Keeping Hope in View
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
There are many things happening in our world that may give alarm.
Today, I want to give you a message of hope.
For the Christian, faith in Christ is everything.
It is a faith that God is in control.
It is a faith that we can experience His presence and grace.
It is a faith that assures us, evening in the most difficult of times.
This faith we have also gives us hope—an assurance that what God says He will do—and that will sustain us, even during these confusing times.
In God’s Word, we are given the promise of hope—that will help us move forward with confidence.
Text: Ephesians 1:15-18
15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,
16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,
17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
Theses
Today, I want to give you several thoughts about what can help us grow our hope—a hope that will keep our eyes in the promise of God and His call in our life.
Truth produces genuine Hope.
Truth produces genuine Hope.
Truth is an essential ingredient for authentic hope.
Hope that is supported by what is false will eventually lead toward discouragement and backsliding.
Clarity builds depth to Hope.
Clarity builds depth to Hope.
When 2020 began, I preached a message emphasizing that 2020 will be the year of clarity for our church.
However, it seemed that it was everything else but clarity.
But in these times of testing, I actually believe clarity has been the theme. We get a clear picture of our spiritual condition; of what really is the center of our life (is it Jesus, or is it something else).
We need clarity. But the opposite has an important message for us as well.
Confusion, complications, and disorder adversely affects confidence and assurance.
Don’t dwell in turmoil—dwell in the clarity of God’s presence and promises.
Rest nurtures Hope.
Rest nurtures Hope.
Physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion can rob you of hope.
Rest is an important opportunity to recover and restore and re-create.
Neglecting to build margin and unplugging will eventually lead toward stress and burnout.
Hope is nurtures and brought to health through quality and quantity of rest.
Healthy Spiritual Fellowship sustains Hope.
Healthy Spiritual Fellowship sustains Hope.
The people who influence you the most will have the most affect on the health of your hope.
Allow those who uplift Christ and encourage to occupy more time than those you bring you down through their attitudes and words.
Negative, critical people will harm your hope which will lead toward hopelessness.
Faith in Christ leads you to Hope.
Faith in Christ leads you to Hope.
There is no substitute to Christ who gives you a sustained hope.
False teachers and false teachings will only lead toward a false hope—an empty, shallow hope.
Keep you eyes on Christ—your everlasting hope.
10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,
11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Amen!