The Benediction Of Hope Series

• This implies several things about our God:

e.g.:

• His NATURE is Hopeful.

• With God the glass is always half full and never half empty.

ill

Almost every activity of human life is motivated to some degree by hope:

• Because of hope farmers plant seeds,

• Because of hope teachers teach pupils.

• Because of hope people fall in love and get married and have families.

• God motivates us by hope;

• Quote:

• “That’s why he put eyes in the front of our heads! He wants us to look forward!”

Ill:

Abraham in the Old Testament knew God as a God of hope!

• When having to make some important choices;

• He was swayed and influenced by, and lived in the hope of God’s promises.

• We are told that when given the chance;

• He did not look back to Ur of the Chaldes,

• When given the chance he didn’t look around at Sodom and Gomorrah;

• And the other cities on the plain like for example Lot and his wife.

• Instead he looked ahead to the city of God;

• He had hope in the fact that this was where his eternal citizenship lay.

• Quote: Hebrews chapter 11 verse 10:

• “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God”.

Ill:

A promise of course is only as good as the one who makes it!

• I can promise my kids a trip to the moon or a trip to Disneyland.

• But I have the ability to keep only one of those promises!

• Abraham believed in a God of hope.

• A God who can deliver on each and every promise!

(3). The SERENITY of this Hope (vs 13b)

• "...fill you with ALL JOY AND PEACE as you trust (FAITH) him."

• This Hope affords us Joy & Peace as we continue to trust, have faith in him.

Ill:

• Paul has used these two attributes earlier in his letter;

• In the previous chapter (14 verse 17):

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,

but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit"

• “The kingdom of God” that expression simply means; ‘where God is reigning’;

• The result of God reining in your life is ‘Peace and Joy’.

Ill:

• A healthy apple tree produces apples.

• A healthy peach tree produces peaches.

• A healthy pear tree produces pears.

• A healthy cherry tree produces cherry.

• A healthy Christian (a life in which Christ is reigning):

• Will experience ‘Joy and peace’.

Ill:

Fruit of the Holy Spirit is ‘Love, joy peace……”

• Ill: Remember no machine can ever manufacture fruit.

• Because fruit can only grow out of life.

• People who are spiritually dead do not have ‘Love, joy & peace’

• As something resident and permeating their lives – because they are spiritually dead!

• But the Christian who is alive and ‘walking in step’ with the Holy Spirit;

• Will experience the fruit that ‘He’ (the Holy Spirit and not they themselves) produces.

(4). The SUFFICIENCY of this Hope (vs 13c)

"...that you may OVERFLOW with hope"

Ill:

• You know the Early Church evidenced this abundance of Hope.

• Whenever they met one another.

• Ill: Just as the first Christians developed a sign of recognition; ‘The Fish’.

• The ancient and classical Greek word for "fish." – ‘Ichthus’.

• The Christians made an acrostic for each of the letters of that word ‘Ichthus’