Essentials : You Can Have Hope

INTRODUCTION

· If you’re anything like me, you really enjoy a good meme.

Jacob Weakland Meme Account Story

The reason we all enjoy memes so much is they have a way of helping us communicate what we think or, more often, how we feel about the things happening around us.

They help you express that feeling when words fail you.

You feel seen, thinking you’re the only one who has experienced that really niche thing. FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT!

The point is, Memes can be fun when life is going great, but they can also be helpful when we have those moments where it feels like everything is going wrong and we don’t know what to say.

TENSION

· Sometimes in life, things get really tough, you go through something difficult, and it’s hard to find the words that line up with how we’re feeling.

We all experience challenges in life.

We all occasionally fail.

We all see evil at work in the world.

Most of us can agree that the world is not as it should be. - Because sin entered the world.

· In times like these, in breakups, in failed tests, in divorced parents, in friendships going south, you might begin to wonder

What do I do with that? How can I bounce back from this?

Maybe you struggle to deal with what you are facing.

Maybe your emotions feel overwhelming, or you struggle to know how to move forward.

· It’s so important to take some time to figure out the best way to keep going.

We need to ask ourselves: How does following Jesus change the way I navigate difficult experiences?

TRUTH

· When it comes to navigating difficult circumstances, there is one skill we can develop that changes the way we handle these situations : Resilience

Resilience is the willingness to get back up and grow stronger from challenges and setbacks.

· The Bible is FILLED with people who go through challenges while showing resilience, and thankfully wrote about their experiences so that we can relate to them and learn from them.

David

David and Goliath

Later, became the King of Israel

He wasn’t perfect, in fact, he made some terrible mistakes.

Still, he was named, “the man after God’s own heart.” because David cared about and valued the same things that God does.

He also was a shepherd who wrote poems and songs.

He was the ‘TROY BOLTON’ of his time.

He used his poems to talk to God and wrestle what he was going through. This is how we got a lot of the Psalms.

The Psalms is a collection of prayers, songs, and poems that express raw emotions.

They cover every emotion from great joy to DEEP sadness and everything in between.

You can almost picture the Psalms as the Bible’s book of memes… Except much deeper.

They capture raw emotions, BIG feelings, and deep truths in short, relatable, and creative ways.

· One of the main things we see in the Psalms is people choosing to be real with God, no matter what they are feeling or going through.

O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall (Psalm 13:1-4 NLT).

· When we first read this, it’s hard to see resilience, but David was asking God some big questions, wondering where God was in the middle of whatever he was going through.

David chose to be honest with God about his struggles.

He was honest about his doubt and his hurt. He didn’t hold back those things back from God, instead he brought them directly to God.

· Sometimes being brave enough to be honest with God about where we are and what we’re thinking or feeling is what resilience looks like.

The temptation is to run away from God, fix ourselves or our situation, and then maybe come back to God, but God is saying, I’ve never asked you to do this alone.

David offers his struggles to God, and worked through them honestly with the Lord, but he didn’t land there.

But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me (Psalm 13:5-6 NLT).

· It's almost as if David's reminded of God’s love and goodness as he’s pouring out his heart God.

· Once he’s focused on the goodness and love of God, he can end the poem with one big thing:

hope.

David was able to remember his history with God over his whole life, and remember God’s faithfulness over his life.

Kelsey and My unanswered prayers - There are prayers I’ve had for years that have been unanswered. It has been really hard.

What has brought me through those times is being honest with God AND remembering that all that God has done in my life, all that He has answered. He has been faithful.

You can have hope.

· You can have hope, because the source of your hope isn’t in yourself or in your circumstances.

Our hope is in Jesus.

· Check out these words from Jesus:

o “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT).

· You WILL have trials and sorrows.

We are guarantee that we will face difficulty. Just because we follow Jesus doesn’t mean we won’t have difficulties and challenges in life.

BUT, we do have something to get us through that, and that is our hope in Jesus.

The reason we can have hope is because Jesus has already overcome sin and death through His own death and resurrection.

· Remember, like David, you can be honest with Jesus about what you’re facing AND remember the unfailing love that was shown through His life and death. We can trust that he will make all things new.

· Lastly, We need each other, too. We need community.

· When the tough stuff in life happens, we need people around us to remind us of the hope we have.

Small groups

· Community is a gift from God, and it’s one of the best ways to experience hope.

APPLICATION

· Practicing resilience through holding on to hope sometimes starts with remembering!

Remember that you can be honest with God.

You can tell God anything. Literally, nothing you say or do will take Him by surprise. God can more than handle the tough stuff that you’ve got in your mind and heart. If you’re not sure where to start or what to say, take a moment to read through some of the Psalms. In the Psalms you can find all sorts of moments when people were praying and saying some honest things to God. He loves you and wants you to be yourself and keep it authentic. It’s in being honest with God that our lives can begin to change.

Remember how God has helped you.

Sometimes we need reminders of the reasons we can have hope. Sometimes that’s personal, and you need to remember the ways God has shown up in your life. That’s why I always encourage people to journal. You can look back at the things you’ve prayed for and the circumstances you’ve lived through. Use those moments to reflect on the ways that you’ve experienced God at work in your life. Other times we need community to help us remember the ways God has helped us. Sometimes that help comes in the form of good friends, family members, or even your Small Group Leader.

Remember what is true about God.

God’s love and goodness never end. His care for you goes beyond what you can possibly imagine. That’s why spending time reading the Bible can be helpful. The Bible is filled with stories that can remind us about God’s loving care for each of us. If you’re wondering where to start, check out the stories of Jesus in the Gospels, which are the first four books in the New Testament of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Looking at the life and character of Jesus is a great way to hold on to hope in those moments when life is a struggle.

LANDING

Hope is a part of resilience, and you can have hope because of Jesus.

In what areas of your life do you need hope?