Northside Church - Sydney
Living Hope: Week 1 – Reason for Hope
You're listening to another great message from Northside Community Church. Tonight it's my great pleasure to be able to introduce all of us to our next preaching theme which will be carried on after tonight by Sam who gets back next week. It's the theme of hope and it's going to take us through the next four weeks or there abouts, living hope and there are the topics, reason for hope, living in hope, the object of hope and so on. So that's a much needed commodity in our world today. There's a lot of hopelessness around and this is one topic among many that the Christian Church can speak to very directly and very specifically because it's the heart. It's at the heart of all that we do and say our hope in Christ. Everything tonight is from Colossians chapter one and a short one reading verses 21 to 23 and this is Paul speaking. He says at one time you were far away from God. These Colossians had had, most of them had had a dramatic conversion experience, quite cataclysmic from paganism, abject paganism to Christianity. At one time you were far away from God and were His enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. But now by means of the physical death of his son, God has made you His friends in order to bring you holy, pure and faultless into His presence. You must of course continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel. It is of this gospel that I Paul became a servant, this gospel which has been preached to everybody in the world. There's a key, the key phrase there. You must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel. If you're a Christian tonight you have a living hope in Jesus Christ. If you are yet to make that choice you can have that incredible gift from God, a hope that will take you through anything that this world can serve up to you. Any problem, any frustration, any source of setback, that's what we're getting into tonight. Let's bow in prayer shall we? Heavenly Father we thank You and we praise You for the privilege of being able to open Your Word. We thank You for the men and women down through the centuries who in some cases have paid the ultimate price so that we can have these scriptures. They've laid their lives on the line so that this book would not be extinguished. We thank and praise You for them tonight Lord. May we never take the Bible for granted. May we never lose sight of the fact that it is a precious book, not of any magical powers in itself but just a precious record of Your journey with so many men and women over so many centuries. Above all, the story of our Lord Jesus Christ contained in these pages. So Lord Guide us as we seek to glean some truths from Your Word tonight and then give us the faith and the courage to put those words into action through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen. Okay, you're out sailing and we've got a few sailors in our church tonight. You're out sailing and your boat capsizes and you're in freezing cold water and there's a fever to wind around. And so to give yourself some protection you find a little airlock in the boats of Catamaran you find a little bit of an airlock in the underside of the boat. It's flipped over and so you've got a real problem here. So you find this little airlock and you get out of the sea and you crouch and you huddle in this little airlock and all you've got to survive is a little bit of chocolate and that's all you've got. Now, where are we? Sydney Harbour, how long would you last under those conditions before they'd come out to rescue you? I'd last about five minutes. Maybe you might last 20 minutes, half an hour. Some courageous person might last for the afternoon. Try one whole night. Try a second night, try three nights, try four nights. This of course is some of you have already recalled. This is a story of Tony Bullymore, a British round the world yachtsman who on January the 10th, 1997, found himself in an upturn yacht, couldn't ride itself upturn yacht, found a little airlock, got in there, had big protective gear on, but he was over 2,000 kilometres from the coast of Western Australia, nearly 800 kilometres from Antarctica, and how would you feel under those conditions? The wind is howling at around 60 kilometres, the water because of your proximity to the Antarctica's absolutely freezing cold, you're in the Great Southern Ocean. I've often thought of that. We've got a north side link to that story because one of our morning attenders, Barry Yesberg, is a chaplain with the Royal Australian Navy, and at that time in 1997 he was on board the HMAS Adelaide, which is interesting, that's the boat they've just sunk off the northern beaches, right? I mean a lot of protest. Well, that boat was the one that, well that ship was the one that rescued Tony Bullymore and our very own north side, Barry Yesberg, was among the first to talk with him. Apparently the first guy to get to him, he came out from under the boat at the swim for 15 seconds, came up for air, apparently he kissed the first guy who he saw, and he said that his story, I never gave up hope, I never gave up hope, four nights under those conditions, it would be very testing. Well, they say, and I got this off the, off Googles, that must be true, they say you can go 40 days without food. Now, maybe that's true, I mean a lot of people have been on these long hunger strikes. So if you thought you were a martyr by doing the 40 hour famine, oh mate, nearly kill me. Well, you know, hey, get in perspective, congrats, but get in perspective, you didn't nearly die, you can actually go 40 days without food, they say you can go three days without water. Yes, we know that, the body cannot go without water for very long. They say eight minutes without air, I'm not sure, that's not holding your breath, that's just like in a space where there's no air here, you can somehow, I don't know. One second without hope, I mean if you feel the situation