There are many terms and concepts like faith, hope, love, joy, grace, peace, pleasing the Lord, etc., that we come across as we read our Bibles, often vague ambiguities for many people. But they are not intended to be ambiguous; in fact, they communicate vital truth impacting our very being, all of which are grounded in our ‘hope’.
Psalm 39:7: “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”
- Grammatical Usage: “hope” or in the Hebrew, “tō·w·ḥal·tî,” meaning, “certitude; expectation”.
- Literal Interpretation: What am I doing in the meantime, Lord? I am certain of my expectation in you.”
- Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word.
God is the God of Hope
This means He is the source of all real hope. If we are going to have hope (confident expectation), it must come from Him for He alone has the power to give it.
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- Psalm 62:5: “My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.”
- 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.”
If you are without Christ, you are without God and without hope.
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- Proverbs 11:7: “When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong men perishes. The strong man hopes in his physical strength, his money, or power or position, but ultimately, it must perish.”
- Ephesians 2:12: “…remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
(1) Hope depends on knowing the Word of God.
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- Colossians 1:5-6: “…because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth”
(2) Hope depends on knowing and resting in God’s Grace.
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- 2 Thessalonians 2:16: “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace”
(3) Hope depends on the Spirit Filled life.
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- 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.”
(4) Hope is grown and sharpened
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- 1 Peter 1:13: “Therefore, gird 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.”
Hope has tangible results
(1) It changes how we see ourselves. It changes us into pilgrims, people who see this life as temporary sojourn.
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- 1 Peter 1:1-3: I am Peter. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ. I send this letter to God’s chosen people. You are like people on a journey. You live in the countries of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. But you do not belong there. 2 God the Father chose you as he planned to do long ago. You were made holy by the Spirit. You were chosen to obey Jesus Christ and to be made clean by the blood of his death. May you have much blessing and peace. 3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He was very kind to us, and made us his children. So we have a new hope. This hope is a living hope because Jesus Christ was raised from death.
(2) It changes what we value. Hope, if biblical, makes us heavenly minded rather than earthly minded. Our Lord’s words here blast our deception away.
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- Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
(3) It affects what we do with our lives—our talents, time, treasures.
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- Titus 2:1-13: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus”
Hope affords rewards and blessings
(1) It gives us joy and peace.
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- 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.”
(2) It gives us protection.
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- Psalm 33:18: “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness”
(3) It gives us strength, courage, boldness.
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- Psalm 31:24: “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.”
(4) It gives us endurance, comfort, confidence in the face of death.
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- 1 Thessalonians 4:13: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.”
(5) It gives us confidence in ministry.
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- 1 Timothy 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.”
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Conclusion: Am I firmly confident in the hope of my Savior?
