The Voice of Hope

Ascension Day (Special) Selected Texts Thine is the Kingdom – Altar of Praise Chorale Amen! Thank you, choir, for that wonderful declaration of truth! And thank you my friend for joining me today for The Voice of Hope. I’m J. Mark Horst, your friend and Bible teacher. This program, The Voice of Hope, is produced by Heralds of Hope. We’re an international Gospel ministry using media to make discipl...

Results of The Resurrection Acts 3:12-21 In Acts chapter 3 Peter and John were on their way to the temple for afternoon prayers. As they’re about to enter the temple, a lame man lying at the gate calls out to them and asks them to put something in his cup. Peter and John both stop and fix their eyes on this man. And Peter said, “look at us.” Now when Peter said those words, I can almost see the ho...

In this sermon, we study Matthew 15:21-28 to explore the faith of the mother from Canaan, highlighting the characteristics of faith that motivates petition, demonstrates persistence, and activates provision. The text encourages mothers to follow this biblical example of motherhood by trusting Jesus completely and petitioning the Lord for their children’s needs. Transcript: I’m glad our country sti...

You Are Witnesses Luke 24:33-53 Have you ever been a witness to an accident or a crime? What did you see? How did you react to what you saw? Were you asked to recount what you saw? Many times, when there’s an accident or a crime committed, one of the first things law enforcement officers want to know is – are there any witnesses? Properly trained detectives can piece together much of what happened...

Seeing the Risen Christ Luke 24:13-32 There’s a legend about a king who set aside a special day to honor the greatest person in his kingdom. When the day arrived, a large crowd gathered in the palace courtyard. Four finalists were brought forward, and from these four, the king would select the winner. The first person was a wealthy philanthropist. The people said this man was deserving of the hono...

The Son of Man is Glorified Luke 23:50-24:12 When you die, where do you want to be buried? In Brunswick, New Jersey, in the 1790s, Mary Ellis fell in love with a sea captain. As he was leaving on a voyage, he left his favorite horse with her, and promised to return to her as soon as he could. Every day, Mary awaited his return at the exact same spot. Years passed and in 1813, Mary purchased a plot...

Betraying the Son of Man Luke 22:47-62 No treachery is worse than betrayal by a family member or friend. Julius Caesar knew such treachery. Among the conspirators who assassinated him was Marcus Junius Brutus. Caesar not only trusted Brutus, but he had also actually favored him as a son. Roman historians tell us that, at first, Caesar resisted the onslaught of the assassins. But when he saw Brutus...

A Biblical View of Singleness I Cor. 7:7-9, 32-35 In Matthew chapter nineteen, the Pharisees, came to Jesus with a question. They were trying to find some way to accuse Him of disobeying God’s law. The question they raised was this; “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” Jesus responded by taking them back to Creation to God’s original intention. In response to their second q...

            In the early 1500s, the Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de León, sailed north from Puerto Rico, through the Bahamas, looking for new lands and treasures. He had heard rumors of a mythical fountain of youth. The native peoples spoke of a legendary, magical spring whose water was believed to make older people young again. Ponce de León explored many areas, including the Bahamas and Bimini,...

            The Psalms are full of rich truth. Some of those riches are lying on the surface like gold nuggets just waiting to be picked up. Others are buried and take time and effort to discover and retrieve. Many of the Psalms are very personal, giving us glimpses into the struggles of the soul of the writer. Many of them contain very clear and forthright teaching.             I want to challeng...

Women in Ministry Selected Texts Language is an important part of communication. But in order to communicate we must have a common understanding of word meanings. For example, “What comes to your mind when you hear the words, women in ministry? Do you automatically think of women being ordained as pastors? If so, you’re defining ministry as a position, or perhaps even as a title. But someone else...

Women as Mothers II Titus 2:3-5 The final PART of the Pattern is, Domestically Inclined In verse five, Paul says the older women should teach the younger ones to be “homemakers.” The literal meaning is, “those who stay at home,” and carries the thought of being domestically inclined; having a desire to create a home and to use it as a primary point of ministry and service. This is a special challe...

