Stages of Hope
Isaiah chapter 49 verse 23
“then you will know that I am the Lord, those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
In the book of Luke just after the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus – two of Jesus followers give a picture of despair.
Luke 24:12 now the same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus aboput seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along together?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
The stood still, their faces downcast.
Is this not a picture of a person who has lost their hope.
Over the last few weeks in India I saw this face of hopelessness in many peoples faces.
One of the things that made these particular followers of Jesus so downcast is revealed in their subsequent conversation with our Lord Jesus.
“What things.” Jesus asked v 19
“About Jesus of Nazereth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.--------------
Here we see a common pattern following that happens in most human experience.
If you are on a faith journey with Jesus Christ you need to learn this lesson if you have thrown your lot in with Jesus for the long haul.
Firstly there is the sweet taste of riding a spiritual wave a moment when all seems well.
For three years the followers of Jesus had surfed the wave of Spiritual success. They had seen miracles that were so spectacular that there were only distant memories of in Israel histories.
They had heard and read the accounts of Moses and the red sea and Elisha and Elijah and all the Prophets but here in their own lifetime they saw the power of God moving in three dimensional – full colour – life breathing reality.
This spiritually amazing stuff had lead them on a journey of hope.
Hope always is part of the Christian journey –
But one day the gathering storm clouds gathering around Jesus explode into the storm of death they had been threatening all along.
Suddenly the great promise that the ministry of Jesus had bought had crashed around them and all hope has gone.
They stood still, their faces downcast.
What is even more remarkable about these disciples is that they are downcast even though they go on to mention that they have heard about the resurrection –
“How come they don’t believe it.” I think it is to do with – How they expected Jesus was going to bring deliverance to Israel.
“-------- but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”
The ministry of Jesus had raised their Spirits but they began to run ahead of themselves and saw immediate political deliverance being the result of Jesus’ coming.
But God had a completely different plan and that plan would result in deliverance for all of humanity who would receive it.
God was doing something more wonderful – more incredible than these disciples could even begin to understand – even though Jesus had explained it carefully before his death and even though the manner of his death had been prophesied hundreds of years before in scripture.
How often – How often do we get downcast because God apparently has departed from our particular script for him.
I have often wondered why middle aged Christians appear a little rusty and sometimes older Christians can be institutional and apparently need reconvincing about God’s plan of salvation.
I am becoming increasingly convinced it is because we have at times written the script for god and have become downcast when he doesn’t follow it.
With God we need to expect the unexpected.
These disciples could easily have read this scripture and it would have encouraged them greatly:-
Isaiah chapter 49 verse 23
“then you will know that I am the Lord, those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
Those who hope in God will not be disappointed.
I sometimes think when we read those great words from 1 corinthians chapter 13 verse 13 – And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. . . we neglect that hope is up there in the top three.
This morning I want to encourage you that there is great cause for hope in your Christian life and in the life of the church.
I want to do that by looking at three stages of hope and suggesting what you can do at each of these stages.
The first stage is the unseen hope. Romans chapter 4 verse 3 says What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Unseen hope is when we have a vision but none of it is yet realized.
Noah had a vision – God gave it to him it was to make an Ark which was to be a vessel of salvation for his people.
When he was building the ark did he see that hope?
No he did not he built on dry land in faith.
With a word from God and a set of instructions Noah has a difficult task.
But in verse 212 of chapter 6 in Genesis we read the very key to realizing hope.
Verse 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded.
In the many many years of building the Ark do you think Noah ever took his eye of his target??
I don’t think so – his hope in God was so strong that despite all the obstacles he faced Noah kept on building because he had hope.
Many Christians have worked for many years in different callings that God has given them because they have put their hope in God!!!
In Job 6:11-13, Job says: "What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me?"
Jonathan Goforth of Canada was a young man who wanted to go to china to share the Gospel in the 1880’s. but when Jonathan Goforth first entered Knox college, brimming with missionary enthusiasm and anxious to tell everyone about it, his fellow students set him down as a crank. But this did not cool his ardour, and his enthusiasm proved contagious.
When you have unseen hope your dependence needs to be entirely on God and your focus on his vision and call to you.
