In & For

How to Address the Cultural Crisis of Hopelessness

• Josh McDowell Ministry • Episode 2

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In this episode of the In and For podcast, Brock Anderson and Shelley Komoszewski explore the cultural crisis of hopelessness and how hope has been misdefined in society. They contrast this with the biblical understanding of hope as a confident expectation based on God's promises. The conversation delves into practical takeaways for individuals to examine their own sources of hope and how to engage with others in a meaningful way, ultimately challenging listeners to be a source of hope in their communities.

takeaways

  • Hopelessness is a cultural crisis affecting many individuals.
  • Cultural definitions of hope often equate to wishful thinking.
  • Biblical hope is a confident expectation based on God's promises.
  • Misplaced hope can lead to disappointment and anxiety.
  • Hope should be anchored in God's character and rooted in Jesus.
  • True hope is a living hope that transcends circumstances.
  • We must examine where we functionally place our hope.
  • Engaging with others about hope requires honesty and vulnerability.
  • The gospel invites others to share in the hope we have in Christ.
  • Being a source of hope means being prepared to share our faith with gentleness and respect.

Welcome to the In and For podcast, where we confront cultural confusion with biblical clarity so people see Jesus clearly. I'm Shelley Komoszewski. And I am Brock Anderson. We are here hosting In and For, where we talk about what it means, what it looks like to be both in and for Christ and in and for culture. And here's the important part, for its ultimate good. And I'll point you back to episode one.

where we talk more about what it looks like to be in and for Christ, in and for culture for its ultimate good, and pointing people, redirecting them to the beauty of Christianity, of the essentials of Christianity, and why Christianity makes the most sense out of why the world is the way it is, and where our ultimate hope can be found. And I think that's an important point to make given today's topic. Today's topic is the cheery subject of hopelessness.

Today we're tackling hopelessness because it's not just an individual struggle. It is a cultural crisis. 2023 three stats. 40% of U.S. high school students reported experiencing persisting feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and female students reported higher rates at 53% But it's not just a teen issue. One out of five American adults.

experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. We all long for hope. Maybe if you're struggling right now, facing uncertainty, disappointment, or just feeling weary, we get it. But what if real hope is different than how culture defines it? That is our subject today, and we're thrilled that you've joined us.

Have we misdefined hope? Have we looked at hope in a way that the Bible has nothing to do with as Christians? Is there a difference, a distinct difference between the cultural definition of hope and the Christian definition of hope?

And I think there is, and I think we'll flesh that out in our episode today. Shelley, you want to talk about how have we misdefined hope? So looking at how culture defines hope, it's almost like it's wishful thinking. It's almost like, I hope things get better, or I hope this works out for you. But that kind of hope is uncertain. It's like crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. Yeah, absolutely.

we end up using hope in these different ways, like, I hope this works out for me. Even things simple like, I hope you have a good day. Or, I hope you get well. And it's these good intentions, but it has this tie-in of uncertainty. I'm not sure it's going to happen. It's just what I would like to have happen. And we have a couple of examples, like hope in circumstances. Like if I get this job or...

if I get this relationship or if this happens, then things will work out and that's hopeful. Yeah, yeah. I'm hopeful I'll get this job because then my hope will be fulfilled and that's, that's this breaks through, then hope will be fulfilled. That's pretty uncertain. Yeah, yeah. And then there's, hope and self effort. I, if I manifest it as- Manifest it. It's a common, it's a common saying today. speak it into the universe. If I manifest it-

Again, very uncertain. Yes, things will turn around. I'm hopeful that things will turn around if I manifest it. Or my favorite is  just stay positive. Yes, just just stay positive and everything will go well. Yes, and things will work out or just just maintain hopeful hopefulness. Just be hopeful, but hope in what? And that and that's where we run into the dead end. And and then this last thing, this hope and temporary things. This could be wealth. This could be success. It could be.

in people too. And we could devote a whole podcast to this of requiring something from another person that they were never meant to be able to provide and that they cannot provide to you. And we'll talk a little bit about that more a little bit later. So the problem is when these things don't come through, if we're hoping in this uncertainty and putting our hope in something temporal and it doesn't come through,

