“The Power of Hope for Eternity”

Lead Pastor, Stephen Macaluso

 

The Power of Hope Gives Me:

 

#1.    Peace for the  present 

 

For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long.  Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!              2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)

 

...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.  And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish...               Hebrews 12:1b-2a (NLT)

 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal                2 Corinthians 4:18

 

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.  And now the prize awaits me— the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.   2 Timothy 4:7, 8 (NLT)

 

#2.    Focus for the future  

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die...”    John 11:25, 26

 

...He has risen!  He is not here… go, tell his disciples and Peter...         Mark 16:6, 7

 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade— kept in heaven for you...              1 Peter 1:3, 4

 

“I am going there to prepare a place for you.”               John 14:2b

 

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.                             1 Corinthians 2:9

 

And God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you... And God, in his mighty power, will make sure that you go there safely to receive it, because you are trusting him...  So be truly glad.  There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here.               1 Peter 1:4-6 (LB)

 

He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow nor crying, nor pain.  All of that has gone forever. Revelation 21:4 (LB)

 

So we’re not giving up.  How could we!  Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.  These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.  There's far more here than meets the eye.   The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow.  But the things we can’t see now will last forever.  2 Corinthians 4:16-17          (The Message)

 

 

~ I’m living my life–

so I can live again ~