Hebrews 6:19 - We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
Merriam-Webster defines hope as to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true.
The NIV Bible speaks of hope 174 times, 94 times in the Old Testament and 80 times in the New Testament.
We talked about hope tonight and went around the room asking each of the youth to complete the sentence, "I hope __________________________."
Next, we talked about some examples of people in the Bible and what they hoped for.
- Abraham and Sarah hoped for a child of their own.
- Esther hoped that the King would see her and hear her when she approached him. And that he would stop Naaman's evil plan to destroy all of the Jews.
- Daniel hoped that God would be glorified and rescue him while in the lions' den.
- Joseph and Mary hoped they would find a place to stay for the night.
- Martha hoped Jesus would tell her sister Mary to help her with the cooking and preparing for dinner.
- The woman who had been bleeding for twelve years hoped that she would be healed simply by touching Jesus' robes.
We could have gone on with examples of hope from the Bible all night! But they got the picture!
Next, we showed the kids a clip from The Lorax. The clip is where the Once-ler gives Ted the last remaining truffula tree seed as the only hope of bringing back the extinct trees to Thneed-Ville. Then we watched a few clips later where Ted tries to convince the people of Thneed-Ville to plant the seed in the center of town as their last hope for going back to the way life was before bottled air and artificial trees.
We talked then about our hope as Christians. We have hope in every promise found in Scripture....that God is a promise-keeper. Our ultimate hope is in our eternal security and salvation because of what Jesus did on the cross for us when He took our sins upon Himself and died and then was raised back to life three days later.
Psalm 39:7 - "And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you."
There is no greater hope! The kids made their own anchors tonight from cardboard and aluminum foil to remind them of this hope that is an anchor for their souls, firm and secure.
We ended with the music video "In Christ Alone" by Philips, Craig, and Dean.
We ended with the music video "In Christ Alone" by Philips, Craig, and Dean.
