Our hope in Jesus is not wishful thinking or crossing our fingers; it is a supernatural confidence that rests on a covenant-keeping God. In this message, Pastor Paul Hohman shows what that hope looks like through the story of Abraham and Sarah, who received God’s promise of a son when Abraham was ninety-nine and Sarah was ninety and barren. He then turns to Romans 4 and Romans 5 to show how faith and hope work together, and why believers can even glory in tribulations.
Below you will find the full video, a structured summary of the sermon, the Scripture behind each point (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline and practical steps for putting your hope in Jesus this week.
Sermon at a Glance
This message was posted at NTC Ministries on January 28, 2026. It runs about an hour and closes with communion and a blessing over the congregation. Pastor Paul Hohman explains at the start that he had planned a different opening, but the Lord spoke to him the night before, so he jumped straight into the story of Abraham in Genesis 17 and let his introduction become his closing.
His goal is practical. He says he loves a church where the message is not just a Bible story to warm people up, but something they can apply to their lives, because the word of God is alive and works when we use it.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Pastor Paul Hohman |
| Series | Single message |
| Main text | Genesis 17:1–19, Genesis 18:1–15, Romans 4:16–24 and Romans 5:1–5 |
| Key theme | A covenant hope in Jesus that does not disappoint |
| Length | About 60 minutes, ending in communion |
Hope in Jesus Versus Wishful Thinking
Pastor Hohman opens with the reminder that the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Whether we are reading a story, a proverb or a parable, the question is the same: Lord, how do I apply this to my life? Otherwise, he says, we are just religiously going through the motions so our Bible does not gather dust.
God can do phenomenal things, but we have to be open to Him. Pastor Hohman notes that he cannot change what anyone believes or how they live. God has given everyone free will, and every choice carries consequences. We can pursue good consequences by living according to the word and the covenant we have with God, or we can live any old way and then wonder why life feels like a roller coaster.
When that happens, he says, people run to church asking God why. But the problem is not God. He does not change, He is always present, and He never leaves or forsakes us. That is exactly why we can put our hope in Him.
The world, by contrast, is looking everywhere for hope: in people, in government, in a job or an occupation. That kind of hope is like crossing your fingers and thinking it will magically make something happen. When Jesus Christ, our living hope, is in our heart, a supernatural hope rises up inside us. Pastor Hohman admits we do not always feel good, because Jesus said that in the world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). That tension is what the rest of the message addresses.
God Appears to Abraham at Ninety-Nine
The main story begins in Genesis 17:1–8. Pastor Hohman points out how unusual the opening line is: when Abram was ninety-nine years old. Scripture does not introduce Luke, Paul or John with their ages, so the detail matters. God appeared and said, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.”
He imagines Abram wondering whether he had done something wrong. But God was setting him up for what He wanted to do. Pastor Hohman says God often leads us the same way: a little bit, then a little more, then a little more, until we see the picture. He leads and guides; He does not shove us into situations we cannot handle, because He is a loving God.
When God promised to multiply him exceedingly, Abram fell on his face and God talked with him. “Sometimes we need to stop and fall on our face and let God talk to us,” Pastor Hohman says. God then changed Abram’s name to Abraham, father of many nations, and established an everlasting covenant with him and his descendants.
That, he tells the church, is us. As descendants of Abraham by faith, we have the same covenant. God “is not a covenant breaker. He is a covenant keeper.” It is not a covenant on occasion or only on Sunday mornings.
He illustrates it with his own children. They do not knock on the door and ask permission to get a drink; it is their house too. They might politely ask for milk or a soda, but that is covenant. As a father, he provides for them without making them ask whether they can have dinner. In the same way, our heavenly Father wants to provide and help.
Pastor Hohman adds Psalm 1:1–3: the person who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night is like a tree planted by rivers of water. God does not lead us into desperation. He leads us into a fruitful place, and He wants to produce fruit in our lives.
When We Think We Have a Better Plan
In Genesis 17:15–19, God tells Abraham that Sarai will be called Sarah, that she will bear him a son, and that kings of peoples will come from her. Pastor Hohman pictures Abraham thinking God is talking pretty crazy: he is ninety-nine, his wife is ninety and barren, and he already has a son, Ishmael, through the servant girl.
So Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and then offered God an alternative: “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Pastor Hohman calls this thinking we know better than God. He admits he has done it himself. Why go to Bible study when I am comfortable at home? Why fast when I need to eat? Little by little, we start to compromise in our minds.
He notes that we sometimes act as if God forgot something, but the only thing God forgets is our sins. He throws them into a sea of forgetfulness. When Satan tries to bring them back up and you start to feel you are not good enough, God has no record of it. If you have repented and asked forgiveness, he says, your slate is wiped clean.
But forgiveness is not permission to compromise. Satan wants us to take the easier way, yet narrow is the way that leads to life and broad is the way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13–14). God corrected Abraham immediately: Sarah would bear a son named Isaac, and God would establish His everlasting covenant with him and his descendants.
Pastor Hohman says plainly that we do not have a better plan or a better idea. Thinking you can skip church and just listen online is fooling yourself: be not deceived, God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7), and Scripture tells us not to forsake assembling together, especially as the day approaches (Hebrews 10:25). In a world where good is called evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20), he says it is a good day to live righteously.
Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?
In Genesis 18:1–15, the Lord appears to Abraham by the terebinth trees of Mamre. Three men stand near his tent, and Abraham runs to meet them, bows and offers water for their feet and a morsel of bread. Pastor Hohman explains that hospitality like this was common among desert tent-dwellers.
Abraham’s morsel turns into a feast. He tells Sarah to knead fine meal and bake cakes, then runs to the herd for a tender calf. Pastor Hohman jokes that there were no microwaves; this meal took hours. Only after all the work was done did the Lord ask, “Where is Sarah your wife?” In other words, Abraham, are you done working? Now sit and listen.
The Lord promised that Sarah would have a son. Sarah, listening at the tent door, laughed within herself. Pastor Hohman calls it a scoffing laugh, the kind that says there is no chance this is happening. Then came the question at the center of the sermon: “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
When Sarah denied laughing, Pastor Hohman says, it showed a heart issue: it was too hard for her to see that all things are possible with God. And nothing can be hidden from Him; He knows our thoughts. That is why our thoughts need to be brought into subjection.
He is honest that he faces the same thoughts as everyone else. “I’m just like you guys,” he says. “I’m walking the same walk that you are.” His counsel is short: do not be like Sarah, do not deny it, do not doubt it. “If we’re going to doubt anything, we doubt our doubts.” What God says will always line up with His written word, and when our will is aligned with His, He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).
He also reminds the church that each listener is there by divine appointment. God has not passed anyone by, and every morning can begin with expectation rather than dread, because of Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
Contrary to Hope, in Hope Believed
Pastor Hohman then moves to the New Testament retelling of the story in Romans 4:16–24. The promise is by faith, according to grace, so that it is sure to all the seed: not only to those of the law, but to those of the faith of Abraham, the father of us all. God gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.
Why does God give life to the dead? Because, he says, without Jesus we are the walking dead, with no life, hope or purpose. With Him we are given purpose and glimpses of His glory on the earth.
The phrase he loves most is that Abraham, “contrary to hope, in hope believed.” Abraham had no natural hope for a son, but he chose to place his hope in God’s ability rather than in what he could see, hear or feel. Pastor Hohman urges listeners to get out of their heads and into their spirits.
Abraham did not consider his own body, already as good as dead, or the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that God could perform what He promised. That was counted to him for righteousness, and it was written for us as well.
Faith and hope go hand in hand, he says, pointing to Hebrews 11:1: faith is the substance of things hoped for. The table below sets out the contrast he draws throughout the message.
| Worldly hope | Hope in Jesus |
|---|---|
| Crossing your fingers and hoping it works out | A supernatural hope rising up inside you |
| Placed in people, government, a job or finances | Placed in God, who never changes or leaves |
| Sarah’s response: laughing, then denying it | Abraham’s response: strengthened in faith, fully convinced |
| Offering God a plan B, like Ishmael | Listening and letting God fulfill His word |
| Expecting Christian life to be free of suffering | Glorying in tribulations that produce character and hope |
Why We Glory in Tribulations
Biblical hope, Pastor Hohman says, is often born by looking back on the Lord’s faithfulness in suffering. That is where some people get lost. They assume that once they gave their life to Christ, their suffering should be over. But Jesus said that in the world we will have tribulation, and to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world.
He breaks down Romans 5:1–5. Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus, and access by faith into grace, where we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. That glory is not only for one day in heaven; it comes now in reconciliation, provision and revival. Then Paul adds: “we also glory in tribulations.”
Is that a typo? No, Pastor Hohman says, and the proof is who wrote it. In 2 Corinthians 11:25–28, Paul lists what he endured: beaten with rods three times, stoned once, shipwrecked three times, in perils of robbers, rivers and false brethren, in hunger, cold and sleeplessness, and besides all that, his daily concern for the churches. Paul went from persecuting Christians to writing much of the New Testament because his hope was in Christ rather than in his own ideas.
