JUDGEMENT AND HOPE

PROCLAMATION

“… These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at My word.”  Isaiah 66:2 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These are the words of The Lord God which were spoken to the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah.  In this the sixty-sixth and final chapter of The Bible Book of Isaiah there is a continuation of the same topics which were presented in chapter sixty-five: the rejection by Jews, the acceptance by Gentiles, the worship of idols, the remnant of believers, and the coming of Christ.  He states that all men will be judged, some of whom will find His favor and others will receive His vengeance. (Isaiah 66:2-4)   

APPLICATION

In many respects The Bible Book of Isaiah mirrors The Bible.  There are sixty-six Books of The Bible and sixty-six chapters in The Book of Isaiah.  There are thirty-nine Books in The Old Testament and the first thirty-nine chapters of The Book of Isaiah presents the history of the people of God.  There are twenty-seven Books in The New Testament and last twenty-seven chapters of The Book of Isaiah presents prophesies relating to the Messiah including His birth, life, rejection, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.  Both The Bible and The Book of Isaiah end with prophecies regarding the second coming of Christ and the new heavens and the new earth.  Both state that the day of judgment is coming, and all of the enemies of the church will be destroyed. (Isaiah 66:15-17 and Revelation 20:4)  However, believers will be gathered together and will see the glory of The Lord. (Isaiah 66:18 and Revelation 18:1) 

THE LORD GOD DELIGHTS IN THOSE WHO FEAR HIM

Proclamation:

“Praise The Lord … He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds … The Lord sustains the humble … The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.”  Psalm 147:1-11 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm are also thought to have been written by King David.  Regardless of who the human author is, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm is another one of the “Hallelujah” psalms and this one celebrates God’s goodness towards earth and to Jerusalem.  He builds up Jerusalem and gathers the exiles of Israel. (Psalm 147:2)  He strengthens the gates of the city and blesses the people within them. (Psalm 147:13)  He has done things for Israel which He has not done for any other nation. (Psalm 147:20)  The psalmist also talks about God’s knowledge of the stars in the sky (Psalm 147:4) and His control of the weather. (Psalm 147:8 and 16-18)  Scattered throughout this psalm are examples of the things which He does for His people.

Application:

We need to praise and thank The Lord God much more than we do.  He has done so much for us.  He heals us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  He protects us, preserves us, and sustains us while providing for our needs.  He not only protects and provides for us but He also provides for all of the animals of the world. (Psalm 147:9)  Everything is under His control including the weather, which people refer to as “Mother Nature” instead of acknowledging that it is the work of The Lord God.  All power is in His hands.  To God be the glory!!!  Blessed are those who put their trust in The Lord God. (Jeremiah 17:7)  Hopefully, we would do something each day in which The Lord God would find delight.

WE SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE HOPE

Proclamation:

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more." Psalms 71:14 (NIV)

Explanation:
This psalm is thought to have been written by King David as an elderly man under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Most Bible scholars believe that the trouble David was facing here was as he fled from his son Absalom.  Here as a mature man of faith he responds to trouble by displaying his faith and trust in God.  He prays for God's help and expresses confidence that his prayer will be answered.

Application:
As a believer today, like this psalmist, we should never lose our hope, faith, and trust in God.  Whatever the circumstance or situation, we should always have hope.  Our prayer during the storms of life should be a request for strength for today and hope for tomorrow, knowing that tomorrow will be a better day.  We know that God is with us at all times, so we just have to hold on and grin and bear it.  We should never let the devil get the best of us and cause us to give up hope.  We need to exercise our faith and always have hope.  Trouble won’t last always, our rejoicing time is coming. (Psalm 30:5)  We should praise God for what He has done for us in the past, is doing for us right now, and for what He will do for us in the future.  We should always have a reason to praise and thank The Lord.

Fear The Lord And Hope In His Unfailing Love

"The LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love."  Psalms 147:11 (NIV)

The human author of this psalm of praise and thanksgiving is unknown, but the psalmist clearly expresses thanks to God for His blessings.  After praising God for all of the wonderful things that He has done, including caring for the plants and animals, the psalmist states two things that The Lord does not delight in. (Psalms 147:10)  Then he states two things which The Lord does delight in, those who fear Him, and those who put their hope in Him.

To fear The Lord is to adore His majesty, to acknowledge His authority, to stand in awe of His power, and to dread His wrath.  The Lord God delights in those who fear Him.  To hope in The Lord is to believe in Him, to have faith in Him, to trust in Him, and to know that His love is eternal.  The Lord delights in those who put their hope in Him and His unfailing love.  So, let us please The Lord our God.  Let us fear The Lord, and put our hope in Him and in His unfailing love.  Good things are sure to come to us if God is pleased with us.

