The God of Hope

It is impossible to tell a story with God in it, and for there not to be hope. God always gives us the hope of tomorrow being better than today.

The God of Hope

[13] May the God 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.

Romans 15:13 NIV

For a long time, I believed that hope was a passive, baseless word that religious people use because they are lazy and hoping for something they won’t work for. I was wrong.

Hope is a defining quality of who God is. Hope is the condition of Gods heart. It is not possible to be close to God and yet have no hope. God’s hope fills us with joy and peace.

Joy is satisfaction regardless of circumstance.
Peace is being secure with who you are and confident that God is in control no matter what.

God is not a god of defeat, yet we often get used to a life of accepting defeat.

• Has your relationship with God grown distant?
• Has your life become about trying not to sin?
• Have you gotten used to living a life of little or no impact?

It is not possible to say you’re close to God, yet live a defeated life!

Why We Need Hope

Inspired Endurance

[3] ….your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV

Hope makes your life more than just surviving.

Freedom from Shame

[5] And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts…

Romans 5:5 NIV

When you have hope, you can fully embrace who you are and know your future doesn’t have to be defined by your past. You are free to be honest and not chained to the pain of the past or what people think of you.

Boldness

[12] Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

2 Corinthians 3:12 NIV

 Sense of Destiny

[18] I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you…

Ephesians 1:18 NIV

Hope gives you clarity and belief that your life is meant for more. 

Life Versus Hope

I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

Nelson Mandela

No one can take hope away from you; it must be given up. Have you let life take your hope?

After 24.5 years in prison, Nelson Mandela came out understanding that you can break my back, you can take my family, freedom, my years, but you cannot take my hope!

Hope is a heart condition, not an emotion. It’s not based on circumstance.

There are 2 things that fight to steal our hope everyday:

Worries of Life

• Challenging circumstances that require endurance (Mark 5: 15-18).
• Out of your control burdens that are not going away. Aging parents, emotional health, kid challenges, pregnancy, commute, etc. These worries of life want your hope.

Discipline of Life

• Experiencing the fruit of your life choices. (Hebrews 12:4-7). 
• The discipline of life can knock the wind out of you. Maybe you got away with having no character, immoral relationships, or selfish ambition for a long time and now it’s catching up with you. That’s what has happened to me. Satan uses the discipline of life to make you quit.

So the real question is: how do we rebuild, restore, and reclaim our hope?

Let’s look at a man who had completely lost his hope, but the birth of Jesus taught him how to restore his hope.

Got Hope?

[18] This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. [19] Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. [20] But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). [24] When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Matthew 1:18-23 NIV

Re-Hope: Reveal, Reflect, & Resolve

Reveal Your Level of Faith

V19 – ‘…he had in mind to divorce her quietly.’

What areas of my life have I accepted defeat?

Reflect On God’s Word

V20 – ‘an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said’…

What do you I need to believe about God to restore my hope?

Resolve to Take Action

V24 – He did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.

What would you pursue, if you knew that God was with you?