Hope Will Not Disappoint You

HOPE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU
Romans 5:1-5
January 16, 2011 2:00 p.m. Chapel Service
Preached at Monserate Mobile Home Park, Fallbrook, CA

On the door of the store there was a sign that said:
“If we’re not open,
we’re closed.”

Some people are open,
some people are closed.
Some people get it, and
some people don’t.
Some people are wise,
some people are foolish.
Some people really believe,
and some people don’t.
Now, which are you?

In the book of Proverbs, chapter one, verse seven,
the writer says:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

When I was getting ready for college, my travel agent said to me,
“Dennis, why don’t you do what we did.” “Take
the Greyhound bus to Iowa. You’ll see a lot of
interesting country.” …And that’s what I did …..and
I met some interesting people.”

I got on the bus in San Francisco and when we stopped in
Sacramento, a man took the seat next to me.
“How’re you doing, young man? Where are you headed?
“Iowa for college,” I said. “Good for you…” and our
conversation went on. He was a retired firefighter.
When we got to Truckee, we stopped for dinner. “Young
man,” he said, “dinner’s on me!” I’ll never forget that guy.

The first point I want to make is: THERE IS GOODNESS ALL AROUND.
If you look for goodness, you’ll find goodness.
If you look for the bad, you’ll find the bad.

It took the disciples three years to figure this out.
Even in the last week of Jesus’ life, the disciples
were puzzled about what Jesus was talking about.
Finally, finally, when Jesus was resurrected, they understood.

Jesus taught them, the answer is at your fingertips.
Just believe! Have faith!
“Ask, and it will be given you, seek and you will
find, knock and the door will be opened to you.”

How many of you were born before 1940?
Tom Brokaw calls you, “The Greatest Generation.”
You saw the world in crisis (the Great Depressison),
You saw the world at war (World War II)
You saw the world giving everything they had,
You saw that GOODNESS prevailed.
(The Allies defeated the Axis nations)
Do I hear an Amen?

Today, we hold in our thoughts the people of Tucson as
they recover from grief. Six people were killed;
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is making a remarkable
recovery. If there is one thing that happened, the
tragedy brought out the goodness of people.

When Holden Charles Hollom saw a mugger knock down a
tourist and take her purse, he jumped to action.
A taxi driver in San Francisco, he went after the mugger.
He pressed the man against the wall with his cab, breaking
the man’s leg.

The mugger, Ocie McClure, was found guilty of robbery and
received ten years in prison. Then he filed suit against
the taxi driver for his broken leg. The jury decided that
the driver used excessive force and ordered Hollom, the
cab driver to pay McClure $24,595.

There was an outcry in the city of San Francisco. Through a
local radio station, they raised $25,000 within a week.
The cab driver Hollom said, “I would do exactly the
same thing.”

How many of you were born in California?
How many of you were born east of the Mississippi?
How many of you were born west of the Mississippi?
Where were you all born?
Welcome to the best weather in the world.


This morning I have entitled my sermon,
“Hope Will Not Disappoint You.”
Kennon Callahan, once said, people are looking for
two things—Home and Hope.

Remember Saul of Tarsus. He was a mean guy, a Pharisee.
He was a persecutor of Christians. When Stephen
was being stoned outside the walls of Jerusalem, Paul
stood at the gate of the city, nodding with approval.
Then, miracles of miracles, Paul gave his heart of
Christ. As Mark Trotter wrote, “Grace All the Way Home.”

In Romans, Paul wrote, “We also boast in our sufferings..
suffering produces endurance,
endurance produces character,
character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

When our older son Jeremy was in the eighth grade, we
almost lost him from school. I was pastor of the First
United Methodist Church in Reseda, in San Fernando
Valley. One day, Jeremy said, “I don’t have any friends.”
He had a good friend Richard, but Richard lived in
North Hollywood. Jeremy lost 30 days of school that
year. He didn’t want to ride the bus
anymore, so every morning from February to June, I
drove him to school … and I’m not a morning person.
We me with all his teachers and they said, “If Jeremy is
late, just write a note saying, “Please excuse Jeremy for
being tardy this morning.” I don’t know how many tardy
notes I had written. They all knew Jeremy was a good student.
Jeremy suffered, his mom suffered, and his dad suffered;
we all suffered.

In every story, there is a silver lining. That year, Jeremy wrote an
essay on Martin Luther King. His essay was so good, it was
entered in the city wide essay contest. Out of 300 eighth
grade essays, his was chosen and the best. He and several
others were honored at an Awards assembly on the campus of
USC. Today, Jeremy is a medical doctor in osteopathic medicine.
He is almost done with his residence. He and his wife Melanie
are in Yakima, Washington. In January last year, he delivered
the first baby that was born in Yakima. When he was in Kenya,
working at a hospital, he delivered his first baby. Melanie just
finished her teaching credentials and now is student teaching.

Suffering produces endurance,
endurance produces character,
character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us.

When Charles Colson was in prison, it was a difficult time for
him. In his book, “Born Again,” he said there was one
Psalm that gave him strength. Psalm 27. Listen.

The Lord is my light and my
salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of
my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

…I believe that I shall see the
goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart
take courage;
wait for the Lord. (27:13,14)

Jesus said, “Come to me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give
you rest. …For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28,30)

Let me tell you about a man who was born in Port Huron, Michigan.
His IQ was measured at 81. The school master called him slow.
At an early age he caught scarlet fever. At the age of 12, he
lost much of his hearing. To the schoolmaster his mother said, “Hogwash!”
Actually, that’s my word. His mother believed in him and stayed with
him. This man changed America. In 1877 he invented the
phonograph. In 1879 he invented the light bulb. His name –
you guessed it, “Thomas Alva Edison.”

Let me close with this: I have here two horseshoes joined by chains
with a ring. How many of you believe you can get this ring off?
(I did!) Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.”