Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. Faith and hope in the Scriptures
are closely related, but they are not one and the same. It
is impossible to have true hope unless one possesses true faith.
The grounding basis of one's faith is the same as the grounding
basis of one's hope. One can possess faith, however,
and still be somewhat lacking in hope. Also, one can possess
a false hope when the basis of one's faith is faulty. It is
not within the ability of men to give themselves faith, nor
is it possible that a man can cause himself to have a sure
and steadfast hope. Both are indeed the gift of God.
The faith of God's children is totally based outside of themselves.
While we say that we believe in Christ, the reality is that
we believe in Christ because we believe Christ Himself. Faith
is not a feeling or an experience so much as it is the cognizant
grasp of the truth concerning the revelation of Jesus Christ.
When Peter said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God, he was not expressing his feelings, but was testifying
of something he understood to be true. The Lord said to him,
Flesh and blood have not revealed this unto you, but my Father
which is in heaven. Feelings may come or go, but
the faith of God's children is steadfast and sure. Therefore
thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation,
a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.
He that believeth shall not make haste. It is impossible for those
who have been given this faith to abandon it on the basis of
any feeling one way or the other. As Peter testified again, Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. Hope, on the other hand, is more closely tied to the experience
of the believer and is something that can wax and wane. I believe
it to be the manifestation of the operation of faith in a man
as he is encouraged by the Holy Ghost to lay hold upon the promises
of God. As a man is given a greater grasp
of faith, the firm foundation of Jesus Christ, then hope can
also increase in direct proportion. Yet it pleases the Lord to grant
to some greater experiences of hope than He does to others.
Hope is that which is a blessed substitute for sight, because
when we see something, we do not need to hope for it any longer.
For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope.
For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? When He says
we are saved by hope, He surely does not mean that our record
in heaven is altered by it. Rather, He means that our present
enjoyment of that which has been purchased for us is clearly seen.
Hope and assurance go hand in hand. Therefore, one does not
hope that the Lord Jesus purchased salvation for His elect. Faith
causes him to know that to be the case and to desire no other
salvation. Hope, however, is that state
wherein a man, sometimes more boldly than at other times, expects
to be included in that number and appropriates an anticipation
of the benefits of the sons of God. A beggar may lay at mercy's
door without this hope, but he cannot perish there. What a blessing
for the sons of God when faith and hope are met. The scripture
uses several adjectives to describe the hope which the Lord gives.
It is one hope. There is one body and one spirit
even as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord,
one faith, one baptism. This describes the very basis
upon which the hope of the Lord's children is based. Christ is
the only one sure ground upon which true hope can rest. It
is a good hope. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and hath given
us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort
your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
That hope which he gives is like a cool drink from a deep well,
which springs up into everlasting life, filling the soul with gladness
and peace. It is a blessed hope, looking
for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great
God in our Savior, Jesus Christ. The anticipation of our Lord's
return is indeed a blessed hope for those who love His appearing.
It is a better hope, for the law made nothing perfect, but
the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we draw nigh unto
God. The ground and basis of our hope
is not built on anything which must be accomplished by sinful
men. Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law in His jot and tittle
and has offered one sacrifice for sins forever. The law could
never make us righteous, nor can it now bring us into condemnation.
It is finally a lively hope. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively or living hope, by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead. Our hope is lively because He
is alive and has placed within us the hope that we too shall
be raised from the sleep of death and shall put on immortality
in an incorruptible body like unto His. This hope is at the
very heart of our desire. But now is Christ risen from
the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept. Is this your
hope? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to for the poor at windstream.net.