The Hope Effect
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We have seen a lot of chatter about power of poitive thinking and battlefield of the mind etc. This morning we are not going to fall into the positive thinking trap of conceive it, believe it, acheive it! or Name it and Claim it! I am not here to be a motivational speaker in that regard this morning.
But I do believe that is an aspect of our walk with the Lord that needs to be positive, hopeful, joyful and optimistic and this is certainly demonstrated in the example of Christ.
You can be a Christian and an optimist at the same time and what’s more is we should be!
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
That sounds pretty positive doesn’t it?
The man who wrote this was an optimist with a capital O. Read about him in the book of Acts and study his 13 letters, they are packed with optimism.
By seizing the dreams God plants in your heart requires not only risk but also willing to pursue those dreams to no end - with reckless abandon.
Paul’s optimism started with his positive convictions.
A conviction is a fixed belief, a deeply held set of certainties that lodge in the center of your mind and heart.
Do you have convictions?
Your convictions ought to be sound and true. Paul’s were.
He wrote them down so that we could study them in his letters which are like a journal that gives us insight into his life and belief system.
These insights/ convictions are avialable to provide motivation and direction for our lives.
This morning we are going to look at ways to move forward toward the things God has in store for the next part of our lives. I believe we have allowed our circumstances in this pandemic to stall or growth forward long enough don’t you? Are you ready to move forward?
Let’s look at Romans this morning.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Father let us hear the words that you are reminding us of this morning and not just hear them but allow them to direct and lead our lives moving forward.
Be Positive about God’s Love for You
Be Positive about God’s Love for You
The most basic conviction in our lives are rooted in understanding the nature of God.
You’re like wow pastor that’s deep talk this morning. Understanding the nature of God is important for our personal growth in God.
Without a good, powerful, loving, creative, eternal God there is no basis for optimism.
Remember our vereses in Romans we just read?
Think about the reasons for optimism that is packed into that passage. Not only is God real but HE LOVES US!
And not only does God love us, but nothing we might experience can separate us from His love.
When I think about this I can’t help but be reminded of this song:
if that isn't love
Then the ocean is dry
There's no stars in the sky
And the little sparrows can't fly
Yeah if that isn't love
Then heaven's a myth
There's no feeling like this
If that isn't love
Ten things that Paul lists in the verses in Romans could each be a potential barrier between us and God.
Paul states with absolute assurance that none of them an separate us from the love of God.
Earlier this week I in taking time to read I found this quote and shared it online, I have to share it with you again this morning:
John Stott wrote this:
“Nothing seems stable in our world any longer. Insecurity is written accross all human experience. Christian people are not guaranteed immunity to temptation, tribulation, or tragedy, but we are promised voctory over them. God’s pledge is not that suffering will never afflict us, but that it will never separate us from His love.”
A question we need to answer this morning is have we lost our hope?
The loss of hope is rampant and it is lethal. It touches families everywhere in ways that is hard to comprehend. It comes from a growing ignorance or rejection of God’s love.
The powerful words of Romans 8 regarding God’s love are reinforced by the blessing Paul offered toward the end of Romans.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Take a moment and read this verse out loud three times and make a little change. Turn that into a prayer that is personal to you.
Now may the God of hope fill ME with all joy and peace in believing, so that I may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This prayer will adjust your mindset in any given season of life. It will deepend your core convictions and strengthen your belief.
My friend, God loves you!
He wants you to overflow with hope and optimism!
Be Positive about God’s plan for you
Be Positive about God’s plan for you
Are you excited about your future?
Moving forward means embracing tomorrow with enthusiasm!
This is only possivle if you know your future is guaranteed to be exciting, eternal, meaningful and useful.
The only person that can assure us of this and that is God.
The book that can provide the sure and certain detials it the Bible.
Paul constantly referred to the future.
He put the past behind and strained forward toward what was ahead.
Even when he was near death, Paul was excited about tomorrow. Think about that for a minute!
How would you feel in those shoes?
While waiting on death row to be killed as a martyr Paul was eager for tomrrow!
Now that is optimism.
The last known letter Paul wrote was to his friend Timothy and it was written from a Roman prison (which is not know for its comforts) where he awaited certain death.
Paul wrote this to Timothy:
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Paul had an incredible perspective on dying. Years prior he told the Philippians:
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
I believe that Paul’s perspective flowed from the time he was caught up to heaven and given a glimpse of the glories that await us there.
was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.
