Make Yourself at Home Part 2

This Preaching in Shorts sermon series is about learning to abide in Christ, to make ourselves at home in Him.

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John 15:7-9 (MSG)
7 But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. 8 This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. 9 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love.

Last week we talked about the importance of being rooted into Christ, abiding in Him, so that we might produce fruit. We need to have strong roots to produce good spiritual fruit. We talked about the root of thankfulness and introduced the ministry of encouragement. Today we are going to talk about the root of hope.

Let’s make sure we all are working from the same definition of what hope is. Often times people confuse hope with positive thinking, or wishful thinking, or optimism. It is none of those things.

What is the difference between those things and hope? Hope is more than positive or wishful thinking, or optimism because hope is a passionate trusting. Hope is theological, based on the reality of God and His relationship with you.

Discouragement comes from putting our passionate trust in something other that the Lord. Put your hope in money, or in the government or even in other people you are going to be disappointed and discouraged. There is only one source of real hope, and that is found in relationship with the Lord.

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

We are going to be looking at the first chapter of 1 Peter today as we talk about the root of hope.

All of these are about “ME” but this inward look will allow us to have an outward focus. I don’t have to be preoccupied with ME because God is.

1. God chose me

1 Peter 1:2 (NIV)
2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

God chose me before I chose Him. Your relationship with God is not an accident, He chose you for relationship with Him. He created you to love you and be in relationship with Him. He wants you in His forever family.

Why is this important? Because there is something good about being chosen. Remember being picked for teams? It was good to be chosen, it made you feel good about yourself. If you weren’t chosen, it had the opposite effect. Let me say to anyone today who used to get picked last, God picks you today, and He is so pleased that you are on His team.

2. God is great in mercy to me

1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

God gives me His mercy and His grace. His love for me is not based on my performance, it is based on His mercy and grace to me.

It gives me hope to know that even when I mess up, God is still going to be merciful to me.

3. God promises me an inheritance

1 Peter 1:4 (NIV)
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you,

This gives me hope because I know that no matter what happens, or how hard things get, God has me in His hands and He always will. I will be with Him forever.

4. God is watching over me

1 Peter 1:5 (NIV)
5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

God is with me and God is for me. I do not need to be afraid. I do not need to worry. I can rest in Him and find peace for my soul because He is watching over me.

5. God is working in me

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

God is working in me and He is able to use everything that happens to prepare me for eternal life with Him.

God is preparing our hearts for heaven, He is shaping our character, He is changing us and desires us to grow in Him and produce spiritual fruit.

When things are really hard we often cry out and ask God to change the circumstances, and sometimes He does, but often He changes us instead. It is in these times that he is at work in us and preparing us for life with Him forever.

Related posts:

1. Make Yourself at Home Part 4
2. Make Yourself at Home Part 3
3. Make Yourself at Home Part 5
4. Make Yourself at Home Part 1
5. The Ministry of Encouragement Part 9

Tags: encourage, encouragement, hope, Jesus, Jesus moment, Preaching in Shorts

Category: Preaching in Shorts