[Remember, you may access all of our books and lessons at www.isob-bible.org. You may also listen to the audio for our Bible class at this web site, either online or through podcast.]
A severely depressed Christian man said to me once, "I can live without faith, I can live without love, but I cannot survive without hope." His entire family, children and wife, had just thrown him away. I don't know whatever happened to him.
Good seed brings hope.
Hope is the expectation of something good happening in the future. It is not just sort of an "I hope so," with sort of a far off "maybe" feeling. Bible hope is based upon sowing and reaping.
"NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]" (Hebrews 11:1).
We know that faith only comes by hearing God speak directly to you. When He does that, hope is inserted in your heart. Bible hope is like an architectural drawing of the finished product. The architectural drawing of an Oak tree is in the acorn, the seed.
If you live your life according to Kingdom principles and in living touch with the King and His Word, you will have hope. If you do not, you will experience despair. Despair is the one common denominator in all suicides.
The antonym of hope is despair. If you are living in despair, replace the seed you have sown or has been sown in your heart by others. Allow God to plant His seeds in your heart.
Bible hope is a powerful force; it is a promise from God.
"As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you" (Zechariah 9:11,12).
"[Abraham] who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, 'So shall your descendants be.' And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform" (Romans 4:18-21).
"Because of the hope [of experiencing what is] laid up reserved and waiting) for you in heaven. Of this [hope] you heard in the past in the message of the truth of the Gospel" (Colossians 1:5 Amplified Bible).
Even unbelievers and doctors have a grasp on hope.
Many medical doctors and others have experienced tremendous healing with hope. Norman Cousins was diagnosed with a terminal disease. He thought that at least he wanted to die laughing. He surrounded himself with comedy movies and books that caused him to laugh every day. He was healed. He went on in life to research this miracle, and wrote many papers on hope. He is quoted:
"The human body experiences a powerful gravitational pull in the direction of hope. That is why the patient's hopes are the physician's secret weapon. They are the hidden ingredients in any prescription."
"The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life. It provides human beings with a sense of destination and the energy to get started."
What if you are currently experiencing the opposite of hope, despair?
If you have sown bad seed, or if bad seed was sown in you by life and circumstances, what are you to do; how do you escape despair?
Hope will bring joy in the midst of circumstances and emotions that would normally cause despair. How does that happen?
You must hear God's voice!
What was it that caused the people to not hear God's voice, and what was it that broke through so that they could hear God's voice?
Nehemiah 8:8-12
8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep." For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
10 Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved."
12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.
At first the people felt condemned by the hearing of the Word. Notice in verse 10 Nehemiah said, "Do not sorrow." These people are like many of us today; they may be God's children yet they still allow our circumstances to rule their lives.
People can be depressed and sorrowful when circumstances do not look good, and they can get happy when circumstances line up with their happy expectations. They are tossed about by the "wind."
Things indeed were tough for these Hebrews at this time, circumstances were not "happy." Also, they felt the condemnation of their own disobedience when the Word was read. That is the result when one has been disobedient, in rebellion, or into some kind of idolatry; the Word does not feel good at first. We feel that God is mad at us, and we would just as soon not take another "beating."
Why do you think that Nehemiah said, "Then he said to them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength'"?
If you look at Leviticus chapter 23 you will find that Nehemiah was referring to "This Holy Day" which was the seventh month and tenth day, and was the Day of Atonement. This was the day that the animals were slain, the blood was let, people confessed their sins, the scapegoat was led out into the Wilderness and everyone was cleansed from his/her sins.
Nehemiah was saying, "Look, the blood has cleansed you, go have a party, eat some good fat steak, drink a coke, and rejoice. Then go give some of your food and this good news to others. This will give you the supernatural joy of the Lord. You will no longer be bound by circumstances. You don't have to grieve over your past sins, mistakes, failures and rebellion. Not only that, but the sin's consequences will also be born by the Lamb. Also, the sins of your forefathers, the generational curses will be born by the Lamb and cleansed by the blood!"
The Cross makes all evil a friend! All things are reconciled!
When you get a hold of the real atonement of Jesus, you will no longer be blown around by the winds of circumstances. If you continue to look at bad circumstances you give them the right and the life to remain in place. But if you look at God's blood, the Blood of Jesus, His removal of sin, you can look at His promises to change the circumstances. Remember, in Romans chapter 4 it says that God calls those things that are not as though they were! And even if your lousy circumstances never change, your joy in His presence will make everything all right!
Of course along with this "seeing" you must cooperate by giving God every right to every aspect of your life, every idol, every sin. You must quickly obey what you hear Him saying.
We have something much greater than those people did. We have the resurrection. We have the Holy Spirit abiding inside of us. We are now the Temple of God. The law is written on our hearts. We can hear God speak from the inside of us. Part of the New Covenant is not only having our sins permanently removed, but we can "know" Him now. We can have real time intimacy with Him (Hebrews 8:10-13). Not only are our sins removed forever, but also the Blood of Jesus made us a new race of people! We are a race over which evil, sin and Satan has no more dominion!