Hope Ain’t A Hustle: Amplify

Earlier today Lisa Fields reminded us that when Peter said, “always be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is within you, with gentleness and respect,” that Peter has an expectation that people will be asking us about our hope. And we don’t get asked because we’re not living as people of hope.

I gave to Hope a watch of mine: but he An anchor gave to me. Then an old prayer-book I did present: And he an optic sent. With that I have a vial full of tears: But he a few green ears. Ah Loiterer! I’ll no more, no more I’ll bring: I did expect a ring. – George Herbert

17th century poet and clergyman, George Herbert, succinctly describes the dismay we experience when our highest hopes remain unsatisfied. The speaker gives hope three things, his watch, his prayer-book, and his tears. Hope gives the poet three things in return, an anchor, a telescope, and unripe ears of grain. The speaker says to hope, “Time’s up! I’ve been waiting far too long for you to fulfill my desire for relief!” Hope says to him, “Be steadfast! You’ve got to wait a while longer.” In an attempt to demonstrate how patient he’s been the speaker declares, “Look at my prayer journal! See how much I’ve endured patiently waiting for you to come to my aid!” Hope has further counsel. “It’s wonderful that you’ve been praying. Please continue. You don’t need to stop praying, you need a telescope to enable you to keep the long view in mind.” In a final effort to sway Hope he brings his tears. “Do you understand how much I’ve suffered, and for how long? Can you grasp the depth of my pain and sorrow?” Hope simply says, “The day of harvest will come, when everything is made right. But it’s not time yet.” In seeming utter frustration, the speaker has given up on Hope. Hope’s new name is “Loiterer!” “My expectations are dashed! You take too long for my tastes! In fact, I think Hope is an imposter. I’m going to have to look elsewhere for relief. I thought we were bound together in an intimate relationship. I expected you to give me a ring, signifying your commitment to me!

If we’re honest, sometimes we feel like that poet. Hope is just a loiterer. Holding on to hope for things like justice and peace and righteousness in the world can feel like we’ve hustled. Even holding on to hope for the effectiveness of our witness in a secular age can seem like a hustle. Listen, what gospel hope gives us is patient endurance.

I want to put two passages of Scripture before you from Hebrews,

Hebrews 1:1–4 ESV

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Hebrews 6:17–20 ESV

17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

I have three primary points of emphasis for us as we wrap up Amplify 2024; Living In the Danger Zone, Living by Unreasonable Hope, and Living with an Enduring Hope .

Living In the Danger Zone

Before we determine how to live in a world where our highest hopes are not satisfied, we must ask, what does one do under such circumstances? - MLK, Jr, “Shattered Dreams”

The CrossFit training methodology has been my primary fitness and exercise methodology since 2010. CF is defined as, “constantly varied functional movement performed at high intensity.” CF has several benchmark workouts known simply as, “the girls.” There’s Amanda, Annie, Barbara, Cindy, Diane, Elizabeth, Fran, Grace, Helen, Jackie, Kelly, Linda, Mary, and Nancy.

Why female names for these benchmark workouts? Well, it actually doesn’t have a whole heck of a lot to do with gender. These workouts are named after hurricanes. CF decided to follow the pattern of the National Weather Service, which started to assign female names to storms after 1953 because they wanted to use “short, distinctive given names that made for easier and quicker communication.” The founder of CF wrote,

This convenience and logic inspired our granting a special group of workouts women’s names, but anything that leaves you flat on your back and incapacitated only to lure you back for more at a later date certainly deserves naming.

These workouts are just like hurricanes. There’s a calm before the storm. You’re feeling fine, talking with your fellow gym members, the coach has taken you through a nice warmup, getting you ready to workout. Then she starts the timer, counting down to the start of the workout. “Ten seconds!” she yells. “3-2-1, Go!” are the next words out of her mouth, and all hell breaks loose. At a certain point, you feel as though you might die. If you can think at all, you’re thinking to yourself, “Why am I here, doing this voluntarily?” (Christa’s comment…) The workout ends and you wonder, “Am I dead?”

