HELD BY HOPE

Make Room Follow up

New Persons Next Steps (Dinner parties)

New Series Begins today

Hebrews 6 ESV

1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. 9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 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.

Prayer: A wartime Walkie Talkie, Not an intercom to a butler. Shape us, Mold us, Help us to know who we are, and to become who you have made us to be. Holy Set apart, sanctified, On a pilgrimage walking NOT alone but in your company - We pray - Amen.

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” - lewis (Weight of Glory, CS Lewis)

Series Introduction: Hope is Here (billboard)

In the lead up to easter….

HOPE IS HERE: today, Held by hope from Hebrews 6 Our culture keeps trying to satisfy eternal longings with temporary things — success, romance, politics, entertainment, experiences.

Here is something hope shows us Our restlessness is not proof of God’s absence — it’s evidence of eternity. “Your dissatisfaction may not mean something is wrong with your life — it may mean you were made for more than this life.”

Every culture has a soundtrack. Ours sounds anxious. Every culture has a dominant emotion. Ours feels restless. And when you peel it back, underneath the anger and exhaustion… you often find something deeper — hopelessness.”

{pivot}:…..

“But Christianity was born in a hopeless world. Roman oppression. Religious corruption. Social division. And into that darkness, a resurrection happened.”

Why does HOPE MATTER?

Core Framing Thought for the Whole Series

Culture offers distraction.Jesus offers hope.

Culture offers loose potential.. Jesus offers certain HOPE. Confident Hope, Reslient Hope

I want you to think about yrou world, my world the world around us that were living in today

Our world is: i reflected on a few of these this week…..

Information-saturated but meaning-starved - We have never had more information at our fingertips on our screens and content is everywhere or us to consume, but we are starved of actual truth… and meaning.

Connected but lonely - Pre or post pandemic it doesnt matter but our connectivity is never been more optimal from a basic standpoint - but yet we are living in a time when loniliness is rife and many young people feel this especially.

Outraged but powerless - We are fed algorithims meant to get us all fired up but all we can do about it comment on posts or make us miserable and all we end up doing is feeling helpless, powerless and angry about it

Entertained but exhausted - non stop entertainment, but never enough time for what really natters so we feel exhausted

Spiritually curious but biblically illiterate We are in a time where people are all about podcasts and quick learns online but people spend way more time online then they do on GOD. or in the word. The average person in the west doesnt know much at all about the bible, only some of the loose storilines and they certainly dont believe them to actually apply them personally and stand on Gods promises in them or beware of the warnings presented reading them - because they DONT EVEN KNOW THEY ARE THER

Culture is “Moody”.. It changes with the times….

“We are the most connected generation and the loneliest.”

“We have more technology and less peace.”

“We scroll for comfort and find comparison.”

“We know everything happening in the world and feel powerless to change any of it.”

Those lines often land more immediately than philosopher quotes

What does all this do…. People aren’t just struggling—they’re tired. Theyre hopeless.

This cannot and wont be the state of the church, Were meant to be the opposite of this

So define hope clearly: What is hope?

Biblical hope is confident expectation grounded in the character and promises of God.

Hope is not a vibe - Its a Person - His name is Jesus.

Not vibes. Not positivity. Not denial.

We have a Confidence and an expectation not in a system, but in a Person whos words, whose promises, whose ressurection power rests on those who believe HE IS WHO HE SAID HE IS.

BIBLICAL HOPE IS OUR FRAMEWORK FOR LIFE And all that Pertains to our lives, in the Lord Jesus.

So were goingto be looking at this WORD Hope and when its used in our bibles: and we have a choice church: are we going to be THIS PEOPLE of Hope that the bible describes or not?

What hope?

How do we hope?

Hope in the midst of pain?

Hope does not put us to shame. 

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner place behind the curtain. Hebrews 6:19 ESV

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. Meanwhile I feel quite sure (not by logic, but by the experience of many Christian who have told me) that all that we call the world would be but a name for something that would break our hearts, if it were not constantly sustained by 'the hope of immortality.'" -The Weight of Glory

Abraham (Hebrews 6:13-15), the father of faith who trusted God despite his circumstances, receiving what was promised is the prototype of anchored hope. In a world of shifting sands, biblical hope stands as an unmovable anchor, grounded not in our strength but in the unchanging character of God. For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, 

“But Christianity was born in a hopeless world. Roman oppression. Religious corruption. Social division. And into that darkness, a resurrection happened.”

Biblical hope is confident expectation rooted in the character and promises of God. This hope transforms restless hearts into pilgrims of peace, drawing us to the City of God as His eternal faithfulness secures our souls.

