Here’s an important question for you: What does it mean to have hope?
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul identified hope as one of the three premier Christian attributes: faith, hope, and love.
So, what is hope?
Christian hope is not wishful thinking, such as saying, “I hope it doesn’t rain today.”
Rather, Christian hope is a confident trust in the promises of God. Christian hope says, “Even if it rains today, my hope is built on the reality that God is in control and that He loves me.”
Christian hope can change our lives, and it can change the world.
Today, we’re going to hear “A Message of Hope.”
Before we do, join me in prayer, and let’s ask God to speak to us.
(prayer)
As we journey into this message today, let’s discover four truths about genuine hope:
First, . . .
I. Our world needs hope.
There are a lot of difficult things happening in our world right now, aren’t there?
Right now, we have conflicts, crime, and wars in Iran, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Israel, Ukraine, Nigeria, Mexico, Haiti, and many other places.
In our own country, we have issues with immigration, divisive politics and mudslinging, economic trouble, housing challenges, healthcare challenges, confusion with gender and sexuality, and so much more.
Our community experiences crime, addiction, homelessness, broken families, and so much more.
Some of us have these issues in our own households.
There’s a lot of evil and a lot of struggle in our world.
1 John 5:19 tells us:
“ . . . the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.”
Isn’t that crazy? Everything in the world is affected by Satan and His forces.
The world needs hope.
The truth is, the world could find needed hope in God, but we have all rejected God.
John 3:19 says:
“This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.”
We need hope; we need light, but instead the world rejected God’s light and pursued darkness.
We can get lost in the dark, can’t we?
There have been some times that I’ve spent time in the woods with a friend. They’ll take me to a spot during the daytime and leave me for a while. Then, they say, after dark, meet me back up the road. Here’s the truth: It’s a lot easier to get lost in the dark. Sometimes my only hope in meeting up with my buddy again is to see the light of his flashlight or four-wheeler.
We need the light of hope, but so many in this world have willingly chosen darkness.
The world is lost in that darkness. The world needs hope.
Of all the greatest tragedies in this world, nothing compares to the darkness of sin.
All the wars in the world are not as terrible as the sin in the hearts of humanity.
All the hunger in this world is not as tragic as the sin that plagues humankind.
All the addiction, crime, and evil in this world are not as devastating as the sin in the hearts of each and every person.
Romans 5:12 says:
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.”
Sin and it’s effects are terrible. Adam, the first person, brought sin into the world. Every one of us since then has kept sin in the world.
What does sin bring? It brings death. So, death spread to all people, because all sinned.
Our world is lost in sin.
Our world needs hope.
Not only does our world need hope, also . . .
II. Our church needs hope.
The fact of the matter is, every church needs hope.
The reality is that the average church attendance in the United States declined approximately 14% during the first three years following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the average church remains approximately 6% below their pre-COVID numbers.
Churches are struggling. Churches need hope. Churches need a reason to exist that has some substance to it.
Churches aren’t around just to have beautiful buildings, biblical sermons, and bountiful meals.
Churches need a mission. Churches need a purpose. Churches need hope.
Speaking of Jesus, Colossians 1:18 says:
“He is also the head of the body, the church . . . ”
Churches need hope, and they need to look to Jesus, the head of the church, for that hope.
We have been shown the way to hope, if we only remain faithful to it.
Hebrews 10:23 says:
“Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.”
We need hope! We don’t need to waver away from the hope that God provides.
Additionally, church, we can do a lot to build a seemingly successful church, and still not have true biblical hope.
By God’s grace, our church is not one of those whose attendance is lower than pre-COVID. Ours is actually a little higher. However, a church can grow without God, so we must be careful.
We can put in a lot of human effort, build a highly successful church in terms of the world’s standards, and still be utterly hopeless.
Psalm 127:1 says:
“Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain . . . ”
What kind of house is being built here?
Is the Lord building the house, or are we building it by our own effort?
Are we staying true to the confession of hope that God gave us?
Are we staying true to the mission of God?
In 2023, our church completed a survey called the “Know Your Church” Survey.
Of six different categories of church health, our church scored lowest in evangelism, with a designation of “marginally unhealthy” when it comes to evangelism.
Here are some of the particular items of concern from that survey:
In response to this statement: “A church should meet the needs of its own members before it reaches out to others,” 47.3% of our church indicated that we agree or strongly agree.
In response to this statement: “I would be willing to do more personal evangelism if I had more training,” 60% of our church indicated that we are undecided or disagree.
These responses indicate a tendency to focus on ourselves, a hesitancy to reach out to others, and an unwillingness to complete the mission of God.
There is a sense in which many in our church may be on the verge of giving up, or may have already given up, on the mission of God.
We need hope.
However, all hope is not lost for you, me, and the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18:
“ . . . on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
We see next that . . .
III. Jesus gives hope.
The world needs hope. We need hope. Jesus gives hope.
John 3:16–17 says:
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
God did not send Jesus to condemn us; He sent Jesus to save us.
God has given the world hope through Jesus!
Jesus said in Luke 19:10:
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
Jesus is seeking and saving those who are lost. He is bringing hope!
The Apostle Paul said this in 1 Timothy 1:15:
“This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . . ’”
Jesus came to save us!
Jesus gives hope!
Finally, . . .
IV. We carry hope.
Those of us who have been saved by the hope of Jesus Christ have the blessing and privilege of carrying that same hope with us.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:14:
“You are the light of the world . . . ”
We carry the message of light. We carry the hope of Jesus.
Listen, brothers and sisters, not only do we carry the hope of Jesus, we are the only ones who carry the hope of Jesus.
Followers of Jesus are the ones who must tell others that they can find hope in Jesus.
The Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:14–15:
“How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”
If hope is to be carried, we must carry it, in part, by preaching the message of hope.
This command was given to us by Jesus Himself shortly before He left the earth. He said in Matthew 28:18–20:
“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus wants us to carry the hope.
Jesus wants us to know that He has authority.
Jesus wants us to go.
Jesus wants us to make disciples.
Jesus wants us to baptize.
Jesus wants us to teach His commandments to others.
Jesus wants us to remember that He is with us always.
Jesus wants us to carry hope.
Some of Jesus’ very last words are recorded in Acts 1:8. He said:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus was speaking to His disciples in Israel, and He told them that the gospel would go out from there, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
This model that Jesus left for our disciples is one we can model as well.
For the disciples, Jerusalem was very near, Judea was near, Samaria was far, and the ends of the earth were very far.
For us, very near is Bartow, near is Florida, far is the USA, and very far is the ends of the earth.
Church, we should carry hope, and we can carry hope.
This was Jesus’ command for us: We must carry hope very near all the way to very far.
I hope you believe that to be true.
Let this bottom line summarize what we are learning:
Bottom Line: Jesus is the only hope for the world and for our church.
The world will not survive without Jesus. Our church should not survive without Jesus.
We need more of Jesus in our lives, and we need to take more of Jesus to others.
To that end, challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Receive hope and give hope.
If you’ve been changed by Jesus, live for Him in every way, including telling others about the life-saving grace of God displayed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Also, we have something special coming up on May 3. We will launch what we call “The Hope Initiative.”
“The Hope Initiative” is a special challenge for our church to band together to carry the hope of Jesus Christ to others. There is a thirty-day challenge that those who commit will all do together, followed by once-a-month prompts for an entire year. We’re praying that God would give us at least 25 people to join our pastors in this challenge. Will you join us? If so, simply write the word “hope” on your connection card or let one of our pastors know.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.
