Lesson 3. The Difference Between Faith and Hope. “The Basics of Faith” School. Senior Pastor Dmitriy Leo prepared this teaching for Father’s Blessing Church in September 2021.
Lesson 3. The Difference Between Faith and Hope
First of all, a few words about hope. We do not reject hope; it has its own place and significance.
However, in this lesson we will examine hope in comparison with faith.
The goal is to understand when we wait with hope and when we wait with faith.
John 5:2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.
3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. They waited for the water to move.
4 From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters; the first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.
5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
Many sick people lay by the pool, and they all waited for the water to move because, from time to time, an angel of the Lord came down and stirred the water, and the first person to enter the pool was healed of any disease.
This is a typical example of what hope is.
Today, many people are hopefully waiting for the day when they will be healed.
At times, these people see someone nearby being healed or delivered, but they themselves have not yet received their miracle.
For such people, there really is hope that one day they will find themselves in a place of healing or encounter Jesus, and then receive their miracle.
If you have to choose between “hope” and “despair,” “hope” is better.
The people who waited for the water to move and hoped to be healed acted more wisely than those who were sick but did not come to Bethesda.
However, if you have to choose between “hope” and “faith,” “faith” is better.
Matthew 9:20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the hem of His garment,
21 for she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I will be healed.”
22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her, He said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has saved you.” And the woman was healed from that hour.
“Hope” is good, but “faith” is better.
Jesus said:
“Whatever you ask for in prayer, BELIEVE that you will receive it…” (Mark 11:24).
He did not say, “HOPE that you will receive it”; He said, “BELIEVE that you will receive it…”
Faith is not hope. Too often, people simply hope that they will be baptized in the Holy Spirit, healed, or receive an answer to prayer. But if you only hope, nothing will happen; you need to believe.
Note that Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is…” This is the present tense. If it is not now, it is not faith.
When it comes to healing, many people say, “I don’t understand why I am not receiving my healing. I know that God promised to heal me.”
No. God did not promise to heal you at all. Jesus took our infirmities and bore our diseases. Is that a promise? No, it is not a promise. It is an accomplished fact—something that has already happened.
An illustration of hope and faith.
A 70-year-old woman who had not taken a single step in the past four years was brought to one of the services. Doctors said she would never be able to walk. Her knees had simply deteriorated completely and could no longer support her body weight. Being completely immobile, she had gained a great deal of weight.
When it was time to pray for the sick, she was seated on the stage. The man of God prayed for her and said, “Now, sister, stand up and walk in the Name of Jesus.”
The woman tried to stand up, crying and praying all the while: “Oh dear Lord Jesus, please heal me. Lord, I know You promised to heal me. You know what a burden I am to my family. I can do nothing on my own. Dear Lord, please heal me. Please heal my limbs. Please get me on my feet. Oh, please!”
The man of God said, “Sister, be quiet for a moment! I want to tell you something. I can help you. Sister, do you know that you are healed?” She opened her eyes wide: “Really?”
He opened the Scriptures to 1 Peter 2:24, handed her the Bible, and asked her to read the verse aloud.
She read: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.”
“Read the last sentence again,” he said.
She read: “By His wounds you have been healed.”
He asked, “What tense is this: present, future, or past?”
“It is the past tense,” she said.
“And if you are healed by Jesus’ wounds, are you healed now or not?”
“Yes, I am healed,” she replied.
“Then will you do what I tell you?”
She nodded yes. And the man of God said, “Just raise your hands, look Jesus straight in the eyes, and begin to praise Him. Praise Him because you are healed—in the present tense—not in the future—but already healed.”
She lifted her eyes and said, “Dear Lord Jesus! I am so glad that I am healed. Thank You, God; my knees are fine. My limbs are healed. I am so grateful to You!”
Turning to her, he said, “Sister, stand up and walk in the Name of Jesus!” She immediately sprang up on stage like a 16-year-old girl and began walking, jumping, and running, praising the Lord.
We need to understand that faith and hope are not interchangeable. Everything directed toward or expected in the future is hope, not faith.
So, let us summarize
Hope says, “I will receive it someday.”
Faith says, “It is mine—I have it now!”
Prayer on the Topic
– We decide to move from hope to faith.
– Everything that has already been promised to us, we receive and take by faith.
– Everything that has been given to us in Jesus Christ, we receive and take by faith.
– Everything that we need, we receive and take by faith.
