HOPE FOR THE PRESENT

WE CAN HAVE HOPE FOR THE PRESENT

EVEN THOUGH THE WORLD IS EVIL

AND THOUGH THERE IS MUCH SUFFERING

What can I know?

What can I do?

What can I HOPE?

When faced with the evil in the world, the skeptic says:

If God is good, He must not be all powerful.

If God is all-powerful, He must not be good.

We say, if God forced us to be what we should, we would be robots.

1) Evil is real. The Devil is real. He makes chaos. He tries to destroy God's work.

2) God's love acts in history to help us. Jesus came to destroy Satan's work.

3) The Holy Spirit is real and dwells in Christians to help them deal with Satan.

4) Our loving Father, God, runs to meet us. HE CARES DEEPLY.

5) God became flesh in order to save us from Satan.

6) Christianity is the result of God's searching for us.

Jesus is a historical fact.

John witnesses that Jesus is real, 1 John 1:1.

REMEMBER, BEING HUMAN IS A PRIVILEGE, NOT AN EXCUSE.

God loves us very much. Eph. 1:3-7

And He enables us to be his co-workers Eph. 2:10.

Hurting is real. Jesus wept. John 11:35

We have the opportunity to bear one another's burdens. Gal. 6:2.

Our present sufferings are light when compared with the reward. Rom 8:18.

We need to submit to God and to resist the Devil. James 4:7.

The resurrection shows that the power of good will win over evil and suffering.

Bad things do happen. I have a choice:

1) I can give up and say "You can't win".

I can be destroyed; Stagnant; Cynical; Empty

2) Or I can keep trying.

Through Christ I can win. Phil. 4:13

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep

to gain that which he cannot lose.

"IN LOVE'S SERVICE, ONLY THE WOUNDED CAN HELP."

In this evil world, we may have to undergo a sentence of suffering.

We may be tempted to give up. II Cor. 1:9-10.

But this very suffering enables us to help others. II Cor. 1:3-5.

God became flesh like us, Jesus has been hurt too.

Now He understands our weakness and misery and He can help.

History is linear. It has a beginning and it has an end.

In the beginning: Genesis 1:1

In the end we must stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Rev. 20:12

Although a son Christ was obedient

He became the author of eternal salvation

to all who obey Him. Hebrews 5:8-9

WE CAN CHOOSE TO OBEY HIM AND

HELP HIM BRING HOPE TO A SUFFERING AND EVIL WORLD.

JESUS SAID "I AM THIRSTY". JOHN 19:28

WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT JESUS?