First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.
Genesis 1:1-2 The Message (MSG)
God spoke: “Light!” And light appeared. God saw that light was good and separated light from dark. God named the light Day, he named the dark Night. It was evening, it was morning— Day One.
Genesis 1:3-5 (MSG)
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
Psalm 130 NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom
for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.
He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4:18-21 (NIV)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)
The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine.
You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest
and like warriors dividing the plunder.
For you will break the yoke of their slavery
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. The boots of the warrior
and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
They will be fuel for the fire.
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice
from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the
Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!
Isaiah 9:2-7 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT)
Hope is associated with an anticipation of
something or an aspiration toward something,
but a distinction needs to be made. Cultural hope is merely an optimistic desire that something will be fulfilled.
This hope is not a guaranteed hope because it is subject to changeable people and changeable circumstances.
Christian hope, on the other hand,
is an optimistic assurance that
something will be fulfilled. This hope is a
guaranteed hope because it is anchored in Jesus Christ,
the unchanging Son of God, and every unchanging promise found in His Word. Cultural hope leaves us adrift on the seas of life, tossed about by waves of circumstance. Christian hope serves as the anchor for our souls, holding us steady in uncertain times.
Cultural Hope vs. Christian Hope:
Which One is Guaranteed Hope? -June Hunt
Cultural Hope
is hoping to get what we want
Christian Hope
is the assurance that Jesus will give us what we need to deal with what we’re given