As Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time riding on a donkey, the crowd awaiting His arrival called for Him to save them, shouting Hosanna. Almost every one of them recognized that Jesus’ arrival fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 about a coming King who would come riding on a donkey to bring them salvation. But the hope that Jesus came to fulfill wasn’t political salvation for Israel from the oppression of their Roman occupiers as most of His greeters expected, but spiritual salvation for all mankind out of death in our sins and into eternal life in the glory of God’s presence.
Message Series: Hope
All of us encounter difficulties in life. Some suddenly severely impact the course of our lives and may even shake the foundation of our faith. Sometimes the hits just keep coming one after another and wear our faith down slowly until we simply give up. But God gives us many promises in His Word to secure our faith and strongly anchor our hope. Speaking of the divine hope we have through faith in Jesus’ Gospel, the writer of Hebrews succinctly affirms the surety of God’s promises – “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf…” (Hebrews 6:19-20a [ESV]).
Life is difficult in our fallen world – so much so that all creation groans. In his letter to the Roman church, the apostle Paul compared this groaning to the pain of childbirth. Yet Christian believers do not despair as if we had no hope. Instead, we eagerly await the fulfillment of the hope that is founded on the promises of God. God’s Spirit dwelling in the hearts of His children nurtures and strengthens the hope within us even through our inevitable seasons of difficulty and desperation. Therefore we know as Paul wrote to the Romans that God is working all things together for good for those who love God and are called in accordance with His purpose.
The hope we carry as Christian believers isn’t some kind of wishful thinking. Our hope rests on the firm promises of God who in now, always was, and will always be faithful to keep His promises. The promises of God upon which we place our hope are found in His Holy Word – the Bible which has proven time and again throughout history to be trustworthy and true.


