HOPE Sermons

"Doing God's will is adopting Jesus' way." Family Ministries Pastor Kyle Freedman continues our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, with the reminder that Jesus came to earth to show us how to live. 

Often when we face a challenging situation, we want to jump from the beginning to the end and skip the hard work in the middle. Kyle reminds us that Jesus came to do the work with us and he steps in to fill in the gaps where we fall short. God's will for us is to live out Jesus' way in the places we find ourselves: in our work, in our homes, with our families, and in relationships with people whom we may find challenging. Jesus shows us the way when we walk with him. 

Find a copy of the Apostle's Creed here.

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"We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Senior Pastor David Dwight begins a new sermon series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, with this first essential of our faith.  

Anchors are unseen, but they are attached to the boat by a rope.  Our faith is the rope that connects us to our anchors.  For the next seven weeks, we will examine these core ideas that anchor our faith, and remind us of what we can hold fast to when storms of life try to drive us off course.

Find a copy of the Apostle's Creed here

Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

In the final sermon of our Anticipation series, Discipleship Pastor Dan Yoon reminds us that we like new things: new houses, new cars, new relationships, new babies...and the list goes on. And while we love the feeling of "new things," we live in a reality that our earthly lives are often challenging, tiring, and full of ways things can break down.

Dan points us to the words of Revelation 21: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Take heart, friends, God has gone before us to prepare our eternal home, where all things will remain new.

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"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down, we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing." Preaching from the opening verses of 2 Corinthians 5, Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell reminds us that our earthly bodies are temporary tents and our heavenly bodies will be permanent dwellings.

Pete speaks of the tension of this series between a vision for heaven and knowing the painful reality of death in our present world. While we live in this present world, we can balance looking forward to heaven with the pleasure of this life: extending kindness to ourselves because God has been kind to us, celebrating the joys of life on this earth, and living in the fullness of this life as we prepare for the greatness of eternal life with God.

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C.S. Lewis wrote, "Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."  Senior Pastor Dr. David Dwight continued our series on heaven with an exploration of the realities of our heavenly lives.  The scriptures indicate to us that "earth is a place we are on and heaven is a place we are in." On earth, we live a primarily physical experience with spiritual elements; in heaven we will be fit with bodies to engage in spiritual lives for eternity. 

These concepts can often feel larger than our minds can grasp, bound in our present reality.  But when we are in Christ, we can look forward to moving from our earth-bound existence to the heavenly reality of being fully in Christ and Christ in us.  This vision of heaven can shape our life on earth.

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"Are we too heavenly-minded to be useful on earth or too earthly-minded to be useful in heaven?"  In the first sermon of Anticipation: Just Beyond the Door, Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell leads us to ponder whether our heart posture focused on present earthly concerns instead of our heavenly future.

In John 14, Jesus tells us, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." With this assurance, we can set our hearts on our future in heaven and offer proper perspective to the concerns of our earthly lives.  As we live in the hope of our future in heaven, we have greater joy and peace here on earth.

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What is your vision for the pain in your life? David Dwight asks this provocative question as we closes out the sermon series with a focus on lament. Through our hard seasons, God invites us into lament, where we can co-operate with him to turn our pain into healing, our ashes into beauty, and our despair into praise.

In Habakkuk 3, we are reminded of the power of "YET": "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." The "yet" moment turns our complaint into a lament, as we praise God even in the midst of our trials. This heart posture gives God the opportunity to work in us and with us.

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When we experience suffering and anguish, we are tempted to wonder "what's the point of living a "good life" if hardship comes to us anyway?" David Dwight reminds us that many of us experience this kind of frustration. In Psalm 73, the psalmist writes, "Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments."

So what is the invitation in our suffering? If we are willing to take our suffering to the God, he will use it to write a redemption story in our lives. He will not let our present darkness be our death, but will redeem evil for good to use us further in his kingdom. "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory."

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Pete Bowell continues "The Way Through," a sermon series about grief, with the reminder that we are blessed in hardship. The Lord meets us in our lament and does not waste our seasons of suffering. He uses these challenges to deepen our faith and draw into closer relationship with him. Preaching from 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Pete reminds us that God comforts us in our troubles so that we may in turn comfort and encourage one another. We can be good listeners, good question askers, and provide help and comfort to ease each other's burdens.

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David Dwight begins "The Way Through," a sermon series about grief, with the encouragement that our hardships are normal. Jesus is acquainted with us in suffering and he walks with us in the valleys of life. Centering on Isaiah 61:1-3, David spoke about three things to take with us in our grief: perspective, faith, and support. As we walk by faith with the Lord in our trials and cling to his promises, we will become, "oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons