Hope, the motor of human action
God gives the followers of Jesus the privilege of bringing his kingdom of heaven into this world. But this kingdom of love does not come without tribulations and disappointments. However, God uses precisely these difficulties to strengthen our hope anew. This hope then becomes the motor of our action. Hope for tomorrow gives us strength for today.
Today is a special day. I am convinced that the majority of the audience over twenty-eight, remember, where they were twenty-one years ago today. A little help, this was the day two passenger planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Very likely you remember exactly where you were when you received that terrible news. I remember very clearly where I was when I heard this news on the car radio. I couldn’t believe it and only really believed it when I saw the pictures on TV.
How is it possible that we remember where we were at a certain moment more than twenty years ago, but otherwise have very many gaps? Where was I on 23 April this year? The answer is that our emotions play a very big role in this regard. Strong emotions burn what has happened into our human brain, they are burnt onto a hard drive. This phenomenon applies to both positive and negative emotions.
Today’s sermon is also about emotions. Our emotions are extremely important. Scientists believe that 90 % of our decisions depend on our emotions. Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman believes that 95% of our decisions take place in our subconscious. When we read these numbers, we realise that our emotions have a huge power. And one of those emotions is what my sermon is about today.
Hope carries risks (please read the package leaflet)
Hope is a positive emotion, but it also carries risks. In the proverbs we read: «Hope delayed anguishes the heart» (Proverbs 13:12 LUT 2017). When what we hope for is delayed or does not happen at all, despair sets in. Hope and disappointment go hand in hand. Surely we have all been disappointed several times in our lives. These painful disappointments come from fellow human beings, sometimes from ourselves, or even from God. Out of fear of being disappointed, many people no longer dare to hope. The easiest way to avoid these disappointments is to have no hope at all. Often we screw our hope to zero so that we will never be disappointed again. But hopelessness only leads us into passivity.
Hope, the motor of human action
Hope, on the other hand, motivates and mobilises. It is the comprehensive emotional and possibly action-guiding orientation of people towards the future. In other words: Hope is the motor of human action.
On this subject, a scientific experiment; the American researcher Curt Richter conducted an experiment with animals in the 1950s. He placed rats in a large jar filled with water. He observed that they drowned within minutes. Richter asked himself, how is it possible that rats, which normally can swim for two to three days, simply sink? He repeated the experiment, but from time to time he took the rats in his hand again and then put them back in the water. This time they swam for days. His conclusion was that rats who see no way out give up without further ado. This peculiarity does not only apply to rats, but also to us humans. There are numerous reports of people who survived tragedies only because they had hope of survival and therefore did not give up.
Experiences with God give us new hope
The apostle Paul wrote the following about hope: «We also glory in afflictions, because we know that affliction brings patience, and patience brings probation, and probation brings hope.» (Romans 5:3–4 LUT 2017).
Amazingly, Paul describes how our hope can grow. It is like a process and it is like this: We learn to patiently overcome difficulties in our lives. The difficulties patiently overcome bring us probation, our character is formed. These trials then give us hope that with God’s help we can overcome even greater difficulties. When we are drowning, God takes us in his hand and gives us new hope. God uses difficulties to strengthen our hope. It’s like fitness: to strengthen muscles you need weights, we can’t just lift air and expect results.
We find a biblical example of this hope in the Old Testament. Before David was able to defeat Goliath, it took experience with God. We read in 1 Samuel what David said before he went into battle: «Thus thy servant [David] hath slain the lion as well as the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall fare as one of them; for he hath mocked the battle lines of the living God. And David said, The Lord that delivered me from the lion and from the bear, the Lord shall deliver me also from this Philistine.» (1 Samuel 17:36–37 LUT 2017). David had hope that he could defeat Goliath. This hope came from his previous experiences with God. This is also true for us. In order for our hope to grow, we need to hold on to our experiences with God. Remembering what we have experienced with God is extremely important. For the first years of my life of faith I kept a diary of my experiences, but unfortunately I stopped. Through the preparation for this sermon, I have been admonished to take it up again.
Divine hope
Followers of Jesus are guided by the hope given by God. God cares for us, He gives us what we need. But it is not God’s job to give us everything we want. Our hope is God’s Kingdom of Heaven, in the future, but also here and now. God has chosen us and equipped us to build this kingdom with him. «But hope does not fail, for the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us». (Romans 5:5 LUT 2017) This promise gives us hope. God gives us His love and Spirit to carry out the mission.
Summary
Our great hope is God’s Kingdom of Heaven, in the future, but also here and now. A kingdom where people meet in love. It is our privilege as followers of Jesus to bring a piece of this kingdom to earth. However, God’s kingdom on earth does not come without difficulties and with possible disappointments. The easiest way to avoid disappointment is to stop hoping and resign yourself to the status quo. But that is not God’s plan, he has called us and enabled us to bring his kingdom to this earth. The apostle Peter, who denied Jesus three times, was very disappointed in himself and fell into passivity. But Jesus gave him hope again, we read about it: «After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter: Simon, son of John, do you love me more than the others? Peter replied: Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said: Then feed my lambs.» (John 21:15 NLB). Peter’s disappointment in himself took away all hope and he sank into passivity. Jesus gave him hope again, despite the failure he received the honour to continue God’s holy mission here on earth. The hope given by Jesus started in Peter like an engine. Peter became the leader of the first Christian church. God has hope for us too, doesn’t matter what is behind us. William D. Brown put it as follows: «Failure is not a person, it’s an event».
Finally, a short story from a person with a great hope.
The African-American Baptist pastor Martin Luther King fought against social injustice in the 1960s. In his famous speech, he spoke of the Divine Dream of social justice, regardless of skin colour. He dreamed that African Americans and whites could hold hands without being judged. Martin Luther King did not live to see this dream, but small changes gave him hope.
I am convinced that God has placed the dream of his Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts of all of us. We contribute to bringing this Kingdom into this world. Jesus has already prayed for this: «Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven»(Matthew 6:10 NGÜ). In God’s kingdom, His will is done. Jesus came to bring this kingdom to earth and has passed this mission on to us. Our hope, his kingdom here and now.
Possible questions for the small groups
- In what area of your life have you lost hope?
- How can you gain this hope?
- Why is hope important?
- What is your specific hope for an area of your life?
- Is your hope biblical? Is there a promise about it?
- Do you have hope for God’s kingdom here on earth?
