The Armor of God - There is Hope

There is Hope!

I. Intro

- Normal stuff. Talk about celebrating

- Celebrated our kids heading back to school last night, and we celebrate, today, we celebrate together 13 years as a church!

- 13 years!

- And this is only the beginning…

Only the beginning because this church was founded on Jesus, and the principles of Christ! Founded on going and doing the work that God has laid out for us all, even before the very foundations of the earth, as Paul says in chapter 2 of Ephesians.

So we celebrate today by looking at all that God has done so far this year. Hearing of the work that He has called us to. And in so doing, I want us to use today as a bridge in our series. A bridge between who we are alone – which has been the subject thus far in Ephesians and in our series – and who we are together.

c. So I want to start things off with prayer, and then call up all of our missionaries, and let God speak through them and through all they saw Him do this year.

So I want to start things off with our text for the day, and with prayer, and then call up all of our missionaries, and let God speak through them and through all they saw Him do this year.

Ephesians 2:11–12 ESV

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

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pray

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[picpfpeopleserving]

[after mission team] Church, these people, and all those who serve – here or anywhere – remind us of the truth of this text. For 13 years, every “Faith in Community” day, every family touched by our small groups, every person or group touched by our grace offering, every life that is made more complete by the love of Christ that lives in each and every believer of God – they all cry out in unison with us at some point! Where is our hope! Someone help me! Someone stand in the gap for me and with me!

And church – Faith has answered that call. And we will continue to answer that call. We will answer it because we see beyond differences. We will answer it because we remember that we too, were at one time, separated from Christ! Alienated from the covenants of promise! Far from God! We had no hope! Living like there was no God in this world, or in our lives!

But someone broke that chain. Someone showed us Christ. Someone brought to us the love and joy and peace of our Creator, and church, if for no other reason, that is why we Go! That is why we do! That is why we serve!

We stand beside those that have no hope, because we have seen hope! We have known the feeling of a life without Christ, and because of that, we want nothing more than for every person – rich or poor, educated or uneducated, black or white – we want all people regardless of their perceived differences to know that we have been where they are! And the only way for them to know it is if we go to be where they are!

[bearersofhope]

Church, because of that fact – and that calling – one that we all have answered by being a part of this body, because of that, we are the bearers of the hope to which we all must profess!

[Read ;] Close and invite