That's when we're left feeling disappointed and anxious and we're searching for something solid to hold onto. Yeah. And so when we talk about this, this core of misplaced love or misdirected love, one of the first things we talk about is what we just, what we just talked about. It's, it's, it's misdefined. Hope is, is wishful thinking. but at the heart of this, of this hope is, is a misdirected or a misplaced love. we, we love.

the things that we put the most faith and trust in. It's the thing we put our hope in as well. Jesus brings this out beautifully. When He talks about how we love the thing or the person that we trust the most, I think He brings this out the best in the way that He does in Matthew 6:24 and the only way that Jesus can, where He just takes all the layers off of it. And He talks about how you can't serve two masters. You can't serve both God and money.

And what he's really trying to say there, even though he's using money as the example, what he's really trying to say is you can't have two distinct loves. You have one love that you're seeking after. Your heart can't be in two different places. And that's really, really important to understand that we have to have our love, especially as followers of Christ, directed in the right place toward Jesus. And we have some examples of misdirected love.

as well. And that's the first of being position and success. It's one of the first questions people will ask you when they meet you and they'll ask, Hi, what do you do? What do you do?

We put a lot of emphasis on that. career defines us as if we're placed our misplaced love in our career and says that's who we are. It's what we do. It's not who we

jumping over you there. No, that completes the point. And speaking of complete relationships is another point. Relationship, the famous movie quote, you complete me. And that goes back to kind of what we alluded to earlier of pulling from somebody or expecting something from somebody, fulfillment of hope, something that they were never meant to provide and that they cannot provide.

And so we end up worshiping our relationship, seeing that as the source of our hope. Another thing I think we see a lot of these days is leaning into our children to give us identity. we are, what do you do? It's your job. It's who you're married to. It's your children. It's your relationships. And those are all important pieces, but it can't be the substance of our hope.

Exactly right. And it goes right back to that wishful thinking. This all ties in to that wishful thinking. My wishful thinking is that my kids will provide for me the thing that's missing. My wishful thinking is that my spouse will provide for me the thing that's missing. My wishful thinking is that my job or my position or my wealth or my status is going to provide for me the thing that's missing. But here's the question that we always have to come back to and ask. And that is, is the person, job,

bank account, position, whatever it is that you're putting your hope in, is it truly capable of fulfilling your expectations? And here's the main part of that question. Is it possible for it to ever let you down? And if the answer is yes, then your hope is misplaced because the biblical idea of hope is a certainty that can never let you down.

And so if your hope is in something that can let you down at any point in time, it can be taken away, it can erode, it can be diluted over time in any way, shape or form, then your hope has been misdefined and misplaced. That was actually really helpful. I try every now and then. Well, culture does offer wishful thinking, but the Bible defines hope very differently. So let's look at how scripture looks at it.

Hope in scripture is not a fragile emotion. It's a confident expectation based on God's promises. I love that definition. And we looked, there's so many good definitions of are, yeah. we were exploring and some I liked that you said I couldn't use so. But this one is really, really good. So I wanna say it one more time. Hope in scripture is not a fragile emotion. It is a confident expectation.

based on God's promises. I think that is just something that I think we need to chew on for a while and really let it seep into us. What are some examples that we can talk about when it comes to this? Yeah, so I mean, some examples of what hope is according to Scripture. We know that it's always anchored in God's character. That's where our true and lasting hope is. Even things like the

The song we used to sing when were kids about the wise man builds his house on the rock. Do you want to sing that for I do not, and I will not. I'll be singing that anytime in the near future. Sunday School flashbacks, yes. But here's the big takeaway is that nobody would ever build their house on sand, but that's what the foolish person does who has misplaced hope. He would build his house on the sand. that's shifting and temporary

Yeah, something that's shifting and temporary. Where the wise man builds his house on the? On the rock. Yeah, so those fun little child songs, they come from deep and meaningful and true scriptures that are worth meditating upon. So yeah, it's anchored in God's character, and it's also rooted in Jesus. Yeah. Right? Yes. His death and resurrection prove that He wins in the end. And I think that's oversimplified sometimes, but man, when we need a place to anchor our hope.

