Are you tired of placing your hopes in unreliable sources? Discover how to anchor your hope in something eternal and steadfast as we explore the true essence of hope rooted in faith in Jesus Christ. By reflecting on transformative biblical passages like Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalms 121:7-8, we highlight the contrast between the often disappointing hopes placed in worldly entities and the unwavering hope provided by God. This episode reveals that only through faith in Jesus Christ can we find genuine, lasting hope. We delve into the profound promises of God, emphasizing that faith, hope, and love are the pillars of a fulfilling spiritual life, as illustrated in scriptures like Romans 5:5 and 1 Corinthians 13:13.
In the second chapter, we explore the dynamic power of hope in Christianity, focusing on how scriptures such as Ephesians 1:18 and the Beatitudes serve as a Christian's hope list. These verses remind us of the divine rewards and blessings that come from adhering to God's teachings, enriching our spiritual resilience and nurturing our hope. The Beatitudes, in particular, outline various states of being that, despite challenges, lead to divine rewards, reinforcing our faith and assurance in God's promises. Join us for an inspiring discussion that will deepen your understanding of how faith, hope, and love can transform your spiritual journey.
Are you tired of placing your hopes in unreliable sources? Discover how to anchor your hope in something eternal and steadfast as we explore the true essence of hope rooted in faith in Jesus Christ. By reflecting on transformative biblical passages like Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalms 121:7-8, we highlight the contrast between the often disappointing hopes placed in worldly entities and the unwavering hope provided by God. This episode reveals that only through faith in Jesus Christ can we find genuine, lasting hope. We delve into the profound promises of God, emphasizing that faith, hope, and love are the pillars of a fulfilling spiritual life, as illustrated in scriptures like Romans 5:5 and 1 Corinthians 13:13.
In the second chapter, we explore the dynamic power of hope in Christianity, focusing on how scriptures such as Ephesians 1:18 and the Beatitudes serve as a Christian's hope list. These verses remind us of the divine rewards and blessings that come from adhering to God's teachings, enriching our spiritual resilience and nurturing our hope. The Beatitudes, in particular, outline various states of being that, despite challenges, lead to divine rewards, reinforcing our faith and assurance in God's promises. Join us for an inspiring discussion that will deepen your understanding of how faith, hope, and love can transform your spiritual journey.
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Speaker 1:
Today we're going to talk about hope. I read a post on Facebook from someone I know and it was about something that happened to a politician and it upset them. So they've lost all hope for the United States. And they were just so disappointed and I thought when did we start putting our hope into political parties and into politicians? When did we start putting our hope into anything but God? What made me so sad that they felt like they had lost their hope?
Speaker 1:
I don't have hope in this country. I don't have hope in a politician. I don't have hope in a political party. I have hope in Jesus Christ. Jeremiah 29, 11 says for I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. God gives us hope. There is nothing here on earth that has the ability to give us hope. And how can you lose hope in something or someone that doesn't have the ability to give you hope? Something or someone that doesn't have the ability to give you hope? You know a doctor will come along and say, oh, I've got a cure for you and you get hope in that. I get hope in that, jesus Christ, that God and the Holy Spirit has worked on this doctor and given him the knowledge and worked in his hands. My hope isn't in that doctor. My hope is in that Jesus Christ working through that doctor.
Speaker 1:
Why do we put our hope in things that aren't even hopeful? Politicians, political parties they lie. I believe both parties lie. I believe most politicians lie, and you know that doesn't give me any hope. Jesus Christ never lies. He never, never, never lies. And what made us put our hope in things that are fading, things that don't last, dead things? The only hope that's truly there for us is the hope in Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:
Psalms 121, 7-8 says the Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out, your coming. That is hope. That is someone giving you hope. Psalms 135 says I wait for the Lord, my soul waits and in his word I do hope. Again, jesus Christ, that's where the hope comes from. Psalms 119, 114 says you are my hiding place and my shield. I hope in your word. That's where our hope is at. Well, you know, people will say, well, I hope I can do this or I hope I can do that. That's really just saying it's a wish. Hope is something that's in your spirit, that's in your heart. God gives us hope for eternity. God gives us hope for a new life. God gives us hope for salvation. God gives us those things and we know that that hope always becomes real. That hope is real in us. That's not something we wish might happen, it's real.