is totally hopeless, then you're going to give up very quickly, Tony Bulli Moore never gave up hope, guys, hope is a word that we use very casually, very flippantly, don't we, you know, oh, hope is not going to rain for the royal wedding. Was that your prayer Dan? Oh sorry, you didn't watch it, I noted that, yeah, oh, hope she'll go out with me, you know, hope I pass my exams, hope the swanies win sometime in the future, yes, I'm doing very poorly, like hope, hope in everyday language is little more than wishful thinking, would you agree? It's little more than wishful thinking because we can't directly affect the outcome of the thing we're hoping for, it's just like, oh I hope it's going to be okay, hope this is going to work out, we can't directly affect the outcome, we're severely limited in that sense, but guys, for Christians, for a Christian, hope is a very dynamic and a very active reality, it's not just wishful thinking, it is far more than that, Victor Shepard is a well-known Bible teacher and preacher from the United States, he says this, for Christians, hope is a future certainty grounded in a present reality, now if you're in the connection groups and you're going to get the study this week, that's something you get a chance to discuss, what are you talking about? The shepherd, the present reality is the faithfulness of God, he says that's the present reality we have, we can pin out our trust and our beliefs on the faithfulness of God, that means that for us hope is a future certainty, there is nothing that will separate us from his love, God keeps his promises, you can trace this right through our biblical history, he was faithful and he's promised to release the Israelites from Egypt, he was faithful on his promise as we looked at this morning to release the captives out of Babylon back in the 6th century, he was faithful in producing a Messiah through the Israelite nation, he was faithful in establishing the church, he was faithful in his promise of sending the Holy Spirit, God is a God who can be trusted, he is faithful, now there are two aspects to this present reality that we're celebrating tonight, one is what he's done for us through Jesus, Jesus died on the cross, he was raised alive, that's a great expression of the faithfulness of God, the other thing is what he's doing through us and in us via means of the Holy Spirit, this is all part of the present reality we have in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, what is transforming us, he's enlightening us, he is renewing us day by day, now here's something, our hope in Christ has a deep impact on our lives, our hope in Christ has a deep impact on your life and mind if you are a believer in Jesus and it affects us in a number of ways, it affects how we see our potential, first and foremost, how we see our potential, Ephesians 1, this is 18 and 20, look at this, Ephesians 1, I asked that your minds may be open to see his light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he's called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings he promises his people and how very great is his power at work in us who believe, this power working in us is the same as the mighty strength which he used when he raised Christ from death and seated him at the right hand side in the heavenly world, so that you will know what is the hope to which he's called you and down further resurrection power, the same power that raised Christ from death, you talk about your potential, you talk about my potential, we are recipients of resurrection power, I've been a Christian for most of my life and I'm still getting my head around what that means, so many people I meet in pastoral ministry play down their potential in their 20s and 30s, they've already locked into a certain station in life, they've already convinced themselves they've gone as far as they can go and for them that the future is in their mind looking a little hopeless, we have the unenviable record here in Australia of having the highest rate of suicide among males under 35 and I can never understand that reality in a country that offers so much, in a culture that offers so much, but I guess it points to one thing, being in a great country and having lots of opportunities and lots of wealth and affluence, that won't do it for you, if you haven't got the hope that only Jesus Christ can provide deep within, if you haven't got that then external circumstances just won't do it for you, sadly, tragically, we're proving that every day with this shocking suicide rate that we have among young people, you see, women to be victorious, women to be confident, we're meant to be unashamed in our life, we're meant to have tremendous poise and dignity, that's how we're designed by God, how many settle for mediocrity, sad, disciples are being transformed when they realise their potential in Jesus Christ, we have enormous potential because we share in resurrection power, there's something else, this hope we have in Jesus affects how we see our purpose, every Christian, irrespective of your intellectual or academic ability, irrespective of your station in life, irrespective of your capacity, you have a purpose, you have a God, destined purpose, we read about it in Colossians chapter 1, 22 and 23, Colossians chapter 1, 22, 23, let's have a look at it and we could find it, here it is, it's coming at you right now, Colossians chapter 1, 22, but now by means of the physical death of his son, God has made you his friends, that's your purpose, that's my purpose, a relationship, a friendship with God Almighty, in order to bring you holy, pure and faultless in his presence, you must of course continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you first heard the gospel. How do you see your purpose tonight guys, are you just kind of drifting, are you just sort of a little bit aimless at this point, you thought getting those qualified cases in uni would do it for you but it's not, you