In times of challenge and uncertainty, hope serves as an unyielding beacon. This episode of the International Gospel Hour invites you to explore profound biblical symbols, such as a lamp, a door, a helmet, and an anchor, each representing different facets of hope. As speaker Jeff Archie presents these images from the Bible’s spiritual art gallery, listeners are encouraged to reflect on their personal journey of faith. From understanding hope as a guiding light to embracing it as a steadfast anchor, this transformative discussion sheds light on maintaining faith amidst the storms of life.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine what a portrait of hope would say. We are heading through a spiritual art gallery of hope today. That’s from the International Gospel Hour. Please stay with us.
SPEAKER 02 :
Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. We’re so glad you’ve decided to listen to our program today. In a world of challenges, we need God’s Word to help us face those challenges. Thank you for joining us in this period of Bible study with our speaker, Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour, a broadcast of the Churches of Christ. So let’s listen today. Here’s Jeff.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, thank you once again to our J-Web for his kind words. And greetings and hello, everyone. It is great having you with us today on our broadcast from the International Gospel Hour. Got a couple of things I want to mention before we get started. First of all, please know about our social media options. From time to time you hear us mention how you can follow us on Facebook. Just go to International Gospel Hour and you can follow us there. If you are into Instagram, go to International Gospel Hour. You can follow us on Instagram. And on X, formerly known as Twitter, you can follow us at H-O-U-R underscore gospel. That’s our underscore gospel. And we would love for you to follow us on social media. You can keep up with all the things that we do. Hey, I’ve got something special for you as well. Our friends from Apologetics Press have shared with us a number of books that we are giving away. And this week we’re going to offer through our broadcast here a book called Reasons to Believe by Eric Lyons and Kyle Butt. It is an awesome little book. And it’s absolutely free. And all you have to do is this. Call us toll free at 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say, Reasons to Believe. That’s all. And we’ll send it to you right away. It’s free. We’re not going to ask for your money. We’re not going to ask for a love offering, a gift of your choice. We don’t do that, friends. We do not ask for money from our broadcast here at International Gospel Hour. Now, you can also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, your name and address, and type in the message box, Reasons to Believe. That’s all you have to do, and we’ll send that book to you absolutely free. And friends, we’re glad to do that. And here’s one more item of interest, our website info that I just mentioned. Here is our J-Web with those details, and I’ll be right back.
SPEAKER 02 :
And ask for our free Bible study by mail and so much more. That’s our website at internationalgospelhour.com. Now, let’s return to our study.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, my friends, we have gotten underway with how you can follow us on social media, the free Apologetic Express book giveaway, Reasons to Believe, as well as information about our website. So we’re thankful to share all of this with you. We appreciate you listening. We hope that these tools, rather, will be of help to you. Coming up shortly, our J-Web will tell you about our online Bible study that’s available. But you know, for now… While perusing through a number of sermon outlines, and I regret I cannot give credit where due because the name was not listed, but I thought the following was most worthy to share on our broadcast. You know, the Bible provides us some beautiful portraits of hope. And I’d like for you to look at these portraits with me as we walk through the spiritual art gallery of hope. How about our first portrait where hope is a light to help us see through the darkness? In 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 through 4, it tells us of the reign of Abijam. And as wicked as it was, verse 4 says, Nevertheless, for David’s sake, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem. God kept hope burning, if you will. Thinking further, the lamp of the tabernacle was never supposed to go out, according to Exodus 27, verses 20 and 21, and Leviticus 24, verses 2 through 4. Light, well, that was a symbol of God’s presence. And God’s word is a lamp to us. Psalm 119, 105. In 2 Peter 1, 19-21, we have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto you do well that you would take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but the holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. So, friends, at this portrait of hope we see hope as a light. That it will help us see through the darkness. Can I take you to the next portrait? Hope is a door. A way out of despair. That promise of hope to Israel through Hosea. In Hosea 2 and verse 15. And you know God promises to his children a way out of temptation. In 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. but with the temptation that will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. You see, hope is a door, a way out of despair. We can see that door open and we can see that promise of hope. But you know, there will come one day when the door will be shut. No further hope will be offered, as the parable of the ten virgins teach in Matthew 25 and verse 10. But today, friends, there is hope. That door is open. What a beautiful portrait. Can I move us to the next one? Hope is a helmet. You see that helmet that a Roman soldier would wear? To shield us from the harsh blows of life. Hope is that helmet. And we see this portrait. It reminds us. of the helmet, the hope of salvation, 1 Thessalonians 5.8. We go back to 1 Samuel 17 and verse 5 and verse 38, where a helmet is designed to protect, for instance, a soldier’s head in battle. And friends, we have the gospel message as a helmet of salvation to ward off the attacks of Satan, Ephesians 6, 10-17. Again, it protects one’s head, one’s thinking, and one is constantly thinking hope. And when we see this beautiful portrait of a helmet, which reminds us that hope will help shield us and what God provides for us through salvation and the hope that is in Christ. Oh, I love to see the next portrait. Hope is an anchor. I see it dropped and sustaining, that ship, and how the storms of life are raging, but underneath the still water I see that anchor holding tight. And I look at the bottom and see the Hebrew writer in Hebrews 6, 18 and 19 that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast and which enters the presence behind the veil. Friend, ask the seaman if he throws his anchor overboard, if it will hold. Does he say, I hope so? No, friends. He looks at the great iron claws of it and he answers that he is sure it will hold, just like we see those in Acts 27, 29 and 30. The anchor has never let the seaman down. It braces the ship against storms, wind and raging waters. You know, in Greek and Roman culture, the anchor was a symbol of hope. And what an anchor is to a ship, hope is to the soul. Colossians 1 verse 23. Amidst the storms of life, hope is our staying power. It was Socrates who said, “…to ground hope on a false assumption is like trusting in a weak anchor.” Well, as noted, by two immutable things, God’s word and the confirmation of that word, we have strong consolation, hope in Christ. Hebrews 6, 13 and 17. And friends, faith must always be strengthened and maintained, because to lose one’s faith would be to lose hope. In Hebrews 3 and verse 12, Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. Yes, friends, a person can fall from God. A person can turn and go back into the world and live an ungodly life. And we’re taught to beware. And Hebrews 4 and verse 12, For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And it’s through the word of God we see that hope. And so, friends, as I step back where I can look at all the portraits left to right, I see portraits of hope, a light, a door, a helmet, and an anchor. A wonderful look at these portraits, carefully drawn by the Word of God, the Master’s hand, of which we learn hope. Friend, I mentioned earlier about our special online study of the Bible. Here is our J-Web with those details. Well, friends, I hope that you enjoyed that spiritual art gallery today as we looked at the beautiful portraits of hope. I would love to give credit where credit is due from that sermon outline. I have a number of files of outlines and love to share them with you here and thankful for the study of the Word of God and to look at these and to dig even deeper. Friend, we want to help you with your hope in Jesus Christ. Hope in Christ has no doubt, and we can know where we stand within our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why we offer to you the tools that we have to study, the Reasons to Believe book that’s free from this broadcast today, 855-444-6988. If you got to us a little late, leave your name and address and just say, Reasons to Believe, and we’ll send it to you. I’m delighted to study with you. We’ll do it again at another time, but for now, thank you for joining me today here on the International Gospel Hour radio broadcast. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, as always, keep listening.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for listening today. May this study prompt your search of God’s Word for His will in your life. To assist you in your study or to listen to our other programs, please visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com. To God be the glory.
