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Psalm 16
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. Why is it that 20% of the people do 80% of the work? That’s almost universally true. Sadly, it’s very true in many NT local churches. There are many excuses, but few reasons for such lack of participation. One true reason for so many “watchers” is a severe lack of hope (in The Lord). Take away a person’s hope and they will go through life defeated! Satan knows that full well! Hope is hard to understand and get hold of, but it is one of God’s greatest gifts to His people for bringing out energy, strength, vision, and confidence. Before Nehemiah begins the work of rebuilding the wall, he must begin the work of rebuilding the hope of the builders. Do you believe in your heart you can be used of God to accomplish something great for Him? Can God “salvage” you, or do you believe you are doomed to failure and mediocrity (at best) for the Great God Who saved you? If the answer to either question is “no, I’m done,” you are missing out on one of God’s most powerful demonstrations to you that His omnipotence works on your behalf. Let’s study
- HOPE DEFINED! The first definition of hope is trust or confidence. See Psalm 16. Where is the very essence, heart, root of your trust and confidence right now? Is it in God alone, or in you? Do you trust God implicitly or has some past event caused you to mistrust Him? Second hope means to trust in for safety or protection. See Prov. 3:5, 6. Who is directing your paths today? Want to know how to find the true answer? Do your daily activities coincide with whatever you are studying in your daily quiet time, or are you following your own way? Third, hope means to wait long, be patient expecting or earnestly desiring even in the presence of delay or disappointment. Read Job 6:11; Psalm 31:23, 24; 33:18, 19. Have long delays in your expectations of hopes and dreams demoralized you into believing God has forsaken you, or at least dealt a cruel blow to your life? You must determine how long you are willing to wait and trust God to open those doors of blessings unlimited to you. A fourth definition for hope is to stretch out the mind in a straight direction toward an object of hope or expectation. Read Prov. 19:18; 26:12: 29:20. Are you willing to wait “over the long haul” for God to work in you? The question is “do you really want God to make you what HE wants you to be,” or have you bought into the lie, “it can’t happen to me?”
- HOPE DEVELOPED! The first character quality of hope is a character of prayer. Nehemiah was a man of prayer and God gave him a huge vision and hope that he would see God work. The second need to develop hope is to develop a heart for change. Read Rom. 12:2. God wants to transform us into Christ’s image. Transform means we must be willing to change in order to see what God can do. If we are not open to change, we are not open to God’s work in our lives. If we won’t let God work in our lives, we will never experience His mighty power on our behalf, therefore, we will never learn to trust or expect anything from Him.
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