Pursue Hope

Downcast comes from shepherding sheep.

Grief is. not bad. It is needed at certain times, but there is a point when it crosses into despair and becomes dangerous. There is no Gospel without peace and hope. Hope is the expectation of the fulfillment of desires. It's not based in uncertainty or preference like used in modern language. Biblical hope looks forward with certainty. It's not naive optimism.

Only the first two chapters of the Bible don't need hope because everything was as it should be. From then on there is a longing to get back to what we lost. The very first Gospel proclamation was on the day we messed it up in the garden. From the very beginning hope was declared to be someone.

John 16:32-33 Take heart- courage yourself up. Hope!

I have overcome the world. Vir Triumphilus Eph 4:7-8, Col 2:15

Everything that stands between me and my hope has been overcome by Jesus, my champion.

-Our hope is anchored to and based on what Jesus has already done. 1 Tim 1:1, 1 Pt 1:3

-It is tied up in His resurrection

- It is not fully complete. It is aimed forward. It is necessarily tied up with waiting. Titus 2:13, Romans 8:18-39

He is coming back and when He does we will be made like Him. He is our living Hope! When we have Biblical hope we can make it through what we face right now. Biblical hope does not require denial of current suffering.

How do we pursue hope?

1. Community- encourage each other with this news.

2. Theology- learning what my hope is anchored in.

3. Encounter- when we experience the one who is our hope, hope is built up.

Romans 15:13