Put Your Hope in God

Psalm 42:11 NASB95

11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Intro

1 Corinthians 13 teaches that three things last forever: faith, hope, and love

we talk a lot about love because the Bible says that the greatest is love, God is love

we talk a lot about faith, we are saved by grace through faith, you cannot please God without faith

but hope is often forgotten, but it is so very important

first, let’s differentiate between faith and hope

Hebrews 11:1 KJV 1900

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Here we see that we can’t get to faith without hope

You have to hope for something before you can use your faith

Greek definition of hope says that it means to expect

Hope is the expectation, faith is the proof of that expectation

Hope is the belief, faith is the belief in action

but you can’t put the belief in action if you don’t have any belief or expectation

so hope is the first step

the woman that could not stop bleeding for 12 years, had to have hope first

Mark 5:28 NASB95

28 For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”

she first thought that she could get well, be healed

then she fought through the crowd and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment - faith (hope in action)

she thought and then she fought, and was healed

a lot of us have stopped, “thought-ing”

stopped expecting, so we definitely are not fighting through the crowd

stop believing, so we don’t push through to see what the end is gonna be

Hope is so important!

cause it’s looking for something to happen, something to change

Hope is that belief in your heart that things are going to work out

looking forward to a brighter day

believing that God is going to do what He said He would do

every promise will b met

expecting that the best is yet to come

I can take it, because I believe that I’m going to make it,

If you have hope you say things like

God will turn it around, it’s gonna get better

He may not come when, I’ve got a feeling, weeping may endure for a night

If his eye is on the sparrow, I know he watches over me

but the writer of Psalms 42 and 5 is not feeling that right now . . .

if you were to study the whole of the 47th Psalm, you would find that

the writer is far from home

past days have been much better - wants to get back to leading praise at the temple

unbelievers are taunting him

facing overwhelming trials

and God is responding slowly

and he concludes with verse 11

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?

He is asking a questions, but he is not looking for a list of his troubles. He has already done that.

So he is asking something else. The real question is, “Why are these troubles causing me to be discouraged and sad?”

Why does the daily grind make me sad?

Everyone has problems, but everyone is not sad.

So why are my problems making me sad?

Why are some of you feeling hopeless?

Expect same o’ same o’

expect that you will only get some more nuthin’

Why do you think things will take a turn for the worse

do you find yourself saying things like

I’m not surprised it didn’t work out

If it ain’t one thing, it’s another

Do you say to yourself, nobody in my family ever . . .so there’s no use in me trying . . .

Some things will never change

everyone else will make it except me

have you given up on trying to beat addictions?

given up on dreams? Where did my ambition go? my big plans?

I see these attitudes reflected even on the faces of people in the church

some will come, but with head down, not listening, not expecting anything helpful to be said, not believing that God’s word could change their lives

have you become discouraged and sad

depression kicking in

smiles are always forced

might even start to tear down other people, misery loves company

contemplating thoughts of suicide

but then the writer responds . . .

I will put my hope in God!

it doesn’t seem like it, but the writer answers his own question: I will put my hope in God!

so that means that I was discouraged and sad because I stopped putting my hope in God

Why are people discouraged and sad? They have not put their hope in God

often we have put their hope in other thing

even Christians if we are not careful, we will temporarily put our hope in other things

and when those other things fail, our hope fails

then we become discouraged and wonder why

sad and wonder why

some of us have made the mistake of putting our hope in time

and as long as everything was according to schedule, we had hope

as long as there were a few days left on the calendar, we had hope

but then things didn’t happen when we thought they needed happened, and there goes our hope

when time ran out, our hope ran out with it

but the Bible says that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength (waiting last week)

not wait on time, or self created schedules, but the Lord

some put our hope in money

there is nothing wrong with money, but don’t put your hope in money

please understand that money is always trying to leave you, and someone is always trying to take the money that didn’t leave you

some say, I’ll always have money, because I’m willing to work

what if nobody is hiring or you get laid off

got sick and now are physically unable to work

or that savings account, “I’m ok, because I got a little something stashed away”

credit card limit, “If I have to, I can always use my credit card until things turn around”

but things never turned around and now your savings is gone, your credit is maxed out

and if your hope is in money, then hop says, “I must take my leave, I’m gonna head on out with the money. if you ever get back on your feet again . . . .”

