section 1
Hope is the sure anticipation of good from God, that is He will fulfill His promises joshua 23:14 . It looks forward to a guaranteed outcome and reality ii corinthians 1:22, 5:4-5 that is more certain than tomorrow’s sunrise luke 16:17 matthew 24:35 luke 12:20 . This is gained by faith romans 15:13 as faith and hope go hand and glove. Hope is conducting yourself as if God’s promise is already so when it is not yet so, anticipating that God will make it so hebrews 11:1 , as faith is living in God’s revelation of the things now unsensed and/or unexperienced being just as real and even more sure than what is sensed ii corinthians 5:7, 4:18 .
I am now going the way of the whole earth, and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good promises the Lord your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.
...Who has also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He Who has prepared us for this very thing is God, Who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
my notes:
"But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
my notes:
section 2
Biblical hope is not wishful thinking as wishful thinking only disappoints proverbs 11:7 and thus discourages proverbs 10:28, 11:23 . Hope in God’s promise of His goodness gives us strength and courage to carry-on to the very end of life ii timothy 4:6-8 philippians 1:20-27 knowing His goodness and mercy are following us all the way psalm 23 , while wishful thinking in pursuing our own pleasures leads to despair in the futility of it all ecclesiastes 2:10-11, 20 .
When the wicked person dies, his expectation comes to nothing, and hope placed in wealth vanishes.
The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
The desire of the righteous turns out well, but the hope of the wicked leads to wrath.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.
my notes:
...as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the Gospel...
The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
my notes:
Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.
my notes:
Scripture quotations taken from one or more of the following versions as noted:
ESV = The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
NIV = The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NLT = The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
NASB = NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright (C) 1960,1962,1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
NKJV = New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.