1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:06,200 I could have just kept on singing this morning. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:07,760 That's all right. I don't even need to come up 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,640 here. Turn in your Bibles to Romans 4 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:14,480 chapter 15, verse 13. That's page one O 1008. 5 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:16,680 If you're using one of the Bibles that are found underneath 6 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:19,040 some of the chairs in the auditorium here. 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:24,560 I want to start by telling you this morning so that you can 8 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,240 begin to stock up on some of these things, some things that I 9 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,280 have heard are going to be in short supply in 2026. 10 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,120 So you can be in a position to not run out of these things. 11 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,200 OK. So first of all is protein, in 12 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,880 particular beef. So if you think beef is 13 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,160 expensive now, it's going to get more expensive. 14 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,160 So if you, you, you can talk where's if Eric Silvera's here 15 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:52,560 you go. Talk to Eric about getting 16 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,120 yourself a side of beef. He'll get you hooked up. 17 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:57,680 Right, Eric, he's got his thumbs up. 18 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,840 If you thought, well, don't worry, I'm a vegetarian, I'm 19 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,440 going to let you know that beans, beans are on the list. 20 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,360 Apparently the growing conditions have not been great 21 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,520 in some of the places that are the biggest suppliers in the 22 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,240 world of beans. So we may have a great bean 23 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,840 shortage in 2026. You think? 24 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,040 No problem, I'll just eat. I'm a rice person. 25 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:26,240 I didn't get my carbs from rice problem rice growing places have 26 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,080 not had great growing conditions for rice either. 27 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,800 For those of you who work in the party store area, you'll know 28 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,400 that helium has been in short supply for quite a while. 29 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,520 Helium's used in all sorts of industrial uses, not just party 30 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,680 balloons. But helium is in short supply. 31 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,720 And for those of you who are are like, I don't care about any of 32 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,360 that other stuff, the nutritional stuff you started 33 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:56,800 with, because I, I get most of my liquids from an aluminum can, 34 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,680 you're in trouble too. Aluminum cans, because of all of 35 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:06,200 the disruption due to tariffs and stuff and how integrated our 36 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,440 supplies are, we're probably going to be short on aluminum 37 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,400 cans. But we live in a world in which 38 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,800 shortages happen, right? Some of those shortages are 39 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:22,000 expected, like Maple Leafs Stanley Cup victories and some 40 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:28,320 of those are unexpected, like say spring 2020 and toilet 41 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,960 paper. I mean, you just can't prepare 42 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:36,960 for certain things. One of the things that I have 43 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:44,280 noticed is in short supply in Canada in 2025 is this hope, 44 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,080 hope. And, and that's just not my 45 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:53,280 observation. Here's the percentage of people 46 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:59,840 who over the past eight years have expressed that they often 47 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:06,840 or always have a sense of hope. In 2016, that number sat at 75% 48 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,400 of people who would say, yeah, yeah, I, I, I usually feel 49 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:16,560 hopeful. When we got to 2021-2022, that 50 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:19,280 number dropped to 64%. And some of you say, well, of 51 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:21,920 course, think about what's going on in the world at that point. 52 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:24,960 It was, it was difficult. It was difficult. 53 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:30,360 Well, I'm telling you, it hasn't got less difficult because in 54 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,880 2024, the end of 2024, when they asked the same question again, 55 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,320 that number had now dropped below 60%. 56 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:44,000 That means in the course of eight years, there's another 15% 57 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:49,280 of people who have lost hope. We're now at a point in Canada, 58 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,680 and Pastor Keith was telling me this this morning. 59 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:57,360 One out of 20 deaths that happened in Canada happened due 60 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:01,440 to medical assistance in death, one out of 20. 61 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:05,840 And it's a problem when hope runs low. 62 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:11,840 It's a bigger problem than beef or beans or aluminum cans, even 63 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,800 Stanley Cup victories. It's a big problem because hope 64 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:19,240 isn't a luxury item, it's a necessity. 65 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:24,480 We need hope. Psychologists will tell us that 66 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,080 as they've done studies, what they find is if you're going to 67 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:29,840 be a resilient person, if you're going to be able to get through 68 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,400 the things that inevitably hit us and try and take us out of 69 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:34,920 the knees in this world, you need hope. 70 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:41,240 If you're going to be a person who has the ability to fight off 71 00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:47,120 despair in this world, to have a bit of a buffer between you and 72 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:49,880 the creep of depression, you need hope. 73 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,760 Hope is linked to stronger immune systems. 