1 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:14,080 Well, good morning CFBC family. Obviously we are not together 2 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,120 this morning, but I am so glad that you're tuning in this 3 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:20,320 morning for worship. I pray that you are warm and 4 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,520 that you are safe. Maybe you're in your comfortable 5 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,240 spot on the couch, a recliner with your coffee. 6 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:28,160 But I want to invite you now to gather and those you with you, 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,520 your family to gather and bring in your Bible. 8 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,040 And we're going to dive into the word of God this morning. 9 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:38,360 We're in our fourth word of our 4th Sunday in January on these 10 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,000 words that quite honestly, all throughout our County School 11 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,120 system, these words have been being trained, our teachers and 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:46,160 our students. And we've been going to the word 13 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:49,760 of God to see how these four things that would rain 14 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:53,120 righteousness in our city, county community and beyond, 15 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,120 what these things should look like in our lives. 16 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:01,160 Isaiah 45, eight calls on God to let righteousness rain down from 17 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:03,840 above so that salvation and righteousness bear fruit. 18 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:05,239 This is what we're asking of God. 19 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,320 Today's word is hope. I want you to turn in your Bible 20 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,520 to Psalm 42, verse 4. Psalm 42, verse 4. 21 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,520 This is a, this is a Bible verse that quite honestly, you need to 22 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,880 have close to your heart, close to your mind. 23 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,520 You need to be able to recall this one in times when the Holy 24 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:23,760 Spirit needs the opportunity to bring it up. 25 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:28,240 David asked this question, Why are you downcast, Oh my soul, 26 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:31,800 and why are you in turmoil within me? 27 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:37,760 Hope in God, hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my 28 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,680 salvation and my God. It has been said y'all that 29 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:45,080 there are three things that human beings need to live food, 30 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,360 water and shelter, but it's just not true. 31 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,120 Say God What do you mean? What I mean is those three 32 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,480 things are not enough for a human being to survive. 33 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,840 If it if it were true, then that would mean that we as human 34 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,560 beings really only need 3 physical things for our 35 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:03,560 survival. But we're not just physical 36 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:07,200 beings, we need something else for our survival that's just as 37 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,000 important as food, water and shelter. 38 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:13,280 We are not like all the other animals that God made. 39 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:15,720 If so, we could get away with just those three. 40 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:19,920 But as human beings, we've been uniquely made in the image of 41 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,200 God. We're not just body. 42 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:26,440 We have a soul, and our needs go far beyond the basic needs of 43 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,400 food, water and shelter. We were designed to enjoy a 44 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:34,680 personal relationship with God. One of the hostage hostages that 45 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:40,400 was held by Hamas for months was interviewed afterwards and he 46 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:42,120 made this statement. He said. 47 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:46,160 I realized I was either going to go mad or I was either going to 48 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,840 go to God. In other words, what he was 49 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,920 saying was I might have had, though they were meager and 50 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:53,680 poor, and often times he didn't have them. 51 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:57,320 But even if he'd had all the food, water, and shelter he 52 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,560 needed in captivity, they wouldn't have been enough. 53 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,960 They would have either going to go mad, go crazy, or go to God, 54 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,800 because he had a need that was much bigger than those three 55 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:08,600 things. What? 56 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,000 What is that? What is that? 57 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:15,400 Something else that we as human beings so desperately need, that 58 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:21,320 basic human need. It's spelled HOPE. 59 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:24,840 It's hope. It is hope that we as human 60 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:29,920 beings need that God made us, made us to have, to have in 61 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:32,960 order to thrive. Today we're going to talk about 62 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,960 the universal essential need of hope in our lives. 63 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,400 Martin Luther, the famous reformer, put it like this. 64 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,160 He said everything that is done in the world is done in hope. 65 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:47,000 No farmer sews a grain of wheat if he didn't hope that it would 66 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,840 grow and produce a crop. And no bachelor would marry a 67 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,840 wife if he didn't have hope for a happy future. 