Blessed Hope
Being a Christian is not easy BUT our lives upon the earth is only for a short time compared to our eternity after we die. Life on the earth can be very difficult when God puts you through many trials for His sake, BUT we can be assured that there is always a reason and purpose for God to allow us to bear hardships. If we are able to endure difficult times and keep our faith in Christ and to not leave the straight and narrow path of righteousness for the wide and wicked path of destruction
King Jesus promises us to give us a CROWN of Glory in heaven
But how can we bear hardships for Christ and for His gospel’s sake?
We can bear these things through our FAITH in Christ and our Hope in Christ
You see, we must have HOPE in God’s faithfulness which will help us keep our faith
If we have NO HOPE that God the Father will deliver us from our trials then we cannot have faith
If we do not have HOPE that the words of the gospel are true then we cannot have faith
And without our Christian faith we have nothing
to keep on the straight and narrow path that leads to Eternal Life, we must have FAITH in Christ and His promises to us
We must have HOPE that Our Lord and Saviour WILL fulfil His promises to us
And we must believe in God’s GRACE when we fall into error that He will forgive us
Today I will talk to you about your Hope in God’s faithfulness
What is Hope?
The biblical definition of hope is our expectation of the fulfilment of what God has promised to us and our faith in His faithfulness
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. – Rom 15:13
What is Hope?
The biblical definition of hope is our expectation of the fulfilment of what God has promised to us and our faith in His faithfulness
Let us go to the New Testament Book of Romans Chapter 15 verses 13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Rom 15:13
Beloved Lord Jehovah our Heavenly Father is the God of hope.
He is the foundation upon which our hope is built
Abba is both the object of our hope, and the author of it.
We cannot have the HOPE of Eternal Life in heaven without our unyielding faith in God
We must hold fast to our Christian Faith especially in difficult times
And we must NEVER allow ourselves to lose hope in our God and in His ability to be faithful to the covenants He has made with us through King Jesus
Let us go to the Old Testament Book of Isiah Chapter 55 verses 6-11
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isa 55:6-11
The scripture reads
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Once we have repented of our sins and have accepted King Jesus as our Lord and Saviour then we become the “spiritual body of Christ” and the sons and daughters of God through the Spirit of Adoption
Then God the Father looks at us like His own children for we have the an eternal inheritance in heaven
And God will have MERCY on us; for the heart of God is MERCY!
The scripture reads
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
We are creatures who God had made of the dust of the earth in His own image
The scripture reads
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
God’s promises to us is like rain or snow that falls from heaven which waters the earth to allow us to grow our food
Without rain or snow from heaven the ENTIRE earth will perish and all creatures will die
When scientists look for life on other planets the first thing they look for is any evidence of water for without it, life cannot exist!
Lord Jehovah controls the seasons as evidenced when He caused the rain to fall for 40 days and nights during the days of Noah so that the earth can be cleansed
Let us go to the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 4 verses 37-41
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mrk 4:37-41
The scripture reads
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
Here we see the disciples and our Saviour on a ship in the middle of a storm
The waves were very strong and and water entered into the ship threatening to drown everyone
Yet, King Jesus was asleep in the ship
So in panic the disciples woke our Saviour up accusing Him of not caring if they drown in the storm
The scripture reads
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Here we see King Jesus rebuking the wind, and commanded the sea to BE STILL!
Immediately the wind stopped and the sea was calm
WHY?
Because King Jesus is the incarnate WORD through which all things were created including the elements
So the MOMENT the Incarnate WORD of God spoke the wind and the sea had to listen and STOP because they recognized that their CREATOR was speaking!
Once the wind and sea were calm, King Jesus REBUKED His disciples saying Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Beloved as the spiritual body of King Jesus we MUST not lose our FAITH in Him by losing our BLESSED HOPE in Him!
We. Cannot allow ourselves to become hopeless, that is when satan will creep into our hearts and lives and lead us astray
We must stand firm in our Christian Faith and our Hope in King Jesus
We must hold fast to God the Father’s blessed salvation plan of sending His beloved Son to die on the cross so we can have Eternal Life in heaven
Beloved, this is our BLESSED HOPE!
Without this BLESSED HOPE we are truly lose forever and are destined for hell
Let us go to the New Testament Book of Titus, Chapter 2 verses 11-14
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:11-14
When King Jesus came unto us two thousand years ago; He came as a lowly carpenter who was born in poverty, lived in poverty and died in shame and disgrace for our sakes
WHY?
Because God through His faithfulness to the promise He gave to Adam and Eve in Eden sent His Son to be a LAMB to be slaughtered for our redemption and forgiveness!
