Messages

Christian Hope -Human capacity for future orientation -Human faculty of future participation -Present outlook of well-being -Anticipation of future good -Confidence both in present & future

[1 Peter 4:16-17] Suffering as a Christian is part of the Christian life, seek to bring Him glory by not being ashamed, living with a conscious sense that we represent Him here. Expect and rejoice in the suffering that God brings as discipline for his beloved children according to His will and good purpose. How are you doing in the discipline and testing from God?

[1 Pet 4:15] Peter’s prohibition is calling us to self-control and faith so that we will not sin when tempted in trials and suffering. Keep a clean conscience in the context of pressure so we do not suffer because of self-inflicted reasons. Sin really does bring pain and death, reminding us that it is not natural or good.

[Gen 48:15-16] Like Jacob, we ought to see the Lord as our personal God in an intimate relationship with our shepherd and redeemer.

[Gen 47-49] Jacob describes his life as one of sojourning, terminology of one who’s heart and hope is elsewhere, and full of trials. Hebrews 11 describes this perspective in great detail, holding out Jacob as an example amongst so many who died in faith. [Jacob OT Gen 47:9] Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life=[Paul NT Acts 14:22] through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of...

[Heb 10:1-13] The shadows only served to show the need for the substance. How necessary it was for Christ to come into the world to fulfill all that the Old Covenant was powerless to do!

[Gen 37-39] Joseph, like Jesus, was favored by his father, a man of character, endured sufferings-hated without a cause, and God was with him through it all. The Lord was with Joseph in his unjust slavery and imprisonment, so he was successful and God’s kindness was extended to him-likewise God does not rescue us immediately out of every trial but remains with us through it.

[Gen 25-27] Jacob values the inheritence of the promise of God through Isaac’s blessing. Even though he schemes with Rebekah to steal Esau’s birthright, God chose Jacob before they were born and works on Jacob to transform him into His man to continue on in the gospel promise and blessing of Abraham and Isaac. Jacob is chosen and loved by God, so much that he is disciplined by God for years to cha...

[Gen 22-26] Even though Isaac had the great promise of God to Abraham and his seed ultimately fulfilled in the gospel of Jesus, he still had to learn to survive in the mundane and opposition against him in this life. We as Christians will have to follow in his example as we cling to Christ and his word.

[Psalm 138:1-8] David’s had resolved to continue to personally worship the Lord in the midst of war because of God’s steadfast love. David does not let his emotions tell him what to do, but instead he trusts in God’s word and responds appropriately with thanks, singing, and bowing down in worship.

[Gen 15-23] We continue to walk through the history of God's promises to Abraham and how he believed God as he looked ahead to Jesus' day.

Eschatology is just the outworking of all the foundational prophesies, promises, and purposes of God in the salvation of sinners in Jesus Christ. This promise to Abraham is identified as the gospel in Galatians 3:7-9, and even Jesus claimed that Abraham looked ahead to Kingdom of Heaven in Christ when He said to the Jews, "your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Jo...

[Gen 3:15] Hope is future oriented, for hope that is seen is not hope. As created beings, we are past, present and future oriented. God's sovereignly planned and announced His redemption in Genesis 3:15. At the Tower of Babel the New World Order was not stopped, just postponed; it’s coming soon-are you ready to suffer as a Christian for the testimony of Jesus?

We will go through the history of Genesis at a high level, focusing on three key sections: 1. Patriarchs-1800 yrs in 11 chapters 2. Abraham-covenants, statements, promises 3. Joseph-pattern of his life points to Christ Today, we focus on the patriarchs chapters 1-11.

Psalm 33 is call to worship, a reminder to trust and fear God over man with a prayer of hope the end: our soul waits for the Lord while rejoicing in him.

[Psalm 130:1-8] Waiting for the Lord is the essence of Hope in the Old Testament. Hope in the person and Word of the Lord, the steadfast love and plentiful redemption. God may hide His face but He won’t change His heart toward us.

[Gal 5:5-6] Faith, hope, and love bring stability, strength, and peace in your union wirth Christ through His Spirit. Notice how faith and works, so decisively separated when it comes to justification, are so closely joined in sanctification-the Christian life. James' epistle is not talking about justification by works but about the faith that justifies - genuine faith works.

[1 Thes 1:2-3] What do we have faith in? The God who Is, the eternal Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our eternal hope begins with justification by faith and the peace with God that we have through our Lord Jesus Christ.

[1 Thes 1:2-3, 5:8] Faith, love, and hope are the identifying marks of true believers. Paul is presenting these three spiritual dynamics of the Christian life as pertaining specifically to and derived from our Lord Jesus Christ--we cannot obtain these on our own.

[1 Peter 4:14] Believers are as sheep to be slaughtered in this life, but God tells us that suffering for his sake is a great blessing; being reviled for his sake indicates that the Spirit himself--the culminating feature of the New Covenant--rests on you.

[1 Peter 4:12-13] Suffering in the Christian life is not strange. You are experiencing the same path and have fellowship with your Lord Jesus as you walk through suffering, which helps you to know Him more.

[1 Peter 4:12] Expect all manner of painful and difficult trials as you follow the Lord. Surprise is the wrong response. They are from the God who calls you 'beloved,' and are for your testing.

[Psalm 119] What does it mean to seek the Lord with your whole heart? And why is there the constant refrain of "I do not forget your word" in the context of affliction?

[1 Peter 4:11] How is God glorified? Through Jesus Christ. This truth is written over our lives now and God sees us and everything we do through His son, our great propitiation and atoning sacrifice, our savior, Lord, and example. May our hearts overflow with the same outbursts of praise as Peter and Paul do in their letters to the church.

[1 Peter 4:11] Tracing God’s glory as a theme through all the scriptures shows us clearly how jealous God is for the glory of His own name. God values more than anything else to display His glory. Is it God or you who is at the center of your heart and thoughts? How does God get all glory from our lives? God must always be the giver and we must always be the receiver.