A Hope That Lasts

Church, as we prepare our hearts to worship, there's nothing better than to declare God's praises over our lives. Even when we experience chaos or difficulty or pain, we continue to say, God, you are good. God, you're faithful. And we see change happening day after day. And so I encourage you this morning to lift your voice, even when these songs seem difficult to sing, sing through the pain, sing through the chaos. God is good, amen? Amen, let's worship. Yeah! Come on, Church, put your hands together. Yeah! Woo! ♪ I've seen favor, but none like this ♪ ♪ I've seen blessings that don't make sense ♪ ♪ So can I just sit by? ♪ ♪ I've seen miracles I could not find ♪ ♪ I've seen love I can't deny ♪ ♪ So can I testify? ♪ ♪ I'm gonna shout it out! ♪ ♪ That the Lord is good ♪ ♪ I've seen it all by now ♪ ♪ That the Lord is good ♪ ♪ He was faithful then, He's faithful now ♪ ♪ Forevermore I will shout ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, now the Lord is good ♪ ♪ Can I testify? ♪

♪ Can I testify? ♪ ♪ He's been with me from the very start ♪ ♪ He's the only one who has my heart ♪ ♪ So can I testify? ♪ ♪ He's the one who never lets me down ♪ ♪ He's the one who turned my life around ♪ ♪ So can I testify? ♪ ♪ I'm gonna shout it out! ♪ ♪ That the Lord is good ♪ ♪ I've seen it all my life ♪ ♪ That the Lord is good ♪ ♪ He was faithful then, He's faithful now ♪ ♪ Forevermore I will shout ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, now the Lord is good ♪ ♪ Can I testify? ♪ Come on, put your hands together, church! And if you have a testimony, just praise Him! Testify! Yeah! ♪ If you only knew what Jesus saved me from ♪ ♪ I was in the dark, He brought me to the sun ♪ ♪ Now I'm living proof of what the Lord has done ♪ ♪ Look what the Lord has done ♪ ♪ If you only knew what Jesus saved me from ♪ ♪ I was in the dark, He brought me to the sun ♪ ♪ Now I'm living proof of what the Lord has done ♪ ♪ If you only knew what Jesus saved me from ♪ ♪ I was in the dark, He brought me to the sun ♪ ♪ Now I'm living proof of what the Lord has done ♪ ♪ What the Lord has done ♪

♪ Now the Lord is good ♪ ♪ Now the Lord is good ♪ ♪ Now the Lord is good ♪ ♪ I give it all my life ♪ ♪ Now the Lord is good ♪ ♪ He's faithful there, He's faithful now ♪ ♪ Forevermore I will shout hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, for everything is good ♪ ♪ Can I testify? ♪ ♪ Can I testify? ♪ ♪ Can I testify? ♪ Father, we're so grateful. For the sacrifice you made on that cross, Lord, you shed your blood so we can freely live and freely worship. Let me sing this to you. And everything changed, it's getting harder to recognize The person I was before I encountered Christ I don't walk like I used to and I don't talk like I used to I've been washed from the inside I've been washed from the inside Hallelujah, Hallelujah I know it was the blood I've only been the blood Hallelujah, Hallelujah I know it was the blood And I've only been the blood Say, I cannot explain I cannot explain Nothing's more real than this In the presence of God My heart experienced

When my shame hit the wayside And my sin met the most high I was washed from the inside I was washed from the inside Hallelujah, Hallelujah I know it was the blood I've only been the blood Hallelujah, Hallelujah I know it was the blood And I've only been the blood Thank you for your blood Thank you, Jesus And I am free It's never been about the bones Perfection We're striving for it to happen Let me tell you It's only by the blood It's never been about deserving Worthy It's a gift that's free to give Let me tell you It's only by the blood Oh, does anybody wanna be holy And righteous Miraculous, marvelous Let me tell you It's only by the blood Does anybody wanna be worthy Worthy, baby

Justify Let me tell you It's only by the blood Does anybody wanna be worthy Hallelujah, Hallelujah I know it was the blood I've only been the blood Hallelujah, Hallelujah I know it was the blood And I've only been the blood Thank you, Jesus It's only by the blood It's only by the blood It's only by the blood Hallelujah Hallelujah I know it was the blood I've only been the blood Hallelujah Hallelujah I know it was the blood Could've only been the blood Hallelujah Hallelujah Could've only been One more time, say Hallelujah And Hallelujah ♪ I know it was about, could have only been about ♪ The presence of the living God is with us when we gather because he so loves us.