The devastation in the gym is evident as people are lying on the floor all over the place, making what we call sweat angels. This is what happens in a hurricane. There’s calm. Then there’s a realization that the storm has hit and you are no longer in control. Then, after the storm passes, there’s chaos. Devastation is all around. I want to say to you this evening that with Jesus it’s actually the opposite. What we find out about following Jesus is a different pattern. It’s the storm before the calm.

We’re in hurricane season right now, and there are certain parts of this country that danger zones. People chose to live in these danger zones knowing that when hurricane season rolls around there’s a high probability that they’ll be in the path of at least one hurricane. In a very real sense, all of life is lived in a danger zone. We live with the constant reality that threats to the things we long for and hope for in this life are the norm.

When we open the letter to the Hebrews it’s important to note that this is precisely what this Christian congregation is facing. There’s a storm taking place. Their world has turned upside-down and they are facing persecution and suffering because of their faith. And they are losing hope, tempted to drift away from their faith in Christ. Following Jesus is turning out to be more costly than they anticipated. They’re asking, “Is it worth it?” They’re in the height of the workout, when the pressure is most intense, and they want to quit. But they need to endure. The pastor will say to them in Hebrews 10:35-36

Hebrews 10:35–36 ESV

35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

What’s interesting, though, is how he begins to address their concerns. He want them to endure, not to give up. But he doesn’t start out his sermon by saying, “Hold on,” “Don’t be discouraged,” or, “Keep hope alive.” These are all sentiments he will make later in the letter. But his starting point is with the unrivaled glory, majesty, and authority of the Son of God. The supremacy of Jesus Christ is their source of eternal hope in a topsy-turvy, upside-down world.

Every one of us faces the dangerous reality of having to live in a world where our highest hopes and dreams are not satisfied and are often dashed. We live in the danger zone. As Dr. King asked, “What does one do under such circumstances?” How do we live with good hope in the danger zone of unfulfilled expectations? When the things that we earnestly desire or wish for remain out of reach? When what we truly believe in seems to be a lie? When we realize that the world is full of chaos?

David Kinnaman describes this chaos in Barna’s 2016 article on our divides in America.

The United States is in a cultural crisis. There are gaping fissures between the rich and poor, growing tensions between races, disunity among faith groups, increasing resentment between genders, and a vast and expanding gap between liberals and conservatives. Generation, gender, socioeconomics, ethnicity, faith, and politics massively divide the American population…

This splintering and polarization of American culture has made it more difficult than ever to have a good conversation, especially about faith… “Even when two people agree, honest interaction can seem elusive. Try to talk about things like gay marriage—or anything remotely controversial—with someone you disagree with and the temperature rises a few degrees. But being friends across differences is hard, and cultivating good conversations is the rocky, up-hill climb that leads to peace in a conflict-ridden culture.

How do we live with good hope in the danger zone of division, chaos, and unfulfilled expectations? Let me state the obvious. No encouragement to keep hope alive is going to have any teeth unless we are gripped by the incomparable glory of Jesus Christ. Make no mistake about it—unless your heart is beating to the grandeur, the bigness, the glory of Jesus, you’ll never think that Christian hope is worth it. Not only that, you’ll never be able to situate your hopes rightly unless you’re submitting them to him.

The first verse of Hebrews 1 says, Heb1.1-3a,

Hebrews 1:1–3 ESV

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

At various times in history and in different ways, God raised up and anointed prophets to declare his word with authority: Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, and on and on for centuries. God spoke to his people through the prophets to direct them to himself. it was always so that they would know what was necessary for them to honor and glorify him with their lives. When he spoke, he said all that he wanted to say. He didn’t leave out anything that was necessary.

Still, as glorious as the word spoken through the prophets was, it was varied, diverse, and fragmented because the prophets were many in number. A change took place when Jesus came on the scene. In these last days, the Pastor says, God has spoken to us by his unique and only Son.

When God the Son took on human flesh and was born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law (Galatians 4:4), Jesus became the final, complete, full Word of God.

If the word of the various prophets was glorious and authoritative, how much more glorious and authoritative is the message given to us by the Son? God’s word to us in Jesus has been spoken fully and finally. “These last days,” then, are the days of fulfillment—despite the chaos of the world around us.

