The Bible Doctrine of Hope, Part 1

Greetings friends and welcome to The Sound of Faith.

I'm Sharon Knotts thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Today's message by my father, Brother Hardy, is a word of encouragement to all who may feel you're in a waiting period of your faith, during which time you can feel unsure your prayers are being answered. Today's message is a stage of faith, which is hope, but not the watered-down kind of hope that is actually more like wishing than believing. So what is true biblical hope?

Find out in today's message the Bible doctrine of hope. Hope is the substance of things hoped for. Our modern-day English does not really give the full meaning of the Greek word for hope. The Greek word for hope is elpis, and it means a patient, confident expectation. They are the three aspects of the Greek word that we translate hope.

Patient, confident expectation. In our English of our modern day, hope has come down to a watered word. Hope is usually best understood by desire or wish, like I hope it doesn't rain today. Or I wish someone would do this, I hope they do it. Or I hope my ship comes in.

You know, a lot of people are hoping for their ship to come in. That old English saying that then you'll get your riches and everything will be wonderful and you'll have everything you need and you'll live happily ever after. But the Greek word is a powerful word. The Greek word elpis means a confidence, patient expectation of the thing that faith has believed God for. Hope is the second stage of faith. And if you don't go into the second stage of faith hope, you can cast away your faith and not have your prayers answered. In fact, the Christian experience is an experience of hope.

We are in the stage of hope. We've already believed God for our salvation of our soul. We've repented of our sins. The Holy Spirit has taken the greatest cleansing agent in the world, the blood of Jesus. Has cleansed us from our sins. Has taken the word of God which is the seed and begotten us into a new creation. And we are a child of God right now. And we are hoping in the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ and in our resurrection of the dead and changing of the living from mortal into immortality into eternal life.

And to go back with Jesus to the capital city of the universe heaven. We're in hope. We are in the stage of hope. We are confidently, patiently expecting Jesus to come. How many confident that he's going to come? How many is expecting him at any time? I'm expecting him today. I am confident that he's going to come. I am going to be patient. I'm expecting him today.

I'm confident that he's going to come sometime and the word of God lets me know it's got to be soon. And I'm patient. If he doesn't come today, that's alright. I am not going to cast away my faith. I'm not going to get weary in well doing.

I'm not going to throw my hands up and quit. I'm just going to be patient because I am confident that he will come. Oh he is going to come. The reason why I'm confident that he is going to come is when Jesus led his disciples to the man of ascension after his resurrection. And he commissioned them and told them to return to Jerusalem and wait until they'd be endued with power from on high. And that they would go and preach the gospel to every creature. And they were not to worry because all power in heaven and earth was given unto him. And that he was giving them power over all the power of the enemy and the devil. And that he was the one with all power in heaven would be energized in them so that they could fulfill this great commission. And while they were standing there gazing, a cloud came and received Jesus up into heaven.

And I imagine the disciples looked with their mouth open, for all of a sudden two angelic beings appeared and said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye here gazing? For this same Jesus, nobody else, shall also come in likewise manner. You see I am confident that he is going to come because the word of God has promised that he will come. I'm expecting him. I'm expecting him today as I look into the word and see the signs of his coming. I see it all over the world.

I see it in the newspaper. Daily the television tells me the signs of his coming are all over the world. I'm expecting him. And I'm patient. If he doesn't come today, I'm not going to get weary and well-doin'.

I'm not going to throw up my hands. I am not going to quit. I'm not going to cast away my confidence, my faith in God's word. I'm still going on doing what he said, believing, and expecting him, confident that one day he will come.

How many say amen? Now hope has three aspects like I said. Confidence, patience, expectation. I guess a good definition of hope is this. The patient, confident expectation for the fulfillment of that which faith has believed God's word for. How many say amen? Hope is the patient, confident expectation for the fulfillment of God's word that faith has believed God for.

How many say amen? Hope has to have something to be based on. Hebrews 11 one tells us what hope is based on. It says now faith is the substance of things hoped for.

Usually people use that scripture to preach on faith. But it's really talking about hope. Faith is the substance of the thing hoped for. We're talking about things hoped for. Faith is the substance.

