ATTITUDES FOR GODLY DEVELOPMENT: “HOPE”

Life would be daily despair if there were no hope.

• Life as a follower of Jesus is about getting back up after being knocked down, because of the HOPE we have in Jesus.
• All of us are in desperate need of strength and hope. 
• We have the Lord to trust and to rest in.
• We need fresh eyes. Elisha’s servant – open eyes.
• 2 Kings 6:15-17 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. 16“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
• Elisha’s words:
  1. Do not be . Hope.
  2. We are not . Hope.
  3. Look up to God’s . Hope.
• HOPE: I do not know the full outcome, but I know the ONE who does.

1. When there is a transition in life.
   – We can be vulnerable during transitions and feel off.
   – We handle transitions with hope when we accept that God is ahead of our transition.
   Joshua 3:1-4 Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing. 2 Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp, 3 giving these instructions to the people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move out from your positions and follow them. 4 Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you. Stay about half a mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark. Make sure you don’t come any closer. 
2. When we are devastated.
   – With one phone call, a conversation, or news from an MRI, a tranquil life can be torpedoed.
   – Life comes with adversity: have a plan.
   1 Samuel 30:6 David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
   – When a “Ziklag” season arrives in life (and it will), run to the Source of Hope and find strength in the arms of God.
   Psalm 131:1-2 Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3. Sin appears to have the final word.
   – We all sin, but not everyone stays in sin.
   – For the believer, there is hope despite sinful actions.
   Psalm 51:1-3 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.
   – God will allow events to vaporize pride from life, causing us to look up to Him instead of within.
   – When the prodigal son looked up:
   Luke 15:20-21 So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.

• 1 Peter 1:3-5 (The Message) What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.
• Hope is the unshakable confidence that God will do what He has said he will do.
• Our hope is living in the sense that it is productive and fruitful.
• Ours is a hope that has the power to change how we live and to reach the people we love who are far from God.

1. God will keep His promises, no matter how I feel, what I see, or what others have said. God is faithful.
2. God is sovereign; therefore, I will submit to His will and ways. God is trustworthy.
3. God is eternal, unchanging, and loving. God is my Source.

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty of my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You alone as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

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