The Foundation of Hope

Q: What does the Bible say about hope in God?

The Bible frequently uses hope to describe our relationship with God, signifying an expectation of eternal life and happiness. The concept of hope is woven throughout scripture and is particularly emphasized in our relationship with God. Romans 8:24 explains that we are saved by hope, which is inherently unseen; if we could see it, it would not be hope. This hope is tied to the abundant mercy of God, as noted in 1 Peter 1:3, where we are begotten to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, hope in God is not merely wishful thinking but a confident expectation grounded in the promises of God, especially regarding eternal life and glory as heirs with Christ.

Q: Why is hope important for Christians?

Hope empowers Christians to endure trials and trust in God's promises for eternal life. Hope is a vital component of the Christian faith because it undergirds our ability to persevere through trials and tribulations. Romans 5:3-4 articulates that trials produce patience, and patience brings maturity, which in turn strengthens our hope. This maturing hope not only influences our conduct but also transforms our relationship with God, leading us to be more conscious of His grace and goodness. As believers grow in their understanding and faith, this hope becomes more substantial and fruitful, pointing to the reality of our future with Christ as shared in Philippians 1:6, where we can be assured that God will complete the work He has begun in us.

Q: How do we know God's promises are true?

God's promises are assured through His immutable Word, which does not change or fail. The foundation of our hope lies firmly in the Word of God. Throughout scripture, we see examples where God has assured His people of His promises. In Romans 4, Abraham's faith was not based on what he could see or feel but on what God had spoken. Therefore, the certainty of God's promises comes from His eternal and unchanging Word. Moreover, as the text in Luke 16 illustrates, the rich man's request for a miraculous sign was denied because faith should rest on the scriptures, emphasizing how foundational God's Word is to our belief. It is through the unchanging nature of scripture and the faithfulness of God that we can know His promises are true.

Q: Why is a living hope crucial for believers?

A living hope in Christ assures believers of their eternal life and motivates godly living. The concept of a 'living hope,' as highlighted in 1 Peter 1:3, is central to the Christian experience. This hope is alive because it is anchored in Jesus Christ, who is alive and intercedes for us. Unlike earthly hopes that may disappoint or fade, a living hope invigorates a believer's faith and outlook on life. It compels believers toward sanctification, as articulated in 1 John 3:3, which states that this hope purifies us as we strive to be like Christ. Therefore, a living hope inspires us not only to look forward to our future resurrection and eternal glory but also to live virtuously in the present, reflecting the character of Christ.

Q: What is the connection between hope and faith?

Hope and faith are interconnected, with hope being the expectation of what faith believes. Hope and faith are deeply interconnected in the life of a believer. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, as indicated in Hebrews 11:1, meaning that our hope is built upon the substance of faith. Without faith, hope would lack its foundation and power. John Calvin emphasized that genuine faith will naturally result in hope, rooted in the promises and character of God. Therefore, as our faith matures and we grasp the fullness of God's Word, our hope grows stronger, reinforcing our confidence in God's promises for our future. This dynamic contributes to a believer's experience of grace and leads to a more profound knowledge of God's faithfulness.

