“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV
Essential #2: Hope
“When hope is crushed, the heart is crushed…” Proverbs 13:12 GNT
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15 NIV
What is Hope?
Noun: the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
Verb: to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.
Hebrew (Qawah): the confident expectation of the faithfulness and promises of God.
How to Have Real Hope
- Real hope starts with understanding the trustworthiness of the Bible
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 NIV
M: Manuscripts
A: Archeology
P: Prophecy
S: Science
- Real hope grows as we learn what God has done and promised
“May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:74 NIV
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 NIV
- Real hope secures you by believing in the resurrection of Jesus
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV
- The Resurrection is the assurance of forgiveness
- The Resurrection is the assurance of eternal life
- Real hope keeps you stable in an unstable world
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19 NIV
- An anchor keeps from drifting
- An anchor keeps you stable in the storm
- Real hope reminds you that this life is not the end and the best is yet to come
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3 NIV