He loves us so much that he sent his one and only son, Jesus, to live for us, to die for all of our sin, to rise again so that we could be adopted into his family. The reason we sing about his blood is because it's his blood that cleanses us. It's his blood that makes us white as snow and takes away all our guilt and shame and allows us to be seen by the father as pure and spotless. It's not our work. It's the work that he did on the cross when he spilled his blood. This is why we sing about his blood. Part of our response in worship, worship is not just the songs that we sing. Worship is our whole life response to who he is and for what he's done. And when we gather together, we respond through our singing. We respond through our surrender. We respond in praying to him. But one of the other ways we respond is through communion and taking the Lord's Supper. Every week, you may not know it, but the elements for communion are to my left and my right. And when we come together, you're free to respond by remembering what Jesus did for us. When you walked in today, you should have received those elements. If you're a guest with us today, we're so glad that you're here.

God loves you. He's for you. He's with you right now. I would encourage you though, if you're a guest and you haven't surrendered your life to Jesus, not to partake in this. This is serious for followers of Christ. It's remembering the sacrifice that he made. I would encourage you to just continue to respond in prayer, in singing, in worship. But for those of us who have committed ourselves to him, we get to partake in this. These are just symbols. We're not actually eating his flesh. We're not actually drinking his blood. He didn't call us to be vampires. He called us to remember. And the reason we do is because this final meal with his friends, the last supper, Jesus gathered his disciples together and reminded them in just a little while, I'm gonna lay down my life for you, my friends. And so he shared this final meal that we celebrate today. He held up the unleavened bread. And he says, this represents my body. My body that was broken for you. The Bible says that he was bruised for our transgressions. He was pierced for our iniquities. And by his stripes in his body, his broken body, we have been healed.

He lifted it up and he says, often as you take of this element, he says, do it in remembrance of me. Let's remember his body that was broken on our behalf. And that Jesus, he held up the fruit of the vine. He says, this represents my blood. My blood that will be spilled for your forgiveness of sin. He says, as often as you drink of this, he says, do it in remembrance of me. Let's remember the blood that was spilled. The blood, he says, of a new covenant, a new promise that we are not forsaken, but we are loved. Let's remember him by taking up the fruit of the vine. Let's remember him by taking up the fruit of the vine. I'm gonna ask our prayer partners to come forward right now. As we've remembered his sacrifice, his saving power over us. Some of us, we are convicted of sin. Some of us, there's a burden that we're carrying that he wants us to let go of. We're gonna take some time to pray for some needs. If there's a prayer request you have, there's a connect card in the seat back in front. You can fill that out. We pray for every need by name, every single week. There's a prayer that's heavy on your heart right now. You can come forward and receive prayer. Cast your cares at his feet. But for the rest of us, would you just stretch out your hands

as we pray for these few needs as representative of the whole of this church familial. Father, I thank you so much that you so love us. We remember the sacrifice you made and the grace that you extended to us, God, how we are forgiven because of your blood. This is why we can have confidence approaching your throne of grace, God. We don't just cry out to the universe, we lift up our prayers to you whose ear is turned toward us, who answers according to your will for your sons and daughters, God. So we lift up these requests. We pray right now for our family, Lord, as they have made it a priority to put their family first, God, it has affected their finances, Jesus, that I pray that you would meet every need, that you would provide for them, that they would see that they're sacrificing, to put their family first, that you honor them. God, I pray right now for Ileana, that you would bring healing to her son, Jesus. Whatever he's going through in his body and in his mind, that you would meet him there and you would give him peace that surpasses understanding. I pray right now for the Thomas family, because their dad just went to the hospital. God, that your healing hand would be upon him, that you would restore whatever is wrong and you would bring him hope and peace. I pray right now for Prissy, Lord, who's pregnant but is experiencing blood pressure challenges. God, would you write and sustain everything that is abnormal in her body and would you continue to develop that precious little child within her, God, that that they would be healthy and whole and be delivered and that they would grow up to know you, to know that before they were even born that you had plans for their life, Lord. I pray right now for Manny, who celebrated 100 years of living this week, Jesus, but his family's prayer is that he would know you. So, Lord, I pray with all the celebration that you would give them boldness, courage, and confidence to not withhold the gospel, the good news, the power of salvation for everyone who believes, Jesus, and I pray that Manny would come to know you as we lift up their one. And for all of us in this place, Lord, you know our prayers, you know our burdens, and you meet us right where we're at. Thank you, Jesus, for all that you will do, for all that you are doing, for your blood and your body that sets us

