Hope
May 10, 2015
Hope – Gk. - ἐλπίδος – elpidos or elpis – a strong and confident expectation; a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. – Proverbs 13:12
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And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when
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Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies
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should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
– Hebrews 10:23
Love is the essence of a family. Faith is the substance that allows us to appropriate God’s promises. Hope is the place of
dwelling when something hasn’t been completed yet. Hope is that virtue we have for the long haul.
1. Hope is Patience – Job 13:15
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Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.
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If God is on your side, your hope is assured (Romans 8:24-25)
Extinguish your fears by staying in the Bible day by day
2. Hope Rests in Providence – Romans 5:1-6
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Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through
him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of
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God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance
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produces character, and character produces hope, and 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.
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If our future is not secured and satisfied by God then we are going to be excessively anxious.
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Hope is the birthplace of Christian self-sacrificing love.
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“If we don't have the hope that Christ is for us then we will be engaged in self-preservation and self-enhancement.
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But if we let ourselves be taken care of by God for the future—whether five minutes or five centuries from now—
then we can be free to love others. Then God's glory will shine more clearly, because that's how He becomes
visible.” – John Piper
3. Hope is Based on Promises – 1 Peter 1:3-4
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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living
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hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in
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heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
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The word "hope" in ordinary English vocabulary is generally distinguished from certainty. We would say, "I don't
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know what's going to happen, but I hope it happens."
When you read the word "hope" in the Bible we know what’s going to happen: God wins! (1 Peter 1:13)
4. Hope is Eternal – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
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For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the
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trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the
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clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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Persecution was hard for the early church and Peter was reminding them it wouldn’t be forever!
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There is a hope in heaven. Don’t run from this life, but know there’s another life that’s totally healed!
5. Hope is in a Person – Colossians 1:27
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To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory.
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My hope is in you – Psalm 39:7; 42:5
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The essence of what we look to in the Bible to build our hope is “what has Christ done for me in my sinful condition that
enables me to know that I will not come in to judgment and condemnation and that all things are working together for my
good?” The answer is that Christ died for me, rose again for me, and therefore all the promises of God are in Him. Hope
comes from the promises of God rooted in the work of Christ.
More discussion questions on back
For reflection and small group discussion:
Read Matthew 28:19-20, and listen as your leader reviews the purpose of our gathering.
Reflect on these verses which exhort us to pursue God’s purpose as we gather in our cells.
Hearing from God Together - Worship. Spend a little time listening to a song, singing together, or reading a psalm.
Have you heard from God this week? Is God giving you a word to share with an individual or your cell group?
Building Up One Another in the Word
Read and Reflect on Romans 5:1-6. As you read,
A – Ask Questions - Read and meditate on each passage, making observations and asking questions. What is the
context of the passage? What are some words and phrases that the Holy Spirit is drawing my attention to?
I – Insight - What insights do we get from the passage? Do I know what the words and phrases mean? Do I
understand what the Holy Spirit is saying through these verses?
M – Make a Plan - What are some ways I can apply these verses to my spiritual life? Are there beliefs, attitudes, or
practices I need to adjust to deepen my relationship with Christ?
Encourage One Another - Continue in an attitude of worship and hearing from the Father as you pray for and
encourage one another. What needs do you have in your cell? How are you intentionally practicing the one-anothers
when you are together as well as throughout the week?
Reflection Questions
1. What is something you have hoped for lately? Did you know if it would happen or not?
2. What do we mean by “hope” in everyday language?
2. What does God mean by “hope” (ἐλπίδος – elpidos or elpis)?
3. How can hope be assured (Romans 8:24-25)?
4. Read Romans 5:1-6. How does each of those virtues produce the next? How do they all lead to hope?
5. Read 1 Peter 1:3-4. What are God’s promises worth? Do we place our hope in God’s promises or in God Himself? Why?
6. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. How do these verses give us courage in the present?
7. Read Colossians 1:27. What does it mean to say “Christ in you, the hope of glory”? What does Christ in you mean? What does
the hope of glory mean? What does it mean to say that hope is in the person of Christ?
8. Read 1 Corinthians 13:13. Is love greater than hope? Why?
9. In what or who do you place your hope? Is there anything in your life that if you lost it, you would feel like your hope would be
gone? As Christians, do we ever have to say, “all hope is lost”?
If you have made a decision to follow Christ, and would like to be baptized, please let one of the Altar Ministers know, or contact us
at Baptism@NorthWoodChurch.Org.
If you would like to be a part of a small group, called a T-Life Cell, stop by the Information Center in the Village or contact us at
TLifeCells@NorthWoodChurch.org.
Share the name of someone you are praying for and with whom you desire to share Jesus. Have you
seen any God activity in their life since you last met? Have you been Bold as Love in serving and sharing
with them? Pray as a group that God would create circumstances in the person’s life to make them open
to receiving Jesus. Is any way you could show God’s love to them as a T-Life Cell? How are you serving
OUT together as a T-Life Cell?