Hope for the Future
Written by Brigitta Tedja
#thegreatresetseries
Watch full sermon here
Our Pastor Paul Tan just returned after 3 weeks equipping and building the CBC pastors and their families from over 72 churches in Indonesia for the Annual City Blessing Relationship Summit. He was encouraged from the many testimonies he heard from the pastors. His schedule was “liquid” and he had to listen to Holy Spirit’s leading. The schedule was altered but the divine appointments garnered the presence of God every time. Pastor thanked the Church for all the prayers for him and his family while he was away.
As God’s people, we will all experience shaking, but His Kingdom will never be shaken. Pastor prayed that we would all know God intimately, not religiously. Let us “shake off the walls of religion, for God’s way is better.” We follow The Way.
Last week, Pastor Himawan Djuhana preached about contending for your faith—The Great Reset. If there is one button that we can press and redo, it would be about your faith and hope. We need to be strong during the shaking. What if the shaking was on the inside, your own emotions, family, finances? Our Heavenly Father gives us hope for the future.
This sermon is entitled, “Hope for the Future”, the second from #thegreatresetseries.
Jeremiah 29:11-12 NKJV “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
When God gives you something, you need to receive, accept, and welcome the gift He gives you. If you ignore or take it for granted, you will not experience the benefit and the power of the Holy Spirit and the promise He has given you.
Jeremiah 29:12 NKJV “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”
This is very important and simple. If you have been thinking that God has not been listening to you, this is incorrect. Some of you may experience: “something that is not working in my life” — “it is not fulfilling” — “there exists an emptiness from the inside” —"I know I’m not a failure, that I’m not in futility. ” You need to change your negative thoughts to: “I have an expectation” — “I have a passionate desire” — “something is coming my way!” It may not be here yet, the prophetic words have not come to fruition yet, but you need to put your focus on the promises of God in your life because the hope that God has given you will not disappoint.
When we talk about hope for the future, there is another side of the coin. Some of you may not have any real expectations because you do not really feel you need anything. If you do not think you need a Problem-Solver, a Healer, a Savior, a Deliverer, a Way Maker — you do not really rejoice over one because everything is good. You have no more expectations. but God has a great plan for you, even better than what you have now.
It is dangerous if you have no expectations in life. When asking others how they are doing, some may just say an emphatic “good” while others may respond by stating, “I’m just existing.” Do you want to live like that, not having a vibrant life? One of the testings that people may face may be, not only when they are in trouble, but when they are in power. When you are in power, you have authority and your behavior and character may change. You may be so successful right now that you do not need a Savior—no need for God, no expectations anymore, it is a dangerous position. One of the testings God allows in your life is when you are successful because God searches the heart of man. He is the only One who can give hope.
Some people have dreams that failed. They have gone through broken places and know what it means to feel the anxiety of a struggle. To those people, when you say, “There’s One coming who is able to open prison doors and set at liberty to them who are bound and give recovery of sight to the blind,” something leaps on the inside and they have expectancy and a hope of a new beginning of what has been cut off.
In Jeremiah 29:11-12, God not only gives you a hope — He will give you a future!
Tomorrow and the Future are Not the Same:
There are some people who believe they can have a future without God
YOU CAN STEP INTO TOMORROW BUT YOU MAY NOT STEP INTO YOUR FUTURE
Because it is possible to step into another day and not step into what your future is all about
THE CALENDAR WILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER DAY — ONLY GOD CAN GIVE YOU A FUTURE
Align yourself with the Spirit of God
There are lot of people who change calendar dates, but stays locked up in the past — locked up in the present — they are still living in the places and things that were part of their previous belief system:
Part of defeats – start from victory!
