When I was asked to speak tonight, the thought came to my mind 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 2. It says, preach the word and be instant, in season and out of season. And then the next thought that came to my mind was that we need to be ready to give a reason of the hope that is within you with meekness and fear. So we're gonna talk about that hope tonight that's within us. There was a time not so long ago where I really was, I was really burdened. I didn't know how things were going to turn out. specifically within our own church, with our church family. And I had been listening to a man on the internet and just had briefly been introduced to him and I opened up the sermon audio page and I thought, this does not even make sense. The title that was listed there just was, It just didn't make sense. I thought, what in the world am I going to get here? And I went ahead and clicked on it. And God ministered to my heart that Monday morning on the subject of hope. And I cannot tell you what a blessing it was to me at that time. I'm not going to re-preach his message, far from it. I know Brother Jed has listened to that message. I just want to share some things about hope that it is my desire will be an encouragement to you as we, you know, as you go through the rest of your life. So we're going to talk, number one, by way of introduction, just the fact that there is a doctrine of hope in the Bible. And then we're going to define that a little bit biblically. And then we're gonna get into this verse. We're gonna talk about the, well, I'm gonna mention a few things from this verse, mainly the reality of the hope that's there, the reason for it, and then the requirements that go along with it as we speak for that hope. So the definition, I'm sorry, the doctrine of hope, Romans 15, 14, says, for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. So when you think about everything that's in the Old Testament that we have, it was written for our learning, but we needed to learn that strictly for the purpose of having hope. And when I think about all the stories that are in the Old Testament, the history that's in the Old Testament, that brings me a lot of hope. I was thinking on my way in about the hope that I have in Christ and I was thinking about how, you know, the ark is a picture of Christ and that's that account of the great flood in the Old Testament. And in Genesis chapter 7, God told Noah to come on in the ark. and he didn't say, go in the ark, he said, come in the ark because he was in the ark. And that gave me some hope, just right there on my way in. When I think of the stories of Elijah and Elisha and the prophets, Daniel, there's a lot of truth there that gives me hope as I go through my life. And so, That's really what God wants us to have in this life too, is hope. So there's the doctrine of hope. God gave us all this because he wants us to have it. There's a lot more here. But all of the Old Testament being written for our learning strictly, not just strictly, but one main reason, the one that God put in this verse, is that we would have hope. So the definition of hope. I get out of order a little bit here, but I want to say this, that hope is not, in the Bible, isn't used in the context that it's used in the world. The world uses hope and they use it in a sense of desire, expressing a desire. I hope when I get home there's a cheeseburger waiting for me, okay? I have no idea. It's a desire. It's also used in a sense of wishing, and people wish things. I wish this would happen. That's not what's being talked about here, so keep that in mind. It's a joyful and a confident expectation. The biblical definition of hope is a trust in something that is sure and steadfast. If you want to look at Hebrews chapter 6 verses 13 through 20, I'm going to read the whole text. Hebrews chapter 6 verses 13 through 20 says, For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, saying, Surely, blessing, I will bless thee, and multiplying, I will multiply thee. patiently endured," remember that word patiently, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise, for men verily swear by the greater and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise," remember that word too, patience and promise. He wanted to show the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation. Who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil Whether the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." So we're talking about a strong consolation here and also laying hold upon something, laying hold upon hope that we have that's an anchor and it's sure and steadfast, which is so much different than the way the world uses the term hope. framed properly in our minds when we think about hope and giving people an answer for the hope that's within us. Hope is closely tied to faith and trust and it has to do with a happy yet patient anticipation of what lies ahead. A happy yet patient anticipation of what lies ahead. One of the songs that My kids might hear me singing once in a while. The chorus goes like this, and I'm not gonna sing it for you, and they're probably thankful, but it says, ahead there's joy and gladness and rest for my weary soul. Ahead there's peace and everybody will be happy and whole. You know that I'll be at home with Jesus where no tears will ever be shed. Though so often this road gets rough and rocky, still I know what lies ahead. In Romans chapter eight, verses 24 through 25 says, for we are saved by hope. See, it's very closely linked to trust and faith and grace. We are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? So for what a man seeth, why would you hope for something that you can see? It's right in front of you. Sounds a lot