The Light of the World // Hope // Pastor Josh Evans

Enjoy the music today. Say, Amen. And what a great start to our service here today. And the music was was fantastic. I don't know if it was because I was sitting on this side today. If maybe the spirit moves a little better on this side.

I don't know. And but no, it was just incredible. I appreciate all the the message and song here today. And I believe in music. I love music and I love good music new and old music.

It's all good. As long as it has a scriptural message behind it, I'm for it. And so I love it. And so I hope that you were blessed and that your heart was prepared for the message that God has for us here here today. Well, listen, as you can see around us, it's Christmas time. We just sang a Christmas song and man that that means it's like we're close. And and I tell you, you know, I know in our house after Thanksgiving, it's like full-blown. You can set up your Christmas decor and things like that. Some of you have been playing Christmas music for months now, you know who you are.

Okay, and but no, I am so excited. How many of you would say I have every single bit of my Christmas shopping already done already? A few of you.

All right, so everybody else look around find somebody and you can think bad thoughts about the ones that just rose their raise their hand. How many of you would consider yourself kind of a last-minute Christmas shopper? You're kind of the Christmas Eve person. You're kind of like, oh this thing's tomorrow. I got to find something, you know, my dad kind of that way. So he's kind of just trained me up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord where that's more my style and wait till the last minute.

And then you you really struggle sometimes to finding that. How many of you have your Christmas decor already up at the house? Okay, Christmas tree.

We did that last night and decorated the Christmas tree. And so I say all that to say Christmas is upon us. Everybody's looking forward to it.

Your kids are excited. And and I love this time of year. It's such a fun time a lot of fun things to do as families, but I wanted over the next several weeks to really look at at the reason for the season.

And so we're going to begin a brand new series today called the light of the world. It's our Christmas series going to take us all the way through Christmas day before we dive in I wanted to mention one thing to you each and every Christmas. We always offer it like a Christmas offering that we give to and this is on top of our tithes and offerings. And this is just if you feel led to give something above that that you can do. So and many times in the past we might, you know, ask you to give towards a project here or towards a missionary or towards a project somewhere else or something like that.

And this year, you know, several of you have even brought this up to me over the last few months and God is just impressed upon my heart that I think this would be the best thing for us to do this year for our Christmas offering is several months ago. Nate and Laura Klotz. There's some of our missionaries that in Papua New Guinea and and we received word several months ago that they were experiencing some health problems. Aaron, their daughter was experiencing some speech problems and they just they had to come back from Papua New Guinea. They hadn't been there too terribly long at the time. And so they came back to the states to receive some medical attention here.

And so they're hoping to go back in the summer. Nate and Laura was with us on a Wednesday night and shared a little bit about their experience and just some of the difficulties that they have had. And and so through all of that, I thought it'd be really good. You know, the Bible says that it's more blessed to give than it is to receive. And I thought it'd be really good for us this Christmas season to bless the Klotz family to Nate, Laura and Aaron and to help them because they definitely had a lot of extra medical expenses, you know, coming back over here.

And so that's what that's going to go to. So if you want to give above your tithes and offerings, which I hope you will, we are so blessed, aren't we? And and so I think we can give, I'd encourage you, you can give online through our website. There's a drop down there for you to give to our Christmas offering. But then also, if you want to designate that you can and drop it in any of our drop boxes sometime over the next several weeks. And we'll present that to them after after Christmas.

But I just want to be a blessing to their family. And somebody told me a while back that I might have been even Pastor Fletcher that if we take care of our missionaries, God will take care of us. And so I think that's super important for us to remember. And so I hope that we can we can do that.

Well, like I said, we're starting a Christmas series here today. If you have your Bible, go to First Peter, chapter number one, First Peter, chapter number one, we've entitled this series, The Light of the World, The Light of the World. In fact, that is a phrase that many of us we say from time to time, you know, Jesus is the light of the world and he is. And when we think about light and what that phrase means when Jesus says that he is the light of the world light, I want you to understand this light changes everything. Light changes everything. It changes our experience here in this room. It changes everything about about life. And so when Jesus came as the light of the world, I want you to know it changed everything. And so starting today all the way through Christmas day, our Christmas service on Christmas day, we are going to look at how and why is Jesus the light of the world. And so we're going to do that looking at four specific words about how Jesus being the light of the world changed everything about your life. Everything about my life and every person who encounters the light of the world.

It can change their life. So today's word is going to be found in First Peter chapter one. It is the word.

