I Will Give You the Joy of Hope

This is a message from leading the way with Dr. Michael. You sat we pray that it will encourage you in your walk of faith.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. you Seth for leading the way, please visit LTW.or probably more subject veterans preach from what talk about the subject of prayer.

Most Christians do very little.

You are going to take this message of a series of messages as guilt inducing about your prayer life. I urge you to begin to listen with fresh ears and read the Scripture with fresh eyes so that the Holy Spirit can truly transform your life and mine from his word because I know and you know that even in the media today. The word prayer is gonna use it as a catchall you hear the media type special atoll of national crisis or some emergency, and somebody in the media near them on television is that we have our thoughts and prayer owes of me. It's so like you know you have our best wishes you have sympathy sometimes use it, even as an end of her ending a conversation we have our thoughts and prayer in the problem is that so many people who know the Lord love the Lord. Christians who are committed to the Lord have fallen into the puddle and the view of prayer as means by which they can use God to serve their purpose. They think that prayer is a way by which they can use God to serve their wills the use God as a slot machine. You put the prayer around and you get the answer truly, I know you know what I'm talking about when they tried to use God instead of giving him control of the life and that is why often when things don't work out the way they prayed for, or prayer about it. They become very embittered.

They think that God has let them down for my own personal experience. Back when I was young and immature Christian not prayed hard for something and God would not give it to me. It took 18 months of me running away from the Lord literally just gave up walking with God. Regardless, media how arrogant is the worst 18 months of my life, but is he that happens when they don't get what they ask God for they become embittered and have better spirits when you have a better spirit that opens door not only to sadness and despair but also to fruitless Christian life. Not only that, but we become embittered in the spirit you open the door wide for Satan to come in and get into some areas in your life and mind that he has no business getting into and we have no business opening those doors simply because we are on embittered today as I said, I'm beginning this new series of messages on calling it call on me.

This is different from any type of prayer preaching that you have heard me preach before because I really believe that the Lord wants us to call on him, but not as strangers. He wants us to call him him not only when the need arises. He wants us to call in him, not as occasional callers. He wants us to call on him as a dear friend calling upon a different he wants us to call on him as a precious child calling upon his parents or her parents. He wants us to call upon him as a beloved calling upon a beloved in the first, and these messages in this series: me is to do with this whole matter of hope because I sense there are so many Christians today.

Mature Christians were feeling a sense of helplessness there. Feeling a sense of helplessness that they have a sense of resignation. They feel so overwhelmed with the pace of change of most of it is not for good that is taking place in our culture society and in our world and they feel helpless to do anything in the face of this speedy downward spiral. And every time. I honestly think that we had bought a Massey another bottom. Several have said to me in the last few months alone how they feel that sense of helplessness to do anything and yet listen to me. Beloved, listen to me, that is not the place where those who love and worship the Lord Jesus ought to be. The New Testament teaches us that we are to be the most whole filled people on the face of God's earth, and that is why want to turn your attention to the apostle Paul's words in Romans 1212 the apostle Paul said, rejoicing in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer. I'm going to show you without a shadow of doubt that you cannot be rejoicing in hope without being persistent in prayer.

The two go together. You cannot separate them. In fact, let me give you a little bit of a cultural linguistic lesson that in the Hebrew language and in the Hebrew mind which is the apostle Paul certainly has even brought in Greek, but he thinking as a Hebrew in the Hebrew language you always put the key sentence last in English we put the key sentence first and would build on it but not in the somatic language is the key phrase comes last. In other words, he's with the apostle Paul is saying in that short verse that when you persist in prayer.

You will be able not only to be steadfast in tough times but you will be rejoicing in hope, I am not talking about this false optimism all that temporary optimism that comes in from positive affirmation and from psyching yourself up and from saying to yourself I can do it I can do it I can do it no biblical hope comes from knowing who you are and whose you are biblical hope comes from the absolute confidence that God has your best interest in his heart and that causes you not just to be rejoicing in hope by the Lord, will you cannot wait until the wake up every morning to see how God is going to do with how God is going to budget how God gonna walk with you how God is going to meet you at the point of your needs and how God is going to use you might look for him. When you understand that secret when you're locked that secret. Your life will be rejoicing and what hope now you know me I'm realistic. I don't give you paint rambles in the sky. I understand that even though we are the most hope filled the most optimistic people in the face of the earth. There are times when we grieve over issues and over people at the fact I can confess to you that I have been grieving over America, lack of knowledge grieve before I have been grieving over the condition of the church of Jesus Christ like I've never grieve before I grieve all of the fact so many Christian leaders are literally caving in to the pressure of sin and compromise like a bad soufflé I'm grieving over there. I really I am grieving over the lack of this month among Christians. I am grieving over that I am grieving over the halfhearted commitment that Christians around this country and in many parts of the world are into all but listen listen but my consistent state of mind is that of optimism. In spite of my grieving over this or that issue. Why, because I know who I am. I know whose I am and I know I'm going and that keeps me persistent in prayer and rejoicing in hope that cause me not only persevere in the tough time but rejoicing in hope, I wanted to him about this is really a very significant message that God laid on my heart there is no true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who should be pessimistic. As I said, we may feel pessimistic about something, we may feel pessimistic about an issue we might feel pessimistic about the lying that is taking place in our society where the guard is called bad and the bad is called good. When Debbie pessimistic about this with other the other thing but we are not the pessimistic people in the world of difference between the two.

