This past Sunday was our glorious kick-off barbeque and Worship in the Park Sunday! The weather was fantastic. The set up and serving team was a “well-oiled” machine. Worship is a public setting was a special time of testifying for the Lord It was also the end of our “Virtues that We Value” series. This Summer we have been looking at character qualities that should be seen in every Christian’s life as we grow into a mature believer. Literally it is the “fruit of Christlikeness.” The last virtue is HOPE.
I said on Sunday……..“Hope is the virtue that believes no matter how bad things are…. it ain’t over until God says so!" God is the writer of all last chapters of every story. That is what makes Him a Sovereign God. And as His children, we can believe that when we go through a difficult time or are facing life threatening situations – we can HOPE in God and how He will work in our lives.
So what does the Bible say about hope….here are eight scriptural principles in building hope in our hearts.
I. Hope is a gift
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NASB95)
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,
17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
II. Hope is from God
Psalm 43:5 (NASB95)
5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
III. Hope is unseen
Hebrews 11:1 (NASB95)
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:9-10 (NASB95)
9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
IV. Hope is secure
1 Peter 1:3-6 (NASB95)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
V. Hope is essential to the gospel
Colossians 1:3-5 (NASB95)
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;
5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
VI. Hope preserves us
Romans 8:23-25; 28-30 (NASB95)
23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
VII. Hope is based on the resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NASB95)
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
1 Corinthians 15:55-58 (NASB95)
55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
John 14:19 (NASB95)
19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
VIII. Hope is confirmed by the Holy Spirit
Romans 15:13 (NASB95)
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Why is hope important? There are times that our faith is assaulted or we become discouraged and we need a “jump start” in our faith! We go out to our car and believe by faith that it will start each time. But some time a battery fails or an alternator stops working and so we need “jumper cables” to rely on to get started. Hope is the “jumper cables” for our faith! The issue is that we must have the cables in our trunk – we need to travel around with our hope before faith starts to drain!! Let me encourage you to determine the “reason for your hope” and in doing so hold out hope as an anchor of your faith!