PROMISE
OF A FUTURE
Prov 23:18
It is Christmas season and we know
what that means, a time to
remind ourselves of the hope of
Christ for the future.
That truth is hard to focus on in
light of what we see around us every day, when there are so much death, sorrow,
brokenness, separations, family feuds, and hardships.
It’s hard to focus on this hope of a future when every day there is another tragedy happening before our very eyes.
When a man of God is killed in
cold blood before the world’s eyes on a college campus.
When you hear about shooting
death of individuals at the lighting of City Christmas tree.
A woman being set on fire on a
subway.
A woman being stabbed to death
on a subway.
Drug overdoses every day in
Pembroke.
Muslims taking streets hostage
while they pray to a false god.
While a Christian praying
quietly on a sidewalk getting arrested outside an abortion clinic.
The burning of the Canadian
flag, and the American flag in protest for “Free Palestine”
Places that call themselves “Church”
failing to follow or hold to the Authority of holy Scripture.
Mark Carney’s Bill C-9 will
criminalize sections of the Bible as hate speech.
The Christmas season where many
see this as the worst time of year.
During all the joyful songs, smiling faces, cheerful parties, gifts, and good wishes, many lonely people are crying or dying on the inside, lacking hope. And sadly, a majority of us don’t even see it; because they hide it so well. Canada Psychology Today said “Yet for many, the Christmas period is a far cry from Norman Rockwell's post-war American ideal of family gatherings overflowing with gifts and laughter. Rather it's a period with at least some kind of disappointment, anxiety, or even sadness, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Christmas is often accompanied by a variety of stressors, including alcohol, changed sleep rhythms, increased financial burdens, and family conflicts. Losses during the year, be it death of a loved one or economic setbacks, are experienced more acutely during this time….” Desiring God wrote a blog piece and said this on the issue of Christmas “Let’s be honest, not all is merry and bright. To some, the season may genuinely feel like the most wonderful time of the year, but all of us know deep down that not all is merry and bright in this world — or in us. Some Christmases we feel the burden and weight more than others……” He goes on to say “Normal life is hard enough. It’s even harder when all the world seems to be singing, ringing bells, and pretending everything’s suddenly merry. The pressure to feel the joy of Christmas can make joy all the more difficult.”
Many
people dread the Christmas season. It is not the season of hope!
One
person wrote this “My family live too far away to visit, and
my friends disappear to spend time with their own families. For me, Christmas
and New Year are the loneliest times of the year…”
The
Paramedics & Central Communications Tweeted a post recently “You’re going to come in contact with an awful lot of people who are at
their absolute breaking point this week. Friends, family, co-workers, teachers,
strangers in the grocery store, retail workers. While it may be the merriest
time of the year for some, it may be the saddest, most stressful, loneliest,
and most heartbreaking for others.”
For many people, struggling with loneliness this is the toughest part this time of year. The Christmas season is a time of year when loneliness, depression and sadness can take root in the lives of Christians as well, missing the really hope of Christmas.
Several factors can produce this lack of hope during this time of year that can take our minds of God.
Finances…… not enough money or fear of not having enough to buy gifts which leads to sadness and guilt.
Stress…… The stress of shopping, and planning family dinners.
Loneliness…… 43% of Canadians are single
and 28% of those live alone. This time of year, can be very painful for them as
they sit alone.
Grief….. Missing of loved ones who have passed into eternity, or the elderly in Care Homes who have no family coming to visit them.
Estrangement…. Family disputes or fighting makes it for an awkward time, especially if they are not on speaking terms.
Pleasing…… Who to visit, her parents or mine? What to do? That stresses the whole family with all the traveling.
Eeyore
Days….. The
weather plays a huge part in this, “The
Winter Blahs” those “grey days”
that turn into long nights as to the decrease of sunlight during the winter
months.
See!
Hectic activity can bring physical and emotional stress. Overspending can produce financial pressure. Year-end reflection and focus on loss can magnify sorrow and minimize hope. We know by the word of God that we shouldn’t feel this way… But we are human, redeemed, but sinful creatures, and it can, and will happen, if we don’t take the necessary steps to guard our hearts and mind with Biblical truth.
God
never intended for us to feel
this
way at this time of year or any year.
But unfortunately, there are
individuals that do feel this way.
These are real feeling to them, (everyday feelings) and it affects their Christian walk none the less.
This Proverb is to put us on the right path, the right vision, to see a future that we cannot see, but a promise of a glorious one seen in The Christ. The verse assures that there is a future ahead for the faithful, despite the vanity around us. (v17) The assurance of hope: It is stated that this hope will not be cut off or disappointed. The hope of the ungodly, the hypocrite, the worldly, shall perish; but we will have life forevermore in His Son. Our hope for a future is found in what David hoped for, as Isaiah reminds us of this truth. “Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.” Isaiah 55:3. I will confirm to you, and fulfill in you, the solemn promises made to David.
Hope is tough and you can't
really halfway hope; either
you hope for something or you don't.
The world hopes in themselves, or a god made in their image. But the true Christian hope is only in the promises of Jesus Christ, through His victorious death and resurrection. This is why Paul says, we don’t look to what is seen but to what is unseen, meaning future tense of the eternal promise. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Cor 4:7-18
Biblical hope is a confident, certain
expectation of future good based on God's unchanging character and promises.
Unlike the common use of "hope" as mere wishful thinking or a possibility without certainty. Biblical hope, is a firm assurance, anchored in the reality of Jesus Christ's past work, through His death and resurrection, sustained by the Holy Spirit in the present, with a view to a sure future. Biblical hope is its certainty; a "full assurance" that the good promised by God will come to pass, not a "finger-crossing" desire. Hope is not based on positive circumstances or human ability, but on the trustworthiness and faithfulness of God, who cannot lie. It this hope, that acts as an anchor for the believer during life's storms. Hope provides strength in suffering, motivates our actions, and has a purifying effect on a believer's life.
Solomon says this hope “will not be cut off”
“Cut
off” means being expelled from the
community or a spiritual severance from God's covenant It can signify the end
of life or destruction. This
phrase underscores the seriousness of sin and disobedience. It serves as a
warning of the consequences of turning away from God and His commandments.
As
Psalm 37:9 states,
“For the evildoers shall be cut off, (But here is the good news!) but those who wait for the LORD
shall inherit the land.”
John
Gill wrote, “The
hope of a saint is well founded upon the person and righteousness of Christ,
and is an anchor sure and steadfast; his expectation of grace, and every
needful supply of it, while in this life, and of eternal glory and happiness in
the world to come, shall not perish; but he shall enjoy what he is hoping,
expecting, and waiting for.
We are not cut off from this! Here are some helpful ways to battle this distracting world, to see the hope of a future with Jesus Christ.
Christ Is The Fulfillment Of Prophecy. For centuries, the people of Israel awaited a Messiah, a deliverer promised by God through the prophets. Jesus' birth in Bethlehem was the fulfillment of that ancient hope, demonstrating that God keeps His promises.
The Hope of the Greatest Light in the Darkness of Sin. Christ's arrival is viewed as a light shining in a world often marked by despair, suffering, and spiritual darkness. This light offers guidance and clarity, dispelling fear and providing direction in challenging times. This promise was in the Book of Beginnings. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” Genesis 3:15. God promised that He would send a Savior who would conquer Satan, and deal with the problem of death and suffering. Even though some of us may feel lonely or isolated during the Christmas holidays, it’s important for us to remember the hope that Jesus brings. The Incarnation, God becoming a man, is the very reason why we have hope. Without Jesus, we have no hope, and only death/judgement to look forward to. So, remind yourself, the hurting, the misfocused, with what Paul wrote “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thess 4:13-18
The point Paul is trying to make is not an eschatological argument for the Rapture, but the hope of the eternal promise that we will live with Him for all eternity. Everything points to the glorious Christ who is to comes to save us from our sins. We who were once lacking the perfect and right sacrifice for our sins, has been made possible through the perfect, sinless, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Is your hope fixed in the fact that you will be reunited with other believing loved ones with a glorified body, in the presence of God?
