There Is Hope
In the midst of suffering, hardship, and disruption…
There Is Hope Part 3
May 3, 2020
The Habits of Hope: 1. Welcome the Holy Spirit’s Presence Genesis 1:1-2 (NLT) – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Romans 15:13 (NLT) – I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 2. Confidently Trust God’s Promises Dwight Moody: “Let a man feed for a month on the promises of God, and he will not talk about his poverty….If you would only go from Genesis to Revelation and see all the promises made by God to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to the Jews and the Gentiles, and to all His people everywhere; if you would spend a month feeding on the precious promises of God, you would not go about…complaining about how poor you are, but you would lift up your heads with confidence and proclaim the riches of His Grace, because you could not help it.” 3. God Promises His Presence Matthew 28:20 (NLT) – Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God Promises His Grace 1 Peter 5:5b (NLT) – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” God Promises His Power Acts 1:8 (NLT) – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” God Promises His Victory 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT) – But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 3. Embrace a “Through” Perspective Psalm 23:1-6 (NLT) – The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. 4. Connect with God in Prayer Psalm 71:5 (AMP) – For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust and the source of my confidence from my youth. James 5:13a (NLT) – Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. James 5:16b (NCV) – When a believing person prays, great things happen.
There Is Hope Part 2
April 26, 2020
THE HOPE OF HEAVEN Genesis 12:2-3 – I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Romans 4:19-21 – Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. Galatians 3:29 – And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Romans 8:16-17 – For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 1 Peter 1:3-5 – All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. Titus 3:7 – All of this happened so that through His grace we would be accepted into God’s covenant family and appointed to be His heirs, full of the hope that comes from knowing you have eternal life. Hebrews 1:14 – Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. Key Thought: As an heir of God, your inheritance is SALVATION which leads to ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the Lord is growing every day. 17 These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! 18 So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
There Is Hope Part 1
April 19, 2020
Sermon Notes: Psalm 42:5 (NIV) – Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Genesis 12:2-3 (NLT) – I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Romans 4:18-22 (NLT) – Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. Four Reasons You Can Put Your Hope in Our Promise-Keeping God: 1. God is Unchanging James 1:17 (NLT) – Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 2. God is Trustworthy Hebrews 10:23 (NLT) – Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 3. God is Truthful Hebrews 6:18 (NLT) – So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 4. God Keeps His Word Romans 4:21 (NLT) – He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. Romans 4:19-21 (MSG) – Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.