A New Hope

Bedrock Series Open

I went to Wheaton College, which is a liberal arts institution. That means that in their philosophy of education, they think it’s important that you are exposed to all kinds of different academic disciplines, science, math, art, music, philosophy, history, theology, etc. so that with a well rounded education, you become a well rounded person.

So I had to take a lab science course. That means it’s a science class where a couple days a week I sit in class, listen to the lecture... but then also one night a week I have a lab where you go do more hands-on type work for the class.

I took geology because of the statement “rocks for jocks”. Have you ever heard that phrase before? It came about because geology was supposed to be the easiest science class you could take so all the athletes would take it for an easy A.

Geology was…not easy. It was so. freaking. hard. They lied to me.

But I learned a lot.

Bedrock… below the soil, the clay, the gravel. it’s under the ocean. it’s the foundation for all the stuff on top

Over the next few weeks, i want to talk about Bedrock stuff. Basic, foundational truth for our faith in Jesus.

My talk tonight is called: A Princess, A President, and A Lion

I watch a lot of movies. Anybody else in here love movies? What are some of your favorite movies?

One of my favorite movies is Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

When this movie first came out in 1977 it was just called Star Wars and it was a huge hit. So much so that it went back into theatres in 1978, 79, 80, 81 - and in 1981 they added the episode IV part and called it A New Hope.

Princess Leia records a message that R2D2 transmits to Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi: Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope

Another movie I love, although not as good as the books, is the Hunger Games

Hunger Games (2012)

President Snow: Seneca, Why do we have a winner? Hope. it is the only thing stronger than fear.

Why do I bring those movies up tonight? Because they both deal with this concept of hope. I want want to talk about hope tonight.

hope, properly placed, is the foundational truth of our faith.

The bible has a lot to say about hope, so I’m gonna pick one and go from there.

Romans 8:24–25 CSB

Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

We need hope.

Princess Leia needed hope.

President Snow abused hope.

But you are not a fictional character. You are a real person.

And you, need hope.

What is it?

Hope: Anticipation for an unseen future experience.

To hope means to wait, with tension, for something to happen.

Rubber Band

Cut while limp = nothing

Cut under tension = snap

Hope is waiting for something while under the tension of expectation.

Hope doesn’t mean that you just want something to happen a certain way.

That’s a wish. That’s not hope.

The hope Paul is talking about in Romans 8 is solid.

It’s knowing with full confidence what is going to happen even when you can’t see it!

When I stretch the rubber band, you’re not guessing what is going to happen. You know exactly what is going to happen even though you haven’t seen me cut it.

Where are you trying to find it?

Then my question for you is why are you hoping in things that are not certain?

Hope in sports - i’ve talked to somebody in this ministry, on a Wednesday night at NXT. Who told me straight up “my sport is my only hope.”

The thought that a scholarship is it.

Hope in family - some of you guys have awesome home lives. Things are great. And you’re thinking that if that just continues then everything will continue to be great. Or maybe the flip side, home life for you is rough. And you’re hoping that is things just get better at home then life will be what you wanted it to be.

Hope in finances - Some of y’all are chasing dead presidents. If you can grind now, and start investing and build a portfolio then by the time you’re going to college you’ll have X amount in the bank and you’ll be set.

Hope in normal - I’ve been struggling with that recently. Why do I want things to go back to normal so bad? Is that really gonna be my bedrock?

right now it’s normal that we get to worship here at church, but what if that goes away?

One of the most convicting messages i’ve ever heard was last year when Pastor Jake preached up on this stage. He was talking about persecution and he said if we lost this building, no lights, no microphones, no comfy chairs, if we had instead to sneak over to Pastor Troy’s house in the middle of the night so we wouldn’t be seen, and huddle around one copy of the bible that it was illegal to have, if that was our reality would we still follow Jesus?

Hope in relationships - a guy or a girl will fulfill me.

Hope in social standing - being popular and well-liked at school will be my bedrock

You see the problem?

We try and build our lives on things that cannot hold it.

We try turn sports, or relationships, or even normalcy into bedrock when in reality we have no solidity there.

I don’t know about you, but i don’t want to build my life on something that i’m not sure can hold it.

Question #1 of the New City Catechism also talks about hope

Catechism

A catechism is a collection of questions and answers that help us learn deep foundational truths about the Christian faith.

Q1: What is our only hope in life and death?

A: That we are not our own but belong body and soul, both in life and death to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.

This is the foundation of our hope. This is how we know for certain that our hope is certain.

You. do not. belong. to you.

Why?

How can I say that?

I’m my own person.

I have my own thoughts.

I control my own actions.

I don’t belong to anybody.

No.

You do belong to somebody.

Romans 14:7–8 ESV

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

Paul writes in that Romas 14 passage that our lives are lived for God and even our deaths are for God. We belong to God.

Why? because Jesus purchased us.

Galatians 3:13 CSB

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.

1 Peter 1:18–19 CSB

For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

Acts 20:28 CSB

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 CSB

Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.

Do you see it!?

Since i’ve been talking about movies I like tonight, lets do one more.

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe there is a scene where the White Witch marches into Aslan’s camp and lays her claim on Edward.

You remember?

“The traitor’s blood belongs to me.”

The Witch and Aslan have a private conversation and afterward she renounces her claim on Edward.

Aslan substituted himself for Edward.

The debt that Edward deserved to pay was instead paid by Aslan

When you buy something you own it. When you rent something, you don’t own it. Jesus didn’t rent us from sin and death. He wasn’t like yeah i got them for a little bit. I’ll give them back eventually.

Jesus bought us from sin.

That’s the Gospel.

That’s why our only hope in life and death is that we do not belong to ourselves but belong body and soul, in life and death to God and to our Savior Jesus.

So what do we do with this?

The big takeaway for us is this:

Is your hope in the only thing that is solid?