The Boldness of Hope
Romans 5:5 NKJ
5Now 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.
Hope defined: the feeling of wanting something to happen and thinking that it could happen : a feeling that something good will happen or be true
What we find Paul talking about here is hope..a confidence that only God can give
God wants you to have a confident expectation of good..
because He is favor minded when it comes to His children!
If you think He is biased towards you..you'd be right
He is...because, "He Loves you"
You won't find this way of thinking in the world..
I challenge you to surf the Chanel's on your TV..
It's hard to find hope on display for all to see..
That's why a show about making duck calls..
about some backwoods bearded men..their wives
and their children
who just happen to love The Lord and send out a positive message
about family, life and God..
Is the most watched program on the station that broadcast them..Because they offer Hope..and a positive message..
And when you look at them..one could easily think they might not
deserve all the fame and publicity they receive..
Guess What?
The way you look doesn't have anything to do with it..
It's the condition of the heart..and their always quick to give
God all the glory for everything they have..
Truth is..does anyone deserve to have the goodness and favor
that God freely gives..to whosoever will accept His Son as
Lord and Saviour of their life..
You don’t have to do anything to deserve God’s favor, and that’s one of the hardest things to accept..about Gods goodness and Favor.
The fact that you don’t have to do anything..sometimes is hard to comprehend..
I was talking with a long time friend the other day..a good Christian man
Who has probably been saved for 50 yrs..
And he is still trying to grasp this..he still thinks that there has to be more to do than just Accepting Jesus to qualify you for the benefits and
Promises that are available to someone who just chooses to believe!
He felt like there just has to be something else you have to do to keep and maintain..what God freely gives you at Salvation...
And this is what we told him..this is what we should tell everyone!
He wants you to always be expecting nothing less than His Best from Him..
just for no other reason, because your one of His own!!
Colossians1:26-29 MSG
26-29This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open.
God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing.
The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory.
It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message.
We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity.
To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.
That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.”
That is an amazing scripture..the Apostle Paul says, "keep it simple"
we try to make sharing the gospel complicated
Here it says to be mature is to be basic..
The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory
Gods glory is amazing..but you can't share in it until you know the Christ..
the word Christian gets it's origination from..
And the world..your world..is not going to find out unless you tell them
about it first..
Well I can't tell them..I don't get out all that much..and this is
and that is..and I would, but....
Wouldn't you agree..that Gods Glory and the story of the Gospel is worth being repeated?...time is short friends..
We hold in our possession the knowledge of life and death..
You could say..that we are the decider
Do we share Jesus or don't we?
Church..God has given us an awesome responsibility
And one day we will be held accountable for what we did with it...
Romans 1:16-17 MSG
It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”
Another amazing thing about this scripture is, that Paul wrote it while he was in jail.
Because Christ is in you and you have the hope of glory..
you can expect the glory of God to shine not to just in one area of your life..
but into every area of your life, including your family, job, ministry, health and finances, your everything!
Everything and anything that your associated with?.. now THATS HOPE!!
That's real hope… The kind a hope that the whole world
needs to get a hold of and never let go of.. Amen?
God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing.
God’s Word says, “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.”
And it is an "Amazing Hope" given from and "Amazing God"
Who deserves all our Praise! Amen?
Come on now...
In the past, you may have experienced disappointed hopes..
Who hasn't? Just because you have experienced them
Doesn't mean you have to keep reliving them!!
THERE is a HOPE that does not disappoint when you are conscious of how much God loves you...
No matter what you face in your life..."it's the peace that passes all understanding" that will see you safely through to the winners circle..
Each and Every time!
The kind of Hope were talking about this morning, is “a hope that springs from the heart of God,” who loves you unconditionally
It's the ULTIMATE HOPE and He is willing to back it up, with His unearned, unmerited Favor that He freely gives to His children, through Jesus His Son!!!
Did you know...the first mention of the Holy Spirit in the book of Romans...
is tied up with the love of God.
And the first thing the Holy Spirit lets us know..
is the amazing fact of how God Truly loves us?
Many people think that the Holy Spirit came to teach us about power..
and there is "amazing power" to be found in the Holy Spirit!
But the truth is, that the Holy Spirit came not to reveal the love for power..
but the power of love!
And that's what the world needs to hear and realize..
I"ll say it again..that's what the world needs to hear and realize..
Let Gods Love saturate your circumstance and know..
there is nothing that is to big..or to small that He not only
can’t help you through..but wants to help you through! Amen?
Things are always going to happen...that’s just the way life is
but because you know and are aware how much God loves you...
You know that no matter what happens and I mean no matter what..
He is always working all things together for your good..
That means every single solitary thing that happens to you
In your life..He's taking them all and shaking them together
and sculpting them into something beautiful for you!! Amen??
But you don't know my story..there have been a lot of bad things
happen to me..God can still turn it around for you and Jesus is the key
When you accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life..it activates
The new covenant of Grace God freely offers to whosoever comes..
And with it every promise He ever made..Jesus finished work on the cross GUARANTEES..for you in your life
Everything..think about it.