Here is the thing. This is not just for missionaries – it is for you and me as well.
What is the thing that God wants you to be primarily focused on this year????
Do you know what it might be?
Don’t necessarily look for something complicated or grand.
Being correct is more important than famous or grand or spectacular.
The second type of hope – is emerging hope.
There is a stage in every project where we begin to see our God given dream come to fruition but it is incomplete.
Often in this stage there can be suffering and opposition.
This is where doubters and scoffers will come in and so doubt on the project.
Paul talking to the Corinthians in the book of 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 – And our hope for you is firm, because we know just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
In the midst of the anxiety that can come during a partly completed project comes God’s comfort.
When Nehemiah was halfway through building the walls around Jerusalem he suffered great opposition
Nehemiah had to face many different trials. His doubters were one of his biggest obstacles.
Chapter 6 verse 9 – they were just trying to frighten us, thinking, “their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
If God gives you a job to do He will provide the means to do the job.
What we need to do mid way through God’s project is cry out – “Now strengthen my hands.” And God will strengthen you.
Friends the devil deals in discouragement.
Of course through all these passages we need to realize that we must check and double check that the call is from God. Not just individually but in the wider context of the body of Christ.
Sometimes people suffer because it is not God’s will that they are doing at all but their own will.
An example of this can be seen in the foundation of the church known as the 7th day Adventists.
The Seventh-Day Adventist church traces its roots to American preacher William Miller (1782–1849), a Baptist who predicted the Second Coming would occur between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844. Because he and his followers proclaimed Christ’s imminent advent, they were known as "Adventists."
When Christ failed to appear, Miller reluctantly endorsed the position of a group of his followers known as the "seventh-month movement," who claimed Christ would return on October 22, 1844 (in the seventh month of the Jewish calendar).
Of course since that time many of these churches have become like regular evangelical churches in some situations.
During The second type of hope – emerging hope. Ask God to strengthen your hands. Nehemiah did it and I am sure that Noah must have done it as well many times.
The third stage is realized hope.
There comes a point when our hopes are fulfilled. In Acts 4 verse 32 You can read about the incredible faith and life of the believers as the hope that they had set their hearts on began to be realized in quite a different way than they had at first thought.
V32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 with great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them.
Remember the disillusioned people on the road.
What is the Action point with realized hope?
The action point is keep your eyes on God and His vision.
Many people drop the baton at this point.
Success can breed arrogance and pride. You could suggest that King Solomon fell prey to that as he married so many foreign wives that he ended up
After a glittering Kingship marred by worshipping the foreign gods of his many wives God says through the prophet Ahijah in 2 Kings 31 “See I am going to tear the kingship out of Solomon’s hands ----------“
Why? Because when he realized his vision it went to his head and he fell into sin.
Of course many do not do this.
Remember Goforth of china.
In 1895 he writes.
“I am constrained to say “Glory to God’ in the highest.” For he is gloriously manifesting His divine power these days. During the last five weeks we have had a number of men coming day by day that we have kept up constant preaching on an average of eight hours a day. Wang Fulin, the converted gambler, and opium smoker helps me. We take turns in preaching, never leaving the guestroom without someone to preach morning to night. The men keep coming in increasing numbers. I noticed once today when preaching that the guestroom was filled, while others were listening outside the doors and windows. Almost every time we speak, men seem to be bought under conviction. Men will sit a whole half day at a time listening. Some seem to get so much interested that they seem to forget that they have miles to go after sundown. Interested ones come again and again.
His final word in this passage says this:- “Oh that we may walk humbly before Him, for we have never seen His power on this wise before.”
When your hope is realized this is a great prayer –
“Oh that we may walk humbly before Him,
Three stages of Hope:-
The first stage is the unseen hope. Ðo everything that God commands us to do. Keep your eyes on the vision.
Second type of hope – emerging hope. Ask God to strengthen your hands.Keep your eyes on the vision
Realised hope – Stay humble – thank God for fulfilling the vision and ask him about what is next!!!
Isaiah chapter 49 verse 23
“then you will know that I am the Lord, those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
