Hope Sermon, Part 5

The entire Bible is filled with promises of hope. And it is filled with stories of hope fulfilled.

Hope enabled Abraham to become the father of many nations.

Romans 4:18 says “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Hope enabled Noah to wait for the dove to return with a sprig of a tree.

Hope enabled Moses to lead his people from Egyptian captivity to a promised land filled with milk and honey.

Hope enabled Job to endure great suffering – more than any of us could imagine.

Hope enabled Hannah to leave her son, Samuel with Eli.

Hope enabled the Psalmists to write words of praise and voice their fears and despair.

Hope enabled the Israelites to trust in the prophets during their Babylonian captivity.

The hope of eternal life calls us beyond our day to day existence into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Our hope is based on trust in the God of Creation.

Psalm 62:5-6
"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”

Psalm 119:73-74
"Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands. May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word."

Hope comes from a place deep within us. It isn’t born of prosperity or success. We simply don’t need hope when those things rule our lives.

Paul says,

“…we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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.” (Romans 5:3-5)

Keep listening to Paul’s words from Romans,

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (by the way, that’s you and me). Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)

Our hope is based on trust in the God of Creation. A God who sent His Son to die for us, to redeem our lives, to cleanse us so that we will be allowed into the very throne room of the Creator.

One more thought from Paul to the Romans

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation, for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:18-20)

You see, God’s will is that we are liberated from bondage to decay. Our bodies are decaying, we are bound to that while we still live on this earth. We can’t escape it while we are here. Paul tells us that this life is nothing in comparison to the glorious freedom that God offers us beyond what we know right now.

Hope takes us from day to day. But even more so, hope draws us across the boundaries of life to take us from our present sufferings to the glory that will be revealed in us when we stand in the throne room.