Destroyer of Hope - Job 8:13
June 2, 2024
don’t forget what this series is about… surprizes… revealing those unexpected, astonishing, incredible facts about Jesus… remember blessings of His death…
expiation - removal of sin and guilt Heb 9:26
propitiation - removal of wrath and restoration of favor Heb 2:17
reconciliation - removal of separation 2Cor 5:17-21
redemption - removal of chains Gal 3:13-14
destruction of darkness - removal of satan’s weapon Col 2:13-15
substitution - removal of our death penalty Isa 53:3-6
pastor, I need more than Jesus… I need help with my marriage, children, health, finances, worry… please talk about specific things that can really benefit me…
Hosea 4:6… “people destroyed by lack of knowledge… rejected knowledge…”
Rom 10:2… “they have enthusiasm for God… but not according to knowledge…”
Eph 4:11-16… “build up body… equip saints… reach unity… in the knowledge of Jesus…”
Eph 4:18… “wander far from life God gives… by ignorance and a hard heart…”
Col 1:10… “pleasing God… fruitful in good work… thru knowledge of Him…”
2Pet 1:1-3… “given everything required for life… thru knowledge of Him…”
epignosis… precise and correct knowledge…
surprize… it’s all about precise and correct knowledge of Jesus… pray…
2Tim 2:15… “study to show yourself approved… rightly dividing word of truth…”
not going to preach pure gospel today… mix some lousy news with good news… have to come back next week to get answers to the lousy news I’ll share today…
Rom 1:16-17… “not ashamed of gospel… power of salvation… all who believe…”
Rom 3:23-24… “all sinned… justified freely by grace thru redemption in Christ…”
remembering is not about longing for past… but establishing hope for future… hope is essential to life… without hope, we die… even faith isn’t possible without hope…
Rom 15:4… “past teaches us… gives us hope and encouragement as we wait..”
Heb 11:1… “faith is the reality of what is hoped for…”
If you are hopeless, two things are certain. You have placed your hope in something other than God. And although you may understand that Jesus conquered death, you live as though He is still in the grave. All hopelessness is ultimately a denial of the resurrection. —Edward Welch
hope is a powerful weapon… gives strength and courage to endure… hope brings freedom… which is why religion destroys hope… Latin religare means to re-bind…
1Chron 29:15… “our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope…”
Job 6:11… “what strength do I have… what is my future… that I should continue to hope…”
Job 8:13… “such is the destiny of all who forget God… hope of the godless will perish…”
Job 27:8… “what hope does the godless person have…”
Why are you stirring up despair and trying to destroy the world? Because people who have no hope are easier to control; and whoever has control, has the power. —Michael Ende
hopelessness leading cause of depression, suicide… religion creates unbreakable chains from law to make you easier to control… amazing grace sets you free…
Rom 7:6… “died to what bound us… released from law… into new way of HS…”
Gal 5:1… “for freedom Christ set us free… don’t submit again to yoke of slavery…”
Col 1:23… “don’t allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope of the gospel…”
Reduce Size and Importance of God’s Love
religion destroys hope by portraying God as angry, judgmental, disapproving, temperamental, punishing… God does get angry when religion keeps people in bondage… or at things that harm His kids… not angry with you (propitiation)…
Deut 7:1-6… “turn your sons from Me… the Lord’s anger will burn against you…”
Psa 7:11… “God is a righteous judge… gets angry with the wicked every day…”
Isa 28:21… “rise in wrath… to do His unexpected, unfamiliar, strange work…”
Eze 33:11… “take no pleasure in death of wicked… rather they should repent and live…”
Mark 3:4-5… “looked at them with anger… grieved at hardness of hearts…”
By Questioning Truth and Selling Lies
religion puts question marks where God puts exclamation points… are you sure you’re saved, loved, accepted, forgiven, faithful… greater fear, greater control…
Luke 8:50… “don’t be afraid… only believe… and you will be saved…”
Rom 5:8… “God proves His love… while we were sinners… Christ died for us…”
Eph 1:6… “to the glory of His grace… He has made us accepted in the Beloved…”
Col 2:13… “He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our sins…”
2Tim 2:13… “if we are faithless… He is faithful…”
Guilt, Shame, Condemnation
gsc is a hope-destroyer… religion punishes bad choices… discourages us from making any choices… never fulfill God-given dreams that may be out-of-the-box…
Acts 13:39 AMP… “everyone who believes in Him is freed from all guilt…”
Rom 8:1… “therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus…”
1Pet 2:6… “the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame…”
Pretending
religion is like FB… most of the time, it’s fake… beware of preachers and church folk whose lives are always perfect… tough to identify with them…
Luke 20:45-47… “beware teachers of religious law… they pretend to be pious…”
Rom 12:9… “don’t just pretend to love others… really love them…”
1Cor 2:3-4… “I came to you in weakness, fear, and much trembling… my message and my preaching were very plain… not clever words and persuasive speeches…”
Fear of the Future
religion destroys hope by presenting a future full of fear rather than hope… which is a confident expectation of good… NT is incredibly hopeful… religion is not…
Psa 91… “live in shelter of Most High, rest in shadow of Almighty… He is my place of safety… do not fear terror, disease, disasters… no evil or plague will come near your home…”
Jer 29:11… “plans I have for you… good, not disaster… give future and a hope…”
2Cor 4:7-18… “momentary light afflictions don’t compare to eternal glory…”
sometimes chains can be easier… do this, don’t do that… but it’s not freedom… Jesus came to remove chains (redemption)… not put them on… won’t find religion here… will find good news of hope that can set you free… pray…
Isa 61:1… “sent Me to bring good news… heal… proclaim freedom to prisoners…”
1Cor 2:2… “determined to know nothing among you except Jesus crucified…”
Gal 5:24-26… “let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives…”