God’s July 23, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from
Marcia McPhee’s
A Future With
Hope”)
“This Living Hope”
Psalm 139:1-12,
23-24
Jerimiah 29:11-14a
AMP
Romans 5:1-5 AMP
John 3:16-17 AMP
This Living Hope
The Lord be with you…let us pray… (prayer
for the Spirit’s indwelling as bring God’s words of hope this morning…)
Please stand for the reading of the Gospel
according to St. John, chapter 3, verses 16-17. Listen to the love sonnet of
God for the people of God…
Christian hope is when God has promised that something is going to happen and
you put your trust in that promise. Christian hope is a
confidence that something will come to pass because God has promised it will
come to pass.
What is so important about Christian hope?
If our future
is not secured and satisfied by God then we are going to be excessively
anxious. This results either in paralyzing fear or in self-managed, greedy
control. We end up thinking about ourselves, our future, our problems and our
potential, and that keeps us from loving.
In other words,
hope is the birthplace of Christian self-sacrificing love. That's because we
just let God take care of us and aren't preoccupied with having to work to take
care of ourselves. We say, "Lord, I just want to be there for other people
tomorrow, because you're going to be there for me."
If we don't
have the hope that Christ is for us then we will be engaged in
self-preservation and self-enhancement. But if we let ourselves be taken care
of by God for the future—whether five minutes or five centuries from now—then
we can be free to love others. Then God's glory will shine more clearly,
because that's how he becomes visible.
When God
satisfies us so deeply that we're free to love other people then he becomes
more manifest. And that's what we want above all.
Good
morning. Over the past weeks we have taken a look at hope. We have decided that
we are going to “let our guard down” and allow hope in. Without
hope…I don’t know where I would be. I have just given you the:
© Definition
of Christian Hope
© Why
hope is important for as Christ followers…
How
about you? What is your definition? Give
time to answer. Why do you think it is so important? Give time to answer. Hope is a hard thing because you can’t see it,
ouch it, or taste it. Hope is just something you must trust in. It is the
reason we stand. It is the reason we come back here every Sunday, to get a new
perspective on hope… We believe and trust in the foundation of our faith…John
3:16. For Gods so loved the world that he
sent His Only Son, and who so shall believe in Him shall not perish but have
eternal life…that’s
life
with God eternally…forever…and ever…and ever more…
There
are many promises in the bible that give us “hope”. My favorite one of course
is Jeremiah 29:11-14 which states:
Jeremiah
29:11-14Amplified Bible (AMP)
11 For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’
says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and
well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then
you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your
voice] and I will listen to
you. 13 Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity]
and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I
will be found by you,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and I
will [free you and] gather you from all the nations and from all the places
where I have driven you,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the
place from where I sent you into exile.’
We
believe and trust in God’s word…right? And His word says that He does have a
plan…a good plan for our lives…believe He
cries out from heaven to you and I …this whole world of chaos… We are
promised a good future and hope amid this hopeless world.
We
have this hope that when we seek God...earnestly with our whole body, mind, and
soul…He will hear our prayers and answer us. When we cry out from our desert places
He will hear and bring us out of those places and into His glorious presence
where we were before we entered that land of captivity.
As
we seek and find Him and we will find
Him, He will restore us. We will have our peace back. We will have our first
love back. We will have our joy back. We will have our hope back… When we
seek Him, we are never too far away for us to find Him.
This
is the hope we proclaim. This is the hope we are called to share. This is the
hope that will break down strongholds of the enemy, this is the hope that will
heal relationships. This is the hope that causes us to say “Glory!” this is the
hope that this town needs…this county needs, this country needs…the world
needs! But my question is this. As we share this hope with others…as we bring
hope out of our sanctuary into the world, however
that may look, does hope happen overnight? The moment we tell others about
hope, does hope live in them…immediately? Give
time to answer. Why? Give time to answer again.
