SERIES: FAITH, HOPE, & LOVE #2/3

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Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

SERIES: FAITH, HOPE, & LOVE #2/3

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

February 7, 2010

Text: Hebrews 6:13-20

This morning's topic centers upon the second word of 1 Corinthians 13:13, And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." Hope is a very important concept throughout Scripture. There are many ways to respond to events in our lives, but for the Christian hope forms a response which keeps us anchored in God.

Responding with hope is not easy, though. It does not come naturally; it must be learned and developed and practiced. It springs only from faith in God, which is why I think Paul wrote his list in the order he did: faith, hope, and love. Like so many things in our society, there are some cheap substitutes for true hope. Two of these substitutes are familiar to us: pessimism and optimism.

Each of us has a particular way of relating to the world. I imagine that most have heard about the optimist and the pessimist looking at the same half glass of water. The pessimist remarks, It is half empty. The optimist, on the other hand, says, No, the glass is half full. This has always illustrated that, even though something may be the same, different people will perceive and respond differently.

Pessimism is an inclination to expect the worst possible outcome. It is the doctrine that reality is essentially evil. There was a farmer who was consistently jovial and cheerful. He had a neighbor who was just the opposite. Grim and gloomy, this neighbor would face each morning with a heavy sigh. The cheerful farmer would see the sun coming up and comment, Look at that beautiful sun and clear blue sky! And with a frown, the neighbor would reply, Yeah - it'll probably scorch the crops. When clouds would gather and much-needed rain would start to fall, our happy friend would lean across the fence and exclaim, Ain't this great - God is giving our corn a drink today! Neighbor's reply: Sure - but if it doesn't stop afore long, it'll flood and wash everything away.

One day, the joyful farmer decided to put his pessimistic neighbor to the maximum test. He bought the smartest, most expensive bird dog he could find. He trained him to do other things no other dog on earth could do - impossible feats that would surely astonish anyone. The two farmers went duck hunting. Before long a flock came along. Both men fired and several ducks fell into the water. Go get em! ordered the dog's owner, with a gleam in his eye. The dog leaped out of the boat, walked ON the water, and picked up the birds one by one. Well, what do ya think of that? Unsmiling, the pessimist retorted, Can't swim, can he?

The definition and the story tell us that pessimism is not the correct response to faith in God. Oh, there are elements of pessimism which are true. Evil has entered the world and invades boundless areas of our lives. When speaking about the armor of God, Paul exhorts us to take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. In Ephesians 2:1&2, Paul also spoke of the kingdom of air: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

There can be no doubt, then, that evil walks this earth. The pessimistic response would tell us that we must accept this as defeat, for there is no way to overcome it. Pessimism itself would defeat us, for it tells us to expect the worst possible outcome all the time; it would prevent us from seeing the wonders all about us - dogs that walk on water. We are to be always troubled, and there is no way out. Taking it to an extreme, we would constantly find ourselves unable to help ourselves or anyone else, for there would be no purpose.

This is not the picture that Scripture gives. Far from it. Take a look at the book of Lamentations, for example. Here is an account of some of the bleakest situations possible. The enemy has overcome, and the people are oppressed and starving and defeated. Chapter 4, verse 9 is representative of the nature of the book: Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field. A breeding ground for pessimism and for expecting the worst? You better believe it!

Yet written in the same book are these passages: Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness... For men are not cut off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. (Lamentations 3:22-23, 31-32). Throughout the agony of suffering, God is remembered as the Redeemer! Pessimism, then, is not the faith response.

Optimism, on the other hand, is an inclination to anticipate the best possible outcome. It is a doctrine that this world is the best possible world. Optimism is probably more closely associated with the Christian faith than is pessimism. I like being around optimists more than pessimists. Some Christian leaders have promoted the faith in terms of positive thinking, and feeling good about ourselves.

Still, this is not the best possible world. Sin, which is rebellion against God, has entered the world. As I noted already, evil exists. That alone does not make our world the best possible world. Nor does everything turn out OK. Disasters like that in Haiti remind us too starkly that not everything is OK. We fool only ourselves when we try to exist in this world and pretend that we are never troubled.

