Our Source of Hope

“Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing-- as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”

(Colossians 1:5-8 ESV)

 

Hope is something for which we all yearn. And, while this has always been the case, it’s something that’s become even more true in light of our present circumstances. It’s become more true as, right here in America, as well as around the world, we’ve been dealing with new and unfamiliar difficulties.

 

As we face trials of many kinds, it’s common for us to feel hopeless. We want to know that this is not all there is to life. We want to believe that there is something better coming to us. We want the assurance that the trials of life will not continue forever.

 

We see, in the above passage, where this hope is found. Paul had been speaking of the hope possessed by the Colossians. And of this, he says, they had heard before in the word of truth.

 

This word of truth, he goes on to tell us, is the gospel. It’s the good news of Jesus. So, from this gospel, the Colossians had heard of the hope laid up for them in heaven.

 

In the same way, we hear of this hope. As we hear the gospel, as we hear the word of truth, we learn of this hope. And it is the only source where this can be found.

 

Although there is much wisdom in this world, to which we ought to pay attention, nothing else can provide to us the good news of Jesus. Nothing else can reveal to us the hope that is laid up for us in heaven. Nothing else can enable us to understand the grace of God in truth. This is something that can only come to us through the Word of God.

 

This is why it’s so important for us to make use of it. This is why it’s so important that we do not neglect it. Apart from this Word we will not learn of this hope. Apart from this Word there is only despair. We need to be continually filled with the hope that the gospel brings to us.

 

And this hope is needed, of course, not only by us. It is needed by the world around us. It is needed by a world that is trapped in despair. It is needed by a world that seeks hope from sources that cannot provide it.

 

The Colossians had received the gospel, they had heard it, from a man named Epaphras. He was the founding missionary of the Colossian Church. It was he who had brought to them the message of the gospel, which provided this hope of which Paul was speaking.

 

In the same way, believers in Jesus bring this message to the world around us. We bring this message to a hopeless world. As we proclaim to them the Word of Christ, as we proclaim to them the gospel of Christ, they are enabled to receive the hope that it provides to one and all.