Hope

Call to Worship

Good morning. We're going to get started with our church service this morning. Welcome to First Baptist Church of Aria online and in our sanctuary. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and you're enjoying a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. We're going to continue to give thanks today.

I'm going to read a little bit from John 1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

— John 1:1-5 (CSB)

And verse 14:

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

— John 1:14 (CSB)

Opening Worship

Of the Father's Love Begotten

Of the Father's love begotten, Ere the worlds began to be, He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending He, Of the things that are, that have been, And that future years shall see, Evermore and evermore!

Oh, ye heights of heaven, adore Him; Angel hosts, His praises sing; Powers, dominions, bow before Him, And extol our God and King! Let no tongue on earth be silent, Every voice in concert ring, Evermore and evermore!

Christ, to Thee with God the Father, And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee, Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving, And unwearied praises be: Honor, glory, and dominion, And eternal victory, Evermore and evermore!

Hope for Everyone

You're the one who lights the darkness, Bending low to be among us, Bringing glory in the highest, Jesus, promise of the ages. There is hope for everyone, There is hope for everyone, Heaven shone, there's hope for everyone!

O Holy Night

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born! O night divine, O night, O night divine!

Lighting the Advent Candle

Today we light our first candle, the candle of Hope. Hope is the source of all happiness. We can obtain peace when our hope is aligned correctly. True hope seeks only the kingdom of God and is convinced that all earthly things necessary for this life will, without doubt, be added.

The heart cannot have peace until it acquires this hope. When you rest in the hope of God, you have the assurance of an extraordinary future. God will satisfy our souls, not our whims. Our hope at Christmas is found in the confidence that God sent His only Son into the world so that all who believe and call upon His name will be saved. Praise the Lord.

The Season of Advent

Welcome to Advent season 2023. You know, when I was a little kid, I used to go to church and they used to talk about Advent. Nobody told me what Advent meant. I grew up with Advent; I just knew, "Okay, Advent is this time of year." But it means "coming" or "arrival," and that's what we're going to be talking about today. The Advent season is about the coming of the Christ child. This is what it's all about. We spend four or five weeks talking about the coming, the Advent of Christ, and what it means to us.

Thank you for being here today, and thank you for watching on our livestream or the recorded message. A few people in our congregation are out ill today or traveling around, and some are just recovering. So, just keep everybody in prayer. Let's open in a word of prayer.

Lord, we thank you for this day, bringing us together. Lord, this is your day where we worship you. It's a day where we come together to remember, to restore, and to give you praise, honor, and certainly all of the glory. Lord, I thank you for those who are here, those who might be on their way, those who are traveling, and those who are home recuperating. Lord, we just thank you that you strengthen them and watch over them. Help all of us with our daily struggles. It is my prayer that one more time you would open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to receive what it is that you have for us. Use my mind, my will, and my emotion, and infuse it with your Word, Lord, that you would be glorified. In this, we give you thanks, praise, glory, and honor. And all those in agreement, in Jesus' name, say "Amen." Somebody praise the Lord again. Amen.

Turn with me, if you would, to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter is right before 2 Peter, just trying to help somebody! You know, a lot of times when someone's preaching and they give the reference "1 Peter chapter 1, verses 3 to 9," and you're taking notes, don't write "1 Peter" first. Write "verses 3-9" because you will remember "1 Peter" but you won't remember the numbers. So remember to write the numbers first, then "1 Peter." You can all thank me later for that! Praise God.

If you are at 1 Peter chapter 1, say "Amen." Amen. I'll be reading verses 3 to 9.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

— 1 Peter 1:3-9 (CSB)

May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His most precious and Holy Word.