thought getting that fancy apartment, that new house, that new car, you thought that would do it for you, it's not, you're still lacking a sense of purpose, a sense of identity. On the basis of the Word of God I'm here tonight to tell you, your purpose in life is to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, that's going to affect every aspect of your life where you work, how you work, who you link up with in marriage, if you link up in marriage, where you live, how you conduct yourself at all levels of life, it all arises out of that one central decision to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. We need a strong and sure foundation, that's what Paul's saying, don't be shaken, it's not easy being a Christian, I said that the other guys out the front of you, you know it's easy here, we're singing the songs and we're getting the hugs and we're you know talking the same language, it's fantastic, you get out there and it's not easy to say, look my purpose is in Jesus Christ, people go what, are you kidding, but you're some kind of religious nut, you're some sort of freak, it's not easy to be a Christian out there, this is the locker room, this is the training room, out there is the real game, we need a strong foundation, what's your foundation tonight, are you in a connection group, are you drawing deeply on the Scriptures, are you praying regularly, are you meeting with God's people, simple stuff, but it's the sure foundation on which we can build a strong and resilient Christian faith, it's the third thing, our hoping Christ affects how we see our problems, how we see our problems and we're all going to have problems guys, Romans five, first five verses, Paul says, now that we've been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, He has brought us by faith into this experience of God's grace in which we now live and so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God's glory, we also boast of our troubles, hello is he for real, we boast of our troubles, we rejoice in our troubles, he says that because trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God's approval and his approval creates hope, and this hope, there's not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit who is God's gift to us, this hope does not disappoint us, I've seen people get through incredible problems, incredible hardships because of the hope they have in Jesus Christ, you see problems can't always be solved, we live in an era where we're supposed to be able to solve everything and technology, we aren't supposed to solve everything, problems of the heart, problems of life, problems of health can't always be solved, but they can be managed, the whole thing, you can't control what happens but you can't control how you react to what happens, and in my experience, that's just been my experience, I found that people who cope with life's hardships the best, other people who have a strong and living hope in Jesus Christ, we've got people here tonight, I could call on them, how did you get through that loss, that death, and they tell you, I've done hundreds of funerals, I've seen the difference in people who have a faith and have a hope and those who don't, it is so crystal clear in just the way the whole day goes, just chalk and cheese, guys talk about a fresh illustration, I was watching television, this afternoon just for a little bit, I recorded the hour of power, ministers do that, I'm a devotee of Sam, I just love to see him on the TV there, and they had a guest today, the guy's name is Brooks Douglas, it's a real American name, Brooks Douglas, this guy at 16 years of age, growing up in Oklahoma, he'd opened the door to a stranger who asked to use the phone, as the stranger stepped in, a guy stepped in behind him, within minutes that family were in terror, these guys pulled guns, they tied up the family, mother, father, the 16 year old, 12 year old sister, they took it in terms to sexually abuse the 12 year old sister in front of the mum and dad and the son, I'm going what, and then the guy said you know what this is all about, we don't want any witnesses to this, shot mum, shot dad, shot brother, sister, right there, and left, the brother and the sister somehow miraculously survived, and the guy was there to tell his story, and of course the questions were how to affect your life, he stayed with his faith, he became a congressman, and on a visit to a prison as a congressman, he was aware that he was going to be visiting the prison of the man who pulled the trigger, and he asked if he could see this prisoner, and they said oh no, no, he can't have any contact with the prisoners, particularly you, he said that's interesting, I'm on the board that actually funds this prison, and of course, of course, sorry, sorry, we're thinking of something else, he got to, he got to see this man, he said I went in without any planning at all except one prayer God, give me the words to say, he said I walked in, I wasn't ready for what the man said first off, he said I'm sorry, what I've done to your family, was his first words, and this guy wasn't ready for that, and it kind of stunned him a little bit, and they had a talk for an hour, and then as a man went to go to the door, he said something just fell over him, a conviction that this wasn't over yet, he said I turned and the guy was almost gone, and went back and I called him back, he said, think about the hand I said, I forgive you, and he said in that moment, it was like somebody turned taps on, on both feet, both arms, he said a river, an absolute river just flowed from my body, a river of resentment and bitterness, revenge, he said I just, I almost was almost physically sick, I just couldn't move, it's like a river, he said I went outside, I saw colors of the trees for the first time in years, so the sky I could have never seen the sky before, because I was totally transformed, he said so my mission today is going around asking