The God Of Hope

When we talk about God, we can use a number of words to describe Him. He is the God of Love. The God of Joy. The God of Mercy. It’s almost endless when we think about all of the different ATTRIBUTES of God. But this morning I want to preach to you a message on just ONE of those ATTRIBUTES. He is the God of HOPE.

ILLUS: I was reading about a young man who had a DEADLY DISEASE. He went to see a new doctor and the doctor examined him and COLDLY said “You realize you won’t make it to the end of the year.” The young man left the office and began to cry. He told the receptionist, “That man took away my hope.” She said, “Yes he did, maybe it’s time to get a New One.” Maybe you’re here this morning and you’ve lost HOPE. Things are really bad right now. You may be missing LIFE the way it used to be. You may have lost a LOVED ONE and it seems like the PAIN won’t end. Maybe you’re BATTLING a disease and there’s no RELIEF in sight. Maybe it seems like everything is FALLING APART and things look HOPELESS. Well let me tell you something. It’s TIME to get a NEW HOPE. Jesus CAME, LIVED, and DIED to bring HOPE to this SINFUL WORLD. Jesus Christ is the ONLY ONE who can bring HOPE into YOUR world today. So HOW does He do that? Well that’s what I want to look at today.

Let’s start off by reading just one Verse this Morning.

Turn, if you will, to Romans 15 and we’ll read Verse 13.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

The definition of HOPE as a NOUN is: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

As a VERB HOPE is defined: to want something to happen or be the case.

Today we CELEBRATE the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, almost 2000 years ago a man named Jesus suffered the Roman form of Capitol Punishment. Crucifixion. And as he hung there between the Earth and Heaven I’m sure that many felt a sense of hopelessness. His MOTHER stood there and watched her son die. Some of the disciples were there to watch as Jesus hung there. Blood running down from the GASHES on his back. His face also covered with BLOOD from the Crown of thorns pushed down upon his head. Gasping for air, pulling himself up for every breath.

Some people were probably there CELEBRATING. Enjoying the SPECTACLE. Watching the BIG SHOW.

While others were there CRYING in DISBELIEF. How could this happen? A perfect man who did nothing but good. Why was He dying? Well, 2000 years later I can answer that question. He died to bring hope. So let’s take a look at HOW He brought HOPE but before we do, let’s pray.

Brother _____, would you lead us?

So HOW does Jesus bring HOPE to us, as we’re living in a world that seems to be falling apart?

Inflation is on the rise. It’s costing more and more to feed our families.

There’s war in Europe. There’s war in the Middle East. There’s 35 ARMED CONFLICTS going on in Africa and 21 going on in Asia. An ARMED CONFLICT is a nice way to say WAR!!!

And we have DIVISION in our own country. We’re more divided now than we have been since the Civil War. You have the Lefty Pinko Commies on one side and then you have the Radical Right Wingers, such as myself, on the other side. And it seems like the divide gets wider everyday.

So in all of this MESS, how does Jesus offer HOPE?

I. Well, first of all, while the world offers ENTERTAINMENT, Jesus offers FULFILLMENT.

I don’t know of any time when there have been more things to distract you from REALITY. Entertainment is the Name of the Game. When I was a kid we had PONG. You all remember PONG. It was a BIG UPGRADE from PINBALL MACHINES. You could set there and bounce a little ball on your TV screen for hours. It was KIND OF like playing TENNIS on your TV.

But now-a-days we all carry computers around in our pockets. We can play games on these computers. Check Facebook. Twitter. And X. Gossip about other people. You see, it’s ok to do that when it’s done on your hand held computer. Right? Make reservations. Watch movies. Pay bills.

And oh yeah, you can even make PHONE CALLS on those things. Imagine that.

We have RESORTS and SPAS to go to.

We have Amusement Parks and Cruise Lines.