Hope is Here

Grinch Quote: “Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more,”

FEAR PICTURE

Luke 1:12–13 (NLT)

12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.

Luke 1:29–30 (NLT)

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!

Luke 2:9–10 (NLT)

9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

God has a PLAN 4 U

Genesis 3:15 NLT

15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Jeremiah 23:5 NLT

5 “For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.

Isaiah 42:1 NLT

1 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations.

Abraham

Genesis 12:1–3 (NLT)

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Moses

Exodus 2:2–3 NLT

2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River.

Exodus 2:5–6 NLT

5 Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. 6 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said.

Exodus 2:10 (NLT)

10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.”

Daniel

Daniel 1:17 NLT

17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

Apostles

John 21:19 NLT

19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

John 21:21–24 NLT

21 Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” 22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” 23 So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” 24 This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate.

Rebellions are built on HOPE

-Jyn Erso

2. God is in the Details of your LIFE

Abe- Hope —> Details —> Reality

Genesis 13:14–17 NLT

14 After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. 15 I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. 16 And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! 17 Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

Moses - Hope —> Details —> Reality

Daniel- Hope —> Details —> Reality

Daniel 6:20–22 NLT

20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

Jesus

Matthew 19:26 NLT

26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

Mark 9:22 NLT

22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

Mark 9:23 NLT

23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

Mark 9:24 NLT

24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

IS THIS YOUR STORY THIS MORNING? ARE YOU DESPERATELY NEEDING HOPE?!

Hebrews 11:1 NLT

1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:39–40 NLT

39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

Romans 8:28 NLT

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it. You will never make it through the night.

-Princess Leia Organa

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