Righteous Hope

Last post, I discussed risking hope. This week, I encourage you to grow in hope and faith! What if God has something much greater for us that our material prosperity and comfortable living? Are you wrestling with doubt and disbelief about your life: that there really is any meaning? Are you righteous in Christ? Why do we need hope in our journey? God is calling us on a journey of increasing hope that leads us to desire Him more and love others in Christ!

Christ is Our Righteousness! This is our hope.

Charles Spurgeon speaks,

“My hope lives, not because I am not a sinner, but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died. My trust is not that I am holy, but that being unholy, Christ is my righteousness. My faith rests not upon what I am or shall be or feel or know – but in who Christ is, in what He has done, and in what He is now doing for me. Hallelujah …”

Hope in this context recalls Abraham’s faith. Hope lives in Christ’s righteousness for us! Where does your faith rest? What has Christ done for you? What is Christ doing in your life presently?

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Romans 4:17-25

17As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.

18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb. 20Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised. 22This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”

23Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham, 24but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.

Paul explains how righteousness comes through faith in Romans 4. Abraham didn’t have the Mosaic Law to obey so he demonstrates his faith by believing in God. Abraham’s hope recognizes the impossibility of the promise, yet considers God as being greater than the obstacle to the promise. “Against all hope” Abraham hopes in God’s Promise! We believe in God’s Promise to redeem and ultimately resurrect us! Do you believe that God can radically transform you? God invites us to die to self and rise again being made into the likeness of Christ! Faith leads to hope and to live a life that gives glory to God!

Charles Spurgeon and Paul guide us to a wonderful truth! We risk hope by placing our hope in God and Jesus His Son. God makes the unrighteous and wavering righteous and new through Jesus’ righteousness! This is a key component of redeeming faith! We have hope because Jesus saves us! Just as God does the impossible in causing Abraham and Sarah to convince a baby boy in advanced age, He does the impossible in our lives by bringing us from death to life in Christ! In a spiritual sense, we are all dead in our sins and trespasses (Romans 3).

Triumphant Faith/ Hope in God’s Glory

I want to give you a brief introduction to some of the wonderful truths of Romans 5 that relate to hope! Emphasis is mine.

Romans 5:1-5

1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

3Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

When reading scripture, it’s beneficial to write down questions and concepts as you encounter them. By this I mean, carefully consider the words, context, and terms. Ask questions as you read. Here’s several questions from the above passage:

1. What is justification and how is it through faith?
2. What does it mean to be at peace with God? What is Jesus’ role in making us be at peace
3. How does faith give us access to grace? What does it mean to stand in grace?
4. What does it mean to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God?
5. How can someone rejoice in sufferings? Why is this possible and necessary?
6. Why doesn’t hope disappoint us? How does God pour out His love into our hearts?

Consider these questions and add your own! I will address these questions in future posts. Email me your questions leestanfill@yahoo.com.

God is Our Hope! Hope Pushes Us Ahead!

God doesn’t leave us as we were/are: lost in sin, despair, and darkness! Paul’s testimony is one of a man who suffers greatly for Christ, yet counts the cost as nothing in comparison with the wonders of knowing Christ. Paul endures considerable suffering and later death because he came to value Christ and knowing Him as being superior to all else. That’s the power of hope! Hope transforms us by focusing us on what matters for eternity!

Philippians 3:7-11

7But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. 8More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.

10I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

I write about this passage in more detail:

Pressing Ahead

Hope: Relating to Others

Have you noticed that hope is contagious? Souls with hope want to share it with others! I include the following quotes from Dan B. Allender’s :The Healing Path:How the Hurts in Your Past Can Lead You to A More Abundant Life. I include these quote for educational purposes and to discuss the inherent meanings to encourage others not for profit. Please consider purchasing, and reading chapter “The Dream of Hope” for your personal growth.

Truth 1: Hopes frees us to live for God and to hope for future

Hope frees us to live for God’s purposes. Hope frees us to serve a greater good than our own happiness or comfort. It frees us to love and anticipate our future even if we are awaiting our execution.

“The Dream of Hope” pg 158

Hope frees us from our present trials, troubles, and difficulties to focus on Someone Greater. Despair and hopelessness lead us to seek personal comfort and to withdraw from others. Difficulties and disappointments cloud our souls! Are you free to love and serve? What holds you back?

Truth 2: Hope Trusts that God is Changing our Character

Hope compels us to live for the future by pouring ourselves out as offerings to God in our relationships with others. The primary way we give God glory is through loving others.

“The Dream of Hope” pg 158

When we remain trapped in cycles of despair and rumination about past failures or difficulties, we become focused on past “what ifs” instead of trusting in God to redeem and move us forward. Hope leads to freedom which becomes apparent in how we relate and love others. Are you free to love and serve others? Other people will disappoint and fail us, but how do we respond? Daily reflection helps us to stay on track and grow in grace. Reflection questions:

1. Am I quick to forgive others understanding that I need forgiveness and grace because I too fail others?
2. When others ignore and fail/neglect to encourage me, do I give up on them and write them off or pray for them hoping that God will bring change and healing? Boundaries are appropriate and necessary.
3. Do I love others for what they are doing for me or could do? Does my love for others meet the requirements of 1 Corinthians 13? Or is the love self-seeking or other pleasing?
4. Is my heart becoming hard and cynical of others because of past and present disappointments?

Asking these questions and facing the truth of our situations leads us to be more compassionate and kind as God reveals our hearts and we respond in repentance.

Truth 3: Evil’s Disruption

Evil intends for us to succumb to betrayal by giving up on relationship; it intends for us to resign to powerlessness by giving up on the future. Once we lose faith and hope, then we are more susceptible to ambivalence and shame.

“The Dream of Hope” pg 159

Dan explains the struggle that we must all face in the realm of relationships. Ever felt or experienced betrayal from others? The more we invest in others the more likely others will disappoint us. After multiple disappointments, a person becomes tempted to just stop reaching out and caring for others. Ever heard the enemy whisper something like the following: “it’s easier to just not expect anything. Keep to yourself, you’ll be much happier, Don’t waste your time, they don’t want to hear it anyway”? The enemy tells me “most people will ignore you and what you’re trying to accomplish.” I wrote an entire post about feeling betrayed and disappointed with others.

https://wordpress.com/post/wordsofencouragementinchrist.com/1837

I write about such things and seek truth, but that doesn’t make it any less painful when I experience it. Hope comes into these situations when we choose to hope and trust that God will redeem these things. God redeems our failures and the difficult things that we experience. Even when others betray us! Consider how Jesus redeems Peter’s betrayal! Jesus uses this great failure to build up Peter and remind him that caring for others is expressing love for Him.

Dan writes about how ambivalence and shame keep us from hoping and ultimately loving others in Chapter 6: “Ambivalence and the Loss of Love.” I recommend reading this book because it will lead you to face hard truths and grow in your love for others. Shame also keeps us from reaching out to others in love. The enemy truly desires that we will simply give up on ourselves and others.

Words of Personal Truth

I daily struggle with the things that I write to encourage you. In my difficult moments, I seek out authors/articles and media to remind me of the truths that will encourage/challenge me. I write to you as a fellow pilgrim on a journey of faith that calls me to repent, grow, and trust Christ. Encouragement isn’t about making a person feel better or comfortable. Encouragement is about laboring to increase someone’s courage and ability to press ahead in his or her journey of faith. There are numerous areas of my life that desperately need God’s grace and redemption. Understand that God redeems all of us–every single part! He sees and reaches into all the “broken” and sin infested parts of our being. May God’s grace and mercy increase your hope and faith in Him! For His glory and to encourage you I write,