Late last week I was privileged to speak at a theological conference in Corpus Christi.  A friend allowed me the use of his condo on the beach, where I watched the sun come up over the ocean.  I have always been a beach person, from the first time my family took me to Galveston as a kid.  There's something about the ocean which speaks to my soul.  If there were two of me, one would be a pastor in Dallas and one would be a beach bum somewhere.  I don't know a more amazing sight than a seaside sunrise, or a more powerful sound that the ocean washing ashore.

But in the midst of that beautiful morning scene, there was a nagging, gnawing sense inside me that there must be more than this.  As spectacular as that sunrise was, it's not enough.  There's something else, something greater, something more.  I'm not the first to have such a sensation.

You know the feeling, don't you?  A mountain covered with snow, or a crystal clear trout stream, or a rolling meadow.  A concert by your favorite band, or your favorite movie of the year, or the chance to stand before the painting you had always wanted to see.  You're finally there, but it's not enough.  There's something more.

Or you have achieved the job you had always wanted, or gotten into the school you had long hoped would admit you, or joined the club or organization you so admired, or bought the home you had dreamed of owning, or took the trip you had planned all your life.  What's the best thing that has happened to you in recent months?  How long did the thrill last?  How deep was the fulfillment?  How different are you now?

Our text today is all about hope.  False hope and real hope.  Hope which fails you and hope which sustains you.

You cannot live without hope.  A mouse dropped in water will give up and drown in minutes.  But if it is rescued, it will tread water for more than 20 hours the next time.  Survivors of POW camps report that a compelling hope for the future was the primary force that kept many of them alive.  If you don't think life will get better, it's hard to go on.  Why do you need hope this morning?  Where should you go to find it?  There is a bad answer and a good answer.  Paul will help us choose wisely.