You Gotta Have Hope              

Jim: What is hope, Fred? Is it a wishy washy maybe, or kind of unsure optimism? How will the idea of hope impact what I will experience in the New Year?

Fred: We can’t answer this question in just a few words. Let’s you and I dialogue about some scripture, definitions and thoughts that can best describe what hope means to us. The modern idea of hope is “to wish for, to expect, but without certainty of fulfillment; to desire very much, but with no real assurance of getting your desire.” In scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word “hope” and according to biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.

Jim: Hope stresses two things: it has a future component and it is invisible. It deals with things we can’t see or haven’t received or both. Romans 8:24-25 “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

           Waiting eagerly can be a double edge sword. Why? Our timing vs. God’s timing can lead to impatience.  Hope is synonymous with salvation and its many blessings, past, present, future, as promised in Scripture. By the way, there are 3,573 biblical promises; the word “hope” itself appears at least 50 times in the Bible.

           Hope is never a static or passive thing. It is dynamic, active, it’s life sustaining. If we look up the word hope in a concordance we find reference after reference pointing out the active results of hope in the lives of those who truly have a biblical hope and live accordingly.

• Romans 12:12 – “Be joyful in hope”
• Colossians 1:27 – “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” God’s plan, that was a mystery, is to have his Son, Jesus Christ, live in the heads and hearts of all who believe in him. As a result, we can have the hope that He promises. Paul writing to the Colossians from prison is Rome was speaking to them about false teachings. Paul himself recognized that there was hope for him in Christ and he lived out the idea and wanted to pass this on to others.
• 1Timothy – Paul’s letter to Timothy – “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

Fred: Biblical hope is not an escape from reality or from problems. It doesn’t leave us idle, drifting or just rocking on the front porch. If our hope is biblical and based on God’s promises, it will put us in gear. It has results. Hope changes how we see ourselves. We become a people who see life as a temporary sojourn that we need to make the best of. Hope changes what we value. It makes us heavenly minded rather than earthly minded.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Our intention should be to seek the fulfillment of God’s purpose in all we do, not merely what we do with our money. Thus, hope affects what we do with our lives – our talents, time, treasures.

Jim: Hope has rewards and blessings. It gives us joy and peace.

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

It gives us strength, courage, boldness

It gives us confidence in ministry - If you are without Christ, you are without God and without hope

Hope depends on knowing the Word of God

Hope depends on knowing and resting in God’s grace

Hope depends on the Spirit Filled Life

Fred: So, I ask myself, on what have I fixed my hope? Does my life prove it? Has it changed who I am, what I value, and what I have and am doing with my life?

• Bible Hope vs Natural Hope – We need to recognize the difference.
• Bible hope is a desire based on a promise from God. Promise that communicates the possibility of God’s blessing to each of us and it encourages the soul.
• If we will plant this seed of hope into the soil of the heart, and if the soul is kept right, it will bring forth a harvest of faith. Bible hope is faith in seed form.
• Bible hope’s foundation is not founded on earthly reason, but rather on the promises given to us in the Bible from God.
• Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, lead leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. He guides me along the right paths. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and staff will comfort me. –You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
• Natural (everyday) hope
• A desire of some good, accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable; an expectation of something, which is thought to be desirable with a pleasing expectancy
• Whatever it is that gives us hope, it helps to establish an expectation for us.
• Natural hope may or may not have a strong foundation, and may exist on only as a feeling, or mental attitude.
• Gives reason to go on, based on a notion that the desire can be achieved. It’s not an absolute guarantee.
• Natural hope can lead to disappointment

Jim: “Hope is Faith in Seed Form – Faith is Hope in Final Form

• Natural and bible hope starts with a desire, a longing, or a need.
• Add to this desire a reason for it to be expected and if the reason is solid you then have hope that there will be desired outcome.
• Bible hope is a desire that has a corresponding promise from God.
• There are things that can hoped for and things that cannot. There is a difference between desire and hope.
• Promises of God contained within the written scriptures are the foundation for this positive future expectation.
• Desires remain our desires, but they now have the added benefit of being a desire that is also a scriptural possibility and in agreement with the will of God.
• When we received Christ as our Savior, He now becomes our hope. We still have physical needs or hurts but we have assurances that Christ will heal us. John 15:7 – “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.” 

Fred: Problem with timing and our expectation.

• If we diligently preserver in seeking God on a matter, hope will turn to faith, and our desire to reality.
• Hope is the first step to our receiving ‘things’ from God. This hope is a gift from God that helps us to be fruitful.
• Go ahead and hope freely in God, for you will not be disappointed. Romans 5:5 “Hope does not disappoint, because the love God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
• Hope must have a foundation, a plausible reason so that one can expect it to happen, for it to become a true expectation.
• Our hopes are based on promises in the Bible. If He promised it, then there is potential for us to receive it…..in his time. God is faithful, as expressed in the promises of God.
• If we truly believe this there is a confidence that we have and faith that our desires can be fulfilled.  Helen Keller – “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
• We can’t go through life in fear or lacking confidence. As the words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy suggest – We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes
• Desire gives us focus, hope gives us expectation, and faith gives us reality.
• Without faith, the need for prayer becomes minimalized.

Jim: Turn God’s promises into your own future through seeking His word and seeking Him. The way of faith is the doorway into the future God has waiting for you.

• Just because you’re in a hopeless situation does not mean there is not hope.
• Martin Luther King Jr. – “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”
• Hope and faith are not based on denial of natural conditions, they are based on God’s spoken word despite natural conditions.It is a belief that He will change the natural circumstances to fulfill that promise.

My friends, we need to be aware of God’s promises, they must be known, received, believed, and acted upon. This is the walk of faith.

God’s/Bible promises:

·        God promises Eternal life

·        God promises a new heart and forgiveness

·        God promises gives us guidance on handling our money, finances, prosperity

·        God promises to supply all our needs

·        Bible gives us promises for healing

·        Bible promises wisdom and guidance

·        God ‘s gives us promises for handling children, family, marriage

·        God promises help in overcoming temptation

·        God gives us promises of deliverance and protection

·        God’s promises about dealing with fear

·        God’s promises speak to the end of suffering and pain

Fred: So, with these promises, how can we not have hope? We need to start off each day recognizing what God has promised you. You will then recognize that there is hope.  We have been speaking of a personal hope for us. The Bible clearly tells us that our hope is a direct result of God’s calling. Ephesians 4:4 – “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.” Paul clearly links our hope with our calling, which is God’s summons into His presence so that we may have a relationship with Him.

     Hope is what unites us into one Body. So, as we look at our personal hope we can apply this to how we should look at our ministry at Hatboro Baptist Church. Our calling to hope is an end to pessimism and negativity. This hope is the beginning of confident, bright, and optimistic personal and church life filled with endless possibilities because this unique hope gives positive expectancy to our personal and church life. 

Jim: Ours is a living hope because God is alive and Christ is within us. He exerts sovereign control. He does not lie. Our hope is revealed, grounded, sustained, and directed by God. As we read in Romans 8, we can know that “all things work together for good for those who are called and love God.”

Fred: So, how can we not enter into the New Year and not have hope?