The Limitless Power of Hope: Don’t Stop Believing!

Shared on December 15, 2024

Introduction

As someone who lives with a bunch of hope, there is a troubling notion that we are a people that live with too much hope.  Is it a bad thing to have too much hope?  We are in a season that is all about hope!  There is limitless power in hope and we must not ever let such notions ever strip us of hoping and believing.

Always Good to Have Hope

This is a season where we celebrate the giving of life and hope because God gave the world His only begotten Son.  Because of His only begotten Son, I can say to you that better days are ahead of us. I live with that blessed hope in my heart— I am hopeful!

When I think about hope, I think about how hope has brought us a mighty long way.  I think about all of those of my parent’s generation and those before, who endured so much hurt and suffering by looking ahead with the hope of better days being ahead.  I think about all I have personally endured in my life just to be able to live and breathe and it was the hope of a better day that motivated me to keep pushing.  Yes, hope has been good to me.

What Should We Put Our Hope In

Yet, in all that hope has brought us through, there are some who speak against having hope.  Some say that hope is a detriment because hope causes us to become passive and slow to take action.  Some even suggest that having too much hope blinds us to reality.  Even more, some will suggest that having too much hope can create unrealistic expectations and when those expectations aren’t met, can cause us to spiral in despair.  

Is living with hope a bad thing?  Should we stop living with hope in our hearts?  Paul would tell us to never stop living with hope in our heart!  Paul wrote that he pressed towards the goal of the prize of the upward call of God (Phil. 3:14) — the abundant life.  Paul encouraged believers to have the same mind – thought, aspiration, and hope – for the prize of the upward calling (Phil. 3:15). 

You see, Paul’s words of encouragement came from the place where he viewed us believers as having citizenship in heaven and not this world (Phil. 3:20).  In his eyes, this world was merely a pit stop on the way to eternity.  

To the Cornithian church, Paul wrote, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory … For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:17-18).”

Many will tell us not to hope in the imaginary (what we cannot see), but to hope in what we can see and hold.  Yet many are spiraling today because of what they can see but cannot hold.  There are many today who are putting all their hope into false tangibles.  As Paul said, their god is their belly as they hunger for earthly things (Phil. 3:19).

Today, we see many putting all their hope into politics and the empty promises of politicians.  The only thing politics has stirred up recently is a bunch of mess.  Some of us are putting all our hope into people that don’t deserve our faith, let alone our hope.  Then, there are those who will put all their hope into money, wealth, celebrity, and power.  

Why are we putting all of our hope into such things that don’t pay off today, nonetheless pay off in the end?  Again, I repeat, there is nothing wrong with hope unless you’re putting all of your hope into that which is fallible and temporary!  The downward spiral of hope comes from putting all of your hope into that which is fallible!

While there are good people to put your hope into, we have to be extremely careful because man is fallible; we are fully capable of lying, deceiving, making mistakes,falling into temptation and into sin.  Putting all of your hope into money, celebrity, and vain power is also a bad idea as these things are temporary and can easily be lost or simply fade away.

So, Paul said we should all be eagerly looking ahead to our heavenly transformation – when our lowly body is conformed to the glorious body of Christ (Phil. 3:20-21).  Paul wasn’t blind to his reality, in fact, he never hid from his readers that he was literally a prisoner.  Yet, it was his hope to see that day of promise that kept Paul pushing ahead!  

You see, that is what hope is and does— hope looks ahead with anticipation of good happening (Rom. 8:24-25).   I am a “hope pastor” and I will tell you that I don’t believe there is such a thing as having too much hope!  I will tell you, especially in these times, to fill  your heart up with as much hope as you can and always look ahead to the better day!

You see, there is nothing wrong with hope unless you’re putting your hope in that which is fallible.  However, if you’re putting all of your hope into one who is infallible, why wouldn’t you do so?  

Warning to the Enemies of Hope

It is with that thought in mind that Paul encourages us believers to stand fast (firm) in the Lord (Phil. 4:1).  God’s promise of a better tomorrow is why Paul encouraged us believers to to be anxious for nothing (Phil. 4:6).  Many of us are living with the monsters of fear, stress, and anxiety in our hearts today because we aren’t standing firm in God.

The notion that we need to stop living with hope raises a red flag for me.  Who would speak against hope and why?  Anyone that would speak against you always being hopeful is someone you don’t need in your presence because they will drag you down.  Where could we possibly go without hope?  Nowhere.

 In fact, Paul warned believers against following the pattern of those who have become enemies of the cross of Christ because their end is destruction (Phil. 3:18-19).  Who is an enemy of the cross?  One who lives in constant doubt of the Lord.  To be an enemy of the cross is to stand against God’s grace— His mercy, salvation, and the promise of hope (Jer. 29:11).   

In Philippians 3, we see Paul weeping and saddened to see how people were so driven to obtain that which, in the end, will perish.  I sit with the same sadness in my heart as I watch as many are happily putting all of their eggs – their wishes and hopes – in an empty basket.  Do you think it pleases God to watch as man strives for false tangibles rather than striving to obtain His promise of abundant life?

In Matthew 19:16-26, we are told of a rich young ruler who chose to turn from Jesus because he couldn’t give up his riches.  That was a moment that led Jesus to tell the disciples that abundant life is impossible to those whose hunger is in earthly riches (Matt. 19:23, 26).  It’s not that God doesn’t want to give them abundant life, it’s that they refuse to obtain it from Him.

