The Value of Hope

How God Proves that there is Hope for People

Romans 5

I.         Introduction (1Cor 9:9,10)

 

A.      What a strange Law – “Don’t Muzzle Oxen While they Work!”

B.       Yet, this law is so important – Now, God is not worried about oxen really – He is presenting a foundation for life – a life principle – without which there is no life. Let me explain:

 

1.        When a person works, they need hope that there will be a good outcome – something to look forward to - a person planting, will want to have a crop

2.        When a person sets out to do something, he needs to have something called HOPE that keeps him going

3.        School needs the hope of graduation, and the finishing of school!

4.        people need the hope of growing up one day – not always being treated as a child

5.        Without HOPE, people give up

6.        In other words, we as humans need real hope – solid encouragement

 

C.       The Meaning of Hope.

 

1.        Hope is a good Bible word – the world has no idea of what hope is

2.        Hope is a complex Christian emotion, made up of a desire for something, and an expectation of obtaining it.

3.        When either of these is lacking, there is not hope, only a wish, or desire

4.        When they are mingled in improper proportions, there is no peace, or rest.

5.        But when the desire of obtaining an object is matched has an equal expectation of obtaining it, there exists that peaceful, happy state of mind and heart which we call hope.

6.        The apostle Paul says a Christian has an earnest desire for the glory of a joyful life promised by God; and that he has a confident expectation of obtaining it. The result of that hope is that we are sustained in our afflictions by that “future look of confidence.”

7.        Take away hope, and no one, not even a Christian can live!

 

D.      The Necessity of Hope.

 

1.        Biblical Hope is so vital to life

2.        Everyone needs more than fantasy, and dreams, and wishes

3.        They need HOPE: Examples:

 

a.       Parents of a sick child – looking to the Doctor to say there is a hope of recovery

b.       Workers at a struggling business – looking to the boss that there is hope of a turn-around

c.       Spouse of a drunkard – need hope they will have a family one day

 

4.        According to Rom 4:18, Abraham’s hope got him through 25 years of waiting and hardship – when that hope faded at times was when he got messed up bad! When his hope and confidence in God was strong, Abraham accomplished the impossible!

5.        Every Christian needs that kind of Hope!

 

E.       The Source of Hope – (Rom 5:2-5) – two sources

 

1.        Our Experiences – usually the bad times - not what we like

 

a.       Our tribulations – extended periods of time of troubles

b.       Patience – staying on course during the tribulations – not giving up allows God to prove He is GREATER

c.       Experience gives us hope because we LEARN that hope is not a fairy tale kind of wish (hope so, maybe so). A Christian can say, I don’t have what I need YET, but my God will see me through!

 

2.        Our God - Not just the troubles, but the God that we trust IN the troubles

 

a.       Did you know that there is no Pagan “God of Hope?”

b.       The Assyrians, Babylonians, Celts, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans had many gods – gods of war, industry, harvest, love, cities, towns, fire, darkness, death, and so on. But in all the myriads of gods invented by man and the devil both, there was never the god of hope.

c.       This is not surprising – because in a world without a true God, and the love of that God, there was only delusions of power and conquest

d.       The fact is, there is no hope in this world without the God of All Hope, Jesus Christ (Rom 15:13; Joel 3:16; 1Tim 1:1)

 

F.       The Enemies of Hope. Definitely not troubles, limitations, hardships, failures

 

1.        Fear is the primary enemy – the devil uses this most often (1Jn 4:18)

2.        Ignorance of the promises of God – only living by the faulty promises of faulty people

3.        Unwillingness to trust the faithfulness of God to His promises

4.        We are only programmed to look to people, and then to give up when they fail!

 

II.       Message – How God Proves That There is Hope for Anybody

 

A.      He Gives Us the Most Precious of Gifts (Rom 5:1-5)

 

1.        The Holy Ghost – the presence of God in our lives

2.        His Own Son, Jesus – by coming, God gave us Himself

3.        Direct Access to Himself – that is most amazing! We are not all alone here, struggling our way through to death, but all of our struggles are balanced out by so free and simple an access to the very Creator of this universe – He made a way through Jesus to have access right to Him

4.        Changes in our Life (1Pet 1:6-9,13)

5.        And most importantly, the very love of God, shed abroad in our hearts – spread-out throughout our hearts, filling it as much as we allow

 

B.       He Personally Died in the Place of the Ungodly (Rom 5:6-8)

 

1.        God did not abandon sinners

2.        He did not die for good people

3.        God proved there is hope because He reached down to the hopeless, to save them – look at the words:

 

a.       Without strength

b.       The Ungodly

c.       Yet Sinners – never good enough to earn it

 

4.        You have to admit that that ought to be proof enough that God thinks there is hope, if HE can go to such an extreme for such worthless creatures as us!

