HANG IN THERE: Peace and Hope - June 21, 2026
INTRODUCTION
- There is darkness, but the light dispels the darkness.
- Throw down your cloak.
- Freedom is coming.
- Christ is enough.
And yet . . .
The Society of International law in London states this incredible statistic: since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than 8% of the time. Over the last 4000 years of history, only 268 years saw peace.
Moreover in excess of 8000 peace treatises have been made and broken. In the last 3 centuries there have been 286 wars on the continent of Europe alone!
Romans 5:1-5 NIV
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Romans 5:1-5 NIV
The opening line of "Peace, Perfect Peace," a beloved Christian hymn written by Bishop Edward H. Bickersteth in 1875.
"Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin? The blood of Jesus whispers peace within."
I. PEACE THROUGH LORD JESUS CHRIST
There was a widow who had “Rest In Peace” put on her husband’s tombstone.
When she found out that he left her out of his will, she had added, “TILL I COME.”
Peace between humans takes divine intervention. Peace between humans and God took Jesus.
A. Justification through faith
B. Access by faith into this grace in which we now stand
Columnist Deborah Mathis wrote about the time when she was at Union Station in Washington D.C. on a particularly busy day. The first thing she remembers about that experience was the noisy hubbub of sounds. The public address announcer calling out arrivals and departures. Scores of pagers, walkie-talkies, and cell phones cried out for someone’s attention.
You could hear horns honking, machines clinking out change, and babies crying. A security guard yelled at a man who was about to enter a forbidden area. Three women stood up from their bench in order to argue with each other more loudly.
And a man in front of her was nervously pacing in a tight circle.
But then she heard someone singing:
"What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear;
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer."
Slowly a change came over the noisy crowd. The voice continued:
"O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer."
The quarreling women stopped their talking and quietly took their seats. People who’d been tense and hurried; seemed to slow and relax - and they strained to hear the voice singing the remaining verses that old hymn. And Ms. Mathis realized she was singing along. So were the three women who had been bickering. And a few others as well.
The man in front of her, who had been behaving nervously quietly said: "Nice, huh? I don’t even believe in Jesus, but that’s nice."
(From an article by Rubel Shelly. From a sermon by Jeff Strite, "i-Serve", Sermon Central, 1/11/2009.)
II. HOPE IN THE GLORY OF GOD
A. Boast in the hope
B. The hope of the glory of God
If you seek your own glory you will lose that, and His. But, if you seek His, you will get yours directly from Him. We are all tempted, like the youth Narcissus in the Greek fable, to bend over the brook and fall in love with ourselves, and we get changed into flowers, and fade in an hour. But he that does the will of God, and seeks the will of God, abides forever.
When men compliment you upon the excellence of your character, and tell you how spiritual you are, and how sweet is your influence, say, "Thine is the glory, O Christ; I have got it all from Thee."
If you write a book, place "Thine is the glory" on the cover.
If you paint a picture-- Put "Thine is the glory" as a scroll at the foot.
If you are a doctor or a surgeon, and are able to render some great service of deliverance, do not take thanks without in your heart saying, "Thine is the glory."
I like to think of those angels standing before God and praising Him day and night--angels excelling in strength, doing His commandments, hearkening to His voice; I like to think of them traveling through the realms of space, and making them the home of song; I like to think of them reaching the far distance where the ether breaks upon the rocks of eternity, and in that far distant land saying, "Glory to God! Glory to God in the highest."
Is not this, then, the motto that we want? Is it not something to live for? Thine is the kingdom over men, and over my life. Thine is the power and the glory. Will you all dare to say, "Forever, Amen"? Will you not at this very moment say in your heart, "Jesus, my King, rule over me"? He died for you. He loves you. He can bless you. Will you now put the crown of your life upon Him?
F. B. Meyer, “The Gift of Suffering”, Sermon Central, August 12, 2024.
III. GLORY IN SUFFERINGS
A. Perseverance
B. Character
C. Hope
Hope does not disappoint
Romans 5:6-11 NIV
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
Romans 5:6-11 NIV
Dave Dravecky (MLB pitcher): After he underwent surgery to remove his arm up to his collarbone. His cancerous left arm had been amputated. As he looked in the mirror he said "Okay God. This is what I have got to live with. Put this behind me; let’s go forward."
A couple of days later he was walking the hospital corridor pushing his IV, came to the visitors lounge where a whole family has gathered. The wife sitting there worried, her husband has cancer throughout his whole body and the prognosis is not good. Dave sat down near her, the son came to him and asked him "Where do you get your peace?" Dave told him that Jesus Christ was the source of his peace, the entire family listened as he shared his testimony and his faith. He heard the complaints of the family, my father was a good man and he is in there suffering with cancer, while bad people run around healthy. He told them, "It is hard to understand suffering in this life, but you can't blame God for it. Sooner or later this earth is going to burn up, the only thing that will matter is if we go to heaven or not. I believe in miracles, I believe that God can and does heal people, but more important than that, I believe in the eternal hope of heaven, when I die, that's where I'm going, because heaven is my home."
Richard White,"Peace That Surpasses", Sermon Central, December 28, 2008.
CONCLUSION
There is peace through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is hope in the glory of God. There is glory in the sufferings we face. Only through Jesus can we have anything of meaning.
Bruce Larson (pastor, author, and modern small group pioneer) tells how he helped people struggling to surrender their lives to Christ:
"For many years I worked in New York City and counseled at my office any number of people who were wrestling with this yes-or-no decision. Often I would suggest they walk with me from my office down to the RCA Building on Fifth Avenue. In the entrance of that building is a gigantic statue of Atlas, a beautifully proportioned man who, with all his muscles straining, is holding the world upon his shoulders. There he is, the most powerfully built man in the world, and he can barely stand up under this burden. ’Now that’s one way to live,’ I would point out to my companion, ’trying to carry the world on your shoulders. But now come across the street with me.’
On the other side of Fifth Avenue is Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and there behind the high altar is a little shrine of the boy Jesus, perhaps eight or nine years old, and with no effort he is holding the world in one hand. My point was illustrated graphically.
We have a choice. We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, ’I give up, Lord; here’s my life. I give you my world, the whole world.’"
Bruce Larson, “Believe and Belong”, Sermon Central, November 3, 2002.
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.
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