| Hope series |
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What Is Hope
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Why Did Paul Say YOLO?
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Hope in Heaven
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Why Did Paul Say YOLO?
… “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”1 Corinthians 15:32
Life can be difficult. Sometimes it’s just a season and sometimes it’s hard to see when it hasn’t been difficult. But somehow, we are called to have joy through it all. How is that even possible? We saw last time that the answer is hope, that:
“Hope enables us to enjoy the good God has for us even while we are surrounded by the bad that sin has caused”
But in the darkest hours, what hope do we have? What can we hope in when trials and afflictions have overcome us to the point that there seems little good left on the table?
The Promise of Troubles
The first thing that can serve as a foundation for our hope is a promise we were given. But probably not one of the promises you’re thinking of: the promise that we will experience tribulations, persecutions, and hardships. Consider this example where Jesus is “encouraging” the disciples:
“In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Jesus does this over and over with the disciples where He warns us about the realities of Christianity. That while there is good for us in following Him, it comes with a cost. Like in
Mark 10:29-30, Jesus tells us we’ll be asked to give up a lot but assures us we will gain more than we lose even in this life. As if that wasn’t hard enough, He goes on to warn that even what we gain in this life will come “with persecutions”. Um… thanks Jesus?
Why did Jesus tell us all of this? Was He just weeding out the class to those who were serious? Maybe that was part of it, but the verse from John 16 was just the core 12 disciples, so we know there’s more to it. Jesus actually tells us why:
“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” John 16:1
He said these things because they were true, because He didn’t want us to be surprised. So,
