A Living Hope and Sitting Among Friends #64

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 20:33:00 +0000

A Living Hope

I am so excited to be sharing this new seven-week study with you. This winter has been a bit tough for me. I have been sick and down and out on several occasions. Even today as I write this, it is gloomy and I am getting over yet another bout of whatever is going around.

Times like these can get us down. They can leave us feeling like there is no hope for anything better and wondering when the promise of a tomorrow will come.

Maybe for you, it is not an illness or gloomy weather, maybe it is a loss. Loss of a job, health, finances, a prodigal child. Whatever it is that leaves you feeling bleak and grabbing for any piece of encouragement, I am glad you are here. I am ready to have a new focus — a focus on The Living Hope of Jesus.

Hope for Newness

What I love about this time of year is the hope for newness, growth, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

For the next seven-weeks we are going to thrive on the promise of a new day and new mercies, a new birth, a new hope, a new covenant, a new heart, and a newness that only comes from the hope we can have in the Lord Jesus through His death on the cross and resurrection. All of this bringing us into a new life with Him. Hallelujah!

This study was born out of this verse in 1 Peter 1:3 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. (NIV)

Great Hope

Take a moment to read all the hope we are given through Christ in this single verse. Sketch those words down on a piece of paper and carry them with you until they become your heart. When you begin to feel life do an overhaul on you, bring this out.

What great mercy we are given. We are given a new birth. We have a living hope. The best part is it all stands on the firm foundation of a living God!

We can begin by giving God the praise for who He is and who He has made us through Him. He is the Father of our Lord. Our giver of life.

For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. Colossians 1:27 (NLT)

And in Him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, having heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Ephesians 1:3 (BSB)

Sealed with a Promise

If you are a believer in Christ, if you have submitted your life to Him, the Holy Spirit comes and make His dwelling in you. You are sealed with the promises of God, on that very day! You are given an eternal inheritance as co-heir to Christ! Pretty Amazing!

1 Peter also says we were given mercy from God. Mercy means that we do not get what we deserve. Simply put because of our rebellion, we deserve death. God, however, is merciful and in exchange for the death we deserve, He gives us the opportunity for life. Life in Him.

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John 3, Nicodemus wanted to know what it would take to get into the Kingdom of God? Jesus told him he had to be born again (John 3:16). Not physically, but in the spirit.

This means that you have a new birth (1 Peter 1:3). Before this, you were dead in your sins (Ephesians 2:1). For dead people to have life, it needs to be given to them and this was given through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Here is the amazing news. Your new life doesn’t just begin when you physically die. Remember in Ephesians 1 it says on the day of trusting Christ as Savior, you were sealed.

Further, in Colossians, it says God wanted you to know you can have assurance when Christ comes to live in you, you are given the riches of His glory. You become His child (1 John 5:1) and He will care for you as such.

We Become Alive In Christ

The most glorious part of this, I believe, 1 Peter tells us we have a living hope. Meaning here, now, and for eternity. Once we become alive in Christ, we have a living hope that we can only receive from Him.

Our life is given a new identity. We become alive in Christ.

You may be asking yourself, how we can have assurance? How do I know that this is set on a firm foundation?

We can have A Living Hope because Christ lives. Christ not only died on the cross for our sins, He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:4)

Believing Christ’s death on the cross is the most important part of the story leaves out the most exciting part of the story. On the cross, He provided the opportunity for us to be forgiven by taking on himself the sins of the world.

But friends it was critical that He rose from the dead because in that we can have new life. We do not have a God that is made by human hands or a God that his dead. He is a living and active God who conquered death.

Because He is alive, I too can live!

That is Awesome news!

Life at times seems bleak and a bit hopeless, but we have to look at all of the facts with the perspective of who Christ is and who I am in Him! For that, I can only say, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Please continue to join me for this series on A Living Hope in Christ Jesus.

Before you go, please leave in the comments below your favorite verse that keeps you excited about who you are in Christ.

Personal Reflections:

Have you been personally sealed with the Holy Spirit? If so, what evidence are you seeing in your life that would point to the day you became alive?
What can you do during the next 7 weeks to thrive on the promises of God and the present and future that He has for you? (List actual steps or goals)

If you have any questions for me feel free to email me at youresewtrendy@gmail.com. I would love to continue this conversation or you can read more here, and hear what you think or answer any questions you may have.