There is a problem with some of the elements of a positive thinking Christian doctrine. I'm not opposed to developing healthy self-esteems. Im not opposed to developing joyful personalities. But whenever positive thinking becomes merely another form of optimism - when others try to anticipate and dictate what the results should be - then I draw the line in my support. My faith and my trust must be in God to supply the results, not the power of my positive thinking.

The late Henri Nouwen wrote in his short but well known book The Wounded Healer, that every attempt to attach this hope to visible symptoms in our surroundings becomes a temptation when it prevents us from the realization that promises, not concrete successes, are the basis of Christian leadership. Many ministers, priests, and Christian [laity] have become disillusioned, bitter and even hostile when years of hard work bear no fruit, when little change is accomplished. Building a vocation on the expectations of concrete results, however conceived, is like building a house on sand instead of on solid rock, and even takes away the ability to accept successes as free gifts. (pp. 76-77)

Optimism in any form becomes something other than Christian doctrine if it attempts to impose upon us the attitude that our every venture will be successful according to the standards of our world. Not only is this not true, such thinking actually opposes the faith in God about which Paul and others wrote. Not everyone will become wealthy; not everyone will have perfect health; not everyone will have an ideal family; not everyone will escape tragedy.

In Romans 5:1-4, Paul wrote about hope, not optimism. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Paul was not concerned whether faith and hope led to success or suffering; he rejoiced only in the hope of the glory of God. If anyone tells me that any suffering or tragedy in my life is the result of a lack of faith, I need to examine myself - and invite others to examine with me - to see if I am living as God reveals that I should live. Sin can certainly bring suffering and tragedy, and if I am living outside of God's will, then I am invited to confess and repent and move back into His will. But if I find that I am not outside of Gods will, then I must reply that this suffering or tragedy is not a lack of faith but a step of faith, and that I must continue to depend upon God to reveal the meaning and solution.

Optimism can lead to reliance upon false gods. The optimism that pervaded in the US and around the world prior to World War One was based upon an attitude that humanity was getting better and better, and that the governments and institutions devised by humanity would maintain peace and prosperity. This optimism led to a denial by many of what was really happening in the world. It denied that an external evil force existed, and, in some circles, it even brought into question the existence of God.

I have tended to lean toward the optimistic side. Consequently, my own experience tells me that when I believe that all will turn out well, it can become difficult to rely upon and trust in God as He wants me to. Often, my definition of well is not God's definition. Optimism can bring about a sense of independence from God, especially when optimism is grounded in human inventions and institutions. Optimism is not the faith response.

Hope is the response of Christian faith. Hope is a desire accompanied by expectation or belief in fulfillment. This is far from the passive use of hope which is merely a substitute word for a wish. We say things such as: I hope I win the lottery. Or, I hope I pass this test. That is making a wish. Instead, hope is based in faith. Referring once again to Henri Nouwen, hope makes it possible to look beyond the fulfillment of urgent wishes and pressing desires and offers a vision beyond human suffering and even death. (The Wounded Healer, p. 76)

One commentator wrote concerning Hebrews 6 that, Hope is faith in God who has promised, whose very nature is involved in the promise. The readers [of this Hebrews passage] were in mortal danger of falling away. So are we all. There is one and sure steadfast anchor of the soul, which will hold us steady and strong. It is the hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, not the physical representation... but into the very heart of God, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf. To anchor our souls there is to be held steady in every danger. (Interpreter's) As Paul writes in Romans 5:5: And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Keep in mind that the faith of which the Bible speaks is that in which God's hold is upon us, not our hold upon Him. By placing hope in this faith, we cannot go wrong for God is the author of this faith.

Hope is certainly not pessimism nor is it optimism. Hope sees in our world the reality of sin and evil, but it is not defeated by them. Hope also does not overlook troubles as does optimism. Hope acknowledges troubles, but it does so because troubles can exist for a purpose. Did God bring troubles upon Israel so that she would be destroyed? No! Israel was troubled so that she would be corrected! Zephaniah 3:7: I said to the city, Surely you will fear me and accept correction! Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. God has always been refining His people.

