Living Between Now And Not Yet
Bible Study
Toward a Hope-Filled Life
A Bible Study
Object:
Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan -- this rebirth comes from God.
-- John 1:11-13
I am a child of God because I receive the free gift of grace that is offered to me through Jesus Christ, my Savior. I am a child of God because I receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, my Savior. When we are filled with that knowledge we know who we are now -- today -- we are children of God. This is not something that is going to happen to me sometime in the future, this is a present reality. Today I am a child of God.
Within some religious traditions, it is common to hear one person ask another, "If you died today, do you know that you would go to heaven?" An answer that often comes is, "I hope so. I've tried to live a good life and I would hope that God would receive me." That is a very different answer than John would have given. John knew he belonged to the Lord. He didn't have to wait until he died to find that out and neither should we.
Having said that, it is also true that how we live our lives should reflect the fact that we feel as if we are indeed children of God. We are hope-filled in all ways because we know that God knows who we are. Knowing that helps us to live a hope-filled life. It does not mean, however, that we live perfect lives, just lives that show forth a sense of now and not yet.
Robert Grudin, in Time and the Art of Living, does a masterful job of clarifying the point being made here.
Fast drivers can see no further than slow drivers, but they must look further down the road to time their reactions safely. Similarly, people with great projects afoot habitually look further and more clearly into the future than people who are mired in day-to-day concerns. These former control the future because by necessity they must project themselves into it; and the upshot is that, like ambitious settlers, they stake out larger plots and homesteads of time than the rest of us. They do not easily grow sad or old; they are seldom intimidated by the alarms and confusions of the present because they have something greater of their own, some sense of their large and coherent motion in time, to compare with the present.1
There is a kind of natural quality in hope-filled living that shows itself in a sense of gratitude for our good fortune at being children of God. There is a genuine sense of thankfulness that may be expressed in a variety of ways in our day-to-day activities. It represents the welling up of that open acknowledgment of good that demands expression in a word or act of thanksgiving. Such thanksgiving presupposes the kind of faith that is rooted in the firm conviction that God is working out everything in his purpose, and that there is genuine meaning beneath and beyond what meets the eye.
Living this kind of hope-filled life means that you can come to God for help whatever the need may be, even when you have failed and come short of what you think should have been accomplished. People of hope always seem to have great projects percolating in their minds. They have a boundless confidence in the things they are planning. They discover the very best in themselves and through themselves they are able to discover the best in others. They seem to know where they are going, because they know their ultimate destination! It is the difference between personal wholeness and the alternate feeling of never quite being sure of what or where you are going.
In our world today, we are faced with the troubling reality of terrorism. It is difficult to remember a time when people were more on edge in their day-to-day routines. There is a war between outward security and inward stability. There has probably never been a more poignant moment in time in terms of testing our hope-filled lives. As hope-filled children of God, there is always God's word to help us find strength and clarity in our walk of faith. We must always remember that the church leaders, who developed the faith that we cling to, experienced terrible moments of doubt and despair. Once again we turn to the apostle Paul for help.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.
What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
-- Romans 8:28-31
It is there that we see Paul knew about the now and the not yet. He knew how to equalize the living of life. There will always be tension, but the hope-filled Christian will balance that tension in healthy, not destructive ways. He knew that there would be times in our lives when we would need to find hope in the midst of terrorism. But, again notice that for Paul there is always a new possibility. There is always a larger picture for Paul. "If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (v. 31). Life is more than those things that rob us of that hope we have found as children of God. Paul helps us to see that hope by giving us a look into the "not yet."
As children of God, we can focus our attention on Jesus, and when we do, we get outside of ourselves, we remove ourselves somewhat if only for a moment, from the distractions of the world. It is in these moments that we will be able to gain much-needed freedom in the way we see ourselves and the world around us. Knowing that we will always be children of God gives us hope in the present, while at the same time giving us a peek at the not yet. Hope allows us to be ever-changing, ever-aware, of our unique place in the cosmos.
