I wrote in my last article to prove from the scriptures that FAITH is another revelation name of God. If God’s other name is faith, why should he not be answerable to hope? Here we see another revelation name of God as hope –the God of hope…..Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13.
Believers are said to be born again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and are expected to be sober and hope to the end for the grace (culmination of their redemption and salvation) to be brought unto them at the revelation of Christ at his coming.
Those who are begotten to a new and spiritual life are begotten to a new and spiritual hope, they are no more living without hope and without God in the world as they once lived when they were dead in sins and trespasses. Faith and hope are interlocking –where so ever there is no living faith, there is no lively hope and where any or both are absence in any man’s life, they shall be discouraged, miserable and a living dead being. The fullness, strength and power of hope lies in the quantity (great or little) and quality (strong or weak) of faith in the heart. The heart filled of faith will be full of hope for the latter fills the former’s heart with the fire of great and convincing expectation which is manifested in the expression of its increasing joy in an abounding hope through the power of the Holy Spirit – a hopeful man has no reason to complain but to rejoice in hope and be full of praise. 1 Peter 1:3 and 13. Ephesians 2:12.
Hope grow and develop through patience but when patience do not have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing, the heart could fall sick in its expectation; when the promises are delayed, hope is faded away by giving up and faith is lost. Abraham patiently endured his testing period for the fulfilment of God’s promises –who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall your seed be. He continually hoped in that promise as an anchor to his faith without any discouragement from outward negative signs such as the deadness of Sarah’s womb or to his own advanced age, but was strong in faith, calling those things which be not as though they were and giving glory to God (praising his word –the action of faith in thanksgiving before the delivery of the blessing) in his total persuasion that God will do just exactly as he said.
If at death our soul shall rest in hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie has promised before the foundation of the world, then must we set the Lord always before us — His will should be our will and his ways should be our ways as we walk daily with him. Our expectation should be from his word (My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him) and it should be the delight of our soul (for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Romans 15:4) for the hope which is laid up for us heaven, which hope we have as anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm, and to continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel to the end — which is Christ in us, the hope of glory. We are not yet in heaven but are saved for heaven from hell as children of wrath we were in the past (for we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Romans 8:24 – 25) for while we are in the body, are absence from the Lord. Psalms 16:8 – 11. Psalms 62:5.
The doctrine of eternal security (once saved always forever saved) is a false and a bad hope of heaven; for none can’t be sowing to the flesh and hope to reap eternal life instead of corruption and damnation. None can put his hand to the plough and looking back and should think to make heaven. None should live his life in the lusts of men and in the works of the flesh and not in the fruit of the spirit in the will of God and assumed to be with the Lord forever –without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. None should vomit like a dog and go back to his old vomit and hope to gain access to the place where nothing unclean shall enter…. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:36 – 39.
God seldom do things we don’t looked out or hoped for. He is the God that answers prayer and he can do above what we ask or think: never a God who will caught us unaware for what we have not prayed through and expected from him –whatsoever you desire (hope for) when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. That’s to say, don’t pray for what you don’t expect God to make happen: and at the same time, you should earnestly hope for the answers to your requests from God. If we expect healing, he will bring healing and whatever we are hoping from him will surely come because he delights in them that hope in his mercy…. Our soul waits for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee. Isaiah 64:3. Psalms 33:20 – 22. Mark 11:24.
If the disciples of our Lord had hoped for greater works as Christ promised them, they should have demonstrated such expectation with increase prayer time and consistence fast life. When they could not cast out the deaf and epileptic spirit from the child taken to them for healing and deliverance: and upon the sight of Jesus arrival at the scene, the father of the child rushed to Christ, reported and accused his disciples of powerlessness and begged for help and sough for the Lord’s compassion. The Lord asked him if he believed that he can do it for his child. I believe, help thou my unbelief……this man had hope in what the Lord can do, but his faith for the amelioration of his son situation was so little and then aggravated with his experience with the disciples and when the Lord asked him, do you believe that I can do this healing which my disciples failed to deliver? Then he uttered his candid response before the Lord…. I believe, help thou my unbelief — little faith, little hope: and great faith, great hope. Mark 9:24.
The Shunamite woman never gave up hope of getting his son back to life even when he had completely gave up the ghost. When it was not the appropriate time to visit or see the prophet, she hoped to find him and get an audience from him, thus she saddled her ass for a trip to the mountain. She will not cry, neither would she surrender to mourn her son’s death; but in hope answered to her husband objection to see the prophet that it shall be well. Without faith we cannot please God……hope activates faith to please God through its positive attitudes, actions and confessions. Hope reveals what is in the heart of the believer as he speaks from the heart according to his expectations for the reality of things not seen. The genuineness of a man’s faith is known in the boldness and courage of his face and the conviction or certainty of his expression or confession from the truth of the word of God and not from his defying circumstances. He will not mingle fact with fiction as he stands fast to demonstrate that he takes God by his word and means what he says to defend the truth of the gospel because actions are weighed by God. 1 Samuel 2:3.
Show me your faith by your defiance action and positive attitudes! In the face of the burning fiery furnace of king Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach and the two others were not diplomatic to answer the king that they shall not bow to his golden image because their God is able to save them out of the fire (this is the hope that does not makes to be ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our heart by the holy Spirit). They know what God can do, because he is able to deliver them; but if not, they shall not love their lives as to shrink from death –by faith, they quenched the violence of fire….and now abides these three; faith, hope and love: but the greatest of these is love. The true love of God is unwavering in the face of any difficulties or challenges or trial of faith and test of divine love — love will bear and endure all things and hope for all things, it does not fail. 1 Corinthians 13:7.
Gleaning from the positive acts and attitudes and confessions of Abraham’s faith to sacrifice Isaac as demanded by God in Genesis chapter 22 verses 5…. And Abraham said unto his young men, abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. This was the turning and victory point of Abraham’s trial when he figured out and concluded that he will do the killing and God will do the resuscitation back to life for Isaac in whom according to the promise that his seed shall be called and that both of them shall be back alive to the servants and Sarah……it was the demonstration of his love in his reverential service to God — faith and strong hope in God’s promise that he will make good what he has said concerning Isaac. God testified of Abraham’s obedient as the true proof of his practical love above anything or anyone else in his life and sworn by himself to bless and multiply him indeed.
The alert of hope signal and presence is the indication of the level where faith is. Where there is no hope, faith is dead and it can’t do any work of faith. Faith brings hope and hope empowers faith to deliver. Hope moved Moses’ mother and sister to keep baby Moses in a basket in the river to protect him against the cruelty of Pharaoh’s death decree because they saw that he was a proper child which worked for them and the lad’s life was spared and was nourished and brought up at Pharaoh’s palace. Hope moved Joseph to give commandment, before he died, made mention of the departing (Exodus) of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones that it should not remain in Egypt… And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. Genesis 50: 24 – 25.
Hope for a better world and better resurrection is the power that enabled many of the old patriarchs to endure their afflictions with joy and die in faith or for their faith. Though the promises were not obtained, yet they can see them afar off, they were convinced of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they are pilgrims on earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire (hope for) a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:13 – 16.
When we lose hope, we shipwreck our faith walks and pilgrimage to heaven……And others had trial of cruel mocking and scourging, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Hope is willing and rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. It is the power to die for Christ because to die is gain and to live is Christ. If we are abounding and rejoicing in hope through the power of the Spirit of God, there is no room for depression and no room for backsliding, for there is nothing but darkness and destruction in the world: rather than to say to our soul like David, why are you cast down O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me, hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance and my God. Psalms 43:5. Romans 12:12. Hebrews 11:36 – 40.