In one of his books, Christian writer and theologian, Sinclair Ferguson, tells the story of the first doctor in the United Kingdom who died of the AIDS virus. He contracted the virus while performing research in Zimbabwe. The doctor was a devout Christian. As the virus took its toll on him, he was unable to communicate except by scribbling a word or letter on a notepad. In the course of caring for him in his final days, his wife took his hand and asked if there was anything he needed. He pointed to the notepad. When she handed it to him, all he was able to write was the letter “J”. Thinking it must represent some medical term, she quickly scanned the pages of a medical dictionary. As she came upon what she thought were pertinent words, she would say each word to ask him if that was what he meant. Each time he shook his head, “No.” Suddenly, she realized what the “J” represented and said: “You are pointing to Jesus!” His eyes lit up and a little smile seemed to appear on his face as he nodded, “Yes.” She took his hand and said, “You are right. Jesus is all either of us needs and that gives us HOPE.” Again, he nodded approvingly. This time his smile was quite noticeable.[1]
Faith, hope and love—and the greatest of these is love.[2] But, hope is right up there in the middle. And, if all the world needs now is love, sweet love, we’d all surely be lost without hope as well. This morning, you may be looking for hope. If so, know that Jesus is longing for you to claim your hope in Him. To enable you to claim that hope, let’s make certain that you understand what the hope He gives is all about.
First, it is important to know that I am not speaking about “hope” in the way the world defines it. Worldly hope is mere optimism that some desired result might, by chance, be fulfilled. Worldly hope has no guarantee. But, that is not so with Christian hope. The hope we have through Christ is a sure thing. Worldly hope is dependent upon changeable circumstances that may or may not become reality. Christian hope, on the other hand, is not subject to change. It is anchored in our unchangeable God. [3]
It is appropriate to think of our hope as being firmly anchored. The early Christians knew about this anchor. They were subjected to terrible persecution in Rome. Many of them had to hide from the Roman authorities to avoid capture, torture and death. One of the primary hiding places for Christians was in the vast maze of catacombs beneath the city of Rome.[4] These catacombs served as the burial places of thousands of Christians. The catacombs became a place where Christian symbols were frequently displayed. One of the most recognizable of these symbols was an etching of an anchor. The anchor was a disguised version of the Cross and symbolized their Christian hope in Jesus.[5] It also served as a guidepost marker that pointed the way to the secret locations of Christian meetings.[6] Christian writer and counselor, June Hunt, explains: “What an anchor is to a ship, hope is to the soul. They both stabilize whatever needs to be held steady amidst the storms in life. Every Christian has been given a secure anchor in the person of Christ.” [7] The writers of the Book of Hebrews used this same imagery when stating: “This hope [in Christ] is a strong and TRUSTWORTHY ANCHOR for our souls.” (Hebrews 6:19a, NLT)
His “anchor” will hold regardless of the difficulties and trials you may be facing. For example, maybe you are going through a financial crisis. Circumstances, not necessarily of your own making, have depleted your resources and you feel hopeless in making ends meet. Or, maybe there’s been some serious illness that has descended upon your family. Or worst yet—perhaps this illness has resulted in the death of a loved-one. Can you imagine how hopeless you would feel if these calamities fell upon you all at once? Well, in Luke’s Gospel, that is exactly what happened to a woman who is often referred to as the “Widow of Nain.” Luke tells us: 11 Jesus went with His disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed Him. 12 A funeral procession was coming out as He approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. ‘Don’t cry!’ He said. 14 Then He walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. ‘Young man,’ He said, ‘I tell you, get up.’ 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.” (Luke 7:11–15, NLT)
Prior to Jesus’ intervention, this poor widow faced financial ruin. In 1st century Palestine, widows were dependent upon their family for their livelihood. Her son was her only source of support. His death was both heart-wrenching and financially disastrous. But, whenever Jesus approaches what might appear to be a hopeless situation, everything changes. Notice that when Jesus raised this young man from the dead, He addressed the financial problem. But, the widow’s greater joy was having her son restored to her. Her tears turned to rejoicing. Yes, her HOPE was restored—just as our HOPE is assured. It is assured because what Jesus did for the widow’s son is a sign pointing to our greatest FUTURE HOPE. It is the HOPE OF OUR RESURRECTION! To face death without Jesus is the most hopeless situation anyone can experience. But, for those in Christ, His Resurrection shattered the darkness of death with the dazzling light of HIS HOPE.[8] So, our HOPE IN CHRIST is anything but dead.
In this regard, the Apostle Peter reminds us that our hope is a “LIVING HOPE.” In 1st Peter 1:3–5, he wrote: 3 “Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of His great mercy, He gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a LIVING HOPE, 4 and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for His people. He keeps them for you in Heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. 5 They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God’s power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.” (1st Peter 1:3–5, GNB)
If there was ever an anchor of Christian hope, it is found here! The hope Jesus offers is not defined by merely improving the material circumstances in your life. Rather, Jesus displays God’s power over death itself. HIS HOPE extends beyond the limits of this earthly life and into the world to come! Jesus’ Resurrection points to the future resurrection of all those who remain faithful to Him. Yes, this is a LIVING HOPE that will become a reality at the end of time. Jesus restored the sick and disabled bodies of so many people. He showed Himself to be the Great Physician in raising the widow’s son from the dead—as He also did for Lazarus and for Jairus’ daughter.
