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“Hope does not disappoint” (ROM. 5:5).
1. Why can we say that Abraham's hope was secure?
In Genesis chapter 22 verse 18 we read: And all the nations of the earth will obtain a blessing for themselves through your descendants, because you have listened to my voice. With these words Jehovah promised Abraham that through his descendants the nations of the earth would have their blessing. Abraham trusted Jehovah and trusted in his promise, therefore he stood firm, had faith and hope.
In Genesis chapter 21 verse 5 we read that Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, so we see that although the promise of Jehovah was long in coming, it was finally fulfilled. Abraham finally saw his loyalty and hope rewarded.
2. Why was Abraham fully convinced that Jehovah would keep his promise?
Jehovah considered Abraham his friend. This friendship led Abraham to know Jehovah very well, as we see in Romans chapter 4 verse 21. Abraham knew that Jehovah could do everything he had promised, therefore he trusted, had faith, and was fully convinced that Jehovah would fulfill the promise he had made to him.
3. What does Paul explain about hope?
Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans that hope does not disappoint, but to have that Hope we must go through a process.
In Romans chapter 5 verses 3 to 5 we see that process when we read: we know that difficulties produce endurance, endurance causes us to have God's approval, God's approval produces hope and hope does not disappoint. With these words we understand that we must strengthen our hope with time and effort.
OUR WONDERFUL HOPE
4. What does Romans 5:1, 2 talk about?
The Romans had learned about Jehovah and Jesus which led them to become Christians and have faith in Jehovah and his promise.
In Romans chapter 5 the second part of verse 2 we read: And let us rejoice because of the hope of receiving the glory of God. These words teach us that, like the Romans, we today can be declared righteous in the eyes of Jehovah, as a result of our faith, which leads us to have a sure hope in Jehovah's promise.
5. What hope do the anointed have?
Basically the hope that the Anointed Ones have is to live eternally in heaven. Paul in his letter to The Ephesians wrote that they will receive an inheritance for the saints.
In his letter to the Colossians he wrote: It is reserved for you in heaven, supporting these words we have 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 17 where we read: We will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.
6. What did an anointed brother say about his hope?
The anointed brother that the paragraph speaks of is Brother Frederick Franz, Brother Franz had a long life dedicated to the work. He understood that no matter how many years he had dedicated to serving Jehovah, he never lost his sense of courage and hope. In fact, he said that the more time he had, the more he appreciated that hope.
In 1991 he said the following: Our hope is certain and will be completely fulfilled for each and every one of the 144,000 members of the little flock to a degree that will surpass even what we have imagined.
ILLUSTRATION
Brother Frederick Franz. Next to it is a quote that says: “Our hope is sure […]. It is something worth waiting for.” Brother Frederick Franz explained that anointed Christians are sure of the hope they have. (See paragraph 6).
7, 8. What hope do most of God's servants have? (Romans 8:20, 21).
Unlike the Anointed Ones, the rest of the people who serve Jehovah have the hope of living on earth eternally under the Kingdom of God, this same Hope was what Abraham and his children had, which as we see in Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 13 They died firm in the faith, although they did not receive the things promised but they saw them from a distance and accepted them gladly and publicly declared that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the land.
This text shows us that Abraham and his children obeyed Jehovah in everything he told them and maintained faith and hope in his promise until the end of their days.
We today can and should also have faith in the promise that God gave to Abraham since as his descendants it also applies to us. Let us remember our beginnings in the truth and remember how we felt and what caught our attention.
HOW HOPE IS STRENGTHENED
9, 10. Like Paul, what do we know is going to happen to us? (Romans 5:3; see also images).
In the text we have just read we see how Paul tells us that we must rejoice in the face of the difficulties we are forced to go through. In second Corinthians chapter 11 verses 23 to 27 we can read some of the trials and difficulties that Paul went through and from all of them he emerged strengthened in the same way, today going through trials or difficulties will strengthen our hope.
In Second Timothy chapter 3 verse 12 we read: in fact all those who desire to live with devotion to God in union with Christ Jesus will also be persecuted. Let us analyze each one of us, what circumstances we have had to face, perhaps our friends or family are They have mocked us or even treated us badly. Let us remember that Paul said that we should be glad to go through those difficulties.
ILLUSTRATION
Images of siblings undergoing trials: 1. A young woman who is about to pray to give thanks for the food notices that two of her schoolmates are whispering right behind her. 2. A sister is yelled at by her husband, who is not a Witness. 3. A brother refuses to accept a bribe at work. 4. A brother looks out of his cell. All Christians know that we will face difficult situations. (See paragraphs 9 and 10).
