What a day of blessing it was at the last Bible Focus on September 21st. Thank you so much for coming, and if you were unable to you can hear the talks on our website here. Do reserve the date for next year’s event: 12th September, at the same venue.
Our English word ‘hope’ tends to be used in a rather tentative way; for example, “I hope it will be fine tomorrow” when I don’t really know if it will be or not. But not so the New Testament word ‘hope’. It translates a word that implies a definite expectation. The NT idea of hope is a promise that is yet to be fulfilled, but it is certain because it is a promise of God. That is why we can say, of a believer, in the funeral service: “in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life”.
Not surprisingly, I suppose, that kind of hope is not common in today’s society. If God is not taken seriously then his promises will not be either, and there will be little hope. Sadly, the long drawn-out Brexit affair is likely to sap many hopes and the drastic actions of the Extinction Rebellion activists depict near despair rather than any hope.
Now it may very well be true that our planet is heading towards destruction, but as Christians we need not fear that that is because everything is out of control. Far from it. God is always in control, over and above all human disobedience and folly.
This is what the apostle Peter has to say (II Peter 3:10-13): “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness”.
It will be the Lord’s sovereign doing, whatever means he chooses to accomplish it. What a blessed hope the believer has in the Lord Jesus Christ – a home of righteousness awaiting! What a hope to hold on to! What a challenge to how we live! What a message to share to a world without hope!
My prayer for you is in the words of Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”.
Yours in Christ,
Tony