1 00:00:00,050 --> 00:00:00,770 amen. 2 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:02,120 So, uh, I don't know. 3 00:00:02,935 --> 00:00:05,155 But I am fired up. 4 00:00:05,155 --> 00:00:05,275 Amen. 5 00:00:06,715 --> 00:00:12,325 Tell us why Marcel Kyle's over here a hater. 6 00:00:12,325 --> 00:00:12,955 Look at him. 7 00:00:12,955 --> 00:00:14,575 He's an op right in front of us. 8 00:00:14,575 --> 00:00:16,075 The ops are between this. 9 00:00:16,225 --> 00:00:20,515 All right, so it, many of you might know if you don't know, I'm a huge sports fan. 10 00:00:20,515 --> 00:00:24,895 Before I went into the full-time ministry, I, I worked in sports radio, and so I'm 11 00:00:24,895 --> 00:00:31,705 a huge sports fan, and the sport that I'm most passionate about is college football. 12 00:00:31,710 --> 00:00:33,235 Can I get an amen Mark Hankins. 13 00:00:36,185 --> 00:00:37,055 Mark is fired up. 14 00:00:37,055 --> 00:00:39,875 Me and him are fired up because if you did not know, I'm 15 00:00:39,875 --> 00:00:40,955 gonna let you know right now. 16 00:00:42,545 --> 00:00:49,715 So the, the, this school called USC plays and they won again against their 17 00:00:49,715 --> 00:00:52,015 other arts rival Notre Dame last night. 18 00:00:53,525 --> 00:00:56,075 And so also I have to mention my niece Jasmine is here. 19 00:00:56,075 --> 00:00:56,855 Hey man, look at her. 20 00:00:56,855 --> 00:00:57,335 Come on. 21 00:00:58,955 --> 00:01:01,925 My niece, Jasmine also went to usc, so she's fired up. 22 00:01:02,435 --> 00:01:05,015 We went from no college to mo college in my family. 23 00:01:05,205 --> 00:01:05,695 Amen. 24 00:01:06,605 --> 00:01:08,675 There were no college degrees and now college degrees are 25 00:01:08,675 --> 00:01:10,175 coming out, so we're fired up. 26 00:01:10,235 --> 00:01:11,375 And so she went to usc. 27 00:01:11,555 --> 00:01:14,255 So I'm just on Cloud 29, not cloud nine. 28 00:01:14,255 --> 00:01:14,495 Okay. 29 00:01:14,495 --> 00:01:15,485 I went past that. 30 00:01:15,485 --> 00:01:16,055 Alright? 31 00:01:16,325 --> 00:01:20,135 And so I'm super fired up because we lived in some dark times for a 32 00:01:20,140 --> 00:01:24,725 number of years, John, or used to come up and make fun of me and laugh 33 00:01:24,725 --> 00:01:26,375 at me because he is an Oregon fan. 34 00:01:26,375 --> 00:01:29,164 I don't know why and what's going on with it, but he would hurt 35 00:01:29,164 --> 00:01:31,835 me even though he did love me when I went through a hard time. 36 00:01:31,985 --> 00:01:34,205 When I went through some difficult, hard time through sports. 37 00:01:34,265 --> 00:01:35,884 He jabbed it at me, you know? 38 00:01:35,975 --> 00:01:36,425 Me. 39 00:01:36,455 --> 00:01:37,354 So thank you for that. 40 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:43,505 Love . And so it's been some hard times, but by the grace of God, 41 00:01:43,505 --> 00:01:44,795 I believe it's the grace of God. 42 00:01:45,335 --> 00:01:47,555 We've been able to have some hope now this year. 43 00:01:47,555 --> 00:01:48,005 Amen. 44 00:01:48,125 --> 00:01:48,615 Amen. 45 00:01:48,620 --> 00:01:51,935 And I had this epiphany, this spiritual epiphany as I was watching college 46 00:01:51,935 --> 00:01:57,845 football yesterday, is that college football really has the ability to 47 00:01:57,845 --> 00:02:01,115 make or break your hope in life. 48 00:02:02,165 --> 00:02:02,465 Okay? 49 00:02:02,465 --> 00:02:03,455 That's an exaggeration. 50 00:02:04,625 --> 00:02:09,514 Not maybe life, but it's a sport that so filled with making and dashing hopes. 51 00:02:09,935 --> 00:02:12,365 Because you can start off the year with, yes, we have a chance to 52 00:02:12,395 --> 00:02:16,085 win it all, and you lose one game and that hope goes down the drain. 53 00:02:17,225 --> 00:02:20,525 But then maybe if you lose at the right time, you still might have some hope. 54 00:02:20,645 --> 00:02:25,145 And so recently here for USC fans, we've come to end the year with Zero Hope. 55 00:02:25,235 --> 00:02:28,355 We had like little bit of uh, uh, you know, possibility of 56 00:02:28,415 --> 00:02:33,215 maybe we're going to at least be average, but now we have some hope. 57 00:02:33,590 --> 00:02:37,760 And it made me start thinking about hope that we have as the people of God. 58 00:02:38,990 --> 00:02:41,329 And you know, there could be hope in sports, there could be hope. 59 00:02:41,329 --> 00:02:44,360 I know some of us are really into politics and you know, and all these 60 00:02:44,365 --> 00:02:49,280 different things, but as the people of God, we have a different type of hope. 61 00:02:50,180 --> 00:02:54,079 We have a hope that's powerful and hope is powerful, isn't it? 62 00:02:54,950 --> 00:02:57,980 Whether you have hope, whether maybe it's in order to excel 63 00:02:57,980 --> 00:03:03,170 in a certain area, whatever the case may be, hope is powerful. 64 00:03:03,530 --> 00:03:07,670 It can make the difference in our perspective. 65 00:03:08,210 --> 00:03:12,770 Hope changes our direction, our actions, our attitudes. 66 00:03:13,310 --> 00:03:16,190 And there's a clear difference when you are filled with hope 67 00:03:16,250 --> 00:03:18,620 and when you are lacking in hope. 68 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:20,780 Right? 69 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:26,329 You know the stark contrast when you are hopeful or when you are hopeless. 70 00:03:27,050 --> 00:03:32,329 And hopeless is a terrible, terrible place to being, isn't it? 71 00:03:33,500 --> 00:03:36,560 And so it can affect our emotional and our mental health. 72 00:03:37,370 --> 00:03:40,790 But when there is hope, there's confidence. 73 00:03:41,390 --> 00:03:44,810 When there's a hope that stems from a relationship with God, there's 74 00:03:44,810 --> 00:03:49,550 a belief that God will see you through the current situation. 75 00:03:51,079 --> 00:03:56,350 And we've been talking about becoming like God, meaning in a 76 00:03:56,350 --> 00:04:01,310 sense, becoming God lead to become, uh, what God has created us to be. 77 00:04:01,670 --> 00:04:09,620 And so it's so powerful that because of Jesus, we become people of hope, 78 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:15,020 and that's the title for our time here this morning, is that because 79 00:04:15,020 --> 00:04:18,769 of Jesus, we are people of hope. 80 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:20,000 Let's go to God in. 81 00:04:21,154 --> 00:04:24,995 Father, I thank you so much for what you've been teaching me, what 82 00:04:24,995 --> 00:04:26,465 you've been showing me recently. 83 00:04:26,465 --> 00:04:29,795 I know I was just awestruck in reading the passage here that we're going 84 00:04:29,795 --> 00:04:32,105 to read and just truly inspired. 85 00:04:32,110 --> 00:04:36,995 And God, I pray right now that you may communicate a message of hope 86 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,765 that people will see you or be reminded that you are a God of hope. 87 00:04:42,065 --> 00:04:45,905 And that because we are your people, we are a people of hope and 88 00:04:45,905 --> 00:04:49,475 how that can transform our lives. 89 00:04:49,655 --> 00:04:51,365 We pray in the name of Jesus. 90 00:04:51,365 --> 00:04:52,115 Amen. 91 00:04:52,955 --> 00:04:56,195 I wanna go ahead and, uh, show, uh, a video real quickly, 92 00:04:56,195 --> 00:04:57,515 uh, from the Bible Project. 93 00:04:57,515 --> 00:05:01,355 Many of us are fans of the Bible project videos and they do a phenomenal job. 94 00:05:01,355 --> 00:05:04,805 And so I wanna show this video here real quickly to help, um, 95 00:05:04,925 --> 00:05:07,625 to help us as we talk about hope. 96 00:05:07,625 --> 00:05:10,145 So let's go ahead and let's play the video. 