Why Holy Spirit Inspired Hope is the Anchor of the Soul

Hope springs eternal; that’s what the writer says, but what does the Bible say about hope? Billy Graham was preaching in Germany one day when German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer invited him to his office: Coffee was served, but before my first sip, the Chancellor started in. “Young men, do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?” “I most certainly do,” Billy Graham replied. “So, do I. If Jesus Christ has not risen from the dead, there is not one glimmer of hope for the human race. When I leave office, I will spend the rest of my life studying and writing about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s the most important event in human history.”¹ So, the confident expectation of a future event generated via the resurrection of Jesus is one strong source of hope. Why Holy Spirit Inspired Hope is the Anchor of the Soul, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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The Role of the Spirit in the Life of A Believer

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Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
This week’s call is:

Set your hopes as high as they will go. Confidently set your expectation on God’s plan for your life.

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Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11). Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony.
This week’s question is:

Question: How has Bible hope made a difference in your life? Please share your testimony in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

You can find more information on the book of Ephesians by clicking on the links below.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 40 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic, you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com

Podcast Notes

Ephesians 4:1–6 (ESV) — 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Paul displays the essential nature of unity in this series of one’s — one body, one Spirit, one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God.
Let’s talk today about the area of hope.
First, we need to define what hope is.
Bible hope is spiritual, not natural.
Hope is a confident expectation of a future event.
BDAG defines it as looking forward to something with some reason for confidence, respecting fulfillment, or expectation.²
Hope is about tomorrow, not yesterday.
It’s about looking forward, not backward.
We are stuck in today mode — looking at the stuff of today and not looking ahead enough.

Hope and Future Expectations

Listen to the following verses.

Psalm 119:166 (ESV) — 166 I hope for your salvation, O Lord, and I do your commandments.

If you are hoping for something, that means you don’t have it yet.

Romans 8:24 (ESV) — 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

As we talk about hope, I believe that you will see that we are not looking forward enough.

Hope Is Continual

Psalm 71:14 (ESV) — 14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

The Hebrew word ‘continually’ is what we want to look at, and with that thought, here is the Definition of the Day.
The word ‘continually’ means always or regularly.
We can see what translators thought the word meant by how they translated that word over into English.
It is translated in the Bible as all times(1), always(4), constantly(2), continual(26), continually(52), continuously(2), ever(2), perpetual(1), regular(3), regular sacrifice(5), regularly(5).³
If hope is continual, and hope is a future expectation, then there must be a continual looking forward into the future coupled with faith about that future.
It’s so easy to get caught up in what’s happening in your life now — with today – I mean, ‘today’ is complicated — it’s intense.
People ask me platonic-ally, ‘How are you doing?’
Well, there is no end to ‘doing.’
It’s so easy to get swallowed up by the doing that you have your head down on what you’re doing, and you forget to lift your head and look into the future.
Hope reaches out past the ‘doing part of your life’ — reaching out and believing that what is on the horizon will take place.
So, we make adjustments today because we have that confident expectation of something out in the future.
Hope helps us get ready for the good things in God that are coming.
We are aware of what’s coming.
We know it’s going to happen.
We understand that it’s good.
We are excited about it even though it hasn’t happened yet.
That’s faith.
And we do this — we hope — continually.

Hope Is Steadfast

1 Thessalonians 1:3 (ESV) — 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Greek word ‘steadfast’ means the capacity to hold out or bear up in the face of difficulty, patience, endurance, fortitude, steadfastness, and perseverance⁴
We don’t allow the stuff of today to pull us only into today.
We don’t compromise our forward focus on the future that is to be revealed at the revelation of Jesus.
Now, reread our central passage.

See that word patience?
Do you see how it ties into hope?
You have to patiently, continually look forward.

1 Peter 1:13 (ESV) — 13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Notice there are three things that we need to do.
One, we prepare our minds for action.
Look at how King James says it.

1 Peter 1:13 (KJV 1900) — 13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

This is an eastern metaphor.
It speaks to the clothing that was worn in the 1st century.
You know men didn’t wear pants like you, and I wear them today.
They wore long flowing robes.
And when they would try to run, they would have to gird up their loins
In other words, they would gather up their robe and pull it all up into their middle section and hold it so that they could run.
If they did that, they would trip and get their robe caught in their feet.
So, Paul is talking about gathering your thoughts — pulling them in — taking control of them and bringing them into a central focus point.
The second thing he says is to be sober.
Sober is not sobriety — he is not talking about alcohol.
He is talking about having a disciplined, self-controlled mind.
To be sober is to be self-controlled – so it’s way more than controlling alcohol intake.
Take these two thoughts or words – gird up the loins of your mind and add the word ‘sober’ to it, and you have the concept of being sober-minded.

1 Peter 4:7 (ESV) — 7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

Here is another verse in Peter.

