Living Hope

Matthew 10:16-22

Following Jesus isn’t always easy. He sends us out as sheep among wolves, warning us that following him may bring opposition, rejection, and suffering. So how do we keep going when the world pushes back and the road gets long? Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat the struggle, but he gives us something far stronger than wishful thinking: the certainty of our salvation in him. Because our risen Savior has already secured the victory, we can face the harsh realities of life with confidence, testify about Christ with courage, and endure to the end.

Politics seems to be such a defining part of many people’s lives. Opinions are strong and often polarizing. You have probably found yourself wondering, “Who is right? Whose side is Jesus on?” Today, in Matthew 22, we will hear from Jesus about what a Christian’s relationship with their politics and their government should look like. With their hope and trust focused on Jesus Christ, their perfect and loving Savior and the only king you can truly trust.

Romans 1:16,17

Sometimes the best thing we can do is get back to the basics. Romans 1:16-17 gives us the basics of Christianity: the gospel is God’s power to save, it is for everyone, it gives us the righteousness we could never produce, and it is received by faith. We never outgrow these truths. When life gets complicated, when guilt weighs us down, or when we wonder if we’re good enough for God, we go back to the basics: Christ for sinners, God’s righteousness given

by grace, received by faith.

You round the final bend; the end is in sight! You're so close, it might be tempting to let up. Especially when you know that the prize at the end is already yours, it has already been won! As we live through the Beginning of the End, waiting for the return of our Savior, we might be tempted to wait passively. After all, Christ has conquered sin and death, the victory is own. But Paul encourages us today in his letter to the Philippians that instead of prompting passiveness, the prize Christ has won for us prompts us to action. His love directs us to live very different lives from the rest of the world while we wait for his return. It's time to press on toward the goal of knowing our Savior!

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

“It wasn’t my fault!” We’ve been saying it since childhood. In Ezekiel 18, God calls us to stop passing the blame and take an honest look at our own sin. But the gospel gives us even better news: Jesus took the blame that belonged to us. He carried our sins to the cross so that, forgiven by his grace, we can stop making excuses, turn to him, and live.

Exodus 34:5-9

Who is God? And what can we expect from him when we have failed him? At Sinai, God revealed his own name and character: he is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, overflowing with love and faithfulness, yet also perfectly just. For sinners, that combination can

seem impossible to reconcile. But at the cross, God’s perfect love and perfect justice meet. In Jesus, God proves that he will always live up to his name. So, like Moses, we can boldly lay claim to the name of the Lord, trusting him to go with us, forgive us, and make us his own.

Has someone ever asked you to do something that sounds easier than it is? Have you thought, "It's one thing to say 'cheer up' or 'try harder' but it's another thing to actually do that"? The world we live in can be a scary and uncertain place. Because of this, God tells his people that they need to be strong and courageous. That can sound like a tall order, especially when you think about just how scary and uncertain the world can be. But, in this case, being strong and courageous actually is as easy as it sounds. In Joshua 1, God promises to give you all of the strenght and courage you will need.

Galatians 2:11-16

Nobody likes confrontation. We’d rather keep the peace, avoid awkward conversations, and let things slide. But sometimes love means stepping in. In Galatians 2, Paul confronts Peter because something bigger than hurt feelings was at stake: the gospel itself. Salvation isn’t Jesus plus our performance. It’s Christ alone, received by faith. That truth is worth defending, and people we love are worth fighting for. And the greatest intervention wasn’t one Paul had with Peter. It was the one God had for us. When we were headed down a path we couldn’t escape, God stepped in through Jesus. God intervened to save us.

Some people want to follow Jesus because they think that Jesus will respond by giving them all kinds of peace and prosperity. In Matthew 16 Jesus teaches that is a serious misunderstanding. Because Jesus willingly sacrificed himself, following him means that we too will have to willingly sacrifice in our lives. Being a disciple of Jesus means carrying a cross. Not because he wants us to suffer, but because it is the path he took to victory. God’s “gameplan” defies all expectations of the world, because he asks his people to win… by losing.

Ephesians 5:8-14

In a world where sin can blur the truth and leave us stumbling in darkness, Christ calls his people to something radically different: “You are light in the Lord.” In Ephesians 5:8-14, Paul reminds us that Jesus has already rescued us from darkness and made us children of light. Now we get to live out that identity. We expose the lies of sin, reflect Christ’s love, and point others

to the only true source of light. When our own struggles and failures tempt us toward despair, we look again to Jesus, the Light of the World, whose death and resurrection give us certainty,

comfort, and life.