Peter's letter is one of hope. It's one of strengthening and encouragement for the church that was being dispersed. They were being dispersed—it's called the Diaspora. They were leaving Jerusalem, being pushed up into Europe and over into other parts of Asia, and so he writes this letter to encourage them. Our title this morning is "Hope." It's the Advent season 2023, and as I said earlier, Advent means coming and arrival. What we are focusing on is the story of the Christ child—His arrival, His Advent. But we are also looking forward to the return of Christ, because there will be another Advent, and that is the return of Christ.

Born Again to a Living Hope

In verse 3, it says we are born again to a living hope. The contemplation of God's grace caused Peter to praise God, the author of salvation and the source of hope. In other words, salvation is through Christ, but that salvation also gives us hope—not hope like "I hope it happens," but hope as an assurance of things to come.

Peter is strengthening the church, a church that was being maligned and persecuted. If you know a little bit about church history, for the first 300 years, Christianity was not an official religion. So, it was persecuted at any time, in any place, for any reason. Peter is writing this letter as a letter of encouragement, but also as a strengthening to hang in there.

I think this letter is appropriate today because we live in a post-COVID world where churches are struggling to find a new footing. They're trying to get back to what was going on in 2019, or the themes, rhythms, and patterns that were active then. Churches just seem to be discombobulated; we don't know where to begin again or how to start. But in Christ, there is always hope. There is always strength. God's power is always there.

In verse 3, it says God gives us new life through Christ. We know this is the gospel message. So no matter what's going on, remember that we have hope in Christ—through Christ, through His coming, through His ministry, His death, His burial, His resurrection, and His ascension. This new birth is our living hope of resurrection and eternal life with God. If you don't take anything else away from this message, remember that we have an eternal hope in the salvation that was secured for us 2,000 years ago through Christ. It is our hope, our eternal hope, for those who came before us, those who are here now, and those who will come.

Peter uses this word or concept of hope multiple times in this letter. He wants to make sure that we understand this is a living hope, and "living" means the believer's hope is sure and certain. We have this living hope that is sure and certain.

When you and I acknowledge that we are sinners, that we are separated from God, and we realize there's nothing we can do to get ourselves back in right standing with God—we were kicked out of the Garden, in a sense, with Adam and Eve, we have a sin nature, we've committed sin, we've sinned against Almighty God—if we're willing to examine that sin, repent, turn away from it, and believe that God so loved us He sent His only begotten Son to die, we enter into this living hope. This is the arrival, the Advent of Christ in the manger, who grew, ministered, went to the cross, and died for us. If we are willing to believe that to the point that we're willing to confess it, the result is we now enter into this living hope. That hope is sure and certain: one day, you too will be resurrected and be in heaven with Almighty God.

This is the living hope we have, as opposed to a hope that is not alive—a hope that is merely words on paper, a pipe dream, or a wish. We have a living hope that is sure. "Hope" means expectation. Sometimes we look at the word hope and it's like, "Well, I hope it happens," but we're really not sure; there's no real expectation. Living hope here means that it is for sure, it is certain, and you are expecting it. You know it is going to happen. One day we will all be resurrected; it's certain, it is going to happen. This is our living hope. The bigger theological thesis here is: the resurrected Savior informs my expectation. Because Jesus resurrected, He will one day resurrect you and me who believe in Jesus Christ. This is our living hope, and this is what the Advent season brings. It should be a reminder to us that we have this living hope.

Our Heavenly Inheritance

In verse 4, it says: "to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you." We have a heavenly inheritance. Our sure and certain hope is of a future inheritance that is imperishable.

In the natural realm, if someone leaves an inheritance, there's a will. By the way, that's what "Testament" is—Old Testament, New Testament. It is the same word for a "will." This is what God has promised us; this is what God has written down for us. Our sure and certain hope of a future inheritance is our resurrection, which is our being with God eternally in heaven, and it is imperishable.

"Inheritance" here is the same word God used to describe the inheritance of the Promised Land in the books of Numbers and Joshua. He promised them the Promised Land, and then in the time of Joshua, it came true. God is a promise-maker, but He's also a promise-keeper. This is what we learn as we go through the Bible. It's not just stories; it's history that enhances our faith, showing us who God is, how God operates, what God expects, and what God has done. We relate to that. As we see God fulfilling what He said He was going to do all along, we realize God will fulfill what He has already said to us through Christ.

Our inheritance cannot be destroyed by hostile forces. People tried to keep the Hebrews out of the Promised Land; they tried to attack them and do whatever they could to keep them from getting that inheritance, but they couldn't do it because God was on their side. It's the same thing with you and me. God will not change His mind. Once you are in, you are in. All we have to do is believe and confess, and our inheritance is applied to our living hope, our expectation.

That inheritance is guaranteed. I joke around sometimes and say, "Right outside the door there, I placed a million dollars, and the first person that goes out there can get it. I left it there in a brown paper bag." Well, nobody moves because nobody believes I put a million dollars out there! But if I were Elon Musk and I said that, there'd probably be a jam-up at the door over there, because you know he could fulfill that promise. Well, when God says something, God will fulfill that promise. So, there should be a jam-up of us trying to get to God, because God fulfills His promises. He does not change; He does not lie.

For continuity, let me read verses 4 and 5 together:

"To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Through faith, we believe. None of us have seen Christ, but we know Christ. The reason that we're in this room together doesn't make sense other than the fact that we know Christ. Christ is the one who brings us together. That is our common denominator; He brings us together for a purpose, for a plan, to do something, and it is through faith. We are protected by the power of God through faith. We have to know and understand that God is all-powerful, God will keep His promises, and God can protect the promise.

That's another thing: in human terms, you can say, "Well, I'm going to try my best to make sure such-and-such happens." That's not the language you get from God. With God, you get, "It is secure," because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's all-powerful and He can protect what He has promised.

That is the story of inheriting the Promised Land. He made these promises to people—people who didn't always want to obey, people who rebelled, people who strived against God—but that didn't change His promise. It changed the outcome for a lot of people who weren't able to go into the Promised Land because they rebelled, but it didn't change God's promise. The story of Exodus is that the ones who rebelled, the older generation, wandered in the wilderness; it was their children who went into the Promised Land. The ones who rebelled did not get the Promised Land.

It is the same today: people who rebel against God are not going to get the Promised Land, because they're rebelling against Almighty God. But why would you rebel against the One who is all-powerful, the One who created all things and put everything together, the One who has now made a way for us? All things work together for good, and it is through faith we are protected by the power of God.

The Five Solas and Joy in Trials

In talking about faith, I always like to bring up the Five Solas—the five pillars that we as Christians must adhere to:

1. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone): Scripture alone is adequate for our understanding of who God is, what God is doing, and what God will do. We don't have to take anything from the outside and add to it, nor should we subtract anything from it. Scripture alone is the basis for our faith and our understanding of God.
2. Sola Fide (faith alone): We believe that this is God's Word, it's imperishable, it will not fade away, and it will do what He said it will do.
3. Sola Gratia (grace alone): We are saved by grace alone. We put our faith in Christ, but it is grace—God's unmerited favor—that is extended to us through the Advent, the coming of the Christ child, and His ministry, death, burial, and ascension. We believe that and confess that, but it is through grace alone. We did not earn it; God extended it to us. It is a gift from God.

This time of year we talk about gifts and giving. The best gift you can receive from another person is a gift where they thought about you first before they got it. In other words, they weren't saying, "Well, we're going to be at Grandma's house in twenty minutes, we'd better stop at CVS and get something because we don't want to show up empty-handed." Instead, they were thinking about you, they wanted to get you a gift—not just something you want, but something you need—so that when you open it, you say, "Oh my God, how did you know?" They thought about you, they saw your need, and they were concerned. They wanted to give you something that would not only make you smile but would be exactly what you need. Well, this is the gift of salvation. It's what we all need, though a lot of times the world doesn't realize it. It's the gift we all need, and it is extended to us by grace alone.