It's in the person and character of God. It's in Jesus' atoning work on the cross and the fact that he is no longer dead but ruling and reigning. Like, that's where true hope comes from. And I also think that Scripture goes beyond our circumstances. Absolutely, yeah. What I love about Scripture is that when it talks about hope, it doesn't just go beyond our circumstances.

It actually describes the kinds of circumstances you're going to encounter in this life. It's not silent about them. It doesn't just paint over them like the flowers are going off. it doesn't go all Pollyanna and everything's always going to be fine and good. It describes circumstances the way that they actually are. when Matthew, or when Matthew, when Jesus says, this world you will have much trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. It doesn't say, hey, you've trusted in me.

Things are about to get really easy. They did not for the disciples, they do not for us as well. But even in those hard circumstances, we know who our God is. We know with intellectually and we know in the heart, He is good and He is faithful, even when circumstances don't feel that way. So anchor your hope in the person of Christ. Yeah. And I think that can move us to

Perhaps what I would consider and boldly claim is the best passage of Scripture on hope Okay, so nobody's allowed nobody's allowed to disagree with this. This is The best the best passage of Scripture on Brock dot Anderson at Josh org, okay So the best passage of the scripture on hope is is first Peter 1:3-9 when we look

through that, we see everything you would ever want to see about hope. You find out that our hope is a living hope and that it's through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which means it's not only a living hope, but it's because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And here's a big takeaway. That means only those who trust in and follow Christ can actually have hope because it says it's only for those

That living hope only comes to those who have a deep abiding faith and trust in Christ. through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But here's the next thing it says. It says, into an inheritance that it doesn't fade, it can't be taken away, it can't be destroyed. It's this inheritance that's like nothing else the world can offer.

If you are involved in estate planning or a will is left to you or something like that, it's land, it's possessions, it's wealth, it's... It's things that can be taken away. It says this kind of inheritance is uncorruptible, but there's all sorts of corruption when it comes to wills and testaments and things like that. People will find loopholes to take away the things that are listed for you. It says it's imperishable. Well, whatever heritage you get on this earth is perishable.

And it says it's undefiled. Well, anything that you get here can be diminished and destroyed and taken away. And so this hope that we have, this living hope through the resurrection, it comes in that's fulfilled in this inheritance that is nothing like an inheritance that can be found in this world. And the biggest thing I think that's there is it says it's kept in heaven for you. I mean, I can't screw it up.

I tell you if there is anything that can drive you to your knees, it's this idea that my hope is in something that's kept in heaven for me, which means nobody and nothing can touch it, diminish it, take it away. This means even the demonic realm or Satan himself has no ability to touch or impact the true and living hope that we have that's fulfilled and an inheritance.

that is imperishable and incorruptible and unfading. The verse goes

So when we get to the end of that verse, that section there,

I think one of the most beautiful things that we see is that it says, says, though you've had to endure for a short time, if necessary, and translations differ on this. say for a short time, if necessary, or it says for a short time, you have had to endure various trials. So there's these three things that it says it's for a short time and it's necessary. There are various trials that you've had to endure.

But then God is so gracious because he tells us what the purpose of that is, so that our faith may be shown to be genuine. And so because of that, we rejoice in the face of trials because our hope isn't situational, and our hope isn't environmental, and our hope isn't in just another human being. Our hope is eternal. And that is, that's just...

