hope against hope

How many are here waiting for the Lord to fulfill a promise that he has made to them, that the Lord has made this promise for a long time. And you live in hope, against hope because of this promise. How many of you can describe, is that me?

Brother, do you know what you are about to be? A hero of faith. Thus the Lord creates heroes of faith. That's the way the Lord does it. Let's turn to Romans Chapter 4, please. My brothers, I do not know what options you had tonight on purpose, but I do not change being in the house of God for anything in the world. This has been a party tonight, it is a joy to be in the presence of the Lord, not for nothing.

Romans, Chapter 4, beginning, my brothers, with verse 17. We come before the presence of the Lord. Lord, you have filled this altar with your presence. Your presence has been manifest here, palpable. Lord, this town has touched you, it has come close to you. You have allowed us to see your glory manifest. Lord, our hearts are open now, they are treatable. You have torn the veil, Spirit of God, to give us access to your Shekinah glory, and a hungry people expect you to feed them and quench our thirst. Spirit of God breathe on this word and give life to it, I beseech you in the name of Jesus.

My brothers, I declare this word beginning with verse 13, moreover, this entire Chapter deals with the idea that Abraham is the father of faith. How many have heard that phrase? That Abraham is the father of faith and that the Lord gave him the promise that he was to be, as he declares here, in verse 17, that is a promise that the Lord has made to Abraham, which, verse 16, declares , who is the father of all of us, the father of all of us, the father of each one of you, being Gentile, being Jewish, being Puerto Rican, being Dominican, being Colombian, being from where he is, from China, he is the father of all us in this sense, as it is written, I have made you the father of many peoples before God and this tells us how he became the father of all of us, whom he believed, believed in this God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not. He calls things that are not as if they were. And he believed. He believed in hope.

Say with me, hope against hope. Let's say again, hope against hope. He believed in hope against hope to become the father of many peoples, according to what had been said, so will your offspring be. And he did not weaken in faith to consider his body, which was already dead, being almost 100 years old, or the sterility of Sara's womb. How was God going to do this? There we will see.

But notice, in verse 20, “…he did not doubt God's promise because of unbelief, but strengthened himself in faith giving glory to God, fully convinced that he was also powerful to do all that he had promised, for which reason also his faith was counted for righteousness…”

That is the point, brothers, hope against hope. Brothers, we are descendants of Abraham, not by blood lineage. This is something more powerful than this. For me this is exciting. We are descendants of Abraham because Abraham was the one who was the firstborn, the one who opened everything... he introduced us to a practical faith, and we who walk in this faith, this is what the Lord is telling us. If we learn to walk in this faith, if we open ourselves to God's treatment, which from now on I warn you, this treatment is not for everyone, many are disqualified here because it is not easy. It is an oven that tests us and burns what is not necessary and that purifies us and makes us something special.

But my brother, I guarantee you, if you allow yourself to be treated by this process of hope against hope, brothers, the promise of the Lord is one thing, but the process we go through to make that promise come true is worth much more to God. .

You know, my brothers, that this process is more important to God than even the promise. The process, brothers, the one who has experienced this, and for no one this is comfortable, but the one who has experienced the process, the one who can testify, yes, pastor, I know what it is to live, to believe in the promises of the Lord, in hope against hope, yes, throughout the Lord blessed me beyond measure. I saw the Lord's promise over and over again, but I bless God more for the process than for the promise itself.

God is already fulfilling his purposes, even because of the journey we spend so that his promises are fulfilled. And brothers, it is easy to describe the process, the difficult thing is to live it. And the process is very easy. Here each word of this formula is loaded with significance and there are three very easy words, and two of them are repeated: hope. This phrase and we only find it in the Reina Valera version, mind you, in the new international version and probably they are translating the Greek much more effectively but, since I don't read Greek, I prefer this version that declares this: with hope against hope believed Abraham.

Hope. Do you know what that first word indicates to me? The promise itself, which we receive from the Lord. Have you received a promise from the Lord? You know, Abraham was the father of a great inheritance, a great offspring having received a promise that seemed impossible to him. One day the Lord visited Abraham, perhaps you remember the day the Lord visited you. One day the Lord visited Abraham, and told him, Abraham, you will not continue being as you are, I have another plan for you. It is not similar to what you have, you have no idea what I have for you, but if you trust me, if you believe me, if you dare to believe, if you dare to follow me, if you dare to turn your back on your family and your people, and everything you know and everything that gives security, if you leave the world you know, let me lead you where I want to lead you, let me take you by the hand and tell you where go, what to do and how to act, I am going to give you an inconceivable inheritance. And you won't be the same.

