Secur Hope
Notes
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Intro
Intro
A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, "Eighteen to nothing--we're behind."
"Boy," said the spectator, "I'll bet you're discouraged."
"Why should I be discouraged?" replied the little boy. "We haven't even gotten up to bat yet!"
What is Hope
Illustration:
We might hope that we get that special gift we have had our eye on.
We might hope we get a good grade on that test or paper.
We might hope we make the sports, band, or cheer team.
We might hope that special someone we like, likes us too.
We might hope our mom or dad will be proud of us.
We might hope that we will get to eat at our favorite restaurant.
We might hope our favorite music artist will release a new album soon, or our favorite sports team do well enough to win the championship.
The fact is we often say we hope for things that we have little control over the outcome.
The world understands hope as Worldview (Glasses illustration of what secular and biblical worldview is like)
Secular Worldview—Hope is... a feeling of an uncertain outcome. There is no security in the hope other than the wish of the individual.
In a lot of ways, the HOPE the world pushes is an optimistic view towards an uncertain reality.
Yet, Scripture teaches that true HOPE is very different from the hope of the lost person’s view towards it.
Chad Brand states:
Biblical hope is the anticipation of a favorable outcome under God’s guidance. More specifically, hope is the confidence that what God has done for us in the past guarantees our participation in what God will do in the future.
In essence, hope is the looking forward to God following through with his promises to us as believers. True Hope is focused on the works of God, the goodness of God, and the future we have with God!
God is the true originator of Hope. Because we rest in knowing that God has great plans for us as his children, and wants to give us good gifts. We can know even in the storms of life can have hope that God will see us through the darkest of days if we keep our focus on the Lord.
Christian Worldview—Hope is the confidence of what God has done in the past and what He will continue to do in the future; also, it is confidence in God’s guidance producing a favorable outcome.
As believers, we are to actively live in a hope-filled life. Yet, in order to do that, we have to understand where Hope comes from so that we can place our hope rightly.
In fact Paul, prays for the Roman church in the book of Romans for them to have hope.
Listen to his words,
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
I would like us to see two main things tonight, the first is that God is the God of hope, the second is that we are to abound in hope!
My prayer for you all tonight is that you can leave tonight full of the Hope that only God provides!
So, let’s dive in shall we?
God provides true hope to those who trust Him.
God provides true hope to those who trust Him.
a. Misplaced hope leads us to disappointment.
It is futile to vest ultimate hope in wealth
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,
8 for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
10 For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.
7 “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
Houses
17 And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
18 My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
Even if we do not have a great home here on earth, God provides us with restful and peacefulness in him for all eternity.
Rulers and leaders.
3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
Nations
19 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?
20 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me?
21 Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
22 But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?
23 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.
24 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
We cannot place our trust in our nation or any other nation. Our trust for wisdom, salvation, and leading comes from the Lord. Do we respect nations and pray for them? Absolutely, but we cannot place our hope in them or anything else.
If we place our hope in things that are not the Lord, at some point, it might not be today, tomorrow, or even in the near future, we will be let down. We will feel the arrows of betrayal and despair will over take our minds and hearts because our hope and trust was placed in the mortal sinner or the broken world systems.
Instead, we need our hope properly placed in Jesus Christ.
b. Jesus provides us hope through joy.
Joy of the LORD is the strength of our hope.
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Israel had been saved by the work of God and they were rejoicing in God and delighted in his presence. when these words are spoken.
Joy of the Lord empowers our hope-filled worship.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
Joy in the Lord is a product of saving faith.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Joy in the Lord is a continuous filling from the Holy Spirit that leads to expectant hope in God.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
c. Jesus provides us hope through peace.
Peace from the Lord gives us calmness and hope.
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The peace of God is for every situation we face in life.
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
The peace of God gives us peace with Him.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Apart from saving faith in Christ, we are at war with God.
We are enemies of God.
We do not have hope apart from God because we do not have peace with God.
God desires us to overflow with Hope.
God desires us to overflow with Hope.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to abound in hope.
In order to have hope, we must have a relationship with the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
The holy Spirit is constantly at work in our lives, helping us drawing us closer to the Lord and shaping us more like him.
Our hope is directed in this very real reality. God is shaping us to be more like him and we have an assurance of hope that one day we will be with Him, in new perfect, sinless bodies, that will never die!
Hope is found in the work of Jesus, his coming, his death, his resurrection, and his coming again!
We abound in a secured hope that will not disappoint us! For Christ always keeps his promises, even if we do not understand them.
Paul writes a great deal about Hope,
hope is bound up with eager expectation or anticipation.
hope for the adoption as sons of God through redemption of the body
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
waiting for the hope of righteousness
5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
and, above all, “the blessed hope (elpis) and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Paul hopes to honor Christ always in his life
20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
and through the Holy Spirit’s enabling power Paul could rest in that hope as long as he remained focused on the Lord to his death. From the Scripture and church history, we see that he did accomplish his hope of remaining faithful and unashamed.
Conclusion
Hope is not a whimsical unrealized hope that wishes for the best possible solution it is rooted in Jesus Christ.
Talk about Jesus’ birth.
Christmas is a time we often hope to receive certain gifts, to spend time with family and friends, a break from school, and so many other things. Yet, those are simply desires we have and things we want to take place.
True Hope is rooted in the birth, life, death, resurrection, and second coming of Jesus Christ.
True Hope is a guaranteed outcome that is found only in the will of God.
I’ve been guilty of having my hope in people, leaders, desired gifts, a career, and so many other things; yet, the common denominator, they all have let me down at some point.
When I have my total faith in the Lord though, my hope is secured. I rest knowing God’s will will be done, my salvation in him is secure because of Jesus. His second coming is going to happen! My imperfections will be washed away forever! I long and hope for that day!
As we enter the Christmas season, remember that Jesus’ birth is the greatest and most significant gift of Hope the world has ever seen.
Hope is not an uncertain idea; it is the surest of thoughts. It races to fend off the attacks of despair and anxiety. Hope is the easiest of acquisitions yet the hardest to embrace.
Why?
Because, hope requires total faith, trust, and focus on Jesus Christ alone.
Invitation:
Where is your hope? Are you placing it in the world? Or is your hope in the Lord and his salvation?
Expand.