free, Lord. Thank you. We know that the best is still before us, because you're always with us. So we pray all these things, thanking you for your body, for your blood. In Jesus' name we pray. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. And oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. And nothing but the blood of Jesus. And oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. And oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. He cleanses free, Lord, all our sins. And we can sin freely. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. ♪ The blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ And hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ I know it was the blood, come on sing it out ♪ ♪ Could have only been the blood, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, I know it was the blood ♪ ♪ Could have only been the blood, one more time ♪ ♪ Say hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ I know it was the blood, could have only been, come on sing it out ♪ And hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, I know it was the blood ♪ ♪ Could have only been the blood ♪ Thank you Jesus for your blood. Lord, we can stand in confidence that you are here and that you hear us. I pray that you would ready our hearts and our minds. Lord, you would do what only you can do. It's not by power, it's not by might. It's not by who's preaching, it's by your spirit and your spirit alone. So Father, we may not have all the answers

but we surrender all of who we are. And you would do whatever it is you desire in and through so that you would put faith to our feet so we would leave this place with confidence and hope that you wanna use us to see people saved and rescued from their sin. Teach us what we need to know. Prune whatever is not from you. Even though it may be painful God, we know that it will produce the fruit that you desire in us. Thank you Lord for what you're going to do. It's in your name we thank you and pray. And all the people of God who love them said. Come on church, let's continue to give them praise as we take a seat and open up God's words. I wanna welcome you once again to the perfect place for imperfect people to experience the presence of God. I'm Eric, I have the privilege of teaching today. And once again, I'm a little bit under the weather. It's been summer. My kids actually got out of school about a week and a half ago. We were spending a lot of time in the pool and playing and staying up late. And two of my kids got me sick. So I'm gonna sound a little bit more nasally than I typically do. I appreciate the grace on the onset. But let's just jump right into it. Turn your Bible to 1 Peter chapter three.

You can follow along on the screen or in your notes as well. Chapter three, verse 15. This is our passage for today. It says, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Let me ask you this as we begin. Has anyone ever experienced a moment where someone asks you a very simple question and for some reason you forget the answer although you know it? Like you absolutely know the answer but all of a sudden your mouth and your mind, they stop communicating. They stop working in tandem. They're no longer friends and you forgot the answer. Someone asked me a question recently and I knew the answer but I could not come up with it in my mind. They simply asked, how does this work exactly? And instead of giving them a human answer, I just start saying whatever comes to mind. It's all word salad, word salad. I'm just spewing words that are coming to my mind while looking for the actual answer that I know is somewhere in there. And I could see in their face because I just keep on going on and on about absolutely nothing.

Halfway through me answering, I could see in their eyes like, why did I ask him in the first place? This guy's an idiot. Now some of you laugh but I know all of us have experienced this. Someone will ask you, how old are your kids? And you forget. I don't know. I have no idea. You know but you don't know, right? Or someone could say, hey, we're going out to a restaurant. What's your favorite place to eat? And you're blank. It's like you've never eaten a meal before. You can't explain to them. Here's my favorite one. This happened to me so many times. You're introducing someone you know to someone you don't know but then you forget the person that you're introducing. Hey, this is my friend. My familia. Man, we go way back. Dude, tell them your name. What are you doing? You know what I find interesting is that sometimes people of faith, we respond the same way

when questions about our faith come up. We panic. We freeze. Not because we don't love Jesus. Not because we don't believe or we don't have faith but simply because someone and asked us an unexpected question when we least expected it. If that's ever happened to you, I want you to know that that doesn't mean that your faith is weak. I think what it means is that maybe you've never talked about how to talk about it. No one's ever taught you how to communicate what you believe. This is why we've been in this teaching series called Faith Forward. Over the past five weeks, we've been talking through apologetics. We've been setting a foundation together for what we believe. Week one, we talked about the reliability of scripture and the inspiration of God's words. Then we talked about passing our faith on to the next generation. We answered the challenge of atheism in our culture today. And last week, we looked at the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. And I've said this every week,

and I wanna talk about this specifically today. I want you to hear this, that the goal of this series, that the goal of learning apologetics was never meant for us to be argumentative, was never meant for us to have a sense of arrogance. It was readiness, for us to be ready. Reason I'm sharing this is because I know some Christians who maybe they believe that the great commission is to go there for and destroy people in debates. But that's not what God has called us to. They're confusing boldness for Christ and being aggressive. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the comment section of a Christian blog or someone who follows Jesus on Instagram and someone disagrees or someone asked a question and a Christian swooping in and decimating them in the comment section. It was boldness. No, it wasn't boldness. It was rudeness with a Bible verse attached to it. I've known many Christians who can win arguments, but not love like Jesus. I'm friends even today with some Christians who can defend their faith, who can defend why they believe, what they believe about Jesus, but they're not living like Jesus.

