What shall we do when we feel stuck and discouraged? Moses’s transformation from despair to hope shines a light on how all of God’s children can awaken to receive God’s gift of hope in times of difficulty. Even more helpful, Moses points us to the One “greater than” himself who lives in hope and inspires hope. In Christ alone, our hope (a good feeling awakened by embracing God’s plans for the future) is found!
"hope" Tagged Sermons (Page 2)
The Bible’s declaration of present and future Redemption is as revolutionary now as it was two millennia ago: God came into this broken creation to begin redeeming it. Redemption has started in us, God’s people, and eventually, it will be completed in us and through us. Our souls and bodies alike will be redeemed. Both the human and sub-human worlds will be redeemed. Redemption is for all of creation!
Has God ever worked differently than you expected? Expectations were high in the the crowd, Jewish leadership, Roman officials and Jesus’ disciples on Palm Sunday. Yet, it was on this day that Jesus revealed that He is King. A Lord different than expected and better than imagined.
Today’s message of hope comes in two courses. From the parable of the Prodigal Son we are reminded of God’s desire and plan for us to live with Him. The second course, delivered after communion, presents the vision for our church to offer more hope in Jesus’ name to more people in Denver and beyond. Trigger warning: This second phase includes a challenge to the Hope family to give sacrificially beyond our ongoing offerings toward our 2-month Expand Hope campaign. May God bless you as you are encouraged to both seize and extend the hope of Christ to others.
We often put our hope in things that crumble. It is easy to do in our day. But there is a hope that lasts, that will culminate in Christ’s second coming. What did this hope look like for believers in his generation, and what does that hope look like today? And are you truly ready for Jesus to come again?
Paul makes it clear in this text that the condition of our heart is what’s most important when we give financially. Our community has landed on the Biblical vineyard metaphor in regard to our 3 key priorities for this new ministry year, and our vision is that we all bear abundant spiritual fruit for the Lord’s glory and for our joy. This is an appeal to cheerfully respond to the opportunity to significantly invest in bringing the church’s vision to fruition, as we seek to be a community on mission together.
Last week Arik was led to remind us that we are a people of hope. We have a God-given picture of the future that effects how we live in the present. Today, we consider how God sent Jesus to ignite hope in His generation and how the church, as the body of Christ, when prioritized by all who are a part of it, has the privilege of continuing to provide hope in our generation until He comes again!
We don’t suffer without reason. Because, when we suffer, people see our hope amidst it and are intrigued. When they ask about the reason for our hope, we have an opportunity to share our faith in Jesus. Are you prepared to share?
Home inspections reveal that which is good and that which needs improvement. So, our world is filled with shooting stars and shooting victims. Jesus began a cosmic restoration during His brief life and He invited others to join Him in healing the world and humanity. For united with Him, His death was the death of the project for worldwide renewal and personal wholeness. So, His resurrection, was more than His resurrection. It was the rebirth of all that He began, His disciples now continue, and He will complete when He comes again at the end of the age – the renewal of all things!
We were designed to experience God while living in His presence daily. Yet suffering can cause us to turn from God. On this 2nd day of Lent we meditate on David’s response to suffering. He felt forsaken by God and he questioned God, yet he continued to cry out and come to God. A thousand years later the Gospels report that one of David’s descendants fulfilled the suffering and joy originally penned by David. As He hung on a Roman cross atoning for the sins of the world, Jesus expressed words from Psalm 22 to the Father identifying with David and all of us when we are afflicted with suffering.