Living in Hope

Hope Lives!

We know what we know, but our journey with the Lord takes us step by step into the unknown, where He faithfully reveals more of himself to those who seek him. This knowledge is not for us to gain vast volumes of facts about our God or be able to quote numerous scripture verses. Our Lord gives knowledge to draw us closer to himself, transform us into the image of Christ, and make him known to others. Some will hear, others will not, and still others, like Job’s friends, think they already have all the answers. With true knowledge comes hope.

Job stated what he knew. His mind and his heart stood totally convinced, when he said—

“And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives …

Job didn’t have the New Testament to show him Jesus. He may not have had any written word at all. He did have creation and it’s probable, the spoken testimony of Adam and Eve passed down to the generations after them.

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,

and between thy seed and her seed;

it shall bruise thy head,

and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Genesis 3:15, KJV

Or in his times of worship and seeking the Lord, God revealed himself and his plan little by little to Job. Whatever the case, Job saw, by eyes of faith, his Redeemer living. He was before Job and with Job.

“In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him;

and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life:

and the life was the light of men …

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”

John 1:1-3;Hebrews 13:8, KJV

Like Job, we see our living Redeemer with eyes of faith. A dead redeemer can only save for a moment in time. In the grave he can no longer speak on another’s behalf. He would return to dust, and we would be left without hope.

• “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain;
• ye are yet in your sins.
• Then they which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
• if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” 1 Corinthians 15: 17-19, KJV

Our Redeemer lives!

“BUT(my capitalization) now is Christ risen from the dead …

thanks be to God,

which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ …

Fear not:

I am the first and the last:

I am he that liveth, and was dead;

and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen …

”1 Corinthians 15:57; Revelation 1:17b-18a, KJV

Because Jesus Christ is the living Son of God, our blessed Redeemer, we know with Job—

“at the last He will take His stand on the earth …

“Behold, he cometh with clouds;

and every eye shall see him,

and they also which pierced him:

and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.

Even so, Amen.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending

saith the Lord,

which is, and which was, and which is to come,

the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:7-8, KJV

Job sees his Redeemer as he declared.

“Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh,

I shall see God;

Whom I myself shall behold,

And whom my eyes shall see and not another …”

Job 19:26-27aNASB

And so shall we.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God,

and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:

but we know that, when he shall appear,

we shall be like him;

for we shall see him as he is.”

1 John 3:2, KJV

• Because our Redeemer lives we have no fear in judgement.
• We are not left alone.
• We live in hope even when the world seems hopeless.
• He will one day stand on the earth and reign in righteousness.
• Until then we live in hope, for our Redeemer is—

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”

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When hope seems lost—look up—your Redeemer draws near.

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