Essentials of Christian

Living
Sunday School Lesson # 43
Hope
Memory Verse: Titus 2:13
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

Introduction: If a Christian loses hope he will throw in the towel on the

Christian life. It is imperative that we never lose hope in the provision of
God in our lives. Young ladies will sometimes stock a hope chest with
things they hope to use someday in their home. They are looking forward to
the day when they have a home of their own. We, too, must look forward to
seeing God provide our needs, overcome our burdens, and take us to Heaven
when we die.

Definition: Hope—Looking forward to God’s provision with confidence and

expectation.

Bible Examples:
1. Abraham (Romans 4:18 )
Abraham believed in hope against all hope. He is an example to us
all. Remember, with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27).

2. David (Psalms 39:7)

David often needed the hand of God to deliver him. He hoped in the
Lord when he was pursued by an enemy and even when he sinned. Life may
deal us some jolting blows, but we must never lose hope in God.

3. The Church at Thessalonica (I Thessalonians 1:3)

This church had a great testimony as we can see in this verse. If our
hope is in Jesus we will not need to borrow from the world to find hope.
One reason this church was such a good model was they had their hope in
the right place. God help our testimony to be that we also hope in the Lord.

Points to teach:
1. Faith is the substance of hope. (Hebrews 11:1)
Hope is intangible. It has no substance in itself. Faith allows us to
hope. We must believe that which we hope for will become reality. The
belief gives us substance so we can hold on to hope.

2. The comfort of the Scriptures gives us hope. (Romans 15:4)

It is natural to want others to give us hope. Therefore, we have a
tendency to pour out our problems to find hope. This is often unproductive.
We must run to the Bible. Spending time in God’s Word will give us
comfort, and comfort will give us hope.

3. Experience gives us hope. (Romans 5:4)

We must remember God’s deliverances when our backs are against the
wall. We know if God has delivered in the past, He can do it again. Don’t
forget God’s faithfulness when we need hope. Rest your hope on God’s
proven faithfulness. It is wise to read and meditate on Scriptures where God
delivered his people.

4. Patience is essential for hope. (Romans 8:25)

We live in a very fast world. We can move things thousands of miles
in a very short time. Life, however, is not always the same. Do not give up
hope because the answer did not come via overnight express.

5. Hope is produced by yielding to the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5, Galatians

5:5)
We must gather our emotions and yield them to the Holy Spirit. He
can only fill as much of our spirit as we yield to him.

6. We should never be ashamed of the Hope we have in Christ. (Psalms

119:116)

7. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick.” (Proverbs 13:12)

We must be careful to keep our word to our children and others we
love. A broken promise can easily lead to a broken heart. Let’s all make
constant effort to not defer the hope of those who have hope in us. Let’s also
be sure not to defer our own hope.
8. The return of Christ is the blessed hope of a Christian. (Titus 2:13)
When all hope seems lost, just remember that Jesus is coming again.
It may be today! Life may get very tough at times; never lose sight of our
future home in Heaven.

Elementary ideas:
1. Bring a hope chest to your class. Have several things inside the chest for
which your children should hope. You could also pull out each of your
points as you teach them. Special prizes could also be in the hope chest.

2. Bring in several items (or pictures of items) in which people often look
for hope. (Money would be a good example.) Teach them that there is no
hope in these things. Have a Bible wrapped or concealed and bring it out as
the answer to hope.