Hope is one of the necessary ingredients for human life. The Bible is a book of hope. It comes from the God of hope.

An English writer called hope the "Nerve of Life." Everyone knows something of the hurt of a lost hope. To lose hope is to lose heart and to lose our nerve. Nothing seems to rob us of hope as does death.

Visitors to the Fiji Islands tell of a strange custom. It is known as "calling to the dead." The one who has suffered bereavement climbs to a high tree or a cliff, calls out the name of the deceased, and then cries out pathetically, "Come back! Come back!" But there is no answer.

Nothing robs us of our hope as does death. We grieve the loss of a loved one. Nothing is more natural than that. However, if our faith lies in the God of hope, our sorrow will not steal hope from us.

Hope for Christians comes from Jesus Christ who died for our sins and won the victory over sin and death when the Father raised him from the grave. He said, "I died, and behold I am alive forevermore; I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, though he were dead yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die."

God pulls no punches. He says there is no hope for men and women who live their lives for themselves and neglect His worship and service. They are without God and without hope in this world, and they have no hope in the world to come. But one who loves and serves the Father by believing and obeying in the Son Jesus Christ has an eternal hope.

Just as God raised His son from the dead so He has power to give eternal life to everyone who believes. That''s why Peter exults, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. By His great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."

This great Apostle, in one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible, gives us hope to comfort our grieving hearts.

FIRST, IT IS A LIVING HOPE. Christ is a living Saviour. Because he is a living Savior he now lives in the hearts of believers. With his life within we can be victorious over all the disappointments and tragedies we face. Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." He meant that fellowship with Jesus made life worthwhile.

Christians are not shielded from the troubles of the world. Paul testified to his troubles with these words, "We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed." And again he testified to his hope, "So we do not lose heart; though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day." In this life, momentary affliction is preparing us for a way to glory beyond all comparison, because we look not unto the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

The follower of Christ has a living hope. Jesus said, "Because I live, you will live also."

We are told that the first great Ferris Wheel was built for the Chicago''s World''s Fair half a century ago. It was an engineering marvel. But for several days after it was opened at the Fair, no one would get on it. They were afraid to trust this "new-fangled contraption." Finally, Mrs. Ferris, the wife of the inventor, rode on it several times. Then people started getting the idea that the Ferris Wheel was safe.

Our Lord has entered the dark gates of death and emerged victorious. He shows us we need not fear the grave. And He draws near to seeking hearts to give help and strength. A believer may grieve, but not as others do who do not know his Savior or his hope. Christ is our living hope. He is, says Paul, "Christ in you, hope of glory."

AND THEN, THIS HOPE IS A PERMANENT INHERITANCE. Peter describes it as an inheritance which is "imperishable, undefiled, unfading and kept in Heaven for all who believe."

Heaven is the reward for Christians. Words are not adequate to describe Heaven. Heaven is people who love in the Lord. It is home, it is paradise, it is where our loved ones in Christ have gone. A great preacher, speaking of what lies beyond death, broke down and wept, saying, "What could Heaven be to me without my Willie?" Heaven is where the Christian family is gathering. Heaven is also a place. It is a place God has chosen and prepared. John says, "Then I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the first Heaven and the first earth had passed away." It is a place where there will be no more disease or suffering or tears or death. The painful things will be done away with. Happiness will be knowing and experiencing in reality what we now know only in faith. The writer of Hebrews says, "Here we have no lasting city." Man appears but a little while on the earth with all his boasting and building and is seen no more. Cities rise and fall and men walk over the ruins. But for believers there is an eternal place, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

_______________ has now received that inheritance. We can be sure, for some years ago he turned his life over to Jesus Christ in confession and trust. He did receive the title deed to his heavenly home.

In his book, A SEVERE MERCY, Sheldon Vanauken, who lost his wife to cancer, tells of the last day he saw his friend C. S. Lewis. They had lunch together and talked about death or, as he says, "the wakening after death." Vanauken suggested that death would be a sort of coming home, and Lewis agreed. When it came time to part, he insisted that they keep in touch and then said with a cheerful grin, "We''ll certainly meet again here or there." The two friends shook hands and Lewis made his way across the busy highway. Then he turned to Vanauken, raised his voice above the traffic, grinned and shouted, "Besides, Christians never say goodbye." (1)

And we don''t. We don''t need to, even in death, because our Saviour is Lord of life and death and his resurrection power is our hope.

THIS BRINGS US TO OUR FINAL TRUTH FOR THE DAY. THIS HOPE IS AVAILABLE TO ALL WHO TRUST IN CHRIST.Our hope of salvation is not just in a place but in a special person. Heaven is where Christ is. The only lasting happiness is to be at home with him.

F. B. Meyer was a great preacher of London. In his last illness he wrote these words to a friend, "They tell me that I have only a few days to live. It may be that before this letter reaches you, I shall have entered the palace of the King. Don''t bother to write, I''ll see you in the morning." This great man of God had the assurance that his sins had been forgiven and that when he awoke he would be in the presence of his King.

Jesus promised to his followers, "In my Father''s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will surely come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am you may be also." How will it be when the happiness we have yearned for finally comes to us fully? I John 3:2 promises us, "It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but when He shall appear, we shall be like him." When that happens, we will know truly that "eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them who love Him."

Our hope is a living hope, this hope in a Savior and in a place he''s prepared for all who trust in him. When we belong to him, we will never be separated from him or our loved ones.

Oh happy soul, be thankful now, and rest!
Heaven is a goodly land;
In God is love; and those He loves are blessed;
Now thou dost understand

The least thou hast is better than the best
That thou didst hope for; now upon thine eyes
The new life opens there;
Before thy feet the blessed journey lies

Through homelands everywhere;
And heaven to thee is all a sweet surprise. (2)