December 15th, 2021
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” – Heb. 11:1
This particular Scripture is possibly one of the most well-known in the Bible. It’s the powerful opening of Hebrews 11, the “hall of faith.” In this chapter, the faith of the Old Testament heroes is recounted, and the writer tells us that “without faith, it impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). In the verse above though, we see that faith is the “substance of things hoped for.” What, exactly, are you hoping for?
Hope is something we often misunderstand as Christians, because the word in English doesn’t mean at all what it means in the Bible’s original language. In English, in our culture, when we “hope” for something, we express our desire for something to happen that has an uncertain outcome. When we don’t know what is going to happen, but we want it to turn out a particular way, we say that we hope for it. Take a second to think about that. When we say we hope for something, it doesn’t mean that we know it’s going to happen or even that we think it’s going to happen. All hope means is that we want it to happen. We say things like, “I hope they win this game” or “I hope he gets me the thing I asked for.” Hope, as we tend to use it, is entirely based on our feelings and our preferences in a particular uncertain situation.
Biblical hope, however, doesn’t mean that at all! It’s quite the opposite. Biblical hope is “the expectation of what is sure.” The Greek word for hope can actually also be translated “expectation, trust, or confidence.” In English, if I am expecting something to happen, I would just say that it’s happening, not that I “hope” for it to happen. but when the Bible says hope, it doesn’t mean to desire something. It means to anticipate what you know is coming and it’s always based on the Word of God.
Hebrews 5:11-12 says,
“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Biblical hope is the expectation of an assured outcome, so you can’t have hope for something you’re not sure will happen and if you don’t have hope, your faith won’t work! As we saw in the Scripture above, faith is the substance of what we hope for (or expect). Hope is like the target and faith the arrow. Hope is the destination and faith the path to it!
Titus 2:13 says that we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…”
We see, again, in this Scripture that hope is actually a thing, not an action. It’s that which we’re waiting for with certain expectation. So I ask you, again: What is your hope? Is it a target at which you can aim your faith; a destination you can go toward; a firm expectation of that which God has promised you?
If it’s not, it can be! Proverbs 13:12 says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Sometimes, our hearts don’t hope the way they should. It’s possible to lose sight of an expectation that once felt sure and clear. The truth, though, is that God never changes. If your hope is based in the promises of His word, whether it’s for healing or freedom, your family, or finances, then that thing is as certain as the One who promised it. We have to hope, again, meaning not that we desire the promises of God, but that we expect them.
If you’re having trouble hoping today, I want to encourage you that hope, like faith, is like a seed. It can start out so small and grow into something mightier than you ever could have imagined. However, hope isn’t a feeling and it’s not something we can muster up. It’s the expectation we have, based on the promises He’s made. In order for hope to work, we have to know Him and His promises. Romans 4:18 says, “In hope [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”’ Why did he “hope against hope?” Because he had been told. Do you know what you’ve been told? Romans 8:31-32 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” All things leaves a lot of room for dreaming with God! His word is full of promises that God is just waiting for us to believe! Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
When we have that seed of hope planted in our hearts, His word and Spirit will water it and our faith will come alive to see those things we’ve hoped for brought to substance, just like He says. There was a seed of hope planted in Sarah (Abram’s wife), when the angel told her she would conceive a promised son (Isaac) in her old age. She had no hope, to the point that she laughed at the word that was given to her. However, the word spoken to her must have taken root in her heart and grown because in Hebrews 11:11 the Bible says that “by faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” She who had laughed at the word given to her is in the “hall of faith” for considering him faithful who promised. How her faith for that hope must have grown!
There was another seed of hope planted thousands of years later, in a young woman who said “Let it be done unto me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). That seed of hope grew and brought life to the whole world and that life is still the light of men (John 1:4). Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith and He himself is our hope of Glory (Col. 1:27). He is the very embodiment of every promise God has given us. He is our hope. Let’s dream with God, again! In a world so seemingly devoid of hope, we have to stand with the hope, the expectation, that every promise God has made to us is true and move in faith toward those promises. He who promised is faithful and hope will 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)!
