Messages

~~Living in Hope
Scripture: 1 Pet 1:13
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13 (NIV)

1. THE POWER OF CHRISTIAN HOPE:
set your hope fully…

Worldly Hope: Strong desire + Uncertainty
Hope: Full assurance or strong confidence that God is going to do good to us in the future.                

        1 Pet 1:3. A living hope
- Not a dead hope. i.e. barren, fruitless or unproductive
- But a fertile, fruitful and a productive hope.
- Living hope is the hope that has power to produce changes in life.
- Peter s command: set your hopes.
- Hopefully or fix your hope completely.
- Experience Hope. Hope in God and also for the blessed hope. Tit 2:13
- His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
     nor his delight in the legs of a man;
11 the LORD delights in those who fear him,
     who put their hope in his unfailing love. Psalms 147:10-11 (NIV)
- God delights not in the things that you do with your strength but the things you perform with His strength.
- Hope fully : not 50 percentage doubting and 50 percentage hoping
- Col 1:27
- To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col 1:27 (NIV)

2. HOW HOPE ARISES IN OUR LIVES?
…on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
What do we receive through Grace?
- New birth. 1 Peter 1:3
-  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
- Caring Jesus: 1 pet 5:7
- Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
- Jesus the hero.
o Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.              1 John 3:3 (NIV)
- Holy Scriptures : Rom 15:4
o Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God s promises.                             Romans 15:4 (NLT)
3. HOW TO STIR UP OUR HOPES?
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled;

- Two ways:
A. GIRD UP THE LOINS OF YOUR MIND.
 Turn the robes of your mind into running shorts.
 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. 1 Kings 18:45-46 (NIV)
 Pull your robes up between your legs and tuck then into your belt. It means doing things that increase hope in your life.
 Maintain the oil level in your lamp.
 Remove the sprouts to enhance the fruitfulness (pruning)
 1:14; Once you lived in ignorance. In other words increase truth in your life to live in freedom.
 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, Eph 6:14 (NIV)
 Paul also says the same thing.
 Engage your mind with truth so that hope remains burning in our lives.
B. BE SELF CONTROLLED:
 Keep Sober in Spirit
 Don t allow things that numb Hope in your life.
 Eph 5:8-20
 Alcohol distorts reality by making the mind insensitive to what is true, real and valuable
 John Piper s concern in maximizing hope in the grace of God in His heart. So chooses mountains
 Passion for the world diminishes the hope of glory, Jesus in our lives.
 Money, job, power, entertainment, if not self controlled will control our love for Jesus.
 Self control is all about knowing what numbs our mind to God and avoid it.
 Stay awake so that you will not fall into temptation.
 In other words, true worship is increasing hope and protecting hope in God in our life.