Is hope only applicable for Gods future kingdom? No! Christian hope exists also for the now. Verse 19 of Hebrews 6 reads: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul... The verb is present tense - we have. Hope exists now. This is why Paul and Silas could rejoice and sing praises to God even after being falsely accused, beaten, and thrown into the Philippian jail! Their joy came not from a hope for their future release from prison; it came from the hope in the presence of God in the present - no matter what their circumstances!

We are given this hope as an anchor for the soul. I know how important being anchored is. During my Navy days, there were a few times when we anchored just offshore. It was so vital to us that the anchor hold that we stationed special anchor watches to take hourly bearings and plot our position on the chart to ensure that the anchor wasn't slipping; that we weren't going to go aground on the beach or be battered against the rocks.

As long as our anchor held, we were safe. But it did not mean that we were not subject to the winds, tides, and waves. We would swing around that anchor's point of pivot; we would rock back and forth because of wind and tides; we would bob up and down because of the waves. Even anchored, we were still exposed to the perils of the sea. Even so, with that anchor secure, we knew that we were safe.

Hope is our anchor because it allows us to live. We are still subject to the perils of life, but with our anchor secure in our trust and hope in God, we know that we shall be safe. By living a life of present hope, we are encouraged to take chances in ministry. Charles L. Allen has written: When we are defeated, let us remember that it is part of the business of living at its highest. If you never take a chance you will never be defeated - but you will never accomplish anything either. Also, if you never know defeat it means that you were never willing to take a chance, and that should make us more devastated than the fact that we were defeated. Jesus said, He that findeth his life shall lose it. If you are defeated in life, most of the time it means that you took a chance. If you are afraid to take a chance and only concerned with saving your life and never tasting defeat, it is a certainty that eventually your defeat will be total and permanent. It is just as much a sin to be too careful as it is to take too many chances.

Faith in God gives us life. Hope, when used as our response to such faith, gives us the tools to live out that life. Pessimism is defeated by troubles and optimism never sees the troubles. Hope sees the troubles without defeat; hope allows us to rejoice in our present and look to the future; hope points the way along the path which Christ has already prepared. Christian hope is our soul's anchor even when tossed about like the waves of the ocean. Live a life in faith; live a life of hope. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul... (Hebrews 6:19)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

179 W. Broadway

PO Box 515

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com

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Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

February 7, 2010

Text: Hebrews 6:13-20

This morning's topic centers upon the second word of 1 Corinthians 13:13, And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." Hope is a very important concept throughout Scripture. There are many ways to respond to events in our lives, but for the Christian hope forms a response which keeps us anchored in God.

Responding with hope is not easy, though. It does not come naturally; it must be learned and developed and practiced. It springs only from faith in God, which is why I think Paul wrote his list in the order he did: faith, hope, and love. Like so many things in our society, there are some cheap substitutes for true hope. Two of these substitutes are familiar to us: pessimism and optimism.

Each of us has a particular way of relating to the world. I imagine that most have heard about the optimist and the pessimist looking at the same half glass of water. The pessimist remarks, It is half empty. The optimist, on the other hand, says, No, the glass is half full. This has always illustrated that, even though something may be the same, different people will perceive and respond differently.

Pessimism is an inclination to expect the worst possible outcome. It is the doctrine that reality is essentially evil. There was a farmer who was consistently jovial and cheerful. He had a neighbor who was just the opposite. Grim and gloomy, this neighbor would face each morning with a heavy sigh. The cheerful farmer would see the sun coming up and comment, Look at that beautiful sun and clear blue sky! And with a frown, the neighbor would reply, Yeah - it'll probably scorch the crops. When clouds would gather and much-needed rain would start to fall, our happy friend would lean across the fence and exclaim, Ain't this great - God is giving our corn a drink today! Neighbor's reply: Sure - but if it doesn't stop afore long, it'll flood and wash everything away.

One day, the joyful farmer decided to put his pessimistic neighbor to the maximum test. He bought the smartest, most expensive bird dog he could find. He trained him to do other things no other dog on earth could do - impossible feats that would surely astonish anyone. The two farmers went duck hunting. Before long a flock came along. Both men fired and several ducks fell into the water. Go get em! ordered the dog's owner, with a gleam in his eye. The dog leaped out of the boat, walked ON the water, and picked up the birds one by one. Well, what do ya think of that? Unsmiling, the pessimist retorted, Can't swim, can he?

