We Have This Hope

Intro

- At Christmas time there are a lot of “I hopes”

o kids- I hope I get a laser tag set. I hope I get a puppy

o adults- I hope it snows on Christmas. I hope I don’t burn Christmas dinner. I hope they saved the receipt for this gift

o sometimes there are more serious hopes- I hope Christmas doesn’t get shut down this year like last year. I hope I can see my loved ones. I hope we have enough money to cover the rent.

o It’s a word we hear often and this morning it is my hope that we leave here with a better understanding of what hope is and where our hope lies.

- What is hope?

o Hope is often rooted in the belief that things will get better

o Wishful thinking or a strong desire

o Hope looks to the future- it deals with things that have not happened yet

o A phrase that has been used over and over and over in the past 2 years… “Uncertain times”

§ And, in a sense, it’s true- we live in uncertain times- we are almost afraid to check the news for fear that some new act of violence, natural disaster, or variant will take the headline.

o Where do we turn in times like this?

o It is easy for Christians to get caught up in the chaos, in the uncertain “I hopes” that we see all around us

- When hope is based on human effort and the state of the world around us, it is easy to see why many have lost hope

o But still others keep hope alive with the belief that if we made this mess, then we can get ourselves out of it.

o Optimism is good. But when we place our hopes in our own efforts or the efforts of others, we will be continually disappointed.

o If our hopes rise and fall based on the political climate of our country, or who is sitting in the white house, or what new law is passed, then we should get settled in for disappointment

- But the hope that we are going to focus on this morning is not simply wishing for something better. It is not a hope based on uncertainties. Wishing for things to be better with no actual guarantee that they ever will be

- It is a hope that is certain and secure. A hope that does not depend on our circumstances, but on our unchanging God.

- Read Romans 15:13- 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.

- Paul’s prayer for the Roman Christians is that the God of hope would cause them to overflow with hope. How does this happen?

The Source of Hope- Jesus

A. God of Hope

1. God is the foundation of our hope

a. The foundation is what everything else is built on- no matter how secure and stable the rest of the structure is, if the foundation is weak, the building will fall

b. If our hope rests on anything other than God and his work, we are setting ourselves up for failure

2. God is the object of our hope

a. Our hope is only as strong as the object of our hope

b. Illustration- there is a difference between me saying, “I hope the Detroit Lions (who are 1 and 11) win the Super Bowl” and if I say, “I hope the Green Bay Packers (who are 10 and 3) win the Super Bowl.

(1) But even that is uncertain- the outcome is still unknown

c. When our hopes are misplaced, they are not secure

3. But Our hope is sure

a. There are a lot of things that we can put our hopes in

(1) Psalm 33:17-19 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

(2) When we are looking to place our hope in something, we look to the past

(a) We shouldn’t put our hope in something that has failed us time and time again

b. God has proven himself faithful and worthy of our trust

(1) The example of Abraham Rom. 4:20-21 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

(2) 1 Cor. 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(3) Heb. 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

o Not only can we trust God because of his proven character, but we can be sure that…

c. This hope will not disappoint us

(1) Rom. 5:5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

(2) Social security illustration

B. Jesus is the source of our Hope

1. This is why we celebrate this season

a. This is Advent- looking forward to the coming of Jesus and the hope that he brings

2. Look back up to verse 12 in our Romans 15 passage

a. And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”

b. Remember our study in Galatians- the inclusion of the gentiles in the promise of salvation

c. This source of hope for not only the Gentiles, but the Jews as well, was to come from the line of Jesse, King David’s father

d. This prophecy was fulfilled that night in Bethlehem when a child was born, and they laid him in a manger. Jesus. the hope of nations

- So we first see that Jesus is the source of our hope. But how do we make that hope a part of our lives, how does it fill us to the point of overflowing?

The Doorway to Hope

A. The key to joy and peace in our lives is to place our hope solely in Jesus

B. Belief is the doorway through which we access all of the blessings we have been talking about this Christmas season

1. “fill you with all joy and peace in believing” “as you believe” or “because you trust in him

2. We have this idea that our joy and peace in this life, and ultimately our hope, flow from our belief/faith/trust in Jesus Christ the Messiah

C. There is no hope without belief

1. We must all come to a point in our lives where we stop searching for hope in the temporary things of this world, and turn to Jesus as our savior

2. John 20:31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

- Maybe you say, “I believe in Jesus. I’m trusting in him, but sometimes it’s so hard to have hope when things around me are falling apart. I know what I ought to think and believe, but how do I do it?

The Sustainer of Hope

A. The Power of the Holy Spirit sustains our hope

1. This is not something we can do on our own

2. It is a supernatural work of God in us

B. We must anchor ourselves to truth

1. Heb. 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

2. What is this hope?- that Jesus sits on the throne of heaven and eagerly gives to us all the comfort, strength, forgiveness, love, joy, and peace that we need as we run to him for refuge

a. Boat in the storm illustration

b. Some of us are powering on through the storm searching for some sense of hope and security in this world. We are refusing to drop our anchor

3. This world is like a raging ocean, and many are tossed by the waves, many are beaten against the rocks, many are dragged down to the depths, but if we anchor ourselves to the sure hope of our savior, we will withstand whatever may come

So What?

- Can you see God’s proven faithfulness in your life and throughout history?

- Have you stepped through the doorway of belief and into the sure hope of salvation?

- Is your hope in Jesus an anchor for your soul?