Finding True Hope: Trusting in Jesus Alone

Devotional

Day 1: Hope Anchored in Christ Alone

True hope is found only in Jesus, offering peace amidst life's storms. When we place our hope in worldly things, our peace is threatened. Jesus provides a hope that is secure and eternal, allowing us to navigate life's challenges with a sense of calm and assurance. This hope is not dependent on our circumstances but is rooted in the unchanging nature of Christ. By fixing our eyes on Him, we can experience a peace that surpasses all understanding, even when the world around us is chaotic. [45:55]

Hebrews 6:19-20 (ESV): "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are currently placing your hope in something other than Jesus? How can you begin to shift your focus to Him today?

Day 2: The Danger of Assumption and Self-Righteousness

Assumption can lead us to believe we are righteous based on our actions, much like Simon the Pharisee. This self-righteousness can cause us to place our hope in ourselves rather than in Jesus, who alone is worthy of our trust and honor. It is easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others and assuming we are better because of our deeds. However, true righteousness comes from faith in Christ, not from our own efforts. By recognizing this, we can humble ourselves and place our hope in Jesus, who offers grace and forgiveness. [57:31]

Luke 18:9-14 (ESV): "He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 'Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get." But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.'"

Reflection: In what ways have you assumed righteousness based on your actions? How can you shift your perspective to rely on Jesus' righteousness instead?

Day 3: Silencing Accusatory Voices

The accusatory voices in our minds can make us feel unworthy of Jesus' love. These internal accusations can lead us to doubt our worth and question our place in God's family. However, by stepping into the light and confessing our struggles, we can experience the grace and hope that Jesus offers, silencing those voices. Jesus' love and forgiveness are not based on our worthiness but on His grace. By embracing this truth, we can find freedom from the accusations that seek to hold us back. [01:03:14]

1 John 3:19-20 (ESV): "By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything."

Reflection: What accusatory voices are you currently battling? How can you bring these struggles to Jesus and allow His truth to silence them?

Day 4: Recognizing Sin Without Complacency

Recognizing the actuality of our sin is crucial, but it should not lead to complacency. Instead, it should drive us to Jesus, who forgives and transforms us. Acknowledging our sin allows us to see the depth of our need for Jesus' forgiveness and grace. It is easy to become complacent, thinking that acknowledging our sin is enough. However, true transformation comes when we actively seek Jesus' help to change and grow. By doing so, we can experience the fullness of His love and grace in our lives. [01:08:05]

James 1:22-25 (ESV): "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

Reflection: How have you become complacent in recognizing your sin? What steps can you take to actively seek Jesus' transformation in your life?

Day 5: Celebrating the Birth of Hope

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of hope in Jesus. By placing our faith in Him, we find redemption and peace. This season, let us adore Jesus, recognizing Him as the source of our eternal hope. The birth of Jesus signifies the arrival of hope for all humanity, offering us a path to redemption and a relationship with God. As we celebrate this season, let us remember the true reason for our hope and allow it to transform our lives. By focusing on Jesus, we can experience the joy and peace that come from knowing Him. [01:10:38]

Titus 2:11-14 (ESV): "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

Reflection: How can you intentionally celebrate the birth of hope in Jesus this Christmas season? What specific actions can you take to focus on Him as your source of hope and peace?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound theme of hope, emphasizing that Jesus is our sole source of hope. We began by understanding hope as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain outcome. However, when our hope is misplaced in worldly things, such as jobs, relationships, or material possessions, our peace is often disrupted. This was illustrated through a personal story about the stress of buying a house, where misplaced hope led to anxiety and a lack of peace. Proverbs 13:12 reminds us that "hope deferred makes the heart sick," highlighting the importance of placing our hope in Jesus to maintain peace.

We then delved into Luke 7:36-50, where Jesus dines with Simon the Pharisee, and a sinful woman anoints His feet. This passage reveals three distractions that can lead us away from placing our hope in Jesus: assumption, accusation, and actuality. Simon assumed he was better than the woman, failing to honor Jesus, which reflects how we might assume we are righteous based on our actions rather than our faith. Accusation was seen in Simon's judgment of the woman, a reminder of the internal voices that accuse us and make us feel unworthy. Lastly, actuality acknowledges our sin but can lead to complacency if we don't recognize the depth of our need for Jesus' forgiveness.