You probably saw it themed in the service today a little bit through the music. It's the word hope. It's the word hope. Let's all say that word together. Hope, you know, hope has been a little bit of a theme in our church just on a personal level.

It's been a theme over these last couple of years. If you've been a part of our church, you probably heard us reference the word hope as much as any other word that we've talked about. And the word hope is so important to to your faith. It is so important to everything that you believe having this word hope in your life.

It really changes everything. And so when Jesus came as the light of the world, the way he changed that in the way he lit up your world and my world was he gave you hope. He gave you biblical hope.

He gave you a living hope. Now now the English word of the word hope is is much different than than the scriptural word. Okay, when we think of of hope in English, we think of like wishful thinking right something that you really think or want to happen, but you're not sure that it is going to happen.

You know my kids anytime it drops below 40 degrees. They will say I hope it snows today, right that's wishful thinking like when we use the word hope like that, like that's just something we really want to happen, but we don't know that it will happen. Some of you might say this depending on what team you pull for. I might say I hope that the Duke Blue Devils win the national championship this year. And if you pull for the Tar Heels, you might say I hope that the Tar Heels win the national championship. Let me just tell you if you're on the fan of either one of those it don't look like it's happening for either one of us.

Okay. It's not looking too good. All right, so it's wishful thinking you might even say this just because this would collectively being all of us. You might say I hope the pastor is not long-winded today, right? Let me just say that's wishful thinking.

Okay, it's I can't guarantee it. All right, but listen the way we use the word hope in English. It's so different than what the scripture says and defines the word hope in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for hope is the word batah and it carries this it carries on the idea of of confidence security. And boldness in the New Testament. We find the Greek word for hope. It's this word El Pizzo and it literally means this a confident expectation or assurance. In other words when when the scripture looks at the word hope it is not just wishful thinking.

It's actually the complete opposite. It is a no doubt confident expectation something that you are assured of as if it has already happened. So when we talk about biblical hope when we talk about a living hope when we talk about the word hope and how Jesus brings hope in our life. Let me tell you this. It's not just a wishful thinking like man. I really want this to happen.

No, you can take it to the bank. It will happen. It's something that you can be confident of as a child of God. So when Jesus came as the light of the world and came to this earth to be born. He came to change your life by giving you hope.

Here's the big idea. I want to look at here today briefly is this biblical hope is a reality. It's not just a feeling biblical hope is a reality. It's not just a feeling here in First Peter chapter 1. We see Peter writing to Christians and he writes to Christians who were experiencing a great deal of persecution. Christians who were struggling with with just being persecuted. Persecution that had really changed their world upside down. You're going to see here in verse 1 that the Christians that he's writing to had been scattered throughout all of these different communities all of these different cities because of the persecution of knowing Jesus. And let me just say this before we jump into God's Word. Is that we think we experienced some persecution, but we do not understand what true persecution really is. So we don't understand completely what what they were dealing with. But I want you to know that that you and I we still experience pain.

We still experience trials. Every single one of you have gone through something in your life. You've experienced loss.

You've experienced something that that is rather painful in your life. And in the middle of that, you can experience the hope that Peter actually challenges these Christians on. Let's pick it up in verse 1. He says this, Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout. That just means the the exiles. These were people who had been scattered throughout the community and throughout the local cities there. These Christians had to run for their lives. In other words to to not to be killed for their their faith.

So they've been scattered through all of these areas. And then verse 2 he says elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit and to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ grace unto you and peace be multiplied. So so he was speaking directly to these these Christians. These called out believers and he was speaking to them about about trials and about they were speaking directly into their their difficulty. They were they were completely their life had been upside down. They were experiencing pain and trials and worried about their life.

They experienced fear and insecurity and and everything that you might feel in your life from time to time. That's exactly who Peter was was writing to. So as he addresses them, he opens his book with that in verse 3 said this blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us or born again us again unto a lively. Hope if you mark in your Bible, I encourage you to underline the words lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Ready to be revealed in the last time verse 5. Let me just say this who have kept by the power of God. Aren't you thankful that your salvation in your life is not being kept by you or me. It's being kept by the power of Almighty God and let me tell you this his power never ever ever runs out.

It never runs out. You can trust him. You can take it to the bank that he is the one holding you. You're not the one holding on to him. He's the one holding on to you. And that's what what we have in Jesus.

He keeps us for six. Wherein ye greatly rejoice though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness. You can mark that word heaviness through manifold temptations.

Let me say this just because I think our church has experienced this to a to a great degree. The word heaviness there is actually where we get the word sorrow. It's actually the word grieving.

It's the word that's what these these Christians were experiencing is they were scattered throughout the area. They were actually grieving. They were sorrowful. They were sad. They were disappointed. They had prayed for things that did not go their way and you have been there as well.

And and Paul is saying verse 6 that that we're in Christian. Let me remind you that even in the midst of your heaviness. Even in the midst of your grief. Even in the midst of your sadness. You can greatly rejoice.

Aren't you thankful for that? Let me just speak personally on this. This is something that that every single one of you if you've been through a difficult moment in your life. You need to lean into that verse right there just a little bit. Because sometimes if you're like me a bad circumstance and I haven't experienced I told my Bible Fellowship class this morning. I haven't experienced near the pain and persecution and loss that that many people in this room have experienced.

And so I don't really understand some of the emotion that that you might have experienced in your life. But let me tell you this the scripture is true. The scripture is true that in the midst of your pain. You can experience joy. Now what that doesn't mean is that doesn't mean that you run around and say, man, I'm so happy that God took this person from me.

That's not what I'm saying. You don't have to be thankful and joyful for the pain in your life. But you can be thankful and joyful with the pain in your life. And that's the joy of knowing Jesus. That's what Peter's telling the Christians there.

Is he's telling the Christians he's saying this he's saying listen in the midst of your pain. I know you're scattered abroad. I know you're grieving. I know your hearts are heavy. I know life is has been turned upside down for you and you hardly know which way to turn. But let me remind you that you can rejoice and not only rejoice you can greatly rejoice.

Aren't you thankful for that here today? You can greatly rejoice because of the heaviness verse 7. Here's why that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth it. Though it be tried with fire might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Sometimes God is using our pain to do something in us to change us to bring people to Jesus because of our pain.

And so often I think we point people to their pain and not to the God who is in charge of our our pain. Peter is saying remember you can rejoice in the midst of of heaviness because you have a living. Hope verse 8 whom having not seen you love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing you rejoice with joy, the unspeakable and full of glory receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls of which salvation. The prophets have inquired and search diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you verse 11.

Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven which things the angels desire to look into. What I want to talk to you about when it comes to hope is just what I said earlier biblical hope. It's a reality. It's not just a feeling. It's not a wishful thing that you're hoping will happen. But well, you don't have the assurance of it's not just this this thing that you want to see take place in your life one day. No biblical living hope is actually an assurance in your life that you have something greater to look forward to than anything you can experience here in this life.

That's what he's saying. And so when Jesus when we celebrate Christmas and we look to the reason for the season and we see hey Jesus came to be born as a baby. The reason that he came to be born was so that he could die and eventually resurrect and give you and me hope to give us hope. Let's look at the hope first. Let's look at the reason for our hope. If you're taking notes the reason for our hope if you look back in verse 3, it says this blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant. What's the next word mercy? Let's all say that word together mercy his abundant mercy have be gotten us again into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the from the dead. Let me say this that the reason that you can have hope in your life today is only because of the mercy of God. And not just the mercy.

I love Peter's writing here. He doesn't just say the word mercy. He actually says the abundant mercy of God. In other words, he's handing us mercy that is overflowing in your life. A mercy that never runs out.

That's the reason why you and I can can have have hope. Now when you think of the word mercy, it can be similar to grace and they are similar, but there are differences because both flow out of the love of God. But here's what mercy is exactly. Mercy is the act of withholding punishment or condemnation that is deserved.

It's the act of withholding the punishment that someone is is due. All right, we do this with our kids from time to time, right? You know what I'm talking about parents you you tell them something and say if you do this again, you will lose video games the rest of the day or the rest of the week, right? And then they do it again.

And next thing you know, they still have their their video games. Call me a bad parent or not. I just call me a merciful parent. All right, but listen, that's what mercy is.

It's it's really it's withholding punishment for them. When I was a senior in high school, I got called to to the ministry and so my church was all excited. So they they are, you know, I went to Bible College. I went down to Trinity Baptist in Jacksonville, Florida. So I was a freshman down at Trinity. And and so as I was a freshman and my church was all about me going. They're so excited about me going the church I had grown up in. And so what my church did was they actually gave me like money to go to college, which is pretty impressive. And so I was all excited about that. So I mean they were paying not all but they're paying a portion of my my money.

It wasn't a ton of money, but it was a little bit. And so I felt like a little bit invested down there. So my very first semester there, and if you've never been to Bible College or or a Christian school, there's a lot of rules and things like that.