Speaker 1:
The thing that goes with hope is faith. And what is faith? We have faith in Jesus Christ. We have faith in Jesus Christ. We have faith in God.
Speaker 1:
And Hebrews 11 says Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. It's hope and evidence faith. So when we have faith, we have hope, we have evidence. So when we have faith, we have hope, we have evidence. We know that that hope is going to be fulfilled.
Speaker 1:
Proverbs 13, 12 says Hope deferred makes the heart sick. When the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 10, 28 says the hope of the righteous will be gladness. The expectations of the wicked will perish. So that hope you're having in all those politicians and those political parties is expectations of the wicked. I'm not saying they're all wicked, but the basis of most of what goes on there is wicked and that will perish. God promised it will perish.
Speaker 1:
The scripture that I absolutely love and you all know it. This should really show what your hope is. Isaiah 40, 31,. That's our hope. They shall walk and not faint. That's our hope. When we wait on the Lord, we know that this is going to happen.
Speaker 1:
Lamentations 3.24 says the Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore, I hope in him. Your hope is in the Lord. We don't ever want to see somebody go out there and tell me how disappointed they are or that they have no hope because some temporal thing or temporal person did something that made you lose your hope. Person did something that made you lose your hope. You know Christ says nothing can snatch you from his hands, and in his hands is our hope, is our future.
Speaker 1:
Romans 5.5 says now, hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Hope doesn't disappoint. So if what you're hoping in disappoints you, then you're not hoping in the right things. Romans 15.13 says Now, may God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Hope, hope, it comes from God, it comes from the Holy Spirit, it comes from Jesus Christ, it comes from living a life for Christ, in Christ in Christ.
Speaker 1:
Hebrews 10.23 says let us hold fast the confessions of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful, and I said the things that we hope for. They will come to pass, because God is faithful in all things. 1 Corinthians, and this is one that you should all know by heart 1 Corinthians, 13, 13,. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three. The greatest of these is love, but hope is there. Those three things faith, hope and love.
Speaker 1:
1 Peter, 1.3 says Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, has begotten us again through a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That's our hope. Christ died, he suffered, he was buried, he arose and with that he gave us the hope of eternal life. And what did I say before? We will deliver. When we live for him, when we give our hearts to Him, when we let Him lead us in all things, that hope that we have in our heart will become reality, but only through Jesus Christ. There's nothing or no one on this earth that can give you hope and it will always come to pass. Ephesians 4.4 says there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in the hope of your calling.
Speaker 1:
Hope. I mean, I haven't read all of these scriptures that I got from my research that talks about hope. That I got from my research that talks about hope. I only did 31,. I think it was scriptures. I haven't read all of them and I'm sure that there's more. These are just the ones that I pulled out.
Speaker 1:
The Bible talks about hope all the time. Ephesians 1.18 says the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of glory of his inheritance in the saints. That's the hope that we have. And why do we have these hopes? I think one of the things that gives me hope, and I don't know if you'll agree with me or not, but when I read the Beatitudes I look at this as a Christian's hope list. We all know that he follows through with what he's told us. So that gives us hope, so that when we are poor in spirit, our hope is that we will have the kingdom of heaven. Or when we're going to mourn, we have the hope that we'll always be comforted.
Speaker 1:
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely. For my sakes, rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Speaker 1:
Those are our hopes. We're going to have the kingdom of heaven. We're going to be comforted. We're going to inherit the earth. We're going to be filled when we're hungry and thirsty. We're going to obtain mercy. We're going to see God. I don't want to see a politician. We're going to see God. I don't want to see a politician, I want to see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God, and I want to be a son of God. We've got to look at the hope of Jesus Christ, the hope of his return, knowing one day all the things that we hope for will be there before us, and we'll know that Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, is the author of our hope and the giver of our hope, is true to his word to us.