This particular Scripture is possibly one of the most well-known in the Bible. It’s the powerful opening of Hebrews 11, the “hall of faith.” In this chapter, the faith of the Old Testament heroes is recounted, and the writer tells us that “without faith, it impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). In the verse above though, we see that faith is the “substance of things hoped for.” What, exactly, are you hoping for?
Hope is something we often misunderstand as Christians, because the word in English doesn’t mean at all what it means in the Bible’s original language. In English, in our culture, when we “hope” for something, we express our desire for something to happen that has an uncertain outcome. When we don’t know what is going to happen, but we want it to turn out a particular way, we say that we hope for it. Take a second to think about that. When we say we hope for something, it doesn’t mean that we know it’s going to happen or even that we think it’s going to happen. All hope means is that we want it to happen. We say things like, “I hope they win this game” or “I hope he gets me the thing I asked for.” Hope, as we tend to use it, is entirely based on our feelings and our preferences in a particular uncertain situation.
Biblical hope, however, doesn’t mean that at all! It’s quite the opposite. Biblical hope is “the expectation of what is sure.” The Greek word for hope can actually also be translated “expectation, trust, or confidence.” In English, if I am expecting something to happen, I would just say that it’s happening, not that I “hope” for it to happen. but when the Bible says hope, it doesn’t mean to desire something. It means to anticipate what you know is coming and it’s always based on the Word of God.
Hebrews 5:11-12 says,
“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Biblical hope is the expectation of an assured outcome, so you can’t have hope for something you’re not sure will happen and if you don’t have hope, your faith won’t work! As we saw in the Scripture above, faith is the substance of what we hope for (or expect). Hope is like the target and faith the arrow. Hope is the destination and faith the path to it!
Titus 2:13 says that we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…”
We see, again, in this Scripture that hope is actually a thing, not an action. It’s that which we’re waiting for with certain expectation. So I ask you, again: What is your hope? Is it a target at which you can aim your faith; a destination you can go toward; a firm expectation of that which God has promised you?
If it’s not, it can be! Proverbs 13:12 says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Sometimes, our hearts don’t hope the way they should. It’s possible to lose sight of an expectation that once felt sure and clear. The truth, though, is that God never changes. If your hope is based in the promises of His word, whether it’s for healing or freedom, your family, or finances, then that thing is as certain as the One who promised it. We have to hope, again, meaning not that we desire the promises of God, but that we expect them.
If you’re having trouble hoping today, I want to encourage you that hope, like faith, is like a seed. It can start out so small and grow into something mightier than you ever could have imagined. However, hope isn’t a feeling and it’s not something we can muster up. It’s the expectation we have, based on the promises He’s made. In order for hope to work, we have to know Him and His promises. Romans 4:18 says, “In hope [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”’ Why did he “hope against hope?” Because he had been told. Do you know what you’ve been told? Romans 8:31-32 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” All things leaves a lot of room for dreaming with God! His word is full of promises that God is just waiting for us to believe! Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
When we have that seed of hope planted in our hearts, His word and Spirit will water it and our faith will come alive to see those things we’ve hoped for brought to substance, just like He says. There was a seed of hope planted in Sarah (Abram’s wife), when the angel told her she would conceive a promised son (Isaac) in her old age. She had no hope, to the point that she laughed at the word that was given to her. However, the word spoken to her must have taken root in her heart and grown because in Hebrews 11:11 the Bible says that “by faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” She who had laughed at the word given to her is in the “hall of faith” for considering him faithful who promised. How her faith for that hope must have grown!
There was another seed of hope planted thousands of years later, in a young woman who said “Let it be done unto me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). That seed of hope grew and brought life to the whole world and that life is still the light of men (John 1:4). Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith and He himself is our hope of Glory (Col. 1:27). He is the very embodiment of every promise God has given us. He is our hope. Let’s dream with God, again! In a world so seemingly devoid of hope, we have to stand with the hope, the expectation, that every promise God has made to us is true and move in faith toward those promises. He who promised is faithful and hope will 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)!
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