Hope is one of the great themes of the Bible and a true sign of real Christianity. Hope is something that everyone needs today and every day. For many people, as we enter another year, hope seems a very distant prospect. That’s true in so many places whether in the UK or the Ukraine or in other nations.
But for all the problems that you may be facing, you can look forward with hope at the start of 2023. For we do not have to be consumed by darkness. Rather we can be overwhelmed by great light: the light of God through Jesus Christ who promised that we will never walk in darkness when we follow him.
Jesus also promised that whatever storms may come in life, we can be safe and secure when our lives are founded in Him. So often in the Bible God is described as a rock, a refuge, a stronghold, an ever present help (e.g. Psalm 18:1-2). The God of the Bible is the one constant who we can always count on while everything around us radically changes.
1. You can face the future with confidence because God’s love never ceases (1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 86:15; Romans 8:38-39; Lamentations 3:22-23)
2. You can face the future with confidence because God’s faithful character never changes (Malachi 3:6; Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 John 1:5; Psalm 119:90)
3. You can face the future with confidence because God’s promises never fail (Joshua 21:45)
a. God will guide us (Psalm 119: 105)
b. God will protect us (Ps 119:49-50)
c. God will restore us (Joel 2: 25)
d. God will prosper us (Psalm 84:11; Psalm 128:1-2)
e. God will make us a blessing (Genesis 12:2-3)
4. You can face the future with confidence because God’s purposes will never be stopped (Romans 8:28; Romans 4:18-21)
5. You can face the future with confidence because God’s presence will never leave you (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 23:4; Matthew 28:20)
6. You can face the future with confidence because God’s power will never run out (Ephesians 1:7; 2 Peter 1:3)
7. You can face the future with confidence because God’s kingdom will never be overcome (Matthew 16:18; Daniel 7:13-14)
Apply
1. You can face the future with confidence because God’s love never ceases.
The very nature of God is love. He sent His only son Jesus to this world to save us and lavish His love on each one of us (1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 86:15). God’s unfailing love can be difficult to grasp. Yet His love is limitless and eternal (Romans 8:38-39) and there is nothing that can separate us from it. Do you know God’s love in all situations as your daily experience (Lamentations 3: 22-23)?
2. You can face the future with confidence because God’s faithful character never changes
Even close friends or family may change in their behaviour and attitude toward you and cause you pain. But God’s character is unchanging. It is constant and consistent (Malachi 3:6). There are many verses that speak of God’s trustworthy and righteous character (Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 John 1:5). In other words, there is nothing bad about God. He is all good all the time. You can always rely on Him (119:90).
3. You can face the future with confidence because God’s promises never fail.
Do you know and believe the promises of the Bible for you personally? Not only does the Lord make great promises to His people: He also fulfils His promises (Joshua 21:45). It has been estimated that there are 7,487 promises in the Bible made by God personally. There are promises that:
· God will guide us (Psalm 119: 105)
· God will protect us (Psalm 119:49-50)
· God will restore us (Joel 2: 25)
· God will prosper us (Psalm 84:11; Psalm 128:1-2)
· God will make us a blessing (Genesis 12:2-3)
4. You can face the future with confidence because God’s purposes will never be stopped
Have you made mistakes and taken wrong paths? God can turn even bad experience into a good end product (Romans 8:28). It seemed for a long time that God’s purposes for Abraham, to be the father of multitudes, had been blocked. Abraham took some wrong turns. But he continued to believe that through all the tough times that God would still fulfil His word and complete his purpose for him and the generations to come (Romans 4:18-21; Hebrews 10:36).
5. You can face the future with confidence because God’s presence will never leave you
Do you know God’s presence in your life every day? All through the Bible, there are many references that people could confidently face an uncertain future simply because God promised to be with them. (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 23:4; Matthew 28:20).
6. You can face the future with confidence because God’s power will never run out
Do you live with confidence in the power of the blood of Jesus to help you today? Maybe you live in a country where there are a lot of power cuts, but there are never any power cuts with God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. This means Jesus still has the power to deliver from evil, power to heal from sickness, power to save from sin (Ephesians 1:7).
Do you live with the power of Jesus’ blood and the Holy Spirit at work in your life? Not only can you know the power of the blood of Jesus, but you can also know the power of the Holy Spirit who is still pouring out His anointing all over the world. This power will help you face any challenge (2 Peter 1:3).
7. You can face the future with confidence because God’s kingdom will never be overcome.
No matter what problems and persecutions Christians may face personally, locally and globally, Jesus declared in Matthew 16:18: ‘I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’ The Kingdom of God will triumph because Jesus Christ has already conquered sin, satan, death and hell (Daniel 7:13-14).
Are you afraid of the future or are you secure that God has already gone ahead of you for good and not for harm? Today as the kingdoms and nations and powers of this world are shaking, we don’t have to fear the future. For you can know His love. You can rely on his character. You can trust in His promises. You can be confident in His plans and purposes. You can know His presence. You can receive His power. You can be part of His unshakable kingdom. This is how you can really have a happy new year.