The definition and the story tell us that pessimism is not the correct response to faith in God. Oh, there are elements of pessimism which are true. Evil has entered the world and invades boundless areas of our lives. When speaking about the armor of God, Paul exhorts us to take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. In Ephesians 2:1&2, Paul also spoke of the kingdom of air: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

There can be no doubt, then, that evil walks this earth. The pessimistic response would tell us that we must accept this as defeat, for there is no way to overcome it. Pessimism itself would defeat us, for it tells us to expect the worst possible outcome all the time; it would prevent us from seeing the wonders all about us - dogs that walk on water. We are to be always troubled, and there is no way out. Taking it to an extreme, we would constantly find ourselves unable to help ourselves or anyone else, for there would be no purpose.

This is not the picture that Scripture gives. Far from it. Take a look at the book of Lamentations, for example. Here is an account of some of the bleakest situations possible. The enemy has overcome, and the people are oppressed and starving and defeated. Chapter 4, verse 9 is representative of the nature of the book: Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field. A breeding ground for pessimism and for expecting the worst? You better believe it!

Yet written in the same book are these passages: Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness... For men are not cut off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. (Lamentations 3:22-23, 31-32). Throughout the agony of suffering, God is remembered as the Redeemer! Pessimism, then, is not the faith response.

Optimism, on the other hand, is an inclination to anticipate the best possible outcome. It is a doctrine that this world is the best possible world. Optimism is probably more closely associated with the Christian faith than is pessimism. I like being around optimists more than pessimists. Some Christian leaders have promoted the faith in terms of positive thinking, and feeling good about ourselves.

Still, this is not the best possible world. Sin, which is rebellion against God, has entered the world. As I noted already, evil exists. That alone does not make our world the best possible world. Nor does everything turn out OK. Disasters like that in Haiti remind us too starkly that not everything is OK. We fool only ourselves when we try to exist in this world and pretend that we are never troubled.

There is a problem with some of the elements of a positive thinking Christian doctrine. I'm not opposed to developing healthy self-esteems. Im not opposed to developing joyful personalities. But whenever positive thinking becomes merely another form of optimism - when others try to anticipate and dictate what the results should be - then I draw the line in my support. My faith and my trust must be in God to supply the results, not the power of my positive thinking.

The late Henri Nouwen wrote in his short but well known book The Wounded Healer, that every attempt to attach this hope to visible symptoms in our surroundings becomes a temptation when it prevents us from the realization that promises, not concrete successes, are the basis of Christian leadership. Many ministers, priests, and Christian [laity] have become disillusioned, bitter and even hostile when years of hard work bear no fruit, when little change is accomplished. Building a vocation on the expectations of concrete results, however conceived, is like building a house on sand instead of on solid rock, and even takes away the ability to accept successes as free gifts. (pp. 76-77)

Optimism in any form becomes something other than Christian doctrine if it attempts to impose upon us the attitude that our every venture will be successful according to the standards of our world. Not only is this not true, such thinking actually opposes the faith in God about which Paul and others wrote. Not everyone will become wealthy; not everyone will have perfect health; not everyone will have an ideal family; not everyone will escape tragedy.

In Romans 5:1-4, Paul wrote about hope, not optimism. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Paul was not concerned whether faith and hope led to success or suffering; he rejoiced only in the hope of the glory of God. If anyone tells me that any suffering or tragedy in my life is the result of a lack of faith, I need to examine myself - and invite others to examine with me - to see if I am living as God reveals that I should live. Sin can certainly bring suffering and tragedy, and if I am living outside of God's will, then I am invited to confess and repent and move back into His will. But if I find that I am not outside of Gods will, then I must reply that this suffering or tragedy is not a lack of faith but a step of faith, and that I must continue to depend upon God to reveal the meaning and solution.

Optimism can lead to reliance upon false gods. The optimism that pervaded in the US and around the world prior to World War One was based upon an attitude that humanity was getting better and better, and that the governments and institutions devised by humanity would maintain peace and prosperity. This optimism led to a denial by many of what was really happening in the world. It denied that an external evil force existed, and, in some circles, it even brought into question the existence of God.