74 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,200 Hope is linked to a faster recovery from surgery. 75 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:03,800 In fact, hope is directly linked to longer life spans. 76 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,520 And it's not just on an individual level, because hope 77 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,600 brings people together. In societies where people lose 78 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:17,080 hope, sociologists will tell you there is an inevitable loss of 79 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:21,480 social cohesion. There is an increasing sense of 80 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:29,520 apathy that takes over and cynicism that wells up in people 81 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:36,120 so that the entire fabric of society begins to fray when hope 82 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:40,440 is in short supply. Here's a quote from a guy who 83 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:44,320 was aware of what was lived like to live in a society where hope 84 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:49,560 was in short supply. Fidor Dostoyevsky, he said this. 85 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:56,240 To live without hope. It's to cease to live this 86 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,880 morning. I just want to tell you, if you 87 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:03,720 walked in here today and you're short on hope, God's got you in 88 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,920 the right spot. God has you here for a reason, 89 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,760 Because the prayer that we're going to look at today, this 90 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,920 ancient prayer that comes out of the mouth of the Apostle Paul, 91 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:19,040 it's a prayer of hope. And it shows us there's no 92 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:23,840 reason that in our lives hope needs to be in short supply. 93 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:26,120 There may be all sorts of reasons why we run into 94 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,920 shortages for all sorts of things, but I want to let you 95 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,680 know today, hope does not have to be one of those things that 96 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:36,960 we're running short on. And if you're here today and 97 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:38,440 you're in a spot where you're like, well, I'm here. 98 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,120 I already have all the hope I need. 99 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:42,320 You know what? You're surrounded by people who 100 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,920 need a little bit of that hope. And this prayer is going to tell 101 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:51,960 us how we can be the type of people who overflow with hope to 102 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:55,120 a world around us that needs us. So let's let's read this 103 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:59,560 together. It's one verse, verse 13, Romans 104 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:06,720 chapter 15. Now may the God of hope fill you 105 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:12,840 with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may 106 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:19,600 overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit Churches. 107 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:23,640 This is my prayer, the prayer that Paul prayed for the church 108 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,520 in Rome. This is my prayer for us, that 109 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,360 we would be a people, a community, that you would be a 110 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:37,040 person who is filled with hope by the God of hope so that you 111 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:41,280 overflow and you're filled to the brim with joy and peace by 112 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,920 the power of the Holy Spirit. I just want to unpack these five 113 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:50,680 things that Paul prayed for that I think are in this verse that I 114 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,440 am praying for you and that I want us to be able to pray for 115 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:57,720 one another because this is a a prayer over Paul's praying over 116 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,560 other people, right? This is a prayer I'm going to 117 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,440 ask you as we take time to pray in this, to pray for the people 118 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:08,480 around you, not just you, the collectively that we would be a 119 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:13,280 people of hope. And the first is this that you 120 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:16,880 would know the God who is the source of hope. 121 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,800 Look how Paul starts this. Paul starts by praying to the 122 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:26,440 God of hope that hope flows from God. 123 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:31,720 He recognizes hope has a source. One of the ways that you run 124 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:36,120 into supply issues as you have sourcing issues, right? 125 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,400 Anybody know who grows the most bananas in the entire world? 126 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,080 Theirs does not grow any bananas. 127 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:49,160 Larry, again, I will point you towards Eric who can also tell 128 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:54,600 you where your meat comes from. OK, Actually India produces the 129 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:56,400 most. Where, where, Where are my 130 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:00,080 Indian peeps here? You should know India produces 131 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:01,400 the most bananas in the whole world. 132 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:02,840 But we don't get any bananas from India. 133 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:08,000 We get our bananas the the 50% of the bananas we get come from 134 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,840 Guatemala. And Ecuador is actually the 135 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:14,800 biggest single exporter of bananas in the world. 136 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:20,320 If Central America had a disease that ran through and and killed 137 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,760 off a banana crop, we have a problem in Canada. 