The Greek word for substance is hupastasios. And it means the foundation and basis. Hope has to have something to be based on. Hope has to have something for its foundation. And the foundation and the basis for hope is faith. Faith is the basis of the thing hoped for. But hope is based on faith but faith must have a basis and a foundation.

You see I have placed my hope on faith. On what faith has believed. But faith has to have a foundation to be placed upon.

Or in other words you have to have something to believe in. And faith's foundation is the word of God. And if your foundation of faith is not the word of God, then you're in danger of casting away your faith.

Of doubting and not having your prayers answered. So when I need something from God, I check out His word. For God is obligated to confirm His word.

Not the whims of people, but God is committed to confirm His word. I check out the scriptures to try to find the scripture that would cover my need. If I do not have a specific scripture that names my needs such as maybe I need an automobile. Well when I search the scriptures I don't see any scriptures that say automobiles. But I have to get a scripture that will cover that automobile. And I find as I read John's Gospel, 14th, 15th, 16th chapter, especially in there, Jesus said whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you. Then Jesus said whatsoever you ask me, that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. How many say amen? In fact, I'm choosing this automobile as an example because this has been an actual reality in my life. Years ago when I was first saved and just early in the ministry, I didn't have an automobile. In fact, it's not like today where everybody has an automobile.

In fact, if you don't have two or three, you're underprivileged. And back when I first got saved, so you can see how old I am, it was rare for people to have automobiles. We had to use the public transportation, the buses, streetcars they had back in my day, taxi cabs. And when I would go to church or to a meeting, I either had to take a streetcar bus or a taxi cab.

I didn't take many taxi cabs, cost too much. Or I walked. And one hot July day, kind of like Wednesday and Thursday here, I had gotten off the bus that went as far as it could go to my house. And when I got off, I had to walk almost a mile then to where I lived. And walking up that road and it was hot, I happened to come by a house that had an automobile for sale in the yard. And I'm out my head and I was sweating and I thought, boy, it'd be nice to have an automobile. And the Spirit of God spoke to my heart and said, Son, when you go home, pray and ask me for that automobile. So I finished my walk home and I got home and I refreshed myself and put on more comfortable clothes and got something cool to drink and sat down and fanned myself a little bit because we didn't have air conditioning.

In fact, you were blessed if you had a fan. And the Spirit of the Lord spoke to me again and said, Son, didn't I tell you when you get home, pray for that automobile. And I said, Lord, I was trying the Spirit. He said, well, what did you find out? Do you know my voice?

Have you tried me? Is it my voice? I said, it's you, Lord. He said, well, get down and do what I told you. So I went in prayer like I do for everything that I ask God for. I took these three scriptures.

Because the Bible said in the mouth of two or three, every word will be established. And I quoted those scriptures. Whatsoever He asked the Father in my name, He will give it to you. I said, Father, I ask in the name of Jesus for this automobile. And I thanked Him. And I said, Jesus, I thank you. He said, because whatever I ask you, you would do it that the Father may be glorified in the Son. I said, let the Father get glory out of you giving me this automobile.

I ask it in your name. And I thanked Him for it and got up and was praising Him. Now the foundation for my faith was the Word of God. I placed my faith on the Word of God. Because I placed it in a God that cannot lie and in His Word that cannot fail.

How many say amen? The foundation of my faith was the Word of God, the God that cannot lie, and the Word that cannot fail. And then I went into the second stage of faith, which is hope.

I was confident that I was going to receive what faith had believed in God's Word. And I learned to put the second aspect of hope into operation, patience. That's where a lot of Christians fail. If their request doesn't materialize right away, they begin to get fretful. And the devil sees that and he begins to feed it and say, God didn't hear your prayer. God's not going to move. He begins to sow the seed of doubt and unbelief. And tries to shape your foundation of faith in the Word of God. Because you see, God a lot of times has to work things out.

Some things He can do right now. Maybe you've got a lost loved one. I've had people say, Brother Hardy, pray. I haven't heard from my son or I haven't heard from my daughter in so long, pray that God will bring them back to me.

