How does the biblical definition of HOPE change us?
Bonus New Year's Episode
Hosts:
J. Kent Edwards
Vicki Hitzges
Nathan Norman
Narrator: Brian French
The CrossTalk Podcast is a production of CrossTalk Global, equipping biblical communicators, so every culture hears God’s voice. To find out more, or to support the work of this ministry please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org
Produced by Nathan James Norman/Untold Podcast Production
© 2024 CrossTalk Global
Brian: What are you hoping for in the new year? Many people make New Year's resolutions to lose weight, exercise more, increase their finances, or improve their mental health. And many enter into the New Year with new hopes of landing their dream job, winning the lottery, or finding new love. We often use the word hope in a similar way to the term wishful thinking. We would like for something to happen, but don't have solid assurances that it will happen. But what about biblical hope? How does the Bible define hope? And how does biblical hope change us? Welcome to crosstalk, a Christian podcast whose goal is for us to encourage each other to not only increase our knowledge of the Bible, but to take the next step beyond information into transformation. Our goal is to bring the Bible to life, into all our lives. I'm Brian French. Today join Dr. Kent Edwards, Vicki Hitskus and Nathan Norman as they take a break from our normal format to celebrate the New Year.
Nathan: So, Kent, Vicky, we're in the New Year. What kind of things does the average person hope for? If you were to ask someone, hey, what are you hoping for? Just the way they would define hope. What are they looking for?
Kent: Stock market to rise.
Nathan: Oh, wow. Yeah.
Kent: Kids to get into college and do.
Vicki: Well, of course, while they're there. Yes.
Nathan: With minimal debt or none.
Vicki: That's a good one. In the introduction, Brian talked about people losing weight. I heard that the two best selling books are cookbooks and how to lose weight. That's true. That's what I heard. And if you go to a gym, then, you know, in January and February those gems are packed and then it falls off. But, you know, everybody had great intentions in the beginning of the year.
Kent: I think people hope that relationships that have been strained could be restored. I don't know if that translates into working on it, but that's certainly a hope.
Nathan: Yeah.
Vicki: Or to have relationships. Yeah.
Kent: Loneliness is just huge.
Vicki: Yes, well, that's true. I was thinking about being young, all my friends that wanted to be in a relationship, and then, you know, as you get older, you just, you don't want to be lonely.
Nathan: Yeah, yeah. The Bible talks about hope quite a bit. The Bible's definition of hope is a bit different than we use it in modern English. For example, Merriam Webster's top definition says that hope is to cherish a desire with anticipation to want something to happen or be true. So for example, a person hopes for a promotion or hoping for the best or. I hope so. So most often in America, when we use the word hope, we're talking about wishful thinking. And it might not necessarily be backed up by anything. But here's the Bible definition. According to Henry Holloman, he said it's to anticipate with confident longing the fulfillment of God's promises. Now, he crammed a lot in there. But in other words, when the Bible talks about hope, it's not talking about wishful thinking. It is a confidence in the work of God. A work of God that might be in process right now, or it hasn't come yet, but there is this confidence. We put our hope in God. We put our confidence that God is working, that what he started will get finished, or that what he said will happen will come to pass. So, Kent, Vicki, we're heading into the new year along with all the desires and fears that goes along with it. What are some of God's promises that give you confidence?
Vicki: Well, when you said that, when you defined it like that or quoted Holloman, it reminded me. I speak a lot about the. I mean, in conversation about the hope of heaven. And when I write that down, I think, well, that seems almost sacrilegious because it's not a hope of heaven that. I mean, it's a confidence of heaven. But when you make that distinction, that's a confidence that I have in God's promises. The hope, the confidence of heaven.
Nathan: Yeah. It's a spiritual hope. Right. It's not just a worldly like, well.
Vicki: I hope I get that job, but I'm confident.
Nathan: Yes. Amen.
Kent: I see that echoed. Interesting you should bring that up because I was thinking of Psalm 23 that David wrote so eloquently that we bring up at every funeral. Right. And rightfully so. David, he says, the Lord is my shepherd, present tense, so I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He's reminding himself of God's care in the present. Right.
Nathan: Yeah.
Kent: And because I see God's goodness on a daily basis, because I know his character and how faithful he is, even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, surely, and goodness will follow me all the days of my life. And I will talk about hope that is based in reality. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. So for David, the God who has been faithful will be faithful. This is a hope that is grounded in the reality of my everyday walk with the Lord.
Vicki: I have another one. And I've seen God do this. If any. This is from James. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding Fault and it will be given to you. But there's a condition when you ask, you must believe and not doubt. Because the one who doubts is like the wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. And that person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, because that person is double minded and unstable in all that they do. I have been in situations where I needed wisdom. I had no idea what to do. My emotions had taken over. I just. I didn't know what to do. And I asked God and he gave me wisdom. In fact, I had a friend and I told her what I was going to do. And she said, vicki, that is so wise. And she didn't mean to be insulting, but she said, that does not sound like you. He was like, well, thank you.
Nathan: Love you too.
Vicki: It's actually not like me, but thank you.
