Reset Hope
Notes
Transcript
In this month of spiritual reset we have talked about repentance, about viewing time properly and this week we will discuss our reset of hope. If you are like me it is hard sometimes to have hope. I have a tendency in my life to allow disappointment to bring me to a place of depression. When bad things happen then they continue to happen we can often times reach points in our life where it is a woe is me moment or a moment of well what else is going to go wrong? The fact though is that as believers we are called to be optimists. I told you all a few weeks ago that there are certain people who just flat out annoy others. One of those people is the type that no matter what happens they seem so happy, bubbly, and annoying. They are the person who if a bird swooped in and took their sandwich they would say well I didn’t need those calories any way. They always find the good in things they always look to have hope, when they have the ability to look for the bad in things they find a reason to hope. Today we will discuss the reset of our hope. Is it hard for you to see the good in things.
I read about a schoolboy who brought home his report card. It was heavy with poor grades. "What have you to say about this?" asked his father. "One thing for sure," the boy replied, "Dad, you can be proud. You know I haven't been cheating!"
Optimism and hope go hand and hand and the one thing I can tell you about hope is that it is contagious. As believers do we have hope that is contagious? Do others find reasons to see the good in things because of you? Do they see you with hope? In our scripture we will see three things this morning. First Hope is reset through the Scripture. Second Hope restores joy. Third Hope is sustained by the Spirit. Turn with me in your Bible this morning to Romans 15:8-13
8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 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.
Hope is Reset by Scripture
Hope is Reset by Scripture
8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
When Paul writes this you will see in verse 9 Paul says as it is written. Paul writes this phrase because if we go back a few verses in Romans 15:4
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Paul told the church that the Scriptures were written to give them hope to bring them to a place of understanding that our Father has things under control and we can hope in things because of this. Paul returns to his letter and continues writing after verse 4 just to bring them back to the scriptures that were written in the Old Testament. Paul tells the church that the scriptures were written to give them hope then he gives them an example of why they can have hope. The verses here Romans 15:9-12
9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”
These verses are references from the Old Testament.
50 “For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.
49 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name.
43 “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land.”
1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Paul tells the church that they can have hope not because life around them currently makes sense but because hundreds of years ago words were given by God to be written down that would come true. These words did not come true in the lifespans of those who wrote them but they did come true. Paul is letting the believers know that Hope is not in the here an now it is in a God who is not bound in the here and now. Paul tells them that if they want to have real hope then they need to cling to the scripture. How important is the scripture to you? Do you want a life that allows you to have supreme optimism and hope? Cling to the scriptures. Dig into them, have a passion for them. Do not simply look at a one verse flash card and check off your Scripture reading for the day. If that is all you can do then do it but I believe that everyone in this building is capable of dedicating more of themselves to the Word than that. Pastor we do not currently live in a time of Biblical prophecy. Wrong! Let me use a little bit of Paul’s technique here. What prophecies can I point to that the Scripture told that have been fulfilled lately?
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
We do not have to dig very deep here to find the examples of this happening do we? Jonestown, Branch Davidians, Manson Family, Heaven’s Gate. There have been many leaders “prophets” in our times that have lead people to destructive heresies.
3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.
Jerusalem is a heavy stone for all. God gave them back possession of their land and there is not a day that goes by in the media mill-house that we do not see or hear about Jerusalem.
5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.
There are scientists and most mainstream scientists who will deny the flood as depicted in the book of Genesis.
8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.
On May 14, 1948 Israel became a nation. Never before in modern history have we seen a nation spread out and dispersed for hundreds of years then regathered seemingly overnight. Yet, God said it and did it before some of your very eyes.
These are just some of the Biblical prophecies that have come true in our modern era. Our scriptures are made for so much more than a trending TikTok post. It is there to bring up hope. When the world is falling apart it is to bring us to a place of sincere hope that defies all other thinking.
One night at dinner a man, who had spent many summers in Maine, fascinated his companions by telling of his experiences in a little town named Flagstaff. The town was to be flooded, as part of a large lake for which a dam was being built. In the months before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the whole town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was to be wiped out? So, week by week, the whole town became more and more bedraggled, more gone to seed, more woebegone. Then he added by way of explanation: "Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present."
The church needs its power back. It comes from Hope. Where is your hope? Are you placing your hope in the temporary things around you? Do they bring you the real hope that all of us need? Most people are OK with temporary hope. I am here to tell you this morning your Scripture can bring you real Hope. You can look to what God said He would do and see what He has done and you can go back to that saying God said it and I believe it. The church can be a powerful influence of hope in the world. We can help people find a future. I comes though when we stop losing power in the present by not seeing a future. Sure you can look around you and find a ton of reasons that things just are not going to go well. Some people in here are anxious about the election season. Can I tell you that if an election season is bringing you to a point of losing hope you need to open your Bible a little more. It ain’t about no politicians or fancy people in fancy suits, it is about a King who sits on His throne no mater who sits at that desk in the Oval office. It is about a Father who said I am coming back and I have a future for you. He has not failed his word yet why would he start now?
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.
He said this for His children. Are you reading His words? Are you ready for that power to have hope in your life? Open your Bible read His words and stand firm on what He said He will do. A reset for Hope comes in the Scriptures. Hope that is reset restores joy and Peace.
Hope restores Joy and Peace.
Hope restores Joy and Peace.
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.