11. Why should we be determined to endure?
In Romans chapter 5 verse 3 we read: Let us be glad when we experience difficulties because we know that difficulties produce endurance. Having seen these words we understand that only if we endure will we receive the reward we so long for, but to be able to remain firm and endure we must have deep roots.
Jesus left us the parable of the Sower in which he explained that seeds that fall on good soil manage to have strong roots and thus endure it Simply, but that seeds that fall on rocky soil grow quickly but without roots and wither at the slightest adversity. Remembering this parable, let us make sure we have strong and deep faith and hope.
12. What are the advantages of holding on?
In James chapter 1 verse 4 we read: Let endurance complete its work so that you may be complete and healthy in every way and lack nothing. Therefore, with this text we understand that having endurance and applying it in the different situations that we find in our daily lives, helps us become more patient and that patience will make us have more faith and trust more in God.
13, 14. What happens when we endure, and what effect does it have on our hope? (Romans 5:4).
Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans chapter 5 verse 4 that Endurance makes us have the approval of God. It is very pleasant for us to know that Jehovah is happy when we endure steadfastly when going through difficulties.
Jehovah knows that it is not easy for us to resist firmly, but when we show faith in him he will help us resist those tests whenever we need it.
In Genesis chapter 16 verse 6 we read: Abraham put his faith in Jehovah and he considered him unjust. In this text we see that Abraham managed to be considered a friend of Jehovah because of the trials that he managed to endure. In the same way, all of us today, regardless of who we are, will also have Jehovah's approval if we remain. So what really matters in Jehovah's eyes is our faith and our endurance.
AN EVEN STRONGER HOPE
15. How did Paul continue his explanation, and what might we wonder?
Paul continues his explanation with the words we read in Romans chapter 5 verses 4 and 5 where he tells us that God's approval produces hope and hope does not disappoint, but if we look before verse 2 Paul had already spoken of the hope that the Romans had. Therefore, it would be logical to ask if these Christians already had hope, why does Paul speak again about hope.
16. Explain how someone can become convinced that the hope the Bible gives is real. (See also images).
As Paul wrote: Hope has the ability to grow stronger, if we remember and remember the first time someone told us the truth, surely our hope is much greater than that day. We have achieved this by learning about Jehovah and his promise, so the more we learn about Jehovah and the more faith we have in his promise, the more Hope we cultivate.
17. How has your hope strengthened after you were baptized?
We know that baptism is the beginning of a life dedicated to Jehovah, that means that we must continue learning and continue eating solid foods, as we read in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 13.
We have certainly suffered difficulties and we know that having endured them has been largely because of the help that Jehovah has given us. Here Romans chapter 5 verse 4 applies again where we read: Endurance causes us to have the approval of God, the approval of God produces hope. Therefore our hope is stronger than it was at the beginning of knowing the truth.
ILLUSTRATION
Images of the same brothers from before: 1. The young woman preaches to a classmate. 2. The sister who is married meditates on what she reads from the Bible. 3. The brother who rejected the bribe comments at the meeting. 4. The brother prays from his cell. The beautiful hope he has now is much stronger, more intense and deeper than when he first learned it. (See paragraphs 16 and 17).
18. What guarantee does Jehovah give us?
Jehovah always gives the same guarantee, we know and have proven that he cannot lie. Therefore, if he makes a promise, that promise will surely be fulfilled.
In Romans chapter 5 verse 5 we read: Hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the holy spirit we have received. Therefore we can be sure that the hope we have will come true.
19. What are we sure of?
As we have seen, Abraham showed patience and faith and in response received the promise that Jehovah had made to us. Today if we are faithful to Jehovah we will surely be rewarded in the same way.
In Romans chapter 12 verse 12 we read, rejoice in hope, endure when you have difficulties, persevere in prayer. Therefore let us remember the words that Paul wrote in Romans chapter 15 verse 13, which say this: May the God who gives hope fill you with happiness and peace through your trust in him so that you may have much hope, through the power of the holy spirit.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
What hope did Paul talk about in Romans 5:2?
I speak of a hope of living Eternally in heaven.
According to Romans 5:3, 4, what is the process that Christians go through?
The process is that we will face difficult situations, what this achieves is to strengthen us spiritually and when we endure the trials it helps us wait for the reward that Jehovah has assigned to his loyal servants.
How has the hope you have now changed from the hope you had when you learned the truth?
It has changed because now it is stronger, more real and secure than what we had at the beginning of knowing the truth.
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