Hope Revived
PPT 1
Tonight my topic is hope I have a lot to cover so let me briefly outline for you how this is going to go.
First I will define hope from the worlds perspective
Then we will look at 5 kinds of hope in the scriptures
Then we will look one scripture in particular that talks about hope deferred.
I will discuss 2 areas in a Christians life where hope can be deferred.
I will also talk about the 3 dangers of deferred hope
I will try to wrap up with some encouragement.
Here we go
PPT 2
Definition of hope: The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out well.
Worldy hope is a combination of wanting and expecting. It is a little bit more than wishful thinking. There is an inkling that you will get what you are wanting.
Biblical hope is very different than worldly hope, and that is why I am taking the time to show you a little of the difference.. Here are the 5 types of biblical hope:
PPT 3
1. Experential hope.
Experiential hope is optimism in my current circumstance, because of what I have experienced God do in my other circumstances.
Ro 5:3 And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Ro 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Ro 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
PPT 4
2. Unshakeable hope. A reservoir of strength in life's storms.
Unshakeable hope is hope that provides a solid anchor, securely fastened for the strongest storms of life. "When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand". (The Solid Rock by Edward Mote)
Heb 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a [hope] both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
Heb 6:20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Your hope is fastened someplace the devil can't get his grubby little hands on it.
PPT 5
3. The Blessed Hope. The absolute guarantee that Jesus will come again and things will be wonderful.
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
PPT 6
4. Hope that is a permanent work of the Spirit
This type of hope is a fruit of the Spirit, that all believers can always expect.
1Co 13:13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
In chapter 13 Paul is contrasting gifts of the Spirit with love. In effect he says the gifts will ultimately pass away. But that 3 things would always be availabe from God, faith, hope and love.
PPT 7
5. Hope that reflects personal desires.
The bible would call this type of hope the desires of your heart.
Pr 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but [when] the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life.
There it is in a nutshell, the 5 types of hope, now I want to shift gears and talk more at length of the 5th type of hope personal desires, and what can happen when they are deferred.
Two areas where a Christian is likely to encounter hope being deferred.
Personal desires. For example Abraham and a Child. Or perhaps someone seeking a spouse. Or a desire to travel. Any kind of personal thing someone wants has the potential if deferred to, as the text says, make the heart sick.
Spiritual desires. David wanted to build God a temple, God said no. Daniel wanted to see the people of Israel back in their home land, they did get to go, but he never saw it in this life. Sometimes people want to do something for the Lord, or see a child come to Christ, this type of spiritual desires when deferred can also lead to a sick heart.
PPT 8 text
Isa 49:2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
The interesting part of this text is the fact that a person had been prepared for (public?) speaking, had been made into a finely crafted arrow through a season of polishing, but then had been stuck in the quiver, and seemingly shelved.
The word translated Hid in the text is the Hebrew word kawbaw and one of its definitions is - to be forced into hiding.
John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mothers womb and waited. He only had about 6 months of public ministry. Filled and waiting.
Jesus waited, at 12 he astounded people in Jerusalem, then he had 18 silent years.
Joseph waited in God's quiver after getting wonderful dreams of great success.
David waited while a demon tortured king ruled Israel.
Moses waited.
A season of waiting is not the exception, but the norm for those whom God would use. Unfortunately many cannot handle that and so they get a sick heart, and give up in frustration, and never follow through on God given dreams.
The 3 Dangers of deferred Hope
These 3 dangers are progressive in the dangers they pose.
PPT 9
1. Depression
This is the simplest meaning of the text in Proverbs where it is called a sick heart.
PPT 10
2. Hindered Prayer Life
A sick heart is sick in more than one way. A dangerous result of hope deferred is that some people turn from God in that situation.
PPT 11 (Operating Room)
3. It provides an opening for a spiritual infection.
Germs get in through wounds
Doctors are more concerned about infection than splitting your sternum open.
Hope deferred can be like a cut in a person's spirit, and if they are not careful an infection of temptation can slip in through that wound.
Hope deferred has led to many a single person taking up with the spawn of the devil.
Be careful in a season of depression that you don't go looking for solace in all the wrong places.
Hope deferred has led to many returning to alcohol and drugs.
Let me wrap this up with some encouragement.
PPT 12 (Lone plant coming up through parched earth)
Ge 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
You are probably wondering what in the world that text has to do with this message. I want you to visualize it for a moment and then I think you will see there is great hope and promise in that scripture.
In Genesis 1&2 is the story of creation. God creates light, animals, vegetation, man etc. But He didn't create a garden, He planted one. That is a very important distinction. Almighty, all powerful God stooped to plant a garden, when He could have simply said: "let there be a garden." And the next verse would have said, "and there was a garden, evening and morning were the ___ day."
Why did God plant a garden? Picture Him doing it in your mind. He takes a seed, carefully moves the dirt around and places the seed in the ground. Then He causes it to be watered, the plants grow and He takes great pleasure in what He sees happening.
In other words God enjoys bringing forth life in barren places. He enjoys making beauty out of dirt. Your personal desires and hopes may seems like arid and parched ground, with little or no vegetation. You may be thinking nothing good will ever happen in this ground. I want to say to you that God takes great pleasure in making desert lands bloom. (Deut. 32:20; Isa 35:1; 35:6; 41:19; 43:20; and my personal favorite: Isa 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.)
God creates beauty from nothing. Illustrate with dirt and flower.
The things you hope for are important to God! Here are two great verses for you to close this message:
PPT 13
Ro 4:18 When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he [couldn't] do but on what God said he [would] do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!" (Msg version)
PPT 14
Ps 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
