Resurrected Hope: The foundation of hope.
Notes
Transcript
Text -
Subject - Hope
Theme -
Thesis -
Principle - Easter reminds us of the hope that we have because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.
I. Introduction
Hope -
Do you consider yourself a hopeful person?
It can be difficult today to live with hope when we look at the world around us.
The truth of the matter is that we live in a fallen world.
A world that has been broken by sin.
Hope is not a physical object.
Hope is often defined as a concept that encompasses a positive expectation or anticipation of future events or outcomes.
In reality, hope is a fundamental aspect of the human experience,
Hope, or a lack thereof, influences emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
To have hope involves optimism, expectation, desire, resilience, faith, and action.
Hope plays a central role in our spiritual lives and our well being.
Hope provides us with the strength, the motivation, the vision to navigate life’s challenges.
Perhaps you have seen the movie Shawshank Redemption
The film follows the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker who is wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary.
Throughout the film, Andy faces numerous challenges and injustices within the prison system, including corruption, violence, and exploitation.
The portrayal of life within Shawshank prison initially seems bleak and hopeless, with Andy and his fellow inmates enduring harsh conditions and facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
However, Andy maintains a sense of inner resilience and hope, finding solace in acts of kindness, friendship, and personal integrity.
Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, Andy never loses hope or gives up on the belief that he will one day achieve freedom and justice.
His unwavering determination and perseverance ultimately lead to a remarkable outcome that defies all expectations, illustrating the transformative power of hope even in the darkest of circumstances.
Hope can have a transformative power, but it must be a hope that is rightly placed.
I want to contend this morning that true hope is not something that is found with us, but rather true hope is given to us.
As Christians, the foundation of our hope is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
II. Defining Hope in Christ
From a biblical perspective, hope is essential because it is anchored in the promises of God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the assurance of salvation and eternal life.
Hope provides comfort, strength, and perseverance in trials
Hope fuels anticipation for the fulfillment of God's kingdom and the return of Christ.
Worldly hope and biblical hope don’t match up.
The world has an idea of hope that sees it as an optimistic expectation that something good may happen in this life.
Hope is built into us.
We might say that it is part of our DNA almost.
We hope our favorite sports team will win.
We may hope we have pizza for dinner tonight.
We hope for a successful hunting or fishing trip.
We hope for good health, a good marriage, good weather, or an enjoyable vacation.
Many people hope for a better life after the life they have lived on earth,
which explains why so many claim that loved ones are “smiling down” upon them after their death.
Much of the hope that is found in the world lacks promise and certainty, which is like building a house on sand.
Philosopher Immanuel Kant was asked what were the main questions of philosophy,
his answer was “What can we know?”, “What should we do?”, “What is a human being?”, and “What can we hope for?”
Out of those questions, it was the last that gave him the greatest difficulty.
Especially in regards to what we should hope for in this life.
The reason for his difficulty was a hope that humanity as a whole would progress morally towards a world of peace and justice.
But hope in human progress towards good waxes and wanes.
As Christians we understand why this is.
Our world is in a downward spiral because of sin.
That is the reason that Christian hope is so much different than worldly hope.
Christian hope is a Spirit-given virtue enabling us to joyfully expect what God has promised through Jesus Christ.
When we use the word “hope” in casual conversation, it often has a wavering, uncertain sound. “I hope I can make it,” we say doubtfully.
The Bible seldom uses “hope” in this doubt-filled way. Instead, hope focuses attention on God and fills us with eager expectation.
The reason that we can have hope is because as Christians, we are given hope, from the God of hope.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Look at that a little closer.
May the God of hope fill you.
May God make you complete with all joy and peace in believing.
And by the Holy Spirit abound in hope!
To abound in hope is not to have just enough to get by.
It is to overflow!
No one who learns to hope in a biblical way will ever be overcome by disappointment but will be filled with patience, encouragement, and enthusiasm.
Listen to that carefully again, because I did not say you won’t experience disappointment.
No one who learns to hope in a biblical way will ever be overcome by disappointment
but will be filled with patience, encouragement, and enthusiasm.
Hebrews 6:13-20 talks about the certainty of God’s promise.
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Hope is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” in the midst of struggles, because it is based on God’s unchanging purpose: to accomplish our salvation through Christ.
Remember at Jesus death on the cross, the curtain that separated the most holy part of the temple from the outside world was torn.
Hope gives us access, through prayer and worship, to the very presence of God in heaven (4:14–16; 10:20–22),
The write of Hebrews makes this more clear for us in 9:11-28.
he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
This is why the resurrection is so important.
This is the hope we have in Christ.
III. The Resurrection as the Source of Hope
The resurrection is the source of our hope.
Paul wrote in 1 Cor 15
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Jesus resurrection is foundational to our faith.
It is foundational to the hope that we have.
The resurrection is God’s amen to Jesus It is finished.
If Christ is not raised, death has not been conquered.
We have no hope.
This is not baseless hope either.
Earlier in the chapter, Paul speaks of evidence of Jesus resurrection.
Vs 5-6.
English Standard Version Chapter 15
he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive
Paul is writing in 55 or 56, roughtly twenty-two or twenty-three years after the resurrection (33).
Most of these eye witnesses were still alive.
And Paul challenges his reader to check out what he is saying with this multitude of witness who saw and probably heard Christ after his resurrection.
Trying to say the resurrection didn’t happen is going against a significant amount of evidence.
It is like trying to say the earth is flat or the holocaust didn’t happen.
The facts are that Jesus of Nazareth really died and actually came back from the dead in the same physical body.
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics New Testament, Historicity Of
Contrary to critics, there is more evidence for the historicity of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ than for any other event from the ancient world
We need not doubt the resurrection but can lean into the fact and truth of it as a source of hope!
