Many will be thinking and reflecting about what the year 2025 was like for them and whether or not things will be any better in 2026 as they go forward. We all know that many things happened in 2025 that we all struggled with things which were truly awful. Our government made new laws to control us and made it even harder for those on low incomes to pay for their household bills, yet we as faithful brethren we put our trust in the Lord to supply our needs and we met and worshipped together as a faithful congregation here in Ramsey which will shortly begin its 6th year as a church of Christ that meets every Lord’s Day come this April 2026.
From our leafleting campaign we had visitors who came to hear and see what the truth was all about, let’s hope and pray that they will return and decide to obey the gospel. It was a good year for us all as we had our first new brother added to our number at the start of September when Bro. Rocky obeyed the gospel. This was our very first baptism which took place by using the Corby church of Christ building for which we are thankful. It was a great day of rejoicing and one to remember. Let’s hope that there will be many others in the months and years ahead as we go forward into the New Year 2026.
We need to always be ready to preach the gospel and invite lost souls to attend in the hope that they will respond favourably to the message which is able to save them and have their names recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I believe that it would benefit us greatly if we make plans to draw others in so that we could welcome new visitors to the church and teach them what the Bible clearly teaches us, because there are many lost souls who do not understand how important it is to know God and to be obedient to Him in all things that pertain to life and godliness. To many are going to be eternally lost and we must do our best to at least save as many as possible in this part of the world.
In the Kings speech last Thursday, he said these words “As I meet people of different faiths, I find it enormously encouraging to hear how much we have in common,” which shows how little He knows about what God’s Inspired Word says about faith and what the New Testament says in Ephesians 4. King Charles is blind and many will have listened to him who think and believe his speech was wonderful to hear. It’s the blind leading the blind into total destruction and everlasting punishment which will last forever and ever without end.
2 Peter 3:10-18
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation–as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
For those of us, we know there’s a great day coming when the Lord will appear and take us home to be with Him for all eternity and those who did not know or who disobeyed Him, they will be in a place that burns with fire and brimstone forever more and this planet we know, will be consumed with fire from above.
We as His people need to always be ready busy doing the Lord’s work. We have a job to do. We have a future to look forward too, if we remain true and faithful. We look for a new Heaven and a new Earth.
So what should we want in the days, months and years ?
Our natural longing exists within each one of us to “better our situation” and improve upon our lifestyle grows out of a deeper instinct within the human soul. Our parents wanted us to “have it better” than they did, and we want our children to “do better than we have”. One gets the impression that we human beings are either impossible to please, or else there is an instinct that resides within us which points us toward another and incomparably better future than anything we are ever able to enjoy here in this world. I am convinced that the latter is the case. Like the patriarchs of the book of Genesis, “We have not here an abiding city, but we seek after the city which is to come” Hebrews 13:14 So, no matter how good we have it now, we are never satisfied, nor shall we ever be, this side of even even though we should be content with what we have been blessed with.
The prospect of being stripped of what we have by the “death knell” of this present universe should give us no joy. After all, there are some very good and pleasant aspects of our beautiful planet which we would hesitate to sacrifice to fiery destruction. Yet, if we could be assured, with absolute certainty, that this is merely a trade-off, and we will come out the better for it, then we could “look for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God.” That is the idea. It is not what we lose that is important. It is what we gain in the transaction. This is what really counts.
Peter points out four things we ought to appreciate to keep this terrible and wonderful future time in proper perspective:
- These things are all to be dissolved. All earthly things, material possessions, earthly power and prestige, worldly accomplishments and ambitions, will be no more. As Christ said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36 Some things really matter, while others actually do not. We must keep our perspective: “If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth” Colossians 3:1-2
- What manner of persons ought we to be? Realizing that this world and its possessions and attainments have no long-term future, no permanency, places the emphasis where it belongs: upon developing Christian character: “holy living and godliness.” What will abide is what we send on ahead of us into eternity Matthew 6:19-20 and the qualities we allow God to develop in us. At the same time, here, which make us fit citizens of the heavenly kingdom: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof” Galatians 5:22-24.
- We ought to look for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God. As the writer of the Hebrew epistle said: “They that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own… they desire a better country” for they are truly “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” Hebrews 11:13-16 As the old hymn says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through; my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.” We must have the outlook of John, who, when robbed of all earthly moorings and sent to the prison-isle of Patmos, wrote, He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20
- According to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth. The Christian keeps his anchor tied securely to the promises of God. No earthly loss, discouragement, or frustration can break the chain. We see beyond this world, its treasures and achievements. There is ahead a destination where we truly can say, “The first things are passed away,” and where God will say, “Behold, I make all things new” Revelation 21:4-5 When we consider the terrible evils we will put behind us, “we who are spiritual” can appreciate with great anticipation “new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.” How can we? Because God promised! As a popular expression has simply but majestically articulated it: “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.”
We can’t change history, 2025 will soon be in the past and we need to press on and look to the future and do our very best. Let’s put our God given talents to grow as a congregation. So whatever lies ahead in 2026, let’s press on to our goal because we have a future of a heavenly home one day where neither moth or rust cannot destroy because we know this is not our home, our treasures are laid up beyond the blue brethren. We must be prepared and always ready to hear the trumpet sound calling us home to live with Christ Our Lord and Saviour forever. Amen
This last lesson for 2025 comes from Bro Robert H Brown