The scripture reads
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
It is through God’s grace that He gave His Only Son to die for us to redeem us BUT God also sent His Only Son to teach us His ways
Once we are born again, we CANNOT continue to live in sin
We MUST deny ungodliness and all worldly lusts and live according to God’s ways
There are many false preachers who teach people to continue to live in sin and filth because they do not want these people to become upset and leave their church, and not pay their tithes
That is always funny to me!
Pastors are answerable to God and no one else
True Pastors WILL not compromise the Word of God, which will cause people to fall away from God and end up in hell
At the Lion of Judah Ministries, I do NOT compromise on the Word of God because I care about your salvation and I do not want anyone to fall into hell!
I will always tell you the truth, whether you like it or not because you need the TRUTH to set you free
You cannot commit adultery, or steal, or lie, or cheat others etc and expect to enter into heaven
Our time upon the earth is so short compared to eternity that we MUST take every effort to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to Eternal Life
Once a person breathes their last breath, it is over for them
If they are not a Born Again Christian there is NOTHING that anyone can do for them the moment the die
Anyone who is NOT a Born Again Christian WILL go to hell to be tormented forever
People do not like to hear this BUT it is the truth
Our actions in this present life will DICTATE where we will spend eternity; so make wise choices
The scripture reads
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
As Born Again Christians we have the BLESSED HOPE of Eternal Life through King Jesus our Lord and Saviour
This Prophet from Nazareth who is the Glorified Lion of the Tribe of Judah is PRECIOUS to us for He has secured our release from sin, death and eternal torment
King Jesus is our Saviour, and the ONLY WAY to heaven
King Jesus is our BLESSED HOPE in whom we have faith for ETERNAL LIFE and forgiveness of our sins
Let us go to the New Testament Book of I Peter Chapter 1 verses 3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a 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. 1Peter 1:3-5
In this scripture we see the Apostle Peter, telling us that God the Father according to His abundant mercy and love for us has given unto us the LIVELY HOPE of Eternal Life
How?
Through the resurrection of King Jesus from the dead
When Christ was crucified and descended into hell for 3 days, He conquered satan and death and hell for us!
He took away the keys of life that satan took away from Adam in the Garden
Christ defeated satan and his army of darkness for the sake of every person on the face of the earth
Through His selfless sacrifice on the cross, Christ changed our destines FOREVER!
King Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith changed death from a thing of fear to a thing of VICTORY!
WHY?
Because once we have given our life to King Jesus and have repented of our sins we are no longer bound to satan and wickedness and the fear of entering into hell when we die
When we become born again, we become NEW SPIRITUAL CREATURES in King Jesus and we are changed from the corruptible to incorruptible!
You see when Christ ROSE AGAIN after 3 days from the pits of hell, He DEFEATED DEATH and HELL and SIN for all of our sakes
So as the spiritual body of Christ, TRUE CHRISTIANS have an ETERNAL INHERITANCE in heaven
The scripture reads
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you
So you see, when you become a Christian, you are GUARANTEED an ETERNAL INHERITANCE in heaven
This inheritance is INCORRUPTIBLE
But what does that mean?
It means that no one and nothing can corrupt or pollute or STOP our inheritance in heaven
It means that if we faithfully keep the faith and endure our trials GOD WILL give us an Eternal Inheritance in heaven
This is guaranteed
WHY?
Because God the Father is FAITHFUL
He is FAITHFUL to His promises and His punishments
Lord Jehovah’s very nature is faithfulness so He cannot change
Even when we are unfaithful; our GOD is STILL faithful; He cannot change His nature!
So I want you understand that when God has given you a PROMISE, He will fulfil it!
God’s words and promises CANNOT fall to the ground unfulfilled, that is IMPOSSIBLE
God through His abundant mercy has given us the ETERNAL HOPE that if we repent of our sins, accept King Jesus as our Lord and Saviour then we will enter into heaven!
This is our Blessed hope
This is the hope that we need to remember and hold onto whenever we feel hopeless
Whenever we want to give up our faith in God or you are about to lose your hope we must REMEMBER that God knows what we are going through and He is ALLOWING us to go through our trials and difficulties for His will and purpose for our lives
Let us go to the New Testament Book of I Peter Chapter 1 verses 6-9
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 1Peter 1:6-9
We see in this scripture that although we may go through many difficulties and trials it is all for a purpose
You see, for our faith to grow and become strong, God has to test us, and to purify us
But when we are undergoing trials we must be VERY careful NOT to lose our HOPE in God’s faithfulness and Love towards us
God the Father loves us with a PURE and UNDEFILED Love that we can barely understand
He loved us so much that He allowed His Only Begotten Son to insulted, humiliated and to suffer a shameful death on the cross for our sakes
Many of you here have children, so my question is how many of you will sacrifice your child for a wicked person?
ANYONE?
