Did you know that hope keeps us going and changes lives? Are you stuck without hope, or using hope to catapult you into God’s plans for you? This message helps us understand how to find hope and remain hopeful for a life of confidence in Christ. Use the questions in this message to help you grow in your hope and faith in Christ.

Do not let hope escape you! Walk in faith and victory with the hope you have in Jesus and wait patiently for the promises of God. Never forget your hope and future is secure in Christ the Lord.

Through this series, you’ll learn how to live well & enjoy God's promises. You are loved by God; He knows your name. He has a plan for your life. Get helpful advice, encouragement, and hope for a life well lived.

Are you walking in faith and victory? Set your eyes on the promises of God. You only have one life journey; say yes to Jesus.

Hope cements our confidence in the promises of God.

Are you hopeful or hopeless?

There are so many people who are living without hope. They see no future. They see no end in sight. No way out of a particular situation. Things look impossible. They have tried to change or break the cycle of addiction they are living with but it’s too strong. There is no hope of recovery, winning, change. So, they simply stop trying and they give up. They feel defeated, lost, alone, and empty inside.

This feeling can be true emotionally, financially, relationally, physically. However, living spiritually hopeless is the most dangerous of all.

Paul tells the believers in Ephesus that they were dead in their sins, gratifying the sinful cravings (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Like the Ephesians, we too were hopeless. Living spiritually hopeless is most dangerous because there is no positive or hopeful eternal future. When we live like this, we will remain spiritually dead and have no reason or drive to want to change.

However, Paul reminds the Ephesians of good news they received. They were once living spiritually dead and without hope but then something happened. They heard the good news of the gospel, and their lives were changed for all eternity. In hope, they placed their faith in Christ the Lord. They looked to the cross and Jesus’ death and resurrection. They heard the gospel message that gives hope of eternal life, and they believed the gospel message. Once they were living without hope, separate from Christ. But no longer. The believers in Ephesus placed their hope and faith in Christ.

‘Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 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 by the blood of Christ’ (Ephesians 2:11-13, NIV).

Living without hope is no way to live. Living without hope is also no way to die.

If you’re living without hope, you may try to put on a happy face when you’re around a group of people, but when alone the happy face is gone. You can quickly become miserable, depressed, and negative. Inwardly you may feel tormented and have no real or lasting peace. Without hope, it may be hard to get up in the morning. It can be hard to be motivated at times when you’re living without hope, but praise God, that does not need to be the end of life’s journey.

No one needs to live a hopeless life. There is hope and life in Christ the Lord.

Life is a journey, a lifelong journey and along life’s journey many have found hope in Christ:

• A journey of growing in the knowledge and hope in Christ.

• A journey of discovering hope in God that inspires faith to believe that all things are possible in Christ.

Sadly, many people get distracted along life’s journey. Some people ignore or refuse to believe the gospel message. They live without hope of change. They believe the lie. They feel beaten down by society. They have a low view of themselves and accept words spoken over them that they are hopeless and that they can never change. They live in hopelessness.

Is your hope secure?

We read several weeks ago that faith and love spring from the hope that is stored up in heaven for all who believe in the message of grace through faith in Christ (Colossians 1:5).

It is a message of hope people need to hear. A message of being fruitful. People everywhere need to hear the gospel message that inspires hope. A message that, even while we were sinners, Christ died for whosoever will believe.

People need to hear the message of Christ that imparts knowledge, spiritual wisdom and understanding regarding the hope they can have in heaven. The knowledge of the hope of heaven leads people to faith in Christ and to believe that the Bible, and the promises of God are true for them.

For Jew and Gentile, the young and old, the rich or poor, the religious and the atheist.

Remember: for God so loved the world, not simply a select few.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-18).

An example of religious selectiveness might be how the religious Jew looked down on all non-Jews. The non-Jew (Gentile) did not have a hopeful view of the future for themselves. They had no reason to think there was hope. The term “uncircumcised” was a derogatory term used for Gentiles. It was a term that indicated the person was not a Jew. Gentiles were considered spiritual outsiders destined for hell. They were considered to have no part of the covenant that God had with the Jewish people. Gentiles were people living without the hope of heaven according to the religious Jew.