97 00:05:13,310 --> 00:05:16,940 So let's say you wanna describe the feeling of anticipating a future 98 00:05:16,940 --> 00:05:18,410 that's better than the present. 99 00:05:18,740 --> 00:05:22,100 You might be giddy or excited or maybe unsure, but most 100 00:05:22,100 --> 00:05:23,510 of us know that experience. 101 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:24,800 We call it hope. 102 00:05:24,830 --> 00:05:27,935 It's a state of anticipation and it's crucial for healthy human 103 00:05:28,220 --> 00:05:31,850 existence, and it's a really important concept in the Bible. 104 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,360 In fact, there are many words for hope in the ancient languages of the 105 00:05:35,365 --> 00:05:37,070 Bible, and they're all fascinating. 106 00:05:37,340 --> 00:05:41,060 In the Old Testament, there are two main Hebrew words translated as hope. 107 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:46,070 The first is yaha, which means simply to wait for like in the story of Noah 108 00:05:46,070 --> 00:05:48,200 and the arc as the floodwaters recede. 109 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:50,270 Noah had to yaha for weeks. 110 00:05:50,525 --> 00:05:53,555 The other Hebrew word is kava, which also means to wait. 111 00:05:53,735 --> 00:05:56,975 It's related to the Hebrew word kav, which means cord. 112 00:05:57,034 --> 00:06:01,925 When you pull a cove tight, you produce a state of tension until there's release. 113 00:06:02,015 --> 00:06:05,435 That's kava the feeling of tension and expectation while 114 00:06:05,435 --> 00:06:07,025 you wait for something to happen. 115 00:06:07,385 --> 00:06:11,945 The prophet Isaiah depicts God as a farmer who plants vines and kavas for 116 00:06:11,945 --> 00:06:17,045 good grapes, or the prophet Micah talks about farmers who both kava and yaha for 117 00:06:17,045 --> 00:06:19,265 mourn dew to give moisture to the land. 118 00:06:19,715 --> 00:06:23,945 So in biblical Hebrew, hope is about waiting or expectation, but 119 00:06:24,185 --> 00:06:27,635 waiting for what in the period of Israel's prophets as the nation 120 00:06:27,635 --> 00:06:29,285 was sinking into self destruction. 121 00:06:29,285 --> 00:06:32,795 Isaiah said At this moment, the Lord's hiding his face from 122 00:06:32,795 --> 00:06:35,315 Israel, so I will kava for him. 123 00:06:35,625 --> 00:06:39,795 The only hope Isaiah had in those dark days was the hope for God himself. 124 00:06:40,034 --> 00:06:43,995 You find the same notion of hope all over the Book of Psalms, where these words 125 00:06:43,995 --> 00:06:46,635 appear over 40 times in almost every case. 126 00:06:46,635 --> 00:06:49,034 What people are waiting for is God. 127 00:06:49,245 --> 00:06:53,115 Like in Psalm 130, the poet cries out from a pit of despair. 128 00:06:53,175 --> 00:06:58,335 I kava for the Lord, let Israel yaha for the Lord because he's loyal and 129 00:06:58,335 --> 00:07:00,355 will redeem Israel from its sins. 130 00:07:00,375 --> 00:07:04,515 Biblical hope is based on a person which makes it different from optimism. 131 00:07:04,665 --> 00:07:09,255 Optimism is about choosing to see in any situation how circumstances could 132 00:07:09,255 --> 00:07:12,975 work out for the best, but biblical hope is not focused on circumstances. 133 00:07:12,975 --> 00:07:17,085 In fact, hopeful people in the Bible often recognize there's no evidence things 134 00:07:17,085 --> 00:07:19,155 will get better, but you choose hope. 135 00:07:19,810 --> 00:07:24,460 Like the prophet Hosea, he lived in a dark time when Israel was being oppressed 136 00:07:24,460 --> 00:07:29,050 by foreign empires, and he chose hope when he said God could turn this 137 00:07:29,050 --> 00:07:31,570 valley of trouble into a door of hope. 138 00:07:31,900 --> 00:07:34,659 Like the day when Israel came up from the land of Egypt. 139 00:07:35,140 --> 00:07:39,159 God had surprised his people with redemption back in the days of the Exodus. 140 00:07:39,395 --> 00:07:40,625 And he could do so again. 141 00:07:41,105 --> 00:07:44,675 So it's God's past faithfulness that motivates hope for the future. 142 00:07:44,675 --> 00:07:47,915 You look forward by looking backward, trusting in nothing 143 00:07:47,915 --> 00:07:49,265 other than God's character. 144 00:07:49,505 --> 00:07:52,655 It's like the poet of Psalm 39 who says, and now, oh Lord, 145 00:07:52,655 --> 00:07:54,215 what else can I cover off for? 146 00:07:54,365 --> 00:07:55,745 You are Mya Hall. 147 00:07:55,955 --> 00:07:58,955 In the New Testament, the earliest followers of Jesus cultivated 148 00:07:58,955 --> 00:08:00,455 the similar habit of hope. 149 00:08:00,785 --> 00:08:05,355 They believed that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection was God's surprising response 150 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:07,355 to our slavery, to evil and death. 151 00:08:07,595 --> 00:08:10,985 The empty tomb opened up a new door of hope, and they 152 00:08:10,985 --> 00:08:12,035 used the Greek word El peace. 153 00:08:12,350 --> 00:08:16,490 To describe this anticipation, the apostle Peter said that Jesus' resurrection 154 00:08:16,490 --> 00:08:21,140 opened up a living hope that people can be reborn to become new in different 155 00:08:21,145 --> 00:08:23,480 kinds of humans more than once. 156 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:28,280 The Apostle Paul says, the good news about Jesus announces the L peace of glory. 157 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:32,270 In both cases, this L peace is based on a person, the risen 158 00:08:32,299 --> 00:08:34,549 Jesus, who has overcome death. 159 00:08:34,610 --> 00:08:36,500 And this hope wasn't just for humans. 160 00:08:36,620 --> 00:08:39,409 The apostles believed that what happened to Jesus and the resurrection 161 00:08:39,409 --> 00:08:43,030 was a floor taste of what God had planned for the whole universe. 162 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:47,330 In Paul's words, it's a hope that creation itself will be liberated from 163 00:08:47,330 --> 00:08:51,620 slavery to corruption into freedom when God's children are glorified. 164 00:08:52,130 --> 00:08:56,910 So Christian hope is bold, waiting for humanity and the whole universe 165 00:08:56,915 --> 00:08:58,730 to be rescued from evil and death. 166 00:08:58,790 --> 00:09:02,270 And some would say it's crazy, and maybe it is, but biblical 167 00:09:02,270 --> 00:09:04,430 hope isn't optimism based on the. 168 00:09:04,835 --> 00:09:08,225 It's a choice to wait for God to bring about a future. 169 00:09:08,285 --> 00:09:11,495 That's as surprising as a crucified man rising from the dead. 170 00:09:11,705 --> 00:09:15,635 Christian hope looks back to the risen Jesus in order to 171 00:09:15,635 --> 00:09:18,155 look forward, and so we wait. 172 00:09:18,575 --> 00:09:21,065 That's what the biblical words for Hope are all about. 173 00:09:25,550 --> 00:09:26,750 Video's very helpful there. 174 00:09:26,755 --> 00:09:27,860 They're doing such a great job. 175 00:09:27,860 --> 00:09:30,110 They go on the website, check out, all kind of good stuff there. 176 00:09:30,110 --> 00:09:33,140 But I want us to talk some more about this idea of hope. 177 00:09:33,140 --> 00:09:36,500 He mentioned something about this idea of living hope. 178 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:38,750 And so I want us to look at this scripture and it's gonna be 179 00:09:38,750 --> 00:09:40,640 the basis for our sermon here. 180 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:44,480 First Peter, chapter one, Peter was a follower of Jesus. 