The Hope You Can Count On

Good morning, church.

Good morning, my friends.

I'm grateful to see your faces this morning. Every one of you.

I've been thinking about the people who walk through these doors every Sunday.

We shake hands. We smile. We ask how we're doing.

And most of us say, "I'm fine."

But church... sometimes we're not fine.

Sometimes that smile is covering up a whole lot of pain.

And that's who I want to talk to this morning.

Somebody who's hurting.

Somebody who's struggling.

Somebody who needs a reason to believe tomorrow is worth getting up for.

I want to talk to you about HOPE.

Not wishful thinking. Not pretending everything is all right.

I'm talking about real hope. Hope in JESUS CHRIST.

Now, maybe I'm talking to somebody who's battling an addiction.

You've tried to quit. You've made promises to yourself. Maybe you've fallen more times than you can count.

And now you're wondering if you'll ever be free.

My friend, listen to me.

You are NOT your addiction.

You are a child of God!

And Jesus Christ has not given up on you!

Get the help you need. Take that next step. And if you fall, reach out for help and get up again.

There is still HOPE for you!

And maybe I'm talking to somebody struggling with depression, anxiety, or an illness of the mind nobody else can see.

You wake up tired. You go to bed tired. Some days just getting through feels like more than you can bear.

And maybe you've wondered, "Lord, why can't I just have a little peace?"

Oh, my dear friend.

Your suffering is not a failure of faith.

You don't have to hide it. You don't have to face it alone.

Let people help you. Let doctors help you. Let those who love you stand beside you.

And remember that Jesus knows you. He loves you. Even on the days when you cannot feel His presence.

There is HOPE for you.

Now, I want to speak to somebody who's grieving.

Somebody who's lost a husband. A wife. A mother. A father. Maybe even a precious child.

I know something about that pain.

I know what it's like to lose someone you thought you'd have beside you for a lifetime.

And I won't stand here and tell you that the hurting just goes away.

Sometimes it doesn't.

Sometimes you still reach for that person who isn't there.

But I WILL tell you this.

Jesus Christ conquered the grave!

And because He lives, death does not have the final word!

There is HOPE beyond that cemetery!

There is HOPE beyond those tears!

And there is HOPE in the promise of eternal life!

Now, where's that mother or father who's worried about a child?

You raised them. You loved them. You taught them what was right.

And somewhere along the way, they took a different road.

Maybe you don't even know where they are tonight.

And you lie awake wondering what you could have done differently.

Listen to me.

Keep loving that child.

Keep that door open.

Keep praying.

You cannot make every decision for somebody you love. But Jesus loves that child even more than you do.

Don't lose HOPE!

And to that person sitting alone this morning...

Maybe your house is quiet. Maybe the telephone doesn't ring much anymore.

Maybe you feel forgotten.

Hear the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter eleven:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

ALL YE!

That means you, my friend!

You who are lonely. You who are frightened.

You who are confused about which way to turn.

You who are carrying a burden nobody knows about.

Jesus is calling YOU!

Church, listen to me now!

The world will tell you to put your hope in money. In success. In people. In things that can be bought and sold.

But those things cannot save your soul!

They cannot conquer death!

They cannot promise to be with you through eternity!

ONLY JESUS CHRIST CAN DO THAT!

The Bible calls hope an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.

And an anchor doesn't mean the storm won't come!

It means you've got something to HOLD ON TO when it does!

So when the darkness comes, HOLD ON TO JESUS!

When your heart is breaking, HOLD ON TO JESUS!

When you don't know what tomorrow will bring, HOLD ON TO JESUS!

And hear me, church.

Hope doesn't mean every problem will disappear.

Hope doesn't mean every prayer will be answered the way we want.

Hope means that whatever tomorrow brings, we belong to a Savior who has overcome the world!

And He is not finished with us yet!

So don't you surrender your hope to despair.

Don't let yesterday steal tomorrow.

And don't you EVER believe you are beyond the love of Jesus Christ!

Because no matter where you've been...

No matter what you've done...

No matter how heavy that burden...

THERE IS HOPE!

And that hope has a name.

JESUS CHRIST!

May the God of hope fill every hurting heart here today with His peace.

Amen.