Yet Paul reminded the believers (Jew and Gentile alike) that they were ignorant and lacked spiritual knowledge and understanding concerning Jesus and the promise of God. But no longer, now that they have heard the gospel message. Now they have placed their hope and faith in the gospel, and because of that, they have been brought near to God through the blood of Christ.

The believer patiently waits for the promise of God. In faith, the believer knows hope and eternal blessing are secure in Christ (Romans 8:24-25).

Do you have confidence of your future in Christ?

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrews 11:1-3).

Spiritual or biblical hope is founded on a firm conviction and confidence regarding one’s future in Christ. A future and promise of eternity with Christ in Glory. Spiritual or biblical hope is not separate from faith in Christ. Hope anchors your faith in every circumstance of life, even the most difficult (Hebrews 6:19). Our hope of heaven is firmly anchored in our faith in Christ. The hope of heaven brings with it a joyful expectation of eternal salvation and eternal life with Christ in heaven (Titus 1:2-3).

This hope brings with it a confident expectation that God hears and answers prayer. This hope inspires confidence in the believer for both the present and future. It cements our confidence in the promises of God and faith in the grace and blessed hope we have in Christ.

‘For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good’ (Titus 2:11-14).

Both Jew and Gentile alike are brought near to God by the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:21).

Without the knowledge of Jesus and faith in his death and resurrection; without the understanding and hope we can have in Christ, no one, Jew or Gentile, would have hope for the present or future.

What’s important to God?

The Jew did not understand that circumcision was only an outward sign of what was to be true in the heart. The Jew relied on the outward, physical sign of circumcision. They relied on obedience to the law. A law that they could never keep. A law that was to reveal the need for a savior, and not a way to heaven. The physical act of circumcision was to be an outward sign of being set apart unto God; however, the outward sign was not what really mattered to God. What mattered was the heart.

Putting off sin and living a life of hope, faith, and obedience to Christ—a life set apart unto God—is what’s important (Colossians 2:11-12, Philippians 3:3).

“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God” (Romans 2:28-29).

Do you have the hope of heaven?

Jews had an attitude of hope no matter how bad things were: a hope in the coming messiah who they thought would deliver them from the bondage of other nations. Jews thought obedience to the law was all they needed to do to gain heaven. Jews looked for the messiah to deliver them from their physical circumstance of living under Roman rule and they gave no thought of their spiritual bondage to sin. The Jewish hope was in a physical deliverance, and they believed they were spiritually superior to other nations.

The Gentile, on the other hand, had no hope, physically or spiritually. The Gentile may have believed in a so-called god, but believing in a so-called god is believing in a powerless idol. The Gentile did not know God Almighty. They did not believe in Jehovah, the creator of all things.

The follower of Christ was different, they believed in God and Father and the Lord Jesus who was sent by God to save whosoever would believe in Jesus. The follower of Christ had the hope of heaven. They believed the gospel message, the true message of hope. It inspired a faith to believe all things are possible no matter how the situation appeared in the natural.

‘For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. 7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge’ (1 Corinthians 8:5-7a).

The same is true today. People without Christ are people living without real hope. Some have placed their faith in so-called gods or they have rejected God all together.

People may think all is good having a healthy bank account, the latest gadgets, a nice paying job, good health, friends, or a roof over their heads. But none of that matters when it comes to what truly matters.

It is the spiritual, the eternal, that matters. Faith in Christ and in the promises of God, and the hope of eternity—that’s what truly matters.

Are you stuck without hope or using hope to catapult you into God’s plans for you?

Without hope, there is no reason to continue or change. Here are a few examples.

1) Are you living without hope and you don’t even know it?

