Confident Hope

Often it takes a tragedy or other setback to force us to switch off the autopilot of everyday life. When that happens, the result can be an exposure of the cracks in our beliefs and the asking of the deeper questions of life. That was one result of the tragedy of 9/11, the 20th anniversary of which will be observed in a few months. That event seemed to dash hopes in life’s stability, and it led otherwise unchurched people to pack out worship services over the weeks that followed.
Even though church attendance soon began to drop back to “normal” levels, the tenacity of hope made itself felt in, among other things, the form of a $3 million hope sculpture in New York City in 2014. But the question remains: What or who is the proper object of a confident hope?

Unit 1—Jesus Teaches About Faith

History is witness to humanity’s preference to found hope on what is seen rather than on what is unseen. The Lord’s words in Jeremiah 2:13 ring true in all eras:

My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Notice that the cisterns at issue represent things that humans construct in order to meet perceived needs. The five lessons of unit 1 show us human self-focus in this regard. People hope to have enough food and clothing, and they use worry in an attempt to remedy a lack of those things (lesson 1). When no human remedy comes to mind, the results are fear and doubt (lessons 2 and 4). The proper reaction in all cases is to look to Jesus first (lessons 3 and 5).

Unit 2—Faith and Salvation

Unit 2 makes the transition from hope regarding earthly, physical needs in unit 1 to our hope for eternal salvation. Abraham is a double-sided example in this regard. On the one hand, he is the preemient example of faith (lesson 7); on the other hand, he is an example of someone who tried to take personal control when doubts arose regarding lack of an heir (Genesis 16). We follow Abraham’s good example and avoid repeating his attempt to take control from God as we lift our eyes above earthly circumstances to focus on the power of the gospel (lesson 6), how we have peace with God (lesson 8), and the scope of salvation (lesson 9).

Unit 3—Faith Gives Us Hope

This unit explores the connections between faith and hope. Some form of the Greek originals behind those two words occur together in the same verse over a dozen times in the New Testament. Two such verses are part of lessons 7 and 8 in unit 2; two more are part of lessons 10 and 11 of unit 3.
As you study the inseparable connection between faith and hope, your appreciation of God’s character and power will grow. His character and power are our confidence in troubling times. His sovereignty is our stability when the waves of life ebb and flow. His faithfulness is our fortress when tempted to despair. His righteousness is our refuge when the enemy attacks. To have conquering faith in God (lesson 12) is to have a faith that focuses on eternity (lesson 13).

by Patrick L. Mitchell

Unit 1 — Jesus Teaches About Faiths

Date	Title	Bible Text
June 6	Freed from Worry	Matthew 6:25–34
June 13	Delivered from Fear	Matthew 8:23–27
June 20	Healed by Faith	Matthew 9:18–26
June 27	Rescued from Doubt	Matthew 14:22–33
July 4	Attitude of Gratitude	Leviticus 13:45-46; Luke 17:11-19

Unit 2: Faith and Salvation

Date	Title	Bible Text
July 11	Power of the Gospel	Romans 1:8–17
July 18	Faith of Abraham	Romans 4:1–12
July 25	Peace with God	Romans 5:1–11
August 1	Salvation Available for All	Romans 10:5–17

Unit 3: Faith Gives Us Hope

Date	Title	Bible Text
August 8	A Necessary Faith	Hebrews 11:1–8, 13–16
August 15	A Patient, Persevering Faith	Hebrews 10:23–36
August 22	A Conquering Faith	1 John 4:2-3, 13-17; 5:4-5
August 29	An Eternal Hope	2 Corinthians 4:16–5:10