Building Godly Character: Hope

I don’t watch a lot of movies. I did watch more when I was a young man. My wife likes a good hallmark movie. I tell her that those aren’t real life. I like a good fantasy or science fiction movie which she tells me the same thing. I disagree and ask her if she has ever read the Bible. Which she can through back at me about hallmark movies. So whatever men are from mars and women are from jupiter. I get it. But I remember watching movies around the 2000s Like the famous Avengers Movies, boy I loved Spider-man as a kid. and I can remember sitting in a movie theater thinking about a movie that I had no idea would be end of the world chaos and would have some sort of biblical cheap copycat. Like Avengers when Thanos the antagonist of the movie snaps and half of everyone disappears or dies. They vanish in a cloud and then this story unfolds over time and space where the heros band together to stop Thanos with this Iron man dying to save his friends. And wow I was sitting there in a number of movies saying people desire Biblical ideas. The world twists and corrupts them to take peoples attention off of what is truly right in front of them. I have really enjoyed when someone has brought me a movie or tv show and has asked me Pastor what do you think that this movie is try to say from the fallen world against a redeeming God narrative. One thing I think the world wants is HOPE! Just think of the first star wars movie title : A New Hope

We don’t need a new hope, we have a LIVING HOPE!

1 Peter 1:3–6 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, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

Hopelessness - Eternity in hell separated from God.

Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish.

If you have the hope of heaven you have a reason to rejoice. If you don’t know Christ, no matter how good things are in this life you will perish and suffer for eternity.

Worldly hope quickly vanishes away.

Job 27:8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life?

The song I keep coming back to is the one you know that comes from the parable of Christ. The foolish man built his house upon the sand. You can have all this world just give me Jesus. Why? This world is passing away and the lust there of. Hope I have had seen people have hope in everything. I have had 15 year olds coming into school and telling me about the wonders of the stock market and 60 year old women whose hope for retirement rested squarely on I love Lucy collection. baseball cars and business adventures all promise a false hope. It is not that they don’t have value or hope but if you don’t know Christ they are meaningless. Everyone will find that out quickly.

Without Christ there is no real hope.

Ephesians 2:12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Hope only comes from a resurrected Christ. We have our hope squarely in our relationship with Jesus Christ. The Christian proclaims, I’M going to heaven and I can’t wait.

Hope in Christ is secure.

Hebrews 6:19–20 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

I use this verse a lot. Because I understand the concreteness of it. I don’t Gamble, even if I hadn’t been taught not to I don’t think I could. I wouldn’t be good at it. I can’t imagine giving my money over for the possibility of getting nothing in return. About ten years ago I played a mobile game on my cell phone. And wow what they are doing to kids these days. This game was FREE!!! I like that but it came with in app purcahses. Some of you are looking at me like I am speaking a foreign language. Well you could play and play to try and win prises. but you would only have a small chance of winning these prizes. But if you paid money you could get a better chance of winning these prizes. Holy cow they were conditioning these kids for the casino and I was like what? The game is Free. Fine but to get better in the game you have to buy a chacne to get better. I would horrible at black jack or poker. I can’t gamble. I can’t watch my money leave my pocket for nothing. Hope isn’t like that. It is an anchor for the soul. It is solid a concrete thing. Someone might disagree with that. They say you dont’ really know what is going to happen to you when you die. That person doesn’t know JESUS! He changes everything. Sure our initial step is faith but once you have hope it doesn’t make you ashamed

Hope in God.

Psalm 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Don’t hope in the lottery in your athetic carreer your smarts your parents your wealth even yourself. Hope in God!

Hope is a gift of grace.

1 Thessalonians 2:16–17 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire.

Hope will not leave you disappointed.

Romans 5:3–5 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Hope is reserved in heaven.

Colossians 1:3–5 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 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,

Think back to our key passage this morning in 1 Peter hope is reserved in heaven for you, a living hope a glorious hope. One that you can have forever with Jesus Christ.

Hope lasts, it’s eternal.

Titus 1:1–2 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,

I like things that last. I don’t want to buy something cheep. I used to buy furniture from Walmart or ikea. It’s like that fake partical board like paper wood you know. It gets wet one time and it turns to mush. I haven’t purchased anything like that again. I built my latest desk years ago. The kids can jump on it, and it won’t break. It has lasted a long time and there are no signs of it being ruined any time soon. It is made out of real wood. It will last. Guess what, Hope will last even longer. Our heavenly home will last forever. The things you build in this world will decay and fall apart even my desk. But the city whose foundations are made without hands that will last FOREVER! How long? Forever!

Hope involves faith.

Romans 8:23–25 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

I talk a lot about heaven and hell. I have never seen either place. I haven’t seen Paris France either. Do you want to know which one I believe in more. Heaven! You may ask me if I beleive that Paris isn’t real. I didn’t say that. I just believe in the hope of heaven more. I long for heaven. I can picture it in my mind. You want to know what I know about Paris? the eifel tower. That’s it! Heaven is different. I know about the foundations the streets of Gold the pearly gates. The river of life the trees on the banks that yield their monthly fruit, the stones and the THRONE, Oh the throne! I believe the first thing I will see in heaven is the thorne of God! That isn’t just oh year that’s what I think. Know I have reason for the HOPE that lies within me. Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 tell me all about it.

With hope, it will be OK.

Romans 8:28–30 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

A lot of people like Romans 8.28 you know the type, all things work together for good..... But they miss the CONTEXT! Just before that we just read it the all things working together for good is hope that comes by faith for those in the family of God. The end is for those who love God called to His purpose those beig conformed to the image of His Son. There are three words in all this, FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE say them with me FAITH HOPE and LOVE without those three don’t tell me all things work together for good.

Can you give a reasonable defense for your hope?

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Do you believe in Jesus? Can you defend those beliefs? Not convince someone of what you believe. But do you know what you beleive. I am not saying that you are not a good Christian if you can’t defend the flood against Bill Nye. But what do you know in your heart will you be shaken like that desk I talked about just a minute ago is your faith hope and love built out of that flimsy board that you get from Walmart. Sorry walmart but?

Hope is found at the empty tomb.

1 Corinthians 15:3–6 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.

There is your first line of reasonable defense of the resurrectiopn and your hope the eye witness accounts of the resurrection. People who died at the hands of romans all because they believed in the resurrected lord.

Hope comes from the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I will forever stand behind teaching about the Holy Spirit. So many reasons and one of them is the hope that he gives us. Not the hope you have in the government the hope of jesus.

Hope fights the enemy.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

Hope Grows.

James 1:3–4 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Hope is seeing Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 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. 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.

Can’t wait to be literally resurrected with Christ. To get the crown of life the crown of righteouness and reign forever with Jesus. If you are a Christians you have hope. If you have no hope. Hell is a very real possibility for you. Let today be the day of your salvation.