The good news of Christianity is that we can all have hope no matter how bad or sad life and the world may be. ‘Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness,’ said Desmond Tutu, one of the leading opponents of Apartheid in South Africa.
Pastor Wes Richards’ first book called ‘Hope and a Future: a story of love, loss and living again’ tells how his family was restored after grieving the loss of a much-loved wife and mother. It’s been translated into Spanish and Portuguese and the feedback received shows that hope is a universal need. Everybody needs hope, from the least to the greatest.
This week in the VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations, Winston Churchill’s inspiring words of hope have once more been broadcast to millions. Yet as he grew older and again became Prime Minister, the great man was himself in need of great hope as he faced the post-war years of new domestic and global social, economic and political challenges. In 1954 he invited Billy Graham to Downing Street for a 20-minute meeting after hearing of the great crowds that had gathered to listen to the evangelist in Wembley and other stadiums. Although they overran their allotted time, Churchill told Graham to keep speaking, and the evangelist affirmed that God was the only hope for the world and for us individually.
You don’t have to be a Billy Graham, however, to spread the good news as a remarkable Bible story in 2 Kings 6:24-7:6 shows us. In 2 Kings 7:9, four outcast lepers: ‘said to each other, “We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.”’ This is a story that has many applications for us today:
1. People desperately need hope (2 Kings 6:28-30)
2. Today is a day of hope (2 Kings 7:1-9; Luke 2:10-11; John 6:35; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Psalm 103:3; 1 John 1:9; John 14:6; John 8:12,36; Luke 4:18-19; John 11:25)
3. We have a responsibility to share the good news of hope (2 Kings 7:9-16; 2 Corinthians 5:20 & 6:2)
Apply
1. People desperately need hope. They were people who had been through extremely tough circumstances. This story is set in the 9th century before Christ and, not for the first time, Israel was a nation under attack. An entire city, Samaria, was under siege. Ben-Hadad king of Aram to the north of Israel wanted to starve them into submission. The siege lasted so long that ‘there was a great famine in the city.’ The economy was shattered, and inflation rocketed, like it has done in many failed states. As food was so scarce they were people who had lost their way morally and spiritually. They were desperate and moral values were thrown out. Anything went and the people resorted to cannibalism (2 Kings 6:28), just like in World War 2, particularly during the long siege of Leningrad. All kinds of things happen when moral values collapse. They were people who saw no way out of their pain, where death and despair stalked the city and those in authority had no answer (2 Kings 6:30). The King tore his clothes, his close advisors were depressed and cynical, declaring not even God could help them. Today there is a great famine in many developed nations as well as literal famines in other nations. People are starved of Love: family break up is at record levels. So many suffer abuse, cruelty, pain and heartache in their homes. People are starved of Direction: they don’t know where their lives are headed. They too lack a moral or spiritual compass. People are starved of Meaning: suicides are up, particularly amongst the young, because of a sense that life has no meaning or purpose. People are starved of Hope: they are worried and depressed about the future. Many people indeed lead lives of quiet desperation. However, there is hope!
2. Today is a day of hope. The answer to the hopeless situation did not come from a political ruler but from a prophet of God. Elisha was a man who knew the character of God and the reality of the power of God. And he had a word from God that there was about to come a big turnaround in the economy because there would very quickly be a big change in their circumstances (2 Kings 7:1). Sky high prices would drop because there would be more than enough supplies for everyone, the famine would end, and people would suddenly have real reason to hope. So these four desperate lepers wandered into enemy lines only to find the enemy forces had fled leaving food and provision everywhere (2 Kings 7:3-9). They couldn’t believe it, but it was true. Their famine was over! Today also is ‘a day of good news.’ And that good news is not coming from the politicians or the press but from those who understand what Christianity is all about. For good news is at the heart of Christianity. When Jesus came into the world it was a cause for celebration (Luke 2:10-11). The good news of Christianity is that when everything seems lost and hopeless we can be rescued. You don’t have to just exist. You don’t have to be so empty. You don’t have to be trapped by your circumstances. You don’t have to stay depressed. Your famine can end (John 6:35). Instead of emptiness and sadness, you can be filled with love, joy, peace when you have an encounter with the Holy Spirit who makes Jesus real to us. You can have a new start (2 Corinthians 5:17). God can make all things new by changing you from the inside out. You can be forgiven for your wrongdoing, even if you have some big regrets in your life (Psalm 103:3; 1 John 1:9). You can find meaning and direction (John 14:6; John 8:12). You can discover a whole new life of freedom (John 8:36). No habit, addiction, problem or sin needs to hold you captive. You can be free from fear and guilt and shame, freed to be all that God meant you to be. You can experience great favour (Luke 4:18-19). God wants to bless you with His goodness and mercy all the days of your life. You can be blessed in your emotions, your body, your spirit, your finances, your family and in every area of life. You can be confident of a secure future (John 11:25), with hope for this life and the next. So how are people going to get to know that they have hope and a future? That’s up to you and me.
3. We have a responsibility to share the good news of hope. The four lepers in the story had their own needs met and were really enjoying themselves. But then they thought of all the starving people back in the city (2 Kings 7:9-16). They told them an amazing message of hope. At first people were skeptical, as many are today. But then they decided to investigate for themselves, and they found out it was all true. There was good news after all. The whole city was saved because a few people were bold enough to share the good news. In the New Testament Jesus commanded his disciples to spread the good news to everyone everywhere. Every Christian has a responsibility to communicate this message of hope (2 Corinthians 5:20). We need to do this personally, spreading the word to your friends, family and contacts. We need to do this urgently like the lepers who knew how desperate people were for hope, so they reported the news 'at once’. There is no time to lose in giving people hope (2 Corinthians 6:2). Today you can discover the good news of the hope that Jesus offers and then you need to become an ambassador of hope.