They're not loving like Jesus. Listen, if your friends are afraid to talk to you instead of being drawn toward you when it comes to things about faith, you've missed the mark. Something is off because Jesus himself said this. John 13, 35. Jesus said, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples. When you can quote every passage in the Bible. Is that what he says? When you can give a solid reason for whatever doubt that they have at any given moment. Is that what he said? No. He said, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. That's the proof. Not simply that we know truth, but that we represent the one who is truth. The reason this is important is because when love leaves our life, even correct theology can become an incorrect witness, an incorrect representation of Jesus. And Peter, he agrees with this. He picks up this theme and he gives us a framework of how to carry the truth in a culture that questions it. So let's read 1 Peter 3, 15 again, but I wanna read it in its context. I wanna read the entirety of it.

I hear people say, we must have a defense, but they don't quote the whole verse. 1 Peter 3, 15. But in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asked you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect. I love this verse because Peter doesn't just tell us what to do. Peter tells us how we are to do it. And honestly, the how matters far more than many Christians believe. When we started this teaching series, I heard some people passionately proclaim, pastor, I'm so grateful we're gonna learn apologetics because the church needs to learn how to defend their faith. I love the passion, but that's not what the Bible says. The Bible doesn't say we have to defend our faith. The Bible says, be prepared to make a defense when people ask you about your hope. I know it sounds similar, but the difference, the difference is what differentiates defense and defensive. The Greek word for defense is apologia. It's where we get the word apologetics from. And here's the definition of defense. It means to give a reasoned answer, an explanation, and a thoughtful response. That's much different than constantly living in defense mode, right?

Making a defense, it's, it's responsive. But defending, oftentimes that's reactive. One posture is calm. One posture, like we've been talking about, is confident. The other posture oftentimes is combative. Peter's not saying that we need to go around defending Christianity like Jesus is fragile and he needs our anger to survive. We're not supposed to live our life always on the defensive. So as we conclude this series, I want to give you three final truths about hope. Because ultimately, again, the series it's about apologizing. It's not about winning argument. It's about giving hope to a hopeless world. The first thing Peter shows is this. Write this down. Hope is built on Christ alone. Hope is built on Christ alone. Before Peter says, be prepared to make a defense, he says, but honor in your hearts. Honor Christ the Lord as holy. He says we are to honor Christ as holy. That word honor means to, to be, treat as sacred or to give the highest place. That word holy means to be set apart. In other words, write this down. Before you try to defend Jesus publicly, he must reign personally. He must reign personally. I'm telling you, that's the issue. Too many people, they want information without surrender. They love apologetics without holiness and character. But our faith isn't simply supposed to be something that we argue. It's supposed to be something we live out day by day. And I'm telling you, people can tell the difference. They know when Jesus is just a topic that you've mastered and when he's actually the master of your life. This is why some people who may not have all the answers or may not have all the information can still be greatly convincing. You ever met someone whose peace makes no sense? Who's going through a challenging situation but they're still steady?

Things are difficult in their life. Things are hard in their life. But they're still having hope. One of those guys that I know is Pastor Garland. Now he knows the Word of God. He teaches the Word of God. But the reason why people are drawn to him is because he lives the Word of God. Right? He's so steady no matter what's happening around him. And you can ask him, this has been the most difficult year of his life. But he's still steady. He's still praising God. He's still pointing people to the hope that he has in Jesus. If he hears that something's happening in your life before you find him, he'll find you. Not just spouting off scripture. Not just giving you information. But encouraging you. Lifting you up. Praising God and pointing back to him. I'm telling you that is more powerful than any podcast could ever produce. Why? Because people are desperate for hope. Depression is on the rise. Anxiety is exploding. People are medicating themselves just to live day-to-day life. Why? Because culture is constantly trying to create substitutes for God. But none of them will satisfy. None of them sustain us. Money is good. Money can distract you from what's going on. But money can't save you. Amen? Listen, we all want success. No one grows up and says, I want to be a loser when I grow up. But success can't heal your heart. Pleasure can certainly numb the pain temporarily. But pleasure doesn't have the power to raise dead things to life. And eventually what people will discover is that when they try to make someone else or something else besides Jesus the Savior, whatever they put all that weight on will crush. Crush under that pressure. That's why I love what Hebrews 6 says about hope. Hebrews 6.19 it says, we have this. It's talking about hope. We have this as a sure

