1 Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Real hope—true “living hope”—isn't tied to anything temporary or fragile. It's eternal, imperishable, securely kept by God Himself, and alive because it’s connected to our living Savior, Jesus.

Get Your Hope Up

We’re living in a time where hope feels like it’s in short supply.

• 63% of Americans are pessimistic about where we’re headed morally and ethically.
• 59% feel disillusioned about the future of education.
• Over half—52%—say they’re worse off financially than they were just four years ago.
• Nearly 4 in 10 teenagers report persistent sadness.
• Almost half of U.S. high school seniors—44%—say they feel hopeless.
• 80% of American parents believe their kids will have a worse life than they do.
• 60% of people in America are convinced their government is corrupt or ineffective.
• Suicide rates among adolescents have jumped nearly 60% in the last decade.

Satan knows something crucial: hope fuels faith.
Satan isn’t just robbing you of hope; he’s robbing others of the hope that can come through the testimony of God’s work in your life.

The Cultural Epidemic of Comparison

We’re living in a world where comparison is no longer occasional—it’s constant. This unrelenting exposure to idealized lives leaves people feeling hopeless, as though no amount of effort will ever allow them to measure up.
— Dr. Jean Twenge

This grind… this cycle of hopelessness reminds me of something Albert Camus wrote in his 1942 essay The Myth of Sisyphus:

"The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain… They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor."
— Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus

This image resonates with where many people are today.

When Christians start losing hope… that’s a tragedy. We are supposed to be hope-bearers.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our hope in God isn’t meant to be contained; it’s meant to overflow out of our lives and saturate the world around us.

Praying Till You Pray

To pray till you pray is not to simply recite words or fulfill a duty. It is to wrestle with the soul's distractions, to persist through the surface chatter of the mind, and to press into the holy presence of God until prayer becomes worship, communion, and surrender. True prayer is not merely saying prayers; it is entering into the heart of God and allowing Him to enter yours.
— A.W. Tozer

City on a Hill Church

Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

A city on a hill is a place of:

1. Protection

   • Cities built on hills were fortresses, very real pictures of safety and security.

2. Provision

   • A city on a hill isn’t just a landmark—it was actually a lifeline.

3. Prosperity

   • Prosperity is about having more than enough. It’s about flourishing so fully that what’s inside the city spills out to bless those around it.

4. Perspective

   • A city on a hill can see the bigger picture.

5. Prominence

   • A city on a hill stands out.

All these speak to hope!

The Gospel's Call

The Gospel has two actions:

1. Go
2. Shine

Isaiah 60:1-3
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Hope Anchored in God

Hope = a confident expectation that our God is good and He’s not done yet.

Psalm 62:5-6
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

John 10:10
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Jesus didn’t come to give us a vague sense of optimism. He came to bring living hope.

Abraham: Extraordinary Hope

Hebrews 11:1
Faith is the substance of things hoped for.

Faith moves, but hope sees. Faith acts, but hope anchors.

Romans 4:18
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.

Abraham’s circumstances screamed, “This will never happen.” But Abraham chose to believe anyway.

Isaiah 49:23
Those who hope in me will not be disappointed.

How to Get Our Hope Up

1. Focus on His Promises

   Hebrews 10:23
   Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

2. Focus on His Character

   Lamentations 3:21-23
   The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Hope in God leads to God-sized hopes and peace in the process.

1 Timothy 1:1
Christ Jesus is our hope.

Colossians 1:27
Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Romans 15:12
The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.

1 Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope…