296 - There is Living Hope in Him#
296 - There is Living Hope in Him
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
Psalm 62:5-8,
5 My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my hope is from Him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 My salvation and my glory rest on God; the rock of my strength, my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him. God is our refuge.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! I believe today is the day You have prepared for us, and everyone looks up to You, coming before You to wait in silence for Your words, for my hope comes from You. At the beginning of each week, I need to receive supply from You. You are my rock and my salvation; in You, I will never be discouraged or despair. At this moment, may the Holy Spirit renew us, help us to be nourished in You, and let our hearts be rekindled by Your words, filled with strength and hope in our lives. I pray in the name of Lord Jesus. Amen!
Today's scripture is about hope. Everyone has dreams and hopes; we expect success and smoothness in what we do. This desire was placed in us by God when He created us. We hope certain goals can be achieved, and circumstances can change. However, when some things have been prayed for a long time without any change, it is easy to lose enthusiasm, and negative thoughts arise, thinking that change is impossible, healing is impossible, and debts cannot be repaid... Discouragement and despair arise, and one might say, "Forget it, I might as well rely on myself," or someone might suggest trying to worship other gods. In this way, they miss out on the good blessings that God intended to give, simply because they gave up too early.
Brothers and sisters, in this passage, the poet tells us: My soul, wait in silence for God alone. At this moment, the poet is expecting a good outcome, but unfortunately, the result has not yet appeared, and his heart begins to feel anxious. So he prays before God, "My soul, wait in silence for God alone." Even if things do not happen and you do not get the desired result, your hope is still with the Lord.
If one prays and God fulfills it immediately, one might say, "Lord! You are so good; our hope is in You." In such cases, anyone can do it, even an unbeliever who comes before Jesus and is healed, whose life is transformed, and whose family debts are supernaturally cleared, would also say that the Lord is good.
True faith is believing in this God even when you do not see. Many people's problems lie in this: God accomplished something for me, and I believe He loves me; but if it has not yet been accomplished or if the wait is too long, doubts arise about whether God has forsaken me, whether He is not listening to my prayers, or whether I am not good enough. People keep searching for reasons; sometimes, it may not be our fault, but simply that God's timing has not yet come.
Our God works on a schedule; He will give you the best blessings at the right time. So do not give up too early; the hope and dreams that God wants to give you were placed in you from the very beginning.
From the scripture, we see how the poet cries out to God. He alone is my rock and my salvation. The poet may have many ways to seek solutions to problems, but he says that only our Lord is our rock. What is the benefit of having our foundation on the rock? No matter how the wind blows and the rain falls, we will not be shaken.
Jesus also told us that if we build our house on sand, there is no difference on sunny days compared to building on rock, but once the wind blows and the rain falls, the problems of different foundations will appear. A house built on sand will quickly collapse, while one on rock remains solid. Do not ask, "Lord, after believing in You, will I never encounter storms again?" God says: "In the midst of storms, I will give you hope and living hope." Because He is our salvation, our fortress, we will not be shaken.
Brothers and sisters, if you are currently praying for something and someone says, "It's already a new year, and my matter has not yet been accomplished," and you feel discouraged, doubting whether God can accomplish this for you, I want to tell you: Do not give up. You still need to believe He is your salvation, He is your glory; all that you are, your life, and your living depend on Him. Hallelujah!
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him. If you encounter a situation where you have been praying for something and it has not yet been accomplished, what should you do? Some say to continue praying, but they may have lost the heart to pray, and even do not want to persist or attend gatherings anymore. What should you do? I want to share a passage with everyone about what to do when encountering such situations. First, I want to tell everyone: do not give up too early.
Romans 5:1-5,
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through Him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope; 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
What does this passage tell us? We are justified by faith. What does being justified by faith bring you? Some say, "I know I am righteous, and I know I have been justified by faith, but what does this bring to my life?" First, know that you are a person of the kingdom of heaven. What is the difference between a person of the kingdom of heaven and a person of the world? Many Christians say, "I feel like I am not doing as well as the people of the world." What does being justified by faith bring me?