Now then, the word of God uses the word hope, hope, frequently. And it uses that word hope in
reference to our relationship with God. I have run into preachers in
the past who have fallen out with people over this word hope. They ask an old believer, Are
you saved? And he replies, I have a good
hope. I have a good hope. And they
don't particularly like that. because they are of the generation
that speaks, I think, proudly and presumptuously in declaring,
I'm as sure as heaven if his eye is already there. But the Bible uses the word hope,
it uses it frequently in reference to our relationship with God
and our prospects, and our prospects for eternal life and eternal
happiness, hope. Let me show you some of them.
Don't turn to these, I want to move quickly because this is
not my main point. But this hope that I have of
eternal life, this hope that I have of eternal happiness and
glory, and to be an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ,
is just that. It's a hope. And you can jot
these down, but don't turn to them. Romans 8.24 says this,
we're saved by hope. But hope that's seen is not hope. For what does a man hope for
if he sees it? What a man sees, what does he
hope for? That's not hope, that's sight. But if we hope for that
which we do not see, oh, we hope for that which we do not see,
then we with faith and patience wait for it. I've never seen heaven. My hope is an unseen hope. I know my Lord arose from the
grave, and I know others have risen from the grave, but I've
never met anyone who's risen from the grave. Have you? I've
never seen anyone. I've never seen heaven's shores.
I've never seen heaven's glories. I've never seen God with my natural
eye. As far as I'm concerned, God
is invisible and unseen. So is heaven. So is my hope. So is my hope. So it's an unseen
hope, isn't that correct? It's an unseen hope. But Peter
said in 1 Peter 1.3, what's this? "...Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a living under a living hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead. My hope, though unseen, is a
living hope, because it's in a living Lord. My hope is not
in a creed. My hope is not in a catechism.
My hope is not in an experience. My hope is not in church membership. My hope is not in my religious
works, in the law. My hope is in him who lives. You know, when they sent for
Christ, Lazarus had died and they sent for Christ, and he
came there, and Mary and Martha were just distraught, grief-stricken,
agonizing. Martha came down and said, if
he had been here, he wouldn't have died. Well, he said, Martha,
he'll rise again. I know he'll rise again in the
resurrection, but this is here and now, she said. He said, Martha, I'm the resurrection. I'm the life. He's my hope. He that believeth on me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. Do you believe this? I have a hope. It's unseen. I'm not going to try to deceive
people and say, I was walking in my garden last night this
morning at 4 o'clock, and God spoke to me. God has never, ever
spoken audibly to me. And I don't believe you can say
he has spoken to you. And I'm not going to stand here
and tell you that I woke last night and at the foot of my bed
there stood Jesus. I'm not going to do that. That's
not right, to do that. My hope is an unseen hope. But
my hope is in a living Lord, a living Lord. He is my resurrection,
he is my life, he is my sanctification, wisdom, righteousness and redemption. It is Christ Jesus the Lord. My hope is not just in him, my
hope is in him. And then this, my hope is a good
hope. Listen to 2 Thessalonians 2.
Now, our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God, even our Father, has
given us everlasting comfort and a good hope, a good hope,
a good hope through grace. My hope is spiritual. These are
heavenly blessings in Christ. I don't base my relationship
with God on my physical, material blessings. My relationship with God is in
Christ. He is my living hope. It's an
unseen hope, it's a living hope, but it's a good hope. You know
why it's a good hope? Because it's through grace. Now, if this
hope depended on me, it wouldn't be a good hope. I'm too subject to change. I'm too subject to things about
me and things in me. These things affect me. They
change me. They influence me. My hope wouldn't
be a good hope if it rested on me. My hope wouldn't be a good hope
if it rested on my works, because my works are too flimsy. They're
too fickle. They're too fleshly, aren't they?
I want to glorify God, but it's impossible for me in the flesh
totally, perfectly to glorify God in what I do. I'd like to
preach this sermon for the glory of God, but I can't help but
think, well, what will they think, or how will I come across, or
so forth. That's just human nature. When
you sing, you want to sing for the glory of God, but you can't
help but think, well, I hope my voice doesn't crack. Sure
you do. Why? When we give, I'd like to give
totally what I give for the glory of God, but I can't help it if
a thought comes into my mind I could use it somewhere else.
That's just fact, isn't it? So if my hope depends on my works,
I'm a goner, because my works are too shabby. In fact, my righteousness
is a filthy rag. So my hope is a good hope. It's
unseen. God has not seen fit to wait
any places for me lately, has he you? God has not seen fit to appear
to me lately or say anything. I have his word. But it's unseen. But thank God it's living. It's
a living hope. Christ is living. He lives. He lives. And I have a good hope
because it's strictly a gift of God. It's a good hope. If I had to earn it, buy it,
merit it, it would be no good. And then I'll tell you this,
dear folks, and this may be encouraging to you since I am your pastor
and I preach to you every Sunday, mine is a growing hope. It's
