Good morning.

Welcome back to real Life with pastors Mike and Jason.

Mike, good morning.

Good morning, Jason.

We have made it to episode six already of season three, and really, man, we just want to say thank you to all of our listeners.

Thank you for being with us.

Whether you've been with us from the start or just jumping in, we are definitely grateful that you spent time with us this season.

I can't believe it's already been three seasons.

I know they're not super long, six, seven episodes.

But it's already been in September.

It will already be a year since we started this, which just seems crazy to me.

So over the past few weeks, really, and we skipped last week, but we've been looking at the whole theme of season three is all about anxiety.

So we focused on last time we talked, how anxiety impacts the way we connect, specifically with others.

We looked at how does it impact relationships.

We also looked at how fear throughout this season, how fear and how stress and oftentimes a lot of insecurities or the lies, at least that we tell ourselves can create distance, but how God is the answer to those.

So today we're closing out season three.

It's our last episode, but really the focus today is on something very, very, very important, and that's hope.

Not just a positive outlook, not a feeling necessarily that comes and goes, but real, true hope.

The kind of hope that holds up when life does, not the kind that anchors really you, when anxiety wants to shake everything loose.

So that's what we're going to talk about today.

It's all about hope as we close out.

What a great thing to close out this season with is hope.

And really, hope isn't just something nice to have.

It's not just some abstract thought, really.

It's critical.

It's something we need, especially when we're battling anxiety, which is the focus of this season.

I think hope is so important and.

And really, I think underlines a lot of the issues that we've talked about, whether it's season one, season two, season three, as we go through addiction and anxiety.

But just a lack of hope or lost hope is so detrimental.

Not to us just mentally or emotionally, but physically too.

Even we think of the impacts of stress on our body.

But biblical hope is different because the world, and we'll talk for a few minutes about this, but the world defines hope differently than how the Bible defines hope.

What we put our hope in in regards to the world is completely different and really opposite of where we should be putting our hope.

So it's not Necessary.

It's not just a wishful thinking.

It's not wishful thinking.

It's a really biblical hope is a steady trust in who God is and what he's promised.

So let's start this off.

Let's kick the whole thing off with you, Pastor Mike.

Why does or does rather the kind of hope that we have matter in the middle of anxiety?

Well, you know, you kind of just hit on it, just kind of back up for just a second here to that thought that, you know, the world, you know, has an idea of hope and like you said, wishful thinking.

So really, the world's idea of hope defined would just be, I hope as a wish, you know, I.

I hope it works out.

I hope this happens.

I hope, you know, da, da, da, da, da.

And biblical hope is the exact opposite.

When the Bible talks about hope, it's talking about a sure thing.

You know, it's a.

A confident, you know, expectation.

We're, we're trusting in the faithfulness of who God is.

When you go back and study the Old Testament names of God, he's called faithful.

That's actually one of his names.

And, and I love that, you know, because everything, you know, as Jesus said, he goes, heaven and earth are going to pass away, but my word will never pass away is that we can bank on the promises of God if God said it, you know, it's like that old bumper sticker, you know, that.

That settles it.

And.

And we do well, you know, to believe it.

And so when you're thinking about, you know, biblical hope in the truest sense, just thinking about a confident expectation, you know, that God is faithful because that's who he is.

And no matter what, you know, the Scripture says, you know that even when you and I are faithless, God remains faithful, for he can't deny himself.

And so biblical hope is resting in, you know, the character, the nature, you know, the promises of God.

And that's why, you know, we keep going back to the word of God because again, he's going, you can trust it.

He goes, jesus said, if you don't believe the things that I do, just believe the things that I said.

Because, you know, that's where we get the expression of walking the walk and talking the talk.

Because Jesus said, I only do the things that I tell you that I'm going to do, and I only say what I'm going to do.

So, again, we can trust in the word of God.

We can rest in it.

And, you know, the writer of Hebrews, you know, tells us that you know, that our faith, then it's a beautiful picture in Hebrews 6:19, that it becomes the anchor to our soul, you know, so you think about an anchor, you know, on a ship.

What's it for?

You go, it's to steady it, you know, it's to keep it in place when storms come.

And so he's telling him, you know, storms are going to come.

Storms are a part of this life.

But, you know, God, his word, everything that has to do with God is like an anchor in.

Matter of fact, I was reading this this week as I was just preparing for this, and I'd never seen this before, but in the catacombs of Rome.

When you go in the catacombs and they would look at, you know, the murals and things that were on the walls, they had anchors for Christian identification.