181 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,810 And, uh, not only was he a follower of Jesus, but he was one of the main leaders 182 00:09:47,990 --> 00:09:49,700 in the church in the first century. 183 00:09:49,700 --> 00:09:52,280 And so he writes this letter to several churches. 184 00:09:52,580 --> 00:09:56,090 The, they're starting to experience some persecution, and the letter is filled 185 00:09:56,090 --> 00:09:59,330 with this idea of hope and perseverance. 186 00:09:59,540 --> 00:10:01,070 And so we read in verse three. 187 00:10:01,420 --> 00:10:05,050 Says, praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 188 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:09,730 In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope, through 189 00:10:09,730 --> 00:10:13,600 the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance 190 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,420 that can never per spoil or faith. 191 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:19,930 This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are 192 00:10:19,930 --> 00:10:24,010 shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is 193 00:10:24,010 --> 00:10:25,900 ready to be revealed in a last. 194 00:10:26,870 --> 00:10:29,270 And all this you greatly rejoiced on. 195 00:10:29,330 --> 00:10:33,740 For now a little while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 196 00:10:33,950 --> 00:10:38,300 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith of greater 197 00:10:38,300 --> 00:10:42,620 worth than go, which parishes, even though refined by fire, may 198 00:10:42,620 --> 00:10:45,620 result in praise, glory, and honor. 199 00:10:45,770 --> 00:10:49,430 When Jesus Christ revealed, though you have not seen him, you love him, and 200 00:10:49,430 --> 00:10:52,940 even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with 201 00:10:52,940 --> 00:10:58,070 an inexpressible and glorious joy for you receiving the end result of your 202 00:10:58,070 --> 00:11:01,970 faith, the salvation of your souls. 203 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:06,680 I want us again to look at this idea of living hope. 204 00:11:07,415 --> 00:11:11,255 So here's what I want us to do, because this struck me this week here. 205 00:11:11,255 --> 00:11:14,225 I want us to go ahead and, and twos and threes and the people in our rows 206 00:11:14,465 --> 00:11:19,655 and answer this question, how does this idea of living hope strike you? 207 00:11:19,660 --> 00:11:23,015 What does that mean to you when you think of this idea of hope? 208 00:11:23,020 --> 00:11:26,555 And we see what Biblical hope is, this living hope that 209 00:11:26,555 --> 00:11:28,055 is available for Christians. 210 00:11:28,060 --> 00:11:30,845 So I'll give you several minutes to go ahead and discuss what 211 00:11:30,845 --> 00:11:32,405 does Living Hope mean to you? 212 00:11:34,505 --> 00:11:36,935 And if you're online, go ahead and put in the chat there. 213 00:11:37,145 --> 00:11:37,985 Put it in the chat. 214 00:11:38,135 --> 00:11:39,785 What does Living Hope mean to you? 215 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:21,350 In my AV people, you guys can go ahead and uh, and answer 216 00:12:21,350 --> 00:12:22,930 that amongst yourselves as well. 217 00:13:19,165 --> 00:13:20,795 15 more seconds. 218 00:13:39,425 --> 00:13:40,145 All right. 219 00:13:40,145 --> 00:13:41,045 All right. 220 00:13:42,005 --> 00:13:43,175 Do wanna mention here? 221 00:13:43,175 --> 00:13:43,805 We're excited. 222 00:13:43,805 --> 00:13:46,955 Uh, I think last week we, we talked about Kelsey Barber being back. 223 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:47,705 We're excited. 224 00:13:47,885 --> 00:13:52,865 Uh, another, uh, uh, uh, child, uh, who is now a grown man, uh, is back here 225 00:13:52,865 --> 00:13:57,125 with us today from, uh, doing a, got a little little break here from his military 226 00:13:57,125 --> 00:13:59,375 service, and that's Brandon Kohler. 227 00:13:59,405 --> 00:14:01,385 Brandon Kohler's here with us this morning. 228 00:14:01,925 --> 00:14:02,435 Come on. 229 00:14:05,735 --> 00:14:08,795 I remember Brandon, several year, seven years ago, he, he didn't look 230 00:14:08,795 --> 00:14:10,415 like a grown man the way he does now. 231 00:14:10,415 --> 00:14:12,615 You see the way he stood up there like, yeah, Uhhuh. 232 00:14:14,510 --> 00:14:14,750 Right. 233 00:14:14,750 --> 00:14:15,530 Let's go ahead here. 234 00:14:15,530 --> 00:14:17,000 Let's, let's have a couple people share. 235 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,460 What were some things that maybe either you shared or someone 236 00:14:19,580 --> 00:14:22,580 that you were talking to shared about what Living Hope means? 237 00:14:22,580 --> 00:14:23,510 Yes, sir. 238 00:14:23,630 --> 00:14:28,760 Um, I think it makes me think of, uh, Jeremiah 12. 239 00:14:28,970 --> 00:14:33,500 I know the plan I have for you to help you prosper to me, living hope. 240 00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:36,560 Is there somebody actively trying to get us over you? 241 00:14:37,190 --> 00:14:43,850 God is there doing things actively to help us as opposed to us just hoping 242 00:14:43,855 --> 00:14:49,670 randomly, you know, like unlike you, my duck, Flo yesterday, no one was 243 00:14:49,670 --> 00:14:51,410 actively trying to make them way. 244 00:14:52,130 --> 00:14:55,940 But when it comes to me trying to get a job or, or trying to have a 245 00:14:55,940 --> 00:15:00,860 successful marriage, God is actively trying to help me achieve that hope. 246 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:02,300 Amen. 247 00:15:02,300 --> 00:15:05,960 What comes to mind for him is the idea that God is actively trying to help 248 00:15:06,230 --> 00:15:08,390 you in, in all facets of life there. 249 00:15:08,395 --> 00:15:08,870 Awesome. 250 00:15:08,870 --> 00:15:09,290 All right. 251 00:15:09,290 --> 00:15:09,680 Yes. 252 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,569 So, Faith grows. 253 00:15:14,779 --> 00:15:18,739 The changes through testing, our hope also grow. 254 00:15:21,619 --> 00:15:25,550 So as our faith grows, our hope grows through the test and changes. 255 00:15:25,550 --> 00:15:26,420 Okay, awesome. 256 00:15:26,420 --> 00:15:26,930 Yes. 257 00:15:28,010 --> 00:15:32,449 Um, so for me, I focus on the word living, which, uh, to me sounded like 258 00:15:32,454 --> 00:15:36,800 the opposite of death or so it sounds like something that, uh, will not die 259 00:15:36,890 --> 00:15:40,640 and that something that is like a one time use, but something that I ever last. 260 00:15:41,449 --> 00:15:47,540 So, um, that's, and something that, 261 00:15:52,290 --> 00:15:53,779 so hope that is eternal. 262 00:15:53,779 --> 00:15:56,360 Never, never fading or, or, or dying there. 263 00:15:56,390 --> 00:15:56,659 Okay. 264 00:15:56,659 --> 00:15:57,140 Awesome. 265 00:15:57,140 --> 00:15:57,380 Good. 266 00:15:57,380 --> 00:15:57,800 One more. 267 00:15:57,800 --> 00:15:58,460 Let's go away. 268 00:15:58,670 --> 00:15:58,940 All right. 269 00:15:58,944 --> 00:15:59,420 Yes. 270 00:16:00,260 --> 00:16:00,590 Yeah. 271 00:16:01,489 --> 00:16:05,449 Um, I think for me, what's out in that video. 