like faith, right? The evidence of things hoped for, or evidence of things not seen. But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it? Biblical hope, and this is the definition from that man that was, that…whose sermon I listened to, he said, it's a well-founded and well-grounded knowing and assurance and expectation and confidence that God's…that what God said He will do, He will do. That's the hope that we have. What God said he will do, he will do. It's that believing, and because you haven't experienced the end yet, that's why it's called hope. It's something that we're expecting, we know it's coming, and we can have that hope within us. So the ground and basis of true hope is the Word of God. It's laying hold on something in life to base your hope. Sorry, laying hold on something in life to base your hope must be in the Bible and it must be biblical. It's gotta be based on, number one, a clear promise, or number two, a clear principle, something that's clearly stated in the Word of God if you wanna place your hope in something, have that biblical hope. Like I said, don't call your wishing hope. And I know as a young person, I experienced this, is a false hope, where there was something that I desired, And maybe I looked in the Bible and I thought, at the time, I thought, well, God said he will do this. It was for someone that was sick. The prayer of faith will save the sick. I thought, well, if I have enough faith, this person will be healed. And there's more to it than that, but that's not what the lesson's on tonight. But what I had there wasn't true hope, it was a desire. The biblical process there was not followed, but I wanted this person to be healed, and they weren't. So we've got to be careful with our hope and make sure that it is based on something that's either a clearly stated promise or a clearly stated principle in the Bible, if you're going to pin your hope to something. Satan will try to get an advantage in your life, and he'll do it by two ways. He'll try to get your hope set and your expectation set on a false hope, knowing, because he's been around a long time and he kind of sees how the world works, and he may know that what you're hoping for, what you're wishing for, what you're desiring, may not come through, and it probably won't in that case if you've got a false hope there. And then, once he gets you to that place, then he can insert doubt into your life because you had that false hope that didn't come through and then you're doubting God because, oh God, I had this hope, I had this desire, I had this prayer, and you didn't do what you said you were gonna do. And maybe it was us not having that understanding like I did when I was younger praying for this person that was not healed. So if he can get us to lose faith in God because we put our false hope and put expectations on God that aren't clearly biblical, that's a problem. And he'll destroy your Christianity if you're not careful. If he can, he'll try to get in and really work you over good and really set you back. So we don't want that. Another way that he will try to get advantage in your life, and this, as you think about a biblical, scriptural hope, something that you can lay hold of and depend on, is by delaying a promise. And what we need to understand is delaying a promise is not being denied a promise. So Proverbs 13 verse 12 says, hope deferred maketh the heart sick. But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. So if you've placed a hope, if there's a promise in the Bible, and you're going to God in faith and claiming that, don't give up hope. Hang on to that, pray for it, and wait to see that expectation. When it comes, it's gonna be a tree of life. Don't get discouraged in that and understand that denial and delay are not the same thing. The opposite of hope is despair. This is all introduction, but I'm not gonna go as long as I did last time, so don't worry. I think we'll have choir practice tonight, Brother Green. Despair is the opposite of hope. And despair is when you get to the point in your life where maybe because of delay, maybe because you had placed your hope in something that was, maybe you had a false hope in the past and then you get to the point where you just can really get down and this is a really sad place for a Christian to get to when they start to give up hope and they actually get to the point where they they think that God isn't going to do what He said He's going to do. And, you know, if you pinpoint a Christian on that, a Bible believer, they may feel that way. I think in their heart And in talking to him, you can get him, you'll understand that, okay, I do believe that God will do what he said he was gonna do, but boy, it sure doesn't seem like it right now and I'm in despair. I don't have that hope in me like I should have. John Bunyan was in prison for 12 years for preaching the Bible. And there may have been a time in that 12 year period where he had to deal with doubts and despair. And I can imagine that. and thinking maybe one night while he's alone, did I really do the right thing here? Am I, is this worth it? Me, just because I don't want to be associated with, I don't know if it was the Anglican church or the state church at that time, here I am, my kids are out in the world being raised by a young woman that's not their mom one of them's blind and I can't take care of him and support him. I don't know if he felt that way or not, but I know that he understood feeling that way because he wrote about it in the book Pilgrim's Progress. Christian and his companion named Hopeful were traveling, they got off the way somewhere where they shouldn't have been, they got trapped there, and the place The place where they ended up being held