December 21st, 2022
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
Enduring Hope
There is a story about how the caverns north of Yellowstone National Park were discovered. As the story goes, one of the original explorers was walking along the top of that mountain and fell through a hole, and he dropped down several hundred feet into this cavern and was stuck in almost total darkness for over a week, no food, no water. He cried out every day, "Help me!" hoping that somebody would hear his voice and figure out that he was down there.
Sure enough a guy came along and heard this faint sound and looked around and found the hole. They dug him out and that’s how they found this giant cavern. They asked him, "How did you hold on to hope day after day after day in the dark without giving up?" He said, "There was one little pinhole ray of light that was coming through and I just kept focused on that ray of light."
When Scripture refers to Jesus as “The Light of the World” it means several things. It means that He illuminates the world with Truth. It means that He shows us the way to God. It means that he shows us that we are sinners. But one of the great things Jesus does as “The Light of the World” is to give us hope for a better life. You have heard the phrase “Light at the end of the tunnel.” That’s what Jesus is for us.
Many people today are like that man down in the cave. They are in darkness looking for hope. Jesus is the light of the world. When they see him, they have hope to know that God has come for them and that help is on the way. Today Jesus continues to be “The light of the world,” meaning that He is still shining and giving us hope today. Just a glimmer of light can build enduring hope to keep on keeping on. Jesus brings enduring hope.
This Christmas, let us remember the hope the birth of the Son of God brought to us that is eternal and sure. Let us shine his hope on all around us.
This Sunday I will give the final message in our Advent series, The Promised One with the Christmas sermon titled, “Unto Us” based on Isaiah 9:1-7. Join us for this exciting Celebration of the Birth of the King of kings, Lord of Lords and the hope of all mankind.
Enduring by His Hope,
Jon
Enduring Hope
There is a story about how the caverns north of Yellowstone National Park were discovered. As the story goes, one of the original explorers was walking along the top of that mountain and fell through a hole, and he dropped down several hundred feet into this cavern and was stuck in almost total darkness for over a week, no food, no water. He cried out every day, "Help me!" hoping that somebody would hear his voice and figure out that he was down there.
Sure enough a guy came along and heard this faint sound and looked around and found the hole. They dug him out and that’s how they found this giant cavern. They asked him, "How did you hold on to hope day after day after day in the dark without giving up?" He said, "There was one little pinhole ray of light that was coming through and I just kept focused on that ray of light."
When Scripture refers to Jesus as “The Light of the World” it means several things. It means that He illuminates the world with Truth. It means that He shows us the way to God. It means that he shows us that we are sinners. But one of the great things Jesus does as “The Light of the World” is to give us hope for a better life. You have heard the phrase “Light at the end of the tunnel.” That’s what Jesus is for us.
Many people today are like that man down in the cave. They are in darkness looking for hope. Jesus is the light of the world. When they see him, they have hope to know that God has come for them and that help is on the way. Today Jesus continues to be “The light of the world,” meaning that He is still shining and giving us hope today. Just a glimmer of light can build enduring hope to keep on keeping on. Jesus brings enduring hope.
This Christmas, let us remember the hope the birth of the Son of God brought to us that is eternal and sure. Let us shine his hope on all around us.
This Sunday I will give the final message in our Advent series, The Promised One with the Christmas sermon titled, “Unto Us” based on Isaiah 9:1-7. Join us for this exciting Celebration of the Birth of the King of kings, Lord of Lords and the hope of all mankind.
Enduring by His Hope,
Jon
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