It's good to be able to minister the Word of God to you today and turn our thoughts, our hearts to important things. In the Scriptures, there are three Christian virtues that are elevated above the others. They're listed in 1 Corinthians 13, 13. I don't ask you to turn to that verse. Where there we find faith, hope, and love. And that middle quality is the quality of hope. A small four-letter word in English, but a concept of tremendous spiritual weight and importance for us as believers. Hope is powerful. It is a powerful and important state of mind for Christians, for believers. It sustains us, doesn't it? In dark times, when we face difficulty, It strengthens us for the very long, arduous task that we may face in some circumstance in life. There is a hope that is a sound biblical hope, a sustained, confident trust in the person and the promises of God as we wait for a positive outcome. But there's a hope that is a different kind of hope than that, certainly, that believers can experience and do experience. I would just call this a time-bound, really human hope. And when I talk about this, I think you'll right away recognize what I mean. There's a hope, really, that's just wishful thinking, isn't there? Like the mom who says, you know, I really hope I don't get sick and end up in the hospital as she has been descending in health. Or a bachelor who says, well, I really hope I can find a good wife sometime this month, this week, today, you know. That's a hope. That's a wishful thinking. Or the unemployed guy who says, well, I just really hope that this interview goes well because I really, really need a job badly. My family needs the income. Well, there's a hope too that's really dependent on some change for things to be better in the future. Think about it for a minute. you know, a new partner found, a new plan for your business, or maybe a new place, a new home purchased, or some new technology acquired, a new medicine, or in your community there's some new infrastructure that makes life nicer and more convenient where you live, or maybe miraculously a new government, you know, that makes things really better for us all for the future. But, you know, there really can be two outcomes to this time-bound, very human hope that we might call wishful thinking. It's interesting that Proverbs 13, 12 mentions these possible outcomes when it says, hope deferred maketh the heart sick. But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." Now this heart sickness that's mentioned in, that often surfaces actually in human relationships, because good outcomes and positive things are deferred. In other words, they're disappointed. They don't happen. In fact, this can have a very powerful negative effect on us as believing people, leading to some real temporary discouragement, sometimes leading to serious despondency of a longer-term nature, or really even very great depression, deep depression, when we have our hope pinned on someone close to us, near to us, who we care about, who's dear to us, and things aren't going well. They're not right in the relationship with that person or in their life, and it becomes quite difficult because it's a long-term relationship, and you aren't really going to be free from it. You can't just dispose of that person. Hope deferred can make the heart sick, really sick. But the desire that is achieved or cometh is a tree of life, refreshing and invigorating and joy-filled. There is that kind of human, plain hope, even in serious areas of life, like human relationships. you know it's for example you you hope this time when you would when you move that you would get good neighbors or that you would get a better manager you know at your job that you would have a a better circumstance with those extended family members but it's not happened and it's turned sour and negative somehow in fact if I asked you right now to think of some horror film character in a heartbeat, you could do it to identify that neighbor, you know, or that manager. Or maybe to be a little more Christian about it, if I asked you to identify a cartoon character that was a bad guy, you know, you could come up with that immediately about that person. You've been very troubled and disturbed. I was in the seminary One time not long ago, and there was a... we have a lot of Korean... a number of Korean students in the seminary, and I was walking by a concession area there, and there was a group of Korean young girls or students, and one of them in particular is a real lively girl, real cheerful, very positive, laughing a lot, and just a real sweet girl. She's graduated. She's gone now from the seminary, but they were all giggling around this table when I came walking around the corner. And I kind of looked at him, and I said to her, you know, well, what are you laughing about? And she says, oh, Dr. Hankins, she says, we're laughing at you. And I said, what is you? I said, oh, well, what's so funny? So you remind us of cartoon character in Korea. And I said, I said, right, well, what cartoon character are you talking about? She says, oh, you remind us of Big Fat Frog in Pond and Grilla. And I think she saw the look on my face, you know, so a bit stunned. And, oh, Dr. Hankins, she says, that's a good thing. The Big Fat Frog, he had good frog. He king of the pond. And she just said, you know. I said, it's okay. I said, no problem. And then I had, you know, five red beaming Korean faces, you know, at that point. Unintentional cultural slip up there or something, I guess you'd say, in that case. But, you know, sometimes the things people say are not unintentional, they are