H.O.P.E. - God's Promises
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Candle 1: HOPE
Candle 1: HOPE
Reading 1: Good, morning. Today is the first Sunday in the Advent Season. The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Christ, the Suffering Servant, in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ, the Victorious King in his Second Advent.
Jesus came to give us hope. Just like the Old Testament Saints looked ahead to Jesus’ first advent, we are placing our hope, in His second advent, when He will again reveal Himself to the world, only this time as the Ruling King over all. So today, we are reminded that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the King of Hope, the One prophesied to bring us back to God.
As a reminder of this, please stand and let’s sing together: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
Now, while we watch the following video, we’ll light the first candle of the Advent season.
Hope Video:
H.O.P.E.
2 Peter 1:2-4; Romans 4:13-25
Acts 26:6–8 (NASB95)
“And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. “Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?”
H.olding
O.n to
P.romises of
E.ternal things
I say have HOPE, you say, “Holding On to Promises of Eternal Things!”
The Promise (vs. 13)
The Promise (vs. 13)
The Significance Of The Promise – Unshakable Hope (2 Pet 1:2-4 )
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
He has granted us His precious and magnificent promises - a free gift (vs. 4)
These promises are precious, like costly stones.
These promises are magnificent, weighty in importance.
These are the most important jewels you will ever possess.
The Promises are based on a true knowledge of Him. (vs. 3-4)
Epignosis – a more thorough participation in the acquiring of knowledge on the part of the learner.
He has granted us His promises, but we have to gain them, apprehend them.
One student of Scripture spent a year and a half attempting to tally the number of promises God has made to humanity. He came up with 7,487 promises! Lucado, Max. Unshakable Hope (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
The more we learn about God the more we understand His promises.
The more we know, the more we are strengthened.
This happens by His Divine power (vs. 3)
Holy Spirit
Has granted - a free gift
everything we need for life - zoe - the zest of life. The abundant life.
everything we need for godliness - eusebeia - a good and worshipful lifestyle.
When we base our life upon God’s great and precious promises, it helps us to live a worshipful lifestyle because we are learning and seeing how wonderful and great He is.
This helps us avoid the corruption in the world by lust and turns our hearts towards praise and thanksgiving at who He is and what He has done.
I say Have HOPE: “Hold On to Promises of Eternal Things”
The Promise Given (vs. 13-17)
The Promise Given (vs. 13-17)
The Promise Was A Gift.
In accordance with Grace (vs. 16)
The promise is not something we can work to get.
It is not earned.
It is something freely given.
The Promise Came With a Multiple Installment Deferral Plan.
“to his descendants” - this would apply to not just Abraham but to all those who came after him, including those who by faith believed in God’s promise, just like Abraham did.
“heir of the world” - If Paul had been talking about the physical land only, he would have used a different Greek word (ge), but seeing as he used kosmos, he clearly was moving his application to the universal and eternal dimensions of fulfillment.
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Who Calls Into Being That Which Does Not Exist.
I Say Have HOPE: “Hold On to Promises of Eternal Things”
The Promise Guaranteed (vs. 16-21)
The Promise Guaranteed (vs. 16-21)
Trusting The Promise Keeper
What Good Is The Promise If You Don’t Trust The Promise Maker?
The word promise:
Epaggelia - from the verb Epaggello, to announce. It means a legal promise from the court to do or give something. Do I trust the court to come through? But the term carries the assumption that yes, it is as good as done, since it is a legal notification.
Epaggellomai – to declare strongly, firmly. Promise. But as it is in the middle voice it is announcing oneself, or offering oneself for a responsibility or service. On my honor, on my reputation. Based on my skill. “I offer my services”. vs 21
Consistency and dependability. What’s their track record? The faithfulness of God.
Even Better, God Gives Life to the Dead and Calls Into Existence That Which Doesn’t Exist.
example: Abraham and Sarah
Faith
What Good Is The Promise If You Don’t Believe It (Faith)? (Vs. 18-20)
in hope against hope...
With all the cards stacked against you. When you are behind the 8 ball.
contemplated his own body.
contemplated the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
This clearly is not humanly possible, but...
