0:07 St. Luke 1 Luke 1 I believe it's 38 says Mary said um behold thy maid servant uh let it be unto me according to your word and that is my prayer today what we heard already that it would be so 0:26 according to the word that was spoken to us um by Jesus himself through our brother dear brother this morning excuse me I've been thinking about uh hope recently 0:43 and how our hope is tied to the person of Jesus Christ and I was looking at it looking up the Greek word uh for hope and the Greek word meant 1:01 a joyful and confident expectation uh and it is really bit uh blessed me uh in Hebrews 6 uh 18 through 20 it says that by two 1:22 immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope or the joyful and confident expectation uh set before us the hope is set before 1:41 us we use 1 Timothy 1 and 1 said that Jesus Christ our savior is our hope verse 19 this hope we have as an anchor for of the soul both sure and steadfast and which enters the presence behind the veil. 2:00 Where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. And and as I was reading more and more on on hope, and it was almost every time I seemed to 2:19 talk about having hope or the hope that we have, it was tied to the person of Jesus Christ, the person of the Father. That apart from that, that hope is not sure, it's not steadfast. If the hope is and confidence is in anything other than Jesus Christ 2:37 himself, it's not sure and steadfast. It's a hope that dissipates. Um Proverbs talk about hope deferred maketh the heart sick. It's if the hope is not in Jesus Christ, um it can be deferred. 2:56 And so, especially in the times in which we're living, uh believe the Lord is impressing on me this hope that lies in Jesus Christ, and to always have that hope, and to pursue that hope, that joyful and confident expectation, even especially 3:14 in what we were hearing today, to have the hope that lies in Jesus Christ, that he will accomplish what he've he's said in his word. And as I was thinking of hope, the greatest hope that we had have, one of the greatest hopes is in 1 John 3, we 3:33 often hear in 1 John 3 1 through 3. It says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God. 3:51 Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him. Beloved, now we have Now we are children of God, and it is not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed when Jesus is revealed, 4:08 we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope with this joyful and confident expectation in him purifies himself just as he is pure. And when I used to read that verse, um the enemy can cause it to be heavy 4:27 because how I have to keep purifying myself. I keep purifying myself. I come to a certain level, and I hear another message that have me to go come higher. Uh and and as many of us know that that was a contention with that even in 4:42 this church of how the message was too heavy. But more and more as I see it that there is a hope when I read that that if I purify myself, um as he is pure. The reason why I keep purifying myself is because the hope that is set before me 5:00 of my savior Jesus Christ, my hero, my bridegroom. So, I want to keep purifying myself as he is pure. And it's not heavy. It's not grievous uh anymore, but it's a it's a cer- sense of joy because I can be like him. I can 5:15 continue to be like him, and he's there to help me to grow and to be like him. But there were times where um like I said, it could be heavy, and where hope my hope in the past may begin 5:34 to wane, and my faith in Jesus Christ begins to reign uh wane because I as we were hearing today, year after year after year, I'm hearing the same messages. Hope and my hope began to wane because I haven't experienced what I was 5:51 I've been hearing, and other people are experiencing this new covenant life. And and secretly in my heart, um there's there was there was a tendency to start shutting down, losing hope, losing faith. Others don't know it. Still coming to 6:09 church, but hope is being deferred. Hope is is waning because I'm not seeing what God has called or have said in his word. And this is a verse several years has been uh a rock to me. Uh Romans 15 uh verses 12 and specifically 13. 6:35 That some may even be in that place now that uh secretly no one knows, uh but you have in that lack of faith, that hope is not that hope is waning, that hope in Jesus Christ the hope is not set before us, that the same hope that Jesus 6:51 had, um that joyful and confident expectation in Christ, in the person of Jesus Christ, is waning because of the experiences or the lack of experience. Romans 15 and 12 it said, "And again, Isaiah says, there shall be a root of Jesse." Talking 7:11 about Jesus. "He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him the Gentiles shall hope." And this is is near and dear to me. May Now, verse 13. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may 7:28 abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. And that is something that is touching to me because I can come to to the Father with anything, even my lack of faith, even my lack of hope. Even from my own neglect, it could be 7:46 because of my neglect of him. But, nevertheless, that lack of hope is there, that lack of faith. But, I can come to him. I can run to him. The God of hope. The tendency is is um for you to just lay out, don't come to the certain meetings, or don't uh 8:04 uh read the word, or don't listen to the word cuz you've heard so many sermons sermon after sermon. Uh but, for me, I found out that discouragement is a no entry road. And we oftentimes hear that. And when I think about the no entry road 8:22 of discouragement and condemnation, it's not a straight road that I can see straight in front of me, but it's at an angle down it's angled downward, and it's muddy, and it's slippery. Um and the more I stay on that road, 8:37 the further down I go. So, that any smell of discouragement, I run back to God, the God of hope. Come back to him and say, "Lord, I'm lacking hope. I'm lacking faith. But, I'm coming to the God of hope. You're the God of hope. 8:52 Um and you can give me joy and peace in believing that I that faith that I had is not a faith of struggle, but it's a faith with that faith, I'm joy- joyful, and I'm expecting I'm confident in expecting I have that joyful 9:08 uh confident expectation that the Lord would do what he said he was do what going to do, and he would cause me to abound in hope, and it's by the Holy Spirit. So, that is uh something that's been on my heart that the Lord has been 9:24 laying on my heart that even what we're hearing today, that it wasn't a heavy message, it was a message of hope. Um and that that I the God of hope can give me that hope even if I was sitting, you know, saying I've heard this message before. 9:40 Uh but I can run to him and say, "Lord, I I I I'm lacking faith, but you're the God of hope." I'm coming to you. Help me. And in my life, I've never come to the Lord uh drew drew near to the Lord and he didn't draw nigh to me. There's never a 9:57 time and and I believe that it can be true for anyone that if I come to him, I'm lacking, but I I I have nowhere else to go. I'm coming to the God of hope to give me hope that I can abound in hope uh by the power of the Holy Spirit. 10:14 Amen. Thank you, brothers, for what you've shared already and um you'll find verses in the New Testament that um that have the word always in it. Um and it's referring to an attribute that us as um believers, us as followers of 10:33 Christ, as disciples need to have. And it uses the word always. For example, um I'll read Colossians 4 and verse 6. Paul says, um "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to 10:51 answer each person." That's Colossians 4 and verse 6. And then um turn the page to the next book, 1 Thessalonians 5. And I'll start reading from verse 15. See that no one pay repays anyone evil for evil, 11:10 but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. And then again, verse 16, "Rejoice always." And then verse 17, "Pray always" or "Pray without ceasing." And then verse 18, "Give thanks in all circumstances." Again, always. 11:28 "For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." And there was one particular verse I read this past week. I'll share that in a minute. And I stopped at that word always and you know, speaking of heavy messages, David was just talking about it. 11:42 And I was thinking about that and thinking always it it's it's fine to imagine me being in that state or having that characteristic at certain points or even at most times, but always is that pretty heavy or is it? You know how when certain people 12:01 in their vocabulary use the word always or forever or anytime, they don't literally mean the word. It's just used to emphasize a point. For example, if you if you say thanks to someone, thank you for helping me with that and they respond with anytime. 12:16 They don't literally mean anytime. They don't mean wake me up at 2:00 in the morning and I'll do it. They mean I'll be happy to do it for you later if you need help. But that's not what Paul's doing. I don't think Paul's just using the word 12:29 always to to emphasize something. He literally means it in all these verses. Literally means rejoice always. Literally means give thanks in all circumstances. Literally means let your speech always be seasoned with salt. And 12:43 I was thinking about certain situations or circumstances in my life where I thought that might be in human terms impossible. I I remember times when I've been humiliated by people. I don't know if you've been there, brothers and sisters, where you 12:58 feel absolutely humiliated by someone. And then to consider in that moment rejoice always or even worse let your speech always be seasoned with salt in that moment. Or when you failed at something and you feel that you know, it hits you 13:16 like a ton of bricks. Man, I failed. And then to think of in that moment rejoice always. Or give thanks in all circumstances. Always. Um, I can do it. Give me give me my time devotional time this evening. Let me just, you know, lay 13:33 low until then, not meet a lot of people. And then after that, yes, I can give thanks. But Paul's saying the Lord's saying the Holy Spirit is saying, "No, this moment is the moment that I want you to rejoice in." And one of my favorite favorite interactions 13:51 of Jesus is when he was before Pilate. Um, I'll read that from John's Gospel. Um, this is verse uh chapter 18. And this is the second time so Jesus 14:10 appears before Pilate once um chapter 28 onwards. Um, and then Pilate asked him certain questions. Are you the king of the Jews? But then Pilate sends him out to be flogged. And then Jesus comes back before him and the soldiers go a step further. They put 14:29 the crown of thorns on him. They humiliate him. And chapter 19, Jesus appears again before Pilate. And um verse 10, so Pilate is on the verge. He's he's succumbing to the pressure that the crowds are putting on him and he's on the verge of delivering Jesus 14:46 over to be crucified. And verse 10 of chapter 