Acts 24:15, "I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked."
• Titus 3:4-7, "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
• Titus 1:1-2, "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time"

THE ONE HOPE IS PART OF THE GOSPEL WHICH WE MUST GET RIGHT.

• Colossians 1:5, "the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel"
• Colossians 1:21-23, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."
• Galatians 1:8-9, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"

THE HOPE OF GLORY IS RESURRECTION AT JESUS RETURN.

• Romans 8:18-25, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
• Colossians 1:27, "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
• II Corinthians 4:16-5:1, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."

OUR HOPE ACTS AS AN ANCHOR FOR THE SOUL.

• I Peter 1:13, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."
• Hebrews 6:19, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."
• I Thessalonians 1:3, "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

1. The hope of Christians is in the next life, not this one.
2. Hope can be given through Bible study.
3. Hope is in eternal life at Jesus return.
4. Hope is a great motivator to do good.
5. The One Hope must be held on.

SO WHAT IS HOPE?
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.

Praise God, for the hope of Israel has come to all nations through Jesus Christ! Amen?