Well maybe they're in another country. Now God could, like He did Philip, send a whirlwind and pick them up and bring them here. But most of the time, because it's not expedient, He's going to work it out.

You see what I'm talking about? He's going to work it out. He'll probably put it in that heart for that person to come home and they'll either have to get a boat or a plane and fly home. So you've got to shift into hope. You've got to shift into hope. You've got to be confident that God is going to fulfill your prayer of faith. And then you've got to shift into that main aspect of hope, of patience.

So many people lose out with God for lack of patience. You see, I'd rather have a little bit of faith and a whole lot of hope. Or I'd rather have a little bit of faith because the Bible said if I had faith as a grain of mustard seed, the smallest measure, I could say to this mountain and Jesus pointed to that mountain there, be thou removed, be thou cast in the sea. And if I will not doubt in my heart, I'll have whatever I'll say. How many say amen?

How many's out there? I'd rather have that little measure of faith, but the greatest measure of hope God can give me. Because I can throw away my faith. You know, I can hear a message from God, the anointing get on me, I get stirred up to receive the promises of God that God promised me. I enter into my prayer closet, come boldly to the throne of grace.

I base my faith on the word of God. I ask in the name of Jesus and I go away rejoicing. But because it doesn't materialize in a certain amount of time that I deem in my head. You know, we can go and be patient for a while. So we usually say, well I'll be patient this long. How many say amen?

And then if it doesn't happen, then we start to get fretful. And the devil feeds that with lying doubts. And then sense knowledge takes over and everything goes opposite to our prayer. And we throw away our faith, we cast our faith away.

How many say amen? That's what the Bible said in Hebrews 10 35. Cast not away your confidence or your faith.

Which has great recompense of reward. You know, after you've done the will of the Lord you've got to do something else. How many knew that? How many knew that after you've done the will of the Lord you've got something else to do? Read this verse. Cast not away therefore your confidence which has great recompense of reward. For you have need of patience. That after you have done the will of the Lord you might receive the promise.

How many say amen? You see, you pray, you're doing the will of the Lord, then you shift into hope. Second phase of faith. You are assured and confident that God can't lie. And His word can't fail. And what He has promised He's also able to perform. And you patiently wait for it.

You're expecting it. Like you send away for Spiegel. UPS. And every day in the UPS time you know it, you're looking for the truck to come. How many say amen? And if it don't come you say well it'll be here tomorrow. How many say amen? Well that's the way you've got to be with faith and hope. If the answer to the prayer don't come today, thank God it'll come tomorrow. Hallelujah! Because I have shifted in from faith. How many say amen? I have shifted into hope. I am confident that what faith has believed God's word for, I am going to receive.

Because that God cannot lie. He cannot fail. His word cannot fail.

Not one jot nor tittle. And I'm just going to be patiently wait for it. I don't care if Jesus doesn't come today. Devil, He'll come tomorrow. Hallelujah! And if I live tomorrow and He doesn't come tomorrow, He'll come the next day. Hallelujah!

And if He doesn't come this year, He'll come next year. But one thing I am confident of and one thing I am waiting for, He will come. Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus.

Thank you Jesus. He will come. You've got to shift into hope. You've got to base your faith on the word of God. You can't put it on feelings. Too many people base their faith on feelings. If they feel good, they're going to get it.

I'm going to get it whether I feel bad. Because my faith is not based. My foundation of my faith is not what I feel or don't feel or see or what I don't see. The foundation of my faith is the unfailing word of a God that cannot lie. So after I pray the prayer of faith and feel the witness that I touch God, I get up and I shift my life into hope.

A patient, confident expectation that what I have by faith believed God's word for, I am going to receive it. It will materialize at any time. It could happen now, but it will happen in God's appointed time.

Yes it will. Because God cannot lie. And God's word cannot fail. And the only thing that will stop it from coming is for me to cast and throw away my faith.

But I'm not. I am going to live in hope of expectation of the fulfillment of what faith has believed God for. Hallelujah. Let me go back and let's get this automobile.