Today, through this passage, we see that we are justified by faith, and we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You are no longer in opposition to God; your relationship with God has been reconciled. This means that at any time you pray to Him, He is willing to give you the best. Moreover, His intention never changes, because you are justified by faith, not because of your actions, but because of faith in Jesus; you are reconciled to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The next part addresses the problems in life: we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. The hope, power, and blessings in life come because you have entered into His grace, by faith. So do not say that healing is difficult or prosperity is hard; if your focus is on the cross of Jesus, all of this will no longer be difficult. Is salvation the hardest thing? But God lets you believe and receive His life; your life should be the same.
Is it easy to receive the gift of tongues? Do you think it is particularly easy? But why do some people find it particularly difficult? Because in their minds, they think they have to do something or believe for a long time to receive it, but all of this is given to you because you believe; you are standing in His grace, entering into grace by faith. When you enter into this grace, you should rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
This is very important. Jesus received glory on the cross; this is the turning point of our lives. When you understand the glory of Jesus on the cross, you know what the glory you hope for refers to: the cross of Jesus Christ. So if there is something in your life that needs to be resolved or changed, look up to the cross of Jesus. You may say, "I have so many sins; what should I do?" Look up to the cross; have your sins been resolved?
Because Jesus has already borne your sins on the cross. You may say, "I have diseases now that seem impossible to solve." Look up to the cross of Jesus; that is your hope, the place that removes your shame, because Jesus was shamed and nailed to it, removing your shame. If you want to receive healing, you must also look up to the cross and rejoice in hope for God's glory.
It is not about saying, "Lord! I am so pitiful; I have prayed for so long; I have been pious enough; please heal me." It is not like that; it is about looking up to Jesus on the cross. Because of His wounds, you have already been healed; because of His poverty, you can become rich. Everything you need, whether in life or living, look up to the cross of Jesus, where you will always find the hope you need.
Verse 3 says, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance."
The cross of Jesus also brings us a great hope, showing us how death is overcome. To the world, death is an insurmountable barrier. When a person is sent to the hospital, if the doctor says they have done all they can, that person faces death, and there is no way to solve it. When you are in despair before people, you can come before Jesus; with Him, death is not the end; resurrection is the end.
On the cross of Lord Jesus, we see eternal hope. So are today's sufferings permanent? Is there anyone who experiences suffering from birth to death? No one is like that, so your sufferings are all temporary. Amen!
What you need to hope for is that behind that situation, God will reward you, give you greater strength to overcome this problem, and reveal great glory. If you look closely at successful people, they all have gone through very difficult journeys. Because of this journey, after success, they will not look down on others or despise them, because they know they have walked step by step to get there. On the other hand, those who succeed easily and overnight tend to squander.
Brothers and sisters, do not lose heart in your suffering; rejoice in hope for God's glory. The scripture here tells us that because we know that suffering produces endurance, brothers and sisters, do we need to have a heart of endurance? Is there endurance in the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Yes, that shows this is what we need. So God gives us this character. Since it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, it proves that in our relationships and lives, if we want to be greatly blessed, we need to have a heart of endurance.
How can this be manifested? First, believe that God loves you. When you pray, have a hopeful heart; God will surely accomplish it in the best way. In this process, endurance is needed, not painful endurance, "Lord! When will I be healed? When will I be turned around?" It is not a sorrowful hope, but a joyful hope, just like a farmer who plants seeds and joyfully looks forward to the harvest in the autumn. Every day that passes feels good because the day of harvest is one day closer. Although there is winter, which seems like a season of death, with greenery disappearing, it is good for the seed, especially after the heavy snow covers it. We say it is so cold, but for the seed, it is great because the pests are frozen to death, and they are comfortable in the soil.
The farmer looks forward to saying, "This snow is great; next year I will have a good harvest." To us, it seems like something to endure, but after winter passes, spring comes, flowers bloom, and the breath of death is completely replaced by life. Brothers and sisters, when we are in this, we need to have a joyful heart, hoping for God's glory to come, and we need to have a heart of endurance.
Verse 4 says, "Endurance produces character, and character produces hope."
