Our Hope in Jesus – Pr. Paul Hohman

Hope in Jesus Overview

In this powerful message from NTC Ministries, Pastor Paul Hohman unpacks the transformative nature of biblical hope rooted entirely in Jesus Christ. Drawing from Genesis 17 and 18, Romans 4 and 5, and Philippians 4, Pastor Paul walks through the story of Abraham and Sarah to illustrate how God calls us to trust His promises even when circumstances appear impossible. At 99 years old, Abraham faced the seemingly absurd promise of a son, yet he chose faith over doubt and covenant over compromise. Pastor Paul contrasts this steadfast, God-anchored hope with the fragile, world-dependent hope many people place in governments, finances, relationships, and institutions. He then turns to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11 to show that suffering and tribulation are not signs of God’s absence but catalysts for perseverance, character, and deeper hope. The message calls every believer to align their will with the Father’s, refuse compromise, and embrace the everlasting covenant God has made with His children. This sermon is a bold, pastoral reminder that Christ in us is the hope of glory, and that hope does not disappoint.

Hope in Jesus Outline

• 00:00 – Opening and the Power of God’s Word: Pastor Paul opens with an exhortation to apply Scripture to daily life, emphasizing that the Word of God is alive, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword.
• 05:30 – The World’s Counterfeit Hope: A contrast is drawn between the hollow hope people place in governments, medicine, finances, and people versus the supernatural, living hope found only in Jesus Christ.
• 11:00 – Abraham’s Covenant at 99 — Genesis 17: Pastor Paul dives into Genesis 17, highlighting how God appeared to Abram at 99, changed his name to Abraham, and established an everlasting covenant that extends to every believer today.
• 22:00 – Sarah’s Laughter and the Question That Changes Everything: Genesis 18 brings Sarah’s doubt into focus. When the Lord promises a son, she laughs within herself. The message confronts how unbelief and compromise rob us of the promises of God.
• 33:00 – Abraham’s Faith Revisited — Romans 4:16-24: Pastor Paul moves into Romans 4, showing how Abraham chose to believe God against all natural odds, and how this faith was credited to him as righteousness, a pattern for every believer.
• 41:00 – Glorying in Tribulations — Romans 5:1-5: An in-depth breakdown of Romans 5:1-5 reveals the chain from tribulation to perseverance to character to hope, reframing suffering as a tool God uses to deepen and prove genuine faith.
• 48:00 – Paul’s Sufferings as a Model — 2 Corinthians 11: The Apostle Paul’s extraordinary list of hardships in 2 Corinthians 11 is presented as evidence that hope in Christ sustains and empowers even in the most extreme circumstances.
• 54:00 – Character, Covenant, and the Call to Press In: Pastor Paul ties perseverance to Christlike character, urging believers to align their will with the Father’s, refuse to back down, and trust that God’s covenant never fails.
• 57:30 – Contentment and Strength Through Christ — Philippians 4: Philippians 4:11-13 closes the teaching with a reminder that Christ provides the strength to navigate every season, whether in abundance or in need, and that this is the secret of lasting contentment.

Scripture References

Genesis 17:1-17, Genesis 18:1-15, Romans 4:16-24, Romans 5:1-5, 2 Corinthians 11:20-28, Philippians 4:11-13, Romans 15:13, Hebrews 11:1, Psalm 1:1-3, Proverbs 3:5-6

Key Takeaways

• Biblical hope is not wishful thinking but a confident, God-anchored expectation grounded in the everlasting covenant He made with Abraham and extended to every believer through Jesus Christ.
• God is a covenant keeper, not a covenant breaker, and His promises are not limited to Sunday mornings but cover every dimension of our lives every day.
• Doubt and compromise, like Sarah’s inward laughter, reveal a heart that has not yet fully surrendered to the truth that nothing is too hard for the Lord.
• Tribulation is not the end of hope but the beginning of perseverance, and perseverance produces proven character, which in turn deepens and solidifies our hope in God.
• The Apostle Paul endured beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment, and constant peril, yet he aligned his will entirely with the Father’s and wrote two-thirds of the New Testament as a result.
• Christ in us is the hope of glory, not a distant promise reserved for heaven, but a present, active reality that empowers us to face every trial with supernatural confidence.
• Placing our hope in people, governments, finances, or medical institutions will always disappoint because the world operates under a cursed system, while God’s system never fails.

Hope in Jesus Notes

The Covenant That Covers Every Believer

When God appeared to Abram and changed his name to Abraham, He was not simply making a private arrangement with one man. He was establishing an everlasting covenant that would extend to every descendant of faith. Pastor Paul makes clear that believers today stand in that same covenant. We do not approach God as strangers knocking at an unfamiliar door but as sons and daughters who have full access to the Father’s house. This covenant is not occasional or conditional on perfect performance. It is all-encompassing, all-the-time, and anchored in the faithfulness of God Himself.

When God Calls Things That Are Not

Romans 4:17 describes God as One who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. This is the theological bedrock of Abraham’s hope. He was nearly a hundred years old and Sarah’s womb was long past bearing children, yet God spoke life into an impossible situation. Pastor Paul draws on this to encourage believers that God is not limited by what we can see, touch, or measure. When circumstances appear dead, God’s word over your life remains alive. The call to biblical hope is a call to believe what God has spoken before we can verify it with our senses.

Tribulation as a Training Ground for Hope

One of the most challenging and most important truths in this sermon is that tribulation is not a sign of God’s absence but a deliberate pathway to deeper hope. Romans 5:3-5 outlines this progression clearly: tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. Pastor Paul refuses to soften this reality. He points to the Apostle Paul’s experiences in 2 Corinthians 11, a list of beatings, shipwrecks, hunger, and sleeplessness, as proof that a life fully aligned with God’s will does not mean a life free from hardship. It means a life that finds God faithful in the midst of every hardship.

Compromise: The Enemy of God’s Best

Abraham’s suggestion that God simply work through Ishmael instead of waiting for the promised son is one of the most relatable moments in Scripture. Pastor Paul uses it to expose the subtle way believers negotiate with God, proposing easier paths, delaying obedience, or reinterpreting His instructions to fit personal comfort. Compromise, the sermon warns, cuts us off from the fullness of what God has prepared. Narrow is the way that leads to life. The broad and easier path may feel more reasonable but it leads away from the covenant promises God wants to fulfill in and through us.

Character as Living Testimony

Pastor Paul emphasizes that character is not merely a moral category but a form of witness. The way a believer speaks, responds to enemies, handles hardship, and treats strangers is itself a proclamation of the gospel. When perseverance has done its work and genuine hope has been formed, the life of a believer becomes a visible demonstration of Christ in us, the hope of glory. This kind of hope does not put us to shame because it has been tested and proven real. People around us notice something different, and that difference becomes a door to conversations about the living God.

Aligning Your Will With the Father’s

The closing exhortation of this message is both practical and urgent. Pastor Paul calls every listener to stop trying to improve on God’s plan and to fully align their will with His. Drawing from Proverbs 3:5-6 and Philippians 4:11-13, he shows that contentment and strength are not self-generated but are the fruit of a will surrendered to God. Whether in abundance or in need, Christ provides the strength needed for every situation. The invitation is simple and radical at the same time: wake up each morning with your hope entirely in God, and watch what He will do through a life that trusts Him completely.

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