American group R.E.M. had a hit in 1987 known as ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It’, a strange song with many diverse references to individuals with the initials L.B. and a chorus which repeats the title, adding ‘and I feel fine.’ In Biblical terms, eschatology or the study of end times is something which cannot be ignored if we want to study the whole of God’s story, but the end times as a topic are often avoided for different reasons. Because this deals with prophecy which has not yet been fulfilled and because these are difficult topics which are often contentious and hard to understand, we can adopot the ‘ostrich mentality’, burying our heads in the sand and ignoring the many passages in the Bible on this theme. Even those who believe that Jesus will come again as Judge and that there will be a new heaven and a new earth (see Rev 21:1-4, Rev 22:1-6) may well feel this is irrelevant to everyday life in 2022 because it will not happen in our lifetime. Others fear the topic because they don’t want to be branded as fanatics. But if all Scripture is God-breathed and useful to teaching, correcting and rebuking us (2 Tim 3:16), then we can’t afford to ignore something which makes sense of the ‘bigger picture’ of what God is doing in the world.

Christians believe that human history had a specific beginning (creation) and is being directed by God toward a specific end (restoration), and that historic events follow a non-repetitive course toward that end. We cannot be dogmatic about the end times, but we do need to look at the topic, not least because Jesus referred to it frequently, urging us to be alert and watchful (see Matt 24:42-44, Luke 12:35-40 and also 1 Thess 5:1-6). It’s an important part of the Christian worldview, informing our present sufferings (see Rom 8:18, 2 Pet 3:13) and reminding us of God’s sovereignty (2 Tim 4:7-8). It also fuels our evangelism in some ways, for this reminds us that the eternal destiny of individuals is different according to their response to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb 9:27-28, Matt 14:40-43).

Titus 2:11-14 reminds us that the ‘blessed hope’ of the appearing of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, gives us the incentive to live self-controlled, godly and upright lives now and we are reminded that ‘these, then, are the things you should teach.’ We’ll be looking further into these topics over the coming weeks and months and pray that we may learn to live as God wants us to as we prepare our hearts for Christ’s return.

Dave spoke tonight about ‘the other Christmas’, from Matt 2:16-18. It’s easy to forget Christmas once the New Year starts, but Matthew’s Gospel focuses on what happened next. There is no mention in that gospel of the journey to Bethlehem or the shepherds and angels featured in Luke’s Gospel, but he focuses on the arrival of the Magi and their encounter with Herod.

Herod had a reputation for being merciless and had ordered the death of many, including his own family members. He was adept at hiding his true motives, and so when the wise men appeared at the palace, he pretended to want to worship the newborn king as well. However, his motives were far less pure, and we read in Matthew’s Gospel not only of the wise men being warned not to return to the palace but of the Slaughter of the Innocents which Herod subsequently ordered. Boys aged two and under were murdered because Herod saw in them a threat to his own power, something he could not tolerate.

Jesus was born into a world where death and tragedy were all around. He knew pain and sorrow; this was no fairy tale. Instead, we see Him coming in vulnerability into a tragic world. His parents had to flee as refugees to Egypt; we see today the ongoing flight of people from persecution, seeking refuge. Little has changed, it seems, and yet all has changed because God is now with us.

God sent Jesus to a world of violence and pain to be in the world, suffering alongside us. Jesus is with us every day, sharing in our joys and sorrows, our hopes and disappointments. We need never fear that He does not understand, that He cannot empathise with us. Matthew’s account reminds us of the horrors faced by Jesus and points to the freedom which ultimately He would bring. He is there with us through it all; He knows what it is to be human and to suffer.

Yan Hadley spoke this morning from Phil 3:13 about a passion that pursues the purpose of God. We are not meant to spend our lives looking back, but should be straining forward towards God, living for Him with a zeal which reflects His (see Is 9:6-7, John 2:17). Enthusiasm and fervour are the hallmarks of those who understand that their lives have purpose and meaning in God (see Rom 12:11). We are not meant to be stumbling along or slipping back in our walk with God but should be straining forward, like an athlete bending to reach the finish line.

Discouragement and weariness can prevent us from pursuing the purposes of God, but 1 Cor 15:58 reminds us to remain steadfast, abounding in every good work and serving the Lord with wholehearted devotion.  As we wait on the Lord, He will renew our strength (Is 40:31) so that we can run and not grow weary and walk and not faint.

The Purpose of God

Jesus said that His food was to do the will of God (John 4:34). Purpose ignites passion; life without purpose is pointless. 2 Cor 4:1 reminds us that doing God’s will means we will not lose heart; Paul prayed that the Colossians would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. (Col 1:9-10). We are made in the image of God to be creative and live with purpose; God sees what we can become, not just what we are now. His aim is that we grow to maturity in Christ (Eph 4:13) and bear fruit (John 15:16); we were created to do good works. (Eph 2:10) An architect sees the finished building and makes plans that are meticulous in every detail long before actual work on the building begins; in the same way, God knows what He has created us to do and we need to find out His purpose for our lives in order to keep pressing on towards Him.

The Protection of God

God’s purposes will be completed (Phil 1:6) and His protection is with us (Ps 138:7). We are often oblivious of the dangers in life and unmindful of God’s protection, but Scripture reminds us that there is often a battle between what God has promised and what we see initially. Sarah’s barren womb seemed an impossible challenge, but Isaac was born through God’s power. Pharaoh’s edict to kill Hebrew boys seemed to be the end of the road for God’s people, but God protected Moses and used him to deliver Israel from Egypt. Goliath’s threats against Israel seemed to spell certain defeat, but God’s protection through David meant the Philistine was toppled. People may well be against God’s plans, but God is stronger. Jesus reminded Peter that though Satan sought to sift him and destroy him, Jesus was praying for him – and He prays for us too!

