Episode 15 Notes – May 2, 2015

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May 2, 2015 by Tricia Draper

The Messengers Radio Show 05-02-15 (15)

 

 

This month: Hope

I found this article on the internet, and it had some great information on hope.

What Is The Biblical or Christian Definition of Hope?

May 26, 2014 by Jack Wellman 1 Comment

What does hope mean to the Christian?  How does the Bible define hope?  Hope is essential to the believer for joy so it’s critical to have.

What Hope Isn’t

Hope is not “I hope my team wins the Super Bowl” or “I hope I get a raise.” Biblical hope is not a hope-so but it is a know-so.  It isn’t wishing for the best.  It isn’t waiting to see what happens and hope that it turns out well. Hope is not a feeling or an emotion.  Hope is the knowledge of facts.  If someone says to you that “I hope you have a good day,” there is no guarantee that the day will go well.  To have a biblical hope is to have a sure anchor of the soul, not hoping for rain because the forecast says that there is a 60% chance of rain and you hope that you get your garden watered.  That is not hope…that is wishful thinking and it is utterly undependable and has no power to bring anything to pass. Human hope pales in comparison to biblical hope, as we shall read.

A Christian’s Definition of Hope

A Christian’s definition of hope is far superior to that of the world.  Instead of wishing or hoping for something to happen, a believer knows that their hope is solid, concrete evidence because it is grounded in the Word of God and we know that God cannot lie (Heb 6:18; Num 23:19).  The Christian has a hope that is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).  It is a hope that is like faith…a faith that cannot be moved by circumstances or what the eyes see because an unseen God is seen in His faithfulness.

 

The best definition I have heard of hope is this: a confident, joyful expectation that something good is going to happen.

 

Hope in Strong’s Dictionary is: to trust, be confident or sure.

Hope is also defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

We see that expectation is a strong belief that something will happen

So we see how hope is a confident expectation that something good will happen!

Hope at its very basis is found in Hebrews 11:1.

  • Now faith is confidence in what we hope forand assurance about what we do not see.

We studied this in the month of February when we talked about Trust and Faith.  We did touch on hope then, but I wanted to study it more.  It is so important in our everyday life.  Each day we need to start off with Hope in our hearts.  Hope in God is the key.

 

Romans 15:13

  • May theGod of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

This scripture has all the goodies in it!  It talks about God, Hope, Joy, Peace, Trust, and the Holy Spirit!  WOW!  Strong statement!  Sign me up for that!

If we go back to Romans 5:1, we see even more evidence of Hope.

Romans 5:1

Peace and Hope

  • Therefore, since we have been justifiedthrough faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God.Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hopeAnd hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

 

I think it’s important here to stop and remember that God doesn’t cause us to suffer.  We are living in this world, and we are going to have trials.  God is not punishing us.  He can’t because in James 1:13 we see:
James 1:13

  • Whentempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

 

We know that God can not lie, so he can’t tempt us, but in 1Cor. 10:13 it says:

1 Corinthians 10:13

  • No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. AndGod is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

 

So, He doesn’t tempt us, but He will always provide a way out when we are tempted.  What satan meant for evil, God turns to good.  So, we do still get good things in trials when we hope in the Lord.  We get perseverance, character and hope!!  Take that satan!

 

Song:

·         My Hope is You – Third day

 

Romans 12:12

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

 

In Romans 12:12, we see there are 3 things we have to do when we are in a trial.  First, we need to be JOYFUL in HOPE.  “Keeping your spirits up” is not just a saying; it’s a way of life.  In adversity we need to Praise the Lord and be joyful in Hope: our confident, Joyful, expectation that something good will happen!  This drives the enemy CRAZY!!!  When we rejoice and live in hope, your problems will shrink down to size.  Nothing is too big for hope.

We also see we need to be patient and faithful in prayer.  Having a prayer life with God is one of the most important things you can do as a Christian.  And, as we learned last month, praying in the Holy Spirit is the best way to go!  Any way you pray is pleasing to God.  These 3 things combined will send the devil packing and get you some perseverance, character and HOPE!!!

Extra Verse:

Psalm 31:24

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.


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