Our Hope Is In The Lord

"Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."  Psalms 42:11 (NIV)

This is one of the psalms which was recorded by the Sons of Korah, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The exact occasion and situation which resulted in this psalm are unknown.  It is clear that the individual human author was lamenting something intense, which was aggravated by the people around him that were mocking him. (Psalms 42:3 and 10)  He rebukes himself for being despondent, and then expresses his hope in The Lord God.

Sometimes, life has a way of getting us down.  Some things depress us, or disturb us.  And all too often, some of the people around us make the situation worse instead of better.  In times like these, we need to turn our attention to The Lord.  We need to remember how He helped us in past situations.  We need to remember that our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus, His redemptive blood, and His righteousness.  We need to pray, and read The Holy Word of God, and then praise Him for who He is, knowing that whatever we need is already done.  Be strong and take heart, The Lord preserves all those who place their hope in Him. (Psalm 31:23-24)

Hope Continually

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more."  Psalms 71:14 (NIV)  The King James Version of The Holy Bible reads: "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more." 

The unknown author of this psalm is thought to be an elderly man by his repeated use of the word "continually" in this psalm.  Also he asks God not to cast him away when he is old. (Psalms 71:9)  His point to the believers was that The Lord God had continually been faithful to him, and he was going to continually hope and have faith in The Lord.  The implication being that they should do likewise.

To hope is to cherish with anticipation, to expect with confidence, and to believe in fulfillment.  Blessed is the person whose hope in in The Lord. (Jeremiah 17:7)  We are saved by hope in that which we cannot see.  (Romans 8:24)  We are encouraged to hope, have faith, and to praise The Lord, more and more.  We should follow the example of this psalmist and do this everyday, and throughout each day, if not all day long. (Psalms 71:15)  Believers know that our hope is built on nothing less than the blood of Jesus, for in Him we live, move, and have our very being. (Acts 17:28)

The Lord Preserves The Faithful

"Love The LORD, all His saints!  The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud He pays back in full.  Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in The LORD."  Psalms 31:23-24 (NIV)

Under the guidance of The Holy Spirit of God, King David recorded these words for the believers.  His purpose was to encourage them to keep their faith in God.  He exhorted them to be strong and to continue to love The Lord.  He also said that those who keep the faith will be rewarded, and those who don't will be punished.

Believers can be assured of rewards from The Lord for being faithful, and they know that there will be retribution for those who do not believe. (Deuteronomy 7:9-10)  To love The Lord is more than just saying it, it also means living it. (John 14:15)  Believers are doers of The Word of God, their life and their behavior reflects Christ-like activities. (James 1:22)  The Lord will protect and bless those who love Him, all others will eventually be destroyed. (Psalms 145:20) 

We Have Hope

"For You have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth."  Psalms 71:5 (NIV)

The author of this psalm clearly stated that his hope was in The Lord God.  His hope is in God, his hope was and has been in God, and he implies that his hope always will be in God.

As a believer, we always have hope.  We can be strong in The Lord, and we can hold on to our faith, and we can be of good courage because our hope is in The Lord. (Psalms 31:24)  We have hope because God said in His Word that He would protect us. (Psalms 119:114)  It is good that man should hope, and wait on The Lord. (Lamentations 3:26)  We hope for that which we do not yet have, and cannot see coming, but we know will come. (Romans 8:24-25)  That which we hope for is that blessed hope which only The Lord God can provide. (Titus 2:13)  Every man who believes and hopes in The Lord God, does himself good. (1 John 3:3)

Don't Give Up Hold On And Keep The Faith

"Love The LORD, all His saints!  The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud He pays back in full.  Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in The LORD."  Psalms 31:23-24 (NIV)

King David exhorted the people of God to love The Lord God, to keep the faith, and to be strong.  He encouraged them to hold on, and not to give up.  He said that The Lord God would preserve them if they just kept their faith in Him.

The Word of God offers believers the assurance that The Lord God will keep the faithful, those who have faith and hope in Him, safe from hurt, harm, and danger.  He has always kept His promises in the past, and He will continue to do so. (Deuteronomy 7:9)  As believers we should be strong in our faith in God and be of good courage because we have good reason to do so.  He has great goodness stored up and waiting for us. (Psalms 31:19)  He will protect us and keep us safe from the evil that men have planned for us. (Psalms 31:20)  He has already blessed us with numerous acts of His kindness. (Psalms 31:21)  The Lord God hears and answers our prayers. (Psalms 31:22)  He has promised that if we are faithful, He will preserve, protect, and keep us. (Psalms 31:23)  He will strengthen our mind, body, and spirit, as long as we continue to have faith and hope in Him. (Psalms 31:24)  Who wouldn't love a God like Him, He gave His only son to die and pay the price for our sins so that we could be saved. (John 3:16)  Love The Lord, keep your faith and hope in Him strong.  Don't give up, whatever happens, hold on, keep the faith, better days are coming, God is in control.

