Hope In Exchange

Whilst regular patterns have ended in upheaval this year, December has remained in post to close the year and given the year we’ve had, it couldn’t be placed in a better position than at the end - Christmas.

Yes, we would hope that everyone would be thankful for the life of Jesus Christ all year round, but the meaning of Christmas brings centrality and a chance to regain focus. Christmas brings hope and hope in exchange for all that has been lost throughout the year. Whilst we reflect on the birth of Jesus naturally we think about His life, consider His death and finally marvel at His resurrection. It is the latter which brings me personal comfort when the ways of this world seems so disjointed and beyond repair.

Jesus’ resurrection points towards hope in exchange for despair.

Jesus’ resurrection means LIFE after death. I emphasise ‘life’ here because there is an afterlife, that is inevitable for all but we only ever truly live if we live for Christ, anything else is mere existence ending in torment and eternal separation from Christ. People say the only thing that is final or guaranteed is death. But the one thing that Jesus’ death and resurrection guarantees is life for all who believe in Him and confess Him as Lord and Saviour. By God’s Grace all believers will rise with Him, those who are dead and alive in Christ and dwell in His presence for eternity - In perfect peace as God intended (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)

I often think that if this life was all there is to it, then this world could never offer me enough. I could never be satisfied with the conditions of the world and man’s wicked nature. I could never be content with knowing that in some cases justice will never be served in this life. That is; racial injustice, social injustice, economical injustice, injustice for victims of corrupt leadership, injustice for the persecuted, injustice for the vulnerable, injustice for the physically disabled, injustice for the mentally ill, injustice for the physically ill, injustice for the abused and the list goes on.

What then is ultimate hope?

Ultimate hope is knowing that if justice is not served on this earth, in the end it will be. God is both God of vengeance and justice (Psalm 94).

Ultimate hope is knowing that God intends good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28) and that the state of this world we now see, is nothing compared to what He has prepared for us in heaven (John 14:2-4).

Ultimate hope is knowing that despite our physical limitations, despite the pain endured in this human body, this body is a temporal shell and we will be given new bodies - that which can never be victims of pain nor mistreatment. God will make all things new (Revelation 21:4-8).

Ultimate hope is knowing that Jesus isn’t just the baby we celebrate in a manger. He is the sacrifice for our sins, our redemption, He is our gift all year round and He is the epitome of the love our Heavenly Father has for us (John 3:16).

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Study verse:

Daniel 3:17-18 (ESV) - “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

If it was not God’s will to deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in that moment, they were still prepared to burn alive rather than denounce God in exchange for idols. I believe they knew that God’s Sovereignty did not only lay in Him saving their natural bodies. This was before the time Jesus had walked the earth, but their faith in God meant that they trusted Him no matter the outcome, they trusted His plan. How much more should we trust God as believers in Jesus’ resurrection and knowing that whatever happens in this lifetime, God has much greater prepared for us in exchange.

Hope in Jesus Christ is the only case whereby whatever we exchange, we never lose, we only gain - be it in this life or life in eternity.