A Hope and a Future [Part 2]

Pastoral author and Bible teacher Alan Wright if your soul ever feels like saying the Lord does nowhere you come to Jeremiah 2911. I know my file storage. You can trust and that faster welcome to another message of good view that will help you see your life in old I'm being awarded excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series remain as presented with an old church in North Carolina that I will stay with us throughout the entire program today. Mr. will make sure you know how to get our special resource right now you can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright so as you listen to the page message go deeper as we send you today's special contact as a Pastor Alan.org that's Pastor Alan.who are G or call 877-5448 60 really be more on all this later in the program but right now let's dig in and get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright.

It was a fresh site to me about the image of old Jacob and his deathbed crossing his arms and placing a stronger hand of blessing on the younger son, how all of this explained so much about blessing and how it prefigured the cross of Jesus Christ. Wherein God took his hand and extended it to the younger you and me and it has become one of the most beloved stories in the Bible to me and the substance and fabric of my most recent book, but this was many years ago where it was a very fresh revelation to me and we were doing our sunrise service at St. Peter's world outreach Center who is a sister church to us in many ways and so when we were doing the sunrise service we would rotate where we were doing hosted here and there's a and if it's hosted there. Then I would preach and so I I had this fresh joy about this revelation, I thought I preached you from an Manasseh story and so I did and which love being with them your congregation primarily Caucasian. Their congregation primarily African-American and would love being together and so I I get to preach. Will that even Manasseh story is is a story and it leads to this you know revelation of the crossing of arms, what is that mean and everything so you gotta get there you get there so I'm preaching and I just going along and tell a bit about Jacob tell a bit about the deathbed moment, letting this thing build well. Our music director of the time was minute David Smith David is just fine. Here's the barrel of fun. Additionally very gifted and so he bent over there doing music with a St. Peter's man and he was sitting out there on the second the second row and there were two ladies to St. Peter's legs in front of them who were like old matriarchs in the church clearly and Dave told me later that in the middle of my sermon while I'm start I'm trying to weave this story but I haven't made any points you know that one lady leans over to the other. David, here's some say he does know where he's going with this.make about about that would be used to matriarchs in St. Peter probably have known and loved Jesus longer allowed to live. You know in their life. This is rambling and will be a punchline at the end of this if your soul ever feels like saying of the Lord. He does nowhere is going with this. Doesn't come to Jeremiah 2911. I know my file storage.

You can trust their plans for welfare.

The Hebrew word here.

You know what it is shalom shalom sat with me.

Shalom it is most commonly translated piece but it means so much more than peace.

I realize how much more shalom means that it's merely the absence of conflict when some many years ago I heard the preacher of my youth preach a sermon on the piece of the war and many years later, I preached something similar myself because I saw him point out that when David called Uriah the Hittite up from the battle. He asked Uriah about how the war was going, but the phrase he uses. Tell me, how is the shalom of the war. How's the piece of the war because shalom means total well-being prospering, spirit, soul and body.

Life I know the plans. That is my thoughts that I have towards you. I myself know them and their plans for shalom and not for evil.

This is contrasted with the good word that we read about and verse 10. There's a contrast here.

I do not have thoughts towards you of evil. It is almost so fundamental that you would think we didn't need to say it but I'm surprised sometimes that even Christians can become confused about good and bad and we can sometimes attribute the bad to God and the good to the devil and get it all mixed up and y'all it's not that complicated. There is good and there is bad there is that which is holy and that which is unholy and God is good all the time all the time God is good. He doesn't ever have a bad thought.

I still chuckle figure back here in the Pentecostal evangelist many years ago who was sort of reaching satirically about how we can get so complicated in our thinking about you know what's good and what's God doing and how is a sovereign over this and yet this new and I die I got this thing so far it goes away started. He said God good devil bad and just kept going like this like 20 minutes joy it depression that health good sickness, bad. It just kept going through this, like this is so funny because like why would we have to ever talk like it's not that complicated. A few weeks ago we had in Forsyth County 1300 new cases of the omicron variant of the virus in one day. 1300 new virus cases that this past week. One day there were 13 new cases 13. Not many good, not that complicated.