For the unbeliever….. Do you realize that you have no hope outside of this world? Do you realize that at the moment of your death you will be eternally separated from those you love, and even from God Himself, in a place of terrible torment? Do you want hope? Do you want forgiveness? If so, all you have to do is see yourself as God sees you, a sinner who is separated from God, and believe that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for sin in your place, trusting in Him as your Lord and Savior.
The Promise Of Forgiveness And Redemption. This is the Christians hope, the belief that Jesus came to save people from their sins, reconcile them with God, through the offer of redemption. This provides hope that the past can be forgiven, and personal failures do not define one's future with God.
The Promise That God Is With Us “Emmanuel” The name Immanuel, meaning "God with us," is central to the Christmas message. It is the assurance that believers are never alone in their struggles, as Christ is always present to offer comfort and support.
The Believers Present Security And Future Glory. Biblical hope in Christ has both present and future dimensions. It provides a sense of security and purpose in daily life (the "present help") and a sure expectation of eternal life and future restoration in heaven, where all suffering will end.
God is only hope for a future. “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7. Solomon wants us to know that we Have a future with Him, a hope of everlasting life. As John Piper says “The highest act of love is the giving of the best gift, and, if necessary, at the greatest cost, to the least deserving. That’s what God did. At the loss of His Son’s life to the totally undeserving, God gave the best gift – the display of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.”
Christ is our only hope, so……
Rest
in Him
Find
peace in Him
Read
His Word
Meditate
on His Word
Sing
His Word
Pray
His Word
Live
out His Word in your life
Try to get through the tragedy of this life, and try to ignore the window dressing and the commercialism of this season. Hope in Christ alone. Start here! Hold fast to God’s Word, and give time to His providence to explain itself, wait and see the end as He has promised us a future, an expected end. This is a season or a time to reflect the wonderful blessing that flow from Heaven through the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who came to this earth to die a death we deserve; and he did this through the Cross of Calvary.
Remember! Death could not hold Him! For He rose again on the third day and we too can be raised with Him in the end through repentance and faith in Christ alone. There is no Biblical reason to have or go through the Christmas season forgetting His promise of a future as a child of the Living God. If you apply these simple truths to your life, I guarantee you will be able to say “Tis the season to be jolly.” Because you not alone! We have a holy God who loves you and gave Himself for you. And all He asks of us is to repent and believe the gospel truth, and to hope in Him for life eternal. Surely that is the best reason to smile and have a merry Christmas filled with hope this year, isn’t it? Christmas is to be a reflecting time, a joyful time, a hopeful time, and a comforting time, filled with His mercy and grace, which flows through Jesus’ veins.
Incarnate Deity “God with us”
We celebrate that God has provided for us reconciliation through Jesus Christ. This is our hope. In Matt. 2:1-18 we read about the wise men searching for a newborn king, a story that reflects the universal, human yearning for a better future and teaches us about how we can live a hope-filled life in a hope-deprived world. That’s a picture of hope for the future that will not be cut off. Look past the bad news and the hurts this season, and keep your eyes focused on the hope that the Gospel brings. Our hope is anchored in the Person, Presence, and Promise of Almighty God. Our hope is to look to radiant glory of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, who dwelt among us. Look past all the hurts this Christmas season and remind yourself of this Biblical truth “Jesus came to die for my sins”. Matt 1:21
Preach
the hope of the gospel
into your heart daily.
So that you have a biblical genuine answer; when someone asks you about the hope you have this Christmas season. As Peter said, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:14-15
What do I mean by that?
David Murray said it best; when he said “The unbelievers in your family will be looking to see how you react to your recent losses and how you are responding to your depression. They will see you are sad and they will ask how you are doing. How about this for an answer: ‘Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing’ 2 Cor 6:10.” Rejoicing in my Redeemer, who is my only hope for a future with Him in all His glory.
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