According to what had been spoken...
(vs 20) in respect to the promise of God, he did not waver,
but grew strong in faith
giving glory to God.
I still believe. The Jeremy Camp story.
Scattered words and empty thoughts
Seem to pour from my heart
I've never felt so torn before
Seems I don't know where to start
But it's now that I feel Your grace fall like rain
From every fingertip, washing away my pain
'Cause I still believe in Your faithfulness
'Cause I still believe in Your truth
'Cause I still believe in Your holy word
Even when I don't see, I still believe
Though the questions still fog up my mind
With promises, I still seem to bear
For even when answers slowly unwind
It's my heart I see You prepare
But it's now that I feel Your grace fall like rain
From every fingertip
Washing away my pain
'Cause I still believe in Your faithfulness
'Cause I still believe in Your truth
'Cause I still believe in Your holy word
Even when I don't see, I still believe
Well, the only place I can go is into Your arms
Where I throw to You my feeble prayers
Well, in brokenness, I can see that this was Your will for me
Help me to know that You are near, yeah
'Cause I still believe in Your faithfulness
'Cause I still believe in Your truth
'Cause I still believe in Your holy word
Even when I don't see, I still believe
What Good Is The Promise If They Are Unable To Accomplish It? (Vs. 21)
Fully assured that God is able...
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was the proof that He is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do.
Jesus’ resurrection is our guarantee.
Goes back to Acts 26.6-8
“And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. “Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?
In Accordance with Grace (vs 17)
Why? Because then it is not dependent on my performance. I can’t lose it because I screwed up!
Again it goes back to the promise being backed by who God is, His faithfulness!
I Say Have HOPE: “Hold On to Promises of Eternal Things”
The Promise Granted (vs. 22-25)
The Promise Granted (vs. 22-25)
The Result Of Abraham’s Faith? It was credited to him as righteousness. (vs.22)
The Promise Fulfilled Is Not For His Sake Only, But For All Future Generations.
Why? So future generations will know they can trust Him. (vs. 23-24)
So we can know that just like God declared Abraham righteous due to his faith in God’s promise, specifically the promise of a son, so we will be declared righteous if we have faith and believe in the promised son, Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise, and thus our hope is based on Jesus Christ.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Our Hope, Then, Is Based on the Anticipation that God Will Fulfill His Promises.
Biblical hope is to wait with expectancy and is not just a probability, but rather a certainty.
Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV84)
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (NASB95)
Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength...
The root word for hope/wait in the OT is that of twisting or winding a strand of cord or rope.
A single strand - It doesn’t look like much to begin with and could break rather easily.
Add 2 more strands and start the twisting.
It’s a tediously long process, but I know what it’s going to turn out to be. Laura’s homestead.
So I anxiously wait for the final turn and then the tie of off the ends so that I can use my new rope.
Hope is the same way. In the moment what God is doing doesn’t look like much, but He is weaving together multiple strands into our lives so that the finished product is going to be worth the wait.
And it’s the difficulties of life that God is using as his strands of cord.
Even more than that, He is the third strand being woven into our life.
And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Faith and hope are so intricately intertwined together that Max Lucado says that faith is the deeply held belief that God will keep his promises.
I Say Have HOPE: “Hold On to Promises of Eternal Things”
The Promised Glory to Come
The Promised Glory to Come
The Promise still to come. Jesus is coming again. He came at His first advent and He will come again at His second advent.
Here are some promises to hold onto until then.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Come quickly Lord Jesus.
I Say have HOPE: “Hold On to Promises of Eternal Things”
The Promises Gained
The Promises Gained
If The Promises Are All From God and God Will Fulfill Them, What Is Our Responsibility?
Study the promises
Meditation
Memorization
Pray the promises
Help to live a godly life
Help to escape corruption by the world through lust
The question, Max poses, is not, “Will God keep His promises, but will we build our lives upon them?”
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
I Say Have HOPE: “Hold On to Promises of Eternal Things”
Communion Song: Waymaker
Closing Song: The Hymn of Heaven