68 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,440 And no merchant or tradesman would set himself to work if he 69 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,520 didn't hope for a profit, right? So almost anything and 70 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:02,120 everything we do as human beings in this life, in this or it is 71 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:07,880 driven by some kind of hope. And yet, right, we all struggle 72 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,360 with hope sometimes. I want to ask you just right now 73 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,360 maybe is that you? Are you finding yourself 74 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,320 fighting for hope, struggling for hope, discouraged, 75 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:22,079 desperate, maybe having food, water, and shelter, but knowing 76 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:24,520 something's missing? If so, I want to encourage you 77 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:27,760 to lean in today because we're going to see that even those in 78 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,800 the Scripture, like some of the greatest examples of the godly 79 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,800 men and women we see here, still struggled at times, just like 80 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:38,200 David expresses in Psalm 42A struggle for hope. 81 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:40,920 The first question I want to ask and answer this morning is this. 82 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,200 What is biblical hope? What is biblical hope? 83 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,280 Well, David challenges himself to hope in God. 84 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:50,160 When he says hope in God, what is he saying? 85 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,920 What does he mean? Well, first we need to clarify 86 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,360 that the way that we use hope in everyday language in everyday 87 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:00,760 life is very different and often than what the Bible refers to 88 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:02,360 as. So what we mean when we say hope 89 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:04,480 is we're saying we wish or we desire. 90 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:09,040 Like I hope they land the job or I hope she will say yes, or I 91 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,160 hope to make the great. I hope to make the team or we 92 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,840 hope their dreams come true. In other words, we're using hope 93 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:16,600 as like we wish something were true. 94 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,560 We desire something to be true. We're just not so sure it's 95 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,240 going to be true. That's not the way the Bible 96 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:25,920 uses the word hope. In fact, the meaning of hope and 97 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:30,520 Scripture is almost the opposite of our ordinary usage of hope. 98 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,040 Here's what I mean. Ordinarily, when we use hope, 99 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:35,960 we're Speaking of something that we're uncertain about rather 100 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,120 than something we're absolutely certain about, like this. 101 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:41,920 I hope Daddy gets home early. I'm just not sure he will. 102 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,760 I'm not certain he will. I, I hope that Jim will arrive 103 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:46,600 safely. I, I, I'm not certain he will, 104 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,320 but I hope he will. Or a good tailwind is our only 105 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:53,560 hope of arriving on time. Like we hope the wind blows in 106 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,680 the direction our planes flying to get us there on time. 107 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:58,120 We're just not certain that it will. 108 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:02,120 But that's not, that's not the biblical meaning of hope. 109 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:07,320 Biblical hope, you see, not only desires or wishes that something 110 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:13,120 is true, but friends, biblical hope is certain that something 111 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:18,280 in store is true and expects it, doesn't just wish for it, but 112 00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:21,280 knows with confidence that they can look forward to it. 113 00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:24,640 That's biblical hope. Hebrews 11/1 says this. 114 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:29,360 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence 115 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:33,200 of things not seen. This is as clear and simple A 116 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:37,160 definition of faith as you'll find in the New Testament. 117 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,720 And I want you to notice that biblical, biblical hope is 118 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:43,800 actually a part of the biblical definition of faith. 119 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,240 You see, faith can focus on the past, it can focus on the 120 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,720 present, or it can focus on the future. 121 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,360 But what we see here is that the part of faith that focuses on 122 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:57,120 the future is called hope. When faith is directed to the 123 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,840 future, the Bible calls it hope. So biblical hope is this. 124 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:02,720 Here's your answer to question number one. 125 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:04,320 What is biblical hope? Are you ready? 126 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,720 Write this down. Biblical hope is a Christian's 127 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:12,040 absolute confidence concerning their future in Christ. 128 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:16,520 Biblical hope is a Christian's absolute confidence of their 129 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,280 future in Christ. So biblical hope is not finger 130 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,400 crossing, it's not lip biting, it is not bedding, it's not 131 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,600 wondering. Biblical hope is a Christian's 132 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:31,160 absolute rock bottom confidence in their future in Christ. 133 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:32,320 Let me just ask you this question. 