Hope Part Two (5) Hope Is Concrete Through the Spirit

If we recall to mind that Christ is our hope, that we have hope through the encouragement of the Scriptures, that hope springs into being prepared and purified, and that hope is a mindset, we can then move on to the assurance part:

Hope Is Concrete Through the Spirit. 

The Spirit plays a big part in our hope. It is the Spirit Who was sent by Christ; the Spirit Who shows us the truth in the Scriptures; the Spirit Who prepares and purifies us. The Spirit pokes and prods us when we do wrong, and it grieves Him when we turn away in spite of His warnings. 

The Spirit Himself was a promise. Jesus gave His disciples this hope:

John 14:16 "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever..."

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me."

So, the Holy Spirit was Himself a hope to the disciples of Jesus - a hope to us. The Holy Spirit is our Helper! He is here. He is our Helper in guarding the good deposit (the good news of Jesus Christ) entrusted to us. 

2 Timothy 1:14 "By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."

We are not alone; God did not pay such a heavy price for us and then abandon us to fend for ourselves. He is here, He is active, He is loving. 

Romans 5:5 "...and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

The Holy Spirit is a promise that has been fulfilled. Believers have the Holy Spirit with them right now. So, the Holy Spirit is almost a good faith deposit. It's as if God says "This promise has been completed. I promised you the Holy Spirit, and He is with you. Now you can have hope that my other promises will be fulfilled."

Sometimes I find myself depressed, despairing about things, fretting about other things. Sometimes I feel on the verge of crying, other times on the verge of punching through a wall. These times are dark, they are deep, they are vicelike. They tear and grip and laugh. 

But the Holy Spirit is stronger than these times. He whispers, gently, softly, lovingly, the truth of the Scriptures. He whispers directly to my heart. He leads me to see my sin, to see my failure to trust, to see my lack of faith. He is not condemning, rather He is reminding. "Look to Christ," He says "Don't look at anything but Christ. Christ is your hope. Christ is your peace." 

Then the depression, the darkness, lifts. There is no "logical" reason why this should happen; nothing has changed. The same worrisome things are still there right in front of my face. The same unknowns are still vying for my attention. But my attention is lost in Christ, because the Holy Spirit reminds me of the hope that is found in my Saviour and Lord. 

Galatians 5:5 "For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness."

The Holy Spirit reminds us of God's promises. 

Romans 8:6 "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."

Life and peace. Life and peace. 

Know this: the Spirit waits to make your hope in Christ concrete. 

The Spirit reminds us of Christ, He brings to mind the Scriptures (even while we hide God's word in our heart), He purifies and prepares us, and He renews our mind so that despair can find no place. 

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."