House of Hope

Have you ever wondered what you would name your house?  Would it be called Crazy House, House of Sadness, or maybe The Disaster Area?  I’m thinking all of us believers can name our houses The House of Hope!  Doesn’t that sound exciting and comforting?  What enables us to carry such a nametag for our homes?

In our society today hope is sort of a half-hearted wishing, not sure of the basis.  There is no anchor…or the anchor of the hope is a marriage, a job, children, or money….the list of “things” our world puts its hope in goes on.

Our hope has an anchor…our Rock…JESUS.  We live in the light…the confidence…the joy… of God’s promises and provisions.  Christians never have to live in the “between”…hovering between hope and doubt.

Our hope is based in the Word of God that we know to be true.  Titus 2:13 (NLT) … while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

The basis of our hope is the confident expectation of Christ’s return.  This confidence is the foundation for the believer’s response to all of God’s promises.  In other words, every area of our lives is touched by the promises of God and therefore, every area of our lives is lived in hope and joy and peace.

Here are some Biblical truths that establish our hope:

One – Failure Doesn’t Eliminate Our Hope. Remember Peter?  Jesus told Peter that he was getting ready to fail and deny His Lord before the rooster crowed the morning’s beginning. 

Luke 22:33-34 (NLT)
³³ Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”
³⁴ But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

Luke 22:56-58 (NLT)
⁵⁶ A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!”
⁵⁷ But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!”
⁵⁸ After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” “No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted.

John 21:15 (NLT)
¹⁵ After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

Peter found himself forgiven and trusted.  For Peter and for us personal failure does not eliminate us from our personal relationship with the Lord or from serving Him.  The promise of God that gives us hope is the truth that God is in the business of restoration

    Two– Mistakes We Make Are Not Permanent.  Yes, there are consequences that do not change in this earthly world, yet hope and joy result from our response to any to any mistakes we have made.  Peter gives us another example for living with our mistakes with hope and confidence, Luke 22:62 (NLT) And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

Peter was broken hearted over the sin he had committed…and it is godly sorrow that brings us to repentance and changed life…this Biblical truth is what gives us hope and confidence

  Three – We Can Make Good Choices.  God has given us the ability to make responsible decisions.  Through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives God gives us His strength to live in a godly way and that gives us hope and confidence.

    Four – GOD IS GOOD.  Our hope is based in the knowledge that God’s goodness is at work in all our circumstances. Hold on to these Scriptures:

1 Peter 1:3-6 (NLT)
³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,
⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
⁵ And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
⁶ So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

Romans 8:28 (NLT)
²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

When life seems to scream, "Look how bad it is!" God replies, "Look how good I am!"

How good is He? Good enough to make us like Jesus. Romans 8:29 (NLT)
²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

God’s plan is for all believers to become just like Jesus….what could be better than this?  Hope is our byword …we know whose we are and who we are becoming!!

    Five – FOCUS ON THE ETERNAL THINGS.  Our life with God in Christ is permanent and eternal…this is the under-girding of our hope.  Keep your perspective on your journey’s end.  Our hope lies in our future. God gives us the journey and He gives us hope for the journey – rest in Him.

Romans 15:4 (NLT) Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Name your house…The House of Hope!

Joyfully,

Yvonne