I think the best section on Scripture to read whenever you feel like you may be distancing yourself from what true hope is, go back to that section of Scripture, memorize it, hide it in your heart so that you never forget what the Christian idea of hope actually is, everlasting and eternal. And I think it's also just a sweet reminder. We've all been in those tough seasons that feel like they're never going to end. And it's just a reminder that for a short time,

So in light, when you look at the momentary struggles in this world in light of eternity, it's just a reminder if you find yourself in that place, Believer of God just stayed the course. So just a sweet reminder, this is fleeting. But I love that hope in scripture is a guaranteed future. And then the next one we're gonna talk about is hope in Christ, an unshakable.

anchor. So I like your verse and I think it's a great run to. I'll tell you in my life, if our hope is in temporary things that we've talked about, relationships or success or security, it'll always be unstable. But when our hope is in Christ, it is a secure, living and unshakable. And so one of my favorite verses, and for years it sat on my desk when I was going through some really tough seasons that

didn't seem very short. And it sat on my desk and I so love it. So here's my go-to verse here is Psalm 62: 5-7. Let me read it to you. For God alone, my soul, wait, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken. Our God, God.

on God, sorry, rest my salvation and my glory, my mighty rock. My refuge is God, trust in him at all times. people, pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. And I love, I love, I love how that verse in the middle, it says, I will not be shaken, but all around it is because this is our God, because this is who he is, because this is who he is.

I won't be shaken because my God is unshakable. And that is easy to say, and it is much harder to live. But my friend, in times where everything around us turns to chaos and we've all been there, our hope is unshakable because our God is unshakable. Yeah. And so I hope. I hope.

That's one of the points I wanted to make, I think toward the end of this podcast, but we'll make it right now. You're never gonna get away from using the cultural understanding of the word hope. And that's not the point of this. The point is not to change the way you talk all the time and to like slap yourself on the hand. Like, I hope you're feeling better. that's not what I meant. I meant to say, I would like you to feel better. There's no need.

Okay. do that with language all the time. The point is to understand what is the actual meaning of hope from a Christian worldview and to apply that. What I want people here to understand that are listening or watching is that this is an apologetic of hope. apologetics is giving reasons and evidences for why you believe what you believe. When we're talking about hope, we should be able to explain why we believe what we believe about hope.

And so I don't want this to be taken as a feel-good devotional because that, number one, that's not how we've been presenting it. And two, that's not how, that shouldn't be the thing you're taking away. So if you're this far into the podcast and you're just like, hey, these have been some good reminders about hope, start it over. Start it over. This is an apologetic on hope for the reasons for why you believe what you believe about hope.

both to train your own heart and your own mind. This is the thing I ask God to do, challenge and change my own heart and own mind and reveal in me the things that where I can be misdirected, but then to also help direct others and to provide them the reasons for why you have hope and what you have hope in and why you have that hope. I wanted to go through some of the scriptures real fast that we have listed here that are supportive of where our hope is found. And just very quickly.

We have what I consider the best passage on Hope. We have what Shelley considers to be an equally good passage on Hope. Maybe not equally, but it's gone. They're the best. They're combined. All the passages in the scripture are good. All scripture is good. I don't want anybody to think that we don't think all scripture is not God-breathed. It is. We hold to that. But moving on to some passages. Moving on some passages. I digress.

I digress. Our hope is in Christ, says in Colossians 1:27. It says that we are not a people without hope in 1 Thessalonians 4:13. It says we do not mourn as those without hope in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 as well. We were once as those without hope in Ephesians 2:12. That's an important one to hang on to. We'll talk about that in a second. And Christ is our living hope, which we've already talked about.

If you don't have a biblical definition of hope, of certainty, something that's certain to occur in the future, and you have a joyful expectation of that certainty, none of these understandings of hope can be explained well in Scripture. None of these can be true, because your hope in Christ is not certain. And you're a people without hope? Well, if your hope's in anything other than Christ, there are times where you will be without hope.

But here the Bible in all these verses says there's only one kind of person that is hopeless, and that's the person who is Christless. And that's a really important point to take away, and that's why I wanted to go through those verses real fast. We can jump back on track as we move We're not that far off. Okay. So, love... So, one of the things when we talk about apologetics is knowing, because when we learn, it renews our mind. But then we want it to go so deep inside us that it changes us and changes...

how we engage in the relationships closest to us and the world around us, hence the In and For podcast. But so one of the things we like to do after talking through different definitions, so we looked at how culture defines hope and how scripture defines hope. Now let's do some practical takeaways that changes how we engage in culture.