Hope gives us an unchanging center in our lives. We all know that things around us change with or without our permission. That does not mean that we must change, as well. Hope reminds us that we have a purpose in living. We are not simply here to fill space and time. We are here to be the servants of the one who came to serve. It is not a hope based on silly expectations. Rather, it is hope based on a timeless promise from the one who created us. We have the assurance that even those things we do not understand, God understands. Jesus has showed us hope-filled possibilities.
But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, shout from the housetops for all to hear!
Don't be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
-- Matthew 10:26-30
In some respects, what is being said is that although none of us gets through life without some trauma, all of us can be assured that the person who chooses hope can face whatever the problem is, knowing that they do not face it alone. That, in and of itself, is a pretty wonderful promise. In chapter 4 of Paul's letter to the Philippians, we read his hope-filled words.
Dear brothers and sisters, I love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and the reward for my work. So please stay true to the Lord, my dear friends.
And now I want to plead with these two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again -- rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has given you. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
-- Philippians 4:1-7
True children of God, hope-filled and anxious to please God, know that true hopefulness comes when you learn to be grateful for the things that don't seem too good at the time. Paul pointed out that it is easy enough to be thankful for the good things, the hard part is the "not yet." But we can get through the now and into the not yet, because we do so with Christ as our leader and teacher. In the end, that is all we can hope for. It is all that we need.
____________
1. Robert Grudin, Time and the Art of Living (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1982), p. 6.
Questions For Your Consideration
1. Explain what John 1:13 means to you.
2. Talk about your idea of heaven. What is it -- where is it --who gets to go?
3. How can a person who is ill look to the future with hope? Is it difficult for you to be hopeful with someone who is ill and tired of living?
4. How do you approach God when you need help? Give an example.
5. Has your sense of hope for the future been lowered since the terrorist attacks on our homeland?
6. What are the things that distract you enough to give the feeling that you are not a child of God?
7. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to the purpose for them." If this is true, then why do so many good people who love God find themselves in terrible situations in life?
8. Explain how hope can help you face those things in life that often seem insurmountable.
9. How can you be grateful for things you do not want in your life?
10. What is the "not yet" in your life?
-- John 1:11-13
I am a child of God because I receive the free gift of grace that is offered to me through Jesus Christ, my Savior. I am a child of God because I receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, my Savior. When we are filled with that knowledge we know who we are now -- today -- we are children of God. This is not something that is going to happen to me sometime in the future, this is a present reality. Today I am a child of God.
Within some religious traditions, it is common to hear one person ask another, "If you died today, do you know that you would go to heaven?" An answer that often comes is, "I hope so. I've tried to live a good life and I would hope that God would receive me." That is a very different answer than John would have given. John knew he belonged to the Lord. He didn't have to wait until he died to find that out and neither should we.
Having said that, it is also true that how we live our lives should reflect the fact that we feel as if we are indeed children of God. We are hope-filled in all ways because we know that God knows who we are. Knowing that helps us to live a hope-filled life. It does not mean, however, that we live perfect lives, just lives that show forth a sense of now and not yet.
Robert Grudin, in Time and the Art of Living, does a masterful job of clarifying the point being made here.
Fast drivers can see no further than slow drivers, but they must look further down the road to time their reactions safely. Similarly, people with great projects afoot habitually look further and more clearly into the future than people who are mired in day-to-day concerns. These former control the future because by necessity they must project themselves into it; and the upshot is that, like ambitious settlers, they stake out larger plots and homesteads of time than the rest of us. They do not easily grow sad or old; they are seldom intimidated by the alarms and confusions of the present because they have something greater of their own, some sense of their large and coherent motion in time, to compare with the present.1
There is a kind of natural quality in hope-filled living that shows itself in a sense of gratitude for our good fortune at being children of God. There is a genuine sense of thankfulness that may be expressed in a variety of ways in our day-to-day activities. It represents the welling up of that open acknowledgment of good that demands expression in a word or act of thanksgiving. Such thanksgiving presupposes the kind of faith that is rooted in the firm conviction that God is working out everything in his purpose, and that there is genuine meaning beneath and beyond what meets the eye.