and steadfast anchor for the soul. I love that image. An anchor. What does an anchor do? It holds you down in the storm. It makes sure that you don't drift when things get difficult. I'm telling you, anybody can look spiritual when things are easy. Right? But what is going to anchor you when the diagnosis comes? What is gonna hold you down when your marriage gets hard? When the culture changes, when your prayer feels unanswered, when the pressure rises and the disappointment fills your heart, Peter says Jesus is our hope. Not politics, not who's president, not money, not your security, Jesus, he's our hope. And let me tell you, people notice anchored people. When someone is anchored in hope, the world takes note, especially in difficulty, especially in chaos. This is why Peter says, eventually they'll ask you questions about that hope. Not because you posted 17 angry tweets, not because you've decimated someone in the comments section, they're like, oh wow, maybe I should ask them, no. Because they saw something steady in you in the storm of your life that they could not explain. And what we know is that that is our hope in Jesus. Hope is built on Christ alone. Second thing I want you to understand is that hope is shared through Christ alone. It's shared through Christ alone. Real hope is shared through him. And this is where Peter, he confronts

our modern church culture just a little bit. Because again, in my experience, I've seen a lot of people treat apologetics like spiritual WWE, like spiritual UFC. Oh, I decimated him, I destroyed him, brother. Did you really? I mean, you just, you beat up a 17-year-old in the Reddit comments. You proud of that? That's not how we're supposed to act. 1 Peter 3, 15 again. But in your hearts, honor Christ as Lord, as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for the reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect. Tell someone, your tone matters. Your tone matters. Your tone matters. Your tone matters. Your tone matters. Hear me, being correct and being Christ-like are not the same thing. You can absolutely have the right theology, but still have the wrong posture toward other people. That really shocks me when I see unbelievers talking down to non-believers as though we're better than them. Let me remind you, Jesus saved us, not because we're smarter than other people. He saved us because He's merciful. He saved imperfect sinners like us

who were damned and destined for hell and death because He so loved us. That should humble us. Now, let me make this clear. Truth matters. The Word of God matters. Conviction matters. Conviction matters. But hear this, biblical conviction should lead us to compassion, should produce compassion and not arrogance. Do you remember the Pharisees and the Sadducees? Jesus didn't yell at the sinners. He yelled at the religious leaders who had all the information, but had no compassion. He said, you're making twice a child of hell as yourself. You tell them all these things, but you're not willing to do them. It's the blind leading the blind. We're not gonna water down Scripture to fit culture. But biblical conviction should lead to compassion, not arrogance. John 1, 14, it says, and Jesus, the Word became flesh and He dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus never withheld compassion to prove a point, and Jesus never compromised the truth to appear loving. He was always filled with grace and truth.

Grace and truth. And can I tell you truthfully, the reason why so many people are adverse to Christianity is not because they've studied the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus and rejected it. Truthfully, the reason why people are adverse to Christianity is because a Christian hurt them. Because a Christian misrepresented Jesus to them. Somebody judged them before listening. Somebody condemned them without having any compassion. Somebody weaponized scripture instead of applying it to their life lovingly. Do you understand that? Again, I have to make this clear. When you love somebody and they are sinning, you are to speak the truth to them. You don't let them continue on to their sin that will destroy them. But scripture makes it clear, when we speak the truth, we do so in love. As a church, we need accountability. We need conviction. As a church, we are called to bring correction when someone is going astray. When you love the flock that God has given you, you will do everything in your power to protect them. And if there are wolves in the flock, you will even kick them out so that you can care for those who are coming for the right reasons.

