Recap:

Good morning, thank you for having me. My name’s Matt, I pastor Park City Church in Overland Park, and I’m part of ConnectKC. It’s been a wild ride, but God has been faithful, and I’m excited to be here today to open God’s Word with you and continue in this series Pastor David has been preaching on: Holy Habits.

You’ve been camped out in Hebrews 10:24–25, so let’s read it again:

“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Over these weeks, you’ve looked at habits that anchor us in God’s grace, meeting together, encouraging one another, living in community. Today I want to zoom in on that last phrase: “all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The writer is talking about the Day, capital D, the day of Christ’s return. He’s pointing us to a holy habit: the habit of hope.

Here’s the truth: everybody lives with some kind of hope. A picture of the future you’re banking on. Maybe it’s school, a job, marriage, stability. Maybe you don’t even say it out loud, but it’s there. The question isn’t “do you have hope?” The question is: is your hope solid? Can it actually hold when life presses in?

Because life narrows our vision. The Hebrews were under pressure, tired, tempted to drift back into what was familiar. And we know that pull too. Busyness crowds out our focus. Comfort lulls us into thinking “this is enough.” Pain and grief shrink the horizon to just surviving the moment. Cynicism whispers, “Don’t expect too much, life just disappoints.” All of that narrows our sightline until hope feels distant.

But Hebrews lifts our chin and says, Look! The Day is approaching. Jesus is coming back. And that changes everything.

Now, I know talk of the “Day of the Lord” can get… a little bananas. Who’s going up? Who’s staying? What floor are we on? It can feel like my Chick-fil-A elevator ride, everyone’s stuck in speculation, pushing all the buttons, but missing the point.

Paul writes to the Thessalonians about the Day, and he doesn’t give them a chart. He gives them hope. He says: Jesus died and rose again. Because of that, you don’t grieve like people with no hope. That’s the anchor. Not fear, not guesswork, but hope. Hope that one day every wrong will be made right, every tear wiped away, every sad thing undone. That’s the promise.

So what does it look like to live with the habit of hope? Two things Paul shows us:

  1. Hope reframes grief. We still grieve, but not without hope. As one songwriter says, “If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.” In Christ, the story doesn’t end in loss.
  2. Hope fuels purpose. Paul says: live as children of the light. Be awake and sober. Put on faith, hope, and love. This kind of hope doesn’t make us check out of life, it makes us steady, resilient, full of love in the middle of life.

It’s like Simon Barnes, who wrote How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher. He said, “I don’t go birdwatching. I am birdwatching. It’s a state of being. Just get the habit, the habit of looking.” That’s what Hebrews calls us to: the habit of looking, not with fear, but eager expectation. Eyes lifted, hearts steady: Jesus is coming.

And here’s the best part. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” My hope isn’t anchored in my grip on God, but in His grip on me. Jesus lived the life I couldn’t, died the death I deserved, rose again to secure the future I could never earn. He is faithful. And that means the habit of hope is ultimately about trusting Him.

Maybe for some of you, that means today’s the day to put your trust in Jesus for the first time. Maybe He’s been on the horizon of your life but today He’s coming into focus. For others, it’s a reminder, lift your eyes. Don’t let grief, busyness, or comfort shrink your vision. Anchor your hope in Him.

Because the Day is approaching. And if it’s not good, then it’s not the end.

Let’s pray.
Lord, fill us with hope by the power of your Spirit. Lift our eyes to Jesus. Heal what grief has broken, give purpose in the everyday, and anchor us in the habit of looking to your return. In Christ’s name, amen.

Group Questions:

Icebreakers

  1. If you could push one button and immediately be transported to any place in the world, where would you go?
  2. What’s one thing on your calendar right now that you’re looking forward to?
  3. Share a time you had to wait for something big—what helped you stay hopeful during the waiting?

Scripture Focus

Read Hebrews 10:23–25 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 together.

Discussion Questions

1. Hope in Everyday Life
  • The sermon said: “Everyone lives with some kind of hope. The question is whether it’s solid.”

    • What are some “hopes” people around you live for (job, relationships, comfort, etc.)?
    • Which of those hopes tend to sneak into your own heart most often?
2. When Life Narrows Our Vision
  • The preacher mentioned busyness, comfort, grief, and cynicism as things that shrink our sightline.
    • Which one of those do you relate to most right now?
    • How does it make hope feel smaller or harder to hold on to?
3. Reframing Grief
  • Paul says we grieve, but not without hope.
    • How have you experienced grief with hope? Or grief without hope?
    • What difference did faith in Christ make in that moment?
4. Hope Fuels Purpose
  • Instead of checking out, biblical hope makes us “awake and sober.”
    • What does it look like to live with a hopeful mindset in the middle of your ordinary week?
    • How can hope in Jesus change the way you handle struggles at work, family pressures, or personal battles?
5. Anchored in God’s Grip
  • Hebrews 10:23 says our hope rests in “He who promised is faithful.”

    • How does it encourage you to know that your hope is not anchored in your grip on God, but His grip on you?
    • Share an example where God’s faithfulness carried you when your faith felt weak.
6. Practicing the Habit of Hope
  • The sermon described hope as “the habit of looking.”
    • What are practical ways we can build this habit into our daily lives?
    • How can we help each other in this group “lift our eyes” when life narrows our vision?

Closing Question

  • If it’s not good, then it’s not the end. Where do you need to remind yourself of that truth this week?