All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4  and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5  And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NLT) 

The first apostles preached a gospel of hope. The biblical definition of hope is a confident expectation that God’s promises will come to pass, no matter how long it may take. What is the hope of the gospel? When we preach the gospel today, do we instill the same hope into people as the church had in the beginning?

It is clear from the above passage that Peter expected believers to be given an eternal inheritance in heaven. Paul taught the same thing.

We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4  For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 5  which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. Colossians 1:3-5 (NLT)

This teaching came straight from our Lord Jesus. Here are his words.

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT) 

It is clear from later teachings that Jesus himself is the treasure, which Paul confirms in his writings. Our reward is anchored in Christ, who is our hope of glory and guarantee of reward.

For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. Colossians 1:27 (NLT) 

Our obedience to Christ the Lord springs from faith and love and is based on our confident expectation that one day we will obtain our promised heavenly reward if we remain faithful to him.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17  For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT) 

The weak and paltry promise of being able to experience the fullness of God’s blessings in this life will not carry the church through times of persecution. The real gospel keeps us focused on our promised heavenly reward.

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 (NLT) 

This is a huge part of the gospel which must be emphasized. Times of testing are upon us. We need the strength that comes from keeping our eyes on the prize.

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:14 (NLT)