The Bible instructs us as the church, when someone sins, you are to bring correction to it. And inevitably what happens when you correct someone in sin is feelings get hurt. No one likes to be corrected. But hear this, church correction is not the same thing as church trauma. Someone may have misrepresented Jesus to you, but when there's loving correction to get you on course, that's not the same thing as church trauma. We will bring protection. We will bring correction. We will bring accountability because we love people. But what we will never do is cut them down while doing so. We will never see them as something less than a child made in the image of God, who's worthy of grace, who's worthy of forgiveness, who's worthy of our lives. Peter says, this is not how we do it. We show gentleness and respect. Gentleness means you care more about the person than winning the argument. Respect means that you listen before you speak. And again, this is important because most objections to God, they're not simply intellectual. Most of the times they're relational, they're personal, they're emotional. I told you a few weeks ago behind every question, there's pain in people's lives. When they say, how can a loving God allow people to suffer?

What they're saying is I've suffered and it doesn't make sense to me. When people claim all Christians are hypocrites, what they're saying is someone hurt me. And if we skip the person and go straight to our speech, we miss the heart of God. Listen to Paul's language as he speaks to this church in Thessalonica. First Thessalonians 2.8. So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you, not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives because you have become very dear to us. Paul is saying, we didn't just come and give you a sermon. We didn't just come and share the good news of salvation for all you imperfect sinners. We didn't just come and bring a correction. We gave you our lives. We prayed for you, we served you. You became dear to us. Paul understood, write this down, that people are not ministry trophies for God. They're image bearers of God. We're not to see people simply as projects to fix or souls to win. No, they're made in the image of God. They're sons and daughters that he so loves that are worthy of grace and forgiveness just like we are, amen? This is how Jesus lived.

But I'm not Jesus. I don't have Jesus's memory. I haven't memorized all of scripture. I don't have Jesus's, how do we live like this? How do we love like this? For the sake of time, let me just make this real simple. Sometimes what people need most is just honesty. Like, you don't need a 30-minute sermon when someone asks a question. I hear that sometimes. I'll ask you a simple question. Well, if you look at the Septuagint manuscripts and the ontological, bro, they just ask you, why do you go to church? Sometimes what people need most is just honesty. I don't have all the answers, but here's what I know. Jesus saved me. How do I know that he's real and he's alive? Because I've tried everything else and it couldn't satisfy me, but the peace I have in him, tell you, I'd give anything, anything to continue to live that way. We'll talk about this in a few weeks, but man, that's powerful. No one can argue with you about what Jesus did in and through your life. They can't convince you that it's not true because you've experienced it for yourself. So be honest about what he's done, amen? Third thing is this, write this down.

Hope is seen in Christ alone. It's seen in Christ alone, real hope. At the end of the day, people aren't looking for better arguments, all right? People are looking for something solid to build their life upon. Turn on the news, everyone's searching for hope. Look around your school, your workplace. This is why people chase relationships, hoping that someone will complete them. This is why people obsess over money, thinking that if I just had the security, that everything will be settled, but nothing temporary can satisfy our eternal soul. Remember Ecclesiastes 3.11 from last week? The Bible tells us that God put eternity in the hearts of men. That means that there's a longing inside of us that nothing in this world can ever satisfy. The only answer to that longing is Jesus. He's our hope. The hope of Christianity was never built on good philosophy or positive thinking. It was built on a person, Jesus. You remember last week? The church didn't survive persecution for 2,000 years because they went to an hour gathering where they were encouraged. They endured persecution, imprisonment, suffering, death even, because they believed Jesus was alive.

They had a living hope, a living hope. That's why our hope as followers of Jesus is different than any hope the world can offer. When the world talks about hope, how do they explain it? It's a sense of desperation, of unknowing, that I hope I get the job. I hope they get over that sickness. But when we read about the hope that God's word gives us, the hope that we have in Christ all throughout scripture, it's a sense of expectancy. Something good is gonna happen. It's a sense of confidence. It's a blessed assurance that Jesus is alive. And because he's alive, all things are possible, amen? This is why Paul could sing in prison. This is why Peter could encourage a church that is suffering. This is why the disciples who ran for fear of their life are now standing in the face of death because Jesus is alive, because they saw the resurrected Jesus. Church, our hope is not that we would avoid suffering in this life. Our hope is not that we would never experience darkness. No, darkness and difficulty and suffering is guaranteed. Jesus himself says in this world, you will have tribulation but then he encourages us, but be of good cheer. I've overcome the worlds. Our hope is not that we'll never experience darkness. Our hope is that the darkness,

