We Have Hope

verse 19 Hebrews chapter 6. which hope talking about God and his word which hope we have as an anchor of the Soul sure steadfast and that enters into that within the veil in other words it takes us into the very presence of the Lord who is Our Hope and I want to preach for a little while on this subject we have hope we I'm going to ask you to say that word hope with me would you oh that sounded good it feels good to have hope thank God that we haven't the writer said as an anchor of the Soul God bless you

and you may be seated the word of God is full of Hope in fact we've been singing songs about it throughout this morning worship service 100 times in the Old Testament the word hope is used 100 times in the New Testament the word hope is used really a little bit more than that in each one so over 200 total times God and His writers chooses to talk about the theme or the subject of Hope the biblical definition the original translated definitions when those words are used is to expect to trust enough to confide our hopes are confide in that one to anticipate to hope is to anticipate

and not just to anticipate but to do it with confidence and even to do it with happiness I'm kind of hoping for Christmas morning and what's going to be under that tree all those gifts that Amber has already purchased perhaps hope have hopes he said oh that don't sound too encouraging strike that analogy in that illustration out of the message and Graham Lutz said biblical hope is absolute confidence in something you haven't seen or received yet and I speak that to us today because there is much we are hoping for

but we have not seen it we have not received it but she said you're absolutely confident that whatever God has said is going to come to pass hope is not optimism alone it's related but hope acknowledges the junk of now but keeps trusting in the god of the forever hope does not react there are happenings covet pandemic political situations and we have read in newspapers and in the great source that you can trust in and hope in Facebook and other there has been a lot of reactions but hope does not react it responds it responds with prayer

and it responds with faith again we acknowledge the junk we're not ostrich Believers sticking our head in the Sands but we respond to these situations instead of reacting we pray for those current situations and those involved and then we anticipate and have a mindset that this current situation is not all there is to it what we're going through right now and you could even apply this to a personal situation I'm talking mainly about world situations and conditions and our culture but this is not all there is to it there is a hope we have that is beyond this life we have a God who is

the god of Hope this Hebrews 6 text is reassuring the people of God the reason the writer taught it or preached it whichever you look at it as and was reassuring God's people of his promise and everything that it entails when I read the conditions historically that was going on in that day oh it was so easy to draw parallels and see analogies for our day because at that point God's people had suffered much persecution and rejection God's people were in the minority compared to the numbers that were in the world their beliefs were consistently disbelieved or questioned or mocked or made to sound

and look strange that's the congregation that the Hebrew writer was writing to in fact it's the congregation that I'm preaching to today that God's people needed that word and that voice that we've read already from Hebrews chapter 6. he was trying to encourage them persevere in this Christian life because this is not all there is to it lift your eyes and your heads beyond the economic and the political happenings that are happening in your day the Hebrew writer said and I want you to see God is still God God is still in control I know that's a simple statement

but I believe we ought to focus on it right now you can lift your voice clap a hand Rejoice stand Shout Whatever God is in control and it doesn't matter where it is in our lives in our families God's in control in the United States of America God's in control I know it may not look like it but hope says not everything that we're seeing is all there is to it not everything you're seeing in your family situation is all there is to it God heard that prayer of faith you prayed God heard that desperate cry God I need your answer we need your relief

we need your strength God heard it God's still in control his plan is still in operation nothing has thrown God's plan off track he and his people are going to be ultimately Victorious to look around then and now and only see the world in life conditions as we see them and we find ourselves in really quite honestly can be disheartening frustrating I'm not saying we never get discouraged I'm not saying we're not disheartened I was I'll just go ahead and put it out there I was a little disheartened by the recent election I was glad for the good results

but I was expecting a little bit more but that is not the only view we as the people of God and the people of his word and of his faith have we may be frustrated by our nation's immoral agenda and animosity seemingly toward God but you can be confident that right this very moment God is building his church we may walk out of here to headlines or you and I may walk out of here to a phone call that rocks our world I hope not I want not but as you know we never know what is going to take place

but in spite of all of that Jesus is still building his church brother and sister Kelly whatever opposition is faced in Wales where your children will be in Scotland in Russia Belarus Whatever It Is God is still building his church and we're not going to get tunnel vision to where we're living that this is all there is God is opening our eyes today like he did the servant's eyes and look there are more with us come on somebody there's more with you in your house that are against you all it takes is simple math a third of the Angels fell

and I wish they wouldn't have fallen I wish they were all still up there but since they fell I can't get disheartened oh God you lost a third of your army here's what I know God doesn't even need an army thank you but here's another positive Point there's still two-thirds there I got to quit focusing on the one-third that's going bad in my life I need to address it I need to take care of it I can be concerned about it but there are more with us Hear Me Mama there is more with you that are with him there is more for you your faith