The Power of God

Rom 1:16 reminds us that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. God’s power is available to each one of us, but there is a direct correlation between our desire for God and our understanding of His power. 1 Cor 2:4-5 reminds us that Paul relied on God’s power, and we need to hunger and thirst for righteousness. We need to wake up to the power that is available to us (see Is 52:1) and must be part of a church that wakes up, speaks up and proclaims the greatness of God. We need God’s power to overcome sin, to be effective in service and to live victoriously against Satan; there can be no substitute for the power of God. (Gal 5:16) When we stand for God in His mighty power (Eph 6:10), great things will happen.

The Jewish day does not begin at midnight, as ours does, but at sunset, based on the Biblical account of creation: ‘and there was evening, and there was morning’, a phrase repeated throughout the six days of creation (Gen 1:3, 8, 13,19, 23,31). We might find this unusual and even puzzling, so accustomed are we to thinking of evening as the time for rest from all our work. Why rest at the start of a 24-hour period?

I think the Biblical order is a reminder to us that God wants us to focus on Him and on our relationship with Him before we launch into activity. Being is more important than doing, and this is something we find difficult to grasp. We believe we’re at the centre of everything, but the truth is that God is at the centre. This Jewish order of evening before day firmly puts God at the heart of each 24-hour period of time and frees us from our compulsive, obsessive need to do. Ps 127:1-2 reflects on this compulsion and reminds us that God provides rest for those He loves, that He provides for us even while we sleep.

We often think of rest as the ‘reward’ for a hard day’s work, and in some ways, it is! But I think perhaps rest is more God’s gift to people, allowing them to see life from a spiritual perspective first and foremost.

Today is the first back at work for many people. As we start back, we can be gratefu for the Biblical order and learn that taking time with God in thankfulness for the rest He provides is never a waste of time.

I was never a big fan of politicians, but the past two years have eroded any residual trust I had in these people. Their policies, outright lies and obfuscation of truth have left me cynical and untrusting, and it’s sad that these feelings can often be transferred to other areas of life. We all need to be able to trust those in authority if we are to feel secure, but this is not always possible. When people’s words are found to be contradictory and false, we are left with a sense of disillusionment. Trust is like broken glass, they say: easy to shatter and hard to repair.

I always end the year reading the book of Revelation, a book which has aroused much controversy and whose details leave us scratching our heads in puzzlement. It’s an apocalyptic, allegorical book which reminds us there is much in life that is invisible to the natural eye. I don’t pretend to understand all of it, but one thing that struck me as I reached the last chapters was the repetition of the phrase ‘trustworthy and true.’ (Rev 21:5, Rev 22:6)

Revelation 21 starts with a picture of a new heaven and a new earth, the consummation of God’s plans for our world. It’s a tremendously reassuring picture of the ‘new Jerusalem’ as a bride for God, with the hope of a new world order better than anything any politician can offer: ‘“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”’ (Rev 21:3-4) Whilst we may not understand when or how this state can occur, the Bible is emphatic that this is what awaits those who have put their trust in God through His Son, Jesus Christ. God reminds us He is making everything new (Rev 21:5) and then John is told, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Rev 21:5) In the next chapter, the angel reminds John that all he has seen and written down, this vision of Eden restored (Rev 22:1-4), can be trusted: ‘These words are trustworthy and true.’ (Rev 22:6)

I find it tremendously reassuring that these words are both trustworthy (literally worthy of our trust) and true. So often, we can’t trust what people say and we can find it very difficult to sift truth from lies. It seems that most people believe if you say something often enough and loud enough, it will be accepted as truth. The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6) and that the truth has the power to set us free. (John 8:32) God defines truth, and therefore we have to learn to measure all words against this plumb line. Secondly, truth can be trusted. It’s not a chameleon. It has seemed that ‘facts’ can be twisted and manipulated to justify whatever policy politicians want to impose on us at any given time, but words that are true are not like that. They will remain true whatever the circumstances and therefore can be trusted. God’s words are both trustworthy and true. We may not understand everything He says, but we can trust Him and He will not let us down.

Garry went on to remind us that as we enter a new year, we often start with new resolutions (some of which don’t last very long!) Last year was very difficult for many people (perhaps an ‘annus horribilis’ for many, as the Queen once described 1992), but he reminded us that God makes a new way for us all. We now have a new and living way to approach God because of the sacrifice of Jesus (see Heb 10:20); the old way of animal sacrifices has gone. Now we have been released from the law and can serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. (Rom 7:6) The Old Testament way of doing things reminds us of the old telephones, which had limited access (because they were wired in to a socket and could not be moved around much); it used to be much harder for people when they could only access God once a year or in set places. Now, we have an open access to God and can come to Him at any time and in any place.

John 16:33 reminds us that life has many troubles or pressures, but Jesus has overcome the world and therefore we need not fear. Jeremy Camp reminds us that ‘what the Lord gives, the world can’t take away’ (‘Can’t Take Away’), and therefore we all have the opportunity to be made new in the attitudes of our mind and put on the new self available to us in Christ. (Eph 5:22-24) God’s renovation of us restores us to our original state and we are able to live as we were originally created to. This gives us a certified, guaranteed future, because God is making us new and renovates us to a God-standard (better than any gold standard!) This new year may bring many challenges as well as opportunities, but we can be sure that the new way of the Spirit means we have access to divine power and help and therefore we can go forward with hope and confidence.