My brothers, to how many did the Lord speak like this? You know, I think this is a miracle. The Lord speaks thus Sunday after Sunday. The Lord speaks thus to beings at all times. This is the Gospel. What is the Gospel if it is not the promise of God announced and the people daring to believe this promise. The Gospel saying, it does not matter the condition in which you arrived, it does not matter who your father was, it does not matter what you have or what is missing, it does not matter how you have lived, it does not matter the debts that you have with God, no it does not matter what you have known, it does not matter who is in your family tree, it does not matter any of that, it does not matter what you studied or stopped studying, if you dare to believe God and his promises, your life will change, your life will stop to be equal

If you dare to believe the promises of God the Lord will make you another. The Lord will make you another man, the Lord will make you another woman, the Lord will give you another family, the Lord will give you another future, the Lord will change mourning into dancing, the Lord will change silicon for fine linen. The Lord will exchange your vile clothes for priest's clothes. The Lord will change you. If you dare to believe the promises of the Lord. And glory to God that even today blessed is the name of Jesus. There are people here who dare to believe that.

We wouldn't be here if we didn't dare to believe that. If you are here it is because a promise from the Lord came to you and at that moment you appropriated that promise and made it yours. That's the way we get to the Gospel.

You know, my brothers, know the promises of the Lord. Do you know how many promises? I have told them, but I read somewhere, I don't know how he did it, God bless the brother, the sister who did it, but someone bothered to recount the promises found in the Bible. There are 1,260 promises in the Bible. 1260 promises. If you dared to learn them all, memorize them, one promise a day, it would take you 3 and a half years memorizing the promises of the Lord, and making them yours.

You know, my brothers, but it only takes one promise to change a life. For me it was Hebrews Chapter 13, verse 5 to 6, I remember like today, this was more than 20 years ago, and I stumbled upon this text, I read when the Lord promised: "... I will not forsake you or leave you in such a way that we can say confidently, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do to me.

When I stumbled upon this verse, it was no longer merely an anonymous promise, through the spirit of God the Lord said to me, Samuel, this promise applies to you, this is yours. This is for you. And you know, I learned at that time, that was 20 years ago, but what I did at that time was kneel down, open the word before me, point it out to the Lord and I said, Lord, this promise on this page, Father, I I apply it to me.

And in a very different way the Lord still speaks my life. How many took the discipleship class? That is meditating on the word. True meditation on the word is nothing less than reading the word, appropriating the word, making it yours. They remember, chew the word and apply it to your life. Be it in such a way through your prayers, or by using a diary, but brothers, know the promises of the Lord. Appropriate the promises of the Lord. Call on me and I will answer you and I will teach you great and hidden things that you do not know. They are promises from the Lord, if my people humble themselves and seek me and if I turn from their evil ways, he will turn his face towards us and bless us and hear our prayers.

1260 promises, start tonight. See you in three years. But see them all, know them all, for they are yours in Jesus' name. Do you know why it is so important? Hope, and the next is what? Against. Hope against hope. Do you know what the counter is in this formula? Confronting the truth. Say the word, keep saying

"...that Abraham's faith did not waver...He believed in hope against hope to become the father of many people, of the 19th century...and his faith did not weaken when considering his body..."

What does this mean? You know, my brothers, in faith, in true faith, the true one does not run against reality but embraces it, but embraces it. Abraham knew how to wait. He had not forgotten that he was almost 100 years old. Abraham knew that his wife was barren. He hadn't forgotten about this. He was aware of the facts. He was aware of reality.

You know, I like how this verse is translated in the new international version. That verse is translated, “Abraham faced the facts of his age.” Abraham faced the facts. Abraham faced reality. Abraham faced the facts.

My brothers, this process is instantaneous. How many of you experienced… praise the lord, we are speaking in tongues tonight! All over. You don't feel a… I have returned to the Pentecostal pulpit, continue speaking in tongues, my brothers, blessing the Lord. Glory to God.

My brothers, he knew the condition – and if someone would just love that child and give him a big hug and tell him that Jesus loves him, that would be awesome. Amen.

My brothers, at the moment that we receive the Lord and He fills you, how many of you experienced that? You are filled with joy. You don't know who to greet first, you're floating on a cloud, until you get to your car. And it's the same firewood car you drove to church. And you get into that car, that car with its three-rimmed and half-square tires, it arrives at the same apartment that you left and on the table in that apartment is the mountain of beads that you left behind when you went out to church. And when you get to work, if you have a job, you find yourself in the same situation as the day before. Do you know what that is? The facts. The facts. Reality.

Brethren, that is part of faith, part of the glory of God in your life is facing the facts. And my brothers, I know many brothers who embrace the promise until they meet, until they collide with the facts. And the facts tell you, 'but how is this possible?' The Lord has promised me that he would heal my home, but what if this is hell? The Lord has promised that he will bless my finances, but what if this is hopeless, if I don't even have a job?

The facts. The facts. Brothers, take this advice: don't run from the facts, embrace them. Don't be afraid of the facts, don't be intimidated by the facts, don't be depressed by the facts. Look at his eyes, look at the teeth of that brave dog, confront him. That is precisely the way in which God is going to bless you in you, in the impossible of the promise.

