A season of Hope

Isaiah 9:1–7 NLT

1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. 4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. 5 The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Faith hope and love.

What is hope

why can we have hope

what does hope produce

how can we get hope

The bible is a book of hope

Romans 15:13 (NLT)

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 14:8 NLT

8 O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble, why are you like a stranger to us? Why are you like a traveler passing through the land, stopping only for the night?

What is hope

I hope the sun shines today, I hope it doesn’t snow, I hope work goes well today, I hope you have a good day

the way that we use hope today falls way short of what it means to have biblical hope

so how is hope defined in the bible?

Lets start by saying what hope is not.

Hope is not just a wish or a desire, it is not just cross our fingers and hope for the best

hope is not just optimizm, having an upbeat attitude .

hope is not just positive thinking or an upbeat approach to life

So what is the hope that we read about so much in the bible.

well in the new testament when we see the word hope is most often the greek word elpis

and it is always looking to the future

Romans 8:25 NKJV

25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

one of the best definition of hope is this

Desire with expectancy Hope of the bible carries with it these 2 ideas or desire and expectancy

now there are many things that we can desire but we don’t expect

like many of us who root for a sports team we desire that our favorite team wins the championship but do we really expect it to happen.

and there are things that we expect to happen but we don’t desire

like what happens in your mind when I say april 15th that is a date that we expect to come up every year but do we desire that date every year.

So biblical hope is something that we can desire and expect.

now the second question is why can we have hope

A little over a month before he died, the famous atheist Jean-Paul Sartre declared that he so strongly resisted feelings of despair that he would say to himself, “I know I shall die in hope.” Then in profound sadness, he would add, “But hope needs a foundation.”

So what is the foundation of biblical hope

Again what that foundation is not

it is not physical strength

it is not other people

it is not political leaders

we know that God uses these people who lead our country and we should pray for them but our hope cannot be placed int them

our hope is not in possessions

1 Timothy 6:17 NKJV

17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

what is the foundation of our hope

it is our Lord Jesus Christ

1 Timothy 1:1 NLT

1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.

our hope is in the one who came 2000 years ago to be born to life a sinless life to die and the cross and rise from that grave and who is coming back again for us.

Our hope is found in the work and the person of Jesus Christ

Romans 5:1–5 NLT

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

If our hope is in our lord Jesus christ then you can not be disappointed, so if there is disappointment in your life then we need to check our foundation of that hope.

what is your hope actually in.

So hope is desire with expectancy and we can have that hope because of Jesus Christ

and 3rd what does hope produce.

so I am going to give you 6 products of hope

1. joy

Romans 12:12 NKJV

12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

When you have hope you have joy

2. Comfort

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 NKJV

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

3. peace

Romans 15:13 NLT

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

4 purity

1 John 3:3 NKJV

3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

5. love

Colossians 1:4–5 NLT

4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

6. endurance

1 Thessalonians 1:3 NLT

3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The hope of the bible produces many important atrabutes in the life of a believer.

So the last question is how do we get hope.

How can we live our life with a confident expectation of the furture.

It all starts with trusting in Jeusus Christ as your lord and savior.

Colossians 1:23 NLT

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

1 Peter 1:3 NKJV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

We also have to continue to study Gods word

Psalm 119:114 NLT

114 You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.

Psalm 119:147 NLT

147 I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.

if we are low on hope it is found in this book

and last we get hope by looking for the coming of Jesus just as the people in the first ceentury were looking for the messiah we to live a life of hope by looking for his return

Titus 2:13 NLT

13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

Acts 23:6 NLT

6 Paul realized that some members of the high council were Sadducees and some were Pharisees, so he shouted, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!”

Colossians 1:5 NKJV

5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,