What Hope is there in 2021
Notes
Transcript
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Introduction
Introduction
How would you describe 2020? What kind of expectations did you have.
It would be so easy to lose heart,
Mega Fires / Hurricanes / Pandemic / Riots BLM / Presidential election
Elijah, James 5:17-18, 1 Kings 19:4, 15, 18
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram;
Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
As one loses heart what is needed? Hope
The witnesses
The witnesses
The Book of Hebrews was written to the Hebrew background believers that lived in Rome possibly. At the time of this writing it was just before the church faced tremendous persecution. Some believers were wondering if they made a bad choice and was considering returning to their Jewish roots.
The book was written to tell how Jesus was better
The angles / the priesthood Aaron / Moses / the tabernacle / temple / sacrifice
the Hall of Faith
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews Vol 1&2—An Anchor for the Soul Consider! (V. 3)
If we are believers, we are in the race, and we are surrounded by a great cloud of lives whose examples call for our best—the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), the prophets (Moses, Elijah, Samuel, Daniel, Jeremiah), the apostles (Peter, John, Paul), the martyrs (Stephen, Polycarp, Cranmer, Elliott, Saint), the preachers (Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Spurgeon), the missionaries (Carey, Taylor, Carmichael), our departed family members, and on and on. Their faces invite us to finish well.
By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
The Race
The Race
· let us lay aside every encumbrance and sin that entangles us
Can’t allow any thing to slow us down in the race that we are in.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
· and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
We must endure,
Bill Broadhurst / Pepsi Challenge 10k race, aneurysm paralyzed 2 1/2 hours to finish the race, Bill Rodgers gave him his medal.
· fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith,
The Joy
The Joy
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For the first time since 10:19, Jesus is mentioned by name. He is linked in several ways with the readers’ faith (and by implication the writer’s also; cf. the repeated “we” of v. 1): the readers are to “look constantly” at him; he is the “pioneer and finisher” of faith; and his perseverance in the face of crucifixion is the supreme example for believers
Closing
Closing
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
was sports lingo in the ancient world for a runner’s exhausted collapse
He endured great hostility not deserved, he had now known such curelity but he allowed himself to be handed over to sinners. As we consider what we have suffered this year. It is nothing, Not only that we know how the story ends. that we win.
A sports term meaning