Your
right, This Living Hope doesn’t just
happen overnight…it is sort of like from
glory to glory. Hope is birthed in our lives and in our hearts. It is living and breathing in you and me. We
want others to have this same Living Hope but the only way for that to happen is
for us to plant that seed and pray. Pray like nothing ever before because we
live in a world that people lose their hope too easily. But what is their real
hope? In the trappings of this world or is it much more than that?
How
is something that we can’t see be birthed? What does it look like? Well, Romans
5:1-5 gives us a picture of how hope is born in our hearts. It states that:
Romans 5:1-5Amplified Bible (AMP)
Results of Justification
5 Therefore, since we
have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God]
by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of
reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the
Anointed). 2 Through Him we also have access by faith into this
[remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand.
Let us rejoice in our [a]hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the
glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power]. 3 And
not only this, but [with joy]
let us exult in our sufferings and
rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble)
produces patient endurance; 4 and endurance, proven character
(spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation]. 5 Such
hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Within
this we see that hope is a process… I see it as a “9 step process”. This is
what I am proposing to you church. So that we do not lose hope as we go out
with joy to share the Gospel, I would like for us to look at the process of a
growing of hope. I believe that as we look at each step in the process we are
going to be encouraged. Think about it
for a moment. We have been praying and praying for someone and we don’t see the
hope there. We may have “given up hope” that it would ever happen. What it…an I
am going out on a ledge here, as we are looking at the process we suddenly
realize that the person we have been praying for is somewhere “in the process”
and we never realized it. How would that make you feel? What would you do with
your own renewed hope?
We
call ourselves “A Hope Giving Church”, and as such, we can’t give up and lose
hope on the very ones that are needing us to give them hope…to help them
cultivate the hope inside. So, what do you think? Are you in or are you out?
Maybe, just maybe, not only will we see others within this process, we might
even see ourselves within the process of This Living Hope when we may have lost
hope ourselves…individually and as a church. The challenge is out there. Are
you going to take it or not?
Let
us pray…pray for the Spirit of Hope to be
evident in our lives as we go forth in Jesus’ name.
Amen!
edited August
29, 2017
our hope
cannot stay hidden – v2
August 29,
2017
our hope
cannot stay hidden
August 29,
2017
we are called
to witness – 2
August 29,
2017
we each are
the witness
edited August
29, 2017
only Christ
can redeem us – v2
August 29,
2017
only Christ
can redeem us
August 28,
2017
none of us are
worthy - 2
August 28,
2017
he told her
about Jesus
August 27, 2017
he shared his
faith
August 27,
2017
offering her
hope
August 27, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from
Marcia McPhee’s
A Future With Hope”)
“Bearing Hope”
Psalm 138
John 15:1-8 GNT
Philippians 1:9-11 GNT
and
sermon, “Hope Bearer…”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
August 27,
2017
&
August 20,
2017
Help me go
grow
August 20,
2017
before I gave
my life to Christ
edited August
20, 2017
I have been
you – v2
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2017/08/i-have-been-you-v2.html
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2017/08/i-have-been-you-v2.html
August 20,
2017
I have been
you
August 20,
2017
whatever your
station
August 20,
2017
slave or free
August 20,
2017
grow there
August 20,
2017
give to them