The people of Nineveh were a people living without hope only they did not realize it. You could say the people of Nineveh were living fat, dumb, and happy—until Jonah came to town. They were godless people living far from faith in God. God sent Jonah to proclaim a message of coming destruction to the city of Nineveh. At first Jonah refused but later he obeyed God. Jonah went through the city proclaiming the message of a coming destruction.

The Ninevites believed Jonah’s words, and they believed God. They declared a fast. All of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth by decree of the king who stated, “Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” It worked. When God saw how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion on them and didn’t destroy them (Jonah 3:5-10).

The knowledge of coming destruction caused the people of Nineveh to cry out to God in the hope that God would not destroy the city and people. The people of Nineveh had a change of heart; their hope of a compassionate God—the hope they didn’t know they needed—saved them from destruction.

2) Abraham believed God and placed his hope and faith in God’s promises.

Abraham believed God’s promises. Abraham believed that God would bless him and make him into a father of many nations; that he and his wife would have a son. After many years of waiting, God fulfilled his promise and a precious son was born to him. And he did become the father of many nations because of his hope in God (Genesis 17:3-8, 17:15-19, 18:1-15, 21:1-7).

‘Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised’ (Romans 4:18-21).

3) David’s faith and hope in God allowed him to defeat Goliath and his army.

Against impossible odds, David was able to fearlessly fight and defeat a giant, and an entire army, because of his unwavering faith and hope in God (1 Samuel 17).

4) The Samaritan woman at the well placed her hope and faith in Jesus.

Jesus knew the Samaritan woman at the well better than she knew herself. She was amazed by his insight and told everyone about him. So, she and many other Samaritans placed their hope and faith in Jesus and their lives were changed (John 4:1-42).

5) The crippled man at the pool was living a hopeless life.

He had no hope when Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed. The man said no one would help him. But told the man to “Get up!” and the man was healed immediately. The man’s hope and faith changed his life (John 5:8-9).

6) Many people were healed and their lives changed forever because of hope in God.

There were people whom Jesus healed either at their own hope of help or by the hope and request of someone else. Here are some examples:

• A paralyzed servant was healed (Matthew 8:5-13).

• An official’s son was close to death and healed (John 4:46-54).

• Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever and healed (Luke 4:38-39).

• A man with leprosy was healed (Mark 1:40-45), and then ten more (Luke 17:11-19).

• A paralyzed man was healed—after getting to Jesus through a roof! (Matthew 9:1-8).

• As Jesus went to heal a little girl who died, he also healed a woman with internal bleeding (Mark 5:21-43).

• Two blind men were healed (Matthew 9:27-31).

• Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-45).

He also spiritually delivered people from demons (Matthew 8:28-33, Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 1:21-27, Luke 9:37-43, 11:14-23).

Others were told to go and sin no more. In faith, many believed because of the hope of God that was made known to them.

Are you living in the hope of eternity with Christ?

We should find hope in Christ and, equally important, we should remain hopeful. Sadly, some people have walked away from faith and hope in God due to a hurt, a tragedy, a sickness or an unanswered prayer. At times, situations may be hard, almost unbearable, but that is when our hope and faith in Christ is proven and tested for all to see.

• Paul and Silas sang and praised God in Jail.

• Steven, as he was about to be stoned, prayed and trusted God. Steven’s hope and faith was in Jesus.

You have heard the gospel message. You know the hope of heaven. Does your life reflect a hope in Christ, a faith in Christ, a love for Christ and a love for others? Don’t let hope escape you; cling to the hope that helps us persevere and build character because God is with us (Romans 5:2-5). Wait patiently for the promise of God. Walk in faith and victory regarding the hope you have in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ (Jeremiah 29:11).

Do not get ahead of God, wait patiently in hope and faith.

Remember Job? Job trusted God and remained faithful and hopeful in the promises of God even in painful times. Job trusted God. In Job’s difficult times, he experienced and saw God’s faithfulness firsthand.

Know the gospel message and the hope of heaven. Never forget your hope and future is secure in Christ the Lord..

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This and other sermons brought to you by Faith Chapel, an Assemblies of God church in Pleasanton, CA.