captive was the Doubting Castle. So Christian and Hopeful are in the Doubting Castle, and it was the giant of despair and his wife, Defidence, that tortured them while they were there. They were there for about a week. During this time, the Giant of Despair really couldn't harm them himself, but he left them everything and he beat them. He did harm them, but he couldn't take their life. But he sure made it possible for them to take their own life. And Hopeful and Christian got to the point where they were actually considering whether they should do what the Giant of Despair told them to do, and that was to take their own lives. And they were discussing, is that scriptural? Is that something that we can do? Is that something that we can do in light of what God's done for us and what he's commanded us? And after about a week, one morning, Christian woke up. And I'm just gonna read this to you. They were really at a low point in their journey. After about a week of their misery, Christian, break out in a passionate speech. What a fool, quoth he, am I thus to lie in a stinking dungeon when I may as well walk at liberty. I have a key in my bosom called promise that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in doubting castle. Then said Hopeful, That's good news, good brother. Pluck it out of thy bosom and try. And the rest of the story in that passage is that it unlocked every key. They walked right on out of that doubting castle. Why? Because they had some promises. So giving up on God and coming to a place in your life where you do not believe in biblically based hope is despair. And despair is believing that the God of the Bible will not do what he said he would do. So now we're gonna look at answering for our hope, the reality of the hope that's within us, the reason of that hope, the requirement related to giving the reason of our hope. I want to ask you this, is there an area or an issue in your life where you need to pin your hope on a clearly stated promise of God? I encourage you to lay hold on that promise of God, anchor your life to the Word of God, wait on the Lord, and whatever you do, don't let Satan rob you of the hope that God wants you to have. The key of promise is sitting in your lap at this very moment, and there's no reason to allow doubt and despair to hold you captive when you may walk in the liberty of hope. The reality of the hope that's within us. I've got four or five things here. Number one is redemption. Ephesians 2, verses 12 through 13 says, that the time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world, but now in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. So we could read that word again, or that first verse again, Ephesians 2, verse 12. because verse 13 says, but now in Christ Jesus, we could say all things are different. So if I were to read it with the understanding that I'm in Christ Jesus, I could say that now, that at the time I am with Christ, not being aliens, but I know the commonwealth of Israel, and it says, strangers from the covenants of promise. I can say, I'm sorry, I'm a citizen of the commonwealth of Israel and I know the covenants of promise and I have hope and I'm not without God, I'm with God in the world. That's hopeful, that's that redemption. Titus 1, verses 1 through 2 says, Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. So that's the hope that's within us. We've got redemption. Not only that, we have a relationship with God. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 14, it goes on to say, for he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition. In John chapter 15, Jesus tells his disciples that he says, henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends. There's a lot more to that in that passage, but I'm not a Not only am I redeemed, but I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. The return of our Lord is something that we can place a lot of hope in in this life. Titus chapter 2 verse 11 through 15 says, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority, let no man despise thee." That's a reason of the hope that's within me. I'm saved, I have a relationship with God, and I know God's coming back for me someday. So in the context of 1 Peter, where there's talking about suffering, I've got a lot of hope in me. in this world, there's going to be somebody that's going to ask me about this hope. And in that context, it was people that were actually persecuting them. How can you be so hopeful? Well, here it is, right here. I'm saved, I've got a relationship with God, and I know God's coming for me. Here's something else that we can be hopeful about, and that's the resurrection. 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 through 18. It says, but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep that sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep, for the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words." Why? Because we're not like them that have no hope. We have the hope of the resurrection. First Corinthians 15.9 says, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. So, in this life only, we don't have, it's not that we have our hope in Christ in this life only. So if we're not gonna be most miserable, I'm thinking that that oughta help us to be most joyful. So, here's one other thing I'll mention, and that's rewards. 