We know who the true Great Physician really is. So, it is very disappointing that we have a President who would post on his social media an AI generated picture depicting himself as the “Great Physician.” But, this should come as no surprise. The Bible teaches that, as the end of time approaches, many will be deceived by those who will claim to be the Messiah.[9] But, those who put their hope in such “false messiahs” will truly end up hopeless. Jesus is the only one in whom you can place your ultimate hope. Hope in politicians—whether they are Republicans, Democrats or whatever—is a misplaced trust. Charles Colson was once a political hatchet man for President Richard Nixon. Following a Watergate related imprisonment, Colson became a vocal Christian and was very active in prison ministries. He learned the hard way that the hope offered by politicians is frequently a false hope. Colson once remarked: “Many Christians, like most of the populace, believe the political structures can cure all our ills. The fact is, however, that government, by its very nature, is limited in what it can accomplish. What it does best is perpetuate its own power and bolster its own bureaucracies.” [10]
What Colson is saying about politicians, the Bible extends to people in general. In other words, do not place your hopes in mere humans. The Psalmist declares: 8 “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes” [or even Presidents, as the case may be]. (Psalm 118:8–9, NLT) Similarly, in Psalm 146, we find: 3 “Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. 4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. 5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, WHOSE HOPE IS IN THE LORD THEIR GOD. 6 He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.” (Psalm 146:3–6, NLT) This is not just good advice for the short-term. This is sound advice for the long-term as well because it affects your eternal destination. The Prophet Jeremiah tells us: 5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. 6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. 7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have MADE THE LORD THEIR HOPE AND CONFIDENCE. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5–8, NLT) Jesus’ Resurrection points to that long-term scenario— to the hope that extends into eternity in His Heavenly Kingdom.
Maybe your hope is fading. Maybe you feel that your hope is as dead as the Widow of Nain’s Son. Jesus can restore your hope like he restored her son if you will put your faith in Him. The only Great Physician in whom we can place our hope is Jesus Christ. He sits on His heavenly throne at the right hand of God—and not in some governor’s mansion, and certainly not in the White House!
But, mere humans are not the only things on which people place their hopes. Perhaps, even more frequently, people center their hopes on material things and wealth. Several years ago, a country singer named Chris Hanson came out with a song entitled, “Buy Me a Boat.” The lyrics expressed his hopes of hitting a jackpot of some sort that would bring him a huge sum of money. What was he really hoping to gain with this money? The chorus gives the answer when he sings, “It could buy me a boat. It could buy me a truck to pull it. It could buy me a Yeti 110 iced down with some Silver Bullets.” A fishing boat, a pickup truck and a cooler filled with beer—Are you kidding me? And, how does he hope to get these things? Well, the short answer is he hopes he will inherit the money to buy them. He explains this as the lyrics go on: “I wish I had a rich uncle that’d kick the bucket, and I was sittin' on a pile like Warren Buffett.”[11] That’s a very weak hope to depend upon in this life. And, it won’t help you whatsoever in the life to come. Jesus said, 19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in Heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Matthew 6:19–21, NLT)
Look, the “Buy Me a Boat” song got it all wrong. Don’t place your hope upon an inheritance from a rich relative. There is a far greater inheritance on which your hopes can securely rest. Yes, Chris Hanson got it wrong; but, the writer of Lamentations got it right when he said: “I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my INHERITANCE; therefore, I WILL HOPE IN HIM!’” (Lamentations 3:24, NLT) And David agreed by adding: 5 “Lead me; teach me; for you are the God who gives me salvation. I have no HOPE except in You.” (Psalm 25:5, TLB)
So, how do you go about securing this lasting, living hope? You obtain it through faith in Jesus Christ. From the time you submit to Jesus, you will experience a quality of love like you have never known. Living HOPE comes through genuine FAITH and brings you unsurpassed LOVE. Again, this is the same formula Paul gave us at the end of 1st Corinthians 13: Faith, hope and love. It is interesting that LOVE and FAITH are listed as two of the nine “gifts of the Holy Spirit” in Galatians 5,[12] but, HOPE is not specifically mentioned. Even though it is not listed, in a manner of speaking, HOPE is a part of the spiritual gifts. Perhaps, Paul hints to this by the order of his wording: First, FAITH, then HOPE and finally, LOVE. HOPE is mentioned in the middle because it serves as the “bridge” between FAITH and LOVE. Once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior through faith in Him, something wonderful comes into your life that you did not have before: TRUE, LIVING HOPE! In the New Testament, the Greek word used for “hope” means a “favorable and confident expectation” when you look to the future.[13] For a Christian, whatever is going on in their lives—whether its “smooth sailing” or “stormy seas”—you still have that anchor in your life that I mentioned earlier. It is the ANCHOR OF HOPE by which you know your eternal future is secure. You know this because of your faith in what Jesus did for you on the Cross, and what God did for you by raising Him from the dead. The Cross gives you salvation—for it is there that your sins have been nailed and forgiven. The Empty Tomb gives you the promise of a resurrected body that perfectly suits the environment of God’s Heavenly Kingdom.
