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Hope
Introduction:
1. In addition to "faith," "hope" is an important subject (1 Corinthians 13:13). 2. By studying a number of passages, especially several in Romans 8, we can understand why hope is such an important subject in Christianity. 3. Although the Bible speaks of hope in a general sense, we are concentrating on passages that relate to the hope of "eternal life" (Titus 1:2; 3:7). 4. Let us begin our study by showing that . . . Discussion: I. ONLY CHRISTIANS HAVE TRUE HOPE A. The hope of eternal life is available to everyone; however, only certain people have it. 1. Those who are outside of Christ have no hope (Ephesians 2:11-12). 2. Thankfully, God has provided a way for man to be justified (Romans 5:6-10). 3. We learn from Romans 6:3-7 how a person gets into Christ. 4. Something very special occurs when a person is baptized into Christ (Romans 8:1; 1 Peter 1:3). B. These principles are illustrated in the conversion of Saul (Acts 9:6-9, 18-22). 1. Before he became a Christian, Saul's actions indicate that he was very troubled. 2. After becoming a Christian by being baptized into Christ, he had a blessed hope. 3. Only Christians [those who have been baptized into Christ] have the hope of eternal life. II. HOPE PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN KEEPING CHRISTIANS SAVED A. We learn from Romans 8:18-23 that Christians suffer like everyone else while waiting for the resurrection. B. Caution must be exercised because sufferings can cause a child of God to lose hope and fall away from the Lord (Matthew 13:5-6, 20-21). C. According to Hebrews 6:19, the Christian's hope is both "sure and steadfast." D. By maintaining his hope, a child of God can face unpleasant experiences with "patience" (Romans 8:24-25; 5:3-5). III. INFORMATION THAT WILL HELP CHRISTIANS MAINTAIN THEIR HOPE A. Christians are assured that present sufferings are not worthy to be compared to future glory (Romans 8:18; Proverbs 13:12). B. Christians are assured that God works providentially on behalf of His children (Romans 8:28). C. Christians are assured of help from the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27) and Christ (vs.34). D. Christians are assured that God loves His children (Romans 8:35, 38-39). E. Through Christ, God's children can be "more than conquerors" (Romans 8:37). | ||