Brethren, and many of these facts are very difficult. Brethren, perhaps you are praying for a financial blessing. Many of us today are 'asking the Lord for that, face the facts. Face the facts. Face the facts.

Brothers, are you asking for a blessing from the Lord? Do something that will make your hand shake. Request a credit report. Request a credit report. Face the facts. Open those envelopes. Count and present them before the Lord. Sir, I don't even know where to start here? Face the facts. These are the facts.

Brothers, the facts will perhaps point out things that you do not want to confront. Our reality as parents, our reality as children, our reality as spouses, our reality as employees, our reality, the reality of our character. These are the facts. And you know what? That is precisely the way in which God is going to glorify himself in you.

Don't be sorry, face it. confront it. Sir, I think, what's more, do you want a fresh and true story? On Monday I had the privilege of praying with a sister who has been given a very poor prognosis. The doctors are no longer giving him medicine, they have given him 3 days to live. It's been 3 days since I saw her and today I'm sure, today she's as victorious as she was on Monday. Here it is still. Do you know why I know that she is 3 days old? The doctor gave him that prognosis. Because she told me. She is very aware of her situation. She knows the facts, but guess what? The Lord has given her hope and despite the facts she is facing, she knows that she serves a mighty God. And this is the key, brothers.

Hope, the promise of the Lord. Against, you are going to confront facts that are going to tell you, this is impossible, it will never be fulfilled. Hope against hope. And that last hope represents this, the power of a mighty God who loves you and that this does not depend on you. Declare the word. Declare the word:

"...he did not weaken his faith when he considered his body and he was already dead, being almost a hundred years old, but neither did he doubt God's promise out of disbelief, but rather he strengthened himself in faith giving glory to God, fully convinced that it was also powerful to do all that he had promised….”

You know what? When the Lord blesses you, the Lord keeps His promises, because you've faced the facts, do you know who's going to take the glory and the credit and who's going to get the show? That God who made you that promise. God had to be you. It had to be You. It was impossible. There was no way, there was nothing in me that promised that this was going to be a success. Just by your grace. Only because you are a God who makes the dead live and a God who calls things that are not, as if they were.

Wait on that God. Wait on that God. Brothers, he made you a promise, confront facts that tell you, the Lord will never fulfill that promise. Know that if God promised you, he is just and faithful and powerful to fulfill it. He will take the time that he will take and through that time, because Abraham waited long enough, and that made that man a giant in faith, a man who knew this God.

Let's stand up. A God who knew on this day that God was a faithful God and that he would keep his word. Now brethren, let's take a moment. Let's revisit that promise. Let's revisit that promise for a moment. Let's close our eyes for a moment. Thank you Jesus, for this opportunity.

As great as the promise that the Lord has made in you is, for many of us we have not even shared the promises, because they would seem ridiculous even among Christians. How many of you are hoping for a promise of that size? You don't even dare to share it, because even your brother in faith might not understand it, he is that great.

You know, that applies to churches too. We are expecting a revival in New England. Imagine, in New England. Among the churches of New England. Ridiculous. Impossible. No way.

But our God calls things that are not, as if they were. He promised us. He keeps promising. He doesn't leave us alone. Reminding us of his faithfulness and his power. He has done the same with you, right? He has not let you forget his promises. No matter what you're facing, Lord, that's the way it is. We declare yes. You have made great, great promises before us and we have great requests before you, and we do not see how, apart from this, we see your glory, we see your faithfulness, we see your promises through the word, we see how one and again you have rescued us from the mud, we see Lord, when there was no provision, you provided in a miraculous way. We see, Lord, how when we had already turned our backs, Lord, on the promise, you sent an angel or a prophetic voice, or someone, and you did not let us forget. You wrapped us in your hand, you tied us to this promise and therefore, Lord, our trust, say it, our trust is in you. Our trust is in you.

You are fair. You do not lie. You are powerful and you are faithful. Man will miss us, I myself can miss, but you will never miss, Lord. Brother, through his promise in you the Lord is raising up an unstoppable people, a people who dare to believe in him. Amen.

Amen. The promises of the Lord are mine, in the Bible I read them. The promises of the Lord are mine, glory to God, the promises of the Lord are mine and I read it in the Bible and I know the promises of the Lord are mine.

Brothers, let us welcome sister Josefita, it was not necessary. God bless you. Father, these promises are ours. It is more important than the promise, you are ours and we are yours, we are yours. Seeing your face is promise enough, Lord, to bind us to you. Bless this people, we believe, Lord, help our unbelief.

Thank you Lord for the promise that you have made to each family, to each parent, to each child, to each young person, to each roof, to each door, represented here. We bless you, bless this town and our journey to glory in Jesus name.

Tell your neighbor, the promises of the Lord are mine. Tell your neighbor and bless him in Jesus name.