WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.780
There's a scripture that we know very well. I

00:00:04.780 --> 00:00:09.699
shall give you the scripture first of all. Now

00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:16.640
abideth faith, hope, and love, these three, but

00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:20.940
the greatest of these is love. Now there have

00:00:20.940 --> 00:00:25.519
been ministers who have preached masterpieces

00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:30.239
on this thing of faith. Volumes have been written

00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:35.240
on this thing of faith. Equally so when it has

00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:39.479
come to this thing of love. More sermons have

00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:43.159
been preached on love than perhaps any other

00:00:43.159 --> 00:00:50.039
subject. But what about this thing of hope? Three

00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:51.939
things are mentioned here in this portion of

00:00:51.939 --> 00:00:59.369
the Word of God. Now abideth faith. Hope and

00:00:59.369 --> 00:01:04.090
love. These three. But the second greatest is

00:01:04.090 --> 00:01:08.849
hope. And that is exactly what I want to talk

00:01:08.849 --> 00:01:12.890
about today. This thing of hope. What is hope?

00:01:16.870 --> 00:01:22.109
Webster's Dictionary says, Hope is a feeling

00:01:22.109 --> 00:01:30.739
that what is wanted will happen. Desire accompanied

00:01:30.739 --> 00:01:35.900
by anticipation or expectation. Therefore, we

00:01:35.900 --> 00:01:40.299
see at the very outset that hope is something

00:01:40.299 --> 00:01:43.379
that is mental and it's something that everybody

00:01:43.379 --> 00:01:47.980
can have. It's accessible to you. This thing

00:01:47.980 --> 00:01:51.120
that I'm talking about today is accessible to

00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:55.280
you. You can have it. But we see at the very...

00:01:55.469 --> 00:02:01.430
it's something that's mental. It isn't necessarily

00:02:01.430 --> 00:02:06.670
something that's spiritual. It's mental. You

00:02:06.670 --> 00:02:13.009
can have it. I can have it. The greatest of the

00:02:13.009 --> 00:02:18.330
three is love, but the second greatest is hope.

00:02:18.849 --> 00:02:23.030
And if ever there was a time when hopelessness

00:02:23.030 --> 00:02:26.699
was a broad... in the land it seems to be at

00:02:26.699 --> 00:02:36.360
this present moment. Yet hope is one of the greatest

00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:40.800
therapies that's known to man. I don't know of

00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:45.280
a greater therapy that's known to an individual

00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:53.439
than this thing of hope. Hope puts stars in dark

00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:58.650
sky. Hope puts windows in blank walls. Hope puts

00:02:58.650 --> 00:03:02.990
a smile on the face when the heart is breaking.

00:03:04.050 --> 00:03:09.030
Hope hangs on even after the boat is sunk. Hope

00:03:09.030 --> 00:03:12.490
still puts a notch on the rope and continues

00:03:12.490 --> 00:03:18.650
to hang on. Even after one has come to the end

00:03:18.650 --> 00:03:24.530
of that rope. Hope refuses to take no for an

00:03:24.530 --> 00:03:27.830
answer, even when there is absolutely nothing

00:03:27.830 --> 00:03:34.550
left. Nothing. That's hope. And hope is mental.

00:03:36.090 --> 00:03:40.729
Without betraying confidence, I'm going to tell

00:03:40.729 --> 00:03:45.810
you of something that is very real to my heart.

00:03:46.150 --> 00:03:51.280
Perhaps it's because I was... young at the time,

00:03:51.319 --> 00:03:57.180
and knowing the circumstances very well. And

00:03:57.180 --> 00:04:04.340
Mama was involved. I shall not tell you what

00:04:04.340 --> 00:04:07.740
business the man was in, but he was a leading

00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:10.379
businessman in Concordia, Missouri. Oh, a handsome

00:04:10.379 --> 00:04:15.360
fella. I think every girl in Concordia was in

00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:24.420
love with him. Oh! he was so handsome. Oh, I

00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:27.879
was very young and still. Even I can remember

00:04:27.879 --> 00:04:31.639
him. He had black hair, the blackest hair I ever

00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:35.540
saw in my life. He had black eyes, the blackest

00:04:35.540 --> 00:04:40.720
eyes. Oh, he was a handsome thing. He was married

00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:45.680
to a very lovely lady. A cute little trick. I

00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:47.560
remember her well. I can tell you exactly what

00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:52.819
she looked like. Nice -looking, blonde, vivacious.

