Convictions of Hope

Over the last few weeks we've looked at Love, Grace and Mercy.

As we understand God's love, we develop a conviction of his love, mercy and grace no matter the circumstance. The conviction in our heart is that God is good, he loves us, pours out his grace and mercy on us and desires our best. This means we can live a life of hope.

Hope

What does it mean to have hope? When the Bible says that hope is "an anchor for our soul", what does it really mean?   What is the hope that we have?

If we look at the preceding verses the hope we have is related to who God is and what he has done for us in Christ. The hope we have is the hope that is placed in the promise of God and the work of Christ.

The words translated as hope is expectation of something. It is, in this sense "a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation".

Hebrews 6:16-20 NLT
Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. [17] God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. [18] So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. [19] This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. [20] Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus has made a way. He has gone before us. This is the anchor we have. The anchor is a stay or safeguard for our Soul, (our psyche, the vital force that animates the body and specifically the feelings, desires and affections according to the Blue letter Bible.)

In other words the promises are there to give us a future hope and they are there to guide and safeguard our desires, our feelings and emotions, and the affections. The anchor is form and steady, it is certain and true, it is trusty and trustworthy. In other words they are faithful and steady.

We can be sure that God's promises in Christ will hold fast. So what does this mean for us?

1. What promises?

The promise of eternal life and home in heaven. Jesus said in John 14:2 that he goes to prepare a place for us because he is the way the truth and the light John 14:6

John 14:1-3, 5-6 NLT
"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. [2] There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? [3] When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. [5] "No, we don't know, Lord," Thomas said. "We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" [6] Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

(there might be a series in that at some stage)

The promise is one of being made right with God and being in relationship with him.

Romans 5:3-5 NLT
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. [4] And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. [5] And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Jesus says "I call you friends" in John 15 when he talks about the vine and the branches. We not servants but friends. This is all about relationship, and relationship with God through Christ. Not rules and regulations, but relationship.

John 15:14-17 NLT
You are my friends if you do what I command. [15] I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. [16] You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. [17] This is my command: Love each other.

We have a relationship with Christ. Paul writes in Rom 8 that we are heirs of the Father and joint heirs with the Son.

Romans 8:16-17 NLT
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. [17] And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

All that is Jesus' to inherit is available to us as well. We are part of God's family. We have God's promise that we are hours children.

Ephesians 1:16-18 NLT
I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, [17] asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. [18] I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called-his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

Romans 8:23-25 NLT
And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. [24] We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it. [25] But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

We have a future and a hope.

Ephesians 4:3-6 NLT
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. [4] For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. [5] There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

We have a future.  When we're tempted to think there is no hope or we have no future, the word of God tells us that we have a future and a hope.

There are also promises God has personally spoken over our lives. God speaks to us.

What promises has God given you in his word and given you personally for your life? (always backed by his word and not contrary to it)

If you don't know I encourage you to look further and discover God's promises for you. He has a good future for you.

2. Place our hope in God

How do we place our hope in God? When we know the promises we can place or hope in God. We do this when we make a decision that we will trust and believe. A bit like the  guy who said "I believe, help my unbelief"

Mark 9:17-25 NLT
One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, "Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won't let him talk. [18] And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn't do it." [19] Jesus said to them, "You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." [20] So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. [21] "How long has this been happening?" Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied, "Since he was a little boy. [22] The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can." [23] "What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes." [24] The father instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!" [25] When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. "Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak," he said. "I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!"

He had a son who was afflicted by a demonic spirit and Jesus' disciples didn't know how to deal with it but Jesus did. Jesus also challenged him about his belief. I love the honesty of this man's reply. He says "I believe but I'm struggling with unbelief "

If we're honest we also feel the same way. There are some things, some promises we know God has given and we believe them, but unbelief creeps in. Jesus wasn't worried by this type of unbelief, because it came from a trusting heart and a desire to believe.

Abraham is my hero of hope. Even when there was no reason for hope Abraham kept hoping, believing be would become the Father of many nations.

Romans 4:16-21 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. [17] 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. [18] 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!" [19] 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. [20] Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. [21] He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

Even when all seemed at an end Abraham chose hope. He is called the Father of faith, but he is also a great example of how to live in hope even when the external seems hopeless.

How could he do this? Hebrews 11 tells us that they looked to a future Jerusalem, they looked to something heavenly and eternal rather than earthly and temporal.

Hebrews 11:10 NLT
Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

Colossians 3 says "Set your mind on things above" .

Colossians 3:1-4 NLT
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. [2] Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. [3] For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. [4] And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

When we set our minds on the heavenly, we get a different perspective
This enables us to view our life in a different way.  Think of the Grand Canyon or the  Aussie outback. When you see it from the ground you only see part. When you see it from the air you get a much larger view and a different perspective.

How's your perspective?

What promises are you holding on to, or maybe let slip, hoping even when it seems hopeless?

If you've let it slip, have the courage to take it up again and hope, even though at the present time circumstances don't seem conducive to fulfilment. It can all change very quickly. For Abraham, it came about in the last expected way.

God's promises are always yes and amen. In other words he will bring it to pass. Habakkuk was told that even though the promise tarried it would happen at the right time.

Conclusion
God has given us a hope that is in Christ, not based on human hope but a heavenly hope of eternal life, relationship with God and a home in heaven.

Hold fast to the hope we have in Christ.