1997-12-28 - Hope

Christmas is a holiday full of hopes - hopes of family reconciliations, hopes of picture-perfect celebrations, hopes of getting certain presents. Some of our hopes are fulfilled; others are not. But hoping in God is always a sure bet; people will let us down, but He never will. Let's look at what the word of God has to say about hope.

(1 Cor 13:13 NNAS) "But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love."

(Prov 13:12 NNAS) "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

(Psa 33:18 NNAS) "Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,"

He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him. (Job 13:15 NNAS) ""Though "

(Psa 71:5 NNAS) "For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth."

(Psa 130:7 NNAS) "O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption."

(Prov 23:18 NNAS) "Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off."

(Jer 29:11 NNAS) "'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

(Rom 5:3-5 NNAS) "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵ and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

(Rom 8:24-25 NNAS) "For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it."

(Col 1:25-27 NNAS) "Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, ²⁶ that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, ²⁷ to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

(1 Th 5:8 NNAS) "But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation."

(Titus 2:11-13 NNAS) "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, ¹² instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, ¹³ looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,"

(Heb 6:19-20 NNAS) "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, ²⁰ where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

1 Pet 1:13 NNAS) "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

(1 John 3:2-3 NNAS) "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

Jan