Nathan: Yeah. Amen. That is a good gift and it is something that we can have expectation for. Actually, Vicki and I were talking about. I don't even remember what, but I was complaining about something privately to her and she kind of rebuked me with this very text.
Vicki: Oh, Bobby. I believe in it.
Nathan: I don't remember what it was about. I was like, come on, Vicki. But you're right.
Vicki: You're right.
Nathan: And it is the hope that we have. It is an expectation. Yes, God will come through if you.
Vicki: Believe that he will.
Kent: Yeah. I found hope in the Lord to be critical all through life because for one reason or another, God has always given me jobs that I have no ability to do well. First, most of my life I've been a pastor. What an enormous job. The care of all those souls, of touching the community. Who is adequate for that? I certainly have never felt adequate. I've been for many years in the role of teaching in seminaries and to have people who are eager in ministry and they desperately want to know how, in my case, how to communicate God's word effectively so it can change lives. What an awesome responsibility. With limited time, I have not felt adequate for that. And now in this stage of life, to have the opportunities God's given us to try and equip biblical communicators around the world who is adequate to be able to change the church, the direction of people's ministries and lives. Yet the hope I have comes from John 15, where Jesus said to his disciples, I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. I think one of the reasons why I have been able to follow God's calling into impossible jobs is. Is because I know it's not about me. I know that on my own, I am inadequate for the tasks God has given. But with his ability, with his power, what could his power do? Not me, but what could he accomplish through me if I'm just the garden hose? But if he's the water, and it can change lives and accomplish the purpose God's called me to, am I willing to be a garden hose for him? Am I willing to allow his ability to flow through me? I can work with confidence in a job that is impossible for me to succeed in with that knowledge. I mean, recently we looked at Matthew, and in Matthew 17, Jesus says to his disciples, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Not that you can do anything. You're not a superhero. But I am. And with me, you can accomplish the task that God has given you. I rely on that every day. God, I know I'm not able, but I believe you are. And I have hope. In a Henry Holloman way.
Nathan: Yeah, I have adopted. Years ago, I adopted the Charles Schwab method of time management. And so what he was, he paid $10,000 for this idea on how to manage his time. He would write out everything he needs to do in the day, and then he would order it in order of importance, and then he would work through the order of importance, crossing them off. And at the end of the day, whatever was undone, he would crumple it up, he would throw it out. Next day, he would start again, and he would put the things that he forgot on there or didn't get to the previous day on there, and he would order them and then crumple it up and throw it away. And the nice thing with that is the things that don't matter as much, they get put on the wayside. And then you're not bogged down with things that aren't as important as the other things. So I was doing that for years, and then I don't even remember what text I was preaching, but it's probably, I'm the vine, you are the branches. And I said, wow, I'm doing this wrong. So at the top of the list every day, and actually I have an old to do list right here on my desk. You can attest to it. Right on top it says, rely on Jesus. And so when I do my to do lists every day, the first thing I put on there is Rely on Jesus and that never gets crossed off because there's always too much to do. I'm always in way over my head. My whole life is characterized by being way in over my head. And apart from him I can do nothing. So I've repented of that time management system. I continue to use it, but I have to put rely on Jesus. I put rely on Jesus up top. You know, that's the first thing. It's always the first thing.
Kent: We are never adequate for the task God gives us, but he always is.
Nathan: Yeah, I really appreciate this definition Henry Holloman gave us years ago in Talbot School of Theology. It just was so helpful, so transformative. Changed my mind. Other areas that we have this kind of expectation for that yes, it is going to happen. This confident hope that we have in Jesus is our salvation. We experience God's glory. We have an eternal inheritance. We've talked about that a number of times on this show. From 1 Peter 1, God's presence. We also have guidance from the Holy Spirit. John 16:13 and finally we talked about it last episode, but I'm going to mention it again is the return of Jesus. Second Christmas. Revelation 21:1 5 says, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven. And the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne. Look, God's dwelling is with humanity and he will live with them. They will be his peoples and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. Grief, crying and pain will be no more because the previous things have passed away. Then the one seated on the throne said, look, I am making everything new.
Kent: Amen. And amen.
Nathan: This kind of hope changes everything. God's promises are here. God's promises are coming. They're more sure than the passing of the seasons. They're more sure than paying taxes. They're more sure than the rising of the sun tomorrow. Whatever challenges come in the next year, we can enter it with confidence that God has a good plan. And in Jesus Christ, we are part of that good plan.
Kent: Amen.
Brian: How does biblical hope change us? It gives us a confidence in God's promises. It gives us confidence in a good future. The crosstalk podcast is a production of crosstalk Global, equipping biblical communicators so every culture hears God's voice to find out more or to support the work of this ministry, please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org. we have a new cohort beginning in Salina, Kansas in 2025. If you want to be a part of this revolutionary educational experience, check the show notes for more information. Students can participate in the program to receive Biblical communication skills, and there's also an option to earn an MA Degree in Biblical Communication. You can also support this show by sharing it on social media and telling your friends. Tune in next Friday as we return to our series in the Gospel of Matthew. You won't want to miss it.