The Bible Course Muestra

Living Hope, the Unveiling, and Our Anchor – hope has a name 

Reflect  

‘Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.’ (Andy Dufresne from the film Shawshank Redemption) 

Despite the horrors of Shawshank prison, Andy – imprisoned for murders he didn't commit – somehow never let hope die. Andy hoped in a story, a picture of the future set by the ocean, a warm place where one day he’d live out the rest of his life mending boats. His hope in a better story helped him face the struggles of the present. 

What was the root of Peter’s living hope?  

Writing to a people feeling the bitterness of exile and suffering for their faith, Peter’s praise rises in him because of what God has done. Biblical hope isn’t wishful thinking, it’s living hope. Hope lives, because Jesus lives. For if the resurrection was true (and Peter saw the empty tomb with his own eyes) then hope lived! No wonder Peter likens our hope to an inheritance. For just as an inheritance is a legal certainty, so is a Christian’s eternal inheritance.  

What difference does this living hope have for us today?   

God has not left us in the dark when it comes to the end of the big story of the Bible. The last chapter is called Revelation. The word ‘revelation’ itself comes from the Greek word ‘apocalypse’, which means ‘unveiling’. It's like curtains being drawn back to see what’s on the other side. Tomorrow we’ll take our first glimpse.  

There’s nothing more powerful than living hope. The Bible story could not have a more beautiful ending. When the curtains are drawn back, we see hope has a name, and his name is Jesus. Our hope is a living person! 

When staying out at sea sailors might drop their anchors in the night so they can rest. A huge anchor can withstand even the stormiest and choppiest of seas. When the waters start to rise and the wind starts to get up, inexperienced sailors quickly start to worry. But the experienced sailor has confidence in their anchor. This is what it looks like to have living hope today. Even in the storms, you can rest because you know how big your anchor is. 

Respond 

‘Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ – living hope causes praise to rise. Let your heart stir and let song resound in you today!