Put Your Hope in God
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Hope For Salvation
Hope For Salvation
“Hope” — To wait, tarry…cause or make one to hope
Come with me, and we will turn away for a little from the present world with its glory and its shame, its noise and its confusion, and pass into that silent, buried, and forgotten world of the Roman catacombs, where the early Christians buried their dead. We follow the flickering candle of our guide; and, descending the steps which have been cut out of the soil, we find ourselves in one of the almost innumerable narrow passages which undermine for miles in every direction the Roman Campagna. On either side of these narrow passages are the niches into which the bodies of the dead were pushed; and on the stone or cement which more than a millennium and a half ago sealed the bodies, we can still read in Latin and Greek the names of the dead and sentiments of faith or sorrow which were inscribed with the point of the trowel upon the mortar. Among the inscriptions are ones like these: "Alexander is not dead, but lives above the stars"; "To dear Serichas, sweetest son, mayest thou live in the Holy Spirit"; "Victoria, in peace and Christ"; "Gordian, the courier from Gaul, strangled for the faith. Rests in peace." Whose heart would not grow soft and tender reading these pathetic inscriptions of sorrow and of hope
Rudely written, but each letter
Full of hope, and yet of heartbreak,
Full of the tender pathos of the here
And the hereafter.
Now we come to one of the chambers where services for the dead were held and where we can see inscribed on the walls and ceilings scenes from the Old Testament and the New Testament. Among the most frequent are Noah and the ark, Jonah and the whale, the sacrifice of Isaac, and Christ the good shepherd, with the lamb in his arms.
Now we come to one of the chambers where services for the dead were held and where we can see inscribed on the walls and ceilings scenes from the Old Testament and the New Testament. Among the most frequent are Noah and the ark, Jonah and the whale, the sacrifice of Isaac, and Christ the good shepherd, with the lamb in his arms.
Here, too, are the ancient symbols of Christianity—the rooster, with its reminiscence of the fall of Peter, admonishing the believer to watch and pray; the phoenix, as a symbol of the resurrection of the body; the vine, the symbol of the believer's union with Christ; the palm branch, the symbol of the Christian's victory through faith which overcomes the world; the fish, because the first three letters of the Greek word for fish formed an acrostic for Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and here, too, is one of the favorite symbols, the anchor, which was the symbol of hope. Even in the pagan world the anchor had been the symbol of hope, because there were times when it was the last dependence and the last resource of the storm-tossed sailor. It was easy for the Christians to take over this ancient symbol and baptize it with a Christian meaning, for the very form of the anchor suggested the cross, and in the letter to the Hebrews the Christian faith was explained and illustrated by the metaphor of the anchor.
Here, too, are the ancient symbols of Christianity—the cock, with its reminiscence of the fall of Peter, admonishing the believer to watch and pray; the phoenix, as a symbol of the resurrection of the body; the vine, the symbol of the believer's union with Christ; the palm branch, the symbol of the Christian's victory through faith which overcomes the world; the fish, because the first three letters of the Greek word for fish formed an acrostic for Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and here, too, is one of the favorite symbols, the anchor, which was the symbol of hope.
Even in the pagan world the anchor had been the symbol of hope, because there were times when it was the last dependence and the last resource of the storm-tossed sailor. It was easy for the Christians to take over this ancient symbol and baptize it with a Christian meaning, for the very form of the anchor suggested the cross, and in the letter to the Hebrews the Christian faith was explained and illustrated by the metaphor of the anchor.
Hope — to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment
The scriptures were clear in the Old Testament…A child would be born who would take away the sins of the world. He would be the light in the midst of our darkness.
Yet for thousands of years this promise was left unfulfilled. We waited…and waited and waited. Thousands of years had passed since the fall in the Garden of Eden. Mankind had endured generation after generation of darkness…but there was one thing in the heart of God’s people which could never be taken from them if they would have faith for it…hope.
There was always an expectation of God’s deliverance from sin and death. God had told His people in
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
Satan would always be hostile and at war against God and mankind. He would do everything he could to keep mankind in sin, darkness and doomed to death. But God would send an offspring through the woman who would strike the head of Satan and end his reign of sin and death.