1 Corinthians 9 verse 10 says, he that ploweth should plow in hope. And he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope." Hebrews 11, 6 says, but without faith it's impossible to please him. Remember, faith and hope are very closely linked. It's impossible to please God without faith. It says, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. In Revelation 22, 12, it says, and behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his work shall be. So that's the reality of the hope that's within us. We've got things within us that we need to be hoping for. The reason for our hope, when we look at our text, it says, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer. That giving an answer, from what I've read, it means to talk off from, as an attorney would talk his client off from some charges. So we need to be ready to give that answer to those that would accuse or ask an answer of us. Why do you believe that? Why do you act that way? How come you're not of most men most miserable? How come you have joy? It's because I have this hope in me, and let me tell you about it. And you may be trying to persecute me now, but as I give you this answer, Lord willing, I'm going to persuade you to see my faith somewhat differently. And you'll see that you're falsely accusing my good conversation in Christ as the end of verse 16 says. So there's two things that come to mind about the reason of my hope. I've got that hope in me, but when I talk to people about it, there's two things that come to mind. Number one is the surety of the Scriptures. Hebrews 4.12 says, For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner in the thoughts and intents of the heart. So I've got the scriptures that I can use at my disposal, 2 Timothy 3, verse 16 and 17. It says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect and throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Peter 1.19 talks about a more sure word of prophecy. So I've got that at my disposal as I'm giving a reason for the hope. I can use the Word of God. And another reason of the hope that's within me is the sufficiency of the Savior. 1 Timothy 1, verse 1. 1 Timothy 1, verse 1, it says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope? I'm going to read that again. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope. If there's a promise in the Bible that you're going to pin your hope to, you're pinning your hope. You might as well be pinning it on the person of Jesus Christ himself. So there's a lot of surety there. and you've got a friend that you're pinning your hope on in Jesus Christ. I love that song. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. So there's a lot of promises in the Bible. There's a lot of things that you can lay hold on. There's a lot of principles as you read your Bible. And when you see those, what I wanna encourage you is don't give up. Ask God, have faith and have a joyful expectation that you're going to experience the end of that promise. You're going to experience that gift. It's on its way, it's coming. So the requirements related to hope and then we'll be done. Number one, sanctify the Lord God. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this. Typically we're instructed to sanctify ourselves or our property. You look in the Old Testament and they were to sanctify the Sabbath, they sanctified the tabernacle, they're sanctifying all these things. But there's only a couple places in the Bible where it talks about sanctifying God. And to me, I think the emphasis is that God needs to be set apart in our hearts as the Lord of our lives. It does say Lord God, sanctify the Lord God. He's to be the master and ruler and we're to be the obedient servants waiting on him for his will to be accomplished even in the midst of suffering. For our admiration, our service, our devotion, there should be absolutely no competition within our hearts concerning the Lord Jesus have in first place. We need to pay particular attention to seeing to it that he is sanctified in our hearts. We need to be ready. It's talking about being prepared, equipped, organized, arranged, to be set, ready to go. 2 Timothy 4, verse 2 says, preach the word, be instant, in season and out of season. I mentioned that already. We need to be ready. Ephesians 6, 15 says, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. So we've got to be prepared. We've got to be prepared to give that answer of the hope that's within us. Last things that are mentioned in this verse. Give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. So, you know, cover those together. I do want to say this, that it does say to every man that asketh you, it doesn't say that it's our responsibility to stand up against every person that's railing against the faith. I think of David, though, that heard Goliath cursing God, and he went to his brothers and said, is there not a cause? So he was ready to defend his position, and he did. But here it says, to every man that asketh you. So we don't have the responsibility necessarily for everybody that's cursing God to give them all the reasons and defend our faith, especially if we're in the position of suffering. It does say everyone that asketh. So anyway, but we're to do it this way, when we do it, when we make a defense to someone for the hope that's within us, here's how we're to do it, with meekness and fear. We're to do it with respect to our fellow man and reverence toward the Lord and a reliance on him as well. So respect to our fellow man and reverence to our Lord. I hope that, I hope, I know I can hope that because I know that God's Word doesn't return unto Him void. So I have this assurance that if you sat under the ministry of the Word this evening, that God spoke to you in some way at some point, if you were open. It is my desire, too, that everyone received a blessing from this. I've got to tell you, I've learned so much thinking on, meditating on this subject of hope. I feel like I just barely scratched the surface because the Bible talks so much about hope, Old Testament and New Testament. And I sure thank you for your attention this evening, Brother Pelko.