Hope in the Mess | The Beautiful Mess | Week 3

Hope in the Mess | The Beautiful Mess | Week 3
Pastor Greg Carr, Executive Pastor
Engage this service online here
 
1.   Hope is always future-oriented.

• Romans 8:24-25; 2 Corinthians 4:16 -18

2.   Hope is found in a person.

• Romans 15:13; Hebrews 10:23

3.   Hope is an anchor for our souls.

• Hebrews 6:19; Isaiah 40:29-31

4.  Hope is often discovered in the mess.

• Jeremiah 29:11

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” 
Isaiah 40:31

1. Before we dive into the sermon, what was your favorite Thanksgiving moment? 

2. What was your biggest takeaway from Greg’s message on Sunday?

3. Read Isaiah 40:30-31. How does it renew our strength when we put our hope in the Lord?

4. Can you think of a time when your strength was depleted because you were trying to clean up a mess that only the Lord could clean?

5. What does it look like to fully release something to God? Was there a time in your life when you needed to do this? Do you find this hard or easy to do? Please share. 

6. Read Something to Think About and discuss.

Personally, when the mess of life starts to overwhelm me, my inclination is to try and control it. I hate the feeling of chaos – to me, it feels like pain. I will do all I can to try and eliminate this pain. My go-to is to try and clean up the mess with my own strength until I completely wipe myself out emotionally and sometimes physically. I wind up at the end of myself and recognize that I cannot clean up the mess alone. Then, I will surrender the situation to God. When I surrender from this place, I am usually desperate for Him to come in and carry this burden and help clean the mess. It always amazes me how quickly I experience the Hope and Peace that only comes from a place of knowing My Father has the situation and that He has me. I always wish I would have just surrendered the situation to Him from the beginning.

There is beauty and great hope when we come to the place of surrender. Sometimes, the biggest messes are the hardest ones to surrender. This week, my prayer for you is that you will take time to assess areas in your life that appear to be messy and that you have been trying to clean up on your own and surrender to the Lord. Allow Him to come in and create beauty that comes from inviting Him into the mess. He is patiently waiting. When we hope in Him, He renews our strength. I am cheering for you guys.  
Blessings,
Christie Braun