What is your world like? What kind of hope to do you have? What is the basis of your hope?
JESUS CHRIST – THE HOPE OF THE WORLD!
Colossians 1:27 – … Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Those WHO have not accepted Jesus Christ as Savior are hopeless
Ephesians 2:12 – …at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
I Thessalonians 3:13 – But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
JESUS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD
John 4:42 – Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
I John 4:14 – And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
JESUS IS THE BASIS OF OUR HOPE
I Peter 1:3-4,13 – Blessed 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, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you… rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; …
Acts 2:26 – …my flesh also will rest in hope.
Romans 15:13 – Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 6:18-19 – …that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil…
Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
OUR BLESSED HOPE
Titus 2:13 – …looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…
Jeremiah 17:7 – “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
CELEBRATING HOPE
Matthew 12:21 – And the fame of his name will birth hope among the people. (TPT)
Romans 5:2 – …through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
I Peter 1:8-9 – You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
JESUS IS THE HOPE OF THE WORLD
The world is desperately looking for HOPE! A true HOPE that is not just wishful thinking, but a true reality! Everyone has times when we experience hopes that are unfulfilled related to the circumstances of life. Sometimes unrealistic hopes are dashed, crushed and shattered. Hopes based only on the circumstances of life can be unpredictable, uncertain, and unfulfilling. Worldly hope can be very disappointing, as well as dangerous, deceptive, and false. There is not much hope in that kind of hope.
HOPE in Jesus is a different kind of hope. It is not just a wishful whim. It is not an up and down kind of hope that has no reasonable basis and is lacking in assurance and confidence. It is a SURE, TRUE HOPE! It is based upon promises and the very character of God Himself that are true, and can be counted on!
Romans 5:5 – Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
It is sometimes very difficult to maintain HOPE when things seem hopeless! Especially as it relates to financial crisis, difficult family scenarios, and physical dilemma’s.
JESUS IS THE HOPE OF ALL HEARTS
Jesus brings HOPE to the world! We can have a true, confident HOPE that is strong and full of assurance! It is rock-like… certain and unmovable, steady, and firm! We have a true basis for our HOPE. It is like a trustworthy anchor that keep our lives from drifting off track (Hebrews 6:18-19). For those who belong to Jesus, and are part of His family – we have good reason to believe for a glorious HOPE that lies before us in the future.
The greatest reason for blessed assurance and HOPE is because it is based in God Himself! True HOPE is grounded in God! God’s character is unchanging! He is always faithful! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He will always do what He says He will surely do! The promises in His Word can be trusted! Our HOPE is based on the promises and character of God! God is trustworthy! He is good to His promises! His promises cannot and will not fail! We can safely place our confidence and trust in God for the future!
Romans 8:24-25 – For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Hebrews 11:1,6 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen... without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 6:18 – …it is impossible for God to lie… this hope we have as an anchor of the soul…
Every Christian has great reason to be hopeful! We are NOT HOPELESS! If we have Jesus, we are full of hope! Even when life is difficult, no matter how bad it might be sometimes – we have basis for strong confidence and a sure HOPE regardless of the circumstances!
HOPE DEFINED
HOPE is a longing for a future desire and expectation. True HOPE is a reasonable expectation that the things desired will actually happen, and come to pass.
A WONDERFUL HOPE
2 Thessalonians 2:16,17 – …may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, 17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
This HOPE translates to a source of comfort. It doesn’t crush, and bring bitter disappointment like worldly hope can do. HOPE in Jesus is different. It brings comfort, encouragement and strength. It translates into the kind of strength that gives us the moral strength and power to overcome difficulties.
Romans 15:4,13 – …whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope... Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s put our HOPE IN JESUS! Let’s have the Biblical kind of HOPE, not the worldly kind…
ETERNAL HOPE
Christians have a HOPE that goes far beyond this life alone! It is rooted and grounded in God’s precious promises of salvation and eternal life!
I John 5:11-13 – …this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life… I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.
I Peter 1:3-4 – …the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…has begotten us again to a living hope …to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you…
When our HOPE IS IN JESUS, we can and will experience the very best life now, and forever!
Hope of all hearts (Planetshakers1)
The world may fade, You will remain. In the midst of the trial You will always be – I’ll sing, Our GOD never fails!… With hope and light, You reign over all, though my heart will fail, You will always be I’ll sing, Our GOD never fails!... Praise in the morning, praise in the evening, praise when I’m laughing, praise when I’m grieving, there will be dancing, there will be singing, upon injustice we will tell of our God — the HOPE of all hearts, the HOPE of all hearts is YOU (JESUS), Your love never fails…! In darkness, in trial, my soul shall sing of HIS mercy and kindness, our offering of praise, our GOD never fails…!
- Special acknowledgement: Thanks to Planetshakers for lyrics to “HOPE OF ALL HEARTS”.
- Special acknowledgement: Thanks to Evelyn Asuncion for assistance in preparing this message and for sharing it at our online service.