Everything that happens to you..God is aware of it and Is using it
To bring about good things in your life..
That's why when you believe that God loves you..
you can have a positive expectation of good things
happening in and around you..On a consistent basis
Right now, a week from now, ten years from now...
You will always have a hope that does not disappoint..
So be careful what you hope for because you are bound to get it!
So many people in this world..complain about how hard life is
and we should be quick to tell them..it doesn't have to be!
Life with God should be easy and light, not hard, burdensome or full of stress
Matthew 11:28 NKJ
28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
It should give comfort to us to know that Jesus..
sees the cares we carry in our hearts.
*He knows the worries you have..
*He feels the heaviness in your heart as you struggle
*Everything that you have had or will ever experience..
He already has been there..done that and conquered it.
Matthew 11:29–30 NKJ
28. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
MSG Bible says it this way.
Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.
I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly."
He says to you, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus wants to give you rest. And He says that the way you receive rest is to be yoked with Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
He wants to give you Hope that will not disappoint you, and He wants you to experience a rest like you never have experienced before...
A sweet slumber if you will.
That’s where some people have the hard time, it's with the resting part..
The total reliance alone on nothing but Gods Word and His Promise..
They think they have to be doing something all the time, to help control the outcome.
When the truth is, Jesus already has done it all..
The Bible calls Jesus work, His finished work, not His halfway completed work.
We only make it harder on ourselves..when we don’t REST on His Finished Work!!!!
Think of how much less stress we would have..if we only depended on His finished work
Not right living..only right believing for a change..
The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory.
It will never be about doing and living right..because none of us are capable of living right
Instead it's all about only believing that He is our qualification..
He is the key to our hope and happiness
Right now the accuser is trying to steal this word.. I
and he is telling you..
But God has given me this heavy burden..that is weighing heavily on my heart
Are you sure that it's from God???
Let me tell you, if the burden is heavy, it ain’t from God because Jesus said that His burden is light.
Romans 5:3-5 MSG
3-5 There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
No matter what happens..we should continue to shout His praise..
Our Victory is in our Praise!!
TBS "He inhabits our Praise"
Because it's not a matter of if..but only a matter of when..
He is going to turn anything and everything around in our lives
and use it to pour us out a blessing that we can't contain...
And literally, every hour of every day..We should expect it..
It's not being greedy..because God is willing to give you
as much as you can believe Him for!
TBS. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Don't be afraid of expecting and setting the bar to high for God..
His word says too..
Like the woman in the story with the cruze of oil..
There was more blessing than she had containers..
Did she make the blessing..NO
All she did at best..was watch it flow and to try
to temporarily contain it
Just like you want great things for your own children, how much more does God want GREATER THINGS for His...
TBS it gives Him great pleasure..giving things to us
I don't know about you..but I like doing things that give me pleasure
Guess What....SO DOES GOD!
Do you know how important you are to God?
Most people don't..because if they did
A lot more people would be walking in Victory in their life today..Amen?
He cares so much about every detail of your life.
He cares about your thoughts..
Your feelings..
and emotions..
There is nothing about you that He doesn't know and care about!!!
In fact, what you are going through is so important to Him..
that TBS. He records every sorrow and collects every tear you have ever shed.
Why would God record your sorrows and collect your tears?
It’s because He loves you so much.
I'll close with this..
Illus.
“Grandpa walked into the family room and found his little grandson, Jeffy, standing up in his playpen, crying.
“He looked so pitiful, standing there in his little baseball T-shirt and diaper. His face was red and tear-stained from crying. When Jeffy saw his grandpa, his face lit up in a way that smote the old man’s heart. He immediately reached up his chubby little hands in supplication.
“Out Papa, out!”
“What grandpa could resist such a plea? Not this one! He walked over to the playpen and reached down to lift his little buddy out of captivity and distress.
“Just then, however, Law and Order stepped into the room.
“Jeffy’s mother walked out of the kitchen with a dishtowel in her hand and spoke sternly. “No, Jeffy! You are being punished. You have to stay in bed! Leave him right there, Dad.”
“Oh, fine. Now what’s a grandpa to do? His grandson’s tears and reaching little hands tugged mightily at his heart- but he didn’t want to interfere with a mother’s discipline either.
“He couldn’t stand staying in the same room with the boy, reading his newspaper and pretending to be aloof. Nor could he turn around and walk out the door without feeling like a betrayer to his little pal. What could he do?
“Love found a way.
“Since Grandpa couldn’t take Jeffy out of the playpen, he climbed in with him. “If you’re in the playpen, Buddy, I’m in the playpen. What’s your sentence? How long are you in for?” And finding a big, jolly grandpa suddenly filling his little prison cell, the little boy found comfort even in his captivity.”
There is nothing we will ever face..
That Gods Love is not willing to embrace with us
and help us overcome and turn around and use it to bless us..Amen?
Romans 8:37 NKJ
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Put all your Hope and Faith in Him today and find sweet rest in
His unending ability..
To fulfill every promise that Jesus went to the cross to obtain for you
To have the ABUNDANT LIFE He created just for you
Amen?
Let's pray
