INTRODUCTION:
In the classic Dr. Seuss story, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the Grinch comes upon a sinister plan to stop Christmas from coming to Whoville. Once the last Who in Whoville had gone to sleep on Christmas Eve the Grinch disguised as Saint Nick sneaks into every house in the village taking everything that has to do with Christmas. The Grinch steals the presents, the food, the stockings, the decorations and even the tree. The Grinch won’t even leave a crumb fit for a mouse. Oh yes, “you’re a mean one Mr. Grinch!”
As the Grinch climbs the mountain with all the Christmas bounty he is positively pleased that he has ruined Christmas for all the Whos in Whoville; no one will be happy this Christmas morning! The Grinch listens to hear the sound of children crying, but. . .
"Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming it came!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his Grinch feet ice-cold in the snow
Stood puzzling and puzzling: ’How could it be so?’
’It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
’It came without packages, boxes or bags!’
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
’Maybe Christmas’, he thought ’doesn’t come from a store.
’Maybe Christmas.... perhaps .. means a little bit more’."
Christmas without presents? Indeed Christmas must mean something more. The song says, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” but what does Christmas really look like? If we take away the ribbons and bows, the tinsel and holly—if candy canes and mistletoe, Santa and reindeer, the lights, the trees, carolers and snow—if everything we can touch, taste, see and hear about Christmas is taken away, then what do we have left?
Someone has said, “Christmas is not about presents but presence—His presence.” Jesus is Emmanuel—God with us. Christmas makes it possible for God’s presence to fill our hearts and lives, and with His presence with have everything we need.
One of the greatest gifts His presence gives us is HOPE. Could it be the Whos in Whoville could sing because the hope within their hearts could never be taken away? Let’s take a few moments to unwrap God’s gift of hope—H-O- P-E. As we do may we discover this Christmas a hope that cannot be diminished or taken away.
• Romans 15:12-13 (NIV)
And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." [13] May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
HOPE—Heaven Sent.
Real hope is not of this world. Real hope—a hope that will never disappoint you and can’t be taken away is heaven sent. Real hope is a gift from God. Real hope has a name; His name is Jesus! Jesus is our hope!
• Romans 15:12 (MsgB)
And Isaiah’s word: There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse, breaking through the earth and growing tree tall, tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!
God delivered on His promise. The words of the prophet Isaiah found their fulfillment in a babe born in a manger. Our hope was sent from heaven; Jesus came to bring us hope.
An old hymn of the church acknowledges our one true hope found only in Jesus.
“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame but holy lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
Hope is heaven sent, but hope must be received personally. Notice the words of the song do not say, “Our hope,” but “MY HOPE.” Until you and I choose to accept God’s gift of hope found only through His Son Jesus, we live in this world without hope.
• Ephesians 2:12-13 (NIV)
[12] Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
Don’t be deceived! Apart from Christ you have no hope, but thank God hope has been heaven sent. Jesus came and willingly offered His life upon the cross so we be forgiven and reconciled to God; we have a package heaven sent—HOPE!
HOPE—Overflowing Hope.
God doesn’t give us an empty hope; our hope overflows! The supply of hope is not going to diminish or come up short. Heaven sent hope is always more than enough!
In verse 13 Paul says as we trust in the God of hope we will “overflow with hope” (NIV), or God fill us so full we “brim over with hope” (MsgB).
The Psalmist David understood how God caused his hope to overflow in his life.
• Psalm 130:7 (NLT)
. . . Hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love and an overflowing supply of salvation.
Let God pour his hope into your life. God won’t just give you enough for today. God won’t leave you needing more. God will cause hope to overflow within your life.
Peter calls this overflow of hope our “living hope.”
• 1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
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.
Through the resurrection we receive an overflow of hope—a LIVING HOPE. What does it mean for hope to be alive?
Let’s take a little lesson from biology and apply it to our living hope. (Now remember, I’m not your biology instructor or doctor, so these are just elementary definitions; if you want to know the science of life then you need to see an expert.)
All living things have three basic functions: respiration, growth, and reproduction.
o Respiration in a general sense is how life receives energy to live. How active will you be if you stop eating and breathing? Respiration is both taking in what is needed for life and the elimination of the byproducts or waste.
o Energy for life produces growth. Living things are not dormant; rather they grow and change throughout their lifetime. We sometimes watch our kids grow right before our eyes. If you’re alive, you are growing.
o Reproduction is simply life produces more life. Living things have the ability to reproduce or duplicate themselves. If life had no ability to reproduce then life would come to an end.
