We live in a broken world. Relationships are broken. Families are broken. Our school systems are broken. Our society is broken. Our nation is broken. The world is broken. Even our churches are broken. Why are we all broken? We are all broken because we are all deeply fallen. We are deeply flawed. We are prone to wander from God. We are able and often willing to engage in the most vile things of this world. The abortion rate is staggering. Crime is on the increase. Poverty is rampant. Racism has not ended. Hate crimes are prevalent. Our love for one another has decreased. The innocent suffer.
But there is hope! There is a hope that doesn’t disappoint. (Romans 5:5)
There is a hope that can change everything. There is a hope that can only come from God. There is a hope that can restore our relationships and renew our strength. There is a hope that can heal. There is a hope that can repair and rebuild what has been broken. Hope is an interesting concept. Prisoners of war have died when they lost hope in being rescued. Without hope people become discouraged and give up. Without hope we become depressed. Hope is like the first rays of light of the sunrise after the darkness and blackness of night. Hope is a gift from God. God is a God of hope. (Romans 15:13)
Hope is defined as the desire of some good with the expectation of obtaining it. Hope is to expect with desire. Hope is the expectation of some good thing to come. (Hebrews 11:1)
The Jews lived in the hope of the coming Messiah. Judaism was a religion of hope. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was the fulfillment of that hope. (Matthew 5:17)
All of our deepest hopes are found in Him. Hope is one of the great marks of the Christian life. It is what makes Christianity stand out in the hopeless, godless world that we live in. The Psalmist talks often of hope. “For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.” (Psalm 38:15)
“And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” (Psalm 39:7)
“For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth.” (Psalm 71:5)
In the New Testament we read of the hope of the gospel. (Colossians 1:23)
In Thessalonians Paul speaks of the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)
Jesus Christ is our living hope. (1 Peter 1:3)
He is the hope that is in you. (1 Peter 3:15)
In Paul’s famous chapter on love he says, “But now faith, hope, love abide these three.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
We need to find our hope in Christ in the midst of our broken world. We need to come to know Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. We must trust in Christ as our salvation.
All hope begins and ends in Jesus Christ.
After knowing Christ, we must grow in Christ. We must seek after Him and His Word. We must diligently seek His face. We must determine to trust Him. We must acknowledge His sovereignty and grace in the midst of our brokenness. And we need each other. Believers were never meant to live in isolation. God has intended for us all to be in relationship. We begin with our relationship with God and continue in our relationships with others. There are no “Lone Ranger” Christians. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. We are meant to be in relationships. In these relationships our hope can be nourished, as we together deal with life and our broken world. Yes, we live in a broken world. And yet, we have the hope of the gospel found in the person of Jesus Christ!
I hope this Tract has been a blessing to you. If you would like to read how others have experienced the life transforming power of God please write to me at the address below. We now have over 60 testimonies of those whose lives have been transformed by God’s amazing Grace. We also have over forty con-tracts. Bro. Otto Ball c/o Crossroads Ministry P.O. Box 363 Hyde, PA 16843