Lesson for May 18, 2022
Despair vs. Hope
Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.”
When you have adversity, sorrow, or heartache that causes you to give up on yourself, others, life, or God, you are in a state of despair. Despair is defined as a complete loss or absence of hope. Despair leads believers into various stages of reversionism when it goes unchecked. Recovery from despair is accomplished by applying the doctrine of hope from God’s Word. The Greek word for hope is “elpis,” meaning confident anticipation and confident expectation for the future. Therefore, biblical hope is a problem-solving device we call a Personal Sense of Destiny.
Hope is grounded in the perfect character of God because we can completely trust Him and His Word. Since God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, He knows exactly what we are going through, He is with us at all times, and He will empower us and stabilize us. And He always keeps His promises, therefore we can place our full confidence in Him at all times under all circumstances. Hope is certainty in both the immediate and the distant future. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
In the same way despair results from giving up on self, others, life, and God, confidence in the future results from understanding and applying the doctrine of hope as found in the Bible. Without understanding hope, your life may become completely destroyed by despair. All definitions of hope in the Bible include the word expectation because hope is always projected into the future. Expectation means looking forward under the principle of living in the light of eternity. Hope is the assurance that at the moment of salvation you have eternal life. This is permanent and absolute. The basis for hope in the Christian life is the fact that you have eternal life. We believe in Christ with confident expectation, and as a result of learning doctrine, we develop unlimited, positive expectation of our future.
Expectation means living with confidence and not despair in the light of eternity and with complete confidence about the future. As believers in despair begin to consistently study the Word of God and learn the true meaning of hope and begin applying the principles of hope, despair will begin to be replaced with confidence in God. Confidence in God results in confidence in oneself and in life. Hope is a defense mechanism against despair through the recall and application of Bible doctrine regarding your future. This brings comfort, tranquility, perspective, and a solution to any problem.
When hope is replaced by reality, we advance in the plan of God. Hope is the momentum factor in the plan of God because hope gives us confidence about our future. Hope is a confidence that keeps motivating us. Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of unlimited confidence (hope) fill you with all happiness and peace (prosperity, tranquility, harmony) in believing (faith- perception) that you may abound in confidence (hope) by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
When you have any kind of sorrow or heartache, you should look into the future at the fantastic blessings that await you. This brings you into a realm of thinking that brings you back into the present with confidence and strength. If you have a personal sense of destiny (hope), then you have confident, unlimited, certain, positive expectation and anticipation.
Hope becomes confident and certain expectation as a result of the consistent study and application of Bible doctrine under the filling of the Holy Spirit. The source of hope is Bible doctrine and hope is a key to fulfilling the plan of God. Without understanding hope, our doctrinal motivation and momentum is completely destroyed. Hope belongs to believers who are positive to Bible doctrine and advancing in their spiritual lives. Hope is absolute security about the future, both now and in eternity.
Hope is the assurance that at the moment of salvation we possess eternal life. This is permanent and absolute. The basis for hope is the fact we have eternal life. We believed in Christ with confident expectation of eternal life. As a result of learning doctrine, we develop unlimited, positive expectation of all that God has planned for us. Confident expectation includes the assurance that we are eternally secure, and the reality of receiving a resurrection body. (John 3:16; Titus 1:1-2)
The reality of the fantastic future as Church Age believers is based on the understanding and application of Bible doctrine. There is no understanding of our future apart from Bible doctrine. Understanding our future is optional, based on our personal attitude toward the truth in God’s Word. The option includes mastery of the mechanics of the spiritual life. You become aware that you have a personal sense of destiny which includes living life in light of eternity, the Rapture, and eternal life.
In the Word of God, there is no neutral concept of expectation. Your expectation is either good or bad. If it’s bad, you are in serious trouble as a believer. Good expectation originates from Bible doctrine in our souls. Bad expectation is the result of emotional revolt of the soul, negative volition, blackout of the soul, and scar tissue of the soul taking over the control of our souls. There is nothing worse than looking at your life at the point of dying and have nothing but regrets.
You cannot go forward looking backward. If you are going forward, you are going forward on God’s agenda. If you are looking backward, you are looking backward on your own agenda (the arrogance skills of self-justification, self-deception, and self-absorption). This becomes the basis for a miserable life. After salvation, the hope of eternal life increases through the study and application of Bible doctrine resulting in greater confidence in the promises of God. Complete expectation is developed by learning grace orientation and doctrinal orientation, which brings us hope.
God’s agenda is defined in part in Romans 5:1-2,5, “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace (reconciliation) with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand in the hope of the glory of God [moving from grace and doctrinal orientation to a personal sense of destiny] and hope does not disappoint us because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Colossians 1:27, “(Church Age believers) to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ indwelling you, the full confidence (hope) of glory.” The fact that Jesus Christ indwells us is the basis of hope.
Titus 1:2, “In the hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal.”Hope is confidence that when you believe in Christ you have eternal life. Once we learn the doctrine of eternal life, we have confidence in receiving blessings as we continue to grow spiritually. This hope is only a potential until we learn enough doctrine to make hope a reality. Romans 15:4, “For as many doctrines as have been written before, for our instruction they were written, in order that through perseverance and encouragement from the Scriptures we might have hope.”
I Thessalonians 1:2-3, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, continually mentioning you in our prayers; recalling unceasingly before our God and Father your work energized by faith, and your service motivated by love and unwavering hope in [the return of] our Lord Jesus Christ.” Hope is cultivated through learning and applying accurate Bible doctrine which gives us confidence in the future and enjoyment of what God provides for us now. Therefore, hope motivates us to develop a spiritual life. Jeremiah 17:7, “Happiness to the man who puts his trust in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord.”
Hope is confident expectation of a reality before that reality occurs. Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
Romans 8:24, “Now when a hope is seen, it is no longer a hope. So, who hopes for what he sees?” The hope of blessings is replaced by the reality when greater blessings are received at the point of spiritual growth. The hope of blessings for eternity is replaced by the reality of receiving eternal rewards and blessings at the Judgment Seat of Christ. (I Corinthians 3:12-14)
Hope is a momentum factor in the plan of God that keeps motivating us because it gives us confidence about our future. Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all happiness and prosperity by believing, that you may superabound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”