Watchtower Study, 26-December-1-January 2023, Let's keep our hope strong, Underlined Answers.
Yellow: Direct Answer.
Dark Yellow: Additional Answer.
Light Blue: Additional Points.
"Put your hope in the Lord" (Ps. 27:14).
1. What hope has Jehovah given us?
JEHOVAH has given us the precious hope of eternal life. Some of her servants hope to live forever in heaven as immortal spirit beings (1 Cor. 15:50, 53). But most expect to live forever on earth and enjoy happiness and perfect health (Rev. 21:3, 4). We all heartily cherish our hope, whether it be living forever in the heavens or on Earth.
2. On what is our hope based, and why?
2 When the Bible talks about hope, it can convey the idea of knowing that good things will happen. We are sure that our hope will come true because it comes from Jehovah (Rom. 15:13). We know his promises and we know that he always keeps them (Num. 23:19). We are convinced that Jehovah wants and can carry out everything he says he will do. So our hope is not based on illusions or simple wishes, but on evidence and reality.
3. What will we see in this article? (Psalm 27:14).
3 Our heavenly Father loves us and wants us to trust him (read Psalm 27:14). If our hope in Jehovah is strong, we will be able to endure trials and look to the future with courage and joy. In this article we will see how hope protects us. Let's first see why we say that hope is like an anchor and like a helmet. And then let's discuss how we can strengthen it.
OUR HOPE IS LIKE AN ANCHOR
4. Why is hope like an anchor? (Hebrews 6:19).
4 In his Letter to the Hebrews, the apostle Paul compared our hope to an anchor (read Hebrews 6:19). He often went on sea voyages, so he knew that anchors prevent the ship from drifting. Once, while he was traveling on a ship, a violent storm arose. On that occasion, he saw the sailors drop anchor in the water so that the ship would not crash against the rocks (Acts 27:29, 39-41). Just as an anchor steadies a ship, our hope steadies us so that we do not stray from Jehovah when we experience storm-like problems. Having the firm hope that better times will soon come helps us face the storms of life. Remember that Jesus said that we would be persecuted (John 15:20).So meditating on the reward that Jehovah has promised us helps us stay on track in our Christian life.
5. How did hope sustain Jesus when he came face to face with death?
5 Let's see how hope helped Jesus stay faithful even knowing that a cruel death awaited him. On the day of Pentecost in the year 33, the apostle Peter quoted a prophecy from the Psalms that beautifully describes the calm and confidence that Jesus had: "I will live in hope, because you will not leave me in the grave, nor will you allow let your loyal servant suffer corruption. […] You will fill me with great joy in your presence” (Acts 2:25-28; Ps. 16:8-11). Although Jesus knew that he would die, he had the firm hope that God would resurrect him and that he would have the joy of returning to heaven with his Father (Heb. 12: 2, 3).
6. What did a brother say about hope?
6 Thanks to Christian hope, many brothers have managed to endure trials. Consider the example of Leonard Chinn, a faithful brother who lived in England. During World War I, he was thrown in jail because he refused to join the army. He was held incommunicado for two months and then subjected to forced labor. Some time later, he wrote: “That experience taught me that, in order to endure, hope is very important. Both the example of Jesus, the apostles and the prophets and the valuable promises of the Bible give us great hope for the future and strength to endure. Hope was like an anchor for Leonard, and it can be for us too.
7. How is our hope strengthened by going through trials? (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:12).
7 Our hope is strengthened when we endure trials and see Jehovah help us and give us his approval.—Read Romans 5:3-5; James 1:12. So now our hope is stronger than when we learned the truth. Satan wants difficulties to overwhelm us, but with Jehovah's help we can face each one.
OUR HOPE IS LIKE A HELMET
8. Why is hope like a helmet? (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
8 The Bible also says that our hope is like a helmet (read 1 Thessalonians 5:8). A soldier wears a helmet to protect his head from the blows of the enemy. In our spiritual warfare, we must protect our mind from Satan's attacks. He bombards us with temptations and mind-damaging ideas. Just as the helmet protects the soldier's head, hope protects our mind so that we remain faithful to Jehovah.
9. What happens when people have no hope?
9 The hope of eternal life will help us make good decisions. But, if we only think about our own desires, that hope could be weakened. Let's think about what happened to some Christians in the ancient city of Corinth. They had lost faith in a very important promise of God, that of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12). Paul said that those who did not believe in this teaching lived only for the present (1 Cor. 15:32). Today, there are many people who do not trust God's promises and therefore only live for the present and enjoy pleasures. Instead, we trust in the future that God promises us. Christian hope is like a helmet that protects our minds and helps us not lead a life of self-indulgence, which ruins our friendship with Jehovah (1 Cor. 15:33, 34).