19, John 19:10, Pilate said to Jesus, "You will not Will you not speak to me?" because Jesus had refused to answer him. "Do you not know that I have authority to release you and to or to crucify 15:02 you?" And Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin." And I was thinking, could Jesus have picked a worse moment 15:17 to think of the sovereignty of God? Could he have Like, this was one of his weakest moments. He's literally standing before the guy who's going to deliver him over to be crucified. And Jesus said, "I believe in the sovereignty of God." A 15:31 statement of faith in the worst possible moment. And I would have thought, "Okay, when could Jesus have spoken about his sovereignty? Maybe at the triumphal entry. Or maybe when he had just fed the 5,000. And it is going to prove God is 15:43 sovereign." But Jesus chose this moment, the weakest moment. Jesus knew what was ahead. He knew he was going to be crucified. He had just been flogged. Um And he was going to suffer hell in a few hours. But Jesus chose this moment to 15:57 say, "You have no authority." Imagine Jesus standing before Pilate, bloodied and bruised, with his hands tied, crown of thorns on his head. And he looked at him and said, "You have no authority over me unless it was given 16:09 you from above." And And I want to Um was it possible for Jesus to have faith at all times, even at that time? To be abounding, to be rejoicing even at that time before Pilate, before his darkest hours, with that was just 16:24 ahead of him. Yes, Jesus walked that road. It was possible. And I want to believe that it is possible for me, too. Um in that moment when something hits me all of a sudden, I've been caught off guard. I It's It's been hours since my prayer 16:40 time. It's been hours since or days since Sunday or Wednesday. I haven't There hasn't been a recent refreshing um in terms of a meeting or in terms of a message. And something hits me when I'm when my guard is down. Am I ready at that point, 16:55 like Jesus was, to say, "Yes, Lord. Always. Always rejoicing. Always seasoned with salt. Always full of joy. Always giving thanks." Um the verse I wanted to read was 2 Corinthians 9:8. Uh chapter 9 and verse 8. And this verse encouraged me a lot this 17:15 past week. This is the verse that stopped made me stop and think. And God is able to make all grace abound to you. So that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. If I focus on all times 17:29 abound in every good work, like David said, it's a heavy message, but the verse starts with and God is able to make all grace abound to you at all times. So that having all sufficiency given by him, not something that I manufactured 17:42 or something that I have to work up. Um like Santos said, the Pharisees would be sweating at the end of it. I don't have to be sweating. It's something that God makes provision for. Um Carita sorry, um Amy Carmichael said 17:57 um that a cup of sweet water, uh even though it's jarred suddenly, it can't suddenly spew out uh dirty water. It can only spew out clean water. And that's I want to start every day like that. Lord, I don't know what this day has for 18:13 me. There might be bad news that's coming. There might be There might be somebody that belittles me at work or says something that's not kind. But Lord, I never want to be caught off guard. All times, Lord, I want to be in 18:26 the place that you want me to be. I just wanted to read a few more verses from Psalms 112. Um verse four first of all. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright. He is gracious, merciful, and righteous. Even in the darkness, 18:41 light can dawn through me. Um verses six and seven of the same chapter. For the righteous will never be moved. He will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news. His heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is 18:54 steady, and he will not be afraid. Um there might be bad news on the way, but I don't have to be shaken when it does come. And then a few more verses from Psalm Psalms 91. I'll read from 1 to verse 6. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most 19:11 High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. For he will deliver me from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you 19:24 with his pinions and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night or the arrow that flies by day, something that catches me off guard, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, 19:38 nor the destruction that wastes at noonday." Um I was encouraged by what Sandor shared this morning that this is the year of Jubilee and I want to believe that this will be the year that I will always be in that place of 19:50 Jubilee, always be in that place of rest where the arrow by night or the sudden pestilence or um sudden bad news that might be wait waiting that might be lurking does not catch me off guard, but that I'm always at rest under the shadow of 20:07 my father with the spirit dwelling in me. I I I just read on one of the social media uh platforms earlier this week that the phrase that they used was seems like um layoffs are looming over the tech industry like storm clouds. 20:22 And when I read that I thought, "Whoa, is this that coming for me?" But that's not the shadow I need to fear because I'm under the shadow of the Almighty. Um like Sandor said this morning, I might be um a beneficiary of a company, 20:36 I might be getting a salary from them, but overall God is sovereign, which Jesus recognized in front of Pilate. I want to be there. Amen.
