God's Hope is MORE THAN Human Hope!

Our church's theme this year is entitled: More Than. We want to be a church that is known for being more than ordinary people because we have the power of the Spirit of God within our lives.

I had the opportunity to preach on Sunday concerning the topic of hope. God's hope is more than human hope!

Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to HOPE

"When you say that a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God." God is a God of hope. Your situation or anyone else's situation is never hopeless with God!

When we misplace hope we will fall short of the goal line every time! We will run harder, farther, and longer in life if our hope and goal is on Jesus Christ!

There are three types of hope as seen in this passage: I Corinthians 15:32.

"If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die."

The first type of hope is MISPLACED HOPE!

If you are a gladiator type of figure and risk your entire life based on human hopes of fame, infamy, and glory it will amount to nothing. Most misplaced hope lies within ourselves instead of God.

Proverbs 11:7
Hopes placed in mortals die with them, all the promise of their power comes to nothing.

The second type of hope is LOST or NO HOPE!

If God is not real than there is nothing after death. If that is the case than why not eat, drink, and be merry because all there is to life is to get as much pleasure out of it before we die. This is a sad and unfulfilling way to live.

The third type of hope is GODLY HOPE!

With Godly hope we can have certainty about our future. No other hope gives us this assurance. Godly hope is not blind hope as some suggest because we have evidence of it's veracity (Read the rest of I Corinthians 15)!

Proverbs 13:12
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

God can use the small seeds of hope in our life to produce a tree of life. Just as a tree gives out shade, comfort, and protection so also God can give us rest, comfort, and protection if we place our hope in Him!

All HE is asking is that we plant small seeds of faith and hope in Him! Have you claimed THIS HOPE today?

We gave people in our services opportunities to rise and be prayed for so they'd be emboldened to claim God's hope EVERY day!