But friends we have a blessing that Paul did not have. We have the book of Revelation, which was written after Paul’s death. The two final chapters of this book describe our heavenly home in great detail - take a look at Rev. 21-22
The more we study these chapters the more excited we should become about tomorrow.
How long has it been since you were really excited about the future?
How long has it been since you went to bed excited to see what the next day held?
Remember when you were a kid counting the days to your birthday?
Or graduate looking forward to your next step in life?
Or the engaged eager for that wedding day?
Expectant parent waiting for the baby’s arrival?
Hardworking person excited about that trip, that cabin escape your purchased or hunting trip?
As a follower of Christ, I am ready to die and willing to live but in either case I cannot wait to see what God will do next.
Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
Illustration:
In the interest of fitness a subway station in Sweden turned its stairs into a piano keyboard that actually plays notes as people take the musical stairs.
The result?
Over 60% more people take the musical stairs on any given day. What a joyfilled way to start the day!
Life is hard, at times it may feel like an uphill climb and God is not likely to take you to heaven in an elevator.
Imagine the music of heaven playing with every step forward as you walk into the future, the future that he has for us.
We need to think about that and keep moving forward and dance to the music as we do.
Conclusion:
There are some other things to keep in mind on this journey:
Be positive in your conversations - it is so easy to talk negative and breed negativity. I emplore you to be more positive in daily conversations.
In the book of Ruth when the landowner Boaz went out each morning to check on the harvesters, he greeted them by shouting.
While she was there, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. “The Lord be with you!” he said.
“The Lord bless you!” the harvesters replied.
What a positive way to start the day!
Speak positive to yourself
Speak words that will even encourage yourself.
This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Outside of prayer your most important words are the ones you say to yourself.
Paul did this and here’s the example.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
How can you handle negative thoughts?
Dr. David Jeremiah helps us with that:
“Don’t curse them, Don’t nurse them, Don’t reherse them, Disperse them”
There are lots of days we have to preach the advise that we would advise others with. Preach the sermons to yourself before you preach them to others.
Talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself.
When you listen to yourself you hear, I am no good, I am too tired, too old, too weak. You hear all the reasons why you should give up. You can give yourself encouragement and the words that you need to hear to keep on running and to finish the race.
Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
We believe the author of Psalm 42 may have been King David because this guy knew how to preach to himself when he needed it.
He had experienced many disaterous problems as a younger man. His family and the families of his men had been kidnapped and even his own men were turning on him and talking about stoning him to death.
What did David do? He preached to himself.
Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
David strengthened himself in the Lord his God and that strength helped him to rise up and tackle his problems with a positive spirit that came from his belief in God.
Jeremiah did also. Watching his city go up in flames and his nation go down in defeat he said:
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Do not listen to the negative voice that is looping in your mind that will pull you into pessimism.
Stop the conversation and here is a better one:
I know whom I have believed
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep what I have entrusted to Him
Why are you cast down?
Hope in God
I will soon be praising Him again, for His is the health of my countenance
I am going to recall something and keep it in mind - the Lord is merciful, and his compassions won’t fail me. They are new every morning.
Great is His faithfulness.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Depending on how active your mind is you may produce more than 45,000 thoughts a day.
Since simply confirms what Scripture has been saying all along: We are shaped, in large part, by our thoughts.
Keep your thoughts God focused.
Speak positively to others.
If you learn to talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself and preach to yourself, and encourage yourself, your mood and message will change the way you speak to others.
Even in the midst of difficulties.
So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.
Paul was caught in a huge storn, he had a crew that was terrified and a ship that was sinking. The typhoon threatened to rip the ship apart and even the captain gave up hope. But Paul rallied their spirits by quoting the verses we just read.
Keep up your courage men, for I have faith in God.
The storm grew worse and it was a deadly storm. There were 276 people on board. The two weeks of unbearable strain drained the crew to their last drop of hope.
But just before dawn this happened:
Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.
Are you listening this morning and struggling to keep your head above water?
Are you feeling downcast and full of pain and worry?
Think about this:
Keep your courage! I have faith in God. Take care of yourself. You will get through this storm. Believe God and His Word.
Our word is wrecked and as we work together to accomplish what God wants us to do, the last thing we need are endless critics. Instead we need the camraderie of Christ-centered people who say what is good and helpful so our words will be encouragement to many. We need people who BELIEVE and who INSPIRE BELIEF!
Sing I know whom I have believed and am persuaded.
I sing praises to your name