Part of old issues
Part of limitations – too young, too old, too whatever it is
Today, every place that death, defeat, unresolved issues, limitations, wounds, hurts, disappointments, betrayals have been working in you, the resurrected life of Christ is about to appear right now! He will make a way where there is no way and He is offering you an invitation not only to have hope, but He is offering you an invitation for a future. Some of you may not have a good relationship with your earthly father, but the Heavenly Father is a good Father. Some of you have a good relationship with your earthly father, but God is an even better Father.
He is saying to you right now, “Will you step into the future by believing in Me and trusting in Me? Because I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.”
Let us make a declaration. He loves you so much and your Heavenly Father knows every thought and every tear that has fallen.
SONG: HE KNOWS MY NAME
I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hands
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
*He Knows My Name: https://youtu.be/hXsiWoyjw60
This is why Jeremiah said, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” The Father is ready, He is listening, so allow the Holy Spirit to plow your heart and invite the presence of God to touch and fill you. This will break your religion. It is not about your routines and man-made beliefs but, about your relationship with the One who can deliver, save, and heal you.
Isaiah 60:1 AMP “ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you — rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!”
This is a word that gives us encouragement. Do not allow your circumstances to keep you from going to the next level! Arise, arise, arise! Arise and be radiant!
Isaiah 11:1-3 MSG “A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse's stump, from his roots a budding Branch. The life-giving Spirit of GOD will hover over him, the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding, The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-GOD. Fear-of-GOD will be all his joy and delight. He won't judge by appearances, won't decide on the basis of hearsay.”
Jesse is the father of King David. Understand the context, history, and the biblical understanding that this is a prophetic word from Isaiah spoken 700 years prior about the coming of the Messiah. Jesus was called the son of David, not of Joseph. The Spirit of God is available to all of us, we just need to welcome and receive Him.
When you became successful, have fame, authority, and power, stay humble! Continue to have the Spirit of God who brings wisdom and understanding, gives direction, builds strength, and instills knowledge.
Last week Pastor Him shared about Noah who built a huge Ark. Noah needed knowledge in order to build it. We all need knowledge living in this day and age. The book of Daniel stated that knowledge will increase. Knowledge is a compilation of facts. Knowledge typically deals with factual information you have learned from school, books, or other experts.
Noah built the Ark with such precision; he must have had a download directly from God. The Ark did not leak, break, or sink in the midst of the greatest flood in history. It housed many animals and his family for 370 days. God provided him with the specifications because Noah knew God in his wicked generation. Noah was righteous because he built relationship with God. Are you building your ship according to the specs? Noah built the Ark in 3 levels. Are you building your spirit, soul, and body? In the midst of the storm, the Ark did not sink because there was no shaking inside. Remember that when your soul is troubled, it will affect your health. Jesus slept in the midst of the storm because there was no storm inside Him. He who commanded the storm to cease is the One who will cause your storms to cease.
Isaiah 11 speaks about the same as in Jeremiah 29:11:
Isaiah 11:1 MSG (Isaiah lived 700 years before Jesus)
Isaiah is declaring that during difficulties and challenging environments, there is going to be the possibility of new life
For every ending there is a new beginning
There are some of you who expected things to continue but suddenly stopped and ended because God is starting a new beginning in you. In the midst of trouble and shaking, John 16:33 stated, “. . . but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
There is always a limitation to what you and I think as a guarantee. You think everything will be alright. Pastor shared that he received a text from his brother 2-3 months ago. Brother had shortness of breath and issues with his lungs, heart, and his kidneys failed causing him to be on dialysis 5X/week. On top of that, his brother contracted COVID-19. Pastor Paul positioned himself for wonders and prayed to the One who can give him a hope and a future. Brother’s lungs and heart were healed and he no longer needed dialysis! God healed Him!
There is an invitation in the things you never thought were possible would happen.
God is omniscient and God is all-knowing, but God does not plan your Mondays. He planned the pathway.
When you go through an intersection or crossroad, you can take another route if you want to. You may be enticed to something that glitters. If you choose your way, not God’s way, you will miss the future He has for you.