I know the thoughts that I have towards you and you are for shalom total well-being, prospering, spirit, soul and body. I know I got it all worked out. You don't see it maybe yet, but my thoughts are for shalom not for evil and conspire for evil and inflict wickedness, not in him doesn't have that kind of thought. I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, for shalom not for evil to give you a future. I love this word again because it means in the in these plans that God has our free. He wants our repentance and he wants us to hunger for him, just along for him. He wants us to let go of our sin, but never forget this beloved of the Lord is good intentions towards you are 100% free in Jesus Christ and to give you a future right will have more teaching moment from today's important series.

Many Christians in America today. You're starting a nation's culture has turned away from God values in our country have changed. Suddenly, most people don't go to church or had a difficult one to make you feel like an alien in your own culture. There's a lot to learn from when he was exiled to through our special offer. This night you can learn to live under the favor of God in Aryan culture the way Daniel gave before the end in mind senior Pastor Alan's idea series favored for you may feel like a stranger in this world that is God shared favor to Daniel and his four man race is a timeless brown nation will not only help through these troubling times. It will also help someone else. Thanks for your partnership with our night ministry.

We missed us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.like today's teaching now continues your once again is okay now I really want to get excited about some Hebrew words because this word future is high rates how to eat and it it means more literally the latter part or the end or the close. The ending of something he says I know the plans to give you a good intake like my my wife to get one question if some I says hey your wife such a such movies as this is in good everything the way you notate tell you that my message I want.

In addition to this is like I'm not will sit there and go through the blood sweat and tears and then have a thing in bad it it it.

The Lord says I know the end of this there's a good end to your story. That's how you keep going. I know the give you the ending right away. I suppose for the same reason the author doesn't start on page 1 and tell you the ending of the story, why read the story you're living it, and a whole word is Tikva Tikva you say that great were with me take the I know that in the Tika this word for hope. Literally means court by with the Hebrew word for hope be the word for court to cause an important word in Israel because the national anthem Israel is called hottie the hope it's really one long sentence poetic sentence that reads all while within a Jewish heart beats true a Jewish soul and Jewish glances. Turning east to Zion fondly dart over then our hope. It is not that our ancient hope and true to be a nation free forever more.

Zion and Jerusalem at our core, that hope that's the Tikva and the word cheek. The gains a sense not just hoping, but waiting so hoping and waiting are united in Hebrew fault, so that this route of Tikva is what is used famously and Isaiah 4031 those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. Those who hope in the Lord. Those who wait, hoping and waiting, hoping and waiting are essentially the same thing.

If you lose hope you quit waiting on something and if you do have hope. Then you just keep waiting on. I little girl that's excited about Christmas because you think she's getting a pony she keeps waiting expectantly for Christmas so the waiting is the hoping on the hoping is the waiting Tikva.

It is the word court and it is inseparable from the highlight so the positive ending to the story is integrally related to the Tikva. In other words, you can't have Tikva unless you have confidence in the heart rate you Have hope. Unless you have confidence that God has a good intake that he already knows. So what does it mean court literally means strands of woven material that come together in a flexible rope is because there's only one place in the in the Old Testament that I know of that Tikva is actually used in its literal sense and it is in the story of the taking of Jericho. You remember the story that Joshua comes leaves the people they march around these huge walls that archaeologists have discovered fragments of those massive walls that racks to come down under the shout of people of God, but in the midst of this story is this intriguing narrative about a prostitute whose name is Rahab and she is somehow woven into the story as maybe she has an in any way these men that are Hebrew spies stay at the rooftop of Rahab's and the king of Jericho gets some kind of word that perhaps Rahab is harboring spies so he goes and and says I demand you bring them out and she lies to the king, and she says will they they were here but they left right before dusk when the gate closed and so they haven't been gone long. If you pursue them. You'll be on find so the King's men leave and go in pursuit when the two spies are up on the on the rooftop and so this is what happens that afterwards when she saved them in Joshua chapter 2 verse 12 she she says to them now, please. Swear to me by the Lord, that is, I have dealt kindly with you. You also will do kind deal kindly with my father's house and give me a sure sign that you will save alive. My father, mother, my brothers and sisters who belong to them and over deliver our lives. She was saying. I I believe though I'm a sinner and a pagan land. I believe that you you worship the true living Lord and we heard of him that we part of the Red Sea and I believe you're going to take over this land in your take over our city and when you do want you to save me and my family. I want to give me a sign of that. So verse 14 they say if you do not tell this business of ours. Spies say this, and when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you and so she let them down by a rope through the window for houses built into the city wall and verse 18.

