Pastor G continues his message series on how Waikoloa Community Church is “A Place To Belong.” This week his focus on how this is “A Place To Find Hope.” He defines the difference between “faith” and “hope” and shares two specific types of hope that Jesus has promised to us.
If you missed the previous week’s messages in this series you can use the links below. Mahalo!
Week 1 ~ Week 2 ~ Week 3 ~ Week 4
MESSAGE NOTES
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God… ~ Psalm 146:5
THREE WAYS WE USE THE WORD HOPE
1) Hope is the DESIRE or the WISH for something good to happen in the future.
2) Hope is the THING in the future that we desire.
3) Hope is our REASON for thinking that our desire might be fulfilled in the future.
“Biblical hope is not wishful thinking. Instead, it is the confident and certain expectation that what God has promised will, in fact, come to pass.” ~ Pastor Greg Scott
FAITH DEFINITION PART ONE:
Faith is the confidence that God is who He says He is.
FAITH DEFINITION PART TWO: (HOPE)
Faith is the confidence that God will always do everything He has promised to do.
TWO HOPES JESUS HAS PROMISED US
1) The Hope of Abundant Life
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. ~ John 10:10
I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you… ~ Hebrews 13:5
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. ~ 1 John 4:4
2) The Hope of Eternal Life
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison… ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ~ John 3:16
GO DEEPER
ALOHA GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
OPENING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) Have you ever been in a situation that seemed like it was hopeless? Explain. Did it turn out to be, in fact, hopeless or did things work out?
2) Do you think there are any situations in the world today that are beyond hope?
READ: Psalm 146:5,Psalm 31:24, Psalm 33:22, Psalm 38:15
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) What does it mean to “hope IN the Lord?” How would you explain this idea to a non Christian? Does it mean to hope that God exists or is it something else? Explain.
2) The Psalmist seems to have a very positive expectation of God’s provision. Why do you think that is? What makes him so confident God will act in the way he hopes?
READ: Hebrews 11:1 and Romans 8:24-25
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) Pastor Greg said that while Faith applies to past, present and future, Hope is the future part of Faith. Do you agree or disagree?
2) Greg further defined faith in two parts: A) Faith is the confidence that God is who He says He is. B) Faith (Hope) is the confidence that God will always do everything He has promised to do.” What do you think of this definition?
3) Greg also mentioned that we can only have sure and certain hope in the things that God has actually promised to us. Greg mentioned abundant life and eternal life as two of the things God has promised to us. What other promises can you think of that would apply?
READ: Isaiah 57:10 and Romans 5:1-5
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) Both of these passages speak of persevering through trials and retaining hope in what may at first seem like a hopeless situation. There is no avoiding trials like this sometimes. When you encounter your next big struggle in life what can you do to make sure you don’t lose hope? How can our church help people find hope?