Dear church family,

What are you hoping for in the future?

Our year 12 students might be hoping for a good mark in the HSC later this year. Our university students might be hoping for a good job in 2022. Some of us might be hoping to get married, others might be hoping to have children, (or grandchildren?) and others might be hoping to just get through this current season of life.

But usually when we use the language of ‘hope’ or ‘hoping’ we are acknowledging that there is a level of uncertainty involved. We may not get the HSC mark we need or the job we want or the future we long for.

However when the language of hope is used in the Bible it is used with much more certainty than we generally use it. Biblical hope isn’t just a desire for something good in the future. It’s certain confidence that what has been promised will definitely come to pass.

Why is that? Are we just being naive? How can we be certain about some things in the future?

John Piper has a helpful thought on this. He calls it moral certainty. We can say things, for example, with mathematical and logical certainty. We can say with mathematical certainty that 1 + 1 = 2 and we can also say with logical certainty that “If all men are mortal, and Plato is a man, then Plato is mortal.” However a lot of life is lived in moral certainty. Moral certainty is taking someone at their word that they will fulfil what they have promised.1

So what should we hope for, according to the Bible?

In Titus 2:13 we read that our hope is “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.” What we should be hoping for, is the day when our saviour returns and all things are brought under his authority and his perfect peace is permanently established. What a glorious day that will be, when the message of the church is finally realised – that the one who has died and been raised to life and sits at the right hand of God, is here to reign!!

Is the return of Jesus what we hope for? Is it what we genuinely long for and desire? Are we confident in the one who has made these promises?

Jesus will return. Of this we can be absolutely certain.

So as we seek to express this hope together, we have organised a few events as a church family.

On Sunday 30th May we are having HOPE Sunday. It will be a great opportunity to invite someone to church to hear about the hope that is available for them in Jesus. David Robertson will be preaching on “Hope that does not disappoint us”.

In the following weeks we will be running a short evangelistic series where we can consider in more detail the hope that Jesus brings. David Robertson will give a short talk and then we have opportunities to discuss and ask questions.

  1. 3 June – What hope is there for me?
  2. 10 June – What hope is there for the world?
  3. 17 June – What hope is there for the future?

Each of these sessions will be held in Parkview from 7:30-9:00pm. If you would like to invite someone along please go to the Hope events page on our website. (And if you would like to be involved on the night, please let me know.)

Together in Christ,

Luke Shooter