getting better every day. Romans 5, 3 through 4 says this,
we know that trials produce patience. I hope I'm getting a little. And patience develops maturity. I pray that I'm growing up. And maturity produces what? Hope. Maturity, maturity, experience
produces hope. In other words, this hope is
growing stronger and stronger every day. Isn't it, Cecil? It
really does, doesn't it? How about John? Jim? It gets stronger, doesn't it?
Oh, yeah, sure does. It gets stronger every day. You
see, trials produce patience, and patience produces experience,
which is maturity, and maturity produces hope. As we grow older in Christ and
older in the Word and older in the faith, we don't have any
more tendency to trust the flesh, but less. You read the article I had in
the Bulletin recently by one of the old writers who said that
he hoped when he reached a certain age that he would be better,
and when he reached that age he said, well, I began as a sinner
and I'll die as a sinner. But it's a growing faith, a maturing
faith. It gets stronger, and that good
hope gets stronger. And then it's an influential
hope. First John 3 says this, and every
man that had this hope in him, this unseen but living hope,
this good hope through grace, this maturing hope, he purifies
himself, even as Christ is pure. In other words, this hope is
an influential hope. It has a positive effect on my
conduct. It has a positive effect on my
conversation. It has a positive effect on my
attitude. I don't claim to be getting more
holy. I'm perfectly holy in Christ. But I'm getting more God-conscious
and more sin-conscious every day, and more conscious of the
desire for his presence and his power and his glory. Can you
enter into that? Is that clear what I've been
saying? Can you enter into that? My hope is an unseen hope. Now let's just face facts. Don't
make up anything. Don't make up anything. Let's
deal honestly. It's no use... You know, we started
as little children, play-like, when we were about four years
old. Play-like, you're this, and play-like, I'm that. But
we're not, we're just playing-like. So let's don't do that. There's
no place here for play-like. It's an unseen hope. But it's
a living hope. And it's a good hope, because
it's by the grace of God. And it's growing better now than
it was five years ago, stronger. And it's influencing me to look
to him more. But let me ask you this question.
Let me follow with this question, myself and you too. There must be in us, there must
be in us one great reason for this hope. There must be in you
one great reason, I mean several contributing factors, but one
great reason, one great motivating principle, one great sure foundation
for such a magnificent hope. We're talking about a magnificent
hope, a magnificent hope. We're talking about the hope
of all hope, to be like Christ, to live with God, to reign with
him eternally, a confident hope. What is that great principle,
that great foundation, that motivating force, if you could go to one
thing and say, this is the major reason for my hope. Is it your feeling? Is it feeling? Is it, do you
have such a good hope because you feel like you're saved? There's
a lot of emphasis on that today. Oh, there's a lot of emphasis
on feeling good, on being saved. Do you have such a good hope
because you have a good, strong hope based on your feeling? I
feel, I feel the spirit in my bones. I feel, oh, sometimes
all I feel is bones. Oh. Sometimes I feel good and other
times I don't feel so good. Sometimes I'm happy and sometimes
I'm sad. Sometimes I'm weary and sometimes
I'm glad. Feelings come and feelings go
and feelings are deceiving. Oh, you have a hard day and things
don't go right. So that's not my great foundation. Well, let me ask you this. You
have a great motivating factor or foundation for your hope.
Is it your spirituality? Is it your spirituality? Your
obedience to God's laws and God's commands? I know a lot of folks
that rest their hope on that. In fact, a lady wrote me just
recently, and she said, if anybody gets a payday, I will. Yeah,
we'll get a payday. Wages are going to be paid off.
Wages of sin and death. God is going to pay them. Somebody said to me one time,
well, if my mother is not in heaven, nobody is. She was a
good woman. Is that your basic foundation? Oh, no. I want to walk in obedience
before God, and I do love his law, I love his commandments,
but I have no personal goodness, do you? I have no personal goodness.
I have to say with Paul, oh, wretched man that I am. The things
I would do, I don't do. The things I would not do, I
do. There's a warfare, constant warfare. So that's not my, that's
not the reason for my hope. Then let me ask you this. Maybe
it's your faith. I've run into a lot of this.
Well, I know I'm saved because I was there when it happened.
You ever run into that? In fact, I got a letter that
said that recently. This person was converted at a certain age,
now in their seventies, and this was back when they were in their
teens, and they said, that moment is just as real today as it was
then. Yeah, that's true, it is. But it may
not be of God. I've had a lot of moments in
my life that are real. I remember when I went and, you
remember, you fellow joined the Navy Army? Boy, that's as real
as it was the day it happened. They said, you'll be sorry. I
said, I'm already sorry. And I remember when I got out,
whew, boy, I was happy. I went home from Memphis, Tennessee
in my feet, never touched the ground. I said, glad they throw
those shackles off. But that's not salvation. Experience
is not salvation. I believe God, I believe Christ,
I trust Christ to be my Savior, but my faith is not strong enough
to rest in. It's not strong enough to rest