May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace. When you reset your Hope you will have a restored joy and peace about you. I could use a little bit of Joy and Peace in my life what about you? Can we do something real quick? Can I ask each of you to close your eyes for a second. Can you think of all the things that have you stressed out and anxious? Think about them, consider them. Now consider how significant those things are in comparison to our Father. See how small those things are becoming? Now I want you to take a deep breath and as you breath out I want you to give those problems to God and to say Father I trust that your scriptures are true and that you have a hope and a future for me. I want to have restored Joy and Peace. I want to let this election cycle go, I want to let whatever stresses at work that have me tied up go, I want to let the things in my marriage that have me bound up go, I want to give it all to you. How does that feel? How does it feel to give all your problems to a God who has been solving problems for a long time? God is ready to carry your burdens and problems. We have already proven that His word can be trusted. What does His Word say about this?
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
If you are not sure how to handle a situation, instead of posting something and asking people to give you ideas. Which by the way we all know that we will only listen to the ideas that match what we want to do anyway. How about take it to God and speak to Him? How about open your Bible and see what He would do.
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
How about take things to God and trust that if God can hold our planet within a degree of burning up or freezing up He can handle your problems. His word says He can. Do you believe it?
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
You are going to make mistakes, you are going to fail and fall. What happens when we do? We confess it to our Father and we trust that He will forgive us. His Word says He will. The Word of God brings up Hope which restores our Joy and Peace.
The World needs to see a church full of Joy. I am amazed when I look at my life and see the things that God has done for me then I sing in Worship to God and find it hard to lift my arms in praise. Joy though is this deep longing and something that is not easily obtained. Joy comes from knowing that no matter what I am dealing with I have a Father who loves me and can and will handle it all.
14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn. 16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. 17 And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house. 20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord.
Does the world see your Joy?
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. His mind, wit and work earned him the unofficial title of "the greatest justice since John Marshall." At one point in his life, Justice Holmes explained his choice of a career by saying: "I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers."
The houses next to our building should be filled with our singing to Our Father. How great of things has He done for us. It is not time to keep quite and proper, it is time to let out shouts of Praise. We are not here to celebrate a God who expects us to sit in proper quiet, but who says that if you will not shout my praises the rocks will cry out. The world needs a church that is full of Joy. They need to see the Joy that Jesus brings. They need to see peace. People do not need to come to church and hear people who are uncertain about the future. They do not need to hear people who are fearful of what happens in November. They need to hear a body of believers who believe so passionately that their God is bigger than all of it and if we focus our attention on Him, He will do what His Word says. It is time for the church to have real peace, for believers to hold to true peace.
Let me tell you one thing about Rylan. If daddy tells him something he believes it. That little boy has not really experienced anything in his life where I told him something and I did not do it. If I were to tell him that the sky is really purple it just looks blue he would tell you that it were true. If you said to him your dad is lying, that is not true. He would say something along the lines of you don't know what you are talking about. If His daddy tells him something he believes it. I told him I would get him some snacks the other day and when his mom said, you cant have any snacks. His response was yes because dad said he would get me some snacks and he is going too.
Does your peace come from knowing that God has handled anything you could ever come across and He said He would carry you?
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus said this to bring peace to His Disciples. Jesus was telling them that no matter what they would face, in the end He had overcome all.
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
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.
It is time for the church to have a hope reset. To put our faith back in the God of the universe who is bigger and stronger, and capable of handling every issue in our lives. A Father who has promised to give us a future. The church needs to talk more about that God than any politician, any miracle cure on the market. We find our Joy and our Peace in a Father who keeps His Word. Hope is reset in the Scriptures and Hope restores our Peace and our Joy. How though do we maintain it?
Hope is sustained through the Spirit
Hope is sustained through the Spirit
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.
Our hope is sustained by being filled by the Spirit. A few months ago I preached a message on being filled with the Spirit of God. We found in the Scriptures that to be filled with the Spirit we must be willing to confess our sins, to believe in the Word, and to allow God’s Spirit to fill us. If we want to maintain Hope it is going to come not from a better pharmaceutical that takes away the anxieties and fears, not another drink to take the edge off, not another meditation session. It is going to come from a place where we empty ourselves and allow the Spirit of God to flood in and to overtake our thinking and our actions. We must be willing to allow God’s Spirit to fill us. The power of the Holy Spirit is what will sustain that hope in your life. Are you in a place where your spiritual take is running on fumes and you find it hard to get by? Hard to find hope, Hard to see the good in things? Anxieties are taking you over and you are not sure how things are going to turn out? Today is the day to give that away. If you need a little joy and a little hope in your life, it is possible today to leave this building with more hope than you have had in a long time.
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Because we can confirm that the Scriptures are true and we can trust our Father. We also know that the Spirit of God if we empty ourselves and allow Him to fill us is powerful.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
We are to live in the Spirit and by doing so we will sustain hope. Our hope will not be like a bright candle that is blown out by a strong wind. We will be a lighthouse on a hill shining in the storms of others lives to give them hope. We will rescue others from the rocks and waves of life by allowing the Spirit to fill us and sustain that hope in our Father who loves us.
Wars in Ukraine, wars in the middle east. Mass murders in our schools and in the streets. Laws not being followed or enforced by the ones who are supposed to uphold the laws. Sin growing more rampant by the day. Teenagers killing disabled elderly adults because they are bored. Car crashes, plane crashes, hurricanes, Tsunamis and earthquakes. The news media has it all covered and does a fine job of giving it out to everyone. It is time for the church and its people to look and sound different. It is not time for us to tell everyone all the bad in the world or to point out how horrible certain people are. It is time for us to have sustained hope and shine the light and love of Jesus in our world. The world needs hope. You need hope. We all need hope.