138 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:30,600 We got a sourcing issue, right. We can't get what we I don't 139 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,240 care how many greenhouses we have. 140 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,360 We don't have enough greenhouse space to grow enough bananas to 141 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,680 feed the banana appetites the Canadians have. 142 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,160 We, we just can't, we can't meet that demand. 143 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,320 I would suggest to you that one of the reasons that we have a 144 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:53,200 hope deficit and a hope shortage is because we have a sourcing 145 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,560 issue. We're looking to get hope from 146 00:09:57,560 --> 00:10:02,480 things that cannot provide it. It can't make enough hope for 147 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:04,400 us. We need hope. 148 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:09,800 So we go looking for hope because it's a necessary 149 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:13,400 component of what we need. We're starving for it, and we 150 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:18,080 try and find it in places that cannot give us all the hope that 151 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,320 we need. So we place our hope in other 152 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,840 people. We place our hope in a in a 153 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:30,200 spouse or a partner or a child or a parent or a friend. 154 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:34,680 And when they inevitably fail to meet the expectations that we 155 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:39,320 place on them, we lose our hope because we had it sourced in the 156 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:42,960 wrong spot. We go to our jobs, we look at 157 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:46,280 the achievements and guess what? One day, every single one of us 158 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:48,360 in this room, no matter how much you love your job and you're 159 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:50,320 good at your job, your job will cease. 160 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:54,320 You won't work it anymore. If that's where your hope is, 161 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:59,240 you're going to run out. You look for recognition or, or 162 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:04,280 even worse, we look for a politician, a political party 163 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,480 that's somehow going to fix things and restore things and 164 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:13,040 make Canada great again. You're not going to find it in a 165 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:17,760 political party or a politician. You're not going to find it in 166 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:25,080 any institution or any human being or any leisure activity 167 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:32,200 you invest yourself in 'cause you get excited about because 168 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:37,080 there's only one source that can supply all the hope that we 169 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,720 need. The God of hope, Paul starts his 170 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:43,160 prayer by pointing out, hey, this is the source. 171 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:48,440 May the God of hope be the one that you find your hope in. 172 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:53,520 He's the origin of hope. That is, he gives hope, he 173 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,920 bestows it, but he's also the object of hope. 174 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:05,640 He's the reason we have hope. Psalm 62, verses 5 and 6, the 175 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:09,200 psalmist writes Rest in God alone. 176 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:13,200 My soul for my hope, it comes from Him. 177 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,720 He's my rock, He's my salvation. He's my stronghold. 178 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:21,920 And when my hope is found there, I will not be shaken. 179 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:28,640 So the good news is this. If you're low on hope, there's a 180 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:33,800 source that is more than able to supply all of the hope that you 181 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:35,840 need. You just got to stop sourcing it 182 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:41,160 from the wrong spots. If you're feeling short on hope. 183 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:45,080 If something has robbed you of your hope, it might be a sign 184 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:47,600 that you were getting it from the wrong place. 185 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:50,680 Because God doesn't run out of hope. 186 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:55,600 He's the God of hope. My deepest prayer is that 187 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,840 everyone who is here, everyone who would ever hear this 188 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:03,920 message, would know that God is a God of hope. 189 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:07,960 He's the one who always keeps his promises. 190 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:14,800 He is the one who never, ever, ever deserts us, betrays us, or 191 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:20,240 leaves us alone. He's the one who can sustain us 192 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:25,520 in the present and has made certain and sure a future for 193 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,240 His people. There is always hope when God is 194 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:32,640 your hope. So let's take a moment to pray. 195 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:37,560 And would you maybe just pray this? 196 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:40,880 Would you pray for the God of hope to reveal Himself to you 197 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:44,960 today if you're low on hope? And would you pray for the 198 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,960 others around you, not just for you, but for the people sitting 199 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:52,160 behind you, in front of you, in the balcony, on the main floor, 200 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,440 Even those who are teaching today in kids or the kids who 201 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:59,800 are worshipping today with us? And pray that the God of hope, 202 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,880 who would give hope to those who are struggling to find it today? 203 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:25,240 Let's pray, God of hope, show us, remind us 204 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:31,560 that this is who you are. Don't just just give us hope, 205 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:37,400 anchor our hope in you. You, You alone of all things are 206 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:38,880 a certain thing, are a sure thing. 