people the question, who have you got to forgive, what resentment are you holding, you know, let it go, I have, and I thought wow, I was meant to watch that this afternoon just for 10 minutes, you know, because there's a guy who faced his problems with the hope that he, it took a while, but he eventually the hope that he had in Jesus Christ cut in and that's his purpose, his purpose is to go around there telling people about forgiveness based on what he had experienced, see guys, the ultimate thing with, well rather this is someone I mentioned, you can cope with any what, what life feels out to you, you can cope with any what if you've got a why, if you've got a why you're living, you can cope with any what, this guy proved it, well there's one final thing tonight, our hope in Christ affects how we see God's ultimate plan and God does have an ultimate plan, his ultimate plan is that you and I will join him one day in eternity, that's not the reason we become Christians by the way, that's not the only reason, like eternity starts here and now as a quality of life, but ultimately that's our destination, first Corinthians chapter 15, 16 and 19, this was the passage that we read last week on Easter, it's worth reading again, if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised and if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is a delusion, the message says it's smoke and mirrors and you are still lost in your sins, it would also mean that the believers in Christ who've died are lost, if our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world, there's more to life than meets the eye guys, there's an eternity waiting for us out there, that's the hope we have in Christ, the ultimate plan to be reunited with loved ones, I'm looking forward to that and families must change because you know you're going to spend the whole of eternity with your families, they're Christians, so families must get even better now, if you think spending eternity with your family you think that's a bit scary, but I think something happens, you know, we're transformed and there's no more arguments, no more attention, guys the sort of person that stands in stark contrast to a Christian is a cynic, somebody says oh doesn't an unbeliever stand in stark contrast, well to a certain extent, but I know a lot of very fine upstanding non-believers, they're good people, ethical, moral, just don't believe, but the person who does stand in sharp contrast to a Christian is a cynic, and this is the person who's characterized by pessimism, negativity, you know, they just can't see good in anything and they're always out to sort of put him a jive and the cutting comment because that's in sharp contrast to we as Christians because we we're gripped by our hope that we have in Jesus Christ that does not allow for cynicism and my question is do we have enough cynical people in the world at the moment, I think we do, I know many, but what we do need is more hope filled people, more people have got the kind of hope that affects their potential, their purpose, how they handle problems and gives them a sense of destiny and eternity moving toward the ultimate plan, we need a lot more of those kind of people, the hope we have in Christ, it sustains us, it motivates us, it inspires us in our walk with him and here's the challenge and it comes directly from Paul tonight from that earlier reading, this is all happening if we continue faithfully on a firm and sure foundation and do not allow ourselves to be shaken from the hope you game when you heard the gospel, hope is a future certainty in a present reality and that present reality is the faithfulness of God, at the heart of this series and Samuel expand on this next week is how we see our future affects how we live our lives, the cynical person lives life in a certain way because they don't see a lot of future, it's all today, it's all me right now, right here, instant gratification because you don't know about tomorrow, the Christian has a much bigger perspective on life, it's an unfolding perspective that enables him to handle life with a certain degree of poise and dignity, how we see our potential, how we see our purpose, how we see problems, they can be managed through Jesus and how we see the ultimate plan, my last question died is do you have this sort of hope I'm talking about? I know many of you have and we praise God for that but I know some of you can't really answer that because you've not made that that real heart decision to say God I really want to come on board, don't know the answers, haven't read the Bible from cover to cover but I know enough to know that Jesus can make a difference and I want to embrace him tonight, he'll meet you more than halfway, will you do it, you can have a ministry time shortly, you can come forward and either make that decision for the first time or renew that decision, get right with God, get back into his family if you've drifted, life's pretty short, not one of us knows the future but if you've got hope in Christ you can know who holds the future, I find and many here tonight find that makes a world a difference and it enables you to cope with life in a remarkable way let's be impressed shall we, well how many Father we thank you for the words of Paul we thank you Lord that this man wrote under your inspiration to tell us that we have our hope in Christ and that we need not be shaken from that hope, we can build a strong and sure foundation that will affect our sense of purpose, it will affect how we see our potential, it will affect how we manage problems and it will ultimately affect how we see your plan working out for our life which is going to mean one day eternity with you, will you please speak to those tonight who need to hear your voice in a mighty clear way and give us the faith and courage to act upon that voice and to put things right with you once and for all, through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray,