Have you ever searched and searched for something and then you discovered that it was right in front of you all the time? In the book of John, many religious people had “searched the scriptures” but totally missed that the words they studied were pointing to Jesus as the Christ and Messiah. Many of us do the same. We seek to learn and grow, but when Jesus arrives in our everyday lives we don’t recognize Him at all.
When was the last time you were surprised? What does it take to astonish you? To marvel is to live with surprise, wonder and amazed curiosity. God made you to live with an ever-expanding amazed curiosity and in this message, Jesus will show you how to do so.
Following Jesus is not always easy or comfortable. It often wasn’t easy for the disciples, especially when He led them into unexpected places – like Samaria – and did unexpected things – like talking alone with a woman at a well. But it is often in these moments where the most profound, earth-shattering revelations of God are given, and the abundant fruit of salvation is seen. As believers at Hope, we want to walk faithfully with our God – even as He leads us into uncomfortable places in our lives.
John The Baptist saw something with discerning eyes which allowed him to believe and passionately preach that Jesus was the Messiah. What he saw was a heavenly reality of relationship between Spirit and Son. This relational reality was what empowered Jesus in His earthly ministry, and it is what he invites us into as we walk with God in our own daily lives. To be immersed in the fullness of the Triune God is Christ’s example and gift to us.
Why is solitary confinement torturous? Why is loneliness so severe? After walking with Jesus, the Apostle John observed that the Father and Son’s relationship is one of with-ness. This message heralds this union, hints at how this union answers the questions above and points to how it models an intimacy with God similar to what we can also have.
It’s hard to watch a runner drop out of the race, and it’s difficult to see those we love step away from God when life gets tough. Just like an endurance coach helping a runner make it through the finish line, this message equips us to remain with God in a way described in Hebrews as “running with endurance.”
How and why you walk with God matters to the world around you in a big way! When you, as a follower of Christ, obey God and do what he says in faith (no matter the weirdness of what he asks) others will come to follow God in the same way. This is the story of the Israelites, The walls of Jericho and the Prostitute named Rahab.
When the ancient people of God were in crisis, surrounded by their enemy that could kill and capture them and the sea that could crush and drown them, God saved them by creating a path and spurring them to walk in faith through it. When we, the people of God, are in crisis today, we can trust that the one who spurred the world into motion can spur us to act justly, mercifully, and humbly as we walk with him.
Most of us struggle with a secret hope to be recognized and the reality that much of what we do goes unnoticed. This tension can frustrate us when others are praised and attempts to point out our own achievements are seen as arrogant. In this message we discover how walking with God in three specific ways caused Moses to be described as the most humble person on earth (Numbers 12:3) and how this type of life with God is the divine resolution to our human struggle.
It keeps us awake, diminishes our creativity and reduces our ability to love others. What is the antidote to fear? In this message we will discover God’s strategy to empower us to live in freedom rather than fear.