Big Hope
November 2010
Friend, may the GOD OF HOPE fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that YOU may ABOUND IN HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
Dear Friend,
You are created for hope! In every area and aspect of life!
Hope is one of the most powerful forces on earth. Scientific studies have proven that with hope a human, even an animal, will survive calamity far better than one without hope. Hope often is the difference between life and death.
Hope is the confident expectation of good. Hope rooted in Jesus!
Friend, you can break free of the cycle of negative, defeatist thoughts and develop a confident expectation of God’s goodness toward you every day!
Unlike wishful thinking, hope is a confident expectation of good that will never disappoint. Together, let’s live life as a prisoner of hope and go from lack to super abundance!
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
Our hope in God is based on the love of God, which we experience by His Spirit.
I absolutely love the book of Romans! Page after page, the love of God is revealed in crystal clear definition! HD TV has nothing on the clarity of Romans.
Catch the vibrancy of God’s love revealed in Romans.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35, 38-39)
The news is flooded with economic doom and gloom. The “Great Recession” is a present reality for many in North America and around the world. Whether we ourselves have been touched by it, or someone we know, it has come close to us all.
I guess one could say, our society is in an economic “famine”. Did you notice the word “famine” in the verse above? Isn’t God’s word amazing? He knew we would be in this economic climate in 2010. We are not forgotten, we are loved!
Did you notice verse 37 of Romans 8, sandwiched between these love verses… “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS!
When you know how much God loves you, you are more than a conqueror! In your finances, yes, but also in your family, your spiritual life, your health, your relationships!
Trust me, I don’t like tough times any more than the next person. However, famine is not a sign God’s love is not present. That is a lie from the pit of hell.
“We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope!” (Romans 5:3-4)
God does not bring the tribulations, but we live in a fallen world. Bad things happen, but in them, hope rises to the top!
We have been given hope as part of our spiritual armor! It is a gift from God!
You might be familiar with the armor of God revealed in Ephesians 6. Notice verse 17, “And take the helmet of salvation.”
Then flip over to 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”
Yes, there is that helmet again, however, here it is called the “hope of salvation”. Salvation represents restoration and prosperity for your spirit, soul and body.
I believe this is symbolic. The part of the armor representing hope is not the shoes, the shield or the sword. No, it is the helmet. Why is that key? The helmet is closest to our mind. Our mind is essential to what we think and believe.
Jesus is our helmet of salvation; our hopeful mind!
It was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah in chapter 59.
“He saw there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head…:”
God looked at mankind and saw our hopelessness and sent Jesus. Jesus became our righteousness, He became our salvation, JESUS BECAME OUR HELMET, THE HOPE OF SALVATION!!!!!
Our mind is blessed, because Jesus’ mind was cursed. Jesus’ perfect, creative, sinless mind was cursed on the cross, so that we might have His mind.
Under the law, the High Priest would lay their hands on the head of a male bull that was without blemish. The bull would become a burnt offering on behalf of the children of Israel. That offering would be accepted as atonement for the sins of the people. (Leviticus 1:3-4)
Jesus was without spot or blemish. With one sacrifice He became our Burnt Offering before the Father. His blood, offered in the throne room of heaven, eternally secured our righteousness… our HELMET THE HOPE OF SALVATION!
Because our worries, fears, mental deficiencies and inadequacies were laid on Jesus’ head, hope, confidence, sharpness and creativity are now laid on our head. THE GREAT EXCHANGE!
We all experience famine in the natural world. Even one of the fathers of faith experienced famine where he lived.
“There was a famine in the land. Then the Lord appeared to him (Isaac) and said: ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you’.” (Genesis 26:1-2)
“Egypt” represents the world’s way of operating - “I succeed because of my great efforts”. God’s way is substitution. Jesus gives us His life, and He takes ours.
Isaac prospered when he believed the Lord.
“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.” (Genesis 26:16)
Much has been made of this verse. “Sow in your famine and expect a hundredfold return”. Trust me, I believe in sowing and reaping abundantly. However, don’t put the cart before the horse. Note that before Isaac sowed, he was dwelling in the land God told him to stay.
You and I should certainly sow, but it is important where we “dwell”. No, I am not referring to geography. However, when we live in the revelation that we are in Christ, we sow and reap hundredfold blessing.
Some think because they sow, somehow God will be pleased and bless them. This is a lie from the deceiver. We sow because God loves us; and we reap because we are in Christ!
Throughout the Bible we are given glimpses of the significance of our spiritual helmet. Psalms 60:7 says, “Ephraim also is the helmet for My head.”
Why is this significant? Ephraim symbolizes the double blessing of God. Ephraim was the younger son of Joseph, whom God blessed over his older brother Manasseh. (Genesis 48)
Ephraim, double blessing, is the very helmet we inherit in Christ! We are blessing magnets! In fact, EVERY BLESSING IS OURS IN CHRIST!
Let that reality consume your mind!
The government is not our source! Jesus provides when they fail us. Our health care system is not our source! Jesus is the Great Physician.
Why is hope important? Romans 5:2, in Jesus we have… “…access by faith into this grace (unmerited favor) in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Again Romans, uses such beautiful, crystal clear language. Everything is found in Jesus! He is our access into unmerited favor: in life, in health, in business, in relationships, in finances.
We receive hope when we receive the helmet of salvation, the helmet of hope, the helmet of double blessing! Jesus is our helmet of hope!
How incredible! Our blessing & favor are all wrapped up in Jesus. Page after page, the Bible reveals more of the beauty of Jesus!
When you sow into the Gospel in Israel today, do so with abundant hope! Hope that the Gospel workers we support will be empowered by the Holy Spirit and see great harvest in Israel! Hope that you will reap one hundred fold, because you are in Christ!
God has super abundantly blessed us, and we can respond by being a blessing to others. You are a blessing to the Gospel workers in Israel!
Blessings in Christ,
Nathan Thurber
Romans 5:1 • John 14:27 • John 10:10 • Acts 1:8 • Isaiah 54:2 Ephesians 1:6 • Ephesians 3:1 • Romans 4:13