You know, that's just like like normal. And so my freshman year I got into some trouble. All right now and I would have told you this when I was Candidating here, but I was afraid you wouldn't, you know, call me to be your pastor. So I'm now I'm just going to go ahead and unload some of my past to you. Okay, so my very first year I I was I remember we had on the hall that I lived on in the dorms. We had a washer and dryer room, right where all of us wash their clothes and and in that room, there was some soda machines. Okay, there was some soda machines is going to sound really stupid.

But going to Bible College you do stupid things sometimes. And so we were in there washing clothes and this guy came in and he lived on my hall. He came in to wash his clothes and and I was in there with a buddy. We were waiting for hours to finish and and he came up to the soda machine and he shook the machine and out pop two free drinks. Okay.

Now when you're a student and you don't have a whole lot of money. Stealing just looks okay, right? Okay, not really but but so I was like wow, and he offered us he's like man I can get free drinks out of here whatever. And I was like sounds really good. And and so me and my buddy we took free drink didn't think anything about it.

All right, didn't think anything about it. And and so later, you know as the semester goes on, you know, if you're thirsty kind of went, you know, just shook the machine a little bit and got you a free drink. Well, it wasn't long, you know, the people that would refill and restock those machines. They told the deans they said hey something's not adding up here.

Okay, we're having to restock a lot. There ain't a whole lot of money in these machines. So they began to watch for it. And so one time several weeks after I first started my downward spiral of being a thief. I walked in there with somebody and and we shook the machine got a drink and we got caught. I didn't think much about it. I was like, I mean, I'm really sorry. Let me give you I've probably taken a few drinks.

Let me give you 10 bucks and we'll call it a day and that's really about all I probably spent. I didn't think much about it about a week goes by. I'm in the common area where we're playing like ping-pong which all good college students have to learn to do. And so we're playing ping-pong and and the Dean it's where his office was. He popped out and he said Josh Evans my office now, so I said and I'm just like whoa.

I'm like, here we go. So I go in there and I really had forgotten about my when I got called a week ago. And so I go in there and he hands me a sheet of paper and he says I want you to write down everything you know about stealing sodas out of the machine. And every person that's involved is what he said and I was a little nervous. I was like, okay, so I was just and he said all he said was thank you when I got done and I said well tell me what's going to happen.

You know, you called me in here. I was like give me and he looked at me and he said this he said the penalty for stealing is expulsion. And he said you can go. And that's all I heard and I was just like, okay, it's like think I can leave there.

I got closer to the Lord in the next few days than I've ever been in my whole life. They sent me before the disciplinary council and and what that is is I had to go before the president of the college and the pastor at Trinity who would eventually hire me back. So it worked out but but listen, I had to go before them and they told me they said give me one reason why we should keep you in this school because we have integrity and we have character and I mean they flat-out told me they're like you apparently don't have any of that. And so they told me and listen, they let me stay in school. Now.

I want you to understand this the handbook says very verbatim. He read it the penalty for stealing is expulsion. Should I based on what that says should I have been expelled? If you believe that raise your hand my hands raised say it was only $10.

That's how I looked at it for a while. But should I been expelled absolutely because I broke something that was verbatim in the handbook, but you see they extended mercy. They withheld a punishment that I deserved in that moment. Let me tell you this when when we look at the hope that we have in Jesus. The scripture says in verse 3 that it is by his abundant Mercy that you and I could have hope let me just tell you this. I want to remind you a little bit about what you and I deserve when you were born into this world. We were born dead in our sin completely dead in our sin. And you know what we deserved we deserve to spend eternity in a place called hell.

That's where we deserve. We deserve to one day stand before what the Revelation says that we deserve to stand before what the Bible says the great white throne judgment and be eternally cast into the lake of fire. You say hey pastor. That's some that's some hard preaching.

It might be hard preaching. But what I want you to understand that is biblical that is true. And I want to remind you that you and I that's what we were born into this world heading towards. That's what we deserved. That's what we deserve because of our sin, but God in his abundant Mercy loved you in spite of your sin Romans 5 a we know the scripture said God commended his love toward us while you were yet sinners Christ died for us. You see the penalty that you and I deserved he wiped it away and instead of the penalty he extended Mercy.

He extended Mercy something we don't deserve. You know, if you can understand this this is just so true. The most beautiful thing about the gospel and it's all beautiful. But the thing that overwhelms me the most is not that God came to this Earth because you and I were searching for him. He came to this Earth when you and I were rebelling against him. That's the most beautiful thing about the gospel.

