Sermon Central
-
Turn Up Your Hope
Contributed by Modupe Adefala on May 31, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: Hope is central to Christianity. Hope leads us to God and hope sustains us in Christ. The outbreak of war, disease, financial and emotional distress, has filled the air with despair, but God wants His people to hope in Him.
Turn on Your Hope
Scripture reading:
Psalm 33:12-22 (Mercy and Hope)
John 12: 24 – 28 (Jesus troubled)
2 Corinthians 4: 6-11 (Paul troubled)
Roman 5: 1 – 5 ( Justified by faith and brought into hope that makes not ashamed)
Romans 15:13 (Overflowing hope)
In Psalm 33 verse 18 David says God’s ever watchful eyes are on those who fear Him and those who hope on His mercy. In verse 22 of the same chapter he therefore prayed that God’s mercy should be upon Him to the ’degree’ in which his hope is placed in the Lord! This means that we can switch on and control the ’intensity’ of our hope in God as an act of will, Just like we switch on our gas or electric burner or television !
God is definitely rich in mercy. However, we hold the ’volume control’ in our lives. Just as the children of Israel limited God through unbelief in the wilderness, we can also limit God’s mercy that flows to us by how much we hope in God!
"May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing--through the experience of your faith--that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing(bubbling over) with hope." -- Romans 15:13( The Amplified Bible)
You know, that’s what I want to be...overflowing with hope! I want to dare to throw my whole life and everything I have into building a dream that comes from the heart of God. I want to get out there so far that without God’s help, I can’t get back.
What is Hope?
Hope is the anchor for the human soul. It is the ‘stage’ on which we act! Actors/entertainers come and go but the stage is permanent!
Hope comes from seeing things from God’s perspective – Abram, Sarah, David, Elijah, Elisha, The Widow, etc. Jeremiah 29:11
Hope never fails:
Hope is like a switch. It brings in light (a word) from God and dispels darkness! It does not matter how dark it may be. God’s word will make a difference! You only need to locate the right switch.
It does not matter how deeply sunk you are, if you dare to hope, there will be a way out for you! Hope never fails! – Joseph in the prison………….. Genesis 37, 39 – 41 tells me of a man who dared to keep hope alive.
God can change what seems unchangeable – Mathew 9 (Woman with issue of blood).
- She saw past the limitations of the doctors’ judgement.
- She mustered the strength to touch the fountain of life.
- Hope kept her going in spite of the sentence of death that was hanging on her.
- She literarily transferred her weakness to Jesus and obtained everlasting strength.
- She was untouchable to men but to God ACCEPTABLE!
- Jesus stops for those who dare to hope!
Many people don’t hope because they’re afraid to fail.
Luke 1:20. - Zacharias was barren, had prayed and waited on God and nothing happened. He therefore lost it! Even the appearance of an Angel could not help him.
You have lost nothing until you lose hope!
Zacharias did not want to start believing God for a child when it was ‘rather late in the day’. He could not dare to hope against hope like Abram. His switch of faith had been destroyed.
Even his service in the temple was mere routine. He thought it was okay just being a good priest.
He was punished for losing hope. He could not speak, he could not testify, He could see it, but was not allowed to say it – You have to believe to speak.
God does not want His promises to rot away. If it is yours, you need to get it!
You can not have faith without hope. Hope is the shell of faith! Faith fills the hollow created by hope. No hope, no faith. If you can not see it, you can not say it. Hope is the inner eye with which we see things being made possible by God and faith is the voice by which we call the things we see into reality.
Fear of failure is dangerous. If you let it dominate you, it will cause you to do the one thing that inevitably guarantees failure and that’s not attempting at all. Fear paralyses.
You have to confront your fear to control your fear! Fear drains energy. It is a negative spend! You are already defeated before you start, you have no chance of winning. Every time God or His angel appeared to man, He declares “Fear Not!” Why, because you don’t have to. Fear does not develop your spiritual muscle, it destroys it.
How do you counteract the fear of failure?