 

C.       He Completely Forgives – without complete forgiveness, there can be no hope – that why forgiveness on our part of each other is so important

 

1.        We are Justified by the Blood of Christ – not by ours

 

a.       Justified means made right before God

b.       Made as if I had never sinned at all – even though I definitely had

 

2.        Reconciled to God with no past to haunt us

 

a.       Reconciled – what a word!

b.       The bringing together of two enemies

c.       With no probation, or hesitation on God’s part

 

3.        Atoned – we and our failures are fully paid for

 

a.       Old Testament word – atonement

b.       “At One ment” – Brought two together as one because all sins are fully paid for by Jesus Christ

c.       New Testament word is Propitiation

 

4.        Made Righteous – made clean and pure and clear of all sins

5.        If God had completely forgiven a person, how can we look at that same person as say there is no hope for them!? How can we say there is no hope for US if we have been given such great forgiveness?

6.        God forgave us with a view didn’t He?

 

a.       A view to forgive

b.       A view to be thankful

c.       A view to start living – life begins at the cross!

 

D.      His Grace Abounds Greater than Anything We Face (Rom 5:12-15,20)

 

1.        God’s grace is always more than all my sin put together

2.        This is how God proves there hope for me

3.        Yes Jesus saves - But can He keep?

4.        Will my sins ever be more than He can handle?

5.        The answer is a resounding NO!

6.        Aren’t you glad His grace is greater than all our sins?

 

III.     Conclusion

 

A.      This is the Value of Hope – the Importance of Hope

 

1.        God knew how important HOPE would be to people

2.        So He did so many things to show us we can be encouraged, and have a confident hope – a sure hope in Him

3.        Many times, the children of Israel looked to other armies, and other countries to be their hope for a victory, instead of the God of heaven!

4.        Yet the David’s, and Jonathan’s and Gideon’s hoped in God

 

a.       Psalms 38:15  For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.

b.       Psalms 39:7  And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

c.       Psalms 42:5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

d.       Psalms 42:11  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

e.       Psalms 43:5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

f.        Psalms 71:5  For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

g.       Psalms 71:14  But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

h.       Psalms 119:49  Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

i.         Psalms 119:81  My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.

j.         Psalms 119:114  Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

k.       Psalms 130:5  I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

l.         Psalms 130:7  Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

m.      Psalms 131:3  Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.

n.       Psalms 146:5  Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

 

B.       The Meaning of Hope. A desire for something, and a God-promised expectation of obtaining it.

C.       The Necessity of Hope. Without hope, we get cross, grumpy, anxious, frustrated, and defeated! Hope is so vital to life

D.      The Source of Hope – not what we like (Rom 5:2-5)

 

1.        Our Bad Experiences – usually the bad times

2.        Our God of Hope – Thankfully, not just the troubles, but the God that we trust IN the troubles

 

E.       The Enemies of Hope. Definitely not troubles, limitations, hardships, failures

 

1.        Fear is the primary enemy – the devil uses this most often (1Jn 4:18)

2.        Ignorance of the promises of God – only living by the faulty promises of faulty people

3.        Unwillingness to trust the faithfulness of God to His promises

 

F.       How God Proves That There is Hope for Anybody

 

1.        He Gives Us the Most Precious of Gifts (Rom 5:1-5)

 

a.       The Holy Ghost – the presence of God in our lives

b.       His Own Son, Jesus – by coming, God gave us Himself

c.       Direct Access to

d.       Changes in our Life (1Pet 1:6-9,13)

e.       And most importantly, the very love of God,

 

2.        He Personally Died in the Place of the Ungodly (Rom 5:6-8)

3.        He Completely Forgives – without complete forgiveness, there can be no hope – that why forgiveness on our part of each other is so important

4.        His Grace Abounds Greater than Anything We Face (Rom 5:12-15,20)

 

G.       What is all this Hope Good for then?

 

1.        Salvation – of the worst, lowest, farthest from God

2.        Satisfaction - Real Confidence and Encouragement – no matter how bad we feel, or how failed we are – Hope maketh not ashamed!