272 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:12,300 The part where it, that we have this hope cause of our past experiences with God and 273 00:16:12,300 --> 00:16:19,900 seeing how faithful hes in the past gives me a living hope now that I, him, I do 274 00:16:19,900 --> 00:16:26,600 amazing things in my life because of God's past faithfulness to, to you that means, 275 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,380 yes, he's gonna be faithful in the, in, in, in the future and coming days there. 276 00:16:30,410 --> 00:16:31,190 Okay, good. 277 00:16:31,460 --> 00:16:34,790 This idea of living hope that stood out to me. 278 00:16:34,790 --> 00:16:37,850 I've read this passage many years, but again, it struck me 279 00:16:37,850 --> 00:16:39,230 in this idea of living hope. 280 00:16:39,230 --> 00:16:42,440 And so I want us to dive a little bit more into this idea. 281 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,680 So I'm going to probably share some things that you probably already mentioned. 282 00:16:45,685 --> 00:16:48,230 That means the Holy Spirit, uh, is working there. 283 00:16:48,380 --> 00:16:50,840 But I wanna share a couple more observations with you 284 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:52,850 about this idea of living hope. 285 00:16:52,850 --> 00:16:54,680 And we wanna look at a couple things. 286 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:55,430 What we have hope. 287 00:16:56,540 --> 00:17:02,180 What we have hope of and what we have hope for all contained in this passage. 288 00:17:02,180 --> 00:17:07,329 So let's look at this idea first of the hope we have in Jesus again, in the 289 00:17:07,335 --> 00:17:13,699 verse it says That in his great mercy has given us a new birth into a living hope. 290 00:17:13,699 --> 00:17:19,490 I love this imagery that the Holy Spirit led Peter in writing this, this idea 291 00:17:19,490 --> 00:17:24,380 of a new birth into a living hope. 292 00:17:24,770 --> 00:17:30,199 And so this idea that we are born into this hope and so that we, 293 00:17:30,199 --> 00:17:34,100 now, we, we, we live in a hope once we are spiritually born. 294 00:17:34,190 --> 00:17:35,870 And that's our new life. 295 00:17:35,900 --> 00:17:36,470 That's our new. 296 00:17:37,745 --> 00:17:39,455 Like we've had, uh, I see Nelson over there. 297 00:17:39,455 --> 00:17:42,125 They just had a newborn baby, I think celebrating four months. 298 00:17:42,125 --> 00:17:43,534 I thought I saw that on Facebook, right? 299 00:17:43,534 --> 00:17:44,045 Four months. 300 00:17:44,255 --> 00:17:44,765 There you go. 301 00:17:44,765 --> 00:17:46,055 You know, that's Facebook, right? 302 00:17:46,114 --> 00:17:47,195 Four month anniversary. 303 00:17:47,195 --> 00:17:47,765 You know what I'm saying? 304 00:17:47,765 --> 00:17:48,725 That's great, right? 305 00:17:48,815 --> 00:17:51,095 And so they're celebrating four months a new child. 306 00:17:51,095 --> 00:17:53,135 Their new child is born into their family. 307 00:17:53,585 --> 00:17:55,385 That's, that's their child's existence. 308 00:17:55,415 --> 00:17:58,745 That's what they know when we are spiritually born. 309 00:17:58,925 --> 00:18:07,265 This is the hope now that we live in, it's a living hope that we are born into. 310 00:18:07,355 --> 00:18:10,025 It's a life of hope now. 311 00:18:10,745 --> 00:18:16,055 And it says that we have a living hope in Jesus, similar to what my 312 00:18:16,055 --> 00:18:18,065 niece said, one that is not dead. 313 00:18:19,355 --> 00:18:20,555 It's not fading. 314 00:18:21,185 --> 00:18:23,255 It's not about to expire. 315 00:18:23,765 --> 00:18:25,534 It's not going to pass. 316 00:18:25,775 --> 00:18:27,815 It is a li being. 317 00:18:28,385 --> 00:18:28,864 Hope. 318 00:18:28,895 --> 00:18:30,574 It continues. 319 00:18:30,845 --> 00:18:32,105 It is eternal. 320 00:18:32,645 --> 00:18:36,335 That means hope is always present for the child of God. 321 00:18:36,489 --> 00:18:36,980 Amen. 322 00:18:38,090 --> 00:18:44,150 Hope is always present for the child of God and as disciples of Jesus. 323 00:18:44,150 --> 00:18:49,010 That means we always have hope as disciples of Jesus. 324 00:18:49,130 --> 00:18:52,850 We are never categorized as the hopeless. 325 00:18:54,020 --> 00:18:58,819 That's not who you are, and that's not your standing nor your status. 326 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:05,930 You are never categorized with the hopeless because you were born into a 327 00:19:05,930 --> 00:19:12,529 living hope, not a hope for once, not a hope a couple of years ago, but a hope 328 00:19:12,529 --> 00:19:17,670 that lives for all eternity, right? 329 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,120 What a blessing and a privilege that is. 330 00:19:21,170 --> 00:19:24,560 What a blessing and privilege that is. 331 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,550 What a blessing and privilege that is. 332 00:19:29,260 --> 00:19:29,750 Amen. 333 00:19:29,779 --> 00:19:34,550 To be born and to stay in this hope. 334 00:19:35,569 --> 00:19:36,380 That's eternal. 335 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:37,370 Amen. 336 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:39,980 Boy, boy, we got a good God. 337 00:19:40,609 --> 00:19:43,220 That's why he starts up, he says, praise me to the God. 338 00:19:43,250 --> 00:19:44,420 He's so fired up. 339 00:19:44,449 --> 00:19:48,290 He's like, praise me to God because of this new hope that we're born into. 340 00:19:49,430 --> 00:19:50,090 Oh boy. 341 00:19:50,090 --> 00:19:51,920 I wish we could understand how good God is. 342 00:19:52,199 --> 00:19:52,689 Amen. 343 00:19:52,850 --> 00:19:55,040 But let's talk about this, this hope in Jesus. 344 00:19:55,050 --> 00:19:55,689 Look at this. 345 00:19:55,689 --> 00:19:59,210 It says, through the resurrection of Jesus, I love this. 346 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:02,120 Our hope is not in circumstance. 347 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,739 It's in a person, and this person is faithful. 348 00:20:07,370 --> 00:20:10,609 He's the one who's never or never will let you down. 349 00:20:11,390 --> 00:20:12,409 I put hope in my wife. 350 00:20:12,409 --> 00:20:14,449 I love my wife, but my wife's gonna fail me. 351 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:16,340 I put my hope in myself. 352 00:20:16,399 --> 00:20:20,659 Well, I know how that's gone, that I'm gonna fail myself if I put hope. 353 00:20:20,659 --> 00:20:21,500 And I love all of you. 354 00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:22,370 I love you, Brian Turner. 355 00:20:22,375 --> 00:20:26,180 But I can't put my hope in Brian Turner, at least maybe for some 356 00:20:26,185 --> 00:20:27,439 things, but not for my life. 357 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:32,149 And so it says, we put our hope in Jesus, the one who conquered death. 358 00:20:32,154 --> 00:20:32,370 Ooh. 359 00:20:34,790 --> 00:20:36,530 That's what we put our hope in, right? 360 00:20:37,010 --> 00:20:39,590 The one who conquered death. 361 00:20:40,100 --> 00:20:43,640 I just love this because it means, look, we don't put our 362 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:45,770 hope just in the death of Jesus. 363 00:20:46,250 --> 00:20:49,010 We put our hope in the resurrection of Jesus, right? 364 00:20:49,670 --> 00:20:50,180 That's right. 365 00:20:50,450 --> 00:20:52,670 So our hope is not in the dead. 366 00:20:52,790 --> 00:20:54,590 Our hope is in the living. 367 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:57,890 Again, it's living hope. 368 00:20:58,370 --> 00:20:59,270 Oh, hallelujah. 