God’s Messiah would be born of a virgin
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
This child would be born of a virgin.
says the Messiah spoken of in would be born in Bethlehem
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”
Isaiah goes on in A child would be born…His name will be called wonderful, counselor, Mighty God, eternal Father, Prince of Peace…He would be God incarnate and He would rule forever.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
God details His plan through the prophets over the course of thousands of years. He would save us from the awful consequences of our sin against Him. His salvation would come and all who had faith in it would have hope and eternal life.
And it all happened just as He said it would. God did everything, step by step in just the way He foretold He would through the prophets.
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.
This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
God always does what He says He will do…there are no exceptions. When we fell in the Garden we were without hope…lost…dead and destined for hell…until God spoke and promised that HE would come and save us. From that moment on we had hope for our salvation.
Hope For Everyday Life
Hope For Everyday Life
Since God is always true to His word…and has proven Himself so in the coming of His Son to save us…we should choose to have faith and hope in God in every moment of our life. Because of Jesus we can have hope that God loves and cares for us…always.
Peter tells us we can cast all of our cares upon God because He cares for us…How do we know He cares? How do we know He will care for all of our troubles and anxiety? Because He sent His Son! He has already proven Himself trustworthy…already proven that He will do what He says He will do.
Peter tells us we can cast all of our cares upon God because He cares for us…How do we know He cares? How do we know He will care for all of our troubles and anxiety? Because He sent His Son! He has already proven Himself trustworthy…already proven that He will do what He says He will do.
casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
Jesus says don’t worry about your life…stop stressing about everything…seek first God and the Kingdom…God’s way of doing things…what He is doing around you…and all of your needs will be taken care of…How do we know? Because He has proven Himself faithful in the biggest promise He ever made!
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Jesus said He doesn’t want us to grieve about the death of our loved ones who die as though we have no hope of seeing them again…Jesus is coming back!
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
Jesus doesn’t want us to fear the afterlife…He has gone to prepare a place for us and we will one day soon be where He is.
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
In the meantime…during our stay here...Jesus wants us to know, believe and have hope in His forever presence with us as we live our life on earth.
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus never fails to do what He says He is going to do. He is forever faithful. His character is perfect and as such He must always be faithful…even in those times when we are not.
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Hope is a Choice and To Choose Hope Changes Everything
Hope is a Choice and To Choose Hope Changes Everything
The Psalmist was having a moment…He asked Himself…Why is my soul so downcast? The answer was simple…He answers his own question in the response he gives…He has, up to this moment been looking for hope in something or someone other than God!
He tells Himself…put your hope in God! Begin to look at His promises and let the outlook for your life be based upon the things He has promised to do.
This begs the question of all of us doesn’t it…in what or who are you deriving your hope? Are you finding your hope in God? Are you finding hope in self? Bank account? People, relationships? Good health, good times, where you live…what you can provide?
When you look at the future are your expectations resting on person and promises of God or something else? Someone else?
You can choose to have faith in God and find your hope in Him.
But in order to do this it requires that you have faith…without faith there is no hope…just a whole lot of passionate wishes
Wish — A desire for something to happen
Hope — Expectation of something good
Expectations are built on faith…faith produces substance for those things we hope
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Faith is substance…substance of what? Substance of those things for which we hope…we don’t just wish for these things…we believe and trust they will come to pass.
We have faith…belief and trust in the ability, intentions, love and integrity of Jesus…He can do what He said He will do and He will do what He said He will do…He will come through…our hope has substance…meat on the bone…we are certain our expectations of good will come to pass.
When you know with certainty the good things in store for your future you have a sure and life changing hope…and that is what Advent celebrates…the realized hopes thus far and the hopes in Christ for the future…hopes we are certain will come to pass
Conclusions
Conclusions
Hope — Expectation of good things
God has promised us good things both in this life and our future life
God is always true to His promises…He has demonstrated this in the past and will do so in the future.
IF we choose to have faith in Christ then our hope becomes living and active to change our present and our outlook for the future.