Romans 15:4-6
Hope is as important to us as water is to a fish, or electricity is to a light bulb.
As oxygen is so vital to the physical body hope is absolutely necessary to the human spirit.
Because of hopelessness many contemplate suicide to escape the misery in life.
Lot of people are putting their hope in false things rather God.
As someone put it “When we are discouraged, hope lifts our spirits. When we are tempted to quit, hope keeps us going.”
“Hope is that which connects us with the future just as memories connected us with the past”
Hope mentioned in the Bible is totally different from the world view because it is essentially depends upon God.
Men in Bible such as David and Daniel completely trusted God and put their hope in Him.
Hope is always exhibited in our trust in God – without trust there is no hope.
I. Lessons of Endurance & Encouragement to Have Hope
4. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have HOPE.
A. Lessons of endurance & encouragement
Bible talks about people lived in different time periods teach us some valuable lessons.
These stories are recorded for us so that we might have endurance & encouragement.
We should never forget our God is still the same God who never changes.
God does not always give us the desire of our hearts.
We may not get what we want and when we want it.
Those lessons encourage us to wait upon the Lord and learn endurance in our challenges.
B. To have Hope
We focus on the written Word of God to put our hope in Him alone
Not only God’s Word teaches us endurance & encouragement but also to hope in Him.
The Word of God fills us with hope because it gives us examples of the faithfulness of God.
Teaches us the way God operates in people’s lives.
It is utmost importance for us to know His word because it is the source of our hope.
The Christian HOPE does not end with this world but extends into the life after death.
Titus 3:7 sums up our Christian faith and HOPE relate to the eternal life in Christ.
“So that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
II. Followers of Christ glorify God in all circumstances. (5-6)
We have to remember that only God gives us endurance & encouragement.
We cannot depend upon human intelligence, capabilities, physical strength or riches.
It is God who sustains us by providing the inner strength with hope.
Looking at the biblical examples we are encouraged and endure the life challenges.
Following Christ faithfully is needed for us to have spiritual strength in our life on earth.
Glorifying God is another important aspect of our hope in God.
In closing I want you to understand one important fact in our Christian walk.
Without knowing the scripture there is no knowledge of encouragement or endurance.
Without knowing Christ there is no hope in this life or the life to come.
"Life with Christ is an endless hope; life without Christ is a hopeless end."
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