369 00:20:59,270 --> 00:21:01,220 Lord, please help some people today here. 370 00:21:01,220 --> 00:21:05,990 Okay, we have a hope in Jesus. 371 00:21:07,250 --> 00:21:08,510 What do we have a hope of? 372 00:21:08,810 --> 00:21:10,640 We have a hope of salvation. 373 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:11,570 Let's continue to read. 374 00:21:11,570 --> 00:21:12,800 Church, are you still with me here? 375 00:21:14,570 --> 00:21:18,050 It says here that we are giving that new birth into a living hope through 376 00:21:18,050 --> 00:21:21,410 the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that 377 00:21:21,410 --> 00:21:23,660 can never perish, spoil, or faith. 378 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:25,790 This inheritance is kept in heaven for. 379 00:21:26,570 --> 00:21:29,390 Who threw faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of 380 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,750 the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 381 00:21:32,930 --> 00:21:36,760 Jumping on down to verse nine, for you are receiving the end result of your 382 00:21:36,765 --> 00:21:39,320 faith, the salvation of your souls. 383 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:40,310 What is it talking about? 384 00:21:40,490 --> 00:21:41,810 We have this great inheritance. 385 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:42,500 What's that? 386 00:21:42,500 --> 00:21:43,130 Inheritance? 387 00:21:43,220 --> 00:21:45,200 It's complete ation. 388 00:21:45,230 --> 00:21:45,320 Mm-hmm. 389 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:48,980 . That's the inheritance that we have. 390 00:21:49,490 --> 00:21:51,360 Complete salvation. 391 00:21:51,410 --> 00:21:55,730 We have the hope of complete salvation. 392 00:21:56,870 --> 00:21:59,960 You know, God does this a lot and you know, this is one of those, 393 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:04,880 uh, that, that it is called the, uh, now and not yet with God. 394 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:10,100 God has a lot of, now you have, but not yet as well. 395 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:13,250 For example, the kingdom of God, God's reign. 396 00:22:13,250 --> 00:22:14,630 Jesus reigning supreme. 397 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:17,960 That's the kingdom of God is here now, but yet it's also. 398 00:22:19,595 --> 00:22:20,085 Amen. 399 00:22:20,165 --> 00:22:21,245 We have salvation. 400 00:22:21,245 --> 00:22:24,845 Yes, we are safe, but it's still to come. 401 00:22:25,085 --> 00:22:26,675 You guys see what I'm saying here, right? 402 00:22:26,885 --> 00:22:30,425 And so we have this salvation now, but we have the hope that 403 00:22:30,425 --> 00:22:32,705 it will one day be completes. 404 00:22:34,475 --> 00:22:37,385 And as the children of the most high God, we have the confidence 405 00:22:37,505 --> 00:22:42,515 and anticipation of eternal life with the creator of the universe. 406 00:22:44,555 --> 00:22:46,595 And it says that this inheritance, check this out. 407 00:22:46,595 --> 00:22:49,535 It says it can never para, spoil or fade. 408 00:22:49,535 --> 00:22:50,855 Can I get an amen to that? 409 00:22:51,165 --> 00:22:51,655 Amen. 410 00:22:52,265 --> 00:22:55,115 I don't know about you, but I had a lot of things in my life that 411 00:22:55,115 --> 00:22:57,455 Paris spoiled or faded, right? 412 00:22:57,755 --> 00:22:57,875 Right. 413 00:22:57,935 --> 00:23:01,655 You know, uh, I used to have this, uh, I guess it was a wishful dream. 414 00:23:01,745 --> 00:23:03,425 Uh, we thought, man, you know what? 415 00:23:03,845 --> 00:23:05,705 We've done a good job of being wise with our money. 416 00:23:05,795 --> 00:23:06,875 Maybe we can buy a house. 417 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:12,575 And then the rates went up, dreams perished, Thanksgiving meals. 418 00:23:12,575 --> 00:23:13,505 I hope you had a good meal. 419 00:23:13,505 --> 00:23:15,775 But if you don't eat it this week, what it's gonna spoil. 420 00:23:16,750 --> 00:23:17,310 Right. 421 00:23:18,620 --> 00:23:19,940 Things fade all the time. 422 00:23:19,940 --> 00:23:23,210 You know, I had this basketball signed by this, uh, by, by all 423 00:23:23,210 --> 00:23:24,590 the NBA players on this team. 424 00:23:24,590 --> 00:23:25,069 Right? 425 00:23:25,159 --> 00:23:27,050 Uh, I won't mention it was the Clippers, but Amen. 426 00:23:27,050 --> 00:23:27,680 You know what I'm saying? 427 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:28,399 It was still cool. 428 00:23:29,029 --> 00:23:31,279 And so I was giving this basketball and it was autographed by all 429 00:23:31,279 --> 00:23:32,330 the players on the Clippers. 430 00:23:32,449 --> 00:23:34,069 And so I said, have it up in my room. 431 00:23:34,190 --> 00:23:35,870 And then one day I'm like, I think we were moving. 432 00:23:35,870 --> 00:23:42,319 And I get it and I'm like, oh, no, what in the world happened to these autographs? 433 00:23:43,100 --> 00:23:44,060 And I was like, you know what? 434 00:23:44,065 --> 00:23:46,550 I probably shouldn't have put it close to the window. 435 00:23:47,930 --> 00:23:49,909 And so all these autograph, it was a clipper, so it was probably 436 00:23:49,909 --> 00:23:54,529 worth $8, but still it was the Clippers before they were good. 437 00:23:54,529 --> 00:23:55,040 All right. 438 00:23:55,100 --> 00:23:56,569 And so it started to fade. 439 00:23:57,109 --> 00:24:00,859 But here's the awesome thing, brothers and sisters, our inheritance isn't 440 00:24:00,859 --> 00:24:02,029 like any of those things, right? 441 00:24:02,449 --> 00:24:02,899 Right. 442 00:24:03,170 --> 00:24:06,739 Our complete salvation will never spoil, will never fade, 443 00:24:06,739 --> 00:24:09,170 and sure enough will not perish. 444 00:24:09,230 --> 00:24:11,720 Yeah, our salvation is like that. 445 00:24:11,990 --> 00:24:15,920 It says it's kept, his inheritance is kept in heaven for you, that 446 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:19,970 Greek word is really a, a kind of a military term, and so it's given 447 00:24:19,970 --> 00:24:23,990 this idea that our inheritance is protected like military style. 448 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:26,540 You're complete salvation. 449 00:24:26,750 --> 00:24:28,610 God has it on lockdown for you. 450 00:24:28,730 --> 00:24:30,110 He's protecting it. 451 00:24:30,530 --> 00:24:33,200 So as followers of Jesus Christ, we now hope. 452 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:37,760 We now wait with great anticipation for the return of Jesus, which 453 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:39,870 will make everything complete. 454 00:24:40,940 --> 00:24:41,780 Hallelujah. 455 00:24:42,710 --> 00:24:43,910 We are people of hope. 456 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:45,410 Boy, oh boy. 457 00:24:45,415 --> 00:24:47,390 We are people of hope. 458 00:24:47,510 --> 00:24:48,590 We have hope in Christ. 459 00:24:48,590 --> 00:24:49,910 We have hope of salvation. 460 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:50,540 But guess what? 461 00:24:50,540 --> 00:24:54,170 We also have the hope for change in the future. 462 00:24:55,310 --> 00:24:58,520 One Peter one, verse six and seven, it says, these things have come. 463 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:00,050 They're proven genius of your faith. 464 00:25:00,050 --> 00:25:02,630 The greater worth than goal, which parishes, even though refined by 465 00:25:02,630 --> 00:25:08,090 fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 466 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:12,920 He said, Hey, there's going to be a transformation and it's gonna be glorious. 