willingly
August 20,
2017
show them
compassion
August 20,
2017
offer mercy,
grace
August 20,
2017
do not resist
them
August 20,
2017
strip them of
power
August 20,
2017
may hope find
a home
edited August
20, 2017
may hope abide
– v2
August 20,
2017
may hope abide
August 20, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from
Marcia McPhee’s
A Future With Hope”)
“Residing with Hope”
Psalm 133
Luke 3:10-14
1 Corinthians 7:20-24
Jeremiah 29:4-7
and
sermon, “Where Hope Resides”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
August 20,
2017
&
August 19,
2017
nurturing hope
edited/ new
name August 19, 2017
if the
seedling isn’t planted
August 19, 2017
if the seed
isn’t planted
August 19,
2017
It is hard to
believe
August 19,
2017
Hope begins to
sprout and root
edited August
19, 2017
Hope
germinates and grows – v2
August 19,
2017
Hope
germinates and grows – v1
August 19,
2017
hope is like a
seed
August 19,
2017
a flickering
of something
edited August
19, 2017
a kernel of
hope – v3
edited August
19, 2017
a kernel of
hope – v2 (2)
August 19,
2017
a kernel of
hope (2)
August 19,
2017
seeds of hope
within us
August 13, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from Marcia McPhee’s
A Future With Hope”)
week 4 - “This Living Hope”
Psalm
105:1-6
Mark
4:1-8 NIV
Ephesians
3:16-19 NIV
John
4:13-14
Zephaniah
3:17
Romans
12:12
Romans
15:4
and
sermon, “Nurturing Planted Hope”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
August 13,
2017
&
August 10,
2017
our roots are
anchored in Christ
August 10,
2017
we are
grounded in Christ
August 10,
2017
our hope is
grounded
edited August
6, 2017
we must accept
the seed – v3
edited August
6, 2017
we must accept
the seed – v2
August 6, 2017
we must accept
the seed
edited August
6, 2017
for hope to
grow – v2
August 6, 2017
for hope to
grow
edited August
6, 2017
Hope is
planted – v2
August 6, 2017
Hope is
planted
August 6, 2017
the roots
going deep
new name/
edited August 6, 2017
the seedlings
planted
(editing “the
young plants planted”)
August 6, 2017
let your roots
grow down
August 6, 2017
cultivate the
hope inside
August 6, 2017
plant the
seeds of grace
August 6, 2017
plant the
seeds of love
August 6, 2017
get them in
the ground
edited August
6, 2017
germinated
seeds – v2
August 6, 2017
germinated
seeds
August 6, 2017
the seed
growing
August 6, 2017
living in hope
August 6, 2017
may our hearts
be open
edited August
6, 2017
that we might
understand – v4
August 6, 2017
the young
plants planted
August 6, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from Marcia McPhee’s
A Future With Hope”)
week 3 - “Planting Seeds of Hope”
Mark
4:1-8
Parable
of the Sower
Psalm 145:7-8; 14-21
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT
Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV
Colossians 2:6-8 NLT
Sermon, “Planting Seeds of Hope”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
August 6, 2017
&
August 2, 2017
hidden in our
flesh
August 2, 2017
growing in our
soil
edited/ new
name August 2, 2017
growing in the
good soil
August 2, 2017
growing in the
ground
August 2, 2017
hidden in the
ground
edited August 2,
2017
After the
planting – v2
August 1, 2017
We must water
and feed
August 1, 2017
Like seeds,
like yeast
August 1, 2017
that we might
understand – v3
August 1, 2017
we must
understand
August 1, 2017
not in riddles
but parables
edited July
31, 2017
that we might
understand – v2
July 31, 2017
that we might
understand
July 31, 2017
we must hear
God’s word
edited July
31, 2017
we are
seeking, searching – v2
July 31, 2017
We are
seeking, searching
July 31, 2017
We have the
seed planted
merged July
31, 2017
Before the
planting – v2
July 31, 2017
After the
planting
July 31, 2017
Before the
planting
July 30, 2017
We want to be
the good soil
July 30, 2017
we need that
hope to work within us
edited July
30, 2017
we must
embrace the seeds – v2
July 30, 2017
we must trust
in God
edited July
30, 2017
a little more
hope – v3
(editing
original again)
edited July
30, 2017
we must
embrace the seeds
edited July