What I love about the Pastor is that he’s not setting forth the divine nature of Jesus, the Son of God, as an idea that’s disconnected from life. He’s not just giving them head knowledge. All of this rich theology about Jesus Christ is not given in a vacuum. It is the epitome of theology applied to life. Jesus’ being God is important because the world is full of chaos. In vv. 10-12 he quotes from Psalm 102:25-7, telling us that God the Father says to God the Son

Hebrews 1:10–12 ESV

10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”

Why is he quoting Psalm 102? If you look at Psalm 102, the heading from the Hebrew text is,

‘A prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint to the Lord.’

The psalmist is in the midst of a storm. He’s overwhelmed by the chaos of this world. His world had been rocked. What’s turned his world upside down is that Jerusalem has been destroyed. The temple is in ruins. The temple was supposed to be the place where God made his name dwell. It was the evidence that the Lord was with his people. Now, the thing that he thought was most secure and stable was gone. The Babylonians have crushed them and taken them into exile.

This analogy falls short, but it helps to see the point. When I was young, my father used to work at the World Trade Center. He usually took the train home from work, but there were a few occasions when drove into Manhattan to pick him up. I can remember being parked outside of the towers waiting for Dad to come out and looking out of the car window up at the Towers. As hard as I strained my neck I couldn’t see the top. I was amazed by those buildings, and they were, in my mind, permanent fixtures in NY. The pictures that represented NYC always included the Twin Towers. Obviously, they weren’t the permanent fixtures I thought that they were. The City was thrown into distress when the Towers fell on 9/11.

The distress on the faces of New Yorkers when the Towers fell gets at the distress of the psalmist…

Psalm 102:3–5 ESV

3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. 4 My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. 5 Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh.

But there’s a turning point in the psalm In v. 12 he says,

Psalm 102:12 ESV

12 But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.

In the midst of the chaos that’s around him what he realizes is that the only stable, unchanging reality is that Yahweh, the Lord is enthroned forever. That’s the message that the Pastor is communicating in Hebrews 1. The distress you feel is real, but the One who walked the streets of Jerusalem and said, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” is none other that Yahweh, the Lord your God. He’s telling them that Jesus is the very one who laid the earth’s foundations in the beginning; the very one who created the heavens. Those created things will wear out and be rolled up like an old garment and be changed, but the Lord continues forever. He is the same and his years have no end. The only way to live in the chaos of the danger zone is to know that Jesus is in control. It’s to know that our glorious king upholds the universe by the word of his power.

He is the heir of all things. He has an inheritance. His inheritance is the whole world. Not just people, but he came to lay claim on the whole thing. He came to lay claim to the entire world as his own possession because he is the One through whom the world was created. He is the one appointed heir of everything. You and I might hope to have a wealthy benefactor somewhere who leaves us an inheritance, but no benefactor could leave us an inheritance like the one Jesus has! His inheritance is the whole creation, and that includes us! He is the glorious radiance and exact imprint of God’s essence. He is God. And he makes the glory of God visible to us.

Living By Unreasonable Hope

So, he is the one who enables us to live in the danger zone with an unreasonable hope.

Have you noticed that I haven’t yet defined hope. I’ve just been going along assuming that you all know what I’m talking about.

In her book, Unfettered Hope, Marva Dawn writes,

“We use the English noun and verb hope in many ways—to signify what we anticipate or expect, what we would recommend if we could control things, what we most earnestly desire or wish for if we could have our own way, or what we truly believe in or in what or whom we have confidence.” (xii)

In our common, colloquial use of ‘hope’ what we really mean is what life would look like if we could control things. My hopes are regularly tied to what I wish I could make happen. And, that’s regularly a fool’s errand because, as we just saw, I’m not the one who upholds the universe by the word of my power. My hope, biblically speaking, has to be tied to the one who is actually in control. It has to be married to the one who can actually change hearts and lives and circumstances. I’m using the word ‘hope’ in the last sense of Marva Dawn’s definition, our hope is tied to “what we truly believe in and in whom we have confidence.” And this kind of hope in God can seem unreasonable.

I quoted from David Kinnaman earlier when he said, “being friends across differences is hard, and cultivating good conversations is the rocky, up-hill climb that leads to peace in a conflict-ridden culture.”