Before you had this LIVING HOPE, your view of the future was confined to some of those worldly things mentioned earlier. Back then, maybe you viewed the future favorably only through HOPING you could one day “buy a boat and a truck to pull it.” But, in Christ, your outlook is so very different. Now, you realize that CHRISTIAN HOPE rests upon God’s assured promise that you have waiting for you a home in Heaven “not built by human hands.”[14] And, it is through your faith in Christ Jesus that you daily live out that promise. For as June Hunt writes: “FAITH is HOPE put into action.”[15] Without CHRISTIAN, LIVING HOPE, you couldn’t know the LOVE OF GOD that focuses, NOT on a limited earthly future, but on an eternal future in the place where LOVE RESIDES. Where does LOVE reside? It resides in God’s Heavenly Kingdom because that’s where God resides—and GOD IS LOVE! [16]
Today, we find HOPE in God through an active prayer life. Paul points to this link between PRAYER and HOPE when he told the Ephesian Christians: “I PRAY that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the HOPE to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people.” (Ephesians 1:18, NIV) If Paul prayed to the Lord to enlighten them in a manner to better understand Christian hope, it is something that we need to pray for ourselves as well. We can also find HOPE through reading and studying God’s Word. In the Old Testament, the Psalmist tells us: “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and IN HIS WORD I PUT MY HOPE.” (Psalm 130:5, NIV) And, in the New Testament, it is again Paul who tells us: “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us HOPE and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” (Romans 15:4, NLT) Also, we find HOPE when we come into God’s house to worship Him and to have Christian fellowship with each other. The writer of the Book of Hebrews touches upon this when urging Christians as follows: 23 “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the HOPE WE AFFIRM, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And LET US NOT NEGLECT OUR MEETING TOGETHER, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23–25, NLT) If you need a re-charge of HOPE, then God’s House is the place to be.
For a Christian, our HOPE is not merely “wishful thinking.” Rather, it’s a LIVING HOPE. Whatever seas you may be sailing on, GOD’S HOPE anchors your life in the security of His promises. It’s the kind of HOPE that allows even a young, dying doctor to boldly write the letter “J” for JESUS when facing his last hours on this earth. It’s the kind of HOPE that’s available to you as well. Today, I pray that you have the LIVING HOPE of Jesus Christ in your heart. If His LIVING HOPE is missing in your life, now is the time to come forward and start experiencing the “peace that surpasses all understanding”[17]—it’s the PEACE and HOPE that only Jesus Christ can give!
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
April 19, 2026
©2026 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
Visit us on our Face Book page at https://www.facebook.com/4409sspotswoodrdgordonsvilleva.
[1] Sinclair Ferguson, Deserted by God? (Banner of Truth, 1993), p. 51, cited in Preaching Today, https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/search/hope/?ctp_search=1&page=2&format=Sermon%20Illustration (accessed April 16, 2026).
[2] 1st Corinthians 13:13 “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. (NLT)
[3] Hunt, June. 2008. Biblical Counseling Keys on Hope: The Anchor of Your Soul. Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart.
[4] M’Clintock, John, and James Strong. 1891. “Catacombs.” In Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, 2:146. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers.
[5] Got Questions Ministries. 2014–2021. Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Vol. 2. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife.
[6] Hunt, June. 2008. Biblical Counseling Keys on Hope: The Anchor of Your Soul. Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Richard D. Nelson, First and Second Kings, Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1987), 176.
[9] Matthew 24:4–5 4 “Jesus told them, ‘Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.” (NLT)
[10] Charles (Chuck) Colson, quoted in Preaching Today, https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/search/hope/?ctp_search=1&page=2&format=Sermon%20Illustration (accessed April 15, 2026).
[11] “Buy Me a Boat,” written by Chris DuBois & Chris Janson, featured in Songs About Country Life, (2015) https://www.songlyrics.com/chris-janson/buy-me-a-boat-lyrics/ (accessed April 17, 2026).
[12] Galatians 5:22–23a 22 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, FAITHFULNESS, 23 gentleness, and self-control.” (NLT)
[13] Hunt, June. 2008. Biblical Counseling Keys on Hope: The Anchor of Your Soul. Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart.
[14] 2nd Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have wonderful new bodies in Heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God himself and not by human hands.” (TLB)
[15] Hunt, June. 2008. Biblical Counseling Keys on Hope: The Anchor of Your Soul. Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart.
[16] 1st John 4:7–8 7 “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for GOD IS LOVE.” (NLT)
[17] Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)
