FIRST, we speak of our hope which is laid up for us in heaven as A VERY MARVELOUS HOPE; and it is so, if we only consider that it is a great act of grace that sinners should have a hope at all. That when man had broken his Maker's law there should remain a hope for him is a thought which should make our hearts leap with gratitude. Do you not recollect when you felt it to be so? When sin lay heavily upon your conscience, Satan came and wrote over the lintel[1] of your door, “NO HOPE.” And the grim sentence would have stood there to this day had not a loving hand taken the hyssop[2] and by a sprinkling of precious blood removed the black inscription. “Wherefore remember that at that time ye were without Christ, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). That was our condition once; and it is a marvelous thing that it should be thoroughly changed and that assurance should have taken the place of despair. In our carnal estate many false hopes, like will-o'-the-wisps[3], danced before us, deceived us, and led us into bogs of presumption and error, but we really had no hope. This is a dreadful condition for a man to be in: it is, indeed, the very worst of all; never is the storm so terrible as when in the howling of the winds the man distinctly hears the words “No hope.” Yet into the thick darkness of NO HOPE we once steered our course, and each time we tried to rely upon good works, outward ceremonies, and good resolutions, we were disappointed anew, and the words rung into our souls with dread monotony, “No hope, no hope,” until we were fain[4] to lie down and die. Now, sinners though we be, we have a hope. Ever since by faith we looked to Jesus on the cross, a hope full of glory has taken possession of our hearts. Is not this a marvelous thing?

More marvelous still is it that our hope should venture to be associated with heaven. Can there be heaven for such as we are? It seems almost presumptuous for a sinner who so richly deserves hell even to lift up his eyes towards heaven. He might have some hope of purgatory[5], if there were such a region, but a hope of heaven, is not that too much? Yet, brethren, we have no fear of hell or of purgatory now, but we expect to taste the joys laid up in heaven. There is no purgatory for anyone, and there is no hell for saints; heaven awaits all believers in Jesus. Our hope is full of glory, for it has to do with the glory of Christ, whom we hope to behold. Dost thou expect then, thou who wast black with lust, that thou shalt sit among the angels? “Ay, that I do,” saith the believer, “and nearer to the throne than they.” And thou who hast plunged into every form of uncleanness, dost thou expect to see God, for none but the pure in heart can behold him? “Aye, that I do,” saith he, “and not only to see him, but to be like his Son, when I see him as he is.” What a divine hope is this! Not that we shall sit down on heaven's doorstep and hear stray notes of the songs within, but that we shall sing with the happy band; not that we shall have an occasional glance within the gates of pearl, and feel our hearts hankering after the unutterable joys within the sacred enclosure, but we shall actually and personally enter into the halls of the palace and see the king in his beauty in the land which is very far off. This is a brave hope, is it not? Why, she aspireth to all that the best of saints have received, she looketh for the same vision of glory, the same ecstasy of delight; she even aspireth to sit upon the throne of Christ according to the promise, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Rev 3:21). Hope reckons to be among the overcomers and to partake in their enthronement. This is marvelous hope for a struggling believer to entertain; yet it is not presumption, but confidence warranted by the word of God. Is it not a miracle of love that such poor creatures as ourselves should be enabled thus to hope in God?

This hope is the more marvelous because it is so substantial. In our text the apostle scarcely seems to be speaking of the grace of hope, since that can hardly be said to be laid up in heaven, but dwells in our bosoms: he rather speaks of the object of hope; and yet it is clear that in his mind the grace of hope as well as the object must have been intended, because that which is laid up in heaven is not a hope except to those who hope for it. It is clear that no man has a hope laid up in heaven, unless he has hope within himself. The truth is that the two things—the grace of hope and its object—are here mentioned under one term, which may be intended to teach us that when hope is wrought in the heart by the Holy Ghost, it is the thing hoped for, even as faith is the thing believed, because it realizes and secures it. Just as faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, so is hope the substance of the thing it expects and the evidence of the thing it cannot see. Paul in this case, as in many others, uses language rather according to the theological sense which he would convey than according to the classical usage of the Greek tongue. The words of a heathen people must be somewhat strained from their former use if they are to express divine truth, and Paul does thus stretch them to their utmost length in this case. The hope of the true believer is so substantial that Paul even speaks of it as though it were the thing itself and were laid up in heaven. Many a man hath a hope of wealth, but that hope is a different thing from being wealthy. “There is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip,” saith the old proverb, and how true it is! A man may have a hope of old age, yet he may never reach even middle life, and thus it is clear that the hope of long life is not in itself longevity; but he that hath the divine hope which grows out of faith and love hath a hope which shall never be disappointed, so that the apostle speaks of it as being identical with the thing hoped for and describes it as laid up in heaven. What a marvelous hope is this, which long before its realization is treated as a matter of actual attainment and spoken of as a treasure reserved in the coffers of heaven!

One marvelous point about our hope is this, that it is the subject of divine revelation. No one could ever have invented this hope; it is so glorious as to baffle imagination. The prince of dreamers could never have dreamed it, nor the master of the art of logic have inferred it by reason: imagination and understanding are both left upon the ground, while the Bible idea of heaven soars upward like a strong-winged angel. The eternal hope had to be revealed to us; we should never have known it else, for the apostle says, “Whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel” (Col 1:5). That a sinful man should have a hope of enjoying the perfect bliss of Paradise is a thing not to be thought of, were it not that the Lord hath promised it. I say again, imagination's utmost stretch had never reached to this; neither could we have had the presumption to suppose that such a bliss could be in store for men so unworthy and undeserving, had we not been assured thereof by the word of God. But now the word of God hath opened a window in heaven and bidden us look therein and hope for the time when we shall drink of its living fountains of waters and go no more out for ever.

This is marvelous, and it is even more marvelous to think that this hope came to us simply by hearing. “Whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel” (Col 1:5); “Faith cometh by hearing” (Rom 10:17), and hope comes by faith. And so the divine hope of being in heaven came to us by hearing, not by working, not by deserving, not by penance and sacrifice, but simply by hearkening diligently unto the divine word and believing unto life. We heard that the pierced hand of Jesus had opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers, and we believed and saw a way of entrance into the holiest by his blood. We heard that God had prepared for them that love him joys indescribable; and we believed the message, trusting in his Son. Our confidence is in the word which we have heard, for it is written, “Hear and your soul shall live” (Isa 55:3). And we find that by hearing our confidence is strengthened and our heart filled with inward assurance and joyful expectation; therefore do we love the word more and more. Will we not prize to the uttermost that sacred word which has brought us such a hope? Yes, that we will; till we exchange hearing for seeing and the message of Jesus for Jesus himself, we will always lend a willing ear to the testimony of Jesus.

This hope is marvelous, once more, because the substance of it is most extraordinary. Brethren, what is the hope which is laid up for us in heaven? It would need many a sermon to bring out all the phases of delight which belong to that hope. It is the hope of victory; for we shall overcome every foe, and Satan shall be trodden under our feet. A palm of victory is prepared for our hands and a crown for our heads. Our life struggle shall not end in defeat, but in complete and eternal triumph; for we shall overcome through the blood of the Lamb. Nor do we hope for victory only: but in our own persons we shall possess perfection. We shall one day cast off the slough[6] of sin, and shall be seen in the beauty of our new-born life. Truly, “it doth not yet appear what we shall be,” but when we think of the matchless character of our Lord Jesus, we are overjoyed by the assurance that “we shall be like him” (1Jo 3:2). What an honor and a bliss for the younger brethren to be like the firstborn! To what higher honor could God himself exalt us? I know not of aught[7] which could surpass this. Oh, matchless joy to be as holy, harmless, and undefiled as our own beloved Lord! How delightful to have no propensity[8] to sin remaining in us nor trace of its ever having been there; how blissful to perceive that our holy desires and aspirations have no weakness or defect remaining in them. Our nature will be perfect and fully developed in all its sinless excellence. We shall love God as we do now, but oh how much more intensely! We shall rejoice in God as we do now, but oh what depth there will be in that joy! We shall delight to serve him as we do now, but there will then be no coldness of heart, no languor[9] of spirit, no temptation to turn aside. Our service will be as perfect as that of angels. Then shall we say to ourselves without fear of any inward failure, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name” (Psa 103:1). There will be no recreant[10] affection then, no erring judgment, no straying passion, no rebellious lust: there will remain nothing which can defile or weaken or distract. We shall be perfect, altogether perfect. This is our hope: victory over evil and perfection in all that is good. If this were all our hope it would be marvelous, but there is more to be unfolded.

We expect to enjoy security also from every danger. As there will be no evil, in us, so there will be none around us or about us to cause us alarm. No temporal evil such as pain, bereavement, sorrow, labor, or reproach shall come near us: all will be security, peace, rest, and enjoyment. No mental evil will intrude upon us in heaven, no doubts, no staggering difficulties, no fears, no bewilderments will cause us distress. Here we see through a glass darkly; and we know in part, but there shall we see face to face, and know even as we are known. Oh, to be free from mental trouble! What a relief will this be to many a doubting Thomas! This is a marvelous hope. And then no spiritual enemy will assail us, no world, no flesh, no devil will mar our rest above. What will you make out of it, ye tried ones? Your Sabbaths are very sweet now on earth, but when they are over you have to return to yon[11] cold world again. But there your Sabbath shall never end, and your separation from the wicked will be complete. It will be a strange sensation for you to find no Monday morning, no care to be renewed, no toil to be encountered, no harness to be buckled on afresh; above all, no sin to be dreaded, no temptation to be escaped. Heaven is so peaceful that the storms of earth are there unknown, the stirrings of the flesh are never felt, and the howlings of the dog of hell are never heard. There all is peace and purity, perfection and security for ever.

With this security will come perfect rest: “Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours” (Rev 14:13). Heavenly rest is quite consistent with continual service, for like the angels, we shall rest on the wing and find it rest to serve God day and night. But there you shall not toil till the sweat bedews[12] your face, neither shall the sun smite you nor any heat. No weary limb or fevered brain shall follow upon the blessed service of the glory-land. It is a paradise of pleasure and a palace of glory; it is a garden of supreme delights, and a mansion of abiding love; it is an everlasting sabbatismos[13], a rest which never can be broken, which evermore remaineth for the people of God. It is a kingdom where all are kings, an inheritance where all are heirs. My soul panteth for it. Is not this a charming hope? Did I not say well when I declared it to be marvelous?

Nor is this all, brethren, for we expect to enjoy in heaven a happiness beyond compare. Eye hath not seen it, nor ear heard it, nor hath the heart conceived it; it surpasses all carnal joy. We know a little of it, for the Lord hath revealed it unto us by the Spirit, Who searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. Yet what we know is but a mere taste of the marriage feast: enough to make us long for more, but by no means sufficient to give us a complete idea of the whole banquet. If it be so sweet to preach about Christ, what must it be to see him and be with him? If it be so delightful to be ravished by the music of his name, what must it be to lie in his bosom? Why, if these few clusters of Eshcol[14] which are now and then brought to us are so sweet, what will it be to abide in the vineyard, where all the clusters grow? If that one bucketful from the well of Bethlehem tasted so sweetly that we scarce dared to drink it,[15] but poured it out before the Lord as a thank-offering, what a joy will it be to drink at the well-head without stint[16] for ever? O to be eternally at the right hand of God, where there are pleasures for evermore!

This is our hope, and yet there is more, for we have the hope of everlasting fellowship with Christ. I would give ten thousand worlds, if I had them, to have one glimpse of that dear face, which was marred with sorrow for my sake. But to sit at my Lord's feet and look up into his countenance and hear his voice and never, never grieve him, but to participate in all his triumphs and glories for ever and for ever—what a heaven will this be? Then shall we have fellowship with all his saints in whom he is glorified and by whom his image is reflected; and thus shall we behold fresh displays of his power and beamings of his love. Is not this surpassing bliss? Said I not well when I declared that ours is a marvelous hope? Had I eloquence and could pile on goodly words, and could a poet assist me with his sweetest song to tell of the bliss and joy of the eternal world, yet must preacher and poet both confess their inability to describe the glory to be revealed in us. The noblest intellect and the sweetest speech could not convey to you so much as a thousandth part of the bliss of heaven.

—Delivered on Lord's-Day morning, October 13, 1878

Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892): Influential Baptist minister in England. History's most widely read preacher (apart from those found in Scripture). Today, there is available more material written by Spurgeon than by any other Christian author, living or dead. Born at Kelvedon, Essex.

[1] lintel – horizontal beam of a door frame that usually supports the structure above it.

[2] hyssop – an aromatic shrub used by the Jews in the OT for Passover rites, for the purification of lepers, for plague, and at the red heifer sacrifice. This plant is generally considered to be the Syrian marjoram which is a fragrant grey-leaved wiry-stemmed perennial herb, 20–30 cm high, with white or yellow flowers in small heads, growing in dry rocky places.

[3] will-o'-the-wisp – a light that sometimes hovers at night over marshy ground, often attributed to spontaneous combustion of gas from rotting organic matter. It therefore came to be used for deceptive goals or misleading hopes.

[4] fain – glad.

[5] purgatory – an erroneous doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church which concerns a place or state after death where the souls of those who die in God's grace may make satisfaction for past sins and become fit for heaven.

[6] slough – a place of deep mud or mire.

[7] aught – anything.

[8] propensity – an inclination or tendency.

[9] languor – lack of physical or mental energy.

[10] recreant – unfaithful, disloyal, or cowardly.

[11] yon – yonder; at a distance within view. We use this word to point the eye to a distant object.

[12] bedews – to moisten as with dew.

[13] sabbatismos – Sabbath rest.

[14] Num 13:23-27

[15] 2Sa 23:15-17

[16] stint – restraint or limit.