I have tended to lean toward the optimistic side. Consequently, my own experience tells me that when I believe that all will turn out well, it can become difficult to rely upon and trust in God as He wants me to. Often, my definition of well is not God's definition. Optimism can bring about a sense of independence from God, especially when optimism is grounded in human inventions and institutions. Optimism is not the faith response.

Hope is the response of Christian faith. Hope is a desire accompanied by expectation or belief in fulfillment. This is far from the passive use of hope which is merely a substitute word for a wish. We say things such as: I hope I win the lottery. Or, I hope I pass this test. That is making a wish. Instead, hope is based in faith. Referring once again to Henri Nouwen, hope makes it possible to look beyond the fulfillment of urgent wishes and pressing desires and offers a vision beyond human suffering and even death. (The Wounded Healer, p. 76)

One commentator wrote concerning Hebrews 6 that, Hope is faith in God who has promised, whose very nature is involved in the promise. The readers [of this Hebrews passage] were in mortal danger of falling away. So are we all. There is one and sure steadfast anchor of the soul, which will hold us steady and strong. It is the hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, not the physical representation... but into the very heart of God, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf. To anchor our souls there is to be held steady in every danger. (Interpreter's) As Paul writes in Romans 5:5: And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Keep in mind that the faith of which the Bible speaks is that in which God's hold is upon us, not our hold upon Him. By placing hope in this faith, we cannot go wrong for God is the author of this faith.

Hope is certainly not pessimism nor is it optimism. Hope sees in our world the reality of sin and evil, but it is not defeated by them. Hope also does not overlook troubles as does optimism. Hope acknowledges troubles, but it does so because troubles can exist for a purpose. Did God bring troubles upon Israel so that she would be destroyed? No! Israel was troubled so that she would be corrected! Zephaniah 3:7: I said to the city, Surely you will fear me and accept correction! Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. God has always been refining His people.

Is hope only applicable for Gods future kingdom? No! Christian hope exists also for the now. Verse 19 of Hebrews 6 reads: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul... The verb is present tense - we have. Hope exists now. This is why Paul and Silas could rejoice and sing praises to God even after being falsely accused, beaten, and thrown into the Philippian jail! Their joy came not from a hope for their future release from prison; it came from the hope in the presence of God in the present - no matter what their circumstances!

We are given this hope as an anchor for the soul. I know how important being anchored is. During my Navy days, there were a few times when we anchored just offshore. It was so vital to us that the anchor hold that we stationed special anchor watches to take hourly bearings and plot our position on the chart to ensure that the anchor wasn't slipping; that we weren't going to go aground on the beach or be battered against the rocks.

As long as our anchor held, we were safe. But it did not mean that we were not subject to the winds, tides, and waves. We would swing around that anchor's point of pivot; we would rock back and forth because of wind and tides; we would bob up and down because of the waves. Even anchored, we were still exposed to the perils of the sea. Even so, with that anchor secure, we knew that we were safe.

Hope is our anchor because it allows us to live. We are still subject to the perils of life, but with our anchor secure in our trust and hope in God, we know that we shall be safe. By living a life of present hope, we are encouraged to take chances in ministry. Charles L. Allen has written: When we are defeated, let us remember that it is part of the business of living at its highest. If you never take a chance you will never be defeated - but you will never accomplish anything either. Also, if you never know defeat it means that you were never willing to take a chance, and that should make us more devastated than the fact that we were defeated. Jesus said, He that findeth his life shall lose it. If you are defeated in life, most of the time it means that you took a chance. If you are afraid to take a chance and only concerned with saving your life and never tasting defeat, it is a certainty that eventually your defeat will be total and permanent. It is just as much a sin to be too careful as it is to take too many chances.

Faith in God gives us life. Hope, when used as our response to such faith, gives us the tools to live out that life. Pessimism is defeated by troubles and optimism never sees the troubles. Hope sees the troubles without defeat; hope allows us to rejoice in our present and look to the future; hope points the way along the path which Christ has already prepared. Christian hope is our soul's anchor even when tossed about like the waves of the ocean. Live a life in faith; live a life of hope. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul... (Hebrews 6:19)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

179 W. Broadway

PO Box 515

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

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