Dig Deeper Visit Each Post in this Series

A Living Hope – a 7-week study

1.Hope in the Cross

2. A New Heart

3. A New Hope

4. A New Covenant

5. A New Day New Mercies

6. A New Life

7. New Growth

This week’s featured friend is June Caedmon from inspiredbyjune.com. June is an author and blogger. She writes in her romantic fiction novels to glorify God and has a new book out called No Tomorrow. Stop by June site today and also see how she captures life through a lens. Thanks for joining us, June. I am so glad you are here!

Linkup with Sitting Among Friends Blog Party

Blog Parties are such a great place to meet people and build connections around the web. This is one reason, I love this party. Make sure to visit another friend in the linkup!

I would love to sit down face-to-face with you but since we can’t do that I love to meet you here. I love to hear your stories and see your work.

This is a Christian based website and so is the material that I promote here. Please remember that when linking up. I do reserve the right to remove posts.

*Please take the time to visit other blogs to comment and share*

I would appreciate you linking back to Seeking God or #SittingAmongFriends somewhere on your page.

Tag Me with Twitter Shares and I will RT them.

I will be featuring a friend during the week on my FB page!

Join us at our Sitting Among Friends Pinterest Board by following my profile and then requesting an invite.

An InLinkz Link-up

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The Power of a Living God

Jaime Wiebel — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 17:32:00 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48600082269@N01/2819155661/#DiscussPhoto

I love the story of the cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and I am honored to be sharing some of it with you today and we can reflect on Easter weekend.

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary
Magdalene, came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from
the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and other disciple, the one whom
Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we
don’t know where they put Him.” John 20:1-2

Ever been to a grave yard? Can you picture this scene?

Mary going to the tomb and sees that the stone is rolled
away and she thinks He is taken. Who would take the body? Why would she even
think this?

It was thought at the time that Jesus body would be taken so
they could disprove Christianity and all Jesus had said during His ministry.

It’s funny how 2000 years later those same thoughts and
actions are trying to disprove a living God.

I found the caption under this picture of the garden tomb to
be quite amusing. It said “It was empty. We went inside and checked.”

Why had Mary found the tomb to be empty? It was not that His
body was taken. John continues on telling us that He and Peter went to the tomb
and found His linens lying neatly wrapped and laying where His body was.

In a James MacDonald sermon I recently heard, He asked a
funny question. He said, “If His body was taken, would the robbers have taken
the time to neatly fold up the linens that were covering His body and lay them
down and then escape with His body?” Also, Jesus’
tomb was also guarded by Roman soldiers.

Jesus had not been taken; He was raised on the third day,
just as He had told them on several occasions.

How do we know this is true and can His resurrection have
anything to do with me?

First, Jesus stood with Mary in the garden and comforts her
in her distress as she was standing outside the tomb crying. He talks to her gently and says, “Mary, why
are you crying? Who are you looking for?” She cries on in her distress, and He
simply calls her by name, and she recognizes Him.

Do you need comforted in your situation right now?

Next, He appears in the midst of the disciples, as they were
hiding out in a locked room. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders who had
Jesus crucified. Jesus’ first words to them were, “Peace be with you.” This was
not just a generic overused saying. Jesus wanted them to have Peace in the
midst of their fears. He was standing
among them so they would know that only He would be able to give it to them.

Do you need a little Peace in the midst of your fears?

Next, Jesus appeared to Thomas, who doubted Jesus was real.
Jesus understood Thomas’s doubt. He didn’t rebuke Thomas. He reached out to
Thomas, showed him His wound, and allowed Thomas to touch His hands so his
doubts could be answered. Then He said to Thomas, “Believe.” And he did.

Do you have doubts?

Jesus continued to walk and talk with people for 40 days
after He was raised from the dead.

Witness after witness can attest to a living God.

Do you have doubts? Do you have fears? Do you need comforted
in the midst of your situation?

God doesn’t guarantee
a life free of problems. With Him, He offers us hope and peace in the midst of
our problems. Don’t wait until you are free of lives problems to come to
Christ. Come as you are. There is awesome power in the Resurrection of Christ. He is waiting for you right now to answer His call and
bring your life to Him.

Christ conquered death! Christ conquered the grave! Do you believe He can conquer whatever you are facing right now?

I will be praying for you this week to turn your life over
to Christ.

He said it to Thomas 2000
years ago and He says it to you today, BELIEVE!

I have changed the comments section to hopefully make it easier
to share. Please take a few moments to share how the power of Christ is working
in your life today.

You can also share your doubts, your fears, or areas that
you need comfort so we can pray with you.

May God Bless you and bring you to a new place this week.

If you want to know how to make a change in you life go to Who Loves A Good Rescue Story, Part 2?

To further read the details of this story read John 20 and
21

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