Hope

DATE: December 1st, 2024

SERIES: Advent 2024

TITLE: I Set My Hope On Jesus

TEXT: Psalm 33:18-22

BIG IDEA: We can have hope in Christ through our struggles.

SERMON NOTES:

GROUPS QUESTIONS:

RESPOND:

Psalm 33:18-22

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his steadfast love,

that he may deliver their soul from death

and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him,

because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.

Good morning Living Word. I pray that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. This past Sunday we finished our 4-week series on how Christ builds his church. Now that we are in December, we are beginning a new series for the season of Advent.

The meaning of the word “Advent” is the beginning of something or the arrival of a person. Often when we think of an arrival around this time of year, we automatically think of the birth of Jesus in the city of Bethlehem. This was Christ’s first advent. However, the church has traditionally used this time of year not to look back at Christ’s first advent but to look forward to Christ’s second advent when he comes in victory to judge the world and gather his people from the four corners of the earth.

There are four weeks during the Advent season, each with a different focus. Over the next four weeks, we will look at how we can have Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love in this world as we wait for Christ’s return. Today we will be looking at the hope we have in Jesus.

Before Christ came to earth as a human, the Israelites had been hearing the prophecies about his coming for hundreds of years. They had a hope that the Messiah would come to deliver them from the oppression of the countries around them. At the time of Christ’s first coming, the hope and prayer of the Israelites was that the Messiah would be a political and military leader who would give them victory and independence from the Roman empire. We now know that Jesus did not come for that reason. The deliverance that Jesus provided for his people was freedom from the curse of sin and death.

Today, we can have hope in Christ as we wait for his second coming, his second Advent. We must ask the question though:

What is hope?

What do we think of when we think of hope? As a sports fan who is ever loyal to the city I grew up rooting for, I hope every year that the Mariners, Seahawks, and Huskies will actually be good. I find myself having less and less hope that the Mariners’ ownership group will do what it takes to get the necessary talent to be more than an almost playoff team.

We can have hopes and dreams of what we want to be when we grow up. We hope to be an athlete, a pilot, a lawyer, or even a superhero.

I am a Star Wars fan. So, when I hear the word hope, I often think of a little holographic recording of Carrie Fischer repeating over and over, “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope! Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”

All of these examples of hope are based on a modern understanding of the word. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, “hope” has two definitions:

to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true

This definition is most aligned with the examples of hope that I just gave. It could be considered a “wishing” for something to happen. Many people in our society today put this into practice by, “sending positive vibes” or “thinking positively” in order to “manifest” what we wish would come about. This is a very modern definition of hope and has nothing to do with the biblical concept of hope.

The second definition of hope is this:

Trust, or to expect with confidence.

The dictionary calls this the “archaic” definition. However, I want to show you that this is the definition we should be using when we talk about the hope we have in Christ.

The late theologian and teacher R.C. Sproul said in his commentary on the letter to the Romans:

“Hope is not taking a deep breath and hoping/wishing things are going to turn out all right. It is assurance that God is going to do what he says he will do.”

When we know who God is, who Christ is, we can have a confidence and trust that when the world around us is falling apart, God knows what we need and how to provide what we need in a way that points all glory to him.

Big Idea: We can have hope in Christ beyond our struggles.

Let’s start digging into our text this morning.

Psalm 33:18

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

God has his eye on those who put their faith and trust in him. When we fear the Lord, there is a security in knowing God, a security in the fact he is watching over us. Having hope in the Lord and fearing him is having hope in his steadfast love. “Steadfast” means a resoluteness, a firmness like steel. To be steadfast is to be unwavering, unfailing, and unmoved. God’s love is never changing, never ending. We can hold on the the love of God because it does not move. We move, We falter. God does not.

In his book Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer says this about the immutability (or the unchagingness) of God:

“For a moral being to change it would be necessary that the change be in one of three directions. He must go from better to worse or from worse to better; or, granted that the moral quality remain stable, he must change within himself, as from immature to mature or from one order of being to another. It should be clear that God can move in none of these directions. His perfections forever rule out any such possibility.”

You see, we serve a God who never changes. God is perfect and therefore cannot improve or be altered. God does not learn from the past. He does not look into the future to see how things may turn out and make changes in order to get a different outcome. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

It is hard to trust in something that is not consistent. Husbands and fathers, if you find that your wife or kids have a hard time trusting you are going to get something done that you said you were going to do, it is probably because you have not shown consistency in actually doing the things you say you will do. I believe it is the husband and father’s job to be Christ to his family; to model the sacrificial love of Jesus. He is called to sacrifice himself, to give up his life, for those he loves, providing for their needs above his own, and to do it on a consistent basis so that his wife and kids are not shown how great their husband and father is, but so they will see how great their father’s God is. Men, our families should see the consistency of God, in the consistency of service, love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness we show them.

Next Step: I will ask God to help me be more consistent in my responsibilities.

I struggle with consistency. I know I do. I find myself constantly needing to ask God to help me be more consistent in my own life. I pray that you will do the same.

Psalm 33:19

that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

Our hope in the Lord is that he will deliver us from death. For those who have put their trust in God, he has delivered their souls from eternal death and torment through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The “God who provides” gives us eternal life when we submit our lives to him. When we submit to Christ, we can have hope, or trust, that God keeps his promises to us.

God not only provides for our souls, but he also provides for our everyday, physical needs. However, the passage does not say that God gives us prosperity in famine. Our hope and trust is that he will keep us alive in famine.

So often we want God to provide for us in a specific way. We want a job that provides a big enough paycheck that will cover all of our needs plus enough excess that we will feel comfortable at all times, be able to do whatever we want and go wherever we want and not have to worry, “Can I afford this?” We don’t want enough to get by. We want abundance. We serve a God who provides what we need, he provides the amount we need exactly when we need it. He is never late.

I had two grandparents who suffered from alzheimers and dementia. One grandparent had pancreatic cancer. Another had so many health problems that the joke with all the cousins was that he had been dying since before all of us were born. All four of my grandparents loved Jesus. God did not heal any of them from their ailments and diseases in this life. But because of the promises that we see in Scripture, that God takes care of those who love him, I can have hope, I can trust, that Grandpa Howard and Grandma Orvella now have clear minds in the presence of their Savior. Grandma Dorothy is now cancer free. Grandpa Bud no longer has diabetes, kidney disease, strokes, and no longer needs a pacemaker. They are now all whole in the presence of Jesus. (And now my family is giving me dirty looks for making them all cry.)

We can often find ourselves worrying about the things of tomorrow. “How will we afford this? If we can, will it affect what we can afford later?”

“Will we ever have the resources to retire?”

“How will this situation affect the kids in the future?”

“Will my health problems allow me to take care of my family the way I want to? What if my health gets worse?”

Keep your finger in Psalm 33 and turn with me to Matthew chapter 6. Jesus spoke to his disciples and followers in the Sermon on the Mount about anxiety and worry. In this passage, Jesus shows us that we can have faith in God to provide for our needs. (Somewhat long passage but speaks completely to God’s provision)

Matthew 6:25-33

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Jesus says in this passage that God knows what we need. God knows! Not only that, but if God knows what the birds of the air need and feeds them, how much more will he provide for us who he created in his own image! The flowers of the field do go shopping for the latest fashion styles and yet God gives them such colors and beauty that Jesus says that Solomon in all of his royal gowns and pageantry was not dressed like them. We dont need to be anxious about the everyday aspects of our lives.

What does Jesus say we should do instead of being anxious? We are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. When we seek the Lord and desire to know the truth of who he is, he will provide for our needs. I said many times in our series on Christ building the church that our job is to be faithful and let him bring the increase. The same thing applies for our troubles and anxieties. Seek the Lord and be faithful to him and you will find yourself worrying less about the troubles of this world. Our hope and trust in the God who provides should help to calm the anxieties of life.

Back to our main passage of Psalm 33.

Psalm 33:20

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

; he is our help and our shield.

If we understand the immutability, or unchangingness of God, that his love and grace are not fickle and temporary, we can wait for the Lord. We don’t need to be anxious. We can be reminded that though this world is temporary, our God is everlasting. Though friends and family may betray us, our God is ever faithful and ever true. Though this life is full of pain and hardship, we have a God who calls us to worship him, to glorify him, to make him the focus of our lives so that when these bodies have finished their race, we will be with him where there is no suffering, no pain, no death, no betrayal, no disease. Only then will we finally be made whole.

The psalmist says that we can wait on the Lord because he is both our help and our shield. God both helps and protects his people in this life. You may have heard the saying, “God never gives you more than you can handle.” That saying is from the book of 2nd and 3rd Opinions. Do you know how I know that saying is not true? God gave you life! The brokenness that sin has caused often makes this life unbearable. Why else do you think suicide, depression, and anxiety are on the rise in our world today?

I believe that many of the trials that we face in life are meant to turn our hearts and minds back to God. The things in this life that overwhelm us should remind of us of the God who is never overwhelmed, never taken by surprise, and never unprepared to provide for his people.

James 1:2-4

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James says that our trials should give us joy - not happiness (“My business partner just embezzled all of our company money away and it is so awesome!”) - but joy, a sense of contentment, because the trials and troubles that we go through produce steadfastness, or perseverance, in us! This is a process that we call “sanctification”. Sanctify is a word we talked about last week. It is a set-apart-ness, a purification, that helps mold us into the likeness of Christ and look less like the world around us that is full of despair and hopelessness.

The process of purifying metals like gold requires a strain and stress on the metal most often in the form of fire. As the the hot metal liquifies, the impurities and other elements that are mixed with the precious metal often rise to the top to be scraped or scooped off, leaving a purer form of the metal. When we are part of God’s household, putting our trust and faith in him who is all sufficient, we will see the Holy Spirit working in us with fruit that cannot grow without trial.

It is through learning to love the unloveable, learning to have joy and contentment in times of want, peace in the midst of turmoil, patience when we want results now, kindness when we are hated, goodness in an evil world, faithfulness when others betray us, gentleness in the face of hostility, and self-control when you want to lash out, it is through those times that we recognize that God shows all of those fruits toward us. These circumstances show us that what we face in this world is not only temporary, but we have a God who shows all of these attributes to his children, without fail, without change. We can trust in his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control toward us.