The fifth of the Solas is Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone). All things come from Almighty God.

This inheritance we have is guarded by the power of God, and our part is to believe through faith, which now informs our expectation. I used to have a pastor who would say, "Right here, you have a knower. Turn your knower up on high and break the handle!" In other words, trust God and do not waver on it. Always trust God and believe Him.

Sometimes we're like, "Oh, God is the greatest thing!" and then we get a bad report, and suddenly we're not quite as sure. Then that gets settled and we say, "Oh, God is great!" We do this little up-and-down yo-yo thing. But if our expectation is that God is a promise-maker and promise-keeper, that what He said is true and we believe it, then we stay on an even plane. We're not up and down with God; we're not in and out anymore. We know that we know that we know.

In verse 6, it says: "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials."

This is addressing the things going on within the church. The church today is persecuted; the church is going through various trials. Thirty percent of the churches that closed during COVID did not reopen. Christianity is struggling; in some places, it is on life support. It needs to get back to Scripture, back to doing what God has said, and back to preaching the gospel.

But as verse 6 says, "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials." Just because we are saved doesn't mean we're not going to get distressed or that things won't happen. But we have this inheritance, and our expectation is that no matter what we're going through, it's going to be okay. I don't always know how God is going to work it out, but I know God is going to work it out because I know He has a place reserved for me in heaven. Because of my confession, His grace, and my faith, I am in the kingdom of God, and that won't change, because God is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.

So, there is hope inside various trials. Sometimes we get a bad report or something happens, and we ask, "Why is this going on?" He says, "Here, you're going to have various trials." Things are going to come along, but they should not shake your faith because God doesn't change. You can be assured He is there.

It's like married couples who, for a job or another reason, get separated for a little while. The thought is always, "Are you still going to love me when we come back?" Or if you're separated for a long time, "Is that love still going to be there?" If you truly love one another, of course it is, but that thought can still creep in. Well, is God still going to be with you? Yes! God is still going to be the same, and His promises are still true. It's not going to change just because we went through a bad season or got a bad report. It does not change who God is, it does not change the power of God, and it does not change that living hope, that expectation we have in God's promises.

Just because you're going through something doesn't mean what you've gained in Christ is in vain. We're all going to go through things. Remember, we live in a fallen world, and there are many people out there who don't know God and are doing their best to keep God out of everything they can. So, there are going to be trials, persecution, attacks, and things that go wrong because we live in a fallen world. Our future, our hope as we enter the kingdom of God, is in eternal life where everything is perfect—no pain, no sorrow. So, even with a bad report, you still have the assurance of the power of God through the cross. What God has said and done is still true.

The Advent season is a time for remembering this. This is what I love about the Advent season: it makes me remember the hope I have in Christ. Sometimes we just go in and out through our weeks, punching in and punching out, and we need to be reminded of who God is and what He has done so that our faith is strengthened and we are brought closer to God. The end result is joy. We rejoice. To have joy and to rejoice is independent of your circumstances. I might have some trouble or difficult circumstances, but I can still have joy in the Lord because I know where I am going, I know who God is, I know what God is doing, and the power of Almighty God is protecting those promises. This is the living hope I have through Jesus Christ.

The Proof of Your Faith

In verse 7, it says: "so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

The proof is in your hope. "Hope," "trust," and "faith" are deeply intertwined. When you say the word "trust," the words "hope" and "faith" are in there. When you say "faith," "trust" and "hope" are there too. The three of them are combined. Genuine faith produces hope, trust, and belief. When we genuinely believe what God has said via Scripture alone, that genuine faith produces hope, trust, and belief. All of those things are present because we're willing to trust God for what He has said.

The way you strengthen it is to draw closer to God, to know God in a more intimate way. It's by reading your Bible, being involved in Bible studies, being involved in different ministry functions, and really understanding what God is saying. Know your Bible and know what God has said, so that at any given time when you feel like asking, "Where is God?" you can remember, "Oh, He said He will never leave me nor forsake me. I can stand on that." We must remember that we have this living hope that is imperishable, that will not die, and that nothing can take away. We have this hope, and we put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ.

