Absolute steadfast, sure awareness of what's going to be

Paul begins Ephesians 4 with: [1] I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

[2] With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
[3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
[4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

In Paul's epistles that word "hope" always refers to something about the Lord's coming. If we went over all the verses about hope . . . 

Romans 5: 2] By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

[3] And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
[4] And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

[5] 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. 

What is that "hope of the glory of God"? That's sharing that glorified body out there, explains Richard Jordan.

Romans 15: [4] For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

[5] Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
[6] That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[7] Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

If you think about the resurrection, the hope of being with the Lord . . . Not just dying and going to heaven, but participating with Him in this great plan the Father has to exalt His Son. That's our hope.

Hope defined by the world is a "consoling dream of the imagination designed to make you forget the present troubles." In the world, a hope is just some imaginary illusion you have out there to try and make you feel better about what's going on right now and you dream about it being different in the future. That's not what a hope is in the Bible.

Hebrews 6:19 is a verse you need to put into your mind when you think of hope: [19] Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

In the Bible, a hope is an anchor for your soul; something to make you steadfast and sure. It is a confident expectation. You know it's true. In this passage, it's because God had promised Abraham and He swore by Himself--He gave His word on it.

Brother Bill Cash used to love to sing that song, "My Anchor Holds." Bill would tell of his Navy days about laying that anchor chain out from the ship and how it would hold in the storm.

A hope is something that fixes your soul so it's not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, but you have this steadfast confidence, and you know what it gives you? "Through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

When it talks about the work of love and the patience of hope, God directs your hearts into the patient waiting of His Son. II Thessalonians 3: [5] And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

You see, that anchor about what you know for sure is coming gives you the ability to patiently wait. Confidently wait, not being tossed here and hither and yon, wondering what your future is, but just having that absolute steadfast sure awareness of what it's going to be.

And what's your future going to be? You're going to share in the future glorification of the Lord Jesus and get a body just like His, not so you can look good, but so you can participate in subduing all things under His headship. That's what the Father delights in. He says, "I want you to know and delight in that."

Colossians 1: [26] Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

[27] To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The hope of His calling is the inheritance in His saints. He's going to inherit the heavens through us, just like He inherits the earth through Israel. That's what the hope of His calling focuses on.

Now, He wants you to know the riches of His inheritance in the saints. He wants you to understand not just the hope and the purpose and the steadfastness of His calling that you have as a member of the Body of Christ; He wants you to know the wealth of it. He wants you to see the riches of it. He wants you to see how valuable you and I are--how valuable the Body of Christ is to Him.

You see, God the Father's wealth is not in the universe. His wealth is not in the substance. God owns it all but that isn't where He thinks His wealth is. His wealth is in His saints, and He wants you to understand how valuable He considers what He's accomplishing in us is. His wealth is in the saints that He purchases.

Acts 20:28: [28] Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Notice He purchased you and me, the church, with His own blood.