Hope. It’s a loaded word with lots of meaning. That’s because there are all kinds of hope. I can hope for success, happiness, and a good dinner. I can hope that the weather will be nice, that the Astros will win, that I’ve really won the Nigerian lottery just like my email tells me.
But there is a distinctive kind of hope that Christians possess, a hope that goes beyond the proper alignment of stars or the fleeting desires of the moment. A short letter in the Bible named First Peter talks about the hope that is based on who Jesus is, what his life meant, and how his death and resurrection make a difference in our lives. It is the hope that we humans can be all that God intended us to be. It is the hope that we can be restored and at peace with ourselves, our neighbor, and our God. It is a hope that there is more to life than meets the eye, and there will be more life yet to live when our bodies cease to work.
That is a hope that transcends all other kinds of hope, and that’s what we’ll be considering in a sermon this Sunday entitled eHow Hope. If you’re interested in doing a little advance thinking take a look at the website www.ehow.com and research “how to have hope.” We’ll compare that to what the Bible says in 1 Pete 3.13-22. I hope to see you Sunday. If you’re in Houston we’d love for you to join us for Bible study at 9:30 and worship at 10:45. Come as you are.
Hopefully,
Pastor Gary
Not a Sermon – Just a Thought is a weekly email from me, Gary Long. I’m the pastor of Willow Meadows Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. You can subscribe or unsubscribe by emailing me directly at glong@wmbc.org.
I Peter 3.13-22
13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear[a]; do not be frightened."[b] 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19through whom[c] also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge[d] of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
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