If not for Jesus, there would be little hope of turning the tide on the serious moral issues that face our nation. Jesus is the answer. He is our example in all things, especially in matters related to the proper development of character. Think of the spiritual mess we would be in if Jesus was unreliable in the promises He has given in His word.
If not for Jesus, we would have no hope beyond the grave. The apostle Paul put it this way: “If we hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19). If Jesus had not died on the cross–if He had not been buried in the borrowed tomb of a rich man–if He had not risen from the grave on the third day following His crucifixion, then we would be without hope. “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). Thank God Jesus has not only died for our sins, but has also been raised from the dead, giving us strong hope in our own resurrection! Our hope is not empty. It is “an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil…” (Heb. 6:19).
If not for Jesus, we would be without assurance that an eternal home awaits us in heaven. Just prior to His death, Jesus spoke to His disciples, encouraging them in view of His coming departure. Three promises are highlighted in the comforting words of Jesus. First, He says, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you” (vss. 1-2). Jesus told them He was going to His Father to prepare a place for His disciples. The “Father’s house” is heaven. For God said, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool” (Isa. 66:1). The faithful will spend eternity in heaven, not on a renovated earth. The second promise of John fourteen is found in these words: “I will come again…” (vs. 3). All our hopes are tied to this promise. If Jesus is not coming again, then nothing He has promised makes any sense. Finally, the third promise Jesus made in John chapter fourteen is: “and I will receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you maybe also” (vs. 3). When Jesus returns in the clouds of heaven, the dead in Christ and the righteous living will be “caught up together…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall be always be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:13-17).
If not for Jesus, we would have no hope beyond this life. But, Jesus has been raised and will return to take us to our heavenly home. In this, we can believe with unshakeable confidence.
— Glen Elliott —