So, while some may accuse the believer of being blinded by hope in God, they, sadly, are blinded by the false promise and false hope of false tangibles.  It is no good to place your hope into that which, in the long run, will leave you empty because it has faded away.

All Things Are Possible 

For a period of time, scripture shows us that the disciples shared the limited mindset that many have today.  They had asked Jesus, “who then can be saved” as they were given consideration to what Jesus said about the rich young ruler.  There is this thought that many people have that with all the riches in this world, anything is possible.  

I don’t want to appear like I am preaching against money and wealth, because again, there is nothing wrong with having the desire to live comfortably.  However, what this sermon is showing us is that there are two kinds of dreams one can have.  The two dreams:  be rich in this world or look forward to the abundant life of promise

The limitless power of God shown

So, Jesus said to the disciples, “With men [abundant life/salvation] is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).”   We know that God has no limits because He willingly gave His only begotten Son so that we can have life more abundantly!   Jesus plainly told us that whatever we ask in His name, He will do (John 14:6)!  

And if His promise isn’t good enough, Jesus showed that He is faithful to His promise and that His power is limitless!  Throughout Jesus’ ministering years, the gospels show Jesus healing the blind, the sick, lepers, and those with disability.  Jesus further showed that anything is possible when He went about casting out demons, and restoring life to those who had died.

Jesus even showed us that there are no limits to who can be saved.  Jesus forgave a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery when religious leaders desired to stone her.  Jesus showed mercy and forgiveness to another well-known sinner when a Pharisee wouldn’t even speak with her.  Jesus sat with sinners, talked and preached salvation to them.

Ultimately, Jesus shed His blood and gave up His life to be the atonement offering for all of our sins.  Then, Jesus proved the great possibility of salvation and everlasting life when He rose from the grave and took back His life.

Jesus has shown us that all things are possible!  Because all things are possible with God, He doesn’t want us to be limiting ourselves!  Jesus told the disciples don’t be worried about our life and even our needs because God is more than able to meet and supply our every need (Matt. 6:25).  This is the very message that we’ve seen Paul echoe when he encouraged believers, in my key verse, to be anxious for nothing.  

Hope In God Is Not Blind

Christ has given us something to believe and to hope in!  He has shown us that there is reason to hope.  So, my hope is neither blind nor is my hope unrealistic.  

My hope is in the one who makes the impossible possible.  My hope is not of unrealistic expectations but rather, my hope is in the one who has already given me new life!  My hope is in a miracle worker that is the reason as to why I am still living and breathing today!

The child of God should never stop hoping and believing in the unlimited power of God’s righteous right hand!  We should never stop hoping and believing in what God can and will bring us through.  Hope doesn’t blind us from reality, but rather, it opens a path of escape from the burden and misery of sin.  Sin wants for you to feel hopeless and dwell in misery but hope empowers to push through all of the mess!  

Hope and Faith Working Together

Now, one of the biggest claims against hope is that hope doesn’t get things done – it’s passive and lacks action.  What do we have to say about this?  For us to fully understand the endless possibilities of hope, we must turn to scripture to understand how hope works.

So, what is hope?  Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  While this is a definition about faith, it gives us a sense of what hope is as well.  Hope stems from faith like an extension of faith – they aren’t the same but they are very much connected.

As I said earlier, hope anticipates and looks for good to happen— hope dreams and wishes for better.  Hope will say, ‘I would like for this mountain to be moved’, and faith is the confident one that tells hope it will be moved when we go to God.  Hope needs faith and its confidence to move, but at the same time, faith needs hope’s dreams of the impossible.  

Without faith, hope is simply empty dreams.  The problem that many are having today is that they are trying to hope without faith – this cannot work!  Let me remind you that in many of Jesus’ healings, people either sought for Jesus and or were brought to Him.  

For example, I think of the woman who had an issue of blood for over twenty years.  She said to herself, “if only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well (Matt. 9:20-22).”  Her hope inspired her to believe the impossible was possible and her faith got her to move to go and touch Jesus’ garment.

So, I want to be very clear when I share these next words with you.  It is good to hope but your hope needs faith or else hope is nothing but thoughts and dreams.  should inspire action – not just thoughts and wishes.  Faith should move and it should always move towards Jesus.  Faith should not only move towards the Lord but faith should also heed His guidance and move when He ordains.

Some won’t like to hear this but I’m here to tell you that going to Jesus is an action.  In my key verse, Paul encouraged us to make our requests known to God through prayer and supplication – Prayer is an action.  Sure, there is certainly work to be done after prayer but that work is done through the obedience of heeding God’s instructions and not mans.

To be clear, waiting on God, and not moving ahead of Him, is an action!  There are many who are in a rush without faith, and with all their hope they find themselves sinking in quicksand.  Some are sinking in quicksand that can’t see a way out because they lack both the faith and the hope to see the way out. 

Let your hope in God’s limitless power be filled with the confidence of faith, and let His peace guard your heart when you move.  Again, move as God ordains and not as man would ordain.  Such faith and hope will see miracles be done.  Such faith and hope will see the impossible regularly done.  Such hope will be filled with great joy.  Blessings await those whose faith and hope is in the Lord.