My Hope is Built on _______

 Romans 5:5

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

                 Over the past two years, our country has faced unprecedented challenges. The on-going pandemic has drained our energy. Even as we enter into a new year, we are faced with a new wave of COVID that continues to spread. Our political and social systems have been in constant turmoil. We have never been more divided as a nation than we are right now. Many people are facing this new year with little hope for a better future.

                In the face of all of these challenges, many people are looking for some glimmer of hope. As a nation, our hope was bolstered when the first vaccines were made available. But the vaccines have proven to be less than the answer we were looking for. As new strains of the virus have emerged, even those who have been vaccinated have contracted the disease, albeit at much lower and less severe levels. Many people placed their hope in a change of government leadership, but that too has turned out to be disappointing. Instead of drawing us together, our political system continues to pull us apart.

                One of the biggest causes of our hopelessness is not the pandemic or the political turmoil. It is an underlying philosophy of skepticism and denial of any absolute truth. In an environment where everyone gets to determine truth for themselves, there can never be true peace and harmony. Instead of peace, we get a constant battle for individual rights, wants and desires. Each person’s concept of truth is pitted against everyone else’s concept of truth. Those with the loudest voices win the moment, but only until someone with a louder voice emerges. Is hopelessness out fate? Do we need to resign ourselves to a world on chaos and despair? I can answer with a resounding NO! There is hope to be found and it is not in political systems or medical science or science in general. It is to be found in relationships, and especially one essential relationship.

                Hope is an essential ingredient for life. Everyone needs a certain level of hope to survive. Without hope, life is reduced to despair and mere existence. No one wants to be around a hopeless person for long. They drain our energy and kill our spirit. Hopelessness usually expresses itself in pessimism, cynicism, and an overall negative attitude. Hopelessness is the inability to see anything good in our world.

                All of us cling to our desire for some kind of hope. Hope gives us the energy to keep going and to face the challenges before us. I am not talking about the kind of hope that is mere wishful thinking. I’m talking about the kind of hope that is based on something solid. Real hope is deep confidence in something. It could be confidence is our own abilities, or in society, or in another person, or in a certain ideology. This confidence is what gives us the energy to press on.

                The problem we all face is that the things we place our hope in often disappoint us. When this happens, our hope begins to waver. We may abandon the object of our hope and go looking for something else to replace it. For a time, our hope may be renewed, until that new object or person fails to live up to our expectations. Then our hope wavers again.

                But there is a hope that will not disappoint us. It is a hope that is stable and satisfying. It is the hope that is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. This hope is not controlled by the circumstances of life. It is a solid confidence in the person and promises of Jesus. There are at least three ways that a relationship with Jesus gives us a solid, enduring hope.

                First, Jesus offers us forgiveness and salvation. It is not popular today to talk about sin, yet we all live with a nagging feeling that something is wrong in our life; that some of our actions are wrong. We often live with an undefined sense of guilt that we just cannot shake. We can stuff it, deny it, even explain it away, but it still remains in the shadows of our mind. Jesus has offered us a permanent solution to our sin and guilt. Through Jesus death on the cross, He has made it possible for us to experience forgiveness and freedom from our sin and guilt. As it says in Colossians 1:134-14, For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

                The second way that Jesus offers us hope is by giving us the strength to face the challenges of life. Hope in Jesus is not just wishful thinking about a better tomorrow. It is a present reality for those who believe in Him. Jesus has promised to be our constant companion and guide throughout life. Through His Holy Spirit, He makes available to us the resources we need to thrive. As it says in Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

                Finally, Jesus gives us hope for the future. One of the primary concerns in our society today is for justice. People are demanding that justice be done. Unfortunately, the justice that most people want it very narrow and one sided. They want justice for themselves, but do not want to face judgement themselves. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, He is able to offer us true justice. For those who place their faith in Him, He offers forgiveness and reconciliation. As it says in Romans 8:1-2, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. In addition, Jesus promises that at the end of time all will be judged by their actions during this life. Death is not letting a person off from accountability, it is only the pathway to it. As it says in Romans 14:10-12, For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

                But our hope is noy just in ultimate justice being done. It is victory over death and life eternal. Jesus isn’t offering us some nondescript existence, but a joyful, abundant life both now and for all of eternity. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

                What are you putting your hope in? Has your hope been waning? Jesus wants to give you a hope that will last. A hope that will truly empower you to face the challenges of life; and not just to endure, but to thrive.

John 5:24

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.