Pastor Brendan Kelly - Agents Of Hope

Morning Service, December 13 2009

Our communities need to be able to look to the church as the first place where they can find hope.

Hope: An Anchor

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20

Jesus – our new High priest has given us a hope that is an anchor to our soul.
If we have this wonderful hope, the community could see us as a ‘house of hope’ and us as ‘agents of hope’.
We should not be only concerned with our own hope, but we should also be concerned that other people can look to us, and be pointed in the direction of true hope.
Even as Christians, we can struggle with having hope. In these times we need to check our ‘anchor’. We are anchored when we are firmly planted in Jesus Christ. It is our responsibility to check where we are anchored especially in the storms of life to ensure we are anchored in Christ.

15 But sanctify the Lord God[a] in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 1 Peter 3:15

Sanctify: We need to avoid distraction in our Christian walk. Don’t ever take for granted your salvation thinking it’s all done with. Peter tells us to sanctify (set apart) our hearts.
Always: It is reiterated to always be ready to give defense for the hope that is in you. Not just sometimes.
Give Defense: We need to always be prepared to give a defensible explanation of the hope that we have.
To everyone: This reiterates that we give defense of hope to all, not just the people we like or in Christian terms the people we are ‘working on’ to see saved. This even means those who our prejudices might rise against.

Different types of agents

Under-Cover Agents:

These agents have hope, yet to them it is kept a secret.
They agree we should be agents of hope, but shy away from sharing a defensible explanation of hope to everyone, thinking their hope is for them alone or for the church.

News-Agents

These good news-agents tell everyone – whether they want to hear it or not! Imposing onto people without an invitation. This is not what Peter was talking about in 1 Peter 3:15. In fact, he states ‘to everyone who ask you’.
We don’t need to go out and ‘tell’ people anything. Instead we should live a life that is expecting to be asked.

Agents of Hopes

As effective agents of hope, we should be living with an expectation of being known as agents of hope who, when asked, can give a defensible explanation of where our hope comes from – for our hope is anchored in Christ.
Sometimes by the way we act and talk, people consider us to be ‘hopeless’ instead of hope agents.
We are looking forward to Christ’s return, but right now we’re responsible to be hopeful and be able to demonstrate in everything we do, that we are anchored.

What does an agent of hope look like?

7 “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear[a] when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7&8

Agents of Hope look like the tree in this passage:

1. Like a tree, by the waters

We are blessed people, refreshed by the living waters of Jesus Christ.

2. Spreads out its roots

We need to ask ourselves where do our roots go down?

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, Ephesians 3:17

5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

People who are anchored/grounded in the love of Christ will not despair. Their standout quality is that they always have genuine hope.

3. It will not fear when heat comes

The pressures of life will not cause an agent of hope to buckle.

4. It will not be anxious in the year of drought

This speaks of a dry place or wilderness.
We are able to handle severe conditions when our hope is anchored in the Lord.

5. Her leaf shall be green

Green means life – when we have hope, we show life.
Alive trees provide shelter, shade and comfort.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Tribulations shouldn’t concern us; instead there should be joy and glory in tribulation.
Hope is the result of tested character.
Proven character means it is stamped as excellent as handling the pressures of life.

6. They will not cease bearing fruit

People should be able to live off the produce of our lives (sustained by us).

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22

We should be bringing the fruit of the spirit into people’s circumstances and it shouldn’t take long before people ask us ‘where do you get that from?’
It is a lot easier to show good fruit in good times – but it offers more hope when we are still producing these fruits in pressured times.

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. John 15:16

There is more blessedness in fruitfulness then in faithfulness.
Being a faithful servant is our reasonable service – a basic responsibility we all have.
The ‘well done’ of this scripture refers to the fruitfulness of the servant’s life. They bore fruit.
The tree that bears fruit will get the Father’s attention and care.

Conclusion

The day is going to come when people will ask ‘how did that happen in your life?’ and it will be because we started to bear fruit.
People need to find a ‘tree’ – a church that is bearing fruit.

1 Peter 3:15 in context shows us that we need to be ready to give defense to anyone who asks – no matter what their motives are.

Sometimes we decline to defend our hope because we don’t like the motive of the person who is asking the question.

Let’s just serve others regardless of their motives and hearts, showing them hope and answering their questions, bearing good fruit.