The message concluded with a call to place our hope solely in Jesus, who offers forgiveness and eternal life. Unlike the woman who was forgiven because of her faith, not her actions, we too are called to trust in Jesus' work on the cross. This Advent season, we celebrate the birth of hope in Jesus, who is our peace and redemption. By surrendering our misplaced hopes and fixing our eyes on Him, we can experience a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Key Takeaways

1. Hope in Jesus Alone: True hope is found only in Jesus. When we place our hope in worldly things, our peace is threatened. Jesus offers a hope that is secure and eternal, providing peace even amidst life's storms. [45:55]
2. Assumption and Self-Righteousness: Like Simon the Pharisee, we often assume we are righteous based on our actions. This assumption can lead us to place hope in ourselves rather than in Jesus, who alone is worthy of our trust and honor. [57:31]
3. Accusation and Internal Voices: The accusatory voices in our minds can make us feel unworthy of Jesus' love. By stepping into the light and confessing our struggles, we can experience the grace and hope that Jesus offers, silencing those voices. [63:14]
4. Actuality of Sin and Complacency: Recognizing the actuality of our sin is crucial, but it should not lead to complacency. Instead, it should drive us to Jesus, who forgives and transforms us, showing us the depth of His love and grace. [68:05]
5. Celebrating the Birth of Hope: Christmas is a celebration of the birth of hope in Jesus. By placing our faith in Him, we find redemption and peace. This season, let us adore Jesus, recognizing Him as the source of our eternal hope. [01:10:38]
** [70:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:45] - Introduction to Hope
[02:30] - Misplaced Hope and Peace
[05:00] - Personal Story: Buying a House
[08:00] - Proverbs 13:12 and Heart's Condition
[10:00] - Reflection and Prayer
[12:00] - Luke 7:36-50 Context
[15:00] - Assumption: Simon's Perspective
[18:00] - Accusation: Internal Voices
[21:00] - Actuality: Recognizing Sin
[24:00] - Jesus' Forgiveness and Grace
[27:00] - Celebrating the Birth of Hope
[30:00] - Call to Place Hope in Jesus
[33:00] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Sermon Clips

I had to look up a little bit of this word hope because you always know what something means, but you don't really know how to articulate those things. For me, hope, I could identify more as a feeling more than just a series of words. And so giving a message on hope, I felt like I needed to be better equipped. What are those words that people use to describe hope? [00:45:03] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

So I went to where anyone else would go, Google. And Google, I felt like Google gave me a good answer. It says this. It says that hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Makes sense. Hope is a feeling of expectation or desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope is a feeling of expectation or desire If I, hope that I go to heaven, then what I'm really saying is that I have an expectation and desire that I will spend eternity in heaven. [00:45:24] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

And so if I place my hope on Jesus, then what I'm saying is that Jesus is the only way that I can spend eternity in heaven in the presence of God. [00:45:55] (12 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

But we can clearly see that when our hope is misplaced, when we place our hope on Jesus, when we place our true hope in the wrong places, we get the wrong effect. In fact, last week we talked about peace. [00:46:42] (12 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Today we're going to see that we experience the most peace when our hope is most secure. [00:47:02] (10 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Proverbs 13, 12 shows us why I'd feel sick like that. It says, hope deferred makes the heart sick. Isn't it great when scripture is like so right on point? There's no fluff there. Hope deferred. You put your hope somewhere else other than Jesus, your heart's sick. That's where I was. That's where I was. That's where I was in this home buying process. Yeah, I would have never said that my greatest hope in life is to buy this house. I would have never said that. But internally, the way I processed this journey in our lives was that this was the greatest thing that could happen. And anything that threatened that would destroy my peace. [00:49:23] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

What is it for you? Maybe you're also buying a house. Maybe it's a job. Maybe your hope is set on getting. Maybe your hope is set on building wealth so that you can retire. Maybe your hope is set on your children. You must only have one. Maybe your hope is set on a relationship. [00:49:56] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

And so God, we lift this up to you and we ask that today we would leave here today with, with a peace that surpasses all understanding, with a hope that surpasses all understanding, that we would hope beyond hope, that we would leave here knowing that Jesus Christ is our source of hope forever. [00:52:03] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Three things that really distract us. Three things that drive us to defer our hope, which makes our heart sick. We're going to see that here. The first one that we're going to see is assumption. Look at verse 39. Simon's just wondering. [00:56:30] (16 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Simon does not realize that in that room, he is no different than that woman of the city. He assumes that he's so much better. So much better, in fact, that Jesus in verses 44 through 46, he calls him out on it. He says. He says. I walked into your house and you didn't give me water for my feet. [00:57:33] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Simon is at this table and he's accusing this woman, right? If he only knew, if Jesus knew, what this woman was all about, yeah. He wouldn't want her touching him either. I don't want her in my house, let alone touching my feet. If he knew, he wouldn't want her touching his feet either. [01:01:57] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

That's where I lived, personally. I lived in that shame and the guilt and the fear of being known, of anyone knowing who I was and anything that I struggled with until I came into the light. But before I came into the light, that voice, that Pharisee that lived in my own mind was constantly saying, if they knew you, they wouldn't want you. [01:02:24] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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