Shameless Hope

The God of Hope

The New King James Version Chapter 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.

Scripture Text:

Romans 5:1–5 AV

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Romans 5:1–5 NKJV

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 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.

I am going to make several “Foundational Statements About Hope” today in this message and I want to submit one to you in the opening moments of this message.

Hope is the most important attitude in life. (Foundation 1)

Simply put:

“Hope is a reasonable assurance of expectations.”

Hope is the force that motivates actions. People do what they do because of hope.

Even if you don’t like your job, you go to work. Why? Because you hope to get paid. Or using our definition, “You have a reasonable assurance of receiving an expected paycheck/income for your services.”

Without hope … there is no more assurance of expectation. And when this happens people begin to despair because they feel as though everything is simply meaningless at that point. People who lose hope lose their ability to live their life with a sense that their hard work will pay off … or that their efforts will be rewarded … or that they will have the thing that they desire!

Thomas Edison’s hope refused to believe that he was out of options as he perservered to create perhaps one of the most important inventions of modern life … the light bulb. He had to learn hope at an early age. Thomas Edison's teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He was fired from his first two jobs for being "non-productive." As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."

Which leads us to our second fundamental about hope.

Hope is a matter of perspective. (Foundation 2)

Hopelessness gives up … but hope gets back up!

Hopelessness says, “I’m finished!” But hope says, “You’re just getting started.”

Hopelessness says, “It’s not going to happen.” But hope says, “Not if you give up it won’t!”

Hope is that indomitable force that drives people forward through heartbreak and trials and failures …

Hope is the heartbeat of that song from that classic Disney movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - “Every bursted bubble has a glory! Each abysmal failure makes a point! Every glowing path that goes astray, Shows you how to find a better way. So every time you stumble never grumble. Next time you'll bumble even less! For up from the ashes, up from the ashes, grow the roses of success!”

Henry Ford went broke 5 times before he was able to figure out the model for his automobile company that succeeded.

Abraham's Faith Produced Hope When His Body Could Not

Remember, Abraham had been called to be the “father of many nations.” God told him his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in heaven and the sands of the sea.

But what did Abraham do? When he started losing hope in Sarah and his ability to have a child … he decided to go and do something about it. Ishmael was born. But God said “This is not the child that I promised you!” So now Abraham had wasted over a decade of his already fading life and God is telling him, “This is not the promised child!” You know he had to believe that it is really impossible now … right?

So what did he do? Let’s read what Paul says about it in ,

Romans 4:16–22 NLT

So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.

Here is a third fundamental of hope.

The best kind of hope is the product of faith. (Foundation 3)

Which leads us to our second fundamental about hope.

Hope is a matter of perspective. (Foundation 2)

Romans 15:13 NKJV

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.

The prayer from Paul for the Church is that the ‘God of Hope’ would fill them with the fulness of joy and peace through the process of growing in your belief in Him.

Why? To what end did he desire God to fill them with joy and peace?

So that they would be joyful or filled with peace … not exactly. I mean Christians should be people of great joy and uncommon peace.

The reason that Paul gives is this. He says that this joy and peace will produce an abundant/overflowing hope by the power (or through the influence) of the Holy Spirit!

Hope That Ends in Disappointment

Those Whose Hope Rests in Idols

In the Old Testament there were many times that the people of God were led astray into worship of idols.

They would usually make excuses for their actions and their decisions to put their hope in idols made with hammers and chisels and human hands. Idols that are made from wood or stone and cannot raise a finger to help those who worship it.

God often questioned why they would worship inventions of their own hands and minds.

& 135

and both say.

They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see;

& both say, “They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see;

They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see;

- "There you will serve gods, the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

Deut. 4:28

"There you will serve gods, the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

On four different occasions the prophet Isaiah warns the makers of idols that they will not be able to hide behind their ‘imagined gods’ but instead be made ashamed and carried away in disgrace when they are faced with the coming calamities.

Dan. 5:23

but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.

- The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;

Those Whose Hope Rests in Things of this World

People who do not really understand the Christian concept of hope may not comprehend it when a believer makes the proclamation, “People in this world have no hope.”

They may respond, “Wait a minute. There are people all around us that are filled with hope. Christians don’t have the market cornered on hope.”

And what they mean is that people can hope in many things. People have:

hope that they will find a job after they get their college degree and end up having financial success and live a comfortable life in a nice home in a nice neighborhood.

hope that they will be able to attract the person of their dreams and that they will marry that person and have a family and beautiful life together.

hope that they will be able to retire early and travel or do something that they truly enjoy.

hope that they live to be as old as their 98 year old grandmother.

hope that they get chosen to fill that new position at work and become successful in their profession.

hope that they win the lottery. Now you laugh but why else would they spend $70 billion/year on lottery tickets? More than is spent on the top 5 entertainment spending items combined (sporting events, music, books, movies and video games). Why do they spend all that money? Because they hope they are going to guess those numbers right.

Now you laugh but why else would they spend $70 billion/year on lottery tickets? More than is spent on the top 5 entertainment spending items combined (sporting events, music, books, movies and video games). Why? Because they hope they are going to guess those numbers right.

And it is true … people are very often very hopeful about these things. And most of them, there is nothing wrong with those hopes.

But here is the problem … Paul said in , “If we only have hope in this life (even if that hope is in Christ) … we are of most men most miserable.”

The bottom line is this … none of the things that we hope for … that this life can give us … they can neither … :

a. Satisfy our soul

b. Effect our eternity

- what hope does the hypocrite have of all that he has gained when he is cut off.

- what hope does the hypocrite have of all that he has gained when he is cut off.

What do you think Jesus was talking about when he said, “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world (that means … every single one of the hopes that he has about this life is satisfied) — yet lose his soul?”

WOW!!! Do you see the point he’s making? You have to get what Jesus is saying there!

WOW!!! Do you see the point? You have to get what Jesus is saying there!

If a person has all of their hopes realized and yet has no hope for the life that begins immediatetly after this life ends … it is meaningless.

So the question is not do you have hope? The real question is, “What kind of hope do you have?”

What Is the Source of Our Hope?

Do You Have Shameless Hope? Hope that does not disappoint?

Romans 15:13 NKJV

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.

The prayer from Paul for the Church is that the ‘God of Hope’ would fill them with the fulness of joy and peace through the process of growing in your belief in Him.

Why? To what end did he desire God to fill them with joy and peace?

So that they would be joyful or filled with peace … not exactly. I mean Christians should be people of great joy and uncommon peace.

The reason that Paul gives is this. He says that this joy and peace will produce an abundant/overflowing hope by the power (or through the influence) of the Holy Spirit!

Foundational Statement Number 4

Faith and the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives cultivates hope that is beyond human comprehension.

When Bell telephone was struggling to get started, its owners offered all their rights to Western Union for $100,000. The offer was disdainfully rejected with the pronouncement, "What use could this company make of an electrical toy."

Some people may mock the hope that you have … but the Scripture tells us to be ready to give an answer to every man concerning the hope that we have.

Heaven … Eternity … Forgiveness …