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) — 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Let’s go back to 1 Peter 1:13

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

If the purpose of girding up the robe were to enable a person to run physically, the girding up of the loins of the mind would be taking control of your mind so that you can run your race spiritually.
Therefore things such as worry, fear, doubt, jealousy, unforgiveness, and all kinds of impurity need to be controlled.
Now here is one more thing that you need to know.
The grammar of the Greek word girding up the mind refers to a past once-for-all act.⁵
So, what the Spirit of God is saying to you is to make a quality decision that you will not turn back from and do it once and for all.
I will not let my mind meditate on fearful thoughts — once and for all.
I refuse to worry — once and for all.
I will not let my mind doubt His Word — He said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me.
Unforgiveness will not operate in my thinking — I will not think unforgiving thoughts — I refuse it, and I do it once and for all.
I refuse sex thoughts — once and for all.
It’s a quality decision — I set it — I made it — that’s it, period.
Now, here’s the third thing — set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
You must ‘set your hope fully.’
The word ‘fully’ is what you should focus on.
The word ‘fully’ means perfectly, completely, altogether⁶
We will fully, perfectly, ultimately, and altogether commit to hope — to looking forward to the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Hope: What’s Coming to a Theater Near You

So, here’s the question we should ask.
If you tell me that hope is a future expectation and it’s something that I should have continually — and that I should always be looking forward to — what exactly am I supposed to be looking at?

Psalm 119:74 (ESV) — 74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.

Well, generally, we should be looking at the Word.
But specifically, we should be looking at the revelation of Jesus Christ — the Second Coming.

…hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ…

Hope Looks for Grace Via the Second Coming

Hope looks into the future for the grace that is coming.
We’ve already received grace in salvation today, and what salvation it is that we have in Jesus.
Death no longer reigns in us.
The life of God surges through our being.
His power quickens our mortal body.
We have access to the Throne of God.
His presence strengthens us, and we get to experience the refreshing that comes with it.
We have his Holy Spirit on the inside to lead us, guide us, direct us, and give us direction.
His Spirit comes alongside us when we don’t know what to pray for or when we don’t understand which way we should go.
His Spirit testifies that we’re sons of God.
What about authority in Christ?
We have that – we have protection – we don’t have to put up with devils, demons, and evil spirits.
We have self-control.
The Father God gave us a sound mind.
The fruits of the spirit contribute as we deal in our relationships with people.
The Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin when we miss it and keeps us in fellowship with the Father.
He renews and restores us.
We are the righteousness of God in Christ.
We have boldness and access through faith in Him.
We could go on and on, I’m telling you.
It’s a beautiful thing that we have in Christ.
The salvation we have is excellent salvation, but here’s the thing – there’s more coming.
It’s out in the future, and hope looks into the future for that grace on the horizon.
We must have a constant, continual forward-looking expectation of a future event — the Second Coming.
And when you have that, that hope punches through the heavens into the Tabernacle and swirls around the Mercy Seat where Jesus comes to visit.

How Does Hope In the Second Coming Impact Our Everyday Life?

How does the hope of the Second Coming impact your life?
And with that thought, here is the Illustration of the Day.

After church, where she had been taught about the Second Coming, a little girl was quizzing her mother. “Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?” “Yes.” “Today?” “Yes.” “In a few minutes?” “Yes, dear.” “Mommy, would you comb my hair?”⁷

So, this little one wanted to get ready for Jesus’s second coming by making sure her hair was combed.
How are you getting ready for the Second Coming?

Hope Leads to Purity

1 John 3:2–3 (ESV) — 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Beloved, now we are the Sons of God.
If you wonder what that means, look at this conversation between Moses and God in the book of Exodus.

Exodus 3:11–12 (ESV) — 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

God is trying to send Moses to Pharaoh with a message, “let my people go.”
Moses is arguing with God.
He doesn’t want to go.
He has some inferiorities that are bogging him down.
He can’t speak in front of people, let alone address great dignitaries, which is what God is asking Him to do.
He looks at God and says, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh — I’m a nobody.”
God has been helping nobodies with this question of ‘I’m not good enough’ for millennia on end.
Who am I?
You may be asking yourselves that question.
Here God tells Moses who he is.
And by Him doing this with Moses, He is communicating who you are.
But, look at what the Lord doesn’t say to Moses when he asks him, ‘who am I?’.
He doesn’t say, ‘Moses, you’re my righteousness.’
The Lord didn’t say to him, ‘You’re my chosen child — the one that I crafted before the foundations of the world.’
He didn’t say, ‘Moses, you are my anointed; you are the one I separated unto this purpose and equipped you for such a time as this.’
He didn’t say any of that to Moses; here’s what God says to Moses when he asks him the question, who am I.
He says, ‘I will be with you.’
Who are you?
You are the man that God goes with.
So then, who you are is who you are with.
He doesn’t just travel with anybody!
The Lord just doesn’t hang out with anybody.
Ask that unkind soul running Russia right now if God is going with him?
He’s not, you know.
When Moses asked who am I? — God said, ‘I am going with you.’
You are the man that God hangs out with.
You are His son.
So, because you are, and because you have set your hope on Jesus’ Second Coming, there are specific actions we might want to consider.
What action do you take?
Reread it.