Some of the things you get into, you get into by your own bad or good decisions, by making them based on your own lack of wisdom, because you choose your own pathways. Let us align our hearts with Him and choose the good way, wisdom, make good decisions.
This is the meat of the message: God’s plan for you is JESUS. He is the BRANCH.
Not just that you go to prestigious colleges, will work for a good company, doing certain businesses, have a good career – it is Jesus!
Your source of life is Jesus who came out of a dead stump.
Isaiah 11:1-3 MSG “A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse's stump, from his roots a budding Branch. The life-giving Spirit of GOD will hover over him, the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding, The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-GOD. Fear-of-GOD will be all his joy and delight. He won't judge by appearances, won't decide on the basis of hearsay.”
Understanding is the cognitive condition of someone who understands. Whatever knowledge you learned, sometimes you may not have the understanding yet, and when you attain that understanding, the individual next to you may have a different interpretation of that knowledge. Knowledge is the information you have learned, while wisdom is the ability to use that knowledge in a profound way. Wisdom is when you apply that knowledge. You can operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and one of them is the word of knowledge. So, knowledge is a part and wisdom is the whole. Wisdom goes beyond learning facts.
God’s plan for us is Jesus. He is the Branch and He is available for you and give you hope and a future. The question is: Do you know Him? Many profess as Christians.
John 8:32 AMPC “And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”
The Truth that sets you free is the Truth you know. The Truth is Jesus, a person. He will set you free if you know the Truth (Jesus).
Hosea 4:6a NKJV “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
It is very concerning. It is a strong warning, He speaks about “My people”
Hebrews 11:1 TLB “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.”
What is the difference between faith and hope? Any difference? In Corinthians, the Apostle Paul mentioned three things; faith, hope, and love, and the greatest is love. He differentiated between faith and hope. It is connected and closely related. Pastor Paul provided an illustration of when parents promised you something like going to the amusement park when you were young. You have faith that your parents will fulfill their promise because they are credible. You put your trust in them—you have faith. During that week, you have that hope that is based on the faith. If you want to have faith, you cannot separate yourself from the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, hearing the Word of Christ. When you heard the Word of Christ, it can beome rhema. Rhema causes the Word to come alive; it is the quickening Word. If you put your hope and trust in man, you are cursed and will be disappointed. Blessed is he who puts his trust in God.
Colossians 1:27 AMP “God [in His eternal plan] chose to make known to them how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in and among you, the hope and guarantee of [realizing the] glory.”
Proverbs 13:12, NKJV “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” The writer wrote about the tree of life that is connected to Genesis. The tree of life is Jesus.
God is speaking to you. His sheep knows His voice and knows Him by name. The congregation sang “Hallelujah” to host the presence of God, to break the wall of religion, and to build intimacy with Jesus. The life-giving Spirit of God is hovering over us. The Spirit who brings wisdom, understanding, direction, builds strength, instills knowledge and the fear of God. Step into the future by trusting and believing in Him because He is the only One who knows the plan He has for you. He is inviting you, get rid of the old belief systems. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Prayer Points:
Pray to receive the gift of a future and hope from God
Pray to focus on the promises of God in your life
Pray to break old belief systems, break traditions and religion
part of defeats
part of old issues
part of limitations
Pray to step into the future by believing and trusting in God
Pray to not allow your circumstances to keep you from going to the next level
Be aligned with God, especially during the shaking
Pray to make good choices
Pray to attain wisdom
God’s plan for you is Jesus
Pray to build an intimate relationship with Him
Pray to know Him
Pray to put your faith and hope in Christ
Faith comes by hearing the Word of God
Quickening Rhema Word
Pray to know Christ in and among you as the hope and guarantee of glory
Pray to worship Him, allowing Him to touch the deepest parts of you
Pray to have a new hunger and thirst so we are not destroyed for a lack of knowledge
Pray for healing and deliverance and freedom
Pray and spend time with God and not rush