They say to her. The hold when we come into the land, you shall tie the scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down shall gather and your house, your father and your mother, your brothers and all your father's household saying here's what's going to happen you want to sign here's the sign take this Crimson Tika take this red cord and hang it down from the same window by which you Lord is down by row and when we come in the midst of the destruction and conquering of Jericho will come find you and if you have your mother, your brothers, your household. Anybody who's here under the sign of this red Tikva, we will say and she said verse 21, according to your word, so be it.

And so it came on the day.

Verse 20 the people shouted the trumpets are blown. As soon as before, the sound of the trumpet of the people shouted a great shout in the wall fell down so people went up into the city. Every man straight before they captured the city devoted all those in the city to destruction of the edge of the sword.

This was a house. This was war. This was crumbling like an earthquake of massive walls and suddenly city is overtaken with Israeli soldiers and their swords drawn and taking it over, and this chaos of Boston fire and but verse 22. The two men who divide out the land to them. Joshua said go to the prostitute's house and bring out from there.

The woman, and all who belong to her. As usual, so they went and they look for the red teak because it was a covenant in the middle of conquering Jericho. The general found the spies in the middle of the chaos said keep the covenant go look for the red cord and get her household and bring them out to safety. So while the land was trembling and walls were falling and blood was shedding Rahab and her family kept looking at a cord dangling from a window and saying to one another. Wait here.

Do not run away from here. They are coming in late. That's what Tikva means hope or waiting. I myself in a way that nobody else can know the Lord says I know my plans.

My thoughts for shalom not for evil to give you wonderful ending to the story and a Tika of red blood streaming down from the Savior's brow and hands inside and feet that red blood running down the cross that your Tika is your red cord that your hope that you can count on it.

So we had scallops wrapped in bacon had the ribeye steak and favorite desserts and laughter, tears, and I went home and started looking through a book of blessing and I just looked at my beloved I said you been planning this a long time.

She said yes. I is possible is a wonderful plan God has in store.

He just had scenic Mexico Alan Wright. Today's teaching hope and the future is from our series remade and Pastor Alan is back with us in the studio, sharing his parting good news thought for the day. In just a moment.

Many Christians in America today. You're starting a nation's culture has turned away from God values in our country have changed. Suddenly, most people don't go to church or had a difficult one to make you feel like an alien in your own culture.

There's a lot to learn from Danielle when he was exiled to the pagan land through our special office not you can learn to live under the favor of God in Aryan culture the way Daniel gave before the end of the month, senior Pastor Alan Zaidi, a series Danielle favored for you may feel like a stranger in this world that is not shared favor to Daniel and his four man race is a timeless brown nation will not only help you through these troubling times. It will also help someone else links for your partnership with night ministry. We missed us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.org Becker this to you as your Pastor Alan sporting good news thought for the day.

In the first piece of good news is best realm. We can all relate to you. We've had that thought maybe we want to slip into a Y well not matter today. Not even remember in an old house surprised and we will be when really what we get home and know the whole story of all the things the Lord had planned for us or hope in our future hope it really means the, the latter in its it means a good ending. You got a good ending to your story, God knows that we meant we don't know what is stress what were still in suspense. The close of it all is going to be really good and hope Tika like a red Crimson cord that identified Rahab for the Hebrew Spies is hanging over your life. Hope because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. You've got future of good ending home promises of God for you future and hope. Thanks for listening today.

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