Did you get pessimistic people are those who do not know who they are, whose they are and where they can spend eternity done as a cause for pessimism. In fact, I was reading just this week about the world pessimism were summarized in the words of actor Dustin Hoffman, who allegedly asked people to write on his tombstone.

The following words I knew this was going to happen.

That's what he got pessimism, but those who know Jesus rejoicing and what was Somerset Michael you don't understand I understand Paul is saying rejoicing in hope, persistent, and for I understand that but Paul lived in a different time. He doesn't understand the pressures of this time in the pressure of society. He doesn't understand what I am because understand the losses that I have experience in the losses that I'm facing. He would not understand well you might be right. You might not understand. But let me give you just a Reader's Digest version of you what he was going through when he said those words. Okay, just let me give you a summary of what he said, rejoicing in hope is what he said is it five times I received 40 lashes less one night get you counting that's hundred 95 and the reason this stopped the 39 lashes didn't go for the 40th because the 40th they believed would kill you, and did not want to kill in visual given life suffering three times I have been beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I have been shipwrecked.

I was adrift at sea for 24 hours, I was frequently in danger from rivers and from robbers from my people, and from the Gentiles from the city from the wilderness from the sea of from false brothers and toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights and hunger and thirst and cold exposure. This is of course he said, apart from my daily pressures the daily pressures that I face about my anxiety over the churches of Jesus Christ and many rides rejoicing in hope so as I all you you I understand this is what he went through is a great apostle. He was just not living probably in the real world.

He was in his ivory tower spiritual life and in any really wasn't, living in society like we are.

And he was not experiencing the injustices and the wickedness of clear experiences.

Well let me list to you the things that he said about the people of his day, senseless, hearts, fools, full of vile passions, probate mines, wicked covetous malicious murders form of deceit hateful toward God, insolent party boastful without understanding without natural affection, and yet he said what rejoicing in hope that the apostle Paul to be such an optimistic person in spite of all the crushing stuff that he was going through what made him to be on up beat and and and all of that he was facing was going through what made him rejoice in hope despite of these terrible things things probably you and I will never see will never experience because his hope was based upon the absolute trust and faith that comes from a lie that is persistent in prayer.

Jesus said in Matthew 24 60 is talking about when you hear about wars and rumors of wars and terrible things are going to happen when you hear all that he said don't let that trouble you.

Why, because when you persistent prayer, not just as the need arises when you persistent prayer, not just when you want something from God when you persistent prayer, God will reveal to you from his word, the unseen is going to reveal to you the invisible. In fact, Paul said in Romans eight that hope is unseen but let me ask a question please answer the question to yourself, you know, just just don't rest until you ask, answer those questions to yourself, not them. If anybody else just yourself, how can God reveal this unseen. How can God reveal this invisible to someone who only comes to him and persistent prayer only when you want something. How can God reveal this unseen. How can he reveal this invisible to someone who prays on the run and reads the Bible. His word occasionally.

How can he do that when you thirst for God enough and you get to spend more time with him than watching television when you thirsting for God enough for anyone to commune with him more than spending time being entertained when you thirst for God enough to spend as much time in his word as you read other books when you thirst for God enough to spend more time with him. Then, with your social friends when you do that you were unlock the secret father, rejoicing in what hope that's the secret.

The Greek word that the apostle Paul uses here for persistent and prayer is powerful. It is such a strong word it.

It indicates that you are unwavering in prayer. It means that you can say to yourself, come hell or high water.

I will not compromise my time and intimacy with God one on what you can say to yourself. Look, I might even forget to breathe. But you not going to forget ending time with God. You may even doorway with food and was sleeping and all the physical necessities before you would give up time persistent in prayer with God on a regular basis.

Why because it is the secret for rejoicing in what necessary.