don’t put your hope in money because the Bible says, My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches

some put their hope in people

mom, dad, brother, sister, spouse - but they let you down or got mad at you

homeboys/homegirls - turns out that when trouble came, you all were not as close as you thought

Preacher - but turned out he was human too, flaws

preach didn’t call you back and you are depressed

preacher committed a sin and you are discouraged

but the Bible says, that God is the one who will never leave you nor forsake you

There’s nothing wrong with trying to schedule things, having money, or trying to surround yourself with good people, and whatever else, but don’t put your hope in these things . . . .they will take your hope away

if you are discouraged and sad, you need to check where your hope is, who did you give it to?

you might need to tell time, “give me back my hope”

money, give me back my hope

people, “give me back my hope”

you failed and you have me all discouraged, “I’m taking my hope back and putting it somewhere safe!”:

I put my hope in God!

I will praise him again— my Savior and God!

This statement has two aspects

The first aspect is that I will in again in the future. I will return home one day and lead worship in the temple again!

in other words, I will this test and I will have a testimony!

it’s going to come to pass, it is only a matter of time!’

because my hope is in God now! He is my savior and God

he wants to do it and he can do it !

he can promise it and fulfill it!

it’s a done deal!

hope in God will not lead to disappointment!

The second aspect is that I will praise God now!

in other words, “I’m going to quit all this moping around and start praising God again”

though I’ve seen better days

though I am far from home, though unbelievers are taunting me,

facing overwhelming trials

and God seems to be moving so slow

I will praise him!

KJV says, I will yet praise him!

Hope allows you to praise God now

hope sees that God can make a way when there is no way

hope sees that God can still be on time when time has run out

hope sees that God can provide in a barren land

hope sees that God can make crooked paths straight

level mountains, and exalt valleys

when you believe God, it allows you to dance in the rain

and sing in the storm

if we go back up just a few verses . . .

Psalm 42:7–8 NLT

7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. 8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.

he says the raging seas are sweeping over me, but your love is sweeping over me too!

so even though I’m in a night season . . . I’m still singing your songs each night

still praying each to you each night, because God you give me life

understand that though joy comes in the morning, you don’t have to wait til the morning to praise Him

I will yet praise him!

in all things, I will still give him thanks because my hope is in God!

one of my favorite scriptures

Ecclesiastes 9:4 - Anyone who is among the living has hope[b]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

Lion is king, ferocious, strong, and fierce, but are they any good dead?

But many times we don’t feel like lions, don’t feel very strong and powerful

But the Bible says that as long as you are alive there is hope

Even if you feel like a little dog, chiuaua

there’s still hope

If all you can do is bark a little, then bark, don’t give up, give in

If satan is wreaking all kinds of havoc in your life, at least bark

Bark and Just make a joyful noise unto the Lord

I go through too, and some Sundays, I don’t feel strong, but I am alive

I’m just using the strength I have left to bark

What does my barking sound like?

“Lord I thank you, love, adore, exalt, magnify”

Yeah, hey, yes sir, gloryyyyy

Someone is thinking what is the use making a joyful noise?

Most dogs are not meant to stop the thief but alert the Master

my praise gets the attention of my Master

And when the Master comes!

the thief comes to steal, kill, and destory but when the master comes

That’s why thieves tell dogs “shhhhhhhh”

and the devil is trying to tell you shhhhhh

Here’s and obstacle, shhhhhh

Here’s some pain, shhhhhhhh

Here’s some trouble, shhhh

Here’s some bills, shhhhhhh

But I ain’t gonna let the devil shhhh me!

I Have hope today – Jesus died and rose so that you could have hope

He is the hope of glory

If he could conquer death, there’s no problem too big

Live like you have hope

dress

action items

pray like you have hope

pray for what you want, not what you would settle for

Respond like you have hope

people with no hope (nothing to lose) respond with reflext/emotions

people with hope figure they have a lot to lose, so they respond with their minds: carefully