in. I don't want to hope based on my faith. I say, O God, I do believe, but
help my unbelief, don't you? Faith is not my foundation of
hope. No, sir. I suppose I'm one of
those to whom Christ would say, O ye of little faith, wherein
did you die? He said that to his disciples.
He'd have to say it to me every day. Wherein did you die? Wherein did you die? I don't
know, Lord. I just wish I believed like I ought to believe. So I
can't rest my hope on my faith. Let me ask you this. Is it your Christian works? My
works? I have no works. When I've done
all that I can do, I'm just an unprofitable servant. Well, then
what is the one great principle, factor, foundation? You know
what it is? It's the Word of God. That's it. That's it. That's the one, that's the one
foundation. His Word, his precious, unchanged. Everything else changes, change
and decay, and all around I see, this never changes. It's his
precious, unchanging word. That's what Abraham found. I'll
let you turn to this scripture in Romans 4. Listen to this. Here's a man of faith, here's
a man of hope, here's a man of God, here's the pattern of the In verse 17 of Romans 4, as it
is written, I have made you a father of many nations, before him whom
he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things
which be not as though they were unseen. My resurrection, my glorification,
my entrance into the kingdom of God is not, but it is. God calls those things which
are not, as though they already were. And here he is talking
to a man who doesn't even have a son, who's ninety-some odd
years old, and his wife has to age of bearing children, and
he's telling them to look at the heavens and count the stars,
and he says, that's how many seeds you're going to have. And
this man doesn't even have an heir. God's talking about what's
going to be as though it already had happened. Verse 18, Abraham, against hope,
human hope, I've been talking about our works and righteousness
and faith and all these things, there's no hope in that. But
against hope, there was no hope in Savior having a child either.
He believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations
according to that which was spoken. Not what he felt, not what he
saw, but what God said. That was the supreme, John, that
was the only foundation on which this man had hope. He was against
all other signs, and these preachers always talk about signs and all
this sort of thing. They don't know what they're
talking about. If we trust his word, we might see some things,
but we're not going to see some things in order to make us trust
his word. Isn't that right? According to that which was spoken,
so shall our seed be. And being not weak in faith,
he considered not his own body, now dead, when he was a hundred
years old, nor yet the deadness of Sarah's womb, he staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief. But he was strong in
faith, giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that he
could get the job done. that he followed God, God would
bless him. No, sir. What God had promised,
God was able to perform. That's my hope. That's my foundation,
what God has promised. I don't hope for anything he
hasn't promised, but I hope for everything he has promised. Therefore, verse 22, it was imputed
to him the righteousness. That was not written for his
sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom
it shall be imputed, if we believe on him who raised up Jesus our
Lord from the dead. Do you believe? Turn to another
scripture, Luke 16. Listen to this, Luke 16. I want you to look at verse 27.
I'm not going to read all of this. story, because you are
quite familiar with it. So let's just begin at verse
27. This is the rich man in hell, Luke 16, verse 27. He said, I
pray thee, therefore, father Abraham, that thou wouldst send
Lazarus to my father's house. I have five brethren, and that
he may testify unto them, lest they should come to this place
of torment. And Abraham said to him, They have the word of
God. Isn't that what Moses and the
prophets is? Isn't that correct, gentlemen?
They have the word of God. They have Moses and the prophets.
They have the writings of scripture. Let them hear them. Oh, no, he
said, that's not the way to do it. Nay, Father Abraham, but
if a miracle happened, if one went to them from the dead, If
you raise Lazarus and send him back and he preached to them,
well, they'd repent, they'd believe. And he said to them, if they
hear not the word of God, neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead. You see, this thing of persuasion
and conviction and conversion and quickening and regeneration
and revelation and faith by the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing,
hearing by the Word of God. That's the reason I go to great
trouble to read a lot of scripture and go verse by verse and teach
the Word. Because God's promised that his
Word would not return void. It would accomplish that which
glorified him and that which he pleases. And it's the Word
that convinces a man of sin. It's the word that comforts the
heart of the believer. It's the word that rejoices the
believer. It's the word that's the foundation of our faith.
How do I know that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners?
I don't know it because I feel it. I don't know it because my forefathers
believed it. I know it because God said it.
How do I know God reigns? He says so. How do I know God's
merciful and gracious? He says so. How do we know we
have an advocate? He said so. How do I know the
dead shall rise? He said so. This is my foundation. I want to show you one other
scripture now, Luke 24. This is so interesting, and then we'll
have Bridget sing for us. Luke 24. Here are two disciples. Our Lord
had died on the cross and had been buried and risen again,