When I was going to seminary, I was supposed to be studying and listening to professors talk about deep theological concepts. But my mind would begin to wander—now, I know that doesn't happen to any of you, but it happened to me! They'd be talking about some deep theological point, and I'd be looking out the window, thinking, "Who was the first person to jump out of an airplane with a parachute on and actually think they were going to land safely? Who was that guy?" I was literally thinking this in the middle of a deep theological discussion.

Then, that quiet voice inside me said, "Well, he must have had a lot of hope that he was going to be okay when he landed! He had to have trust that the parachute he packed was put together correctly, based on mathematical equations of flight, his weight, and how large the canopy had to be to catch the wind so he wouldn't go down too fast. And he had to have faith that all of it was going to work."

He had to do all of that just to get into a rickety old airplane. This was in 1911; the guy's name was Grant Morton, and he did this and landed in Venice Beach. (Maybe that's why everybody goes to Venice Beach and does crazy things, but that's another story!) Think about it: a rickety old airplane in 1911. It wasn't even guaranteed that the plane would get off the ground, and now you have two people in it, and you have to fly high enough so that when you jump, you have enough time to slow down and land safely. There is a lot of faith and trust that goes into doing that. His intent wasn't, "Well, if it doesn't work, someone else can try." No, he did it knowing it was going to work because he had put all of those pieces together.

I would venture to guess that if he wasn't born again when he jumped out of that plane, somewhere between leaving the aircraft and hitting the ground, he called upon Almighty God! "Jesus!" You call upon the name of the Lord.

My point is that if you put your trust in what God has said, put your hope in it, and believe what He said, you can trust Him completely. You won't fail. You'll be like that person who studied all of those calculations and went for it. It's like rocket science—all the things they have to do to get a rocket off the ground. It's a lot of work, but they have to trust the mathematics and the science.

But science changes, whereas God never changes. Did you hear that? What is true today in science might not necessarily be true tomorrow in science, but what is true today with God will be true tomorrow and forevermore. This is the living hope we have. This is what the resurrection brought.

We close with verses 8 and 9:

"And though you have not seen him, you love him, and though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."

What is the outcome? Salvation. It is always the gospel message. Faith is applied to salvation based upon what God has said: He so loved the world He sent His only begotten Son to die and pay the price for our sins, so that if we are willing to confess, acknowledge, turn away from our sins, and believe that Jesus Christ died on that cross for us, the result is salvation.

In this hope, we now greatly rejoice. You can rejoice because no matter what the report is or what trial you are going through, hope in Christ is evident as you rejoice in what God has done and will do. Many times, my wife and I have gone through different things, and it was like, "I don't know how God is going to work this out, but I know He is going to work it out." You can have a certain peace inside the whirlwind, inside of whatever is going on, because you know God is still on the throne. He is still King, He is still Lord of lords, and His Word is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. He is not going to change.

You have this living hope. My expectation is that God is going to do what He said He was going to do, and nobody and nothing is going to change my mind. I don't care what the world says, I don't care what the doctor says, I don't care what my friends say, and I don't care what anyone else says. I only care about what God says because that is where my expectation lies. Like science, people change; you can't put your ultimate hope in them. But you can put your hope in God.

Our hope now as believers is in Christ's return. If He came the first time, you can bet the farm He is going to return, because He said He was going to return, and we will meet Him in the air. Our hope now is in Christ's return.

This Advent season, pray for the revival of Christ, pray for those who have not received salvation, and pray for those who have, that they may be encouraged and strengthened in the hope we have within Christ. Let us pray.