is for you his blood is for you you are victorious this isn't some Sunday morning high this is a hope that you have whoa it's a hope Hallelujah Peter called it a lively hope the word really is Living Hope and energizing principle a Christian hopefulness an attitude of expectancy Peter said it first Peter chapter 1 verse 3 blessed be the god father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His abundant Mercy abundant Mercy God's not running out God's not up there saying okay I see him going through a trial

but I don't know if I got enough to spare God has abundant power he has abundant Mercy he knows every problem in this room right now and if we made a list of every situation and struggle and challenges that you and I are facing it would be a Monumental listing but God has abundant Mercy he has abundant power he has abundant strength and this is a Living Hope and attitude of expectancy as we look toward the lord God almighty Hallelujah hopefulness it sounds like this I know that God wants me to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven I know God wants me to make it to heaven

so he's going to take care of me now whoo yeah when we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be but there's a little rejoicing that can happen down here too because if he loves me enough to want me to go to heaven he's going to take care of me down here spiritually until I can get there Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 17 wherein God willing more abundantly to show there's that word abundant again more abundantly to show unto The Heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel that word simply means God has a certain position

and he doesn't change his position he's immutable he stands on a certain truth he stands in a certain faithfulness in other words he said it that's the way it's going to be any promise in here can be ours does he still heal oh yes he does because he said it brother Kelly wonderful testimony and just because I don't see it doesn't mean he can't and does it mean he is when he said there hath no this this verse is is for several people in this room today I do not know who you are I just know that God landed this in my spirit First Corinthians chapter 10

and verse 13. there has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer or he will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able but will with the Temptation the word is testing but will with the testing you and I are going through and will with the adversity that we're feeling and every adversity is not physical there is adversity of pressure there is a adversity of the mind and the thoughts and trying to make decisions and work out situations for families

and other but will with the adversity also make a way to escape there's an exit there is a way out of your situation he meant it when he said you're coming out of that situation you are going to exit that situation I'm preaching that here these next few minutes I'm just going to preach right here he said it he isn't changing positions he is immutable if he said it it's going to happen he's going to make a way for you to escape whether it's a financial whether it's a family whether it's a relational whether it's a physical he is going to make a way for

you to escape there is an exit you're going to exit that situation how many of you are going through something right now there's something that's testing would you just lift your hand don't be ashamed let's be honest here let's be honest just keep it up there if you would and now I want us to lift the other hand and others to join and I want us to thank God that he's the god of Our Hope and that you are well able God and there is nothing impossible we have just sung about it there is nothing too hard for you all things are possible whoa

Hallelujah he's not changing his position if he said it if he said he would heal back in the old in the New Testament he's still a Healer today somebody that needs a healing just just ought to say Amen right there and I'm I'm not trying to get noise right now I'm lifting Faith here there's faith that is evident here that by Verse 18 by two immutable things those two things where God made a promise and then he swore to that promise it's like it's enough God for you to make a promise

but he said I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna double latch it here I'm going to make an oath to that promise that it's so it's impossible for God to lie that we might have a strong consolation that word strong literally means a fort or a fortress which is an obstacle to any enemy or any resistance that tries to come against the child of God we have a strong there's a fortress that consoles Us in other words God's promises in this book you've been reading the scriptures keep reading them going through the midst of your trial your daily time whatever that is early in the morning

middle of the day late at night whenever it is lunch break whenever it is you keep reading those promises you keep believing those promises that is an obstacle to the resistance of doubt and discouragement and evil i ooh Hallelujah I can almost see discouragement but I feel the presence of God and he's got his hands on it and I'm putting my hands on that curtain of darkness and I'm going to push it back by the authority of the God who is the god of hope that Darkness put it out of your life thank you what a great hope we have he talks here about they

fled for Refuge they fled free one translation says they were running for their lives that's the way many people are in sin or we were in sin running for our lives but there's a refuge of salvation there is a hope of salvation I speak hope to anybody who has felt hopeless either you are here or you're watching online you have thought it is hopeless that you would ever repent return or have the blessing of God in your life but I'm telling you we have a strong consolation you can be washed you can be cleansed that's lighter you can come back to God Mom

and Daddy praying for those lost kids kids praying for those lost parents or grandparents keep praying we have the hope of salvation running for their very lives our world is not completely void of Hope there is some remnant but it's scarce just think about some of the cops some of not all thankfully but some of the conversations that you may have at work or in in the neighborhood or whatever how many times has Hopeland hopelessness come up and bubbled up as a theme you know what what are we going to do how much worse can it get I said that last week they say a preacher is preaching to himself as much as anybody else what are we going to do evil

and sin becoming more prolific blatant without an apology it's there the agenda of the world and liberalism and godlessness continually seem to succeed and win if I was just banking all my hopes on what I could do as a preacher what we could do as a church or all of that I'd be saying you talk about retiring just folded up shut the doors turn out the lights it's not getting any better well I wish I had another message but as far as down here I'm not so much anticipating it getting a whole lot better

but God is as strong as he has ever been and we're sin abounds the grace of God will much more abound hope in God means it might be the end of the road but we serve a God that can carve out a new Road I'm preaching to hopelessness right now the end of the road there seems to be no way out but here's a word from God from the psalmist be of good courage be strong and take heart to all of you that hope in the Lord God's going to do what only he can do I want to address hopelessness right

now you have hope in your life you have salvation but you have come up against the wall someone told me this morning they saw in some kind of a mind's picture I don't know if you would call it a vision they saw one of our precious families of this church and they were in a circle that was a spilled of walls of cinderblock and that family was inside of that cinderblock Circle and everywhere where they turned was a wall a wall an obstacle everywhere they turned and the impression I got that it was not a very wide or a big circle

but in the midst of it all in the midst of the circle a God can step in there wasn't a whole lot of room in that fiery furnace but there is always room for one more the Son of God there's room for God in your situation you may be surrounded and all you can see is the walls that's when we look up to the hope God is our hope would you stand with me please he's our hope Hallelujah Romans 15 says in him will the Gentiles of the world hope Jeremiah said oh the hope of Israel the Savior thereof

and the next phrase is in the time of trouble Hallelujah you know perhaps perhaps hope is like a star you can't see it in the sunshine in the prosperity but it's discovered in the night of adversity when there is the darkness around you there is hope that is shining and you have a hope all of us have that hope because we have God I want to encourage you today what's your focus and your hope in God Jeremiah later on referred to him as the hope of Israel and he says those that depart from God are written in the Earth in other words the writing is like it's on the sand of the seashore

and it doesn't take much wind to blow it away but the names of those who have the blood and hope are written in that Lamb's Book of Life I'm going to tell you the devil is not going to be able to wipe your life out Hallelujah Mr Gibson's here today she lifted her hand for for a miracle and several were praying for her after I saw that I went back in the office into her file I got on a little history letter she sent to my wife he sent it August 11th of this year 1999 colon cancer surgery radiation chemotherapy 2016 rectal cancer surgery other complications July 2020 cancer pelvic area 21 cancer in the lungs

and at this time there is cancer in the pelvic area as of July 28 2022. if there's anybody that should have stayed home from church today or any other day it could have been sister Catherine Gibson and recently and I forget the exact date of this the doctor told her three to six months to live I'm pretty sure it's been beyond three months right now Sister Gibson she's affirmative she's still able to make her way to the house of God that's a hope it's not ignoring anything she's going to the doctor she's acknowledging weakness

and acknowledging things but when that doctor said that Sylvia her daughter told me that her follow-up was this but that's not what God says if you don't mind it's just going to borrow that phrase all throughout this building whatever your circumstance is not cancer but it whatever it is but that's not what God says that's not what once you come onto this altar with that phrase and that Spirit but that's not what God said bring any situation you have bring any sin you have or bring any need you have just

but that's not what God says that's not who God is he's not the god of hopelessness he's the god of Hope in whom his people will put their trust sure it's like an anchor it's steadfast it won't break it holds it'll keep you Hallelujah and as you're coming I want to address something here you don't have to have flamboyancy in your faith you know what an anchor is you know and when I've gotten in a boat I've looked at it been thankful for it but I have I don't think I've ever said how beautiful that anchor is

but when I put it out it held us where it needed to hold The Hope and you know when it's working you can't see it Hallelujah so your faith may be a whole lot of other people can't see in your hope a whole lot of other people can't see but that's anchoring you and an anchor doesn't stop the wind or the waves it just holds us stable in the waves and compared to the body of water when we put it in that Waterway I have no idea how many gallons of water because it's connected to the ocean I have no idea how much water it

is that anchor compared to all that water it don't make any difference the anchor does what it is supposed to do it if your faith is deep your faith is strong your prayer and your faith in that word and that promise that you read it the other day and you said God I'm going to hold on to that I'm going to trust that I want all over this building I want us just to begin to pray to create an atmosphere of faith and an atmosphere of consolation yes yes yes yes yes ah

hallelujah hallelujah that's it that's it create that context God we're connecting with you we're going inside the inner Veil right now that's where that hope leads us inside to where your presence is Hallelujah yes your able God hallelujah I thank you Lords I want to start praying for any specific thing whatever you've walked up here for that's it it's more than just a trip to the front but whatever you came representing or whoever you came representing Hallelujah your faith and your hope it's not in vain God I expect it I have confidence enough to trust you yes that's not what God said go ahead whatever's whispering in your spirit whatever's talking to your family that's not what God said that's not how he put it yes you're a Waymaker God go ahead go ahead yes now would you help somebody would you pray with others would you move to where somebody is praying while we blend our hope we blend our face Hallelujah