4. The life of Hope.
In Jesus, our future is secure in the hands of the loving Father. As we saw earlier, the Holy Spirit guarantees our hope, by reminding us, through the Gospel, how faithful and reliable the Father is.
| The nature of Hope | Passage | To discuss |
| God promised a day when all creation will see and know who He is in all his fulness. | Habakuk 2:12-14 | How do God’s plans contrast with those of human beings? |
| Our hope is based on the character of God | Romans 5:1-2 | Why is ‘the glory of God’ something to rejoice in? |
| Our hope enables us to face hardship positively | Romans 5:3-5 | Can you think of an example of how suffering can produce hope? |
| Jesus’ death and resurrection ensures our safety on the day of judgement | Romans 5:6-11 | What words describe us, and explain our need for Jesus to save us? |
| The day of judgement will be a time of the renewal of all things | 2 Peter 3:1-12 | What kind of lifestyle is produced by this hope of a new creation? |
| This hope helps us to be realistic about the world in which we live | 1 John 2:15-17 | World’ here is not referring to the physical creation. What then is it? |
| This hope removes any need for the fear of death | 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 | How does our hope enable us to help one another? |
| Certainty about the future is the reason why we share the Gospel with others | Acts 10:39-43 | Is sharing the Gospel an ‘optional extra’ for the Christian? |
| Having true hope makes us stand apart from the rest of the world | 1 Peter 3:13-17 | What kind of lifestyle choices might communicate the hope we have? |
New Jerusalem 