The Hope of the World
The Greatest Story Ever Told • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
The Greatest Story Ever Told is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens. It is a retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. The movie had an all-star cast and was one of Hollywood’s most incredible productions of that time. However, way before it was a movie, it was a half-hour radio show in 1947. Based on the accounts of the Four Gospels, The Greatest Story Ever Told was an attempt to bring comfort to a world still reeling from the effects from World War 2. Many have said that these productions brought much needed hope in a time in which the world seemed hopeless. The truth of the matter is that the world was hopeless way before the middle of the 20th century. The need for hope is as old as mankind. Multiple passages in scripture reveal this to us. This morning we will look at one particularly found in Psalm 62:5
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
What do you put your hope in this morning? To help us understand exactly what hope is, let’s look at this a bit deeper.
Hope Designed
Hope Designed
Hope is a longing dream. The dictionary gets a bit more specific when it says hope is the feeling that is what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
Origin of Hope
Origin of Hope
What is the origin of hope? In the text of Psalm 62:4, hope means cord, expectation or outcome. I find interesting because to me, cord involves some kind of attachment. The Psalmist declares that his hope comes from God. I love the association in Hebrew to a cord. So often our hope is attached to something. For some, hope is attached to a “better day.” Hope is attached to money. Hope is attached to a relationship. All hope has an origin to some type of belief. I would encourage you to always turn to the Lord for your hope.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
What is the origin of your hope?
Obedience of Hope
Obedience of Hope
Yet, we are called to the obedience of hope. The obedience of hope is closely related to our heart. Luke 12:34
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Is hope in the Lord your treasure, or it is your hope somewhere else? Obedience is always required of hope.
Outliers of Hope
Outliers of Hope
There are also outliers of hope. What I mean by this is that hope gives us something that stands apart. Hope gives hope. By very definition, hope is that confidence of what God has done in the past and being assured we can presently trust that He will do it again in the future. Hebrews 10:23
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
However, we often allow our hope to become disillusioned.
Hope Disillusioned
Hope Disillusioned
The verse of the old hymn says is best: “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love.”
We are wanderers by nature. We become disillusioned and we wander from the straight and narrow.
Sin
Sin
Sin creeps in and tries to steal our hope. Romans 7:18
18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
Sin is nothing but selfishness.
Selfishness
Selfishness
Dr. Joe Godwin said, “Selfishness is the sin that stinks all the way to heaven.”
The Bible calls this person in 2 Timothy 2:4:
4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
The Psalmist wrote, “My hope comes from Him.”
Therefore, we can not turn to ourselves to find our hope. Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
We can only find our hope in Jesus.
Another aspect of hope disillusioned is when we are separated from God.
Separation
Separation
Without hope that comes from God, we are separated from His promises. We will only get so far.
2 But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
What a horrible and tragic verse this is! I don’t think we realize how horrible it is and will be to be separated from God throughout eternity. I am not a hellfire and damnation kind of guy, but we need to look at this more closely. Are you in a loving relationship with God or are you running away from Him?
Hope Deferred
Hope Deferred
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
When the hope is deferred as this proverb indicates, we become hopeless. The heart can be like it is created to be if there is no hope. A large longitudinal study among older adults exploring the potential public health implications of hope for subsequent health and wellbeing outcomes revealed that “a greater sense of hope was associated with: better physical health and health behavior outcomes (e.g., reduced risk of all-cause mortality, fewer chronic conditions, and fewer sleep problems), higher psychological wellbeing (e.g., increased positive affect, life satisfaction, and purpose in life), lower psychological distress, and better social wellbeing” (Long et al., 2020, p. 1).
From a Biblical perspective, no hope separates us from being friends with God.
15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
Unrest
Unrest
Without hope, our soul becomes a place of unrest.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
When the love grows cold, the ungodly will prevail.
Ungodly
Ungodly
31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
The ungodly have no hope apart from changing and becoming godly.
Unease
Unease
As a result, unease happens and we are condemned to hell. But thanks be to God, He planned for us to have Hope Delivered!
Hope Delivered
Hope Delivered
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
Are you seeing this? God alone. There is no other. Hope is delivered through the sovereignty of God!
Sovereignty
Sovereignty
12 But God made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
No other God can claim that! God is Sovereign. He alone is our strength!
Strength
Strength
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
That in itself is a proclamation of Hope! God is our hope and He gives us salvation in Jesus Christ.
Salvation
Salvation
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
This unfailing love is all about redemption! Do you know Him?
God’s purpose is that you would have life abundantly and eternally. We have already shown that sin causes us to miss the mark. But God…in His great love and through His great mercy,On that first Christmas over 2000 years ago, God gave us His Son.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
What hope we have in the King of Hope!