00:04:54.160 --> 00:05:03.319
But he was the playboy. His wife came to Mama,

00:05:03.459 --> 00:05:06.120
knowing that Mama would never betray confidence.

00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:10.439
Everybody knew Mrs. Jo Kuhlman was very close

00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:16.560
-mouthed. And she came to Mama and would come.

00:05:18.419 --> 00:05:24.240
at least once a month and just sit and talk with

00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:31.639
Mama. And she would tell Mama of the unfaithfulness

00:05:31.639 --> 00:05:36.180
of her husband. He was living with another woman.

00:05:36.860 --> 00:05:40.040
She knew it. He was paying the other woman's

00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:47.259
rent, supporting her. In fact, there was even

00:05:47.259 --> 00:05:53.769
an illegitimate child. And after she would leave

00:05:53.769 --> 00:05:57.889
our house, she would go out and face the world

00:05:57.889 --> 00:06:02.769
with a smile on her face. And she would say each

00:06:02.769 --> 00:06:08.410
time, Mrs. Kuhlman, I'm hoping he will change.

00:06:10.250 --> 00:06:18.319
I'm hoping. One day he'll change. She didn't

00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:23.740
nag him. Oh, beloved, here's a wonderful secret.

00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:27.740
She didn't nag him. She knew all the facts, knew

00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:35.199
it well. I'm telling you something. That woman

00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:41.399
went through hell, but it was her hope that one

00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:50.329
day he would change. Hope lit. Tied a knot on

00:06:50.329 --> 00:06:56.529
the end of the rope. When in the natural, it

00:06:56.529 --> 00:07:02.009
seemed he would never change. He was in the grip

00:07:02.009 --> 00:07:08.430
of this woman. He was absolutely so fascinated

00:07:08.430 --> 00:07:17.550
by the woman with whom he was living. that it

00:07:17.550 --> 00:07:22.490
seemed that nothing would break it. She continued

00:07:22.490 --> 00:07:28.129
in hope for years, and each time she would leave

00:07:28.129 --> 00:07:33.350
our house, after bearing her soul to Mama, she

00:07:33.350 --> 00:07:36.149
would walk out of our house and say, Mrs. Kuhlman,

00:07:36.370 --> 00:07:42.189
I'm still hoping that one day he will change.

00:07:43.050 --> 00:07:48.000
Then came the day. I shall never forget it. I

00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:51.860
wasn't very old, but I remembered well. Mama

00:07:51.860 --> 00:07:55.279
was so pleased. This time, Mama was even different

00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:59.240
after the lady left our house. And I remember

00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:03.220
her telling Papa, and that's the reason I knew

00:08:03.220 --> 00:08:06.199
what had happened. She said, you know, Mrs. So

00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:10.019
-and -so was over our house today. Oh, and I'm

00:08:10.019 --> 00:08:14.379
so happy for her. Today was Mr. So -and -so's

00:08:14.379 --> 00:08:20.120
birthday. And she said she was standing in her

00:08:20.120 --> 00:08:23.680
kitchen getting breakfast when her husband came

00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:28.620
walking down from upstairs and came into the

00:08:28.620 --> 00:08:32.200
kitchen, put his arms around his wife, and said,

00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:42.100
well, today is my 45th birthday. And I want you

00:08:42.100 --> 00:08:48.220
to know I've had enough of the kind of life that

00:08:48.220 --> 00:08:53.039
I've been living. And I want to thank you for

00:08:53.039 --> 00:08:55.860
holding on. I want to thank you for being the

00:08:55.860 --> 00:09:00.940
kind of wife that you've been. Thanks. Thanks

00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:09.480
a million. And from this moment on, I shall be

00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:14.860
the... truest husband that a wife ever had. And

00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:17.100
that man never looked at another woman again.