And they go, you know, what was the point of an anchor being there?

And it was realizing, you know, as, you know, God's word declares that, that our faith and his hope, it's an anchor to our soul.

And just reminding, you know, people, anchor yourself in Jesus.

And then, you know, when.

When the things happen in life, you'll.

You'll end up in a good place because God is faithful to his promise.

Man, that's such a good, good point.

And so I think it's very, very clear that what we hope in matters matter of fact, one of the reasons I think our hope feels shaky sometimes is because of where we put it.

It's not in the right place.

A lot of people put their hope in things that are completely separate from God.

So what do I mean by that?

I mean, I might find that my hope is, well, if I just get a better job.

I'm just trusting in that if I get a better job, things will work out.

Or a new relationship or money.

Think of money, financial security.

I put my hope in my 401 or my ability to work.

These are all things that really are truly very fleeting.

Change in an instance, or even maybe waiting on the next phase of life.

I remember a lot of guys when I was in the service, their hope was just in getting that DD214 or that piece of paper that says, hey, I completed it, now I can go do the things that I want to do.

I'm done with my time.

But the point is that jobs change.

People let us down.

Plans fall through, circumstances shift.

And when our hope is tied to those things, unfortunately, our peace shifts with them.

They are dependent on something that is not steady and not firm.

But hope in Christ is different.

Hope in God is different.

And it is not based on necessarily what is happening around us, but it is built on who God is, the fact that he is faithful, he is unchanging.

He is always working things together for our good, for those that are in Christ Jesus, even when we don't see it.

And that's why I love that Hebrews you mentioned, I think Hebrews 6:19, that hope is an anchor for our soul.

And I love Romans 15:13, because it tells us where our source of hope comes from.

And it says that I pray that God, the source of hope or the source of all hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him.

So putting our trust in God and understanding that he is the source that of all hope.

That's the kind of hope that you and I are talking about, one that produces things.

It's active.

It produces things in our life, you know, joy, peace.

We think of the fruit of the Spirit, right?

But when our hope is rooted in Christ, again, we're not depending on the things necessarily to go our way because we understand the reality of the world that we're in.

And things don't always go the way we hope.

But when we depend on God, he's steady through all of that, and he's working through these things in our life.

So, you know, it's one thing, I think, to talk about hope, but what then does it actually, and I'm going to push this to you then, but what does hope actually look like when we're in the middle of something hard or when we're in the middle of anxiety, when anxiety is real, when I'm struggling with it, when answers aren't necessarily coming, when I'm tired, when, you know, of waiting.

What does it mean then to hold on to hope?

So maybe can you walk us through some examples of what hope looks like in real life?

Yeah.

Well, the first thing I always go back to in Hebrews 11:1, you know, it says, faith is the confidence of that which we hope for.

You know, and you think about that, you know, that faith is the assurance, you know, of things, hope for the evidence of things not seen.

So you go, how does that apply then, you know, in real life?

And again, it goes back to, you know, standing on the promises of God that again, we walk by faith and not by sight.

And we have to believe that God is faithful, he's sovereign.

That his vantage point, you know, it's like playing football.

We had coaches that were on the field and they're looking at things, you know, from the sideline, and they have a limited perspective.

And then you have a coach that's up in the press box and he's looking down on the field and he has the best view.

And so you have to rely on him to, you know, tell you things that you can't see through all the players that are on the field.

And it's kind of like, for me, that's just a simple way of looking at, you know, God in a practical sense is that his perspective is, you know, from his throne.

And, you know, life's going to throw us curveballs and we're going to be going through all kinds of things.

So what do we do?

Well, we look for examples.

You know, the world looks for examples.

And we in the sense, what does the world do?

You know, medicates itself.

It, you know, it turns to alcohol, it turns, you know, to drugs.

Right into season two.

Yeah, yeah.

And that just is the human response.

And yet.

But God is inviting us to come to him.

You know, going back to that passage, you know, in Hebrews is that we.

We have a hope that's anchored in God with an invitation.

And I love, you know, that that calls us to go beyond the veil, you know, when it says this hope that we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast and which enters the presence, be.

Be behind the veil.

And I love that, the thought of that.

So the reality.

And you know, we're looking for examples of how do we go beyond the veil, you know, and what does it mean by that, you know, and obviously it was talking about going from the holy place to.

Into the most holy place, where the very presence of God is.

So in real life, that becomes you and I developing an awareness, you might say, of God's presence in our life.