ill-intentioned, and they hurt, and they are very discouraging, disheartening. I mean, we're not dealing with well-intentioned dragons. We're dealing with dragons that just, you know, they breathe fire at us when they speak to us, and we just come out as crispy critters, you know, every time we're around them. Well, it can get discouraging, can it, in life at times. And sometimes relationships that are enduring relationships can be like that. Very disheartening. And we cannot and should not dispose of them. We should have hope. Hope for God's intervention. A sustained confidence, confident trust in the present for a positive future outcome. That's biblical hope. Have hope. God changes people. This is the Bible's message. I'd like you to remember that 1 Corinthians 13 says for us, as it describes love, hope all things, hope in all circumstances. And it really, I do think, primarily is referring to the dynamics of our relationships with other people. I'd like you to turn in your Bible, please, to Romans 15, 1 through 13. And I'm going to read, beginning at verse 1, in this chapter, and you read along with me silently. And I'm going to come to verse 13, and when we get to verse 13, we'll just for a moment stand up together aloud in unison and read verse 13, okay? You sitting now, I'm reading, you're reading silently. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good edification. For even Christ pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. But whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus. that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. And the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again, he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with this people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud Him, all ye people. And again, Isaiah says, there shall be a root of Jesse, and he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles. In him shall the Gentiles trust. Now, standing together on verse 13, you see it on the screen, you have it in your scriptures. Let's read it carefully and think. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that ye may abound in hope. through the power of the Holy Ghost. You may be seated. That passage to me is a fulfillment of the beautiful statement in Psalm 119, 162, where the author of the psalm, David, says, I rejoice in thy promise as one that findeth great spoil. I discover a great treasure. There's a great treasure here in this verse which climaxes a series of verses that talks about working with those that bring reproach and with the lost, even the unsaved as well, both Jews and Gentiles. And actually what we have presented here in this one statement is a centerpiece methodology for building hope in your life. Have hope. God changes people. And this statement, this promise, this treasure in verse 13 begins to explain to us how to cultivate hope as a believing person, this important quality. We are to have hope and do have hope and will by praying to the source. The verse, the promise says, now the God of hope, now the God of hope fill you with all joy. This is clearly an invocation by Paul. This is a prayer. He's stating, affirming that God should do this and will do this. But for us, we're being urged to turn to Him who is the source. of all hope. Now, notice the first word in that verse, now the God of hope, men and women, for yourself, for others that you know in need, pray now that God will cause them to abound in hope. And there's good cause to do this. There's great cause for us to believe in the promises and the person of God in this. Notice verse 4, where the Bible says, "...for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." So as we pray, as we fervently cry out, we are turning our minds and our hearts to the revelation of God. And from the revelation of God we see incident after incident after incident of those trusting in the promises of God and enduring in that trust, waiting for a future positive outcome and seeing that positive outcome in the lives of people. How many lives of good godly men who were greatly productive for the Lord and good godly women who were productive for the Lord began very poorly? And changed. Think Jacob, later Israel, for an example. Didn't have a very good beginning. Think many kings of Israel and Judah who had bad beginnings, but in time turned to the Lord. Start now. Immediately. Urgently. Daily. Constantly. Praying. Replace the complaining and the crying, the even slandering and talking negatively about the person and worrying, the arguing, the yelling. Stop it and replace it with praying in hope, to the source of hope. Pray to He who is the Originator of all hope. It is God alone, men and women, who can bring light out of darkness and did that physically and will do that spiritually and can bring joy and hope out of despair. He is the creator, the imparter, the starter, the sustainer of hope. This is never humanly originated. You know, there's some people that you'll meet. You know them. They're optimistic by nature. They're just cheerful people dispositionally, you know? It's the glass half full thing with them. It's always the positive outlook, you know? And you get kind of bitter about those people, you know, because you're not like that. You know, they're always upbeat, always chipper. Things are always going well, you know, and you want, you know, it's just like, what? Well, that's a certain kind of hope, isn't it? But that's really not what we're talking about. The chipper, dispositionally cheerful people that God blesses us with, really. No, we're talking about something God does. He's the