207 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:41,920 We don't know what the next moment holds, but we know who 208 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:48,240 holds those moments. Your Word alone is what is true, 209 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:52,520 always and forever. Anchor our hearts to your 210 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:55,960 promises. Anchor our hearts to your 211 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:59,280 beauty, into your glory that we've sung of this morning, to 212 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:02,760 your greatness. In our struggles, in our 213 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:07,400 uncertainties, in our waiting, in our wanting, be our hope. 214 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:10,080 We pray, Lord. Amen. 215 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,640 So as Paul prayed for the Romans, I pray that we would 216 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:21,600 know God as our source of hope. But I also pray that you would 217 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:26,720 be filled with joy and peace because you know him as the God 218 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:29,720 of hope. See, when you're filled with 219 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:35,760 hope, there's some markers that show up because hope's hard to 220 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:38,280 kind of identify in and of itself. 221 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,320 So you need some things that show that there's hope there. 222 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,560 And the two markers that Paul gives us in this are joy and 223 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:50,720 peace. The Bible talks about hope. 224 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:53,360 It's it's not talking about wishful thinking. 225 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:58,480 There's a reason I give Leafs fans such a hard time and it's 226 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:02,560 because I'm a Cowboys fan and the Cowboys are the Leafs of the 227 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:06,800 NFL. So I deeply understand your 228 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,840 delusion. It is delusion season for me 229 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:14,560 right now as a Cowboys fan because it's pre season and in 230 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:23,080 pre season anything is possible and in January reality comes 231 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:25,440 right. I know how this goes. 232 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:28,880 That's not the type of hope we're taught. 233 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:33,680 It's not wishful thinking hope. No, this is certain hope. 234 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:39,280 Biblical hope is is certain because it is based on what God 235 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:43,880 has done. It's rooted in reality. 236 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:51,400 It's attached to the promises of the one who is always faithful. 237 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,320 It's our true and certain hope is the gospel, right? 238 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:00,760 What is the gospel? That while we were sinners, 239 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,200 Christ died for us. These are all this. 240 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:06,440 Paul just said that in Romans 5/8. 241 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:08,079 This has been part of the same letter. 242 00:17:08,079 --> 00:17:10,839 He, these people, they're reading this letter, they know 243 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:13,359 this hope. While we were still sinners, 244 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:17,119 Christ died for us. Romans 10-9 If you confess with 245 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:19,720 your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that 246 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:24,280 God raised him from the dead, this is a certain hope you will 247 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:30,480 be saved. Romans 623 The wagers of sin is 248 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:36,560 death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus 249 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:40,120 Christ our Lord. That's the hope of the Gospel, 250 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,320 Romans 81. There is now no condemnation, 251 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:50,240 there's no judgment, there's no punishment for those who are in 252 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,320 Christ Jesus because Jesus paid it all on the cross. 253 00:17:54,920 --> 00:18:02,000 What type of joy, what type of peace, what type of hope should 254 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,720 be ours if those are true things, Not just things we know 255 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:11,480 in here, but things that we believe in here, What could be 256 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:17,800 better than that? If this is our true and certain 257 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:21,680 hope? If you have trusted in Jesus, 258 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:29,640 you're forgiven completely, totally, utterly, washed clean. 259 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:35,920 You are loved, accepted, redeemed, restored, made a child 260 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:40,080 of the King. So this present difficult moment 261 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:44,560 may be a difficult moment, but it's a moment. 262 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:51,760 It's not your story. 2nd Corinthians 417 to 18. 263 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:53,760 The same Paul that prayed this prayer. 264 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,480 The reason he can pray this because he knows it, he lives 265 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:01,440 it. Love these verses he says, for 266 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:06,840 our momentary light affliction is producing for us an 267 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:12,120 absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 268 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:16,920 So, so we don't focus on what is seen. 269 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:21,960 We don't get drawn down and stuck in what what's in front of 270 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:25,240 our eyes in this moment that's distracting us from our hope. 271 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:29,120 No, what is unseen is what we focus on because what is seen, 272 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:33,680 it's temporary. But what's unseen, that eternal 273 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:36,720 weight of glory that's going to be yours forever if you're in 274 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:42,480 Christ Jesus and you say, well, it's easy for Paul to say light 275 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:45,200 and momentary affliction. Paul doesn't know what I'm going 276 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:48,520 through. No, but I know what Paul went 277 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:50,200 through. And you can find out what Paul 278 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:52,120 went through because in that same letter in Second 279 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:57,480 Corinthians, he tells us, he says five times I received 40 280 00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:01,280 lashes -1 from the Jews, his own people. 