Kingdom's Keys Fellowship
Where God's Kingdom Meets Man's Heart.
Easter 8 Resurrection, Hope and Faith
Easter 8 Resurrection, Hope and Faith
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb.11:1 KJV)
“I hope I can be a better person… I hope I can find a decent place to work and live…I hope for my children’s future…I hope I can get through this awful experience I’m facing…”
“I hope we can grow…I hope we can meet people who want to be a part of us…I hope we can get the message across…I hope I can witness when I get in the midst of non-believers…”
Hope is one thing. What we hope for is another. Having faith is one thing. What we have faith in is another. Both are shapeless ideals until they are centered in something or someone or both to give them substance and content. Until then hope is simply wishful thinking and faith is nothing more than determined self-discipline to reach a secular goal.
Born in the image and likeness of God our human nature is vested with hope and faith. But sin separates us from the source that gives them life. It is not until we are restored to God through Jesus that the gift of the Holy Spirit can give content, substance and power to accomplish what hope and faith were given for---eternal life, eternal relationship and an eternal family.
This is why the Resurrection is so important. What Jesus hoped for, He obtained through faith. And not only for Himself but also for everyone who puts their trust in Him. He made hope and faith a collaborative spiritual reality assuring every one that what He had accomplished on the Cross was available to everyone. What Jesus obtained was not only for Him but also for us, for everyone who hopes and has faith in Him. In His faithful victory over death He obtained a new body. He obtained a restored mind. He obtained a fulfilled heart. He obtained the Holy Spirit, which He gave up in death. Those things that He sacrificed in death were perfected in His Resurrection. His perfect mind, heart and new body are set before us in hope for us. They were achieved by the faith Jesus had in His Father and His Word.
The Resurrection draws us to the person of Jesus, how He lived, thought, what He hoped for and the faith it took to achieve His hopes. It is the resurrected Jesus who defines hope and faith and their goals. Ideas of success and achievement are transformed to become what is pleasing to God and spiritually productive. When we hope to please God and have faith in His presence in our hearts it is God who reconciles the content of the world to Himself through our hope and faith in Him.
Think of the unbeliever we know who we hope finds Jesus but we are not sure when it comes to trusting Jesus when we have the opportunity to witness to him. Jesus is the one who brings the two together in our hearts with His Spirit and empowers the risk we take in faith. We believe, we hope and we trust. How do we get to that point? Stay tuned.
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb.11:1 KJV)
“I hope I can be a better person… I hope I can find a decent place to work and live…I hope for my children’s future…I hope I can get through this awful experience I’m facing…”
“I hope we can grow…I hope we can meet people who want to be a part of us…I hope we can get the message across…I hope I can witness when I get in the midst of non-believers…”
Hope is one thing. What we hope for is another. Having faith is one thing. What we have faith in is another. Both are shapeless ideals until they are centered in something or someone or both to give them substance and content. Until then hope is simply wishful thinking and faith is nothing more than determined self-discipline to reach a secular goal.
Born in the image and likeness of God our human nature is vested with hope and faith. But sin separates us from the source that gives them life. It is not until we are restored to God through Jesus that the gift of the Holy Spirit can give content, substance and power to accomplish what hope and faith were given for---eternal life, eternal relationship and an eternal family.
This is why the Resurrection is so important. What Jesus hoped for, He obtained through faith. And not only for Himself but also for everyone who puts their trust in Him. He made hope and faith a collaborative spiritual reality assuring every one that what He had accomplished on the Cross was available to everyone. What Jesus obtained was not only for Him but also for us, for everyone who hopes and has faith in Him. In His faithful victory over death He obtained a new body. He obtained a restored mind. He obtained a fulfilled heart. He obtained the Holy Spirit, which He gave up in death. Those things that He sacrificed in death were perfected in His Resurrection. His perfect mind, heart and new body are set before us in hope for us. They were achieved by the faith Jesus had in His Father and His Word.
The Resurrection draws us to the person of Jesus, how He lived, thought, what He hoped for and the faith it took to achieve His hopes. It is the resurrected Jesus who defines hope and faith and their goals. Ideas of success and achievement are transformed to become what is pleasing to God and spiritually productive. When we hope to please God and have faith in His presence in our hearts it is God who reconciles the content of the world to Himself through our hope and faith in Him.
Think of the unbeliever we know who we hope finds Jesus but we are not sure when it comes to trusting Jesus when we have the opportunity to witness to him. Jesus is the one who brings the two together in our hearts with His Spirit and empowers the risk we take in faith. We believe, we hope and we trust. How do we get to that point? Stay tuned.
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