the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it, amen? In a world filled with anxiety and division and depression and emptiness, they're desperately searching for something real. And that's why your testimony matters so much. People are looking at your life, Christian. They'll be able to see the difference. And this is why Peter says, be ready. Believers, be ready, be prepared, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared, not angry, not fearful, prepared. People who are desperate for hope are watching your life. And when you walk through. and still worship, the world takes notice. When you forgive people who hurt you and don't deserve your forgiveness, the world notices. When you are generous in uncertain seasons, or you keep your integrity in a compromised culture, people will take notes. And your life ultimately becomes the greatest evidence for the hope in Jesus. When we started this church 14 years ago, we built it based off of the passage in Matthew 5 16. It says, in the same way let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. The context of Matthew chapter 5 is Jesus saying, you are the light of the world. My light is in you. Don't cover it. You're sitting on a hill that should shine for all people to see. And he says, when you show your good works, when you show the hope that you have in him that will lead you to help other imperfect people, they will see your good works and God will get the glory. They'll know that we belong to him. They'll praise him. They'll point to him. So let me ask you this as we begin to conclude for today. Is your hope visible? Does the world notice a difference in you because of Jesus? Does your school and your workplace, your family, your neighborhood, do they see the hope that you have? Or does your

faith disappear the moment things get difficult? Your light. Shine. You have the light of the world in you. Illuminate for all people to see so he can get the glory. Church, we can't afford to be silent Christians in this culture and in this generation. Because the culture is aggressively discipling people every single day. And darkness is loud. And confusion is loud. And the answer is not for us as a church to sit comfortably and silent within the four walls of this church, hoping that everything gets better one day. No, we're to go out and we're to carry hope publicly. Not obnoxiously. Not arrogantly. Courageously we're to carry hope. And that's why we started this series. Not so we can live with more information. We can live on mission. Prepared with evidence. Grounded in God's words. Filled with His Spirit. And carrying hope to the worlds. That's what it means to be faith forward. Again, I want to encourage you. The evidence is out there. Be like the Bahrain's in the Book of Acts. Don't just listen to what the Korean-Cuban guy says and say, hey, that's truth. Go out and do the research yourself. Because I'm telling you, the evidence is in our favor. But maybe you're a little bit like me. Maybe you don't retain all the information. Maybe you don't have a deep desire to always be learning more. Here's where I want you to settle today. Final thing. Our hope is not rooted in our ability to explain everything perfectly. Our hope is rooted in what Jesus already accomplished perfectly. Listen, your salvation is not hanging on whether or not you can win every argument. Your peace is not dependent on if you can answer every question. The confidence that God has for you is not based or built on your intellect. It's built on Jesus. His life. His death. His resurrection. His grace. His mercy. His victory. That is our foundation. And I'm telling you, foundation is so important. Not just the world, but too many people in the church. We're building our foundation on something that is shifting. We talked about this passage several times over the past several weeks. Matthew chapter 7 verse 24 on Jesus says, a wise man, he builds his house not on shifting sands, but on the solid rock. Leadership comes and goes. Culture is constantly changing. Skinny jeans, guess what? They're not cool anymore.

They're out. Baggy pants are back in. What? Mullets. Mullets is now a cool haircut. That's what happens to the culture. It constantly shifts and changes and foolish people, they will build their foundation on shifting sands. But Jesus is those who are wise. They build it not on politics, not on money, not on popularity, not on culture, but on Jesus. We've been talking about this passage for a few weeks now. Next week we're gonna start a new teaching series where we're gonna teach through this passage. And we're gonna prioritize God's Word and we're gonna build our life on truth that never changes. And I would encourage you, if you own a physical Bible, I would encourage you to to start bringing it next week in person. I'm so grateful for digital Bibles. I'm so grateful for YouVersion. It's a free Bible app. It reminds me every morning to spend time in God's words. But I don't want us to see this just simply as an old book that collects dust on our shelf. I want us to see it as God's love letter to us. I want us to see it as a solid foundation of truth that we can build our life upon. If you don't own a Bible, fill out that Connect card. Say, hey, I need a Bible. And we'll give you one for free before next week. The reason I share that is because I think this is why some of us were exhausted. Because we keep trying to build our life on things that were never meant to satisfy our soul. They're constantly changing. I'm telling you, church, there is a cornerstone. There is a solid rock that does not move. There is a Savior who doesn't move while everything else is constantly shifting. Today, as we conclude this series, I don't want this to just be the end of a normal service. I really believe with the presence of God here with us, that He wants to make this a spiritually significant moment for so many of us in this room. So here's what I want to encourage you to do. As we sing this final song of worship, this declaration that we're gonna build our life on nothing less but the solid rock of Jesus, I want you to make this personal. If you need a new foundation, I want you to worship. Don't just sing the songs. I want you to respond and to declare God's truth over your life as we sing together. If anxiety is plaguing you, if your foundation is shifting, I want