Theological Thread to Weave Throughout the entire Series

Christian hope is:

Certain of the future …..Eschatological (future glory is certain)

Resurrection-centered

Spirit-empowered

Communal (we don’t hope alone)

Missional (hope spills outward)

A HOPE THAT HOLDS THE WORLD UP.

A quick teaching moment - what has the church STOOD up through.

The church is anchored to Christ …..Culture can be anchored to the church….

Culture freaks out, The Church Steps up. Speaks words of Truth, takes action that changes things - Moves the world towards the kingdom

What does the church do….ANCHORED/HOPE THAT HOLDS

Text: Hebrews 6:19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul.”

Culture drifts because it has no anchor.

An anchored church should be:

Less reactive

Less afraid

Less outraged

More steady

More generous

More courageous

Big Line: “Anchored souls don’t panic when headlines do.”

What is the church needing right now?  A reminder of the HOPE that it has in the Lord Jesus.

What is the church lacking right now?

Unshakeable foundation?

This hope transforms restless hearts into pilgrims of peace, drawing us to the City of God as His eternal faithfulness secures our souls.

As we dive in - Why is this a hope that HOLDS US in a world that wants us to drift and float with every wind shift and movement in the tide:

1. Hope Rests on Who God is

It rests on God's Immutable Nature

God's character is the bedrock of hope, unchanging like the laws that govern the cosmos. Just as the sun rises without fail, so does His faithfulness endure. Psalm 102:25-27

Psalm 102:25–27 ESV

25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, 27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.

The immutability of gods Nature. What does this mean for me and my everyday living?

Do you think God can change? the short answer is no. He is immutable… What does that mean - it means he cant change: because if God could change, that means he could get better, but thats impossible because God is perfect. He is unchanging.

He does not change

That should be something we celebrate til the cows come home but we dont think about it because were all caught up in ourselves trying to make ourselves better we never stop to rest in the fact that God doesnt change.

He is God.

THE IMMUTABILITY OF GOD: WILL YOU AGREE WITH WHO GOD SAYS HE IS. SO NOW YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE.

We change, He never does.

WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND WHO GOD IS, You begin to have what the bible describes as the FEAR OF GOD.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

God doesn’t exist within my frame.

We exist inside of Gods frame (the bible tells me that)

the humbling nature of that is in fact free’ing for me.

[The gospel free’s me from myself.]

What the Gospel of Jesus does, and understanding how i am related to God through it gives me the biggest freedom ever: freedom from myself.

Here is a scary thought: Imagine having to hope in no one and nothing but yourself?

Imagine waking up every day and hanving to rely confidently in your ownb ability to make the world go around and go here there and everywhere and confidently expect it all to work out

If its just you - and its just us - its a pretty dark outlook our there isnt it?

But what does the bible say?

Lamentations 3:22–23 ESV

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Thank you Jesus that you never change

Thank you Lord that you are unfailing and unwaivering and i am failing and waivering but you never are - and you are faithful. in fact, GREAT is your faithfulness

Can we give the Lord some praise in Church today…..

2. Hope Trusts God's Unfailing Promises

Every promise from God carries the weight of His covenant, making it as reliable as creation itself. Abraham's story shows us that waiting on these promises builds unshakeable trust. God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Numbers 23:19

Hebrews 10:21–24 ESV

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 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. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

Psalm 147:11 ESV

11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

3. Hope Ignites a Life of Purposeful Pilgrimage

Proverbs 13:12 ESV

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Anchored hope turns survival into a sacred journey, pulling us through storms toward eternal rest. It compels us to live with resolve, with our eyes fixed on the horizon of God's kingdom. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.' Lamentations 3:22-2 

Our Deep Longing Points us Somewhere we all know we want to go.This world points us somewhere we all know deep down - we dont want to go

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11–12 ESV

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 1

Why this hope is something i need? This speaks directly to:

Anxiety - Am i anxious? hope relieves my anxious heart about the future. because my confidence rests in the one who knows and who has SECURED my future

Restlessness - I Can rest in the finished work of Jesus.

Chronic dissatisfaction - I can live my life fulifilled by this hope knowing that my hope isnt in religion, its not in a government, its not in a system , its in a person - His name is JESUS

Cultural burnout

Preaching angle: Maybe your restlessness is not a malfunction. Maybe it’s homesickness.

That line alone will preach

NOTES:

THE IMMUTABILITY OF GOD: WILL YOU AGREE WITH WHO GOD SAYS HE IS. SO NOW YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE.

WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND WHO GOD IS, THE FEAR OF GOD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM.

God doesn’t exist within my frame.

We exist inside of Gods frame (the bible tells me that)

the humbling nature of that is in fact free’ing

[The gospel free’s me from myself.]