Tribulation produces perseverance. To anyone praying for perseverance, Pastor Hohman says you are enduring right now, so keep pressing in. By God you can run against a troop and leap over a wall (Psalm 18:29), and He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
Perseverance produces character, which he describes as how we talk and act toward friends, family, strangers and enemies. Often, he says, he does not even need to share his faith because people see Christ in him. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), so he chooses life. “I don’t need less of God. I need more of him.”
And character produces hope, a hope that does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He adds Proverbs 3:5–6 and Romans 15:13, that the God of hope would fill us with joy and peace so we abound in hope. Paul learned to be content in every situation, whether hungry or full, because Christ gave him strength (Philippians 4:11–13).
Putting Your Hope in Jesus This Week
Pastor Hohman closes by preparing the church for communion. He reads Psalm 33:20–22: our soul waits for the Lord, He is our help and our shield. Finances, a spouse, a house or a promotion are all blessings, he says, but our hope is not in them. God supplies every need according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). He also reads from Psalm 31:19–24 and reminds listeners that God so loved the world (John 3:16). “It’s never hopeless,” he says.
- Apply what you read. Ask, Lord, what do You have for me in this passage? Do not read just to say your Bible is not dusty.
- Stop and listen. Like Abraham falling on his face, make room in prayer to stop talking and let God speak.
- Refuse the plan B. Notice where you are offering God an Ishmael or a compromise, and choose the narrow way instead.
- Doubt your doubts. When thoughts say it cannot happen, answer with the question, is anything too hard for the Lord?
- Keep pressing in. In a hard season, remember that tribulation produces perseverance, character and a hope that does not disappoint.
- Remember His faithfulness. At communion, think about where God has brought you from, and wake each day thanking Him for what He will do.
Timestamped Outline
- 0:00 Applying the living word of God
- 0:48 Free will and consequences
- 2:40 Worldly hope versus hope in Jesus Christ
- 3:36 A change of plan the night before
- 5:07 Genesis 17: Abram at ninety-nine
- 6:52 Falling on his face to let God speak
- 7:52 The everlasting covenant is ours
- 9:45 Sarai becomes Sarah
- 11:57 Abraham laughs and offers Ishmael
- 13:51 Forgiven, but no compromise
- 15:49 Do not forsake the fellowship
- 16:45 Genesis 18: three visitors at Mamre
- 20:09 Sarah laughs in the tent
- 21:18 Divine appointments
- 23:13 Where is your hope today?
- 25:42 Doubt your doubts
- 27:33 Romans 4: the faith of Abraham
- 29:36 Contrary to hope, in hope believed
- 33:10 Romans 5: we glory in tribulations
- 37:39 Paul’s sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11
- 41:26 Tribulation produces perseverance
- 43:40 Character is proof of genuineness
- 46:50 The God of hope and learning contentment
- 50:19 Communion and Psalm 33
- 52:37 Psalm 31 and it is never hopeless
Frequently Asked Questions
Does having hope in Jesus mean I will always feel good?
No. Pastor Hohman says plainly that we do not always feel good, because Jesus warned that in the world we would have tribulation. Hope in Jesus is not a feeling that everything is fine; it is confidence in God’s covenant and His ability while we walk through difficulty. He encourages listeners to keep pressing in during hard seasons rather than backing away, because that endurance is how perseverance and character are formed.
Is it wrong to want finances, a spouse or a better job?
Not at all. Pastor Hohman calls those things wonderful and blessings from God. His concern is where our hope rests. Someone can hope in money, a marriage or a promotion and assume that will finally complete their life. He says his hope is not in that stuff but in God, who supplies every need. Aligning your will with God’s comes first, and the blessings follow from Him.
Why does he connect this message to communion?
Communion is a time to remember Jesus and what He endured on the cross. Pastor Hohman points out that Jesus persevered through hardship, pressing toward the goal, which ties directly to the teaching on tribulation and perseverance. He also asks the church to remember everything God has already brought them through, because looking back on the Lord’s faithfulness is one of the ways hope is born.
Scripture References
All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:
- Genesis 17:1–8 — the everlasting covenant with Abraham
- Genesis 17:15–19 — the promise of Isaac
- Genesis 18:1–15 — is anything too hard for the Lord?
- Romans 4:16–24 — contrary to hope, in hope believed
- Romans 5:1–5 — glory in tribulations
- 2 Corinthians 11:25–28 — Paul’s sufferings
- Hebrews 11:1 — faith and things hoped for
- Romans 15:13 — the God of hope
- Psalm 33:20–22 — our soul waits for the Lord
How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.
Watch More Messages
If this message renewed your hope, there are hundreds more teachings from NTC Ministries waiting for you. Browse the full sermon archive and keep growing in the covenant God has made with you.
