Real Hope: A Time for Hope Sample

Because God Is At Work To The Ends Of The Earth

JOHN 21 - REVELATION 21

There are so many stories of restoration in the Bible. One is in John 21. Jesus appeared to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee. He helped them catch fish. He gave Peter a chance to repent then forgave and commissioned Peter. But Peter wasn’t restored in order to be comfortable, but for a purpose. He was to be the shepherd of the early Church. God longs to restore each of us. He gives us a chance to repent and then He calls us to be part of His restorative purposes!

We see the beginnings of that in Acts. God’s plan for the world and His heart for the nations took on glorious shape after Jesus ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit. The witness was immediate! As soon as the Holy Spirit came, there was a life-giving message and a response by 3,000 people, and healings and wonder. It was amazing, but it wasn’t easy. Peter and John were arrested and flogged. There was persecution. But amidst it, the news of the risen Lord Jesus spread to the entire ancient world. The Church was established and God’s saving purposes were seen then, and they still are today.

In Revelation 7:9, there is an amazing image. People from every tribe, nation and language will come together and gather before the throne and the Lamb, and they will sing together… because of Jesus, and because of God’s incredible, sovereign plan. It’s the greatest image in God’s entire story – the nations, gathered and restored, through their trust in Jesus! And we are a part of that! It’s a time to hope, today, because God is at work to the ends of the Earth.