Living this kind of hope-filled life means that you can come to God for help whatever the need may be, even when you have failed and come short of what you think should have been accomplished. People of hope always seem to have great projects percolating in their minds. They have a boundless confidence in the things they are planning. They discover the very best in themselves and through themselves they are able to discover the best in others. They seem to know where they are going, because they know their ultimate destination! It is the difference between personal wholeness and the alternate feeling of never quite being sure of what or where you are going.
In our world today, we are faced with the troubling reality of terrorism. It is difficult to remember a time when people were more on edge in their day-to-day routines. There is a war between outward security and inward stability. There has probably never been a more poignant moment in time in terms of testing our hope-filled lives. As hope-filled children of God, there is always God's word to help us find strength and clarity in our walk of faith. We must always remember that the church leaders, who developed the faith that we cling to, experienced terrible moments of doubt and despair. Once again we turn to the apostle Paul for help.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.
What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
-- Romans 8:28-31
It is there that we see Paul knew about the now and the not yet. He knew how to equalize the living of life. There will always be tension, but the hope-filled Christian will balance that tension in healthy, not destructive ways. He knew that there would be times in our lives when we would need to find hope in the midst of terrorism. But, again notice that for Paul there is always a new possibility. There is always a larger picture for Paul. "If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (v. 31). Life is more than those things that rob us of that hope we have found as children of God. Paul helps us to see that hope by giving us a look into the "not yet."
As children of God, we can focus our attention on Jesus, and when we do, we get outside of ourselves, we remove ourselves somewhat if only for a moment, from the distractions of the world. It is in these moments that we will be able to gain much-needed freedom in the way we see ourselves and the world around us. Knowing that we will always be children of God gives us hope in the present, while at the same time giving us a peek at the not yet. Hope allows us to be ever-changing, ever-aware, of our unique place in the cosmos.
Hope gives us an unchanging center in our lives. We all know that things around us change with or without our permission. That does not mean that we must change, as well. Hope reminds us that we have a purpose in living. We are not simply here to fill space and time. We are here to be the servants of the one who came to serve. It is not a hope based on silly expectations. Rather, it is hope based on a timeless promise from the one who created us. We have the assurance that even those things we do not understand, God understands. Jesus has showed us hope-filled possibilities.
But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, shout from the housetops for all to hear!
Don't be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
-- Matthew 10:26-30
In some respects, what is being said is that although none of us gets through life without some trauma, all of us can be assured that the person who chooses hope can face whatever the problem is, knowing that they do not face it alone. That, in and of itself, is a pretty wonderful promise. In chapter 4 of Paul's letter to the Philippians, we read his hope-filled words.
Dear brothers and sisters, I love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and the reward for my work. So please stay true to the Lord, my dear friends.
And now I want to plead with these two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again -- rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has given you. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
-- Philippians 4:1-7
True children of God, hope-filled and anxious to please God, know that true hopefulness comes when you learn to be grateful for the things that don't seem too good at the time. Paul pointed out that it is easy enough to be thankful for the good things, the hard part is the "not yet." But we can get through the now and into the not yet, because we do so with Christ as our leader and teacher. In the end, that is all we can hope for. It is all that we need.
____________
1. Robert Grudin, Time and the Art of Living (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1982), p. 6.
Questions For Your Consideration
1. Explain what John 1:13 means to you.
2. Talk about your idea of heaven. What is it -- where is it --who gets to go?
3. How can a person who is ill look to the future with hope? Is it difficult for you to be hopeful with someone who is ill and tired of living?
4. How do you approach God when you need help? Give an example.
5. Has your sense of hope for the future been lowered since the terrorist attacks on our homeland?
6. What are the things that distract you enough to give the feeling that you are not a child of God?
7. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to the purpose for them." If this is true, then why do so many good people who love God find themselves in terrible situations in life?
8. Explain how hope can help you face those things in life that often seem insurmountable.
9. How can you be grateful for things you do not want in your life?
10. What is the "not yet" in your life?