You see we were ALL wicked people who were sinning against God and His Holy Throne
We were lost in sin and defilement
We were busy chasing after our own heart’s lusts We have all turned away from God
We were all like wayward sheep who have wandered away from the shepherd
We allowed the things of the world and satan to corrupt us
YET, God in His PURE LOVE for us sent His Son to die a rotten death so sinners and wicked people like us can have a chance to ETERNAL LIFE In heaven
I say chance of Eternal life, Because unfortunately NOT everyone will give up their wickedness and turn back to God
Remember VERY FEW people will CHOOSE the way of God
VERY few people will find the straight and narrow path of righteousness and walk upon it
WHY?
Because being a true christian is NOT easy
It requires you to give up a lot of bad habits, bad company, and wicked ways
There are many people who think that because they call themselves Christians and attend church that they can continue with their wicked ways and will enter into heaven
But these poor souls are fooling themselves
You see we can fool everyone EXCEPT God because He can read our hearts
So we cannot hide from God
Every Christian will go through trials
The word reads
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
For our faith in God to become perfect it must be tried in the furnace of afflictions
And that Beloved, is VERY PAINFUL!
The closer you are to God, the more difficult and painful trials you will have to endure
BUT we MUST endure these trials because our eternal lives depend on it!
When things get really hard and you can see NO WAY out, what do you do?
Do you complain that God has forgotten His promises to you?
Do you want to just give up on God?
Every Christian alive has been through tough times and every Christian has had those types of feelings
BUT, we must NEVER give up our faith in God
Before God allows a difficult time to come our way, He already knows that we are able to bear it
And He has already made a way for us to overcome our trials
So keep the faith and you will see the fulfilment of your BLESSED HOPE of entering into heaven once this life upon the earth is over!
Altar Call:
Worship team, please come up whilst i give the altar call
If you are here this morning and there are things in your life that are not right and you need to repent of those things and get right with God then come up
If you are here this morning and you do not know King Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and you want to give your heart to Him, turn from your ways come on up
If you are here this morning and you are already a child of God but you just need prayer, then come on up
If you need prayer and agreement for something that you are praying for, come up
Whatever your needs are, come on up and we will pray for you and with you
God the Father is here
The King of Glory who is the Lion of Judah is here
The Holy Spirit of Truth is here right now,
Whatsoever your needs are today, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are here to comfort you, to strengthen you, to forgive you and to restore you!
Lord Jehovah our Heavenly Father is faithful, He will hear your prayer and fulfil it according to His will and purpose for your life!
Please bow your head and close your eyes as we close the service.
“Lord, God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, you are our Loving Father. We thank you God for your forgiveness, Love, Mercy and Grace. I thank you God for giving us your Only Begotten Son Messiah Yeshua on the cross of Calvary so we can be blood washed and redeemed of our sins and be reconciled to you. Through King Jesus we have the BLESSED HOPE of entering into heaven. I thank you for providing King Jesus your Lamb as a sacrifice for all of our sins. We bless and praise you Abba. I pray God that you will make a way for more people to come into the church to have fellowship here in your name Father God.
King Jesus, we bless you and thank you and praise you for your AMAZING sacrifice and love that redeems us, cleanses us and reconciles us back to God the Father. We thank you for making the Highway of Holiness for us so we have a way to enter into heaven. Without your willing sacrifice on the cross of CALVARY, we will have no hope of entering into heaven. You the King of Glory , and the triumphant Lion of the Tribe of Judah who is our blessed Saviour . You are our High Priest in heaven who intercedes for us with God the Father
I pray for all the people in this church here today Father God. They have come expecting a touch from you Lord. I pray you meet their needs, heal them, provide for them. Protect them and keep them from the wicked one and his demons. Give them the strength to bear all the things we need to bear. These are difficult times on the face of the earth O God, keep us them from satan and his army of darkness. We are your people, who are redeemed by the shed blood of your Son King Jesus. I thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to dwell in this church. I cover this church under your blood King Jesus. I pray your love, mercy and protection over everyone here today.
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I bless you from Everlasting to Everlasting, I pray for your peace, love and grace to surround everyone today. Father God I thank you for food that was prepared for today. I ask that you bless it, bless the hands that have made it Lord, and I invite you to come and sup with us King Jesus and stay with us as we have fellowship. I thank you Abba for sending your Holy Spirit to dwell in this church. I pray in the precious name of God the Father, God the Son King Jesus and God the Holy Spirit. Father God, as each person go to their homes after our service today, go with them, go before them and bring them back safely next Sunday. Keep them under your protection always. Amen
What is Hope?
The biblical definition of hope is our expectation of the fulfilment of what God has promised to us and our faith in His faithfulness
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. – Rom 15:13