It is a secret for modern rejoicing in hope. It is a secret for Mark optimistic life stop. It is a secret for joy in the middle of trouble. It is a secret for victory in times of temptations. It is the secret of fruitful life and blessings in times of uncertainty is the secret to the power when weakness beckons, and when my knees start knocking it is a secret for confidence when everything else is blowing up in your face Paul secret for rejoicing in hope is persistent and prayer. Again, this is not blue sky, positive thinking, affirmation is not shallow thinking optimism. No no no no not at all easy.

Paul saw the blackness of immorality. But he did not participate in Paul grieved over the condition of Roman society, but he did not despair that Paul grieved over the cruelty and selfishness of the culture of his day, but he would not allow it to plow this vision up all experience at TAC from bitter people, but he never allowed to better his rejoicing in hope that hope is not just the hope of heaven if that was it would have been enough. You know who you are who you are and you know that where you going, will you be spending eternity, but the apostle Paul's hope and rejoicing in that hope was, not only for heaven to come. But for here and now for this life is being persistent in prayer helped him to rejoice in hope in this life. How because Paul's life really can be summarized in four words. Christ lives in me. The site together. Christ lives in me. That's a summary of our mission statement vision statement or whatever you want to come in this is that both of you want to summarize my life. You want to know why I am such an optimistic person you want to know why I rejoice in hope, regardless of the crushing circumstances that I find myself in.

You want to know the secret for words. Christ lives in me. Listen, you can take weeks to uncover that this impact goes forward.

Christ breeze through my aspirations.

Christ thanks through my thinking cry used wills through my will. Christ loves through my loving Christ reveal the travails in my labor. Christ works in me too well and to do for his good pleasure. Christ lives in me. Listen again. Christ lives in me. What is it mean what is it mean for you when you're in your work tomorrow morning and you and you facing the problems and the difficulties and the fears and the apprehension. What is it mean when you are facing crisis in your home and what is it mean in practical terms is very simply, this when you feel that apprehension and fear beginning to approach you and beginning to take hold of you. You remind yourself that what Christ lives in me. When you become angry and you want to lash out. You say, and remind yourself Christ lives in me.

When you are tempted to give up and throw in the towel. You remind yourself Christ lives in me when you are criticized unfairly and being taken advantage of. You feel frustrated and angry. What you do. You remind yourself Christ lives in me.

When you face a seemingly hopeless and helpless situation.

You remind yourself Christ lives in me. When you feel you attempted to do that which is not honoring to God is not glorifying to God.

You remind yourself Christ lives in me.

That's Paul secret. And then soon you begin to find yourself rejoicing in hope, let me tell you this is a conclude back in the not so very good old days.

There were also about the good old days limitation. Let's be realistic. There were not all that good know some good aspects of it, but there were knowledge and and back in those days when they used lockup mental patients in dungeons literally lock the minister with the key. There was a little girl by the name of Annie and when the doctors examined her in Boston.

They have concluded is a hopeless case of the helpless case and there's no way that she can never get out of the dungeon and therefore the order that she goes into the dungeon and received very little light and indeed the federal little hope and just put Heather for the rest of her life or there was a godly nurse was approaching retirement age issue was a spirit filled loves the Lord and she vehemently disagreed with the doctors. Conclusion and for locking up little Annie in the dungeon, but she did not speak out because she knew that she could lose her job, but his what you did lunchtime. She would take a lunch insisted outside of the dungeon where little Annie is and she would speak hope to her speak the word of God to her as you speak love to her day off today. She will take her lunch and she sits outside and speaks to the landing and his problem was that she would alternate between somebody come in the room either. She violently attacks him or she totally ignores them as if they don't exist within the case of the nurse and he just ignored her as if she didn't exist and that continued for weeks and one day this godly lady decided to bring Annie a batch of brownies and she put them through that hole through which they put food for a few hours nothing happened but then she come back the next day and they were gone and she knew that this is not a hopeless case.

Every Thursday she would bring a batch of brownies and put them there at the door and continued day off today lunchtime she would speak hope speak love speak the word of God to Annie. Finally the day came when the doctors examined little Annie and then they decided that she has totally changed the not only normal and they put her upstairs. They even want to send a home but Annie refused to go home, choosing instead to stay in that she too can bring hope to some of the so-called hopeless situations. Many of you of course know Annie is an Sullivan who ministered in Trenton. For Helen Keller rejoicing in hope is not a child of the living God was born of the Spirit of God have any reason to feel a sense of hopelessness.

We are to rejoice in hope, and that can only happen when we know how to persist in intimacy with God