“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 1:3–7
Last night, I happened to see the last part of the movie Buried—of which I’d heard the basic plot premise (a US civilian truck driver working in Iraq, following the deposing of Saddam Hussein, is kidnapped and buried alive), but did not know the ending. Without revealing the end of that story here, it’s probably enough to say that as time passes by in the tale, the driver gradually loses hope that he will be rescued.
The Bible passage above was the text for messages I heard preached today by Conrad Mbewe, the key theme being possession of a “living hope.” The contrast between the two positions (albeit the movie is fictional) stood out to me. As I’ve reflect on the passage above, two points have come to mind:
- The hope described is for those who belong to Christ. I can’t help but recall the sobering words in Matthew 7:22–23. According to Australian census information, many people claim to be Christians … but on the last day, how many of those will Christ recognise as his own? Not all, it would seem.
- The hope described is for the life to come. There is no guarantee (or even suggestion) that anyone will have a smooth journey in this life. In fact, if various speakers over the years have been giving any message consistently, it’s the reverse! But, ultimately, that should not detract from the bigger picture.
Today is Easter 2015, when many celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I hope that you and your family will be gifted with the living hope that’s being preached today, all around the world.