10. How does hope help us fight false ideas?
10 The helmet of hope also protects us from the idea that it is not worth trying to please Jehovah. For example, someone may think: “I will never receive eternal life. I'm not that good. I will never measure up to what God expects of his servants." Let us remember that Eliphaz, one of Job's false friends, told him something similar: "How can mortal man be pure [...]?" . Then he added: “See, God does not trust his saints, and even the heavens are not pure in his sight” (Job 15:14, 15). What a big lie! Let's remember what it isSatan the one who wants us to think like this. He knows that if we keep thinking about this idea, we will lose hope. Therefore, let us fight against this lie and focus on the promises of Jehovah. Let us never doubt that he wants all of his servants to live forever and that he will help us reach that goal (1 Tim. 2: 3, 4).
HOW TO KEEP HOPE STRONG
11. Why must we be patient until the day comes when our hope will come true?
11 It is not always easy to keep our hope strong. Perhaps sometimes we get impatient as we wait for God to fulfill his promises. But Jehovah is eternal and he does not see time the same as we do (2 Pet. 3: 8, 9). He will fulfill in the best possible way what he has proposed, but perhaps he will not do it at the time we want. What will help us to keep hope strong and be patient as the day comes when God will bring to pass what he has promised? (Jas. 5:7, 8).
12. According to Hebrews 11:1, 6, what is the relationship between hope and faith?
12 Our hope will remain strong if we are close to Jehovah because he is the one who guarantees that it will come true. In fact, the Bible links hope to faith that Jehovah exists and that he “rewards those who earnestly seek him” (see Hebrews 11:1, 6). The more real Jehovah is to us, the more we will trust him to keep all his promises. Let's see what we can do to deepen our friendship with him and thus keep our hope strong.
13. How can we be friends with God?
13 Let us pray to Jehovah and read his Word. It is true that we cannot see Jehovah, but it is possible to be his friends. We can talk to him when we pray to him, confident that he hears us (Jer. 29:11, 12). And we have the opportunity to listen to him when we read his Word and meditate on it. As we read about how Jehovah cared for his loyal servants in the past, our hope grows stronger and stronger. All things in God's Word “were written for our teaching, so that through our endurance and the comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).
ILLUSTRATION
Praying and meditating keep our hope strong. (See paragraphs 13 to 15).
14. Why is it good for us to reflect on what Jehovah has done for others?
14 Let us reflect on how Jehovah has fulfilled his promises. Let's think about what he did for Abraham and Sarah . Because of their age, they could no longer have children , but God promised they would have one (Gen. 18:10). How did Abraham react? The Bible answers: "He had faith that he would be the father of many nations" (Rom. 4:18). To a human being, it might seem hopeless, but Abraham was sure that Jehovah would fulfill his promise. This faithful servant of God was not disappointed (Rom. 4:19-21). Stories like this teach us that we can always trust that Jehovah will be true to his word, no matter how difficult a situation seems to us.
15. Why should we reflect on what God has already done for us?
15 Let's think about what Jehovah has done for us. Have we stopped to think about how some promises from the Word of God have already been fulfilled in our case? For example, Jesus promised that his Father would give us what we need to live (Matt. 6:32, 33). Jesus also said that Jehovah will give us holy spirit if we ask him (Luke 11:13). Jehovah has fulfilled these promises. And most likely, other promises that he has fulfilled in our case come to mind, such as to forgive us, to comfort us and to give us spiritual food (Matt. 6:14; 24:45; 2 Cor. 1 :3). If we meditate on what God has already done for us, our hope will be strengthened in what he will do in the future.
REJOICE FOR HOPE
16. Why is hope a precious gift?
16 The hope of eternal life is a precious gift from God. We are looking forward to that wonderful future and we have no doubt that it will. Hope is like an anchor because it helps us cope with trials, persecution, and even death. It is also like a helmet because it protects our mind and helps us reject what is bad and hold on to what is good. The hope that the Bible gives us brings us closer to God and is proof of the deep love he has for us. Keeping our hope strong and bright does us a lot of good.
17. Why does our hope make us happy?
17 In the letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, he told them to “rejoice in hope” (Rom. 12:12). Paul could rejoice because he was sure that he would have eternal life in heaven if he remained faithful to Jehovah. We too can rejoice in hope because we are sure that Jehovah will fulfill his promises. As one psalmist said: “Happy is he who […] puts his hope in Jehovah his God, […] who is ever faithful” (Ps. 146:5, 6).
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
Why can we be sure that our hope will come true?
We are sure that our hope will come true because it comes from Jehovah.
We are convinced that Jehovah wants and can carry out everything he says he will do. So our hope is not based on illusions or simple wishes, but on evidence and reality.
Why do we say that hope is like an anchor and like a helmet?
Just as an anchor steadies a ship, our hope steadies us so that we do not stray from Jehovah when we experience storm-like problems.
Just as the helmet protects the soldier's head, hope protects our mind so that we remain faithful to Jehovah.
The helmet of hope protects us from the idea that it is not worth the effort to please Jehovah.
What will help us keep our hope strong?
Let us reflect on how Jehovah has fulfilled his promises.
Let's think about what Jehovah has done for us.
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