Hope
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© August 27, 2017
We live in an age that is increasingly without hope. We live in such an age because we more and more deny God a place in our society and in the intimacy of our lives. We hope in getting the things we can see, enjoy and compare with others. When our hope is not realized, we become depressed, fight and disregard life.
Where has hope gone? It has gone where God has been relegated…out of our life.
1 Timothy 6:12–13
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession….
1 Corinthians 9:24–27
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
2 Timothy 2:3–4
3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.
We who are Believers in Christ are walking a narrow road, not the broad highway of the world.
Matthew 7:13–14
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Paul compares us to soldiers. In some sense, we are like the military special forces.
The Five Truths for Special Forces[1]
1. Humans are more important than hardware.
2. Quality is better than quantity.
3. Special Operations Forces cannot be mass produced.
4. Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after emergencies occur.
5. Most Special Operations require non-SOF assistance (such as participation with other primary major military forces of the Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, etc.).
There are many ways to instill hope
Hard work, and individual grit to keep going through difficulties is a God-given ability, so everybody in the world can have a chance to succeed at a lot of incredibly arduous issues in life; but, hard work and effort is not failsafe. These attributes will not always bring success or the desired result. There may be a lot of “hiccups,” distractions and even crashes along the way. Look at the lives of incredibly gifted and tough-minded people who did not succeed in the end.
Since we are naturally imperfect, we cannot expect hope in our own imperfect effort, in an imperfect world, to flawlessly succeed.
Only hope in He Who is greater than ourselves, can give the greatest outcome of Hope.
The Challenge of hope, for the Believer in Christ always seems to include:
In Whom or On What do we Focus our Hope?
“Focusing on the Person of our Faith, rather than the Object of our Wait”[2]
If we focus our hope on what we wish to receive, rather than on the One who can fulfill any hope, and if the possibility of receiving “the object of our wait” is diminished or demolished while we wait, then we may lack the ability to continue being sustained through the diminished “hope” during our trial.
This is not so if we keep our “hope” focus on “the Person in Whom our Hope rests: God!” (No matter the outcome.)
Focusing on “the object of our wait,” rather than God’s ability to fulfill our need, can also complicate satisfaction, after the fact.
Have you ever become somewhat disenchanted after you built your “dream home,” purchased the car you always wanted, taken your trip of a lifetime, or had an amazing fulfillment of hope you had always anticipated? Did the fulfillment of the much anticipated hope fully accomplish the satisfaction for which you always dreamed?
God has given His Children Hope which is greater than all other hope, which the world cannot give. God has given His Children a Hope deep within our souls. Hope in God is Eternal and hope in Him is Secure.
There are almost 200 verses in scripture which include the word “Hope” – from a variety of definitions and circumstances. The hope that we are discussing today has to do with:
1. Hope in The Son, Jesus Christ for our Salvation, Redemption and Spiritual Life as a Child of God and our future Resurrection from the Dead.
2. Hope in our Heavenly Father for guidance, deliverance, and the supplying of our Daily Spiritual and physical needs.
“The Lord’s Prayer”
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
3. Hope in the Holy Spirit for His daily strength, power, decision making, navigation through the tough times of life, and for the promise of our future Eternal Inheritance.
Many of those “hope” verses that can be meaningful to the Child of God are found in the Psalms, so I would like to focus our attention on several of these.
In meditating and studying the subject of Hope, you will find an interesting link between “hope” and another word that our North American culture doesn’t always associate with the concept of Hope. That word is “wait.”
One thing I was surprised about as I studied these verses was that several of the primary Hebrew words translated “hope,” could also be translated, “wait.” In fact, different translations would translate the word “hope” and another translation would translate the same Hebrew word, “wait.”
, קָוָה 6960 qavah
To wait, look for, hope, expect, linger for, eagerly wait for
Psalm 25:3(NIV84)
3 No one whose hope6960 is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.
Psalm 25:3(ESV)
3 Indeed, none who wait6960 for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Psalm 25:5 (NIV84)
5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope6960 is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:5 (ESV)
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait6960 all the day long.