I always go Back to the 23rd Psalm, you know, where David says he's talking about real life.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, for thou art with me.

And so recognize, you know, that God's with you.

And I think of then examples, you know, like you said, just I go back to the word of God.

I keep standing on the promises of God that are sure, you know, they're immovable.

He's unchanging.

He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

We live in a world that.

That's moving all over the place and everything changes.

But God is unchanging and he's our rock.

You know, the Bible says we think of an anchor.

We think of he's the rock of our soul.

And so when I thought of examples here, you know, you.

You've got Abraham, you know, as one.

And I love that, you know, as a.

As a reference, because, you know, the story of Abraham and Sarah.

So Abraham, you know, he's in his old age.

And the fascinating thing to me, it says, you know, that Abraham says that he was basically dead.

And so people read that and go, oh, he meant.

God meant that Abraham, you know, was almost at an age where he was going to pass away.

And you go, no, what it was saying was that his ability to have children was dead.

I mean, it's almost humorous in that sense.

It was like he's.

He suffered from, you know, if we're going to talk a medical term, it was Ed.

He needed a little pill.

Yeah.

And he.

So he's.

And he's telling God, you.

This God, I, you know, sorry, you know, and you're telling me I'm going to be the father, you know, of many nations.

So you go, what did Abraham do?

And it says, and this is the practical thing is it says, and Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.

And what a wonderful example that is.

You go, so what did he do?

And you go, he hoped against hope.

There was nothing in himself that he could go, no, I'm beyond the capacity to even have children.

But God said it.

And because God said it, I'm going to trust in him who's faithful.

And because of that, and it says that Abraham, he was a friend of God.

There was another one you had listed, you know, Joseph.

You know, Joseph is sold into slavery, you know, by his brothers, and he's imprisoned and he's there, you know, and everybody's getting out except for Joseph.

And you would think he's got every reason to become bitter, you know, that his brothers turned against him, left, threw him in a pit, then sold him into slavery.

Everything's going against him.

He's trying to maintain his integrity, you know, Potiphar's wife.

And so he finds himself in prison, and then he gets released from prison, and then there's a famine back in.

In Israel.

So his brothers, you know, come to Egypt and he recognizes them and then ultimately discloses himself, you know, to them.

And then they're so afraid because they're thinking, you know, oh my gosh, he's going to kill us, you know, look what we did to him.

And then he says something that's so profound.

He said, you know, what you meant for evil.

He said, God turned it for Good.

Amen.

And he said so that people could be saved.

And there's something about that.

When we think about, you know, the hope that we're to have in this life, they go, you're alive, and I'm alive, Jason, for a reason.

You know, those that are listening today, it's not an accident.

It's like Esther, you know, for such a time as this, so God has a plan for your life.

He's got a purpose, and it's always about eternity.

And so when you look at what do we do in a.

In a situation that we find ourselves in, like today, and you go, hey, there's going to be stress, there's going to be anxiety, there's going to be trials, there's going to be tribulation and all these things.

But we believe in faith, and we believe that God is working out an eternal plan and we're part of it.

And.

And so we're not looking at the temporal.

Like I said, the scripture says we don't hope for what we see, we hope for what we don't see.

And that takes us back into the word of God.

And that's exactly what Joseph did.

He wasn't going by the things that he saw.

Otherwise, he would have just thrown his faith to the side and just lost all hope.

But he kept believing that God's plan for his life and that God was faithful and God would see it come to pass.

And so as it started to unfold, he.

He wasn't bitter.

He just kept going.

That's the beauty of hope, right?

I don't.

I don't hope for what I see.

I hope for what I don't see.

He's going, my best days are still in front of me.

You know, and that's such a practical way.

You know, you had Stephen, you know, in Acts, chapter seven, you know, here's Stephen, that he's laying out this repentive, you know, sermon to the Jewish leaders, and they become incensed so much that they cover their ears and says, you know, they rushed him, and, you know, they take him and they hand their coats to this young man named Saul, and then they stone him to death.

And as they're stoning him, you know, he's crying out, you know, father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

And it says, and he looks up into heaven and he's.

He's like.

He's getting pelted.

And you go, how could you maintain your composure?

Excuse me.

But he.

He saw eternity.

He said.

He looked up and he said, and There was one who was standing there at the right hand of the throne of God.

So it was the Son of Man, about ready to receive him.

And it created great joy.

There was an expectancy, a hope that everything that he had believed about Jesus, that he was the resurrection of life, was true.