Warning: when you ask for God to help you be patient, he will send people and circumstances that will force you to be patient. If you ask him to help you love people better, he will send you “unloveable” people.

Psalm 33:21

For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

Our hearts can be glad in the Lord because we trust that he is faithful to his word. In the song, The Lord is My Salvation it says this:

“My hope is hidden in the Lord. He flowers each promise of his word.”

We can trust in him because we have seen how he has worked in us, growing the fruit of the Spirit within us so that we may look more and more like Jesus in how we act, talk, and think.

In the last month I have seen a lot of Christians despair over the presidential election results. I have also seen Christians who think that Trump winning was the best thing that could ever happen to our country. I will not call someone’s salvation into question over how they react to a presidential election, but I will wonder where their hope actually lies based on how they react to circumstances of this world.

I have also seen this massive movement of people who at one time professed to be followers of Christ, but have now left the faith or now believe things that do not align with what Scripture after “Deconstructing” their faith. What I have noticed in those who “deconstruct” is two things: 1.) that their hope was often in people or institutions that hurt or disappointed them and that caused a crisis of faith, and 2.) that many of those who “deconstruct” had their sins or incorrect beliefs pointed out to them, didn’t like it, and left the church.

When our hope and trust and faith are found in Jesus Christ and in him alone, we can still trust that God is in control when an election doesn’t go the way we hope, or when the people we trust in, rely on, or look up to end up failing us fail us. When we hope and trust in Christ alone, we won’t tear down everything we once believed in, but instead will be “re-formed” in our beliefs to match what God says about himself in his word.

The Reformers like Luther and Calvin had no intention of tearing down the Catholic church. They simply were trying to point the church back to believing what Scripture said. To doing what the word of God tells us. Their hope was in Christ and his word, not in the pope or the traditions of the church.

Psalm 33:22

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

Here in this verse, the psalmist is asking God to keep his steadfast love upon us. The writer said a few verses earlier that the eye of the Lord is on those who hope in his steadfast love. It may feel like the writer is begging God, as if he is not sure the Lord will honor this request, trying to give God a reason to keep his love upon his people - “we are hoping in you.”

I believe that passages like this are in Scripture, not to show us that we have to keep begging God and giving reasons why he should be faithful to us - though we are constantly unfaithful to him. Instead, these passages should remind us of God’s faithfulness, that our hope should be in him because we are so unfaithful. Our rebellion and lack of faithfulness deserve punishment. And yet, God sent his Son to take that punishment for us.

Jesus carried the weight of our sin and shame. He took our place. God has provided for us. He has given us hope in our hopeless state. Because of that, we can put our hope and trust in him.

In Ephesians, Paul tells the Gentile believers that before they put their faith in Christ they were separated from Christ, strangers the promises of God’s covenant. They were without hope and without God in the world. That is what our unsaved friends, family members and co-workers are experiencing. We are in a place to share the hope we have in Christ with those who desperately need it.

If you are here today and you feel hopeless. It feels like life is falling apart. The anxiety and worries about this life and the world around us feel like a crushing weight on your chest that won’t allow you to breathe. Today, you can find hope and rest in Jesus Christ. Only he can lift the burdens of this life from your shoulders. Submit your life to Christ today, putting your hope in the God who provides for his people.

Next Step: I will put my hope in Jesus Christ.

If that is you, the elders and I will be available after service to talk with you, pray with you, and encourage you. We want to come along side you uin this journey of following after Jesus. It is a journey that is not meant to be done alone. We would love to help you discover the grace, mercy, truth, and hope that can be found in Christ.

I want to close with the words to a song. The title of this song is, “I Set My Hope On Jesus - Hymn for a Deconstructing Friend” Written by Keith and Kristyn Getty with Matt Papa and Mat Boswell.

When this life of trials test my faith

I set my hope on Jesus

When the questions come and doubts remain

I set my hope on Jesus

For the deepest wounds that time won't heal

There's a joy that runs still deeper

There's a truth that's more than all I feel

I set my hope on Jesus

I set my hope on Jesus

My rock, my only trust

Who set His heart upon me first

I set my hope on Jesus

Though I falter in this war with sin

I set my hope on Jesus

When I fail the fight and sink within

I set my hope on Jesus

Though the shame would drown me in its sea

And I dread the waves of justice

I will cast my life on Calvary

I set my hope on Jesus

I set my hope on Jesus

My rock, my only trust

Who set His heart upon me first

I set my hope on Jesus

Though the world calls me to leave my Lord

I set my hope on Jesus

Though it offer all its vain rewards

I set my hope on Jesus

Though this heart of mine is prone to stray

Give me grace enough to finish

'Til I worship on that final day

I set my hope on Jesus

I set my hope on Jesus

My rock, my only trust

Who set His heart upon me first

I set my hope on Jesus

Let us pray.

Communion.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

(Say blessing over the bread)

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

(Say blessing over the cup)