I'm walking up that hot street and I'm perspiring. I desired that car, but that wasn't hope yet. That was just a desire and a wish for a modern day weakened definition of hope. Then God told me to pray for that automobile. And I finally prayed. I felt the assurance because I've asked according to his word, in the name of Jesus, the one that cannot lie and fail.

Who is the truth? And then because I believe and I expected that car, you know what I did? I started making plans to take a trip.

Oh yeah, you've got to act like you have it. You see, I expected that car. And I didn't need the car until I had all the plans for the trip drew out. And my bags packed. And when I had all the plans finalized and packed up, then I needed the car. But I was assured that I was going to get it because faith assured my hope. And my hope was confident in faith and patiently waited and expected it. And I told my wife, Sister Hardy, who is sitting out there right now, who at the time was Miss Legion. I said, God's going to give me a car. Here I'm an evangelist just starting out and Hardy can get a meeting. And I'm going to get an automobile when I can just about put food on the table and pay the rent.

How many say amen? And she said, you know what? You're suffering from the heat.

You walked up that street and you're on the verge of having a heat stroke. And she went out into all that project. You know those projects, all they like to do is hang over the fence and rubberneck and gossip.

They are like the Athenians. They want to hear something new and tell something new. And if it's nothing new, they'll make it up. How many say amen? And she went through the whole project saying, you know what that crazy religious husband of mine is saying now?

He's hearing voices the heat's got to him. He said he heard God say God was going to give him a car. And when I would step out the project, they'd all look out the window at that religious kook. Well, I still stayed in hope, patiently, confidently expecting my automobile. I had it all picked out. Oh, it was a pretty car. I had to tell you about it. I'll tell you how old I am by telling you what kind of car. It was a Kaiser Manhattan.

Most of you have never heard of it. But it looked like a Cadillac. But it was a lot cheaper. It was a big boat. It had fishtails like the Cadillac. It was suburban brown, dark down the bottom and light up top. It had an assimilated alligator dashboard with tassels hanging down. I mean, it looked like nowadays $50,000 car.

How many say amen? I was just figuring out where I'm going to drive my new car first. Of course, I was going to drive it in that project so all them doubters could see it. I was in hope. I was confident. And I was patient. And that wasn't one of my best virtues. Usually, if God said He was going to give it to me, if He didn't give it to me then, He was in trouble.

I'd almost die fretting over it. That's why He couldn't tell me a lot of things because I was impatient. But somehow God blessed me with hope and the main aspect of patience. I knew that I heard God. I know God's Word. I know God's voice. I got down and prayed the way the Word of God describes and prescribes to pray. I knew that God heard me because God hears His Word. And I knew that the Bible said that if I can get Him to hear me whatsoever I ask, I know I have the petition.

I know it was mine. I didn't have to see it. How many say amen?

The car didn't have to visualize them. The Word of God told me that a God that cannot lie and fail was going to honor His Word and give me that car and I was going to patiently wait on it. Amen. What an encouraging word by God's servant, Brother Hardy, for us all. The Bible doctrine of hope. Hope is such a positive word. And yet, in the English language, it is often used anemically, more like a wish.

I hope my package comes today. This is far beneath the New Testament definition of hope, which is comprised of three indispensable elements, patience, confidence, and expectation. And the reason hope is so powerful is it is grounded in faith, which is founded on the Word of God. It is actually the second stage of faith. Praying the prayer of faith begins the process once you have laid claim to a promise in the Word of God. You know when you've prayed the prayer of faith, when you've come boldly to the throne of grace in the name of Jesus, nothing doubting. But when there is a delay, as there often is, you can cast away your confidence and fail to receive the reward of your faith. This is where hope comes into play, that patient, confident expectation of the fulfillment of God's Word for which you have believed. These are richly illustrated in Brother Hardy's message, The Bible Doctrine of Hope, available on CD for a love gift of $10 or more for the radio ministry.

Please request 173. Mail to Sound of Faith, PO Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Or you can order online at soundoffaith.org. That's soundoffaith.org. Or you can also order on MP3. But to order by mail, send a minimum love gift of $10 to PO Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Request offer 173 for The Bible Doctrine of Hope. Until next time, this is Sharon Ott singing, Maranatha.