134 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:34,360 Do you have, do you have that kind of hope? 135 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,640 Do you have biblical hope? You have absolute confidence 136 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:43,720 regarding your future in Christ because number one, you know 137 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,480 there was a day in your past when you put your hope in 138 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,840 Christ. You asked Him to forgive you of 139 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:51,000 your sin. You called on him as your 140 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,760 Savior. You gave your life to him, not 141 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,520 with a wishful desire for heaven, but a confident 142 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,000 expectation of it. Not for a wishful desire for 143 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,160 forgiveness, but an absolute knowledge of it. 144 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:04,920 Not for a wishful desire to be made alive, but having known 145 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,360 you've been made alive in Christ because you've called on Jesus 146 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:09,240 to save you. You realize right now if you 147 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,560 don't have that hope or never put your hope in Christ in the 148 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:15,400 past, that day can be today. Put your faith present in Jesus 149 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:18,000 today. That produces biblical hope for 150 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,840 tomorrow. Do you have biblical hope #2 151 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:23,040 where does biblical hope come from? 152 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:25,960 You can flip to Ephesians 212, or you can just listen to me 153 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:28,800 read it here. Remember that you were at that 154 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,480 time separated from Christ, alienated from the Commonwealth 155 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:36,200 of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no 156 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,039 hope and without God in the world. 157 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,200 The Bible defines no hope as being without Who? 158 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:45,200 Being without God, No God, no hope. 159 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:49,440 Our hope comes from biblical hope comes from God. 160 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,320 To which we might say, Oh well, Kyle, I feel like I've got hope 161 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,000 and I'm not so sure it's always connected with God. 162 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,000 Like I've got things I'm certain about or I'm looking forward to 163 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,840 in life, things like this. We might have hope of getting 164 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:03,920 married. We're looking forward to that. 165 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,520 Maybe we've got hope of having kids or more kids or having 166 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,640 grandkids or landing our dream job or buying that house. 167 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:11,320 We've always wanted to go into that place. 168 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,480 We've always wanted to see or enjoying life in some form or 169 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:16,040 fashion. And all those things give us a 170 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:19,280 kind of earthly hope. But the deal is we might all 171 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,320 have positive thoughts about the future because of a variety of 172 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:26,680 things to 1° or another. But these things, though none of 173 00:09:26,680 --> 00:09:29,960 them are guarantees, they offer us levels of hope. 174 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,000 But here's the deal. None of them promise and provide 175 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:37,000 true, lasting, and ultimate biblical hope. 176 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:39,160 None of the things in the world can do that. 177 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:41,960 So the Bible puts true biblical hope like this. 178 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,960 Where does it come from? Proverbs 10/28 The hope of the 179 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:50,160 righteous is gladness, but the expectation of the wicked 180 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:52,680 perishes. The hope of the righteous is 181 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:55,600 gladness, but the expectation, the hope of the wicked, is going 182 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:57,240 to perish. In other words, the ultimate 183 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:00,960 hope of those who have God, the righteous is gladness forever, 184 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:03,920 for all eternity with God. Their hope of the righteous, 185 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,480 those who have God, gets better and is guaranteed no matter what 186 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:11,600 earthly hopes come true or not. But the hopes and dreams are 187 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,760 expectations of those who do not have God of the wicked. 188 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,480 Ultimately, one day all those hopes do what? 189 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,240 They perish. They don't last. 190 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:27,120 They do not provide a future that provides hope forever. 191 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,320 They come to nothing. You see, anyone without God in 192 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:34,520 Christ has no actual true, lasting, ultimate hope for their 193 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:36,480 future. And let's just be honest, 194 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:41,040 without true biblical hope and hope for your future death, our 195 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,800 last breath for all of us takes on some terrifying proportions. 196 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:50,800 Without biblical hope in Christ, all that is left without God is 197 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:54,440 hell and eternal punishment and torment that is beyond 198 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:56,920 description. It's so dreadful. 199 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:00,080 Many can't stomach what the Bible says so clearly about the 200 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,440 lack of hope for those that are not in Christ. 201 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:07,120 In fact, I don't know if you heard about the most recent news 202 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,720 concerning this topic surrounded Kirk Cameron, who came out 203 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,440 publicly proclaiming that he no longer believed in an eternal 204 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,320 place called hell where those who are not in Christ will spend 205 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,520 eternity. He actually affirmed a long 206 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:25,200 standing ancient unbiblical idea called annihilationism, which is 207 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,560 this belief that if you don't accept Christ as your savior and 208 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:31,080 your sins are not forgiven, your punishment is actually that you 209 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:34,040 when you die, you don't go to hell, but you just cease to 210 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:37,160 exist. And this idea comes from the 211 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:42,280 rejection of the pure hopelessness that is a reality 212 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,920 according to the Bible, for those that are not in Christ. 213 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,760 And that's just too much for people to often stomach, so they 214 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:50,240 reject that idea due to its hopelessness. 