God of Hope.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.” - Romans 15:13 AMP.

The message today is about hope. The main idea for the message today is that we need to pray for the God of hope to fill us with all joy and peace in believing.

Is hope important to us? How much of our time do we focus on hope? What is hope? Hope is a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope is needed most when the situations we are in are at their worst. Let me give you an example.

Imagine this situation was to happen to you. You are living in early bible times and you receive word that a tribe of bandits has stolen your oxen and donkeys and murdered all your servants caring for the flock.  While this was happening, fire burned your sheep and the servants who were watching over them.  Another band of robbers stole all the camels and killed all your servants who were keeping watch over them. Your livelihood is now completely totally taken away.  While this was happening, a freak wind storm blows over the home where all your children were gathered and all your children die. Talk about having a bad day. Nothing compares. Not long after this, you are struck ill from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head with burning, ulcerous, oozing, swelling boils over every inch of your body.

We are, of course, talking about Job. God considered Job to be blameless and upright and unequaled upon the earth. The reason God considered Job to be righteous is because Job had hope in God. Job had such confidence in God, that despite the circumstances of his life, his hope in God was unwavering.

“Though He slays me, I will hope in Him." - Job 13:15. I believe this is the most profound statement on hope in all the Scriptures. This is how God would want us to hope. God desires we believe apart from Him, there is no hope. We are to have total hope in God no matter the circumstances of our life. Poverty, sickness, or loneliness should never cause us to lose hope in this life.

Paul writes here in Romans about the Gentiles that at one time were out of hope, but now in Christ they have hope. “remember that at that time you were separated from Christ [excluded from any relationship with Him], alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise [with no share in the sacred Messianic promise and without knowledge of God’s agreements], having no hope [in His promise] and [living] in the world without God.” - Ephesians 2:12 AMP.

Just the same before we became believers in Christ Jesus we also were without hope not only do we as believers have hope, but we also have joy and peace and power in Christ. This is all because the Jewish Christians were faithful to take the gospel to the Gentiles, the nations of the world today have the opportunity to trust Christ as Savior through faith, hope, and love. “And now there remain faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13 AMP

Hope is joined to faith and love and is opposed to seeing or possessing this hope that is within Chris Jesus. “For in this hope we were saved [by faith]. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he already sees?” - Romans 8:24 AMP. Hope is an essential and fundamental element of the Christian life, so essential indeed, that, like faith and love, it can in itself designate the essence of Christianity “Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word];” - Hebrews 10:23 AMP. In it, the whole glory of the Christian vocation is centered.

Unbelievers are without this hope because they believe there is Salvation in Christ Jesus but they choose to reject this salvation in Christ Jesus. “remember that at that time you were separated from Christ [excluded from any relationship with Him], alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise [with no share in the sacred Messianic promise and without knowledge of God’s agreements], having no hope [in His promise] and [living] in the world without God.” - Ephesians 2:12 AMP. Still today in many parts of the world there are many people that reject Jesus Christ and hold on to their own man-made religion and idols having no hope in Christ Jesus. Every unsaved person is “outside Christ,” and that means condemnation. But for those in Christ, there is no condemnation.

Christ is the actual object of the believer's hope because it is in his second coming that the hope of glory will be fulfilled “Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus by the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed) our Hope [the fulfillment of our salvation],” - 1 Timothy 1:1 AMP. We as believer awaits and expects our Lord and Savior. Our hope is in Him for everlasting faithfulness. “awaiting and confidently expecting the [fulfillment of our] blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,” - Titus 2:13 AMP.

It is spoken of as lively, a living, hope, a hope not frail and perishable, but having a perennial life. “Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” - 1 Peter 1:3 AMP. The "hope" spoken of is, "the hope set before us," namely, eternal life “Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power].” - Romans 5:2 AMP.

The expression "hope in him" ought to be, "hope on him," a hope based on God. The Holy Spirit of God shares these blessings with us as when we yield to Him.“And everyone who has this hope [confidently placed] in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (holy, undefiled, guiltless).” - 1 John 3:3 AMP. God is our hope today, yesterday, and tomorrow until eternity. Never give up hope, trust in God. God of hope is our light when all things seem dark when the world says give up. Rejoice in your hope for God is your hope. “constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength],” - Romans 12:12 AMP. Don't lose heart keep on hoping. Be blessed...