TSIYON NEWS

From Eliyahu

 

Consider this:

 

Perhaps you've noticed that certain things often come in threes. We find this in the Bible too, perhaps because "a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Right away here we think of "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" - but the threes don't stop there. There are three tribes in each division of Israel.  There were three gifts given by the Magi: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Yeshua prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was crucified. He was dead for three days. These are just a few examples that come readily to mind, but there are many more. Think about it. It's fun to add to that list.

 

Here is another set of threes: faith, hope, and love.
 

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I am also fully known. But now faith, hope, and love endure, these three. The greatest of these is love.  1 Corinthians 13:12-13
 

The temptation here is to talk about the greatest of these three, which is love. In fact, that is what this section of Scripture is primarily focusing on, with very good reason. However, this verse does link up love with these other two virtues, faith and hope. Faith, hope and love make up a three-fold cord that is stronger than any one of these virtues alone. Hebrews 11 is a great teaching on faith, setting out the examples of the great heroes of faith who accomplished amazing things by faith's power. At its core, faith is trust in the Person of Elohim Himself. However, faith in action is directly related to hope.

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. Hebrews 11:1-2 NASB

 

Trust in God in your heart is faith, and it is something real. However, that inner trust is not seen until connected up with a hope from God that involves visible action. Hope here refers to promises of God that are received and believed by faith. Faith here is acting in accord with those promises even though they have not yet come to pass, and to the faithless, look impossible. The examples listed in Hebrews 11 include Noah building the Ark, Abraham going out not knowing where he was going, and Moses trusting YHWH to deliver Israel from bondage in Egypt. In each of these examples YHWH extended a promise, a hope, that someone then put faith in, acted upon, even though that hope was not yet seen. There are many who, like Thomas, will only believe when they see the solid reality. This is not the faith of Scripture. Faith involves acting on "things not seen." It is the power of a hope from above that motivates and energizes such actions. This real faith is rare indeed.       

As we look at the connection between faith and hope, we can see hope as a cord that faith connects with. Hope is the great motivator that activates godly works of faith. In this function, hope earns its place as the center of the holy trio, the three-fold cord of "faith, hope and love." Hope is at the center of the faith/love combo!

 

How then, does hope connect to love? That's easy. Our hope is our Father's concrete expression of love toward us. The hope He gives always meets the real need. He is the One who gives us a hope where no other hope is possible. He has no reason to offer us such hope, except that it is a proof of His great love for His own. When we enter into that hope by faith we come into a partnership with Him, working together toward that hope, which accomplishes His will. Working together with Him in that partnership we get to know Him better and better in very personal ways. To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to become more and more like Him. Through this love both our faith and our hope are strengthened even more, and others are blessed as well. Although at this time  "we see through a mirror darkly" we know we will "see Him face to face" in that Day. It is the three-fold cord of faith, hope and love, working in our inner being to produce works of faith, that is the cord we must hold onto to get us there. This is the essence of overcoming the world.

 

While all real believers of every Age have the same ultimate hope of eternal life in His Kingdom, we note that a different hope for the here and now was given to each of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. Noah was offered survival for he and his family as his hope in the here and now. Abraham was offered the hope of becoming a great nation, though he remained childless to the age of one hundred years! Moses was offered the hope of leading his people, Israel, out of bondage into freedom. Through faith, each of these men entered into and worked toward the promised hope, eventually seeing it come to pass through the love and power of YHWH.

 

The hope of the world in this Age, for the here and now, has been divinely placed in the rise of the faithful nation of Remnant Israel. All of the prophets have made this hope clear for these Last Days. The reward for faithful believers who respond to that hope will be a place of safety through the coming Tribulation, and of course, so much more. Granted, this is a thing "not seen." In fact, at this late date it looks impossible that all of the remnant believers scattered around the world could come together to form one holy nation - let alone return to Israel in the Second Exodus. Yet, YHWH says it will happen, and that Messiah will do it, and that "willing volunteers" will help! Enter Tsiyon! We are willing volunteers who see the vision of hope before us, and we have entered into it in faith - what is more - we have Messiah's Personal guarantee of success! 

 

Learn more about the hope for deliverance through the great distress of the end of this Age, soon to be upon this world. That's tonight at Tsiyon.Net at 8:00 PM CST. Trust me, you will be encouraged by this faith-building message of hope.

 

Blessings and good health to you!

 

Eliyahu
Tsiyon.Org

 

PS - Please remember to keep up with the Fast Track!