We all hope to be mature, like an experienced driver who can operate a car naturally under various road conditions. Does this require a heart of endurance to achieve? No matter what industry you are in, you need this character of maturity. Whether you are at work, at home, or in the office, you need this character of maturity.
But do you know that maturity produces hope? To others, your driving so fast seems dangerous; but to them, it is a pleasure to reach the goal at the fastest speed because they have gone through that journey, and it is not a problem. Brothers and sisters, we need this process to improve ourselves, and in this process, God gives you character.
Your hope in Christ will never be put to shame, because the Holy Spirit has poured God's love into our hearts. Brothers and sisters, when God's love fills your heart, the production of these characters is natural, not very difficult, but you are willing, simply because God's love is filled in your heart. We hope for God's glory because God loves us. When love fills your heart, your actions may be incomprehensible to others. I have shared before that couples in love sit on park benches in the winter for half a day. We say, "What is the point? Why sit there in such cold weather?" But do the two in love feel cold? No, because they have a passionate heart filled with love. That is their hope; they sit there comfortably.
When the love of Christ exists in our hearts, we do not feel that suffering is anything, because God will give you strength to overcome these things, rejoicing in hope for His glory. Before things are accomplished, your heart should wait in silence, focusing on God; our salvation comes from Him; He is our rock, our salvation, our fortress. These are things the poet knows from experience.
I also hope that this year you will define God for yourselves; what is He to you? Do not say, "He is my Savior"; that is too broad. If you can say, "He is my vehicle," others may not understand what you mean, but you know that wherever I go, He takes me. That is your own definition. I hope this year you all have your own definitions: What is He to you?
David said He is my fortress. Is God really a fortress? No, it is because he fled to a place where God protected him, and he said God is my fortress! God is my high tower because the Lord lifted him up, and he stood high, seeing many things and understanding them. You need to understand, What is Jesus to you? When you come to an answer, that is your hope. Amen! Do not expect to come up with a negative answer, saying, "God is just here to mess with me."
Brothers and sisters, many times victory is very close to you; what you need to do is endure and wait to see God's promises become real. Sometimes victory is just around the corner, and soon you will see the situation turn around. What you need to do is pray. If at this moment you lose heart and give up, the cost is too great. Many people are eager to achieve that goal, forgetting that God's blessings are the best.
Let me tell you about a person, Jacob, and look at what God said to them when He gave them children. Genesis 25:21-23,
21 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren, and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, "If it is thus, why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger."
At this time, Jacob had not yet been born; he was the younger one. God had already told his parents before they were born: you will give birth to two great nations; these two guys are not easy to deal with, and two nations are within you; the older will serve the younger. Brothers and sisters, if this is what God said to you, how do you view these two children? Is it enough to just believe God? Do you need to do something? But Rebekah really could not help it; she could not hold back because Jacob could not hold back either. His mother must have told Jacob about this promise because Jacob often stayed in the tent with his mother, while his brother Esau often hunted outside, bringing good things to honor his father.
Jacob often stayed with his mother. His mother must have told Jacob this promise. Did Jacob know that God would bless him like this in the future? He should know: it is not something earned by his own efforts; it is that his brother will serve him in the future. Since he received this promise, what should he do? Wait. Is waiting a painful thing? But people always want to do something. People come to church and ask, "What can I do to be saved?" They always want to do something, and God says, "Wait; believe and you will be saved." "No! I have to do something to be blessed!" God says, "I have already made you a blessed person." Many times we want to do something, so Jacob was eager; he was too anxious. He wanted to receive this blessing and used his own means to deceive his brother Esau and took the birthright. Brothers and sisters, this has been made very clear: the older will serve the younger. What is the use of deceiving the older for the birthright? It is obvious he was anxious.
He thought that by deceiving the birthright, he could receive the blessing of the firstborn. Where does that blessing come from? Brothers and sisters, do you understand now? Where does Jacob's blessing come from? It comes from God. But Jacob wanted to rely on his own efforts, thinking the blessing came from his father. For example, the father said, "Eighty percent of the inheritance goes to the older, and the younger gets twenty percent." He thought, "I want to get that visible part and take it away."