originator of it. I mean, He is called the God of hope. And this means hope comes from Him. directly out of Him as the originator of this spirit, this sustained confidence in the present waiting for a positive outcome in the future. And we pray that He who is the source will fill us and fill us with what? Well, instead of sadness over conflict and brokenness, He fills us with settled contentedness, happiness, and joy, the text of Scripture says. Instead of turmoil, He gives us calm, harmony, and peace with God and conscience. Notice the three-letter word. Would you please, in the Scriptures, in this passage, that God of hope will fill you, bring into you as a controlling influence, all joy and peace in believing." That's amazing. All joy and peace in believing. Do you know, actually, what's presented next in this text of Scripture is the next crucial element in this methodology. I start praying now. I start replacing everything else I do, both in my thoughts and verbally, that express negativeness and discouragement and despair about the circumstances I see myself in. And I pray that I pray expecting a significant increase in hope. Look at the promise again. that he will fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost." Look at the list of amazing concepts in that verse. Joy and peace in believing, which is faith that we may abound in hope. Actually, what's presented here is a remarkable interlinked Divine cycle a divinely authored Cycle of things that can happen in our hearts and should heart should happen in our hearts it begins by faith trust How do the joy and peace come? It says in the text of scripture in believing by believing Without faith it is impossible to please God And those that do believe in Him, trust Him, must diligently seek Him. It's those that will be rewarded according to Hebrews 11 verse 6. But then when we believe, we have then joy imparted to us. As 1 Peter 1 says, and this is quite remarkable, this is the extreme end of joy. Listen to what the verse says in that passage. Yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Joy in Christ, joy in who He is, joy in what He can do and the effect that He can bring in the lives of people. And as an outgrowth of that great joy, having believed, is peace. We come to God, as Philippians 4, verse 7 says, and we bring our prayers to Him in everything by prayer with thanksgiving. We let our requests be made known unto God. And what does it say? The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, will guard our hearts through Christ Jesus. This is not, again, a humanly authored peace, tranquility internally. This is a divinely imparted tranquility and calm and confidence spiritually that comes to us. It passes all understanding. I mean, when you look at the facts of the circumstances, they haven't necessarily changed yet. And yet, you're filled with a sense of certainty and calm about them. How's that happen? Because you have faith, you believe, you're filled with joy and rejoicing over who Christ is and what He can do, the calm comes, and you abound in hope. As a result, so then abounding in hope, you believe, you have joy, the peace comes, and you abound in hope. And there's this cycle, this ever-increasing and sustaining cycle that God intends to have occur in your life as a believing person. Faith starts this trusting in the person and the promises of God. And that presumes that we become closely acquainted with the person and the promises of God, doesn't it? In the revelation of God. This increase in hope is a radical change that occurs in the believer's life. That ye may abound in hope. Now, let me stop for a moment and get direct, if I haven't been direct up to this moment. If someone were to describe you, would they describe you, the people who know you, as a hope-filled person who is abounding in this sustained confidence in the present about a positive spiritual outcome in the future based on the person and promises of God? Well, men and women, this is saying that we can be people who move from discouragement and despondency and depression and darkness, from moodiness and moroseness and all of those out of that. into a different place entirely. Oh, you don't understand, Steve. He'll never change. She will never change. They will never change. In fact, in your life, you know, you've adopted a theme song, one of those great hymns of the faith, you know, gloom, despair and agony on me, deep, dark depression. Excessive misery. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Gloom, despair, and agony on me. I mean, that's you. Because there's no hope. Remember hee-haw back in the old days? Okay. God changes people. Have hope. Have biblical hope. Think about Peter. fisherman, coward at one point, at a very serious point, then bold, proclaimer at Pentecost, founder by his preaching with the disciples of the church, opener of the gospel to the Gentiles. What an a change, what an incredible change. Matthew, a tax collector, traitorous to his own people. stands up and follows him and writes a gospel. What about James and John, who early on as disciples, one of the two chief places in the kingdom of God, the right hand and the left hand of the kingdom in the future, who later became both humble servants of God and one, the first martyr for the faith, the other, the author of several of the books of our New Testament. Or Paul, a murderous Pharisee, becoming a dynamic, fervent missionary and writer of Scripture. Who would have ever thought God changes people? Keep praying in faith, because there is a remarkable promise here. Now, I want to hang A remarkable, positive, if I could put it this way, spiritual rainbow over what I'm saying. Oh, Dr. Angus, Steve, that's very idealistic, all that you're saying. But I think it's here, isn't it? Isn't it right here in the Bible? But men and women, look how this promise is capped off. through the power of the Holy Ghost. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. We pray, anticipating the work of the Holy Spirit of God in us, in our lives. The Spirit of God is the agent of the Godhead, the Trinity, who works in the human heart supernaturally. Isn't it utterly remarkable? Let your heart dwell, your thoughts dwell on this reality. We're told that our bodies, 1 Corinthians 6 and 18, are not only the temple of the Holy Spirit of God, but we're told in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 20 to 22, that the Spirit of God actually dwells in our hearts. What does that mean? He has access to our emotions, our conscience, our thought processes, our will, our ability to choose right or wrong. And we're told the Spirit of the Living God in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 16 to 17 will strengthen us with might according to the riches that are in Christ Jesus. We're told according to Galatians 5, 22 and 23 that there is this remarkable impersonal fruit that can be born in our character and personality by the operation of the Spirit of God. Love, joy, peace, longsuffering. goodness, meekness, faith, temperance. I mean, just remarkable internal personality change. And he uses the Word or revelation of God to do this, that we are to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. And it is by this, according to Colossians 3.16, that the Spirit of God controls us. and transforms us and changes us and moves us out of the darkness, the despair, the discouragement, the negativeness, the moroseness about others and our relationships and their character and moves us into light and hope and a positive, God-controlled view about other people. and about what they will do. Now consider, would you notice verse 3 in chapter 15? For even Christ pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. No one at all ever in the history of humankind experienced the disappointment of human relationships like the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Think about it. Think about it. He who did no sin endured the cross and suffered the shame. He knew utter betrayal. by his closest associates. He knew complete failure on their part. His own family members during his earthly ministry, read the gospel records, were not supportive of what he was doing. In Mark chapter 6, they came looking for him to take him home. They had thought he had completely lost it. And then to think, of being abandoned as he was by his disciples at the hour of his greatest need, and to be humiliated like he was humiliated because of sin. He didn't deserve any of that. None of it. But he endured the cross. He despised the shame. And he achieved our redemption. He bore the reproaches of those that reproached Him. And you can think in your life of friends and neighbors and associates who have brought difficulty into your life because of the way they live. God can give you hope. It can rise above that discouragement. You can know supernaturally the work of God in your life, the powerful work of the supernatural Spirit of the living God as He moves in you, as He lights a fire in you that you should not quench, as 1 Thessalonians 5.19 says, as He encourages you and you should never grieve Him, as Ephesians 4, verse 30 states. How interesting that in Romans chapter 12, the Bible says that we are to rejoice in hope. Rejoice in the midst of hope. The Scriptures teach enduring tribulation, continuing in prayer. Look at the text again. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that you may abound in hope. through the power of the Holy Ghost. Have hope. God changes people. Listen to Psalm 71, verse 14, But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more. My hope is in the Lord, who gave Himself for me, who paid the price of all my sin, on Calvary. For me, He died. For me, He lives. An everlasting light and life He freely gives. Let's stand to our feet together. Before we sing that hymn, My Hope is in the Lord, Our heads are bowed before the Lord now, just for a few moments, as a brief time of devotion, commitment to the Lord. And say, oh, this morning, by the grace of God, I am going to take hold of this promise. I need this. I need a renewal of divine hope in my life. for someone, for a relationship that I have, a husband, a wife, a son, a daughter, co-worker, friend, neighbor. And quite honestly, I have become rather dark and despairing about this person and this relationship. In fact, that sort of characterizes me in many ways about my life. And I need the reality of this promise of God to come to pass in my life. And I'm asking God by His grace to make that happen in me for His glory. I say that is my prayer this morning and will be my prayer walking out of here today as I take hold of this great treasure promise from God. Lord, here's my hand acknowledging that that's my prayer. Lord, I lift my hand to Thee this morning, wherever you may be in this audience right now. That is my prayer. This is my concern, my burden. I make that cry to Thee. Amen. Others, amen. Thank you, ma'am. Amen. Thank you, sir. I need to be a hope-filled Christian. I'm supposed to be like this. I want to be like this. I'm asking God to help me be like this, as Romans 15, 13 says. Someone else to whom God has spoken today. Alright, let's sing that hymn together. If we could, take your hymn books and