467 00:25:12,980 --> 00:25:16,130 It's going to be praiseworthy, and it's going to be honorable. 468 00:25:16,370 --> 00:25:20,210 John mentioned this earlier, this verse, John, oh, that's Romans 15. 469 00:25:20,330 --> 00:25:23,450 We'll read this anyway, but it says, may the God of hope fill you with all 470 00:25:23,450 --> 00:25:27,140 joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope 471 00:25:27,140 --> 00:25:29,810 by the power of the Holy Spirits. 472 00:25:30,260 --> 00:25:34,580 Jeremiah 29 11 says, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, 473 00:25:34,585 --> 00:25:36,410 plans to prosper you and not to harm you. 474 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,470 Plans to give you hope and a future. 475 00:25:40,490 --> 00:25:42,350 And so God has always been in this business. 476 00:25:42,355 --> 00:25:42,620 Why? 477 00:25:42,620 --> 00:25:47,150 Because he is a God of hope, of giving His people hope that you can 478 00:25:47,150 --> 00:25:52,550 change, that there's a future that he has in store for you that can 479 00:25:52,550 --> 00:25:55,580 lead to praise, glory, and honor. 480 00:25:56,570 --> 00:25:58,820 And so again, we're never categorized with the hope. 481 00:25:59,825 --> 00:26:01,985 Because we have a Christ who we have hope in. 482 00:26:02,105 --> 00:26:06,005 We have the hope of complete salvation, and we have the hope for change 483 00:26:06,065 --> 00:26:08,495 transformation in a bright future. 484 00:26:10,475 --> 00:26:12,305 You know, there's so many stories in this room. 485 00:26:12,310 --> 00:26:15,905 If we've had number of people come up and share how they came to know 486 00:26:15,905 --> 00:26:20,225 Christ, we've even had, uh, uh, or Daisy share earlier, right? 487 00:26:20,285 --> 00:26:20,915 Hey, you know what? 488 00:26:20,915 --> 00:26:24,395 There was, there was this time here, and she still had to struggle to be refined. 489 00:26:24,455 --> 00:26:25,025 But now what? 490 00:26:25,025 --> 00:26:30,365 Because of the cross, she has hope that she can overcome her pride. 491 00:26:32,495 --> 00:26:35,735 We've had a number of people in here share before they came to know 492 00:26:35,740 --> 00:26:38,645 Jesus, there was thought of suicide. 493 00:26:38,645 --> 00:26:41,525 There was maybe non, uh, clinical depression. 494 00:26:41,765 --> 00:26:46,025 Uh, there were destructive behavior, bad relationships, but the hope 495 00:26:46,025 --> 00:26:49,235 of God changed their lives. 496 00:26:50,015 --> 00:26:53,405 I'm so far about my, my, my, my buddy, uh, Leo Sanchez. 497 00:26:54,230 --> 00:26:56,360 Leo Leo's, uh, brother in here, in the church here. 498 00:26:56,620 --> 00:27:02,930 Uh, uh, um, and, and so Leo, um, you know, he, he, um, is a, a, a 499 00:27:02,930 --> 00:27:07,610 mechanic, but Leo made some poor choices and that led him to prison. 500 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:09,350 And he was in prison for several years. 501 00:27:09,350 --> 00:27:14,120 And Francis, uh, Francis, that was her, her me, Leo was Francis' Mechanic. 502 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:14,750 You guys with me there? 503 00:27:14,750 --> 00:27:15,470 All right, there you go. 504 00:27:15,650 --> 00:27:16,850 I don't think Francis is a mechanic. 505 00:27:16,850 --> 00:27:19,280 That would be impressive if she was a mechanic for Leo. 506 00:27:19,285 --> 00:27:20,120 I'd like higher up. 507 00:27:20,180 --> 00:27:20,720 All right. 508 00:27:20,990 --> 00:27:22,850 And so she would reach out to him for years. 509 00:27:22,850 --> 00:27:23,660 Hey, you gotta come to church. 510 00:27:23,660 --> 00:27:24,620 He's like, no, no, no, no. 511 00:27:24,740 --> 00:27:26,810 But then he goes and he does this stint in prison. 512 00:27:26,830 --> 00:27:29,240 And, and that led him to start thinking about God. 513 00:27:29,810 --> 00:27:33,680 And as he was in, it was as he was in prison, he started to, to read 514 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,700 his Bible and started to go more to the Bible classes that were offered. 515 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:41,850 And then when he comes out of prison, he finds Francis or Francis 516 00:27:41,855 --> 00:27:43,280 finds him, whatever the case is. 517 00:27:43,370 --> 00:27:44,720 The Lord found him. 518 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:48,890 And then this happened, and then he was baptized into Christ 519 00:27:48,890 --> 00:27:52,070 here and we say Hallelujah. 520 00:27:54,140 --> 00:27:56,120 And so there was hope for change. 521 00:27:56,120 --> 00:27:58,250 And you know, he wrote this message on GroupMe the other day 522 00:27:58,250 --> 00:27:59,555 to our, our little family group. 523 00:27:59,780 --> 00:28:03,290 We, we, uh, we had this family group GroupMe, and he says, Hey, dear family, 524 00:28:03,290 --> 00:28:05,390 it is an honor to be a part of this group. 525 00:28:05,570 --> 00:28:10,190 I remember when being in prison and being behind those walls, I pray to our Lord 526 00:28:10,190 --> 00:28:14,720 Jesus Christ, that when I got out to find the best church for me to attend, 527 00:28:14,870 --> 00:28:17,150 and he gave me more than I expected. 528 00:28:17,270 --> 00:28:20,000 And I thank you for the support everyone has given me. 529 00:28:20,150 --> 00:28:21,950 I'm thankful to our God. 530 00:28:21,980 --> 00:28:22,970 God is awesome. 531 00:28:22,970 --> 00:28:23,990 Thank you family. 532 00:28:24,110 --> 00:28:25,730 There's hope for change. 533 00:28:27,500 --> 00:28:29,120 There's hope for change. 534 00:28:29,810 --> 00:28:34,550 Again, many of us can come up here and testify, but the 535 00:28:34,555 --> 00:28:36,650 question is, do we still believe? 536 00:28:37,535 --> 00:28:38,915 that there's hope for us. 537 00:28:39,545 --> 00:28:42,785 I wanna remind every single one of us that hope is alive. 538 00:28:42,785 --> 00:28:43,295 Amen. 539 00:28:43,895 --> 00:28:45,455 That hope is alive. 540 00:28:45,485 --> 00:28:48,005 There's hope for you. 541 00:28:48,935 --> 00:28:51,485 There's hope for your future. 542 00:28:51,995 --> 00:28:57,815 There's hope that you can grow and that you can be stuck where you are. 543 00:28:58,415 --> 00:29:01,865 There's hope you can change and be a better person. 544 00:29:02,795 --> 00:29:08,255 There's hope that you can overcome that struggle, that sin, or that addiction. 545 00:29:08,945 --> 00:29:13,385 There's hope for you to be used by God in a miraculous way. 546 00:29:14,135 --> 00:29:18,425 There's hope for you to be used to have an impact in someone's life. 547 00:29:18,545 --> 00:29:19,745 And in this world. 548 00:29:20,375 --> 00:29:23,585 There's hope for your job and your career. 549 00:29:24,185 --> 00:29:27,245 There's hope for your emotional and mental health. 550 00:29:27,875 --> 00:29:30,125 There's hope for your loved ones. 551 00:29:30,755 --> 00:29:32,915 There's hope for your parents. 552 00:29:33,155 --> 00:29:35,165 There's hope for your children. 553 00:29:35,555 --> 00:29:37,835 There's hope for your spouse. 554 00:29:37,985 --> 00:29:39,995 There's hope for your marriage. 555 00:29:40,085 --> 00:29:42,215 There's hope for your neighborhood. 556 00:29:42,275 --> 00:29:45,155 There's hope for your university and your schools. 557 00:29:45,785 --> 00:29:52,385 There's hope for you to become who God created you to be, because hope is alive. 558 00:29:57,485 --> 00:29:59,885 And again, what's the avenue? 