In fact, he did not need to do that; he just needed to wait quietly. When the time came, his brother would serve him. Wouldn't life be much simpler? But Jacob could not hold back; first, he deceived his brother for the birthright, and later, when his father was old, he deceived his father's blessing and took away his brother's blessing. He was always relying on his own efforts to obtain these blessings, and the final outcome was that he had to leave home. For twenty years, he was not even there when his mother passed away. Wasn't this the result he caused himself?
If he had believed God's promise and waited quietly, God would have prepared Esau's heart: I will give you two game animals, and I have plenty now. My father has given me the blessing of the firstborn; I will give you some. His brother would have certainly given it to him. But he was anxious; he could not wait and relied on his own efforts, so he had to leave. From the Bible, we can see that after Jacob left home, God did not forget His promise and still blessed him, but those twenty years were so torturous! Every day was filled with scheming. One way is to wait quietly for God to bless you; the other is to scheme and struggle for twenty years. Which one do you choose? Many times we say, "Waiting quietly seems a bit unreliable; what if my brother changes his mind?" In fact, you do not doubt your brother; you doubt God. Believe in God's promise; what God wants to give you, no one can take away. Hallelujah!
Have a living hope in our Lord. When waiting in hope, what you need to do is pray to God. Do not say, "Lord! I understand now; I will wait quietly and do nothing, and I do not need to work; I will just wait at home for You to bless me." It is not like that; waiting quietly means coming before God to pray to Him, praying to Him when you feel discouraged.
Take marriage as an example. For instance, you particularly like this boy, but you do not know if he is from God, and you are getting older. At this time, you feel particularly anxious: should I confess to him and see what his heart is like? Why is there no response at all? You particularly want to take the initiative to do something or confirm something. This is a problem for many people: anxiety! I want to tell you: if you really care about this marriage, pray for him; what is yours will not run away. God will let this matter unfold naturally at the right time.
What should you do during the waiting process? Pray to God and rejoice in hope. It is just like this. After twenty years, Jacob had earned a lot of things. Is this person particularly petty? Why does he hold his possessions so tightly? That was earned through suffering! God said: I give to you, and you can give to others. This was the blessing given to Abraham, right?
Jacob did not learn from his grandfather how to receive blessings from God; he always relied on himself. He was very cautious with these things, competing with his uncle, wanting to turn his uncle's into his own. But God does not want you to live like this; God wants you to know: all your blessings come from Him; your hope is in the cross of Jesus. Your life, your living, and your blessings are all freely given to you by Jesus. He took away your poverty and gave you His abundance; He took away your sickness and gave you His health; He took away your death and gave you His resurrection. Likewise, you need to have hope before God.
Jacob relied on himself to have so many things. When he returned, his life was threatened, and he would rather give up his possessions. Did he make another choice? When he went back to meet his brother Esau, he thought: My brother has such a fiery temper; twenty years ago, when I left home, he wanted to kill me. Now that I am back, he will kill me, and my possessions will belong to him! No way! First, I will give him my possessions to win his favor. Is he still relying on himself?
Brothers and sisters, what he did not know was that during those twenty years, God had already changed Esau's heart, and his brother Esau did not want his things at all. When he sent the first batch of things to his brother, what did he say? "My lord, please accept this little gift from your servant." If Jacob had been so humble back then, would there have been so many issues later? If he had waited at home for twenty years, would it have been the same result?
But he chose another path, relying on himself to struggle and scheme. I tell you today, put your hope in Jesus; what Jesus wants to give you, no one can take away. Esau said, "Brother, I have enough; yours can stay with you." Is he at ease? He said, "Lord! No, you must accept a little." In reality, he was not at ease; if you do not accept a little, I will be killed. Living in such scheming every day, can you be comfortable? In the end, Esau said, "Okay! Then I will accept it! This way, my people are so many, and your people are so few; I will protect you." "No, no, no, do not protect me; you go first." In fact, at that time, his brother really let go because God had already changed his heart.
