Viewing entries tagged
hope
Timothy is a young guy in an old man’s world. It’s easy for him to feel overwhelmed by the challenges, and people are spreading lies and causing division. What can he do? And what difference will it make? This message looks at the help God gives and the direction He points us in when life feels like too much.
1 Timothy 4:6-16
It’s easy to feel distant from God. Sometimes, the feelings come in response to problems in our lives. Other times, the problems are in our own hearts. This message looks at the promise of Immanuel that was given to people who had hit rock bottom. They felt a million miles from God and wondered whether they would ever feel close to Him again.
Ezekiel 37:24-28
PAUL SADLER | OCTOBER 1, 2023
Many people look at the lives of Christians and conclude, “Their lives don’t seem to be any easier so what’s the point of faith in God?” This message looks at the difference Jesus makes in the lives of His followers even when their circumstances don’t seem much different from others.
Genesis 41:1-16
Disappointment can come to us in many forms. And it’s not long before a disappointment with our circumstances can turn into disillusionment with God. This message looks at what God was doing in Joseph’s disappointments and teaches us how to trust God when people let us down.
Genesis 40:1-8
Everyone has a picture in their mind of what it means to be blessed by God. That picture, if it’s wrong, can discourage and oppress us and even distort how we understand God and where we stand with Him. This message looks at Jesus’ picture of the blessed life and how it’s at odds with how we typically envision it.
Luke 6:20-26
When people talk about the resurrection, some just speak of it as a metaphor for a new start or the hope that is born from the ashes. Jesus didn’t really rise from the grave, did He? Others accept that Jesus’ resurrection was real, but when they read about the resurrection of His followers, they picture spirits floating on clouds strumming harps. This message looks at what hope Easter really promises and the resurrection that is available to all who trust in Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:42-49
We assume that if we do what God wants, our path will be smooth. Often, however, we face one obstacle after another. This message looks at what God provides to help us through the trials.
Exodus 5:20-6:9
When God feels absent in our trials, we face different kinds of temptations. Anger, doubt, and despair come easily to us. This message looks at how to deal with the silence of God and why we can trust Him when it feels like He’s not there.
Matthew 1:5; Joshua 2:1-14 | outline
Rahab turned to prostitution to make ends meet in a city that was so far gone that it’s destruction was assured. What hope could there be for someone like her?
Tamar was a woman who faced the abuse of selfish men who used her instead of protecting her. How could God lift up someone so trodden down?
Sometimes we can feel so beaten down and rejected that it feels like God’s against us. This message looks at a person who hoped in Jesus but wasn’t sure whether Jesus had any hope for him. It shows us how we can know that Jesus cares no matter how hard life feels.
Today, it’s popular to talk about ‘living in the moment,’ ‘living one day at a time,’ and ‘living for the weekend.’ The problem is that tomorrow we have to live with the decisions we made today. This message looks at why it’s so vital to live in light of eternity and how we can do that.
Do you ever feel discouraged from starting something because you fear you won’t be able to finish it? Do you worry that you’re not faithful enough or strong enough to deal with the trials and temptations that may come? The vision of the sealed in Revelation 7 was given to provide you courage and hope when times are tough.
When times are tough, God’s people have always found their strength in the unchanging hope of our inheritance in Christ. Because Jesus came into our world that first Christmas, we have been given knowledge and strength that helps us to hope in the midst of whatever the world throws at us.
Ever feel stuck, directionless, and worried about the future? That's life in the wilderness and it can be brutal and long-lasting. But there's hope for you! At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the promised son of Judah. In Him, we have a conqueror, and king, and source of blessing that can not only lead us out of the wilderness but make sure we never end up there again!
We all want easy lives full of easy circumstances. But Jesus sometimes denies us ‘easy’ in order to give us something greater. This message looks at how Jesus works in the midst of the painful tragedies of our lives to bless us.
Life is often hard and each of us eventually feels its pain in different ways. What we hope in dramatically impacts how we face that pain, however. This message looks at the incredible hope the Bible holds out for us to lay hold of in suffering and the help that the Spirit gives us as we do.
Stress, isolation and uncertainty have led many Christians to pull back from Christian fellowship during the pandemic. In the first century, Jewish Christians faced the temptation because of persecution. This message looks at the reasons they were given to persevere and how they can help us finish the race in our day.
Different people look to different things to reassure them and give them hope. Some look to a spouse or a parent or grandparent for confidence and strength. Others find hope in their goals and dreams. But what do you do when your symbol of hope dies? This short Christmas Eve message looks at a period in Israel’s history when that happened and helps us find our way forward when we don’t feel like we can go on.
