The Bible says there are three things essential to life—faith, hope, and love. Today we are going to focus on hope. Someone has said that when there is no hope for the future, there is no meaning in the present. Our hope for the future is based on Jesus Christ and the fact that he died on a cross for our sin and that he reconciled us to the Father. Jesus taught several principles about hope in this passage that should reinforce our confidence and lift our spirits so that we can live a victorious Christian life. I. Christian hope keeps a balanced perspective. A. The Pharisee’s hope was in the coming of a political Messiah. B. What happens in your heart today should receive more attention than what’s going to happen in the kingdom of God in the future. C. We can get so caught up in predictions about the second coming that we lose our spiritual balance. II. Christian hope discerns between true and false. A. Throughout history there have been people who have claimed that Jesus appeared privately and we missed him. B. Jesus taught his disciples to be discerning—don’t be influenced by false claims or predictions of his coming. III. Christian hope remains constant regardless of the world’s condition. A. Jesus claims the days prior to his coming would be like the days of Noah. 1. Breakdown of the family. 2. Evil thoughts dominating men. 3. Violent culture. B. Jesus claims the days prior to his coming would be like the days of Lot. 1. Greed and selfishness and pride. 2. Sexual immorality and perversion. 3. Mocked spiritual truth. C. The sins of the world can nauseate Christian people, but it’s the hope of being with Jesus Christ one day that keeps us alive. IV. Christian hope vigilantly awaits Christ’s return. A. Just as God brought judgement in Noah’s day and Lot’s day, so he will do it again. B. Our hope is that when this world is destroyed, we are going to be taken from it. C. Since we don’t know when Jesus will come, we must be prepared at any moment.