And it was about to come true for him.

So regardless of his current circumstances in life, he continued, what would we say?

Hebrews 11:1, that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

And that's what guided his life.

And so you go, the ultimate end was that every decision, every day of his life, we wake up, we get choices every single day.

Am I going to, like Joshua, choose this day and whom you'll serve.

But as for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord.

And then to trust in God, you go waiting on God, staying in the word of God, believing that, that God's word is faithful and his word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

And so for me, the practical thing in real life is looking to the Word of God and walking in the word of God, you know, and staying close to, to God himself and recognizing that even when you don't feel.

And this is one of the greatest blessings of all in the last point I really want to make with it is that even when I don't feel that God's there, I know that he is.

And that's brought me personally, in my own life, so much comfort.

It's like looking around is going, I know God made a promise.

He said, I will never leave you and I will never forsake you.

All these things can happen, but you can rest in this.

I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.

Yeah, no, that's so, so, so good.

Such a personal comfort to me as well.

You know, just expanding on what you're saying.

Another way to help, or at least to hold on to hope is obviously one of the things we can do is surround ourselves with the right people too, who we surround ourselves with matters.

People who would speak truth into our life, I mean, actual truth, biblical truth, into our life.

So when we're anxious or discouraged, we need people around us who remind us of who God is and how faithful he is and what's true, even necessarily when we don't feel like it.

So whom we surround ourselves with really does matter.

I tell this to our youth all the time.

I can't stress this enough, that surrounding yourself with the right people is so, so, so important.

You Know, another thing I wanted to hit on, and you mentioned this too, so it's just expanding on what you said is staying in Scripture.

What is that?

Why does it even make a difference?

And God's Word definitely grounds us.

It keeps us connected to truth when our emotions are all over the place.

And so one of the things I really, there was a study that was done, and I know you've heard about this before, it was done by the center of Biblical Engagement.

And I think the Barna group took part in it too.

But the idea of it was to look at people who engaged with the Bible.

Did it make a practical difference, a real life difference in their life?

And with the things that they were struggling with, did they experience any major shift or improvement in mental health and emotional health, especially, believe it or not, when it comes to anxiety too, that was actually on the list.

And so the study shows that there was with people who intentionally.

I'm not talking about reading the Bible just as a book.

I'm talking about reading the Bible to get to know God, to learn his Word, to study.

And it showed, believe it or not, that and this is four times a week.

So one day a week, two days a week, three days a week, there was negligible benefit.

But when you went over that half of the week, over half of the week spent in God's Word, we saw up to a 60 or the studies show it was up to a 60% reduction in things like destructive thinking, discouragement, loneliness, fear.

So in other words, being in God's Word consistently doesn't just feed your faith, but it also calms your mind.

It helps you rewire your thoughts with truth, with God's truth instead of fear and panic.

And even more, the things that often fuel anxiety, like seclusion, hiding, feeling lonely, feeling like you're not enough, being stuck in unhealthy habits.

We think of addiction.

Those start to fade a little bit too.

So the point being that regular Bible reading and intentional being in God's Word is linked to a drop in behaviors that are destructive, like lashing out in anger, gossiping, misusing money, turning to food or substances for comfort.

And, and so here's what I love about this is not only does anxiety go down, but confidence in God goes up.

People are more likely to share their faith.

It was a 225% increase in people sharing their faith, stepping out in love.

And obviously a side effect of that is you're going to start memorizing Scripture because you're rooted in the peace of God and the truth.

Of God and not fear.

So if anxiety for the listeners today, if anxiety is something that you're really fighting with right now, one of the best things that you can do isn't to try harder, but is to stay rooted in God's word, to be in his word.

And I'm not saying that.

Just, okay, now you have.

You're free to do four days a week and don't need to do five, six, or seven.

That's not what I'm talking about.

That's not the point.

The point is, does God's word consume your life?

Is it important in your life?

Is that the first thing I go to when I have questions, when I'm hurting, is the truth of God's word?

And it should be, you know, a couple other things.

You can keep a journal.

I know I'm not big on writing, but I have probably the last 10 years, I've gotten better at it.

And even sitting through messages on Sundays, Wednesdays, Bible studies, I take notes because it just helps me focus.

But keeping a journal of God's faithfulness, the idea being, writing things down, that you need to remind yourself of ways God has moved in your own life and prayers that he's answered in your own life.

Because inevitably we're going to have those moments where we're down a little bit.

