Series: The Importance of…
The Importance of Hope
1 Corinthians 13:13(NKJV) 13And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
We have looked at several items in this series. Two of these are faith and love. Today I want to look at the other item in 1 Corinthians 13:13, HOPE. These three things abide – that means they will be forever.
It is important that we have hope. Just how important, we shall see. Let’s look into God’s Word and find some insight into HOPE. Now isn’t it amazing how God uses so many things in our lives to bless us? So may things to encourage us? So many thing s to bring a great liveliness to our lives. One of these is HOPE! Yes we need love and certainly we must have faith, but hope works in us as well.
In these scriptures we see that faith is not alone. Aren’t you glad we have more than just faith.
Romans 5:1-9(KJV) 1Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing
that tribulation worketh patience;
4And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for
the ungodly.
7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for
a good man some would even dare to die.
8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.
9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through him.
We are glad in hope of the glory of God - 2
We grow in hope through experiencing God’s great touch - 4
We glory in hope because of God’s love given unto us -5
We gain in our hope salvation as we are saved from a terrible wrath – 6-9
So we can see in this scripture some of the gladness and joy that comes from hope.
I have noticed that hope brings out the best in our lives.
Romans 8:24-28(KJV) 24For we
are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man
seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with
patience wait for it.
26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not
what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind
of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the
will of God.
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Hope is part of salvation - 24
Hope comes through the Spirit of God helping us – 26-28
Romans 4:18-25(KJV) 18Who
against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of
many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now
dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of
Sarah’s womb:
20He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was
strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able
also to perform.
22And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
23Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to
him;
24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him
that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our
justification.
Hope keeps us going when there is no hope (without God’s help) - 18
Hope in the One brings us righteousness and justification – 21-25
1 John 3:1-9(NKJV) 1Behold
what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called
children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know
Him.
2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been
revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be
like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just
as He is pure.
4Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is
lawlessness.
5And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in
Him there is no sin.
6Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen
Him nor known Him.
7Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices
righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the devil.
9Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in
him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
Hope in His appearance brings a desire to be like Him – 1-2
Hope in Him brings a desire to be pure – 3
Hope in Him brings awareness of sin – 4
Hope in Him reminds us He takes away our sins – 5
Hope in Him shows our need to forego sin in our lives – 6-9
1 Peter 3:15-17(NKJV) 15But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give
a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,
with meekness and fear;
16having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers,
those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
17For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for
doing good than for doing evil.
Hope in the Lord needs to be part of our lives – 1a
Hope in the Lord needs to be an evident part of our lives – 1b
Hope in the Lord needs to be seen by those around us – 16 - 17
Proverbs 14:32(KJV) 32The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
We have hope even in death
Acts 24:14-16(NKJV) 14But this
I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I
worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the
Law and in the Prophets.
15I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that
there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the
unjust.
16This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience
without offense toward God and men.
We can have hope before death - 14
We can keep our hope in the resurrection – 15
We can, with our hope do our very best for all to know - 16
Colossians 1:1-14(KJV) 1Paul, an
apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse:
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
praying always for you,
4Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which
ye have to all the saints,
5For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye
heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
6Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and
bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of
it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
7As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for
you a faithful minister of Christ;
8Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not
cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge
of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto
all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the
forgiveness of sins:
Hope in the Lord brings shared hope among believers – 1-5
Our hope is heaven based – 5
Hope helps bring forth fruit (good works) – 6
Hope helps increase our love for each other – 7-11
Hope helps bring out our thanks to God for all we have – 12-14
Redemption through His blood
And even forgiveness of sins
Titus 2:13-14(NKJV) 13looking
for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ,
14who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for
good works.
Remembering what he was (and is)
As His special people - 14
One of my mother’s favorite songs is, “The Anchor Holds.” Truly it is hope that helps us hold to the Lord.
Hebrews 6:13-20(KJV) 13For when
God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by
himself,
14Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will
multiply thee.
15And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is
to them an end of all strife.
17Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of
promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible
for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to
lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both
sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made
an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
God’s promises are true – 13, 15
God’s Hope set before us is an anchor for our souls – 18-19
Our Hope is in Jesus - 20
1 Peter 1:3(NKJV) 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
His mercy is great towards us
We are born again (begotten us again)
We are a living hope through His resurrection
Gary Marcum – New beginnings Church – 031410am