December 6th, 2022
The Christmas season is upon us again and for many of us that means shopping, decorating, events, and family gatherings. In the midst of all of that though, it’s the time as believers that we celebrate the birth of Jesus. It’s a time that should be full of hope, as we meditate not just on the birth of our Savior but His life, death, and resurrection. Hope is a very interesting thing in the Scripture, because it doesn’t mean at all the same thing that we use it to mean in our everyday vocabulary. Hope in English simply means we want something to happen. We say things like, “I hope they win the game.” That doesn’t mean we know they’re going to win. It is an expression of our desired result. Biblical hope is not an expression of a desired result, but an expected result. We’ll never walk in the fullness of the gospel until we understand that! Hebrews 11:1 says,
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
The thing we have to realize about faith is that it will not work without hope. Hope is the expectation that we put our faith toward and it’s based in the promises of God. I’ve had some wise people tell me in my life that you’ll never get to a place you haven’t already seen. This isn’t some weird new theology, but simply the reality that you can’t pray in accordance with God’s will unless you know what He says He has for you. James 1:6-8 says,
“Ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
Abraham is a great example of this. The Bible tells us he believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. What did Abraham believe? His faith wasn’t just being thrown around toward nothing. He wasn’t saying “Whatever you want God, that works for me,” although he was surrendered to God’s will. Romans 4:18 says,
‘In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”’
He was hoping for something in particular. His hope and faith were based in his expectation that God was going to keep His promises. So many Christians try to pray in faith, but they pray from a place of doubt because they aren’t sure that what they’re asking for is God’s will. We will never get our prayers answered that way! You can’t pray in faith for something if you aren’t sure that what you’re asking for is the will of God.
Hope is absolutely essential in the life of the believer. When hope fills your life where it was lacking, it will be like a breath of fresh air, a sunrise, or a lamp in a dark room. Hope is what allows us to see the promises of God. It’s how we know where God is taking us and when we do, our faith can be activated to see those promises come to pass.
Christmas is a season of hope because Jesus is the greatest hope that there has ever been. For 2,000 years, humanity has been able to look back at the birth of Jesus, with the Messiah living on the inside of us. He is Christ in us, the hope of Glory (Col. 1:27)! However, for thousands of years before that, our forefather’s hope was in the promise of the Messiah’s coming. They expected Him but had only seen Him by faith. Jesus said in John 8:56-58,
Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So, the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
See, Jesus was in the heart of the Father from before the foundation of the world, because God is outside of time. He was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). The hope of Jesus is not more real now than it was then, because God never changes. So, what does that mean for us? It means we have good reason to hope. Anything God has promised you is as real now as it will be once you see it in reality. You can rejoice for the thing you’re waiting for, as if you already have it! Romans 8:24 says,
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
This Christmas season especially, I encourage you to search your heart and see if there is anything God has promised that you have stopped expecting. He has good things for you. Jesus came that you could have life abundantly and it’s time to hope again!
Here are some Scriptures to meditate on this week, regarding hope:
Psalm 130:7-8
O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Psalm 147:10-11
God’s delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor His pleasure in human might, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.
Proverbs 10:28
The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
Romans 5:5
Hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
The thing we have to realize about faith is that it will not work without hope. Hope is the expectation that we put our faith toward and it’s based in the promises of God. I’ve had some wise people tell me in my life that you’ll never get to a place you haven’t already seen. This isn’t some weird new theology, but simply the reality that you can’t pray in accordance with God’s will unless you know what He says He has for you. James 1:6-8 says,
“Ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
Abraham is a great example of this. The Bible tells us he believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. What did Abraham believe? His faith wasn’t just being thrown around toward nothing. He wasn’t saying “Whatever you want God, that works for me,” although he was surrendered to God’s will. Romans 4:18 says,
‘In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”’
He was hoping for something in particular. His hope and faith were based in his expectation that God was going to keep His promises. So many Christians try to pray in faith, but they pray from a place of doubt because they aren’t sure that what they’re asking for is God’s will. We will never get our prayers answered that way! You can’t pray in faith for something if you aren’t sure that what you’re asking for is the will of God.
Hope is absolutely essential in the life of the believer. When hope fills your life where it was lacking, it will be like a breath of fresh air, a sunrise, or a lamp in a dark room. Hope is what allows us to see the promises of God. It’s how we know where God is taking us and when we do, our faith can be activated to see those promises come to pass.
Christmas is a season of hope because Jesus is the greatest hope that there has ever been. For 2,000 years, humanity has been able to look back at the birth of Jesus, with the Messiah living on the inside of us. He is Christ in us, the hope of Glory (Col. 1:27)! However, for thousands of years before that, our forefather’s hope was in the promise of the Messiah’s coming. They expected Him but had only seen Him by faith. Jesus said in John 8:56-58,
Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So, the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
See, Jesus was in the heart of the Father from before the foundation of the world, because God is outside of time. He was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). The hope of Jesus is not more real now than it was then, because God never changes. So, what does that mean for us? It means we have good reason to hope. Anything God has promised you is as real now as it will be once you see it in reality. You can rejoice for the thing you’re waiting for, as if you already have it! Romans 8:24 says,
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
This Christmas season especially, I encourage you to search your heart and see if there is anything God has promised that you have stopped expecting. He has good things for you. Jesus came that you could have life abundantly and it’s time to hope again!
Here are some Scriptures to meditate on this week, regarding hope:
Psalm 130:7-8
O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Psalm 147:10-11
God’s delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor His pleasure in human might, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.
Proverbs 10:28
The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
Romans 5:5
Hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
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