So it gives us something to look back and remind ourselves of God's faithfulness in our life because he is faithful, you know, and then just not be afraid to speak out.

Right Quote, scripture, quote, the things that you're reading.

And so that's man, hope isn't just a feeling, but it's a discipline.

It's something that.

It's a decision.

And you alluded to this a little bit earlier.

Is it something we have to do?

We got to put your trust in God.

It doesn't necessarily come easy all the time, but it's not because of who God is that it's not easy.

It's just because of us.

It's because our lack of faith.

It's because our doubt.

I think one.

One thing I just want to inject there real quick is going back to, you know, the verse that you kind of built this whole thing off, you know, in Hebrews, because the invitation, you know, is to go beyond the veil.

It's in the presence of God.

And so, you know, a lot of times people will study the Bible, but they don't.

They're not seeking a personal relationship with God.

They just want to know, you know, and can you read the Bible as a Non believer and in one sense, live a better life.

And you go, absolutely, you go.

And miss and miss heaven.

You go.

Because there's no personal relationship.

So when you think about hope, and especially from the premise of anxiety, you know, to know that you're not alone, to know that, you know, God, our hope is anchored in a person, you know, it's.

It's not even, you know, we don't worship the Bible.

We worship the God of the Bible.

So, you know, just encouraging people, if you leave home and you go, we talk about, you said, you know, reading the Bible.

So I think of that statement I make periodically from the pulpit.

I'll say that quote from John Corson.

You know, it's like, you know, read your Bible every day and pray, you know, but if you miss one day, don't miss to.

You go.

But you can miss a day, you know, in reading.

But you don't have to miss a day praying or communing with God, you know, just being aware of his presence in your life, being led by his spirit, you know, that that's the beauty of that relationship and to deal with anxiety more than anything else, and where hope comes into that is because it's about an invitation in a relationship to come to God, to come boldly before the throne of God in our time of need and find grace there and help, you know.

And so I just want to encourage our audience, you know, look to God.

Look for God in the course of your day.

You know, like you said, they wouldn't leave home without their cell phone.

You go, but in the truest sense, you know, don't leave home without him.

You know, it's like, you know, be aware that, hey, God, you know, we're in this together today.

And I'll tell.

It changes your life to be aware of the fact that God is with you wherever you go.

Yeah.

No.

Amen.

And he's not just the cross hanging on your neck.

He's not the little angel on your visor, but he's a holy and sovereign, and God created our creator.

He's personal and he wants a relationship.

And that's a great, great reminder, Pastor Mike, that if you haven't put your hope and your trust in Christ, that he's calling you to do that today.

And it's not a special prayer.

It's not a spell you cast.

It's a commitment.

And it's a decision in your heart to follow Jesus, to put your hope and your trust in him, to know that we all have a problem with sin.

And he is the solution.

So great, great reminder.

So just in closing, I want to say, you know, this season was all about anxiety.

And anxiety can make life difficult.

It feels like there's a weight on us, but it doesn't have to take your hope.

God is the solution.

God is an answer.

And like you said, a relationship with him is where it all starts.

He is faithful.

His promises are true.

And I love that.

I just love that, that verse from earlier about him being an anchor because he is our.

He is our anchor.

And so we want to say thank you.

Thank you for walking through with us in season three.

Whether you listened, every episod jumped in here and there, we pray that it helped you where you're at.

It helped you face anxiety, with truth, with grace, with a deeper faith.

But most importantly, it led you closer to the Lord.

And if you didn't have a relationship with God, our hope is that you would surrender to him, that you would walk in a relationship with your creator.

And our prayer is, you know, as always, that this encouraged you, that it, that it was biblical and that it got you to a place of appreciation and just in who God is and His Word.

And so if this season encouraged you, share it with someone, send them an episode or just more than anything, start a conversation with them.

You go talk to them, let them know that they're not alone.

And so as we look ahead, we're excited about what's coming next.

Season four, obviously, is on the horizon, and we've titled that one Living in the Last Days.

And so it's going to be a fun one, I think.

I mean, all of them are fun, but we're going to look at things very specifically with a focus around Bible prophecy and division and, and the rise of nation against nation and even in families and in churches.

So there's a lot to unpack there.

We've got an exciting season four coming up, so just follow us.

If you follow us on social media, Instagram ccbakersfield, and we'll announce when that first episode will be dropping.

But other than that, thank you for joining us and we really appreciate it.

If you have any questions again, you can reach out to us@reallifeccbakersfield.com and we will see you in season four.

Goodbye.