30, 2017
embrace the
seeds
July 30, 2017
embrace the
seed
July 30, 2017
hope is alive
within us
July 30, 2017
hope planted
within us
&
July 29, 2017
we are the
soil – v2
July 29, 2017
do we nurture
the seed – v2
July
16, 2017
do
we nurture the seed
edited July
16, 2017
do we care for
the message – v2
July 16, 2017
do we care for
the message
July 16, 2017
do we welcome
the seed
July
16, 2017
are
we the soil
July
16, 2017
we
hold the seed
July
16, 2017
we
are the sower
July
15, 2017
we
are the soil
edited
July 15, 2017
held
by the thorns – v2
July
15, 2017
held
by the thorns
July
15, 2017
choked
by the briars
Matthew
13:18-23
Matthew
13:1-9, 18-23
The
Upper Room Disciplines for 2017
“The
Promise and Work of God’s Word”
July
10, 2017 to July 16, 2017
by
John Adcox
devotion
for July 15, 2017
read
July 15, 2017
&
edited
July 29, 2017
a
miracle in the seed – v2
July
29, 2017
searching,
seeking - 2
July
29, 2017
a
miracle in the seed
edited
July 29, 2017
seeking
treasure – v2
edited
July 29, 2017
Finding
Treasure – v2
merged/edited
July 29, 2017
Seeking
treasure, Finding treasure
July
29, 2017
seeking
treasure
July
29, 2017
Finding
Treasure
Matthew
13:44-52
The
Upper Room Disciplines for 2017
“Treasures
from God”
July
24, 2017 to July 30, 2017
by
Chris Folmsbee
devotion
for July 29, 2017
read
July 29, 2017
&
July
28, 2017
tiny
acts of love
edited
July 28, 2017
out
of God’s great love – v2
July
28, 2017
the
kingdom of God growing
Matthew
13:31-33
The
Parables of the Mustard Seed
the
Parable of the Yeast
Matthew
13:31-33, 44-52
The
Upper Room Disciplines for 2017
“Treasures
from God”
July
24, 2017 to July 30, 2017
by
Chris Folmsbee
devotion
for July 27, 2017
read
July 28, 2017
&
edited July
27, 2017
Germinating
Seeds of Hope – v2
July 27, 2017
Germinating
Seeds of Hope
July 30, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from Marcia McPhee’s
“A Future With Hope”)
week 2 - “This Living Hope”
opening prayer
video
Psalm 128
Matthew 13:1-9
Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:18-24
Christ explaining the Parable of the Sower
Psalm 139:13-16
Matthew
13:31-33
Parable
of the Mustard Seed
Parable
of the Yeast
prayer
before sermon
and Sermon, “Germinating Seeds of Hope”
text:
video:
by Raymond A.
Foss
Children’s
Message
by Raymond A.
Foss
closing prayer
video
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
July 30, 2017
&
edited July 26, 2017
a little more hope – v2
July 26, 2017
a little more hope
July 26, 2017
we are imprisoned by our fears
edited/ new name July 24, 2017
we are strangled by anxiety
July 24, 2017
immobilized by fear
July 24, 2017
freed by hope
July 23, 2017
Hope is Trust
July 23, 2017
why are we so anxious
July 23, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from Marcia McPhee’s
“A Future With Hope”)
week 1 - “This Living Hope”
Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24
Jeremiah 29:11-14 Amplified Bible
Romans 5:1-5 Amplified Bible
John 3:16-17 Amplified Bible
and Sermon, “This Living Hope”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
July 23, 2017
All of my
poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001,
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014,
2015, 2016, and 2017. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See
all 44,830 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
Christ,
Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, hope, prayer, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church, Luke 3, Psalm 138, John 12, Philippians 1, poem,
seed, home,
#Christ #God
#Spirit #Faith #prayer #love #grace #hope #poem #seed #Luke3 #Psalm138
#John12 #Philippians1
Christ,
Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, hope, prayer, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church, John 3, Jeremiah 29, Romans 5, Psalm 139,
disciple, Jesus, sermon,
#Christ #God
#Spirit #Faith #prayer #love #grace #John3 #Jeremiah29 #Psalm139 #Romans5
#disciple #hope #Christianhope #poem #sermon
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