Through the Bible - Psalms 143-145 , 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Good morning,
Our high school age Sunday Bible study group got back together this Sunday after being "off" for the summer. We didn't come into this morning with an agenda but the discussions moved to "trust in God no matter what" and to hope and faith.. For today's verse we'll go to one of the verses that came up in our discussion.
Romans 8:24-25 (Amplified Bible) For in [this] hope we were saved. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees?
25But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure.
James Smith who was a predecessor of Charles Spurgeon at New Park Street Chapel in London until 1848 wrote:
To be saved by hope--is to be kept, preserved, upheld, or sustained, in the midst of foes, dangers, and trials.
Hope quickens us in duties--and preserves us from becoming cold and dead.
It comforts us in tribulations--and keeps us from being disheartened and gloomy.
It enables us to overcome temptation--and so to hold on our way, looking unto Jesus.
It gives us peace in death--in the sure prospect of victory over the grave.
Thus hope saves us:
by preventing despair--into which we can never fall while hope lives within us;
by preserving us from desperation--to the verge of which we are sometimes brought;
by guarding us against rebellion--the seeds of which are still thickly sown in our corrupt hearts; and
by protecting us against apostasy--into which we can never fall so long as we hope in God.
From many evils, at many times, in many ways--we are saved by hope!
Hope is in God--as its highest object and best end.
Hope is through Christ--who is the way to the Father, the truth, and the life.
Hope is on the ground of the Word, which warrants, excites, and regulates it.
Hope is for all that God has promised, whether temporal or spiritual, in this world or the next.
Hope should be encouraged--as it brings . . .
glory to God,
comfort to our souls,
credit to our religion, and
honor to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit, fill us with a lively hope, and teach us to expect . . .
all that God has promised,
all that Christ has procured, and
all that You have revealed in Your most holy Word.
Hope quickens us in duties--and preserves us from becoming cold and dead.
It comforts us in tribulations--and keeps us from being disheartened and gloomy.
It enables us to overcome temptation--and so to hold on our way, looking unto Jesus.
It gives us peace in death--in the sure prospect of victory over the grave.
Thus hope saves us:
by preventing despair--into which we can never fall while hope lives within us;
by preserving us from desperation--to the verge of which we are sometimes brought;
by guarding us against rebellion--the seeds of which are still thickly sown in our corrupt hearts; and
by protecting us against apostasy--into which we can never fall so long as we hope in God.
From many evils, at many times, in many ways--we are saved by hope!
Hope is in God--as its highest object and best end.
Hope is through Christ--who is the way to the Father, the truth, and the life.
Hope is on the ground of the Word, which warrants, excites, and regulates it.
Hope is for all that God has promised, whether temporal or spiritual, in this world or the next.
Hope should be encouraged--as it brings . . .
glory to God,
comfort to our souls,
credit to our religion, and
honor to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit, fill us with a lively hope, and teach us to expect . . .
all that God has promised,
all that Christ has procured, and
all that You have revealed in Your most holy Word.
The NKJV speaks of this hope as something we eagerly wait for with perseverance. It is an expectant hope. The Message paraphrase speaks of a "pregnant creation". What will be birthed from our hope? If you have another minute read the the verses below. What is God arousing in you through hope?
In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Romans 8:24-25 (The Message)
22-25All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.
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