We live in a conflict-ridden culture. But here’s the deal. We have lived in a conflict-ridden culture ever since the fall of humanity in Genesis 3. The individual conflict expands to cultures and nations in Genesis 11. I call Genesis 11 the origins of our cultural discontents.

Even though we feel the hustle, we have to face the impossible because, a primary problem is that woven into the fabric of the Christian faith is hope. Not hope as an idea or a wish but hope as a confident trust in God and his promises. This hope drives us to a disposition towards others that begins with respect. Our current culture of contempt, with its deep divides within the American church makes it difficult to hold on to hope. In January 2020 our Institute for Cross-Cultural Mission held a Clergy Story Table event in Washington, DC. I facilitated our Story Table conversation on the issue of racial justice and the Church. We brought together a local diverse group of ten pastors for this purpose. There was ethnic diversity (African American, Korean American, Venezuelan, and Anglo American). They were theologically diverse (Baptist, Mennonite, Methodist, and Presbyterian). Our conversation was honest and sometimes raw. One sentiment shared, particularly by two of the African American pastors was that they believed the visions of Revelation 5:9-10 and 7:9-12 will come to pass one day, but they do not expect to experience the reality of it in their local churches today. “I don’t trust that white people are serious about reconciliation and justice issues. They’re not willing to pursue it unless they are in control.” The temptation in this current moment, particularly for ethnic minorities, is to stay in and focus on their ethnic ecclesial spaces. In response to this tension a pastor friend recently told me, “I just feel like going back into all-Black everything.” I understand and know this frustration personally. The focus on race, justice, and even reconciliation in Christian circles brings with it accusations of bowing to Critical Race Theory and Marxist ideology. The polarization is deep.

The pastors who told me that they do not expect to experience or see the kind of reunion of humanity across these lines deep difference were expressing a lack of hope. They were basically saying, “I believe that what the Scripture says will come to pass, but I don’t expect to get a taste of it in my lifetime.”

Try and try as we might, in our own strength, there doesn’t seem to be any unassailable reason to be hopeful about justice, about joy, about shalom. Can I tell you something? The hope of the gospel is unreasonable.

Hoping in God requires faith and patience because hoping in God seems unreasonable to our natural minds. He takes to long for our tastes. He doesn’t respond the way we want him to respond, when we want him to respond. God is not operating on our agenda. We have to operate on his agenda.

Living with an Enduring Hope

So, what is going to keep you going? How are you and I going to endure in hope?

Hebrews 6:17–20 ESV

17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God made the oath for our benefit! The Pastor talks about those who are the heirs of the promise, that is, those who inherit the promises of God. In chapter 1 he said that the Son was the heir of all things. Now he says God wanted to convince the heirs of his promise of the unchangeable character of his purpose. Who are those people? The heirs of the promise are those who put their faith in God through Jesus Christ. He says, the promise of God is for the benefit of these people. God didn’t have to make any promises at all, but because he is gracious and full of mercy, he wanted (notice that word), God wanted to make it crystal clear to his people that even though people change all the time; situations change for better or worse all the time, but his purposes never change, ever.

So every time you hear the promise of God in Scripture,

“And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” (Jeremiah 30:22 ESV)

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 ESV)

“I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 ESV)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against” (Matthew 16:18–19 ESV)

God wants us to be crystal clear that his purposes and promises are rock solid and there is no power that can do anything to change them. And every promise of Scripture was confirmed by God when he sent Jesus to the cross. That’s why Paul can say in 2 Cor. 1:20 that all the promises of God are “Yes” in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:19–25 ESV

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

God is not a hustler. And the hope he calls us to includes leaning in to face what seems to be unreasonable. And this hope cannot be built on naïve expectations that more and more people will see things the way that we see them. Our hope cannot be built on arrogant assumptions that we are completely right in the positions we take. Our hope cannot even be built on an expectation of steady improvement. If the arc of the moral universe does indeed bend towards justice, that arc will never be smooth and straight from a human perspective. It will have twists and turns, ups and downs, starts and stops.

Hebrews 10:35–36 ESV

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Our hope, if it is to be enduring must be rooted in the glory of Jesus Christ.