215 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:52,720 But this is the difference between the hope we have in 216 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:56,360 Jesus versus the hopelessness forever for those who don't. 217 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:58,520 This is where biblical hope comes from, right? 218 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:03,440 And our hope is in Jesus and Jesus alone. 219 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,800 First Peter 1/3 through 6. Blessed be the God and Father of 220 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:09,840 our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy, He's caused 221 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:12,880 us to be born again. I love this to a living hope 222 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:15,760 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 223 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:19,400 You see, hope comes from God and this hope we have has a name, 224 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,040 and his name is Jesus. Our hope is in Jesus. 225 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:25,280 It's a living hope because Jesus is alive our hope is in Jesus 226 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:28,000 and it's a living hope because Jesus has made us alive. 227 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,600 Our hope in Jesus is a living hope because we're going to live 228 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:35,600 with him forever in the place he's prepared for us. 229 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:40,560 Biblical hope comes from God, church, family, and his name is 230 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,080 Jesus. The third question we're going 231 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,400 to ask and answer is this. What is it? 232 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:47,200 What is it? Third question that upholds 233 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:49,520 biblical hope? What upholds biblical hope? 234 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,640 Billy Graham was asked by US. Senator Billy, are you a 235 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:57,320 optimist or you a pessimist? To which Billy responded, I'm an 236 00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:59,520 optimist. To which the senator looked back 237 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:03,080 to him and said, Billy, how can you be an optimist in the world 238 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:05,320 that we're living in? Billy's response was simply 239 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:10,080 this. Because I know the last page of 240 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:11,720 the Bible. What a great answer. 241 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:17,200 You see, without God, optimism is quite honestly a joke. 242 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,080 Without God, things don't ultimately can't go anywhere 243 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,800 good forever. But knowing the promises of God, 244 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:29,600 who alone is omnipotent, that means all powerful omniscient, 245 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:32,320 that means all knowing and omnipresent means God is always 246 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:35,040 everywhere. His promises and his power and 247 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:39,320 His presence allow us to have the optimism that is the only 248 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:42,920 logical option because of God and who He is. 249 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:47,400 You see, biblical hope is upheld by the precious and sure 250 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:51,440 promises of God. Biblical hope is upheld by the 251 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:54,200 precious and sure promises of God. 252 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:56,920 Listen to second Peter chapter one, verse 3 through 5. 253 00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:00,680 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to 254 00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:03,920 life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us 255 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:06,760 to his own glory and excellence, by which he's granted to us his 256 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:08,960 precious and very great promises. 257 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,320 There it is so that through them you may become partakers of the 258 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,160 divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in 259 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:17,280 the world because of sinful desire. 260 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,880 See, the promises of God are like the load bearing walls of 261 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:23,320 our faith. The promises of God are like the 262 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:26,240 rebar in the concrete of our faith. 263 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:30,400 The promises of God are like the I beams in the bridge of our 264 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:31,960 faith. They're like the bones in the 265 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:35,800 body of our faith. Our hope is in Jesus, and what 266 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:40,600 Jesus has promised us is what upholds our hope in Him on a 267 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,120 daily basis. So what are these precious and 268 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:47,240 very great promises, Jesus, that He has promised us that uphold 269 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:48,720 our faith, right? I'm so glad you asked. 270 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:50,880 I mean, I'm going to go through these because we could keep 271 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,160 going on these, but I've just got to mention a few of these. 272 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:57,280 Are you ready #1 His constant promise of His constant presence 273 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,680 with us now and forever. In the promise to never leave us 274 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,560 nor forsake us. His power and His grace to be 275 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,120 sufficient for our every need and every day. 276 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:09,880 Working all things for our good, supplying all our needs. 277 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:13,920 Victory over death, abundant life, rest, peace that passes 278 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:17,240 understanding, plain sins for our good and our future, Eternal 279 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:20,680 life, forgiveness of sin, a new resurrected body, Complete 280 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:22,720 transformation in the image of Christ. 