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Looking to Hebrews 11:1 will give us an insight to what Paul was speaking of in Romans 8:24.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Chapter 11 is often called the chapter of faith and the Bible Hall of Fame.  Many Old Testament characters and their great faith are brought to our remembrance in this chapter.  Middle way through we are told in Hebrews 11:13 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”  These Bible characters died believing the promise of salvation and an eternal home would come.  They realized, as we must also, that our home on this earth is only temporary.  This faith is not a blind leap in the dark.  It is a faith based on the evidence around us and God’s Word.  We must make preparation for our heavenly home.

The Christian can have comfort in the hope of eternal life obtained through salvation.  In the opening verses of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 Paul discusses the second coming of Christ.  He goes on to remind the Thessalonians they are no longer in the world but are in Christ.  Thus, they must be ready.  They should wear the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet — the hope of salvation.  These items will protect us from the fiery darts of the Devil.

Hope can have a spiritual or a material (physical) meaning.  Physical hope would apply to things of this world, such as a child hoping for a puppy.  Even adults have a physical hope for material wealth and good health.  Spiritual hope has to do with our eternal destination, heaven.  Christians should entertain the physical hope of things on this earth and the hope of a spiritual citizenship in heaven.  Unfortunately, many people today have no hope or a false hope of the heavenly habitation.

Before we can truly understand what the hope of eternal life is, we must have a correct understanding of hope.  Hope can be expectation, desire, anticipation, belief or longing.  These are all synonyms for hope.  The hope of heaven could be expressed this way.  ‘Because of our desire for heaven, we live a righteous life, and with great anticipation, we expect to arrive in heaven some sweet day.’  We long with yearning and desire for the day that God will call us home.  The Apostle Paul expressed it quite clearly in 2 Timothy 4:6-8.

“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

On the other hand, if we do not have “Christian Hope,” we have no hope at all.  “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).  Whereas Paul was talking about Christian Hope, this verse is even truer of the hopelessness of non-Christians.  If the only hope we have is what we can see and hear, ultimately and eternally we will have only despair, gloom and discouragement.

In the strictest sense, the visible result of our hope will not be realized until we reach heaven.  However, we can see a byproduct of Christian hope.  Hope can be seen through godly homes, living godly lives, peace of mind, true friends and the association with other righteous souls.  All of these will help us attain our goal – the hope of heaven.

Godly Homes

“And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:23-24).

“And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?  And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?  So that they are no more two, but one flesh.  What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.  They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?  He saith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it hath not been so.”

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.  Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.  Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.  Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Colossians 3:18-21).

Living Godly Lives

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?  Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

Medical research has and continues to show the ill effects of cigarette smoke on the smoker.  The discomfort and possible health effects to others who breathe that smoke should not be overlooked.  There has been a warning of the dangers of smoking on packs of cigarettes for some time.  God condemns the purposeful harming of our bodies.

“What?  know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

As discussed earlier, God’s plan for the home must be followed.  Sexual relations within the bounds of marriage will give peace of mind.  Individuals will not be concerned with contracting sexually transmitted diseases.  If divorce were not so rampant, children would not be torn between father, mother and stepparents.  Grandparents could have a better relationship and influence on the children as Lois did on Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5).  Looking again to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, we see that adultery and fornication are condemned by God.  Sexual relations within marriage will lead to happier homes.

Slot machines, lottery, bingo, raffles, football pools and sweepstakes are all forms of gambling.  Some seem innocent.  What is wrong with giving a dollar to the child next door to help fund his organization and maybe win something in return?  What is wrong with entering a sweepstake hoping (false, earthly hope) to win a large sum of money?  Anytime we try to gain something for nothing we fool ourselves and try to cheat others out of what is theirs.  God’s plan is to work for what we gain.

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.  How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?  when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man (Proverbs 6:6-9).

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.  For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:10-11).

Stealing is another sin that is sometimes overlooked.  We are swift to condemn robbery, shoplifting and embezzlement of company money.  Being dishonest with our tax returns, intentionally taking pens, paper, etc. from work, a poor work ethic, changing price tags or purposefully damaging merchandise in order to receive the item at a discount are also forms of stealing  (Matthew 19:18; Colossians 3:22-23).  Paul commanded the Ephesians to no longer steal but to work.  “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28).  God gave to us the gift of salvation.  We in some small way can gain an earthly reward by giving to those in need  (Galatians 6:10; Matthew 25:31-46).

Have you ever told a little white lie?  Did your conscience bother you after you told it?  It should!  Lying is a sin.  “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).  In this list of sins, most of us are quick to condemn the murderer, but we tend to overlook ‘lying.’  Lying will cause your soul to miss the hope of heaven.  It harms your reputation and others will not trust you when they know you tell lies.  We need to be honest when talking to others (Ephesians 4:25).  In so doing we will not have to try to remember what we told to whom so that we can keep our “stories” straight.

Some people would consider these sins as minor, not really affecting our souls.  However, God does not categorize sin.  “The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death” (Proverbs 14:32).  Immoral, wicked living will lead to an unhappy life on earth with no hope of a future beyond the grave.  Only by striving to live moral, godly lives will we have a hope of salvation in the life to come.

Peace of Mind

“Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.  Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.  For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.”

True Friends

“Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.  All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him?  he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him” (Proverbs 19:6-7).

True friends will be there to rejoice with us and lend a hand when we are in need.  True friends cannot be bought with gifts.  They will be our friends whether we are rich or poor.  True friends will also reprove, encourage or give a pat on the back — whatever we need at the time.  Wise Solomon said, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:6).

Christian Association

Patience

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:2-5).

God has been very patient with his children.  He spent almost 4000 years preparing mankind for Christ and the beginning of the Church.  God patiently waited for Israel to repent and ask for forgiveness each time it strayed from God’s Word.  He patiently sent judges and prophets to encourage repentance.  Each time Israel repented God welcomed it back with open arms.  Trials and problems in the physical realm will help us to grow and mature as faithful servants of God.

I am reminded of one Christian lady who stated “Each time I pray for patience, God sends me another son.  I am not going to pray for patience anymore.”  I am sure many of us could have similar sentiments.  Each time we pray for patience something happens to hinder our patience.  This is particularly true when our children are young or when they became teenagers.  If everything always worked out well for us, we would never need patience.  Trials teach us how to deal with the unexpected, how to overcome obstacles and how to mature into faithful Christians.  Patiently living in this present world, not allowing the problems of the day to unnecessarily overcome us, will give us a glimpse of heaven.

Worship

The Christian hope is Heaven.  All Christians should focus their hearts on the heavenly horizon.  It is evident that we do this by the songs that we sing.  Many songs teach the hope and wonders of heaven.  When fathers, mothers, and children accept their God given role and responsibilities in the home, we can have a glimpse of heaven.  Abstaining from worldly lust can give us a taste of heaven.  Learning to deal patiently with others will help to remind us of the patience of our heavenly Father.  Having true friends and associating with faithful Christians will help us obtain our goal.  We cannot have a sinlessly perfect life on earth “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:21).  Compare 1 John 1:8-2:2.  John was writing to Christians in these verses.  However, we can have a glimpse of heaven if we with patience strive to serve God while abiding on earth.  Ultimately those who faithfully worship and serve God will see heaven one day.  In the meantime, hope can be seen on this earth through the joys and comforts of Christian living.