New Hope Church

FAITH… BELIEVES! He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him,…

TO LOVE GOD IS TO OBEY GOD— TO OBEY GOD IS TO LOVE GOD! So be very careful to love the Lord your God. —Joshua 23:11 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel. —Joshua 24:31             The two great commands are to love God, which is the greatest command, and the second is to love people (Matthew 22:37-40).  All of God’s Word is summed up in these two commands.  Everything in God’s Word points to these two commands.  We are even to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).  “But to…

PROMISE KEEPER Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. —Joshua 21:45             Be assure that “all the Lord’s good promises” that He has promised us will be fulfilled.  Just as He was faithful to Israel in keeping His Word to them, so also He will be faithful in keeping His Word to us.  We can count on that!             We live in a time where there are many whose word cannot be trusted.  Be wise in whose word you trust, but first trust the Word of our Lord and filter everything through what He has to say.  He is the only One we…

FORGIVEN! “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” —Luke 5:20             I read the etymology of the word forgive which is “to give up desire or power to punish.   It is to pardon an offense.”  When Jesus said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” He was saying that the paralytic would not be punished.  Instead He was pardoned for his offenses, for his sins.             Brother and sister in our Lord Jesus Christ, what joy should fill our hearts in knowing Jesus has forgiven our sins and has pardoned us.  There would be no hope for us if He did not do so.  This is what Passover/Easter is all about—  “If we confess…

PRAY! But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. —Luke 5:16 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” —Luke 11:1 Jesus modeled prayer for us (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4; John 17). That God would work in and through us in such a way that He would glorified. That we desire that others receive eternal life— that they would know our Father and His Son That we would finish the work He has given us and bring glory to His Name That we have a desire to…

FOLLOW OUR LORD WHOLEHEARTEDLY!  I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. —Joshua 14:8 Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. —Joshua 14:10-11             Now here is the example of a faithful servant of our Lord.  Caleb is a wonderful example of loving obedience.  “I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly” and our Lord blessed Him with as…

LOVE OBEYS OUR LORD IN ACTION, NOT JUST WORDS Just as the LORD had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses. —Joshua 11:15             I can say I love my Lord, but those words may only be just words unless there are actions that live out those words.  It is just like I can say I have faith, but if there are no actions to back up what I say then they are just words vainly spoken (James 2:14-26).  Words, speeches whether written or spoken are only just words, speeches at a point…

REPENTANCE BRINGS GOOD FRUIT Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”  “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.  John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”  Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what…

SIN HAS CONSEQUENCES! The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in…

SAFE AND SECURE! The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. —Deuteronomy 34:27             Truly, if God is our dwelling place then we have an eternal dwelling place because He is eternal.  All other dwellings are temporary.  The homes we live in are only temporary.  Even our bodies are only temporary dwelling places— “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (Deuteronomy 34:27).  Yes, we have an eternal dwelling place!             We can take great comfort now in knowing that for those who know…