281 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,240 Heaven and eternal place prepared for us specifically in 282 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:28,320 heaven. Christ returning physically to 283 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:30,880 claimants, claimants and get us as his own. 284 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,000 A new heavens and a new earth. No more tears, pain or 285 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:35,480 suffering. We could go on. 286 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,520 All of these are the pure and precious certain absolute 287 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:44,600 promises of God that actually uphold our hope, which means 288 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:50,320 your hope means your hope is only as sure and only as strong 289 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:55,440 as your knowledge and familiarity with the promises of 290 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,680 God. No wonder Hebrews 10/23 says, 291 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:02,440 let us hold fast to the confession of our hope. 292 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:06,240 Let's hold fast to the confession of our convictions of 293 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,880 the promises of God without wavering, for he who promised is 294 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:12,160 faithful. We're clinging to the promises 295 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:13,440 of God. This is where our hope is 296 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:15,480 upheld. But this is the exact problem 297 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:20,320 for so many Christians because they don't cling to the promises 298 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,880 of God and said they grasp and they grope after the pleasures 299 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,800 of this world, seeking to satisfy their soul. 300 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,600 But those things never can. And when they let them down, all 301 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,520 the sudden they find themselves encouraged and restless and and 302 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,280 depressed and without hope because they're not clinging to 303 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,440 the promises of God. This is exactly what God has 304 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:42,080 called us to do by hope up the the promises that uphold our 305 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:44,320 hope. To live by clinging to them, to 306 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:46,920 read them, to read the word of God, to memorize them, to 307 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,760 meditate on them, and to preach them to ourselves like David 308 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:53,600 does in Psalm 42. Hope in God, he says to himself, 309 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:57,040 to teach them to our kids and to take every thought in our minds 310 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:01,400 captive to surrender to the truth of the promises of God 311 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:03,280 because we know them and we're living by them. 312 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,480 Fourthly and finally, what does biblical hope do? 313 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,480 What does biblical hope do? Y'all? 314 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,480 It is inevitable that all of us, you and me, will go through 315 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,359 times when we struggle for hope. This is what David did, happens 316 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:22,240 to everybody. Jesus told us in John 1633 in 317 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:26,040 the world, you're going to have tribulation and trials and 318 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:28,000 distress and frustration, but be of good cheer. 319 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:29,560 What does he say? Take courage. 320 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:31,240 What does he mean? He means to be confident. 321 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,680 It means to be courageous. He means take hope, be hopeful. 322 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:36,840 Why? I've overcome the world. 323 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:38,560 That's not I'm going to overcome the world. 324 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:40,040 That's I have overcome the world. 325 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:42,240 You can have hope. That's a promise of God. 326 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:44,680 He's already overcome the world. So here's what biblical hope 327 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,280 does #1 Are you ready? Biblical hope fills us with 328 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:49,960 hope. It fills us with hope. 329 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,320 Listen to Romans 1513. May the God of hope fill you 330 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:56,520 with all joy and peace and believing, so that by the power 331 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,640 of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. 332 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:02,240 Biblical hope fills us with hope. 333 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,680 You see, by the power of the Holy Spirit you can and will 334 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:09,920 make your He can and will make your whole life radiant with 335 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:12,520 hope. That's part of the working of 336 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:15,400 the Holy Spirit in our lives. The God of hope filling us with 337 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:17,360 hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 338 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:20,600 Biblical hope and abounding in hope means gladness. 339 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:24,320 It means joy, it means peace, it means strength, it means freedom 340 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,480 from fear and happiness in Jesus. 341 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:28,600 Who doesn't want to live with those things? 342 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,360 Who doesn't want to overflow and abound in hope by the power of 343 00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:35,480 the Spirit? The God of hope #2 Biblical hope 344 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,560 anchors our soul. It anchors our soul. 345 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:42,960 Hebrews 619 through 20. We have this as a surer and 346 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:47,080 steadfast anchor of the soul hope that enters into the inner 347 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:49,920 place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner 348 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:53,200 on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the 349 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:59,200 order of Melchizedek. Biblical hope anchors our soul 350 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:02,840 in Jesus. This anchor works in two ways. 351 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:08,360 First, it works to steady your soul by ending your soul's 352 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:13,320 constant search for rest. See, our souls were made for 353 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:14,840 God. In fact, the famous North 354 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:17,520 African pastor in the 3rd century named Augustine put it 355 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,520 like this. He said, God, you have made us 356 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:24,920 