Did Jacob gain anything by deceiving his brother for the birthright and his father's blessing? He did not gain anything on earth; what he gained was still given by God, and the other was given to him by his uncle. The things at home he did not gain. If he had not struggled like that, what God gave him would not have decreased. So you need to have a living hope in God; what God wants to give you, no one can take away. Even if you temporarily suffer losses, you still need to believe that God will give you more.
Hebrews 10:35 tells us, Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
We need to be firm in our faith, continue to believe, continue to hope, and do what we should do, believing in God's promises; He will surely reward us. If you fall into sorrow, and the outcome is not what you expected, you need to keep telling yourself that God's promises will surely come to pass in my life; my God is faithful. Continue to believe in Him because the day of my reward is coming soon. In the most difficult times, you still need to believe that the day of victory is near. When various lies constantly attack you, when you feel like giving up, when you want to retreat, you need to understand that your great reward is about to arrive, so the devil is already anxious. Amen!
Some people encounter unpleasant things, and the more they pray, the worse the situation becomes. You have done what you should do, but the desired outcome has not yet occurred. Perhaps you respect others very much, but others treat you rudely. At this time, it is easy to think: "Forget it! Why should I suffer this grievance?" Perhaps there are problems in your marriage, and you feel like you cannot raise this child. Perhaps there are many problems at work. Do not lose heart or complain; what you should say is, "I have come this far; I cannot give up because God is shaping my character, preparing me for His great reward." The reason the situation is so bad is that the day of my victory is near. The enemy knows he is about to lose, which is why he launches such a fierce attack. From a spiritual perspective, you should understand this. The book of Revelation records that in the end times, there will be another great battle. Why is this happening? That is the devil's last struggle.
In fact, in life, every time the devil attacks you, you should believe that your day of freedom and release is coming. He is just trying to stir you up at the last moment, but in reality, his stirring is useless. Continue to do what you should do, continue to pray, continue to hope. Wait quietly for God, expecting that good things will happen; the blessings God has ordained will fill you. Many people encounter unprecedented difficulties; some are in finances, some in health, and some in emotions. When you encounter these, do not feel inferior or lose heart; shift your focus, place your gaze on the cross. In Jesus Christ, there is living hope, and it is eternal hope. Do not forget that the darkest hour is just before dawn.
On the day Jesus was born, it was the longest night of the year; that day was also the darkest day of the year. Why is that? God is telling us: in the darkest days, the brightest light has come; what are you worried about? You may say your life has reached a low point. I want to tell you, congratulations, you have finally reached the low point. What else are you worried about? Just be afraid to say, "There is no lowest point, only lower." Do not have such hope; if you have reached the low point, congratulations, you are about to rise and will rise higher and higher. You need to believe that the blessings God gives you will never change and will not be delayed.
Do not stir things up yourself; the one who suffers is you. Although that blessing has not decreased, you have taken many detours, which is not worth it. Just like Jacob, it would have been much better to wait quietly in the tent for twenty years; God would surely accomplish this matter. Why stir things up yourself?
As the new year arrives, perhaps some say, "I am tired; I really want to give up." Shake off those thoughts, tell yourself: in the new year, God has already prepared new grace; my hope is in the Lord. I believe I will enter into His ordained blessings. You should declare: in Jesus Christ, God will give me more than I expect. With His strength, I can prosper in all things; with His strength, I can overcome this illness. Starting today, my body will be completely healthy and will no longer be troubled by sickness. I have come to seek Him today; this problem will be resolved. Amen!
Just like Brother Yang, who said, "Starting this year, I declare that my rhinitis is completely gone (I have been healed)." Yes! That is how you should declare; you should not say, "I will have this every winter." Do not have such hopes; you should believe that starting today, all of this has nothing to do with me; I am in God's ordination. The Bible says, "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning," meaning that in the darkness, you cannot see the light, and you will indeed weep and feel discouraged, but you must have hope, which is different from the world, because morning will surely come. Amen!
Zechariah 9:11-12,
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
This passage is God's hope for the captive people of Israel. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. They were taken captive for seventy years because they did not listen to God's words, and now seventy years are almost up. During these seventy years, they needed to endure and hope for the day of redemption to come. Seventy years is a complete number; through these events, God wants to tell us: Believe that your day of redemption is near. You may say you are in suffering; what you should hope for is that the blessing afterward will be greater. After the Israelites returned from captivity, God would bless them doubly; they were people of hope. Even in captivity, they were people of hope.
If you say you are a captive person, your body is not well, bound by alcohol, bound by smoking addiction, facing various problems, and everything is not going well, you are a captive person. But you must have hope; the prisoners of hope are not those who give up halfway or lose heart; they are those who believe in God's promises, filled with expectation and hope for God's words. They firmly believe that there will definitely be the best outcome.
When a certain yoke is upon you and you cannot escape, but you know you will definitely be free from these, then in this process, rejoice in hope for God's glory. Some people always say, "I will never succeed in anything in my life; I am destined to be unlucky." Some even say, "Marrying you is the most unfortunate thing in my life." How can such a life be good? Every day is in torment. You should declare: in the name of Lord Jesus, these chains will be broken! I was imprisoned in the past, but now I will be released. Hallelujah! Let God's hope seize you, not let the current environment hold you tightly.
No matter how much time passes, even if it seems there is no hope left, your attitude should be: I know God's hand is always upon me; I will definitely experience victory. God is now shaping my character to give me His great reward, to bless me abundantly; He will surely bless me doubly. So brothers and sisters, now you should believe that in the new year, you are a person full of hope.
This year's theme is living hope. At all times, have living hope! It is also a good habit to expect everyone to write down what God will accomplish for you this year or what goals you want to achieve; it must be specific. For example, if someone has a disease, write: this year, the disease will completely leave me; I am healthy. Write down what God wants to solve for you, one by one, and be sure to write down the results. Amen! Do not say, "Lord! When will You heal my disease?" That is not a goal; you should write, "This year, my disease will surely be healed." That is a goal.
When setting goals in a company, when will they write, "This year, let’s just do it casually"? No, they will write, "This year, we aim to achieve forty million in sales." That is the goal. They have not started yet, but they have already written down the numbers. You should write down the results you want; it must be specific. Do not say, "Lord! I just hope You bless me this year." God has always been doing that. Even if you write it down, you cannot see it. Write down things that you can see with your own eyes. When you see it, you will know, "Lord! You have always been watching over me; I am a person of hope."
We will encounter some difficulties, but we are people of hope. There is living hope in God. If your health indicators are not optimistic, have living hope; believe in healing. You just need to receive it from God, and you will have it; you are healthy. This is not deceiving yourself; it is speaking the promised words in God's promises. Comforting yourself is different from that. Unbelievers may also say, "I hope to earn more money this year and be free from this disease." They all have hopes; we have hope. Does your hope have a basis? The basis is the cross of Jesus! Often meditate on what Jesus has done for you on the cross; that is your reason for hope. Your physical eyes may not see it; it may seem that success is not coming; these are all things that cannot be seen. But do not care how others speak; you must believe in God's words.
2 Corinthians 5:7, For we walk by faith, not by sight.
We do not walk by sight; if we walk by sight, we will be discouraged and disappointed. By sight, does this world still have hope? By sight, does this marriage still have a reason to continue? No, but you are not walking by sight; you are walking by faith. So what is faith?
Romans 8:24-28,
24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
In this passage, we need to see the first half: The unseen things need to be seen by faith. We believe in God's promises; God will accomplish them. What you hope for will surely come to you. Our salvation is in hope. What does salvation refer to here? In your life, what difficulties do you have? How does God save you? You must first have hope in Him. Just what is seen is not hope; if your eyes can see it, that is not hope. Hope is something that has not yet come, but you have already seen it. This matter has not yet come, but you have already seen it. In Jesus Christ, in God's words, in God's promises, you have already seen it.
Take healing as an example. There is indeed a disease in the body, but in the name of Lord Jesus, believe that I am healthy. This is not deceiving yourself; it is that you have already seen healing has come in Christ. It is that simple; this is called the hope of faith. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. That is, today we pray to God; at this moment, God accomplishes it for us; we thank the Lord! If God accomplishes it in a week, we thank the Lord! What if God accomplishes it a year later? Still thank the Lord! Do not say, "That person prayed, and God accomplished it for him; his faith is great, and his life is good." Do not say, "That person accomplished it a day later; his faith may be a little smaller than the first."
It is not about evaluating it this way; you prayed to God, and God will accomplish this matter at the most suitable time. Perhaps two people are praying; one person prays and it is accomplished now, while the other prays and it is accomplished three days later. The person in those three days needs to learn the lesson of patience; the other person may have learned it long ago. Do you understand?
Do not use these to judge the size of life or whether God loves one more than the other. Your hope is only in Jesus Christ. If you prayed today and the expected result has not yet arrived, you need to wait patiently. Someone may say, "I cannot wait anymore; I cannot pray anymore; what should I do?"
God knows you. The passage continues, "Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness." This weakness is truly not being able to wait anymore; when will I get a wife? I really cannot wait; when will I be healed? I really cannot wait; when will my finances turn around? God knows you cannot wait, so God says, "The Spirit helps you." When you are truly weak to the point that you do not know how to pray, you have used up all your words, and God has not accomplished it, and you cannot stand it anymore. Pray in tongues; praying in tongues is not magical; it is when you really do not know how to pray, and at that time, the Spirit prays with you. So the scripture says, "intercedes for us." He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit. The Spirit prays with you according to God's will.
When you cannot hold on anymore, hoping that this matter will be accomplished soon, when you pray in the Spirit, you will feel joy. If you see that the matter has not yet been accomplished, what should you do? Continue to pray in tongues until you truly say, "Lord! I have truly let go; I believe You will accomplish it at the best time. Although this pressure is immense, I believe He is a very great person."
You should say, "Heavenly Father! Thank You! The day of my great reward is near; You have not left any good thing from me." You must believe that the moment you accept Jesus, you are a person of the kingdom of heaven; you are a child of light.
1 Thessalonians 5:5-9
5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
First, you must affirm that you are all children of light. How do you become a child of light? By believing in Jesus, you become a child of light, not because you have done good deeds. The moment you believe, you are a child of light; you are a child of the day, and darkness has nothing to do with you; you do not belong to it. Therefore, always be awake and sober. Here it says that those who sleep sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. These people have no hope; our hope is not in the night but in the day. I have shared with you before that the way time is measured in Israel is different from ours. They start counting from the afternoon. When night falls, they tie a white string outside the window. If it cannot be seen from inside the house, it has already entered the next day.
In the beginning of Genesis, God said, "There was evening, and there was morning, the first day; there was evening, and there was morning, the second day." How do we calculate days? When the sun rises in the morning, a new day begins; when night falls, that day ends. The way of the world is from light to darkness. We are not like that; we start from darkness, but our path becomes brighter and brighter. In the past, we were under the devil's bondage, in darkness, but the moment you accept Jesus, your path becomes brighter and brighter until noon. This is the path of the righteous. They are all asleep; they are all drunk, but you are awake and sober, waiting for the brightest daylight to come.
So we are children of the day. How to do this? Children of the day are different from children of darkness. Put on faith and love as a breastplate. What does this mean? You need to have faith in God and believe that God loves you. If you lose these two, the breastplate is gone, and if someone shoots a poison arrow at you, won't you be done for? When others say God does not want you anymore, that you are destined to be a patient for life, destined to achieve nothing, are these not poison arrows shot at you? What will you do? Believe in God's promises; believe that God loves you. This is faith and love, which should serve as a breastplate to protect you. No matter how harsh others' words are, believe that what they say does not count; I believe in God, He loves me, and His promises are upon me; I am a person who will be greatly blessed.
Put on the hope of salvation as a helmet. When is a person most likely to be shot with poison arrows? When they fall, when they are discouraged, when they are weak. Others may say, "You are a believer in Jesus; why are you facing such things? Where is your God?" When we hear this, it feels like we have been shot. But you must put on the hope of salvation as a helmet. The heart and the head are equally important, so neither can be shot. In the past, soldiers on the battlefield wore helmets; arrows could be blocked by helmets. If there is none, it goes straight in. So the head is very important. Let your mind be filled with the hope of salvation. At all times, believe that God will surely save you; He will not leave you or forsake you. This is the promise God gives us in Hebrews.
So in the new year, believe that I have eternal hope in the Lord Jesus Christ; that is living hope. The latter part of this sentence is what you should meditate on: For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When you believe in Jesus, He does not want to give you sickness, weakness, curses, or accidents; that is punishment, right? You do not believe in Jesus for this; you believe in Jesus to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation not only refers to the salvation of your life but also includes when you encounter danger in your life; when you fall into a snare, He will also save you and always bring you out to a level place. You need to have hope. In the new year, let us encourage one another in Jesus Christ, serve one another, and wait for the blessings we hope for.
Titus 2:11-15,
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
This is what we need to understand, and I hope we can live out good deeds in grace. Of course, the law also emphasizes good deeds, but good deeds are not emphasized. It is not that you must be pious this year and must have good deeds to have them; where does your strength come from? You say you must be pious; where does the strength for piety come from? Look at the front: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people. Today, you should meditate on God's grace that saves you, and you will gain strength. This grace will teach us to renounce ungodliness. An ungodly heart is not something you remove by effort; it is when you understand God's grace that this teaching will change your heart.
For example, no one likes bad things to happen; everyone hopes that in the new year, everything will go smoothly. But if he says, "I don't think this year will be better than last year," if he thinks like this, his hope will remain in darkness. But we are not like this. Some people say, "I also want to say something positive and have active hope, but I cannot; the days have become like this." What should we do? Because you do not understand God's grace. If you truly meditate on the cross of Jesus every day and understand His grace, your mouth will naturally change and declare, "In Christ, I am blessed." Your pious heart will arise, and ungodliness will be removed. This is God's way.
As for worldly passions, some say, "Why am I so corrupt? I have sinned again and cursed again; what should I do?" If you say, "I hate myself when I see this," do not look at these; focus on God's grace. His grace will help you remove these. It will enable you to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. Please remember, all these are the strength that comes from God's grace. When you understand the promises of Jesus Christ and God's grace, you can wait for the blessings you hope for. What others say about you does not matter. If others say you are not successful, does that mean you are not successful? Jesus will bless you; God's words will define what you are like. You must keep this in your heart.
The latter part says, the blessings we hope for. You do not hope that the Lord will come to punish you and then throw you into hell; that is not your hope. And waiting for the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, are you looking forward to God's glory upon you? No matter what the environment is like, you should expect this.
No matter how the current environment is, you should believe that God's glory will fill me. When His glory fills you, everything about you will be completely transformed. Peter, before he recognized Jesus and was filled with the Holy Spirit, was timid and sometimes proud. When he was filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with truth and power, you could say he was filled with God's glory. You are the same; relying on yourself, you could never succeed and always failed. When God's glory fills you, everything becomes particularly simple.
He gave Himself for us. This is what you should meditate on; your strength comes from here. To redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works. Who did this? He gave Himself for us. Who did this? Jesus did this. He wants to redeem us from all lawlessness. Who did this? Jesus. It is not you who redeem yourself; it is He who does it. He purifies us. Who does this? Jesus does this.
To be His own people, and to be zealous for good works? That is you. Do not say, "Alright, Jesus will do good works." Go ahead? No, all of the above is where you gain strength. Finally, through you, God's glory is manifested, and that is being zealous for good works. So these things you must declare, exhort people, and rebuke people with all authority. If someone goes astray, we need to rebuke him and bring him back. So this year, we have hope together in Christ, comforting one another, supporting one another, and also encouraging one another, so that we can grow together.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! In the first week of the new year, we worship You here; our hope is in You, a living hope. You are my rock, You are my salvation, You are my glory, and I am willing to rely on You at all times.
Lord! No matter what difficulties I encounter, I am willing to pray to You. Please lead me and lead the brothers and sisters in the new year to set new goals. In You, we have eternal hope; hope does not put us to shame. Thank You and praise You! Bless all the brothers and sisters who hear the word, I pray in the name of Lord Jesus.