That is what will change everything about your life. If you realize that listen you weren't born into this world looking for him. You were born into this world rebelling against him. You were born into this world doing everything against the father and in spite of your sin Jesus said man. I love you so much that I'm going to send my son Jesus to die in your place. I'm going to extend Mercy.

And not only that I'm going to send my only begotten son to pay the price that you and I should pay I'm going to extend Mercy so that you and I can have hope so that we can have a living hope so that we can have a hope that we will live again one day. You see his mercy is the reason that you can have hope. It's only because of his Mercy. It's not because of you and I'll go as far to say this if you think it's because of you.

You don't know what the gospel even means in your life. It's not because of us. It's because of his abundant Mercy. You see that's the reason for our hope number two. I want you to see the foundation of our hope the foundation of our hope.

Also in verse 3. He says this blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant Mercy. He has begotten us again into a lively hope but the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

You want to know the foundation of why you have hope it's based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Think about Peter Peters writing this and this is so fascinating to me. He's writing this to exiles who are in waiting and they're discouraged and they're frustrated and they're in pain and they're hiding for their life. And Peter is talking about hope and and if you remember a little bit about Peter's life, you know, I love Peter because I feel like Peter is a lot like us, right he sticks his foot in his mouth. He says things that he's not supposed to he cuts off people's ears, you know all that kind of stuff the things that you think about that's what Peter actually did and he's writing it. And if you think about Peters life in his testimony, you can remember back the day Jesus died people, you know, they came up to Peter and they're like, wait a second.

Wait a second. I've seen you with him. What a Peter do completely denied Jesus. I don't even know the man. I don't even know and I've never seen him.

I've never been with him. So to the night Jesus is dying Peter completely denies denies Jesus. You got to think about this when Jesus died for Peter. They had never seen the resurrection of Jesus. They've never seen the resurrected Lord when when Jesus died. They were discouraged.

They were in pain. Hope had kind of lost at that point. And then if you fast forward Jesus resurrects three days later, he reveals himself to Peter. He reveals himself to to the Apostles and to all of these people and now Peter has seen the resurrection Lord and and let me say this the resurrection changed everything for Peter. The night Jesus was dying Peter denied Jesus three times.

Let me fast forward to you to the end of his life into Peters life. You know, Peter died he died professing Jesus. He died as a martyr for Jesus and was killed for Jesus. In fact, he was crucified upside down. You say why in the world was Peter crucified upside down? The only reason Peter was crucified upside down is because he didn't feel he was worthy to die in the same manner of Jesus as Jesus did.

You say what changed from the night Jesus died to Peter being that bold. It's because he'd seen the resurrection Jesus. He'd seen the resurrected Jesus. The resurrection changed every single thing for his life.

And so now he is writing to people that are in exile that are discouraged and are in pain in this difficult period of their life. And he's reminding them listen, you have hope because just as Jesus resurrected and I saw him. There's a resurrection day coming for you. There's a resurrection day coming for you. You have a hope because Jesus has conquered death. Jesus has conquered hell.

Jesus has conquered the grave. Let me say this you have hope today because Jesus through his resurrection won the victory. It's over. It's over. It's just a matter of time till Jesus comes back and we all live forever with him. You see the battle's been won. Why are you stressed out?

Why are you in pain? Remember you have a hope that's based on the mercy of God. That its foundation is found in the resurrected Jesus. Thirdly and finally, I want you to look at the nature of our hope. The nature of our hope. If you look at verse 4 he describes what your hope looks like. So if you hear us talk about hope you might see it on a shirt. You see the word hope all around this time of year.

You say what exactly does that mean? I want you to go to verse 4 and I'm going to show you exactly what Peter described the living hope that we have. He said verse 4 to an inheritance incorruptible. So he mentions hey your hope is incorruptible.

It's incorruptible that word comes from the Greek word. It means this it cannot decay and it cannot perish. You see the hope that we have in Jesus. It cannot perish. It is incorruptible.

Nothing can destroy it. In fact, this is the same word that's used in 1st Corinthians 15 where it says in the moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall all be changed. You see the hope that we have in Jesus.

It is incorruptible. Let me remind you that you have a hope that is beyond the grave today. There's a physical redemption that is coming to your body. All of us can rejoice to that every pain that we experience here on this Earth will eventually be washed away. Every heartache will eventually be gone from life. That's the hope that we get to look forward to every flaw that you experience here on Earth will be gone.