It is through the resurrection that we are born again to a living hope as Peter tells us.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
IV. Components of Hope in Christ
The process by which God works in us is truly amazing!
Some of the most memorable, inspirational stories that we think of are rags to riches stories.
You may know the actor Keanu Reeves. (Matrix, Bill & Ted).
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1964 to an English mother and American father, Reeves experienced a tumultuous childhood marked by family instability and frequent moves. Despite these challenges, he discovered a passion for acting at a young age and pursued a career in the entertainment industry.
Despite achieving immense success and fame in Hollywood, Reeves has maintained a reputation for humility, kindness, and generosity. He is known for his down-to-earth demeanor, approachability, and willingness to engage with fans and colleagues alike.
Reeves is also known for his philanthropic efforts and commitment to giving back to others. He has quietly donated millions of dollars to various charitable organizations over the years, including children's hospitals, cancer research initiatives, and organizations supporting the arts and education.
Keanu Reeves' humility, generosity, and commitment to making a positive impact on the world serve as an inspiring example to others, demonstrating that true wealth and success are not measured solely by financial prosperity, but also by one's character, integrity, and compassion for others.
We hear stories like that and think, wow, that is pretty cool.
I want you to know this morning though, that your story, the one that God is writing for you, is better than that.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Believers have a living hope.
To be born is to enter into existence in a new world.
Physical birth brings us into a world that will eventually perish.
We are born into a state of spiritual destitution.
We are born as sinners.
Spiritual birth though is birth into a world where there is hope for the future.
It is Spiritual birth here that Peter is speaking of.
An unchanging hope of new life.
Hope that something will happen greater is to come.
Hope that is as certain as the hope you go to bed with that the sun will rise tomorrow because it has and continues to do so.
Our hope for future life rests on the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead, if God raised Jesus, He will also raise those who trust in Him.
The living hope that Peter is speaking of here is not the fickle hope of desire - I hope my team wins the championship.
The strength of the living hope rests on the reliability of the fact and the promise that God has made.
Living hope is hope that has power and produces changes in life.
This is what "living' means for example in
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
So Christian hope is a strong confidence in God which has power to produce changes in how we live.
It is a hope that is active!
Not something we passively hold on to.
Living hope is also more than a hope for life after death.
It affects how we live our lives today.
Our hard hearts of stone are replaced with hearts of flesh.
Christians are a reborn people, they are spiritually alive, and their hope is alive, it is valid, it will not be disappointed,
and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Our hope is not only grounded in Christ’s past work; it is also sustained in the present.
Our hope is sustained as we look to God’s present faithfulness through the Holy Spirit at work creating new faith where it doesn’t exist and strengthening the faith of those who believe.
Christian, today, you have this God given, living hope inside of you!
Hope that is living, is hope that is growing.
Increasing in strength day by day, year by year.
Living hope is a result of being born again.
Confident expectation of growth into maturity in Christ and life to come.
Older Christians I think often display this hope the best as they approach the end of their lives.
It reminds me of sitting with my grandmother after she had a stroke, she was still able to communicate somewhat and I asked her about how her relationship was with God in her current situation.
As I mentioned Jesus, her eyes began to glimmer and twinkle.
She had an unexplainable hope
Hope of getting to be with the Lord!
Hope of as Peter says in verse 4
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
She had hope in Jesus even in the difficult circumstances around the end of her life.
As hope that was alive.
V. Living in Hope
Arthur W. Pink wrote
However unstable I may be, however fickle my friends may prove, God changes not.
If He varied as we do, if He willed one thing today and another tomorrow, if He were controlled by caprice (sudden mood changes), who could confide in Him?
But, all praise to His glorious name, He is ever the same. His purpose is fixed, His will is stable, His word is sure.
The degree to which we find God desirable and excellent will be the same to which hope plays a role in our lives.
How we view God, directly affects the hope we possess.
The kingdom of God is breaking into our present world through the Holy Spirit as he makes new creations out of people like you and me, bringing us to faith in Christ and enrolling us as citizens of this coming kingdom.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
What is so important about Christian hope?
If our future is not secured and satisfied by God then we are going to be excessively anxious.
This results either in paralyzing fear or in self-managed, greedy control.
We end up thinking about ourselves, our future, our problems and our potential, and that keeps us from loving.
John Pipe writes
hope is the birthplace of Christian self-sacrificing love. That's because we just let God take care of us and aren't preoccupied with having to work to take care of ourselves. We say, "Lord, I just want to be there for other people tomorrow, because you're going to be there for me."
If we don't have the hope that Christ is for us then we will be engaged in self-preservation and self-enhancement. But if we let ourselves be taken care of by God for the future—whether five minutes or five centuries from now—then we can be free to love others. Then God's glory will shine more clearly, because that's how he becomes visible.
As we approach Easter this year, let us remember that hope is not something we create or conjure up inside of us.
Hope is a portion or part of faith.
Faith and hope overlap.
Hope is faith in the future tense.
So most of faith is hope.
The Bible says,
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
This implies that hope, like faith, is also strengthened by the word of God.
Hope comes from reading his precious and very great promises and looking to Christ who purchased them.
We can sum it up like this.
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
That is hope producing!
But it's grounded in the rock-solid statement that "God didn't spare his own son."
So the essence of what we look to in the Bible to build our hope is,
What has Christ done for me in my sinful condition that enables me to know that I will not come in to judgment and condemnation and that all things are working together for my good?
And the answer is that Christ died for me, rose again for me, and therefore all the promises of God are yes in him.
Because of all of this, we can look away from the circumstances that confront us,
look to Christ,
look to the promises, and hold fast to them.
Hope comes from the promises of God rooted in the work of Christ.