559 00:29:59,915 --> 00:30:01,445 The resurrection of Jesus. 560 00:30:02,285 --> 00:30:04,475 The tomb is what? 561 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:05,105 Still empty. 562 00:30:05,105 --> 00:30:05,985 Still empty. 563 00:30:07,385 --> 00:30:08,585 We talked about that in Easter. 564 00:30:08,645 --> 00:30:10,145 The tomb is still empty. 565 00:30:10,145 --> 00:30:11,735 That helps us get perspective. 566 00:30:11,795 --> 00:30:12,545 But what does it do? 567 00:30:12,545 --> 00:30:14,675 It reminds us of the hope that we have. 568 00:30:15,965 --> 00:30:16,595 Hallelujah. 569 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:19,295 That the tomb is still empty, that Jesus rose from there. 570 00:30:19,445 --> 00:30:24,515 As we saying earlier, God robbed the grave and Jesus resurrected. 571 00:30:25,069 --> 00:30:26,239 That means he is Lord. 572 00:30:26,239 --> 00:30:27,800 That means his promises are true. 573 00:30:27,890 --> 00:30:31,340 That means salvation is now and to come. 574 00:30:32,330 --> 00:30:34,940 You know, it's sad though that many in this world don't have this hope. 575 00:30:36,380 --> 00:30:39,110 Many in this world don't have this hope. 576 00:30:40,190 --> 00:30:42,050 You know what I, I thought about this. 577 00:30:42,055 --> 00:30:44,180 I thought, man, that's, that's terrible at that. 578 00:30:44,540 --> 00:30:47,120 But man, you know what's even worse is when we as disciples 579 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:50,960 of Jesus, we forget this living hope and don't live in this hope. 580 00:30:52,020 --> 00:30:54,920 Yeah, because we've tasted it, we've experienced it, 581 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:58,069 but yet we don't live in it. 582 00:30:59,900 --> 00:31:02,029 So therefore, we're not experiencing life to the fool. 583 00:31:02,319 --> 00:31:05,900 Therefore, we're not experiencing the victories in our lives. 584 00:31:06,260 --> 00:31:09,949 We're not becoming more like Christ who we were created to be. 585 00:31:11,315 --> 00:31:16,115 But again, we can fall into looking at the past in the wrong way or looking at our 586 00:31:16,585 --> 00:31:19,145 presence in the eyes of a humanistic view. 587 00:31:19,175 --> 00:31:23,045 Or we can tell Satan that he's a liar and we can say no. 588 00:31:23,075 --> 00:31:30,185 The hope is a lie because Jesus resurrected and because of Jesus, 589 00:31:30,785 --> 00:31:34,715 you and I are people of hope. 590 00:31:35,555 --> 00:31:39,275 So no matter what happened last night, last week, or even coming 591 00:31:39,275 --> 00:31:43,535 in, or maybe what you were feeling up to this point, there's hope for 592 00:31:43,595 --> 00:31:47,015 you because there's hope in Christ. 593 00:31:47,315 --> 00:31:51,125 There's hope of salvation and there's hope for change in the future. 594 00:31:51,605 --> 00:31:52,565 And so what should we do? 595 00:31:52,565 --> 00:31:54,815 Well, this makes me think here that we got, we have to 596 00:31:54,815 --> 00:31:56,945 remember the hope in Jesus. 597 00:31:57,245 --> 00:31:58,535 We have to remember this hope. 598 00:31:58,540 --> 00:32:03,365 We have to fight to retain this hope and live in. 599 00:32:04,130 --> 00:32:09,830 Because it can fade if we don't constantly remind ourselves, we can forget 600 00:32:09,830 --> 00:32:13,460 about it and not trust in situations. 601 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:17,210 I know my struggle is I can lose grip of this hope. 602 00:32:17,390 --> 00:32:17,880 Yeah. 603 00:32:18,260 --> 00:32:19,130 Maybe you're not like me. 604 00:32:19,130 --> 00:32:22,310 Maybe I can lose grip of this hope for things to get better. 605 00:32:22,310 --> 00:32:25,310 There's a situation, uh, you know, this week here we're having a good 606 00:32:25,310 --> 00:32:28,430 time with our family, but you know, it wouldn't be appropriate for me 607 00:32:28,430 --> 00:32:30,170 to share all the dynamics there. 608 00:32:30,170 --> 00:32:33,000 But there's just a dynamic that was starting to occur in the 609 00:32:33,005 --> 00:32:35,450 family, and I was just praying and I was like, God, can you help? 610 00:32:35,450 --> 00:32:39,110 And I was just like, man, I just, I'm discouraged. 611 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:42,080 I'm like, man, can this get better? 612 00:32:43,490 --> 00:32:45,409 Is this going to get better? 613 00:32:46,850 --> 00:32:49,550 And so I can easily forget and I can just see things. 614 00:32:49,550 --> 00:32:54,409 Now I'm looking at the circumstance instead of looking at Christ. 615 00:32:55,625 --> 00:32:57,575 And so of course looking at the circumstance like, 616 00:32:57,575 --> 00:32:59,045 man, this doesn't look good. 617 00:32:59,075 --> 00:33:03,425 But if I go back to who Christ is was and what he will do, it got 618 00:33:03,425 --> 00:33:05,045 my mind thinking there's hope. 619 00:33:05,245 --> 00:33:05,735 Amen. 620 00:33:06,155 --> 00:33:07,355 This can change. 621 00:33:07,895 --> 00:33:09,855 Marcel, stay in your his will. 622 00:33:10,925 --> 00:33:13,295 And that's something that we need to do as we, as we remember. 623 00:33:13,295 --> 00:33:16,415 I appreciate we wait and persevere. 624 00:33:18,635 --> 00:33:20,525 You know, the same quitters never prosper, right? 625 00:33:20,525 --> 00:33:21,305 Is that the same, right? 626 00:33:21,435 --> 00:33:21,755 Yeah. 627 00:33:22,475 --> 00:33:23,105 You said, I don't know. 628 00:33:23,105 --> 00:33:23,435 Okay. 629 00:33:23,435 --> 00:33:24,035 You don't know either. 630 00:33:24,035 --> 00:33:24,245 Okay. 631 00:33:24,245 --> 00:33:24,605 Right. 632 00:33:24,665 --> 00:33:26,075 I think it's quitters never prosper, right? 633 00:33:26,075 --> 00:33:26,945 Or quitters never win. 634 00:33:27,005 --> 00:33:27,725 Something like that. 635 00:33:27,730 --> 00:33:29,495 And maybe Adam both, and maybe that's what it is. 636 00:33:29,500 --> 00:33:29,765 All right. 637 00:33:30,125 --> 00:33:31,805 And so why don't quitters prosper? 638 00:33:31,805 --> 00:33:32,615 Why don't they win? 639 00:33:32,795 --> 00:33:36,995 It's because they stop . So they never saw it to fruition. 640 00:33:36,995 --> 00:33:38,885 They never saw it to completion. 641 00:33:39,395 --> 00:33:42,335 But think about the times when you held on, you're like, wow, God was faithful. 642 00:33:42,825 --> 00:33:43,315 Amen. 643 00:33:44,195 --> 00:33:47,345 And so as we remember it calls for us to wait upon the Lord. 644 00:33:47,465 --> 00:33:51,965 Doesn't mean we do nothing, but it means we wait in expectation, anticipation. 645 00:33:51,995 --> 00:33:54,215 God will change this. 646 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:56,870 And I'm gonna persevere. 647 00:33:57,620 --> 00:33:58,760 I'm going to persevere. 648 00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:02,870 I'm going to take one step forward today along with his will. 649 00:34:04,850 --> 00:34:07,430 And I also believe we should share our hope. 650 00:34:08,389 --> 00:34:09,560 The world lacks hope. 651 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:12,050 I believe this is the reason for increased nonclinical, 652 00:34:12,530 --> 00:34:14,960 depression, suicide, mass murderers. 653 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:17,300 I've been watching the news or just snippets here. 654 00:34:17,300 --> 00:34:18,560 I think there's like three Mass. 655 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:19,070 Murders. 656 00:34:19,219 --> 00:34:20,780 Murders, uh uh this week. 657 00:34:20,780 --> 00:34:21,020 Yeah. 658 00:34:21,530 --> 00:34:21,590 Yeah. 659 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:23,239 Like three. 