Saved – Part 2

Saved from Hopelessness

Romans 15:13 (ESV) – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

ἐλπίς – (elpis) – Hope, confidence, expectation, assurance, promised

What other season is so marked by HOPE? Christmas is the season we celebrate Hope Incarnate, Jesus Christ. He is our great hope.
However, in this season we can simultaneously experience Hopelessness due to circumstances, loss, and even mental health.

Jesus saved us from Hopelessness!

The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. 19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time. 20 For the LORD protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!—Psalm 34:17–20 (NLT)

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.—Romans 8:24–25 (ESV)

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.—Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,—1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

The Holy Spirit is our conduit for Hope.

and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.—Romans 5:5 (ESV)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.—Romans 15:13 (ESV)

Our hope in Christ is our strength.

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.—Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.—Psalm 39:7 (ESV)

How do we strengthen our Hope?

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.—Romans 12:12 (NLT)

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.—Psalm 119:114 (ESV)

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.—Vaclav Havel

Conclusion:

Where is the hope? I meet millions who tell me that they feel demoralized by the decay around us. Where is the hope? The hope that each of us have is not in who governs us, or what laws are passed, or what great things that we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people, and that’s where our hope is in this country; that’s where our hope is in life.—Charles Coleson