Now apply the basic biology of life to the “living hope” God has given to us.
o Living hope gives you energy for living daily life. Without hope we are dead spiritually, incapable of doing anything. Living hope not only produces energy, but it clears away those things that are not beneficial or necessary for life. Living hope energizes our faith while removing bitterness, depression, envy or anything else left over from our old way of living.
o Living hope is not dormant but grows in our lives making us stronger. Hope does not deny reality or difficult circumstances; hope is not blind. God causes hope to grow within you to overcome anything that comes against you. (If you want to know how living hope grows, then stick around because I’ll expound more a little later.)
o Living hope can be reproduced in the lives of others. Real hope is not manufactured and sold in stores. Hope is born in others as they are impregnated by the life and power of the Holy Spirit within you. Hope is contagious; if you’ve got it others will catch it!
Putting it all together a living hope—an overflowing hope changes who you are and changes others around you as well. Hope is alive—it can’t be contained. Hope is not in limited supply, but it overflows from our lives into the lives of others.
HOPE—Perfect Peace.
• Romans 15:13 (NIV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. . .
When God gives us hope HE GIVES OF HIMSELF because He is the God of hope. Our hope is not in vain; it’s not an empty hope. Our hope is an absolute confidence. Our hope is an assurance based in who God is.
Therefore our hope gives us perfect peace because our hope in God will never let us down.
• Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
God is not going to let you down; you won’t be disappointed. Don’t lose hope or give up; God will meet you at your point of need! Hope brings perfect peace.
• Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
• Isaiah 26:3 (MsgB)
People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit.
Think back to our living hope. Hope is alive not only because it energizes us, but because hope will cleanse and eliminate the impurities and waste from our thinking.
How do we keep our mind steadfast and set upon the Lord? Do we deny our problems? Do we just live a fairy tail life dreaming of a “happily ever after” ending? No! Hope transforms our attitudes and thinking. Hope doesn’t leave us as we are; hope makes us new. Hope gives us perfect peace.
HOPE—Endurance.
• Romans 15:13 (NIV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hope is not something you have to try to muster up on your own. God is the one who gives you hope by the power of the Holy Spirit within you! Hopeful endurance is not something you develop; hopeful endurance is the power of God at work in and through your life.
Remember the basic characteristics of living hope? Hope is not dormant; hope grows and makes us stronger. The Bible tells us how God strengthens our hope.
• Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)
[3] Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; [4] perseverance, character; and character, hope. [5] And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Has life thrown you a curve-ball and struck you out? Are you having a hard time finding any silver lining around all your grey clouds? What hardships or difficulties are you going through? Do you have difficult people in your life; are you having trouble in your family, or with some of your friends? Has work become a drudgery? Do you have too much month left at the end of your money? Are you going through an illness?
Regardless of what you are facing REJOICE! Have any of your problems changed God’s character? Did your difficulty alter God’s Word? God and His word remain the same! REJOICE!
When life confronts you with hard times you can either let your circumstances get you down or you can rise above the circumstances with HOPE—heaven sent, overflowing living hope, perfect peace. Let hope give you the endurance and strength to keep on keeping on. Don’t give up; hope will see you through!
Why should we persevere? Why should we hold on to hope?
• Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)
[23] Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
GOD IS FAITHFUL! Wrap your head around that and don’t let it go! God is not going to abandon you; you have not been forsaken. Believe God’s word—His promises to you are “yes and amen” through Christ Jesus. God has brought you through thus far, and He will see you through to the end.
Look again at what it says in the verses following Hebrews 10:23.
[23] Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. [25] Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
We often hear verses 24 and 25 in reference to doing the right things as believers—avoid evil, care for one another, attend church regularly and so on. Why do we need to do these things—just because the Bible says so? No we do them to minister to others AND to be strengthened personally. As we do these things we learn to hold on to hope!
• 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT)
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
We don’t comfort others with man made compassion and love. We share with others what we have received from God. As we willingly minister to others God in turn strengthens and prepares us for the trials ahead of us.
Hope is like a muscle. The more you use it the stronger it becomes, but if you don’t use your muscle you will lose your strength. Muscles will atrophy and weaken through lack of use or neglect. In the same way our hope in God will either be strengthened or we will lose hope through neglect.
God uses us to encourage and strengthen others who are facing difficult circumstances. The Bible tells us to “Share each other’s troubles and problems” in order to fully obey the Lord (Galatians 6:2 NLT). Do those we minister benefit from our love and support? Of course they do. But we benefit from caring for others as well!
As we do these things we “hold on to hope”—we are strengthened for the time we face trials and difficulty of various kinds.
Folks, we have one of two responses to the hardships of life. We can grow closer to the Lord or we can drift away from God. We can either grow better or bitter.
o I have discovered more often than not, those who make it a practice to encourage others in their time of need are the strongest when they face difficult circumstances in their own lives. You are less likely to stop attending church and blame God for your problems if you make it a habit of praying and caring for others when your life is going great.
We hold on to hope and are strengthened for our time of need as we minister to others in their time of trouble with the comfort God has given to us.
HOPE
HEAVEN SENT
OVERFLOWING HOPE
PERFECT PEACE
ENDURANCE
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