Lord, as we rejoice in this living hope, as we put our trust and our faith in You, Lord, we thank You for our salvation. We thank You that we've entered the kingdom of heaven. We thank You that our future is secure in You. We thank You that we have this inheritance that is more precious than refined gold or anything humanity can make, and our hope and our trust is in You.

Strengthen us where we need to be strengthened, encourage us where we need to be encouraged, and Lord, if we're going through a trial or a bad report, strengthen us, heal us, guide us, and open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to receive.

This Advent season, we pray for those who don't know You, that the arrival of salvation would come their way, that they would see what they hadn't seen before, hear what they hadn't heard before, and be willing to admit that they are sinners in need of salvation. May they realize that salvation is only through Jesus Christ, commit their mind, spirit, and body to that truth, and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Father, we give You all the glory, because all of this is by God alone. There is no one like You, and we love You, and we thank You. This is why we give You all the praise, the honor, and the glory. In Jesus' name we pray, and the church said, "Amen." Somebody praise the Lord.

Tithes, Offerings, and Announcements

Thank you, Pastor Steve, for that message. You might notice that the stage has a slightly festive vibe; that's thanks to, I believe, the work of our deacons in decorating yesterday. So thank you for that. I don't know how you got those side wreaths up, but I fear for your safety! But thank you for your work.

A couple of announcements for us this morning before we leave. Firstly, giving: if you'd like to give to our church, there are several options. There's an offering plate in the back as well as options online. I'd like to read to you from God's word in Matthew chapter 6, verse 19:

“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

— Matthew 6:19-21 (CSB)

It seems like Black Friday and the holiday season brings on a fervency to try to store up treasures, whether it's for good reasons like caring for your loved ones, or from pricking at our own hearts and our own selfish desires. Every time we give to the Lord, we get to show a watching world that we don't share their priorities. We show that we believe in an eternal treasure, and that for us, it's not that we don't view things on the earth as important, but rather that we see things that are eternal to be of ultimate, supreme value. So every time we give, we get to practice that truth with our actions, and we have the privilege of being able to do that this morning as well. Let's go ahead and pray and thank God for our offering.

Lord God, we thank You for the gifts that You've given us. I pray, Lord, that You would help us to use all of our possessions to invest our treasures in Your kingdom, whether it's for providing for our own needs, being generous with others, or advancing the ministry of this church. We pray, Lord, that You'd be able to use all of our funds to glorify Your name and to spread Your gospel to the ends of the Earth. We ask that every penny given to this church would be used wisely for the advancement of Your kingdom, and we pray, Lord, that it would bear fruit. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Wednesday night Bible studies are on pause until next year, as well as the Sunday school on the Gospel of Mark. That is also on pause until next year. But "Church Matters" continues to go on. So if you're interested in learning more about the church, next Sunday we'll be trying to overview 2,000 years of church history in about 45 minutes! If you'd like to see if that's even humanly possible, you can check that out at 9:00 in the morning in the room in the back.

One more additional announcement for us: did you know that this church had a Sunday evening prayer service every Sunday from 1948 until 2001? It was something our church prioritized, valued, and wanted to do together. We are going to start those again next year. Starting next year in January, on Sundays at 5:00 PM, we're going to gather together in this room to pray and ask the Lord to bless the ministry here, as well as praying for our many needs. If you'd like to come and pray with us, that will start in January next year at 5:00 PM.

Now, for the benediction. 2 Corinthians 13:14 says: "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen." Let's stand and sing together.

Closing Song

How great the chasm that lay between us, How high the mountain I could not climb. In desperation, I turned to heaven, And spoke Your name into the night. Then through the darkness, Your loving-kindness Tore through the shadows of my soul. The work is finished, the end is written, Jesus Christ, my living hope!

Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me! You have broken every chain, There's salvation in Your name, Jesus Christ, my living hope!

Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me! You have broken every chain, There's salvation in Your name, Jesus Christ, my living hope!

Jesus Christ, my living hope! Oh God, You are my living hope!

Hallelujah, glory to God! Have a blessed week!