281 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:05,720 Three times I was beaten with rods. 282 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:11,120 Once I received a stoning. For those of you like under the 283 00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:15,360 age of 40, different type of stoning. 3 times I was 284 00:20:15,360 --> 00:20:19,160 shipwrecked. I've spent a night and a day in 285 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:23,440 the open sea. On frequent journeys I face 286 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:27,240 dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers. 287 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:28,680 That's good alliteration right there. 288 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:32,440 Dangers from my own people, dangers from the gentiles, 289 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,640 Dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, Dangers that see 290 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,920 lots of dangers. Dangers from false brothers, 291 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:43,600 toil and hardship. Many sleepless nights, Hunger 292 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:49,560 and thirst, often without food, cold and without clothing. 293 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,560 And that's his momentary light affliction. 294 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:57,120 But he has joy. He has hope. 295 00:20:57,840 --> 00:20:59,440 Does he get into points where it's dark? 296 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,320 Yeah. He has some moments in jail 297 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,720 where he feels alone, he feels defeated. 298 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:09,680 He needs people around him. But he never, ever, ever fully 299 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:14,120 loses his hope. He has peace because he knows 300 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:18,520 that that momentary light affliction is producing for him 301 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:23,200 an absolutely incomparable weight of glory. 302 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:27,640 He knows if he has Jesus, he has everything. 303 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:33,880 If he has Jesus, he has nothing to fear because everyone who has 304 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:37,800 Jesus, everyone who is in Jesus, they are secure. 305 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:44,600 Their future is secure. Why is Christian hope certain? 306 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:51,520 Because our future hope isn't tied to what we do or don't do. 307 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:54,960 It's tied to what Jesus did for us. 308 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,440 And what is done cannot be undone. 309 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:02,440 A lack of joy, a lack of peace is is. 310 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:05,000 Again, it's a warning sign. It's, it's a little light 311 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:10,120 flashing on the dash that maybe we're placing our hope in the 312 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:16,680 wrong spots and the wrong things that we've lost or are losing 313 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:20,440 sight of the true and certain hope that comes from knowing 314 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:28,640 Christ who is our hope. So let's pray this, pray and 315 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:30,520 just bow your heads, close your eyes for a minute. 316 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:36,640 Pray that God would pour out joy and peace on those around you 317 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:40,200 right now as they find it in Christ. 318 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:45,520 Pray that He would remind them of the truth of the gospel, the 319 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:50,520 certain hope, so they'd be filled up with joy and hope. 320 00:22:50,520 --> 00:23:13,480 Today. Godfather, get our eyes fixed on 321 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:20,160 you so that we would be people who find peace and joy in the 322 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:24,560 midst of these momentary and what seems very much not like a 323 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:29,160 light affliction. Just help us to remember the 324 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:33,200 incomparable weight of glory that Christ has provided for us. 325 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,960 Your love and goodness towards us I pray, Amen. 326 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:43,080 Third thing I pray is I pray that you would believe. 327 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:50,920 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you 328 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:55,640 believe. Hope, joy, peace. 329 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,480 They come through belief in Jesus. 330 00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:01,520 I'm just going to say this straight out. 331 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:07,600 If you don't believe in Jesus and you're here today, you 332 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:13,800 should not have hope, shouldn't have peace because it's 333 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:17,600 delusional there. There is no hope apart from 334 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,440 Jesus Christ. And I don't want you to live in 335 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,000 a delusion. I don't want you to jump off the 336 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,240 building thinking you could fly and not realize till you hit the 337 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:32,360 bottom that you couldn't fly. But I also want you to know with 338 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:38,280 Jesus, no one is without hope, that there's no limit on who 339 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:43,520 Jesus made hope available for. That the hope that Jesus 340 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:46,960 provides is available to anyone and everyone who recognizes and 341 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:50,360 confesses him as Jesus and Lord. And when we do that, when we 342 00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:53,440 believe in Jesus, then hope is ours. 343 00:24:54,360 --> 00:24:58,480 It's a gift that's given to us, the joy and peace we receive 344 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:05,320 that I also want to say to some of you who are here who believe 345 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:09,280 that that's more than an intellectual ascent. 346 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,680 It's more than just a nodding of my head about a statement. 347 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:19,360 See, as you believe probably would be better translated as 348 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:24,560 you trust here, but you would have be filled up with joy and 349 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:30,840 peace as you trust, as you choose to walk in faith in what 350 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,040 Jesus has said, what Jesus has done, what God has promised, 351 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:38,480 even when your heart is struggling to feel it. 352 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:45,280 Belief shown through action that that's, that's where belief is 353 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:47,040 proven. That's where where faith's 354 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:49,680 proving ground is. Trust is not a passive thing. 355 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:51,880 It's not. It's not merely intellectually 356 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:54,000 believing an idea about something. 357 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:59,400 Jesus tells us that the demons believe and shudder because they 358 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:03,160 don't really believe. They know, but that's not where 359 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:08,160 their heart is. Choosing to act in congruence 360 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:11,840 with what we claim to know is what we need to do in order to 361 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:16,880 live out our faith. So, for example, here I believe 362 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:20,360 I'm fully forgiven and accepted not because of what I've done, 363 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:25,240 because of what Jesus did on the cross to wash my sins away. 364 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:32,240 My hope lies in the God who forgives my past because of what 365 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:36,480 Christ did for me. That should then mean this. 366 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:42,280 I'm not going to live in shame. I'm not going to hide my sin 367 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:45,680 away. I'm not going to hide my past 368 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:49,080 away. I'm going to live honestly, even 369 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:52,120 if it's costly to get honest about things. 370 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,600 And when I live like that, when I actually put what I believe 371 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:05,880 into practice, that's when joy and peace begin to fill up in 372 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:08,320 me. To just sit there and know 373 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:12,120 something is not enough. You have to trust. 374 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,600 You have to put it into action. And it's uncomfortable. 375 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:18,720 But Christianity is uncomfortable. 376 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:23,000 And in the uncomfortableness and the difficulty of it, that's 377 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:28,240 when the joy and peace comes. A lot of us, we want the joy and 378 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:33,280 peace without the trust. We want the feelings without the 379 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:41,000 faith. But Paul says all joy and peace 380 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:46,640 as you believe. So let me just ask us to pray 381 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,880 for this this morning again, Just bow your heads for a 382 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:52,280 moment. Just take distractions away. 383 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:57,000 Did you ask the Holy Spirit? Because He's the one who 384 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:02,320 convicts and convinces and shows us where we have things in our 385 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:03,560 life that we don't know ourselves. 386 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:08,920 Would you ask Him to reveal to you an area where you need to 387 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,680 live what you believe you're just not living in congruence 388 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:14,520 with what you claim to believe. It's an area of sin. 389 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,880 There's an area where you're failing to say yes to God in 390 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:22,200 something. Maybe you don't even know it, so 391 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:33,040 just ask Him to reveal it. And then would you pray this, 392 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:38,160 pray that God would grant anyone who is here who does not yet 393 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:43,200 believe that Jesus died for them, that they can be forgiven 394 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:47,560 and made clean. That God would do a work in them 395 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:52,920 to open their eyes to faith. And today, even today, would be 396 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:55,560 the day where they would place their trust in Jesus Christ as 397 00:28:55,560 --> 00:29:10,200 Lord and Savior. God of hope, fill us up with joy 398 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:14,360 and peace that comes from believing that the gospel is 399 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:19,440 true, believing in such a way that we live as if it's true. 400 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:24,400 I pray for those who do not yet believe that you would open 401 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:31,120 their eyes to your great, great, great love for them and their 402 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:33,280 great, great, great need for you. 403 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:41,480 I pray for those who do believe that we would be people who more 404 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:46,600 and more would live the gospel that we have trusted in, that it 405 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:50,800 would shape and form us, and we would be shaped more into the 406 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,560 image and likeness of the Savior who saved us. 407 00:29:54,840 --> 00:30:00,720 Amen. Now may the God of hope fill you 408 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:05,960 with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow 409 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,840 with hope. Fourth thing I pray for us is I 410 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,760 pray that we would be so filled with hope that it would 411 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:14,920 overflow. You know, people are looking for 412 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:16,520 hope. People are desperate. 413 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,640 We've we've already talked about that church. 414 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,640 We are in a time where there's a hope deficit. 415 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:28,040 You know what we have hope. How many of you have people 416 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:31,800 coming up to you on the regular saying, hey, just wondering why 417 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:34,360 you got so much joy and peace, why you're so hopeful? 418 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:40,560 I got to ask myself that question, how, how often am I 419 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:43,000 getting asked about the hope I have? 420 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,120 Because if I'm not getting asked, that's a problem. 421 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:53,880 First, Peter 315 Peter says, in your hearts regard Christ the 422 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:59,680 Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who 423 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:03,800 asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 424 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:07,480 There is an assumption that Christians will live in such a 425 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:08,960 way they're overflowing with hope. 426 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,920 Somebody's going to come up and ask what if? 427 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:16,360 Evangelism was a lot less of figuring out how to answer all 428 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:19,640 the questions that you're scared to answer, and more about 429 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:21,840 figuring out how to answer a question when someone says why 430 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:24,400 do you have hope? What? 431 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,000 Why do you have peace? I know what's going on in your 432 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:28,680 life. How can you have peace in the 433 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:32,160 midst of that? Why can you still have joy? 434 00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:37,800 Let me let me suggest some of the questions that I think the 435 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:41,200 people of God should expect to receive and some answers that 436 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:43,080 you would hopefully be ready to give. 437 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:46,040 What if we got asked this question? 438 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:51,520 What if we live so differently in this age of anger and 439 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:55,080 frustration and irritation and outrage that people came to us 440 00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:58,240 and they said, hey, notice you aren't angry and irritated and 441 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:01,960 frustrated all the time? Man, it would sure be nice if 442 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:05,400 most of the people I know who were not angry were were not 443 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,120 Christians. But I seem to find so many 444 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:10,800 Christians who are angry and irritated and outraged more than 445 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:14,400 anybody else. But what if we lived in such a 446 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:19,800 way that it showed up and you could say, because I know the 447 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:24,560 God who created this world, I know the Jesus who stepped into 448 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:28,760 this world and I know he's going to sort it out and I trust in 449 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:31,680 him. So I'm not anxious and fearful 450 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:36,200 and, and anger is usually just anxiety and fear showing up in a 451 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:41,680 different way. What what if, what if This was 452 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:44,480 the question. You got that person, man. 453 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:49,840 They're such a jerk to you. How can you still treat them 454 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:53,920 with grace and compassion and empathy the way they treat you? 455 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,360 Because I can tell you exactly what you can say. 456 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:03,160 Because I know a God who was gracious and kind to me when I 457 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:06,600 was a jerk when I haven't deserved it. 458 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:09,640 He has been so forgiving and compassionate to me. 459 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:17,120 What if the question you're receiving is, I know how 460 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:21,360 difficult everything that you are going through has been. 461 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:24,840 It looks awful, and yet somehow you've got peace and joy in the 462 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:30,640 middle of that. I would love to know how that's 463 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:34,680 possible. And you could look at that 464 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:37,760 person, you can say, because my peace is not rooted in my 465 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:42,240 circumstances, it's rooted in Jesus. 466 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:49,880 That's so listen, the answers you give to those questions are 467 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:55,000 going to be so more powerful in most people's lives than an 468 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,240 esoteric answer about how a good God can allow bad things to 469 00:33:58,240 --> 00:33:59,320 happen. Those are important. 470 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:01,160 You should learn those. You should get to know those. 471 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,520 But the answer that every Christian should have is, why 472 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:04,920 does the gospel matter in your life? 473 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:11,040 How come you're changed? Our world needs people who know 474 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:15,080 the God of hope, who are filled with joy and peace through 475 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:21,120 believing and have that overflow into the world around us. 476 00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:27,480 So let's pray this, and let's pray that it would start with 477 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,000 us, and then pray for everyone around us that God would make us 478 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:35,400 a church, a community of people who are overflowing with gospel 479 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:39,159 hope, peace and joy so that people couldn't help but ask 480 00:34:39,159 --> 00:34:49,920 what's going on. God, work on us. 481 00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:56,960 God, we don't want to just talk about this hope, peace, joy 482 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:59,640 stuff. We want to be so filled up it 483 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:03,800 flows out to a starving world around us and people are lining 484 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:10,840 up to ask what's going on. God help us to be able to point 485 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:15,400 to you in those moments in ways that are true and authentic and 486 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:19,400 resonate in ways that help people see how beautiful and 487 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,800 glorious you are in Jesus name, Amen. 488 00:35:23,720 --> 00:35:24,840 And I want to end this with this. 489 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:25,800 I think this is really important. 490 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:30,640 We can't do any of this on our own, He says we do this by the 491 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:36,040 power of the Holy Spirit. So my prayer is that the Holy 492 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:38,920 Spirit would empower us to all of this. 493 00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:45,480 You cannot work this up in you. This is not about white 494 00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:51,800 knuckling up more hope. We need the Holy Spirit to show 495 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:56,560 up and get in US and give us this hope and work it up in US. 496 00:35:56,800 --> 00:35:59,720 How does he do that? Well, he's the Spirit of all 497 00:35:59,720 --> 00:36:01,240 truth, who guides us into all truth. 498 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:04,000 One of the things the Holy Spirit does, he takes those 499 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:08,280 promises, those certain truths, he brings them to mind inside of 500 00:36:08,280 --> 00:36:10,800 us to give us hope. In those moments where this 501 00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:14,920 where Satan is feeding us with lies and the world is on us with 502 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:18,000 stuff that just wants to pull us down in despair, we got the Holy 503 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:23,120 Spirit to remind us of the truth that we have hope and by 504 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:28,440 empowering us to do weird, uncomfortable things. 505 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:34,000 I know Baptists don't like this. The Holy Spirit is weird. 506 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,840 Christian Christianity is weird. And it's OK to embrace the 507 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,920 weirdness. It's OK to embrace the 508 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:43,880 uncomfortableness. We we need to be waking up in 509 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:47,240 the morning and praying. Holy Spirit guide and direct me 510 00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:51,280 today and if you prompt me to go have a conversation with 511 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:54,320 somebody and say some words to them on behalf of you because 512 00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:56,920 you want to speak in their life. I'm an open vessel, even though 513 00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,480 that seems really weird and I'm really uncomfortable with it. 514 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:05,240 We we got to pray that if God isn't in this, it's not going to 515 00:37:05,240 --> 00:37:10,080 happen. That that, that you would pray 516 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:14,880 that the Holy Spirit would allow you to be a conduit to point 517 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:19,680 people towards Jesus each day that they would see him at work 518 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:22,480 in you and you would be able to say, yeah, that's the Holy 519 00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:25,760 Spirit that I got through Jesus. He's making me this way. 520 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,880 And to go out into the world and live in such a way that people 521 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:35,560 are like, oh, there could be a better, different way of living. 522 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:38,640 I'd like to learn more about that. 523 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:43,920 So let me just pray this and you can pray along with me. 524 00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:49,840 Holy Spirit, we struggle to maintain hope. 525 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:53,840 We get our eyes so easily off God. 526 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,160 We forget the promises so quickly. 527 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:02,160 The words of this world sink in so quick and and rob us from the 528 00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:05,720 truth of your word. And we need you to refocus us 529 00:38:05,720 --> 00:38:10,840 and to remind us of what's true. We need you to empower us to 530 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:14,960 live lives of hope, even when it's a weird and uncomfortable 531 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:20,760 that we would live lives that would be a constant sign that 532 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:25,840 there is a God that is out there who moves in power and works. 533 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:29,240 And he didn't just do it back then, He's doing it now. 534 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:35,200 That you are the center and the source of all hope. 535 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:41,400 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you 536 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,440 believe so that you overflow with hope by the power of the 537 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:46,760 Holy Spirit. Hey church, today there's hope. 538 00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:51,520 It's a hope that can fill you with joy and peace in any 539 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:52,920 circumstance, whatever you're going through. 540 00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:57,480 Today there's hope because that hope is built on the certain 541 00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:01,880 truth that Jesus died to save us and he's going to rescue us and 542 00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:04,200 redeem us. And what he promises always 543 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:07,680 comes true. If you've got Jesus, you have 544 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:10,480 nothing to fear and everything to hope for. 545 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:16,040 So Live Today as people who believe that. 546 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:21,640 Live Today as people of hope, and pray that the Holy Spirit 547 00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:24,760 would empower you into that hope in greater and more measure. 548 00:39:25,240 --> 00:39:28,960 In all the days that lie ahead, let's sing together.