for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their 357 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,840 rest in Thee. Did you realize that until a 358 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:33,920 human being and their soul finds rest in Jesus, deep down it's 359 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:35,960 restless because it hasn't found its true home. 360 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:40,280 The soul without Jesus is a gypsy soul that can never find 361 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:44,240 true rest and satisfaction in the home it was made for in 362 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:49,120 Jesus. So the hope that we have in 363 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:53,280 Christ anchors us by ending our search for rest in peace of a 364 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:55,680 second. It works to steady the ship of 365 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:59,040 our soul when we're under the threat of the constant up and 366 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:01,360 down waves of the circumstances of life. 367 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:04,080 See, no matter how high or no matter how low your 368 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:08,320 circumstances may go. Soul tethered to Jesus doesn't 369 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:10,440 have to move, because Jesus doesn't move. 370 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:14,200 He's the same yesterday, he's the same today, and he's the 371 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:16,640 same forever. He has the rock on which we 372 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:21,120 stand that when all else is shaken, he will never be shaken. 373 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:24,480 And we won't be shaken if we're standing with both feet on 374 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:26,080 Jesus, no matter what comes in our lives. 375 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:30,160 So biblical hope anchors our souls both spiritually in rest, 376 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:34,000 in peace, and circumstantially in the anchor of the rock of 377 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:38,280 Jesus, which is our steadiness in hope in him #3 finally, 378 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,440 biblical hope. Biblical hope allows us to 379 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:44,800 persevere. Listen to Romans 823 through 25. 380 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:49,240 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first 381 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:52,800 fruits of the Spirit, grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for 382 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,200 adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 383 00:20:56,680 --> 00:21:00,240 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not 384 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,600 hope, but who hopes for what he sees? 385 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:06,720 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with 386 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:09,280 patience. But if we hope in what we do not 387 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:12,680 see, we're persevering. We're waiting for it with 388 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:15,280 patience. You see, this is what biblical 389 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:18,480 hope does. Life on this side of heaven. 390 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:21,800 Y'all, let's be honest, involves some groaning, just like that 391 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:23,240 Bible verse just said. Why? 392 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:26,240 Because we're living under the curse of sin, life on the other 393 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,560 side of heaven doesn't involve any groaning, but glory. 394 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,320 So what is it that holds us in the middle between groaning in 395 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,480 this life and the glory waiting for us in the next? 396 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,000 It is biblical hope that allows us to hope. 397 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,080 And yet what we cannot see but what we know is certain. 398 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:44,920 That anchors our soul and allows us to persevere. 399 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,800 That allows us to press through knowing the victory is coming. 400 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:50,840 The cross reminding us of God's mercy. 401 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:53,120 The empty tomb reminding us of God's power. 402 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:55,320 The indwelling of the Holy Spirit reminding us of God's 403 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,120 promised presence, the word of God giving us a defense against 404 00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:01,160 the enemy and Jesus is victory over death, reminding us of the 405 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:03,800 promise of forgiveness of sin, salvation and eternal life 406 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:05,840 forever. Between the groaning and the 407 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:09,680 glory is the hope we have in Jesus that allows us to set our 408 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,160 eyes on him, the author and perfector of our faith, and 409 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:14,880 persevere with hope and gladness. 410 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,720 And when God is form forming us in the image of Christ through 411 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:19,880 the ups and downs of life, no matter what, that God is 412 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:22,120 bringing us to a place where we're going to be with him 413 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:25,280 forever. This is what what biblical hope 414 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,840 does. Psalm 42 four why are you 415 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:33,000 downcast O my soul? Why are you in turmoil within 416 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:38,120 me? Hope in God, for I will yet 417 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:41,400 praise him my salvation and my God. 418 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:45,640 If David had days that he had to preach to himself to hoping God, 419 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:49,960 so will you and so will I. Do you need to preach the self 420 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:54,760 this to yourself today? You know, biblical hope is often 421 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:56,960 a fight. Maybe you're fighting right now 422 00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:58,760 for biblical hope. Maybe you're in the middle of 423 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,440 the trenches of the ring and you feel like you're losing. 424 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,920 What would I say to you? What would would the Word of God 425 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,560 tell you practically to do if today you're fighting for hope 426 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:09,200 or you need to be ready to fight tomorrow? 427 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:11,840 Let me tell you a few things and then we'll finish. 