you to declare that the words of the song that we are going to sing as God's truth that you can build your life upon. If you need a fresh start or a new beginning, if you need hope, don't just listen. Don't just sing. Proclaim, Jesus. Today, you are my cornerstone. I'm gonna build my life upon you because you are solid and stable. What does that mean practically? Listen, don't just be spectators. Take a step of faith forward. Maybe literally what that means for you is our prayer partners are gonna be up here. Maybe that means you getting up out of your seat and coming forward and saying, I can't do this alone. Will you pray for me? Maybe taking a step of faith forward means you come up and you just fall to your knees and you repent and you receive his grace and forgiveness for your life. Maybe it means you do it out your chair. Maybe it means you lift up your hands for the first time. Not having a posture of wait and see and, man, does this guy say anything that I like today? I don't know. But saying, Lord, I don't have all the answers, but I know that you, you are everything I need. You just surrender yourself to him. Maybe it means holding the hands of the family around you and praying together that Jesus would be the center of your life and you would no longer be ashamed of this good news, or you would no longer share this with a sense of arrogance or pride, but out of humility. Because the ones that you love, the ones far from God, God wants to use you to be a witness to them. Whatever it is, something happens when truth moves from our mind to our heart, from our head to our heart. God wants to give us a hope that lasts today. So don't just sing. Don't just sit there. Gather your belongings and sneak out. Let's declare, let's proclaim. Let's commit that today, Jesus, you are my foundation. Would you stand to your feet right now? I'm gonna ask our prayer partners to come forward. And you can come forward right now too if you need prayer. But I wanna pray that after I pray, our hearts are prepared, let's just respond

to what the spirit of the living God wants to do in and through our lives. Father, thank you, I thank you that you are near. Thank you, Jesus, that you show gentleness and grace to us imperfect people, Lord. We don't deserve all that you've given to us, but we gladly receive it, you are good, God. And Lord, I pray that as we grow and mature in our faith, as we have a solid foundation of evidence and truth that cannot be shaken, that we would walk firmly in that with humility, Lord. That we wouldn't be so full of ourselves, but God, our hearts would be toward other people. Even now that your spirit would just impress on us a person, a name, that we can begin praying for right now. God, we ask that you would send us out for them, for them to see salvation. We can't do this without you. We repent of building our life on things that don't satisfy, but Lord, today we declare, we're building our life on you. You are a cornerstone. It's in Christ alone that we have our hope. In Jesus' name, we thank you and pray. And all God's people said, let's respond. Let's worship, let's declare. Let's pray. We give you praise, Lord. We surrender our hearts to you, Father God. Let's sing this together. ♪ Our hope is built on nothing less ♪

♪ For Jesus' blood and righteousness ♪ ♪ I dare not trust the sweetest faith ♪ ♪ But only trust Jesus' name ♪ ♪ Our hope is built on nothing less ♪ Let's declare it, church. We're building our life on you, Jesus. ♪ Jesus' blood and righteousness ♪ It's your blood, your righteousness that makes us whole and healed. And we're not gonna trust the faithless world. We're not gonna trust the shifting sands. We're building our life upon you. Let's lift it up. Let's declare it. Let's believe it. Proclaim it for our lives and for our families. ♪ Christ alone, cornerstone ♪ ♪ When weakness flows and the sin is done ♪ ♪ Turn the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all ♪ ♪ When darkness seems to hide His face ♪ ♪ Hiding His love is a drinking grace ♪ Let's sing, every heart. ♪ Every heart, let's all be dead ♪ ♪ I anchor all within the bed of death ♪ ♪ I anchor all within the bed of love ♪ ♪ Christ alone, cornerstone ♪ ♪ When weakness flows and the sin is done ♪ ♪ Turn the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all ♪ ♪ He is Lord, Lord of all ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Lord Christ alone, Christ alone ♪

♪ Hard as stone, weak and strong ♪ ♪ In the Savior's love, through the storm ♪ ♪ He is Lord, Lord of all ♪ ♪ This is Christ the Lord, hard as stone ♪ ♪ Weak and strong, in the Savior's love ♪ ♪ Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all ♪ ♪ He is Lord, Lord of all, yeah ♪ Come on, give Him praise, Church. He is Lord.