One day you will have a perfect body. We will be like him and we will resurrect and be in heaven forever with him. Let me remind you if you're discouraged today. You know, what's awesome about heaven too about this hope. There's not a hospital up there.

There's not a doctor's office. I don't even think there's a prayer list. Everything will be made right in your life. You see that's the hope we can look forward to it's incorruptible.

If you've trusted in Jesus today, regardless of the pain that you have in your life, you have a hope in your life that is incorruptible. And then number two, it's undefiled. You know what that means?

It means that it's free from contamination. You know, one thing I hate about this life is that we still have the fleshly nature. Don't you hate that? It's like I feel like the Apostle Paul all the time. It's like man, what I really want to do and how I really want to feel and what I really want to say is this. But what I find myself saying is way over here. It's like everything that I really want to do in my heart wants to do because Jesus changed my heart.

It's like it's all over here. But I find myself doing this here's wise because we have this war going on in our life. We have this war that you know, you have the spiritual man and you have the fleshly man and they're constantly at odds with one another and they're constantly at war with one another and they're fighting and and you're just trying to, you know, make it as long as you can, you know, all of us we sin from time to time and and if you're like me, you hate that about yourself, right?

I hate that about me that I wish that I didn't have to deal with that world that that war inside of me. And what Peter is reminding the Christians that have been scattered abroad. He's saying this. He's saying listen, the living hope that that you have in your life that that Jesus when he came to this Earth that he brought that hope. It is a hope that is undefiled. That one day you that old life is going to be completely gone that you're not going to have the sin nature one day. You're not going to have the war that is inside of you one day. It's going to be gone and it's going to be free from sin that every good thing that you want to think eventually, you will think that because she's the war is over.

You don't have to war anymore. It's an undefiled hope and then the third thing is this. It's a hope that fadeth not away. It's a hope that fadeth not away that's reserved in heaven for you. Let me say this your hope is set in stone. It can't be taken away from you.

It's done. And when you think about that, we can't take anything with us from this Earth. And by the way, why would we even want to think about it? We have a hope in heaven. I mean a hope that's undefiled a hope that's incorruptible. A hope that is set in stone.

That's based on Jesus who who bestowed his mercy on you and bestowed his mercy on me and resurrected from the dead defeating everything could that could ever ever break you. Why would we want to take anything with us? But so often if you're like me, we start placing our hope and a lot of things that will eventually pass away.

Let me remind you that your career is going to come to an end one day. Why hope there? Why put your hope there? It's going to be gone one day your money will come to an end. There's no reason on on hoping for that. That's not that's not a good thing to put your hope in because it changes and it will eventually pass away everything that you accumulate in your life. It's going to be it's going to be gone. Everything on Earth is going to pass away.

The only thing that is going to remain. Is what you've done for Jesus Christ. You see the hope that we have in Jesus. Incorruptible.

Undefiled. Fadeth not away. Jesus came to this earth so that you can have hope. So my question is do you have hope? Do you have hope? I'm not saying do you have earthly hope? If wishful thinking is the only thing you have, you need to come to the altar and accept Jesus today.

Wishful thinking this man. I really want this to happen one day, but I'm not really sure that's not biblical hope biblical life-changing. Hope is hope that you can take to the bank. It's assurance.

It's confidence. It's hope and something that is as good as done. And let me say this, if you do have hope, you have a hope beyond the grave.

If you've lost a loved one, you have hope that you're going to see them again. You have a hope that triumphs over trials. You have a hope that can smile in the middle of pain. You have a hope that brings joy during trials. You have a hope that knowing that one day, everything wrong about this life will eventually be made right. And you have a hope that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. That's the hope that Jesus brings. You say, how did Jesus change the world when he was born and came to this earth? He gave us hope. He gave us a hope that changes everything about your life. Let me say that if you don't know Jesus today, then you're living a hopeless life. You don't have that hope.

I don't, in fact, I'll say this to you. I don't want to embarrass you, but I want you to know, I don't know how you could go on another day without accepting Jesus. In this world that we live in, I don't know how people get by without the hope that Jesus brings. With the bad news that we receive all the time, with the bad phone calls we receive all the time, with so much wrong in our world, the things that we see and the things that we hear and the things that we feel, I don't know how you would want to live another day without the hope that Jesus brings.

I want to invite you today. You can leave here with a hope that is beyond the grave, a hope that is incorruptible, a hope that is undefiled, a hope that fadeth not away. Don't leave. Don't waste another moment. Trust in the life-changing power of Jesus Christ that keeps us and that gives us hope. Would you stand with me?