00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:25.000
Hope. Hope refuses to take no for an answer,

00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:29.600
even when there's nothing left. If your mind

00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:34.220
is filled with hope, you'll cast off destructive

00:09:34.220 --> 00:09:37.919
factors. You'll be healthier. You'll be happier.

00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:43.230
You'll be more efficient. No man will stay with

00:09:43.230 --> 00:09:46.830
a woman who's morbid. No man will live with a

00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:53.389
woman who is constantly depressed. A nagger.

00:09:55.830 --> 00:10:02.850
I promise you something. Hope will put a smile

00:10:02.850 --> 00:10:07.049
on your face when really in the natural you have

00:10:07.049 --> 00:10:09.580
nothing to smile about. There is a scripture

00:10:09.580 --> 00:10:12.320
that to me is very marvelous. It's found in the

00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:18.220
42nd Psalm, the 11th verse. Why art thou cast

00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:23.820
down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted

00:10:23.820 --> 00:10:32.299
within? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise

00:10:32.299 --> 00:10:43.159
him who is the health of my country. And my God,

00:10:43.539 --> 00:10:52.240
hope will literally not only put stars in a darkened

00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:59.740
sky, not only put windows in a blank wall, but

00:10:59.740 --> 00:11:07.240
hope will put a smile on the face. That's right.

00:11:08.169 --> 00:11:13.929
If your mind is filled with hope, even when outwardly

00:11:13.929 --> 00:11:18.509
there is no hope, when there's really nothing

00:11:18.509 --> 00:11:23.009
to hope for so far as the natural is concerned,

00:11:23.210 --> 00:11:28.529
if your mind is filled with hope, you'll cast

00:11:28.529 --> 00:11:34.490
off these destructive factors. You'll be healthier.

00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:39.120
You'll be happier. You'll be more efficient.

00:11:40.379 --> 00:11:45.379
It's the greatest weapon against mental depression

00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:50.639
that I know anything about. I know it gets dark

00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:54.120
out there. Sure, you have troubles. So do I.

00:11:55.220 --> 00:11:59.200
But when those troubles come, don't crawl in

00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:02.159
bed and pull the covers over your head and refuse

00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:06.799
to go out. I get so disgusted. There's one kind

00:12:06.799 --> 00:12:09.899
of woman that I have absolutely no sympathy for

00:12:09.899 --> 00:12:16.519
whatsoever. I tell you frankly, like me or not,

00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:20.600
I'm telling you the truth. And I'm talking to

00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:25.399
somebody who does exactly this thing. The very

00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:29.340
minute that something happens, it doesn't suit

00:12:29.340 --> 00:12:36.139
you. The first thing you do is to crawl in bed

00:12:36.139 --> 00:12:41.179
and pull the covers over your head. You won't

00:12:41.179 --> 00:12:46.080
eat. You won't talk. There's no conversation

00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:52.379
there. You pout. And you'd like the whole family

00:12:52.379 --> 00:12:56.580
to believe you're going to die. And I have known

00:12:56.580 --> 00:13:00.440
one woman who has gone so far that little...

00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:04.539
Truly, it would have been a matter of suicide

00:13:04.539 --> 00:13:12.720
had they not forced her to eat. There's one way

00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:17.200
of committing suicide. The very thing that I'm

00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:20.940
talking about. Mm -hmm. That's the kind of woman

00:13:20.940 --> 00:13:27.799
I have no sympathy for whatsoever. Oh, beloved.

00:13:30.029 --> 00:13:39.230
That is a sickness that only hope can cure. If

00:13:39.230 --> 00:13:42.210
you do the very thing that I'm talking about,

00:13:42.350 --> 00:13:44.669
every time something happens, you crawl in bed,

00:13:44.750 --> 00:13:49.549
you stay there. You are a victim of depression

00:13:49.549 --> 00:13:54.950
and discouragement and more than that, a victim

00:13:54.950 --> 00:14:06.600
of futility. Only one cure for it. And I'll give

00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:12.120
it to you in my next heart -to -heart talk. God

00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:12.500
bless you.