Hope
Notes
Transcript
Handout
INTRO
Turn to 1 Pet 1…
Have you ever felt like it’s all hopeless?…
The globe is warming and there is nothing you can do about it.
The nations are at each others throats and you can do nothing to stop it.
Our government is corrupt and you are powerless to fix it.
The economy is unhealthy and volatile and you are adrift with the whims of those in power.
You have family members in trouble and all you can do is watch them self destruct.
The nations youth is being brainwashed by social media, what could you possibly do?
It certainly seems hopeless…!
Hope is key to survival.
When their is strife its the hope of peace
When your a prisoner its the hope of deliverance.
When you’re sick its the hope of healing
When you’re alone its the hope of love
Hope is what keeps us going !!
Without hope we are lost
What does todays text have to tell us about hope? What does Christ’s resurrection have to do with hope for today?
PRAYER
A - Great God and father in heaven we praise you. We ask you to hear our prayers and receive our praise. God we thank you for the hope you give through your son.
C - We confess that we often fail to recognise this hope. We move our eyes from the savior to the circumstance.
T - Thank you LORD that you are the pursuer of hearts. Thank you that our hope is not based on our own strength but on yours.
S - Grant us your spirit today we pray. Speak to us by your Spirit through your word. Apply it to our hearts and refocus us on the hope only you can give. Amen
The Origin of Hope
The Origin of Hope
4x sources… of Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Genuine hope is derived from God alone.
Psalm 130:7 “7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.”
Psalm 33:17 “17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.”
Hope in money
Hope in strength
hope in intelect
Hope in hope…
It is a gift of mercy.
it is not something we deserve
we deserve wrath
it is not something you can earn
we can never be good enough
it is a result of salvation.
1 Peter 1:3 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
Romans 8:24 “24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?”
Hope is for the saved !!
it is rooted in the resurrection.
victory over sin
victory over death
victory over wrath
… Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
After speaking of its origin we can examine its
The Durability of Hope
The Durability of Hope
4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Durable hope is therefore firstly
Inherited
not earned by you
you are the benefactor of someone else
Jesus has done it…
the work is done / finished
Inheritance is bestowed out of abundance not poverty !!
This HOPE is HIS hope and it is more than enough
Durable hope is secondly
Imperishable
lasting
will not run out
1 Corinthians 15:53 “53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”
I wanna tell you about the worst thing Elisa has ever done in our marriage, I mean this is about as bad as it gets…
She wasted the bacon !!
This hope will not spoil !!
This hope will not rot
This hope will not putrefy
This hope will not mold
It is just as good on your best day as on your worst !!
Durable hope is then thirdly
Undefiled
pure
unable to be tainted by this world
I wanna tell you another story about a little boy with new clothes who went to school and walked by a blueberry field every day…
That shirt will never be the same again !!
There is nothing you can do to defile this hope…
That is not a challenge to try
Its a promise to cling to !!
Jesus took it all there is no more to be given
Jesus gave it all there is no more to be done !!!
Durable hope is therefore fourthly
Unfading
undiminished
time does not dull its beauty / quality
1 Peter 5:4 “4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
Proverbs 31 women… beauty is fleeting but wisdom is forever
When I went to Afghanistan I was saving for a ring for Elisa
It is as brilliant today as it ever was
She cannot say that about my physic / my face / my memory… fading fast !!
In the darkness of night we see the stars but they are still shinning right now
they never fade, but when its darker we see them more
And finally durable hope is fifthly
Otherworldly
Kept in Heaven… For You!
This world cannot explain it
This world has no claim on it
This world cannot offer it
This Hope is not just durable it is active so let us discuss…
The Power of Hope
The Power of Hope
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This is the power of Hope, the genuine Hope in Christ is a powerful hope… Firstly
grants courage in the face of trials.
Psalm 31:24 “24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”
Jeremiah 29:11 “11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Psalm 23:4 “4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Hope is what keeps you looking forward !!
It was the HOPE of God’s strength that enabled David to fight Goliath
it was the HOPE of God’s protection that drove shadrack, meshack, and abendigo to stand instead of kneel.
It was the HOPE of God’s sovereignty that led Abraham to leave his family.
This powerful hope secondly
creates joy in the face of trials.
James 1:2–3“2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Let us consider how those martyred for the faith sang songs of praise before they passed away.
What a badge of honor it is indeed to suffer for the saviour !!
Oh the joy of bringing a smile to the face of our sweet Jesus
Joy not in the trial itself but in what God will do with it…
our pain will never be wasted…
Moving farther we see also that this powerful hope…
brings perspective in the face of trials.
Romans 11:33–34 “33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?””
Who among us thinks we know better than He ?
When we remember this and couple it with His mercy, His grace, His lovingkindness, His eternality, His perfection…
This brings a new perspective and a Hope that those not of Him know not of
Romans 8:28 “28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
What HOPE rings in the air of that phrase… ALL things
try as he might all that the enemy can do is make us stronger and more Christ like !!
Lastly and fourthly this powerful hope…
facilitates growth in the face of trials.
James 1:2–4 “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
The metal must be intensely heated for it to be molded and shaped
With each hammer blow it gets closer and closer to the goal and purpose
1 Peter 1:7 “7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
So in closing we must move to the final point from todays text as we look at the…
The Wonder of Hope
The Wonder of Hope
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.
The wonder of this God given, Christ centered Hope is a person, a place and a pardon, firstly…
We love a person we have never seen.
John 20:29 “29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””
We love He who loves us although we have not yet seen Him.
We love because He first loved us.
We love because He is worthy of our love.
Secondly then the wonder of this hope is
We long for a place we have never been.
1 Corinthians 2:9 “9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—”
We live as aliens and sojourners longing for a place we have never been.
Our hearts long for the day when this place will no longer be where we reside.
Third and lastly for us today the absolute wonder of this Hope is
We obtain that which we otherwise would not.
Ephesians 2:8 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”
Ephesians 1:5 “5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”
By His stripes we are healed, By His death we will live !!
… Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
HOPE - is a resurrection victory indeed !!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Hope is a powerful concept. Without hope in the future, we have no power in the present.
Hope may keep us alive. Without hope there is no reason to live.
“Life without Christ is a hopeless end, but life with Christ is an endless hope.”
PRAYER
Father God in heaven we praise you for the HOPE we have in Christ Jesus. May you help us to forever remember and cherish this resurrection victory and His gift of Hope. Help us to rely upon it and apply it to our days. Amen!
Group Questions
What stood out to you from this weeks message?
Describe a situation that you have been in that at the time felt hopeless.
How did hope return?
Why do you think hope is so important for us as humans?
Where are places other than God that people often seek to find hope?
Why can’t those places / things ever really deliver hope to us?
Is it possible for non-believers to have hope?
Why do you think God given hope shapes our perspective of trials?
How can we use a God centered perspective to bring hope to others?
Which of the five aspects of our God given hope are the most encouraging to you? Why?
Is it possible for someone to experience real sorrow and at the same time hope