428 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:14,600 Number one, never give up. Never give up. 429 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,360 Never lose sight of the fact that God, by His power, has the 430 00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:21,720 power to change your circumstances and that every 431 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:25,080 storm will pass. Don't give up. 432 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:29,320 Keep trusting #2 avoid blaming God or thinking He's punishing 433 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,160 you for some sin. Listen, don't turn to anger or 434 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,960 blame towards God. Trust God in the midst of the 435 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:38,160 hard things, knowing He's using all those things even for your 436 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,600 good. Don't let it erode your hope. 437 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:45,280 Thirdly, do what's right. Even when you're hurting and 438 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,600 even if others are not doing you right, continue to do what's 439 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,040 right. Continue to do what you know God 440 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:54,360 has revealed to you to do that would honor Him and bless Him 441 00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:58,160 and bless others around you even when you don't feel like it. 442 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:03,040 Hey, next, don't withdraw or sulk or isolate yourself from 443 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:04,880 others. The Bible says only a fool 444 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:07,000 isolates himself. And so often it's God using the 445 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,120 others around you to help guide you and encourage you to the 446 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:12,560 place He's leading and calling you to go. 447 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:14,920 Keep your word and honor your commitments. 448 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,360 This is a character building time when you're fighting for 449 00:24:17,360 --> 00:24:18,320 hope. Keep your word. 450 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,120 Walk with integrity. Be the man or woman, boy or girl 451 00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:22,880 God's caused you to be. And don't. 452 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:27,040 Finally, don't stop believing. Don't give up hope that God can 453 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:30,200 improve your situation, that He will lead you through the storm, 454 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,760 that He's got a destination and plan in mind for you that He's 455 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,840 working this for your glory. Don't give up. 456 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:40,160 Keep walking by faith. When David says hope in God, he 457 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:42,760 does not mean cross your fingers, bite your lip, wander 458 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,680 or bet. He means if I could borrow the 459 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,880 words from a missionary that would live many years after 460 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:52,000 David. What he means is David, expect 461 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:58,800 great things from God because God is great hope in God. 462 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,080 Church family, what a blessing God's Word is to us. 463 00:25:02,360 --> 00:25:04,440 I want to pray for you in a moment, but I want to invite you 464 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:08,680 before I do to take some time today at home and talk about 465 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:10,600 what you've heard. Talk about it with your spouse. 466 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,960 Talk about this with your kids and your family. 467 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,240 Talk about that verse, Psalm 42 verse four. 468 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:18,640 What does it mean to hope in God and talk about biblical of ask 469 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,840 one another if you have it when that happened when that day was 470 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:24,280 you trusted Christ. If you need to do that, you can 471 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,000 call on Jesus even now. And if you need to fight for 472 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,400 hope now and get on your knees as a result of hearing what 473 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:32,240 you've heard and say, Lord, help me even as David fought for 474 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:35,160 hope, to fight for it today to remember what upholds my hope, 475 00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:38,200 to put my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of my faith 476 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:41,480 and my hope, and to live in the hope as the God of hope allows 477 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,120 us to overflow in it. Spend some time talking about 478 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:48,480 these things in your home today where you are, and ask God to 479 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:51,360 help you overflow with hope. Heavenly Father, thank you for 480 00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:53,320 the chance to worship. Even though we're not together. 481 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,480 We thank you for your word. We thank you for the hope that 482 00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:58,160 you've given us. God, I want to pray for everyone 483 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:01,080 watching wherever they are, whatever their situation, and 484 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:02,600 especially those fighting for that. 485 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,720 God is the God of hope. You would cause them to overflow 486 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:07,560 by the power of the Holy Spirit with hope. 487 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,880 Help them to believe the promises of God, to immerse 488 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:13,800 themselves in them and to stake their lives on the truth of what 489 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:16,240 you promised us and help us to live our lives for the world to 490 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:20,320 see that there is a God that Father, you offer hope of all, 491 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:21,920 hope that lasts for all eternity. 492 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:26,080 And we praise you in Jesus name. And all God's people said Amen. 493 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:27,200 Cheers family. I love you. 494 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:29,440 Stay warm, stay safe. Can't wait to see you soon. 495 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:32,800 And as we say each week as you go, you go to whenever it is you 496 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:36,000 go and leave your home, you go to make disciples. 497 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,600 Love you all. We'll see you back at CBC very 498 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:38,840 soon.