Is There Any Hope
Introduction
In his book, Your Attitude, John Maxwell tells the story about a small town in Maine that was proposed for the site of a hydro-electric plant. The plan called for a dam to be built across the river and the town would become submerged beneath the water. When the project was announced, the people were given ample time to arrange their affairs and to prepared for relocation. During those months, however, a curious thing happened. All improvements on the town had ceased. No repairs were made on the buildings, roads, or sidewalks, and no painting was done. With each passing day, the entire town was falling apart and quickly growing aged and worn. Long before the dam was built and the waters would come, the town was already looking neglected and abandoned, even though the people had not yet moved away. One citizen explained, "Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present." The town was covered by a cloud of hopelessness because it had no future.
In Jeremiah 18:12, you find perhaps the saddest words that can be uttered by humanity, "And they said, there is no hope..." Nineteenth-century Scottish minister Thomas Chalmers once wrote, "The three grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for." If there was ever anyone who understood that principle it was Abraham. The Lord had given him a task to perform, but the journey was laden with uncertainty, difficulties, and enemies. Then the Lord gave to him in his older years a miraculously born son, but then asked him to "...take now thy son...whom thou lovest...and offer him there for a burnt offering." The average onlooker would have completely understood had Abraham questioned, quarreled, or quit. However, Romans 4:18 records the secret of Abraham’s endurance, "Who against hope believed in hope..." When there was nothing tangible for his eyes to hope in, he was able to still cling to the last thread of hope in his heart. For the believer, hope is not merely "wishful thinking," but rather a fixed assurance in the promises of God. Have you discovered how to draw assurance and strength from the well of hope? Just why is hope such an advantage to our lives?
I. Hope Is Our Confidence In An Unfailing Source
In Romans 15:13, Paul refers to the Lord as "...the God of hope..." God Himself is the very foundation of all our hope. We are saved by hope, we live by hope, and we die by hope.
The prophet said it best in Jeremiah 17:7, "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." Our hope is only as good as the credibility of the source we are hoping in.
When you flip a light switch or turn the key in the ignition, you are helplessly dependent on power being supplied from a source beyond your ability.
In 2 Kings 4, when the Shunammite woman’s son died, Gehazi trusted in his own strength, but the boy remained lifeless. However, when Elisha arrived on the scene, his hope rested in the Lord’s ability to give life and the boy was restored to his feet.
When Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea, his hope rested in the Lord’s ability to divide the waters.
When Elijah stood alone against over 800 false prophets, his hope rested in the fact of God’s ability to provide fire. As long as God is still sitting on the throne, the promises of God will always have the power of God to fulfill them!
No wonder David made it clear in the psalms, "For in Thee, O Lord, do I hope..."
II. Hope Is Our Conviction Of His Unlimited Solutions
In Jeremiah 17, as the prophet preached messages of judgment, the crowd of his enemies was growing. In his time of trouble and terror, he prays in verse 17, "...Thou art my hope in the day of evil."
The word "hope" means "a shelter and refuge from the storm." Jeremiah did not know how, when, or where, but he knew surely the Lord would find a way to help him!
I like what seventeenth-century Puritan preacher Thomas Brooks said, "Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds." It was that vision which enabled Ruth to say amidst her despair, "I have hope..." It was that perception which enabled David to say amidst his distress, "I will hope continually..." It was that discernment which helped Hosea trust that in the valley of her trouble, his wife Gomer would discover "...a door of hope..."
Our lives will never face a predicament that is not met by the providence and provision of God. That is why Paul was able to write in Romans 5:5 with such conviction, "And hope maketh not ashamed..." God will never deceive us and leave us disgraced in our faith!
III. Hope Is Our Comfort From His Unwavering Security
In Proverbs 14:32, Solomon writes, "...the righteous hath hope in his death."
Have you ever pondered what it is that you are banking your future on? Some are banking on retirement accounts while others are banking on investments. In Colossians 1:5, Paul writes of his thankfulness "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven..."
I read a story of a country doctor who was delivering news to a patient that he would soon be dying. Knowing the doctor was a Christian, he asked the doctor if he was afraid of what was waiting on the other side. Immediately, there was a scratching upon the door, and when the doctor opened the door, his own dog rushed in and up into his lap. The doctor then said to the man, "Like my dog, who didn’t know what all was on the other side of that door, but he knew who was on the other side and he came in without any fear." I don’t know all the specifics of heaven, but I know the Savior of heaven, and it is comforting to know He holds my hope secure!
Conclusion
Corrie Ten Boom once said, "When Jesus takes your hand, He keeps you tight. When Jesus keeps you tight, He leads you through your whole life. When Jesus leads you through your life, He brings you safely home."
The Lord Himself said it best in Jeremiah 31:17, "...there is hope in thine end."
It has been said, "We can live forty days without food, eight days without water, four minutes without oxygen, but only a few seconds without hope." Hope is a spiritual instinct that assures us God is the one who writes the final chapter of any story in our life. Without this anchor of our soul, when the waters of trial, temptation, and tribulation begin to rise, we will drown before we ever discover we had the ability to swim. Regardless of what should come tomorrow, never forget, there is always hope beyond tomorrow!