Yeah,  We should be able to live out everything that we talk about. It's definitely the heart of this podcast is that we're not looking just to help make people smarter in theology. Because the thing that we want to avoid, talked about this in the first episode, the thing that we always want to avoid is people being super

knowledgeable about theology or the Bible, and then super quiet about Jesus and their relationships. And so the first place we start is with ourselves. That's our practical takeaway, number one. You start with yourself and examine where you've actually put your hope functionally. Not in the way you think about hope and think about it in the biblical worldview, but where do you functionally put your hope in the way that you live your life, the way that you're

your emotions kind of go up and down on a roller coaster, is your hope placed in something that ebbs and flows functionally? Like, know, you have mental assent that Jesus is my hope, but ultimately, if something happens situationally to me or relationally to me or to success that I have, all of a sudden my hope begins to falter. Or is it in the unchanging promises of God?

So that's a really- Starting with ourselves is always a bit painful because I really think it should probably start with my spouse or my children or those my coworkers, because if they got it right, my life would be much easier, right? Yeah, let's get it right. I mean, we say that facetiously, but inside we squirm just a little because there's truth to that. And so we've all heard the hula hoop. You put your circle, the hula hoop in the stand.

on the ground and you stand in it and that's what I can honestly change. And so starting honestly and openly is, I say that Jesus is my hope, I say that my hope is in Christ, but is it? And so I love as much as it makes us squirm a little bit, I love that it starts inside our Hula Hoop. Yeah, yeah, I've never heard of starting inside my Hula Hoop before. So I have not, but now it's in my head. It's never going to leave. can control.

And as much as I want to pull all the people around me into my hulu, it doesn't fit. And so we start there. So yes, start with ourselves. love that. Examine where we truly, we say with words and deeds. Yeah. And the deeds are kind of where we're going to next is where do I go for hope fulfillment? One of my favorite passages about this is in Jeremiah 2.13 where,

where he talks about, people are guilty of two sins, and here's number one, they're not coming to me. And number two is they are digging for themselves wells that are broken. And it says broken cisterns, it's just another word for well. But the point is that it can't hold water. And we do this all the time in our lives. I don't like to say I don't care, but I don't care how mature you are as a Christian. You're guilty at times of

digging wells that are broken, that can't hold water, and trying to go to them for fulfillment, and have had times where you've had to confess and repent and turn back to the Lord. And the whole point of this second takeaway here is just to be cognizant that we are, as the song says, come thou fount, we are prone to wander. And it is the state of our heart.

Yeah. To wander. It's that Romans 7 dilemma that Paul finds himself in, or the things I want to do are not the things I find myself doing, and the things I don't want to do, these are the things I find myself doing. This is true of all of us. So it's not a, you doing this? It's be cognizant of where you're doing it right now and take it to the Lord. Yeah. That's so good. Biblical hope is not something we run out of. That's right.

It's something we draw from daily. It is the infinite well. It is what sustains us and gives us the ability to continue even in those dark moments. So start with ourselves, then go to the well. So we're going and? And live. There you go. It's live it out.

It's it's out your true true hope and and the first way we do this is we minister to our own heart as we've talked about and the other the other is that we move outward to or toward others and so move from sympathy to true support I know one of the things we talked about and I think we we put in our notes at some point is that When it comes to to living out hope

you're impacting others with your actions, with your words, you're spilling hope or splashing hope, so to speak, upon them, where they sense that hope, they sense that your hope is not found in worldly things or situational things or environmental things. And so you're not just acknowledging hopelessness, you're actually dealing with it and you're interacting with others. You're able to explain why your hope is in Christ, what

biblical hope actually is and why it matters and why they should engage with it. And then you actually point them to the source of hope, because the gospel isn't just information, it's invitation. And so it's inviting them to trust in that source of hope as well. So don't get to the point where you're just explaining hope to people, and, hey, here's where I find my hope. Make sure that people know where they can find that hope too.