660 00:34:23,330 --> 00:34:24,860 I mean, we're getting numb to it now, aren't we? 661 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:25,480 Yeah. 662 00:34:25,580 --> 00:34:27,770 Like before you hear about, oh my goodness, now you're 663 00:34:27,770 --> 00:34:29,000 like, oh man, that's sad. 664 00:34:29,030 --> 00:34:29,929 And you just move on. 665 00:34:29,929 --> 00:34:29,989 Yeah. 666 00:34:30,679 --> 00:34:32,239 We're becoming numb to this. 667 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:32,300 Yeah. 668 00:34:32,989 --> 00:34:33,739 What does that show? 669 00:34:33,745 --> 00:34:37,790 This is to me, this is the, these are the symptoms of what a lack of hope. 670 00:34:38,780 --> 00:34:43,010 If people had hope the way we have, we wouldn't see the things that are 671 00:34:43,010 --> 00:34:47,900 taking place because many people don't believe there's more to this 672 00:34:47,905 --> 00:34:52,130 life, or they don't believe that their lives can change and get better. 673 00:34:52,190 --> 00:34:53,929 But as Christians. 674 00:34:54,094 --> 00:34:54,655 Right. 675 00:34:55,175 --> 00:34:57,635 We know there is hope. 676 00:34:58,235 --> 00:35:03,815 We know there's someone who can bring hope and transform lives. 677 00:35:05,315 --> 00:35:09,515 And we have experienced, and we've tasted this hope, and so 678 00:35:09,515 --> 00:35:11,195 we know who to have hope in. 679 00:35:11,435 --> 00:35:15,755 We know that we have the hope of complete salvation, and we have 680 00:35:15,755 --> 00:35:19,985 the hope that one day God will transform and redeem this world. 681 00:35:20,735 --> 00:35:24,005 So we can't just sit back and hold it to ourselves. 682 00:35:24,635 --> 00:35:27,635 We gotta go out and freely distribute this to others. 683 00:35:27,815 --> 00:35:28,305 Amen. 684 00:35:28,715 --> 00:35:33,125 Your neighbor, right now, you have no idea what they might be going through, 685 00:35:34,295 --> 00:35:37,055 but if we shared hope, it might transform. 686 00:35:37,715 --> 00:35:41,075 We were in a Bible study the other day, uh, me and a couple of the guys there. 687 00:35:41,285 --> 00:35:45,245 And, uh, and so the guy, you know, he starts sharing about an interaction with 688 00:35:45,250 --> 00:35:50,225 his friend and he come out, his friend was, um, was, was contemplating suicide. 689 00:35:51,665 --> 00:35:53,615 And we're like, wow, that's terrible. 690 00:35:54,575 --> 00:35:56,945 I'm like, man, but look at what you're learning right now. 691 00:35:57,725 --> 00:36:00,095 You're learning about the hope that is in Christ. 692 00:36:01,115 --> 00:36:02,795 What do you think God wants you to do? 693 00:36:03,785 --> 00:36:06,095 He wants you to take it, but he wants you to go quickly and share 694 00:36:06,095 --> 00:36:10,145 with your friends before that person becomes a news clipping. 695 00:36:11,615 --> 00:36:14,495 And so God wants us to share our hope. 696 00:36:14,525 --> 00:36:16,955 We have the treasure of the world. 697 00:36:17,975 --> 00:36:18,935 We're called to share it. 698 00:36:19,445 --> 00:36:19,805 Amen. 699 00:36:19,805 --> 00:36:19,955 Right? 700 00:36:19,985 --> 00:36:22,025 Not to sit back and just hold it. 701 00:36:22,115 --> 00:36:24,755 Not to just wait, but to freely give that. 702 00:36:24,785 --> 00:36:26,795 And if people don't accept it, they don't accept it, but at 703 00:36:26,795 --> 00:36:28,475 least we shared it with them. 704 00:36:29,675 --> 00:36:31,265 We say, God can change your marriage. 705 00:36:31,270 --> 00:36:34,835 God can change that situation if you submit and trust him. 706 00:36:36,155 --> 00:36:40,745 And so I believe BR Sisters recalled to share our hope. 707 00:36:41,195 --> 00:36:41,315 Amen. 708 00:36:42,065 --> 00:36:43,655 Let me ask you this as we close out. 709 00:36:43,775 --> 00:36:47,435 What if the living hope of Christ started to spread just this month? 710 00:36:51,650 --> 00:36:55,280 What if the hope in Jesus, the hope of salvation, the hope for 711 00:36:55,530 --> 00:36:58,910 the future started to be your norm. 712 00:37:01,610 --> 00:37:07,100 What if hope was more than a word, but started to become your reality? 713 00:37:07,370 --> 00:37:07,930 Right? 714 00:37:09,260 --> 00:37:11,600 What if the living hope started to spread? 715 00:37:14,030 --> 00:37:17,420 What if you went into work or class tomorrow reminded of 716 00:37:17,650 --> 00:37:19,820 the living hope that you have? 717 00:37:22,010 --> 00:37:23,900 What if you faced that challenge? 718 00:37:23,930 --> 00:37:24,890 You know what I'm talking about? 719 00:37:24,950 --> 00:37:26,450 That challenge in your life. 720 00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:29,960 You faced it this week with the God of hope. 721 00:37:31,670 --> 00:37:33,860 What if the living hope of Christ started to spread? 722 00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:40,040 What if your household started to understand the hope 723 00:37:40,100 --> 00:37:41,840 that is available to them? 724 00:37:43,020 --> 00:37:47,300 What if your family group started to share this hope with others? 725 00:37:48,845 --> 00:37:53,855 What if this living hope started to spread to your neighborhood and your complex? 726 00:37:56,615 --> 00:37:59,945 What if our cities, our governments, our government officials, were 727 00:37:59,945 --> 00:38:02,525 influenced by this living hope? 728 00:38:05,945 --> 00:38:11,705 What if the living hope of Christ started to spread ? What if the world knew about 729 00:38:11,705 --> 00:38:16,505 the living hope that is found through the resurrection of Jesus the Christ? 730 00:38:17,675 --> 00:38:21,905 What if all of us started to live as people of hope? 731 00:38:23,255 --> 00:38:27,595 What if all of us started to spread the living hope of Christ? 732 00:38:29,915 --> 00:38:32,555 I think it would read like this here, or lemme give you some action steps. 733 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:34,685 Sorry, here I got, I got ahead of myself. 734 00:38:34,685 --> 00:38:35,855 I'm fired up. 735 00:38:36,125 --> 00:38:37,865 Let me give you some action steps here. 736 00:38:37,925 --> 00:38:39,845 Here's some action steps real quickly here. 737 00:38:39,875 --> 00:38:42,905 Thank God for the hope you have in Jesus. 738 00:38:43,475 --> 00:38:46,175 Spend some time this week, just, just some time this week. 739 00:38:47,015 --> 00:38:49,115 Maybe it's 15 minutes, maybe it's 20 minutes. 740 00:38:49,115 --> 00:38:49,475 I don't know. 741 00:38:49,475 --> 00:38:54,695 But spend some significant time thanking God for the hope that you have in Jesus. 742 00:38:55,025 --> 00:38:55,745 And then do this. 743 00:38:55,750 --> 00:38:58,505 Encourage someone to seek hope in Jesus. 744 00:38:58,625 --> 00:39:02,615 We all have a family member, friend, neighbor, coworker, classmate. 745 00:39:02,825 --> 00:39:05,975 Encourage them to seek hope in Jesus. 746 00:39:06,665 --> 00:39:11,915 And then let us take this from being an idea and concept and 747 00:39:11,915 --> 00:39:17,975 cool religious vernacular to becoming our reality in lives. 748 00:39:20,045 --> 00:39:23,765 As we close out, I believe we would also praise God in saying, praise be to the 749 00:39:23,765 --> 00:39:29,495 God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in his great mercy has given us a new 750 00:39:29,495 --> 00:39:34,445 birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the 751 00:39:34,445 --> 00:39:40,415 Dead Brothers sisters, I pray that we may, that we may live as people of hope. 752 00:39:40,595 --> 00:39:40,955 Amen.