Hope in God's Promises

I had the opportunity to speak at a women's luncheon on September 20 at Cross Roads Baptist Church. I was beyond thankful for the ability to do so and loved the message I shared on "Hope in God's Promises." I wanted to share this with others as well so grab your Bible and let's dive into this topic with Anna as an example!

We must first define what these words mean:

• Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen

• Promises [noun] : a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen

• Promises [verb] : assure someone that one will definitely do, give, or arrange something; undertake or declare that something will happen

  
  

But what does it mean for Christians?

• For Christians, hope is not a casual or flippant wish but a confident, joyful expectation of future good, grounded in God's promises, the finished work of Christ, and the certainty of eternal life. 

  • It's an attitude that can stand in the truth of God’s unchanging character that we have been able to see from beginning to end. It’s the atmosphere of confidence when the world is shaking. 

• For a Christian, hope is a secure treasure stored in heaven, providing confidence and peace in the present and shaping the future by looking to Christ.

• God’s promises: God's promises are binding, covenantal agreements that reveal His will and guarantee His faithfulness and the fulfillment of His good intentions for believers

  • Covenant: unwavering commitment and a binding promise - you are now knit together

    • God’s promise binds us to the unwavering commitment of His faithfulness.

As we just learned the definition of Hope in God’s Promises I want to dive into an example of this! When we are living this life we truly do have to stand in the truth and foundation of what He has done before. 

• When we struggle with remembering what He has done for us, we have to look into His word to see what He has done for others. 

Let's check out Luke 2 which introduces us to Anna. Remember, this is after Jesus is born and a part of the tradition of bringing your children to the temple to complete the purification process of childbirth.

• We will only focus on vs. 36-38.  

Some things to know about Anna: 

• She’s either been a widow for 84 years or she is 84 years old. 

• She was a young wife that became a young widow.

• We believe she was childless. 

• In her grief, she chose to worship God in prayer and fasting for the rest of her life. 

• She and Phillips' daughters in Acts are the only prophetesses mentioned in the New Testament. 

  • Only a handful in the Bible (Miriam, Deborah, Hulda) 

So what should we adapt from Anna as we share in this hope? 

Anna persevered. 

• Perseverance: persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success

  • Biblically defined: steadfastness under pressure and endurance in the face of trials

• James 1:2-4

• Despite her circumstances, she pressed on. She wanted to make her life and (I am sure) grief worth something so she gave the Lord all that she could in that time- herself. 

• We have to be so much more satisfied, and in love with who He is rather than putting all of our hopes and expectations and dreaming of what He could do in His promise. 

  • He is God. I am not. He sees the big picture to know how these promises need to come to fruition in my life, not only for my faith, but also the faith of others that have the eyes to see.

Anna was committed to prayer and devotion.

• She never left the temple. (vs. 37) 

• Crave His presence more than the promise. 

  • The promise is guaranteed but sitting in His presence is specific to You. 

• We have to be more devoted to obedience over the outcome. 

• Pray continuously. 

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Never stop praying."

  • Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart."

  • Ephesians 6:18 "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

  • Philippians 4:4-7 "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

Anna stayed in the community. 

• I won’t go into a lot of depth because there is not a lot of backing for this but I believe that she didn’t want to do life alone. When she needed to grieve, she wanted to grieve with God’s people. 

  • She was either seeking spiritual refuge and purpose, finding community with others who also sought God, or demonstrating deep devotion and trust in God's provision despite her poverty. 

Anna boldly shared the Good News of God at work. 

• Anna treated the Gospel as it truly was - GOOD NEWS. 

• Anna didn’t get her husband back or children of her own or a new marriage to redeem the years she lost, she got to hold the Messiah as a baby (not see Him in the midst of ministry) and that was enough for her. 

• He is THE promise!

  • She declared the promise of God working and revealing the Messiah at a young age. 

We have something better than Anna - we have our constant Help Mate that brings us perfect peace that only HE can give. The world cannot offer us the true promise of peace like our Father can. (John 14:27)

Hope in God’s promises is not what He will do for you but who He will be with you. 

Have you seen and believed like Anna?

Can you live out your days awaiting to see Him truly and fully by proclaiming the Good News of your life? 

What is the promise you are holding on to? Is it the promise of a happy life, a marriage, a family you want or something like that? Or is the promise you are holding on to based on the character of who He truly is? 

Remember:

It's an attitude that can stand in the truth of God’s unchanging character that we have been able to see from beginning to end. It’s the atmosphere of confidence when the world is shaking. God’s promise binds us to the unwavering commitment of His faithfulness. Here are some of the true promises that we can have hope in. 

• Joy in the Morning 

• Faithfulness 

• Forgiveness 

• God with us 

• His presence 

• Eternal life 

• New mercies 

• Sonship 

• Seeing Him 

• The New Covenant 

• Eternal glory 

• Light 

• Living Hope