We Hope And Wait For That Which We Do Not Yet Have

"For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."  Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul gives the believers in The Church in Rome a brief discourse on hope.  He states that hope is essentially faith in Christ and the things that will come to pass.  He told them that this hope is the bases of their salvation.  Hope is based upon that which they do not have, but they have no doubt that that they will receive.

One of the great principals of Christian belief is hope.  Paul's use of the word "hope" here makes it appear to be interchangeable with the word "faith".  Bible scholar Matthew Henry says that faith is the promise and hope is the thing that is promised.  He says faith is the evidence and hope is the expectation.  Either way, faith and hope are inexplicably linked.  Paul's statement about hope not being based upon that which is seen, is similar to the definition of faith which is presented by the unknown author in Hebrews.  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)  We know that without a believing faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)  Our hope and faith exist and are strong because we know that after we have done the will of God, we will receive our reward from Him. ( Hebrews 10:35-36)  Our hope is in The Lord (Psalms 39:7, Psalms 146:5, Jeremiah 17:7, and Lamentations 3:24), and in His mercy (Psalms 33:18), and in that which is to come. (1 Thessalonians 2:19)  Christ is coming back for His Church. (John 14:3, John 14:28, and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)  We are just doing our part in kingdom building now while we wait patiently for His return.

Hope In Have Faith In And Trust In The Lord

"Love The LORD, all His saints!  The LORD preserves the faithful ... Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in The LORD."  Psalms 31:23-24 (NIV)

King David encourages all believers, all of the people who hope and have faith in The Lord, to be strong, keep the faith, be of good courage, and don't give up, because The Lord preserves and protects all who are faithful.

Blessed is the man who trusts in The Lord, whose confidence is in Him. (Jeremiah 17:7)  All of us who have faith and trust in The Lord, whose hope is in The Lord, will be rewarded.  He preserves, protects, and provides for all who are faithful to Him.  We need to wait on The Lord and have faith in His word. (Psalms 130:5)  He will keep His word, His word will not fail.  (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33)  He will do whatever He says He will do. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)   Those who wait upon The Lord will be strengthened. (Isaiah 40:31)  Blessed is the man whose hope in in The Lord. (Psalms 146:5)

In The Lord We Have Hope

"I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.  I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.  Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of The LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail."  Lamentations 3:19-22 (NIV)

The prophet Jeremiah said that when he remembers all of the bad times that he had been through, and all of his suffering, then he remembers that it was because of the love of God and His compassion that he made it through, and that gives him hope.for the future.

The storms of life can weigh us down, they can even knock us down, but because we are believers they can't keep us down.  We know that trouble won't last always. (1 Peter 1:6)   Weeping may endure for a night, but we know that joy will come in the morning. (Psalms 30:5)  Knowing this can keep us from staying is a state of depression and despair.  The Lord gives us  

strength for today and hope for tomorrow.  It is in Him that we hope. (Psalm 38:15)  

Faith Hope And Love

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) 

In his letter to the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul stated that having and exercising spiritual gifts did not make them holier than others or more mature in Christ.  He said that the most important traits of a mature Christian are faith, hope, and love.  The greatest of these is love, because God is love.  (1 John 4:8 & 4:16)

In order for us to be more Christ-like, we need to demonstrate more faith, more hope, and more love.
Paul mentions these three again in his letter to the Colossians, (Colossians 1:4-5), and in his letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:3).  These Christians were demonstrating all three of these traits.  We should follow their example.  We need to let our work be produced by our faith in God.  We need to let all of our actions be promped by love.  We need to let our perseverance and our endurance be inspired by our hope in Jesus Christ.  Those are the traits of mature Christians. 

God Is Good Seek Him

"The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him;"  Lamentations 3:25 (NIV)

The Prophet Jeremiah is generally thought to be the author of the Book of Lamentations and he is given credit for writing that God is good to those who wait on Him, to those who seek Him.  This was written to a people who had just suffered very hard times.

Given those of us today who are dealing with difficulties in life, this is a message that we should take to heart.  There is never a good time to turn from God.  However, when things are going badly, and when the difficulties seem to be winning, that is the time when we need to seek God.  When the storms of life are raging, turn to The One who can calm the storm, Jesus Christ.  Seek Him, believe in Him, have faith in Him, and good things will happen.  Weeping may endure for a night, but joy is coming in the morning. (Psalms 30:5)

We Hope And Trust In The Lord

"We wait in hope for The LORD; He is our help and our shield.  In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.  May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You."  Psalms 33:20-22 (NIV)

This psalm of praise begins with a call to sing praises unto The Lord.  It then follows that call with three reasons for singing praises to God: 1 God's Word is upright; 2 God's will prevails; and 3 God's gaze discerns all.  Therefore, we hope in God. 

Each faithful soul is grateful for the greatness and awesomeness of God.  We rejoice because He loves us, He protects us, and He provides for us, and therefore we put our trust and hope in Him.