Sermon Tone Analysis

IMPROVEMENTS #2 */HOLDING ON TO HOPE/*

Grimsby, September 6, 2009

*DESPERATE NEED OF HOPE*

            We watched the horror of Tuesday, Sept. 11~/01in disbelief.

Hijacked airlines into twin towers.

110 stories of glass, steel, and concrete shrunk to 6 stories of dust, soot, twisted metal.

Lives lost-2,752; hope lost--- thousands more.

Amazingly, at ground zero foundations intact.

Like our lives-we experience blows –death, sickness, bankruptcy, family and marriage breakups.

These also are disastrous if one has no foundation of hope.

*IDENTIFICATION OF HOPE*

            One kind of hope/-“Welcome to Broken Hearts, Living Hope, a support network for bereaved families who have lost children from pre-birth thru adulthood, from any cause.

May you find peace, comfort and healing here/.”

(Website)

          I am busy at this helping attain this type “/hope/” too, and would encourage any of you who do not now have that kind of a ministry, to do so.

However, there is more.

In 1980, Jean-Paul Sartre declared that he so strongly resisted feelings of despair that he would say /“I know I shall die in hope.”/

Then in profound sadness, he would add, /“But hope needs a foundation.”/

Important to us.

Two builders.

Some who profess hope find that it weakens or leaves in the storms of life.

*HOPELESS IN THE WORLD*

            Paul requests /“remember”/ –Eph.

2:12,13.

Also typical grave inscription in Paul’s day.

*/“I was not, I became,       I am not, I care not”/*

            Catacombs tell another story-evidence of changed lives.

“Walking thru the underground passages of the cata.

one frequently glimpses many signs of the iconography of faith: fish, anchor, dove and often next to the name /“In Christo.”/

*A BETTER HOPE*

            Found in many pronged promise to Abraham-3500 years ago.

From Gen 12-22: family, land, nation, spiritual promise.

This our focus

None of the promises w~/in the promise came to pass immediately but the spiritual one took 1500 years.

*QUOTE 22:18       GAL.3:16,

26-29,*

*            *Now note the continuance of the Jesus connection w~/hope:

*ACTS 26:6-8      ACTS 28:20*

*            *Most influential voice of 20th century wrote- *QUOTE B G, 2001*

 

 

*HOPE HIT HARD *

            By *Death,* the /great equalizer/.

Not matter who you are, where your lived or what you have accomplished.

Heb.

9:27.

9~/11-CEO’s getting ready for the day via stock reports… Janitors cleaning toilets, mopping, empting garbage…Young, old…Americans, Canadians, Europeans, many colors, tongues and beliefs… Christians, agnostics, atheists… ALL DIED THAT DAY.

*/Does this mean hope failed?

NO!/*

            By *Disease*, the /great demoralizer./

Sickness often precedes death.

Feelings of self-pity, anger, guilt, sense of injustice, and worthlessness.

Some take own life.

*/Has hope let these people down?

NO!/*

            By *Disaster,* the /great discourgager/.

Testimonies after 911, Katrina, SwissAir 111 at Peggys Cove N.S. tell of hopelessness based on disaster.

Some called “crimes against humity” others “acts of God.” Still hopes shattered.

QUOTE FROM 9~/11

*/Did hope abandon them in their disaster?

NO!/*

But many felt like there was no reason to hope.

We can understand Prior to Sept. 11, the face of God for me was one that was strong, secure, consistent.

A face that, while at times seemed distant, can more or less be counted on to be there.

Who kept things in order; the sun would come up, the sun would go down.

Who would provide, could be counted on.

And after Sept. 11, the face of God was a blank slate for me.

God couldn't be counted on in the way that I thought God could be counted on.

That's what I felt as I stood on Ground Zero.

God seemed absent.

(Minister, at Ground Zero)

*HOPE IN HARD TIMES *                      *QUOTE ROMANS 5:1-5*

* *

*BEHAVIOR OF THE HOPEFUL*

Feel Secure In Their Eternal Life

Are Confident That God Will Continually Pardon Them

Truly Believe They Are Citizenship Of Heaven

Now Understand That Hope Brings New Meaning To Death

* *

*WHY SOME LACK BEHAVIOR OF BIBLICAL HOPE*

Have Not Put Grace In Its Place- Eph.

2:8-10

Have Practiced Overkill  On Familiar Teachings- I Pet.

318-22

Not Waiting For Return Of Jesus- Titus 2:11-14

*CONCLUSION: *

            1486 Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias and crew set out to find passage to India, found southernmost tip (?) of Africa so called it Cape of Good Hope- simplify trade with east.

CapeGH is also is used psychologically to speak of “getting there, ” past the danger point