Sermon Outlines - Power-Filled Hope 12-13-2009

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Posted by: Pastor Van Buskirk	12/10/2009 6:53 PM
1 Corinthians 13:13 Power-Filled Hope Saint Paul told the Colossians (1:3-5a ESV): “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” Hope belongs with her sisters faith and love on earth. The person with hope, but no faith, is deluded. Who can hope of spending an eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ if he has no faith in Him? In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Likewise, the person with faith but no hope is spiritually depressed and is to be most pitied on earth. Faith, hope and love complement and complete each other. (1 Corinthians 13:13) In heaven, only love remains. Faith and hope are based upon the unseen. In heaven, we will see the Lord our God perfectly and experience His indescribable love for eternity. We will no longer depend upon faith and hope. Saint Paul complimented the Colossians for their love for the saints. It grew out of the hope that they had laid up for them in heaven. Hope to the Christian is not far-fetched or foolish like the hope of winning the lottery. Hope laid up in heaven is a deposit made to our account by Jesus Christ. He earned eternal life and salvation for us by His cross and gives them according to the Father’s will and promises in the Word. We have the sure and eternal hope of a mansion that cannot be destroyed, the unlimited inheritance of glory and blessings, and the riches of God’s love. This hope is power-filled with consequences right now. Because God has laid up these treasures for us, we have love for the saints. Saint John says, “We love because God first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Through word and deed, share this power-filled hope in Jesus Christ with others so that they too may be instruments of God’s love on earth and untied eternally in His love in heaven. Amen. Pastor Raymond Van Buskirk, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Baytown, TX www.rlcbaytown.org
Copyright ©2009 Pastor Van Buskirk
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