Women as Mothers : Part 1 Titus 2:3-5 Years ago, I worked with a man who had been a “pattern maker” in a foundry. His job was to construct a model made of wood in the shape of the finished casting. The pattern was then placed in a box and sand was packed tightly around it. Then the pattern was carefully removed, leaving its form in the sand. The molten metal poured into the mold took the form of t...

Welcome to the Voice of Hope podcast. 2 Timothy 2:15 reads like this, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.” Arlin and Tony are your hosts. We seek to explore and discuss the clear and simple teachings of the Bible. BASIC Plan Big Deal  Our interpretation of the Bible is a big deal with major consequences. A...

Women as Wives Ephesians 5:22-24 Today, we look at the biblical definition of submission. I’ve titled the message, “Women as Wives.” The larger context of this teaching is how we as followers of Jesus are to walk in His will. The specific context is His will for the wife in a marriage. This study is the mirror to the one we had earlier on “Loving Leadership” that dealt with the husband’s role in t...

Genesis 2:18-25 Genesis chapter one, verses twenty-six to thirty, outline for us the initial creation of mankind. Verse 27 reads like this; “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him: male and female created He them.” In our study of biblical womanhood, which we began last week, it is important for us to understand and embrace the fact that women are created in the im...

  Biblical Womanhood Genesis 2:15-25 A couple months ago, near the beginning of our study on the family, I presented a message titled, “Man in God’s Image.” In that study, we looked at the creation of human beings in God’s image. We noted the likenesses of our Creator that we humans, both male and female, exhibit. They are – the eternal likeness; the moral likeness; and the physical likeness. I ex...

I Samuel 17:57-18:4 As human beings, relationships with other people are an integral part of our lives. Outside our family, you and I refer to these relationships as “friends.” In our modern usage of the word, a friend can denote someone who is merely a passing acquaintance whose company you enjoy. It can refer to someone you have contact with on social media, even though you really don’t know the...

Men as Fathers II Ephesians 6:4 The Discipline of Children In previous studies, I’ve quoted from Richard Phillips’ book, “The Masculine Mandate.” In his chapter on the discipline of children, he points out that many of the great men of the Bible, men like Jacob, David, Eli, Samuel, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, all had sons who were rapists, murderers, gluttons, child-sacrificing idol worshipers, and...

“Men as Fathers” Ephesians 6:4 In a courtroom, many years ago, a young man was being sentenced to prison. The judge had known the young man from childhood, and he was also acquainted with his father, a famous legal scholar who had authored an exhaustive study titled, “The Law of Trusts.” “Do you remember your father?” the magistrate asked. “I remember him well, your honor.” Trying to probe the off...

Ephesians 5:25-33 Many men in our culture, and even in the Church, have little understanding concept of the real meaning of love. If you dispute that, just look at the divorce rates, and the division in churches. Furthermore, our text for today from Ephesians chapter five, sets a very high standard for husbands to follow. And we’re not given the option to take it or leave it. We have a direct comm...

Genesis 2:15-25 On a previous program we introduced the subject of biblical manhood. We noted the scarcity of real men in both the wider culture and in the church. And we attempted from Scripture to define the term “real men.” There are many reasons why real men are in such short supply in our day. Two major reasons quickly come to mind: the sexual revolution of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. That led t...

  Genesis 1:7 ,  15-17 Several weeks ago, we began a series of study on the human family. Some of the subjects we’ve covered so far were, “Man in God’s Image,” “Man in Dominion,” and “God’s Purposes for Marriage.” The basis for our discussion of these subjects was the opening chapters of Genesis. In our study today, we’ll begin to examine the topic, “Biblical Manhood.” In both the wider culture an...

Genesis 1:25-31 Have you ever wished you could’ve stood beside Adam and Eve as they gazed upon the perfect world God created for them? Imagine viewing the amazing variety and color of flowers, tasting the succulent fruits growing on heavily laden vines and trees? Imagine observing all the different birds and animals, living in harmony with each other and their human caretakers! What a perfectly ba...