Psalm 25:21 (NIV84)
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope6960 is in you.
Psalm 25:21 (ESV)
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait6960 for you.
Psalm 37:9
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope6960 in the Lord will inherit the land.
Psalm 37:34
34 Wait6960 for the Lord
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
There is something about “hope” that inherently carries with it the necessity of “waiting.”
If you have what you wish to have in your possession, you do not have to hope for it anymore! So, to have the proper response to hope, we must have the patience to “wait” on God for the hope to be fulfilled!
The Apostle Paul agrees…
Romans 8:24-25
24 … hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Back to the Psalms
Psalm 39:7–8
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for6960?
My hope is in you.
8 Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
Psalm 69:6
6 May those who hope6960 in you
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the Lord Almighty;
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me,
O God of Israel.
3176 יָחַל yachal /yaw·chal
to hope for, wait for, await, tarry
King David, in his heart, sought to consistently focus his hope on
“The Person of his Faith, rather than the Object of his Wait”
God’s Word is our Refuge and Hope
Psalm 119:114
114 You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope3176 in your word.
Psalm 119:81
81 My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
but I have put my hope3176 in your word.
Psalm 130:5
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope3176.
Hope During Times of Severe Trial
Psalm 33:18–22
18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope3176 is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait3176 in hope3176 for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.
God is our Strength when our Emotions are Depressed
Psalm 42:5
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope 3176 in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
(What Happens to the Wicked?)
Psalm 37:35–36
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.
We Cry out to God – He is our Eternal Help!
Psalm 119:147
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope3176 in your word.
Hope is the Element of Praise in Lifting our Spirit as we Hope
Psalm 71:14
14But as for me, I will always have hope3176;
I will praise you more and more.
Psalm 119:74
74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope3176 in your word.
The Blessing of God’s Word to strengthen our Hope
Psalm 119:43
43 Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth,
for I have put my hope3176 in your laws.
Psalm 119:49
49 Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope3176.
There are several other Hebrew words for hope that give us confidence in our faith.
982 בָּטוּחַ, בָּטַח, בָּטַח batach /baw·takh
Trust, confidence, secure, confident
Psalm 52:8–9
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope982, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
8615 תִּקְוָה, תִּקְוָה tiqvah /tik·vaw
Hope, “expectation,” “the thing that I long for,” “expected outcome hoped for”
Problems we face, in which we need hope
Psalm 62:4–7
4 They fully intend to topple him
from his lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse. Selah
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope8615 comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Psalm 71:5
5 For you have been my hope8615,
O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.
4009 מִבְטָח mibtach /mib·tawkh
Trust, confidence, refuge.
God’s Great Power Gives Us Hope and Confidence
Psalm 65:1–8
1 Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
2 O you who hear prayer,
to you all men will come.
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.
4 Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
O God our Savior,
the hope4009 of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
8 Those living far away fear your wonders;
where morning dawns and evening fades
you call forth songs of joy.
What is the Outcome of Hope for those who put their Trust in God?
Psalm 146:5
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope7664 is in the Lord his God,
Psalm 147:11
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope3176 in his unfailing love.
Psalm 37:39–40
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
God has allowed His Hope to guide us through the Fog of Testing
Walking through the fog of testing, requires the hope of reality to keep us stabilized so we can come out on the other side more refined and better able to fulfill God’s purpose for our life. We become more crafted into the image of Jesus, and with greater maturity to enter into the Eternal Kingdom of God.
Peace and Joy through Suffering – because of Hope
Romans 5:1–5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Future Glory
Romans 8:18–26
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Lamentations 3:24–26
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
Psalm 27:14
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait (and hope) for the Lord!
Hebrews 11:1
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Are you struggling with Hope?
Is your hope “Focusing on the Person of our Faith, rather than the Object of our Wait?”
Put your hope in God, for you can yet praise Him, your Savior and your God.
[1] http://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/SOFTruths.html
[2] Quote from Wait and See, by Wendy Pope
[3] All Hebrews words and definitions from Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.