A Sure Hope

Every human being you encounter – without a single exception – was born into the oppression of sin. Some do a good job of hiding it and looking like they’ve got life figured out, while others don’t at all. As Pastor Dave will challenge us in today’s message, we need to share Jesus with everyone we interact with.

Sexual purity was a challenge in Job’s day just like it is now. Ultimately it comes down to the heart. It’s not just about the physical or external actions. As Pastor Dave will remind us in today’s message, God values our hearts and has equipped us in Christ to be restored to purity and maintain it through His power.

How often do you find yourself wondering if God can handle your problems? You may not say it out loud, but this is a common struggle for most of us. As Pastor Dave points out in today’s message, we acknowledge God as the Creator of everything and pridefully think our struggle is more than He can handle.

Scripture teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All of us want that, don’t we? This life throws all kinds of trials and tough decisions at us, and we’ve all felt the need for more wisdom. As Pastor Dave will explain in today’s message, God doesn’t withhold this gift, all we have to do is ask Him.

None of us can claim to be blameless, as God describes Job. Yet, as Pastor Dave will point out in today’s message, despite this, Job recognized just how far he was from the glory and righteousness of God. We need to approach God with the same humility as we trust in Him to provide redemption from our sin.

When your friend is facing a trial, the worst thing they can do is face it alone. First and foremost, Jesus is with them, and they can lean on Him. In addition to Jesus, God has placed you in their life. As Pastor Dave will encourage us today, we need to be careful and make sure we’re being an aid and not a hindrance.

Knowledge and intellect have become idols for many of us. God gave us these gifts – that’s important to remember – but, as Pastor Dave will warn in today’s message, God doesn’t fit well in a purely scientific approach to this world, we need child-like faith and humility to see who He is and admit our need for Him.

We often misunderstand God and His relationship with us. We see Him more as a reluctant, oppressive master instead of as a loving Father who wants the best for His children. As Pastor Dave will remind us in today’s message, God wants joy and peace for you – when you follow Him faithfully, you’ll find those things.

Many non-believers think that God is just sitting around waiting for us to mess up so He can administer some kind of judgment on us. However, this is not the God of the Bible. In his message today, Pastor Dave explains how that type of thinking is not only wrong theology but also a wrong belief about who God is.

Many of us may fall into the trap of believing that bad things happen to good people because they've somehow brought it upon themselves. Today, Pastor Dave shares the story of Job, whose friends held this very belief about him. The true power of encouragement, however, lies in its ability to restore faith in God.