The Bible 20/20 - Week 47: "The Power of Hope"

Our world is in desperate need of hope. Not some pie in the sky wishful thinking in order to cope in a hard world, but instead something solid and lasting that can offer real hope in the midst of life’s difficulties. As we discuss in today’s sermon, Jesus is the only source of true lasting hope. We can discover this hope as we trust in the promise of heaven, believe in the glorious work Jesus is doing in us, and cooperate with Him to live a fruitful life sharing this hope with a world in need. Discussion Questions: 1. What does the phrase “hope deferred makes the heart sick” mean to you? Have you experienced this before? How can we “wait on the Lord” in order to have our hope renewed? 2. Why does the promise of heaven provide us with hope now? Have you ever struggled with heaven’s hope being real to you? When the Bible describes Christians as citizens of heaven, how does that affect us while we are still living on this earth? How does heaven offer us a proper view of the difficulties of this life? 3. “Christ in me the hope of Glory” is the main theme of Paul’s message to the Colossians. How does this concept give me hope in my life today? What is Jesus trying to accomplish in my life through his presence that should fill me with hope? How can this help me in the middle of even the most difficult circumstances? How can we experience and grow in this area of our Christian walk? (see: John 15:7-15) 4. Much of our life is filled with the pursuit of things that don’t last - how can we find hope by investing our time in something that will be fruitful? (Remember what’s eternal: people) In light of this, how can we better structure the pursuits in our life to invest in sharing hope with other people? What changes might you need to make in your life now?