and that they know, hey, this is available to you too. This isn't some privatized hope that I have, or I haven't figured something out. I have hope because I couldn't figure it out, and I need to rely on a Savior. Right. And you point that out to them as well. So when we want to impact our world for Christ in a generation or an era right now where people wear their wounds on their sleeves,

as no time in recent history. People talk openly and honestly about their wounds. This is such a beautiful way, believer, for you to be honest and vulnerable with the pain you're going through. And yet your living hope is not found in the circumstance that you're in that feels out of control. And when you live in such a way, people notice and they wanna know what you have because they have no source.

of being unshakable in those moments where the world is shaking. And so if you find yourself in a tough time, be open and honest and about your hope and not try to hide, everything's fine. Because you and your honesty in that moment is shining your light to a world that can't comprehend why you're not falling apart.

And so I just think if we want to be in and for Christ and in and for culture, this is one of the biggest ways that people go, wait a second, something's different. Something's different. And then when they ask you for the hope that lies within you, how do you like that for a transition? I do like that. Yeah, we've talked about this a lot, but you're really trading wishful thinking for.

for abiding true hope and making sure that people understand the difference between the two. My hope isn't wishful thinking. It's not something I would like to happen. My hope is actually guaranteed to be fulfilled. And it's something that, going back to that 1 Peter verse, where it says, it says the goal of your faith is happening right now. The ongoing salvation of your soul. Salvation is an ongoing process and Jesus is consistently saving us moment by moment. And so I have this hope that is living and active right now.

And it's not a wishful thinking, things I'd like to have happen but may not happen. It's a certainty that's guaranteed to happen, that fills me up and energizes me right now, so that it goes beyond the situations and circumstances. So it's not about crossing my fingers, it's about trusting the one who holds my future. says in Scripture that Jesus holds all things together by the power of His Word. And that's just an amazing truth that hope helps bring out.

All things. All things. That's beautiful. So 1 Peter 3, 15, Josh McDowell's very favorite verse. be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that is within you. do it with gentleness and respect. So the world is watching. And when things don't make sense, people are going to ask, be ready.

but be winsome and honest and open, do it with gentleness and respect. This is a way, a beautiful and a very, very timely and cultural sensitive way to impact your world for Christ. Absolutely. We have a closing challenge here that you had written down that I just think is a phenomenal challenge. And I just think it would be great for you to walk people through. All right. So here we go. I have a challenge, should you accept.

And you probably should. So here's the question. This week, be the person that people in culture go to when they feel hopeless. That's a big one. That's a big one. And it's a good diagnostic question to ask. Am I the kind of person that somebody would come to, somebody knows to come to when they feel hopeless?

Because I don't just want to be the shoulder to lean on as, here's somebody else that's also hopeless. I'm going to go mourn with them and share my hopelessness with them because they're in the same state. But be the kind of person that when somebody feels hopeless, they know to come to you, not for feel good statements, not for temporary relief, but because they see something different about the way you view hope.

Yeah, absolutely. So as we think about our next podcast, here's, here's what we're going to be talking about next time. we're going to be talking about how we reach generations. There are, there are, there are five core generations that we want to talk about. They're asking wildly different questions about the world. We're going to be talking a little bit about hope. We're going to be talking about a little bit about, about how do we bring hope to

people that are asking different age groups that are asking different questions about why the world is the way it is, where they find meaning and purpose in the world, and how can we best address those generations in the way that best relates to them to help move them one step closer to Jesus or to see Jesus clearly. I love how we almost said the same thing at the same time, but we didn't. So with that, we will bring this.

podcast to a close. If you haven't subscribed to this podcast, add this podcast to your library. If you're interested in apologetics, cultural apologetics, evangelism, putting feet to apologetics so that it actually has practical impact in the relationships you have with others and the culture where God has placed you or you have influence, then you're going to want to add this podcast to your library because these are the things that we talk about with each episode. And so in next episode, that's what we're to talk about, Reaching Generations.

Thanks for joining us.