we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

We know that we are going to be changed.
We know that we’re going to be transformed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.
We know that this mortal must put on immortality.
We know that when we see Him, we shall be like Him.
We know that the glorified body that Jesus has, we will also share.
So, we look forward to that grace that’s coming at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
And because we have that forward-looking continual expectation of a future event, we purify ourselves today.
Our faith in tomorrow affects our living — our lifestyle today.
Our confident expectation in the change means that I take specific actions — that I lay aside everything impure.
Same reason why you take a shower before you get dressed.
You want to be clean before you step into your new set of clothes — before you put on the glorified body.
You don’t want to put a dirty body in fresh, clean clothes.
Hallelujah, be to God.

Hope Leads to Reasonableness

Philippians 4:5 (ESV) — 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

What is reasonableness?
It is that same word we looked at in a previous podcast when we talked about gentleness as a giant fruit of the spirit.
Reasonableness is gentleness.
The Greek word gentleness means acting in a mild and even-tempered manner.
Gentleness is the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance.
And so it ties into humility, courtesy, considerateness, and meekness.
Gentleness or reasonableness is not insisting on every right of the letter of the law or custom, yielding, gentle, kind, courteous, and tolerant.[ibid]
Why should we hone in on gentleness? — because the Lord is at hand.
That’s what the scripture says.
The Lord is at hand — That’s the Second Coming.
And so we are getting rid of all that harshness.
From this passage in Philippians 4:5, we should back up to at least chapter 3 and verse 14.

Philippians 3:14–15, 20–21 (ESV) — 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you… 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

So, we should be gentle because the coming of Jesus draws nigh.

Hope Leads to Grieve Recovery

1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 (ESV) — 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

Notice the term, ‘those who are asleep.’
Paul is talking about an application of hope here.
So, this is a gauge if you would — a marker – you can tell if you understand that there is a Second Coming by monitoring how you handle grief.
People in your life are going to die.
They are going to go to sleep, as the scripture says.
But, do you understand that’s not the end?
If we believe that Jesus died and rose again if we believe that, then understand that there is another resurrection coming, and those loved ones who knew Jesus will also be resurrected.
So, death is not the end.
Quit thinking and acting like it’s the end.
It’s not the end.
They will rise again.
You will see them again.
You’re going to have the conversations that you used to have again.
The walks you used to take together; you will take them again.
Knowing that Jesus is Coming again, that hope, and that confident expectation of a future event should change your perception of death.
That hope should drive comfort into your life.

Hope Leads to a Knowledge that Your Labor Is Not in Vain

Now, here’s the last thing you should grab hold of.

1 Corinthians 15:51–58 (ESV) — 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Because you know that Jesus is coming again — because you realize that there is a second resurrection, we can be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.
You are not just going to die, and your labor for God not be recognized.
There is a Second Coming — there is a resurrection – you will see the Lord.
He’s going to say well done – your labor is not in vain.
So, be steadfast – that’s not being subject to change or variation in your behavior.
Be immovable — that’s being rock steady in the things of God.
Abound in the work of God — that means abundant or plentiful work.
It means your work should exist in large quantities.
You guys have a great God-week in Jesus’ Name Amen.

Why Creation Waiting Is A Good God Thing

__________

References:

Source: Billy Graham, Just As I Am (Harper Collins, 1997), 688. John Stott, The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott, ed. Mark Meynell (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018). ↩
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 319. ↩
Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic, and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998). ↩
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1039. ↩
Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 34–35. ↩
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 997. ↩
Don Hussong, Source unknown Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002). ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

Why Holy Spirit Inspired Hope is the Anchor of the Soul

Podcast: Light on Life Season 9 Episode 18

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe on Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Question: How has Bible hope made a difference in your life? Please share your testimony in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

You can find more information on the book of Ephesians by clicking on the links below.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Podcast Notes

Hope and Future Expectations

Hope Is Continual

Hope Is Steadfast

Hope: What’s Coming to a Theater Near You

Hope Looks for Grace Via the Second Coming

How Does Hope In the Second Coming Impact Our Everyday Life?

Hope Leads to Purity

Hope Leads to Reasonableness

Hope Leads to Grieve Recovery

Hope Leads to a Knowledge that Your Labor Is Not in Vain

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe on Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Question: How has Bible hope made a difference in your life? Please share your testimony in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

You can find more information on the book of Ephesians by clicking on the links below.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Podcast Notes

Hope and Future Expectations

Hope Is Continual

Hope Is Steadfast

Hope: What’s Coming to a Theater Near You

Hope Looks for Grace Via the Second Coming

How Does Hope In the Second Coming Impact Our Everyday Life?

Hope Leads to Purity

Hope Leads to Reasonableness

Hope Leads to Grieve Recovery

Hope Leads to a Knowledge that Your Labor Is Not in Vain

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