Saints,
We always know that hope is a gift from God, a favor or grace, as absolutely all good things are in His world here.
The meaning of “hope,” we found, was an expectation of something fruitful in the future, a future good…
At the end of this message is a link to an excellent resource from our good friend Tom Dooley. It’s a wonderful book called Hope: When Everything Seems Hopeless. Anything written and proclaimed by brother Tom is worthy of your consideration.
If you’ve missed the first two parts, please begin there:
HOPE IN DIFFICULT TIMES! PART 1 [MONDAY MANNA 74]
HOPE IN DIFFICULT TIMES! PART 2 [MONDAY MANNA 75]
Let’s continue our journey in the New Covenant in this final part. Immediately following this final part are the things we’ve learned thus far in the previous message.
17. Jesus is our hope…our only hope! We fix our whole life on Him – the living God. Especially the least of these like the vulnerable “widow” (females bereft of a man’s protection). Praise the Father for His merciful hope…
1 Tim. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope…
1 Tim. 4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
1 Tim. 5:5 Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day.
18. Our brother Titus wrote of the expectation of future good in eternal life itself, the blessed hope of our great God and Savior Jesus, and the grace that makes us heirs of the kingdom, a true hope in and of itself!
Titus 1:2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
Titus 3:7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
19. The book of Hebrews warns us that hope is there for us at all times, if, and only if, we hold fast until the end without wavering.
Hebrews 3:6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end…
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful…
20. The apostle Peter reminds us that we have a living hope through Jesus’ resurrection, hope for the new grace when Christ comes for us, and proclaiming hope to those lost around us.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
You may also remember the things we learned earlier:
1. The name of Jesus provides the gentiles, the pagans, with hope, or expectation of future good. Matthew 12:21
2. There’s misplaced or mistaken hope like Herod looking for amusement from Jesus the celebrity; and the Jews (Judeans) expecting the physically conquering Jesus the first time around; and the Jews putting their hope (and consequent trust) in Moses. Luke 23:8, Luke 24:21, John 5:45
3. The hope of the resurrection of the righteous and the restoration of the 12 tribes of Israel was central to Judaism, so Paul zeroed in on this key theme. Acts 23:6, Acts 24:15, Acts 26:6-7
4. Abraham had tremendous expectation of future good, since the circumstances screamed that the prophesy of God was bogus…but his belief was counted as righteousness. Remember that hope and faith are kin. Here we see his enduring dependence on God’s promise. Romans 4:18
5. Our future good is also to receive more of the glory of God. Romans 5:2
6. Hope will grow through a series of gracious and difficult life experiences that allow us it exult in God’s work with us…Hope is never seen, but always future. Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:24-25,
7. We rejoice, yes, and exult in hope. The Word gives us expectation of future good. Again, the perseverance in tribulation… Romans 12:12, Romans 15:4
8. Our wonderful God is the creator, dispenser, and sustainer of all our hope. He is our Hope. He is all Life. The Holy Spirit brings us the power to do so. Romans 15:13, Hebrews 12:1-3
9. Evangelists, like Paul, expected monetary support from the assembly of believers so all would hope in the spiritual harvest God would bring. Also, the ministry of the Spirit brings new glory and boldness to their speech since His hope is ever present. 1 Cor. 9:10-11, 2 Cor. 3:8, 12
10. The all consuming love of God, even as Paul uses hyperbole (extreme exaggeration) here, mostly bears, believes in, endures, and hopes for the best. 1 Cor. 13:7
11. Christ is the only One that can be the main focus of our hope, as He delivers us out of all our tribulations. Every one…He is the hope of our glory both now and in the new kingdom. 2 Cor. 1:10, Col. 1:27
12. Pagans have no hope…none. It may appear they are happy and well contented. But in the quiet times of their heart, they know the truth. They seek to drown out that nagging conviction with loads of money, amusement, and other carnal pleasure. Even as we were once counted with them, their plight is hopeless. We have joy but they have constant grief. Ephes. 2:12, 1 Thes. 4:13
13. God’s calling us to Himself is a constant source of our future hope. And the real gospel preached in the Spirit brings that hope. Ephes. 1:18, Col. 1:5
14. As with all spiritual disciplines with God, hope requires the trait of consistency or we can walk away from it. Paul called it being steadfast since if we stop trusting, we don’t believe, and move away from this great hope. Col. 1:23, 1 Thes. 1:3
15. And the final salvation of our own souls waits its finality since we were saved, are being saved, and will be saved. Steadfastness negates moving away. 1 Thes. 5:8
16. Our Lord Jesus and God our Father jointly in loving grace dispense not only hope, but “good” hope! What a Savior….2 Thes. 2:16-17
“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
So, beloved, we’ve taken a brief tour of one of the most vital of Christian principles of life, the living hope…I pray you’ve been encouraged as much as I have. And a bit sobered once again by the fact we must hold fast.
As promised earlier, here is the link to Tom Dooley’s book called Hope: When Everything Seems Hopeless.
http://www.pathclearer.com/books.html
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Your friend and brother in fighting the good fight,
Marc
+++
Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!
You may view our Archives here: MONDAY MANNA – ARCHIVES; Complete Archives; feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion. May our Father richly bless you with His grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in order to walk worthy of His name.
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