and they hadn't seen Luke 24, verse 13, And behold,
two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which
was from Jerusalem, about threescore furlongs," that's about 7 or
8 miles. A furlong is 220 yards, about 7 or 8 miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all
these things which had happened. And it came to pass while they
communed together and reasoned that Jesus himself drew near
and went with them. But their eyes were holding that
they should not know him. They didn't recognize him. He
had risen from the grave and they didn't recognize him. And
he said to them, What manner of communications are these that
you have one to another as you walk in a saccade? Now, here
are two believers, here are two disciples. Their world has caved
in. It's falling apart. They're so
depressed and disappointed and sad, and they're walking along,
and our Lord comes to them. How does he encourage them? I
want you to watch this. How does he encourage them? How
does he raise their hopes, their spirits, and bless their hearts?
What's he going to do? He asks them, why are you sad?
In verse 18, one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him
and said, Are you a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known
the things which are come to pass there in Jerusalem in these
days? And he said to them, what things?
And they said concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet,
mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how
the chief priest and our rulers delivered him to be condemned
to death and crucified him. But we trusted, uh-oh, that it
had been he which should have redeemed Israel." We've got our
doubts now. Oh, they had the problem too,
didn't they? We thought that he was the one. And besides all
this, today is the third day since these things were done.
He said he'd rise on the third day, but we hadn't seen him.
I feel for him, don't you? Now, we've heard also of our
company made us astonished, which were earlier at the sepulchre,
and then they found out his body saying, They came saying that
they had also seen a vision of angels which said that he was
alive. And certain of them which were
with us went to the sepulchre and found it even so as the women
had said, but him they saw not." They didn't see him. How is he
going to deal with them? How is he going to comfort them? Then he said unto them, O fools
and slow of heart to believe the scriptures, all that the
prophets have spoken. Did not the prophets write, Ought
not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his
glory? And beginning at Moses and all
the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the
things concerning himself." Isn't that enlightening? They were
down, down, down. And he didn't give them a pep
talk. He didn't perform a miracle. He opened the scriptures. He
said, Why are you sad? Why do you doubt? Believe what
is written. And he responded the scriptures
to them. They drew now unto the village
wherewithal they were going, and he made as though he would
go on further. But they constrained him, saying, Stay with us, it
is toward evening, and the day is far spent. So he went in to
tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat
at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake it,
and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew
him. But he gave them the scriptures
first, and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one
to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked
with us by the way, and opened to us the scriptures?" What made
their hearts burn? The scriptures. That's right. And then he appeared to all of
them together, down here in verse 36. And as they thus spake, Jesus
himself stood in the midst of them and said, Peace be unto
But they were scared to death, they were terrified, frightened,
as if they had seen a spirit. In verse 38, he said, "...while
your trouble, while your thoughts arise in your hearts, behold,
my hands and my feet, it is I myself. Handle me and see a spirit, have
not flesh and bones as you see me have." And when he had thus
spoken, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they yet
believed not for joy and wondered, he said, "...well, do you have
any meat here?" And they gave him a piece of boiled fish and
honeycomb, and he took it and ate it. Then he said, These are
the words which I have spoken to you while I was with you,
that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law
of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me.
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the
scriptures." If I could do anything today, for me or for you, I'd
get all of our confidence and hope and rest and trust out of
anything and everything but Christ and his word. Because that's
a good hope. I believe God's word. I believe
my God, don't you? And I'm not going to allow these
things that come and go to take me away from him. It shall be
exactly as he spoke. That's what Paul said on that
sinking ship. Sirs, I believe God, that it shall be exactly
as he said it to me. That's my foundation and my hope.

The Foundation of Hope

What does the Bible say about hope in God?

Why is hope important for Christians?

How do we know God's promises are true?

Why is a living hope crucial for believers?

What is the connection between hope and faith?

Sermon Transcript

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The Foundation of Hope

What does the Bible say about hope in God?

Why is hope important for Christians?

How do we know God's promises are true?

Why is a living hope crucial for believers?

What is the connection between hope and faith?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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