“The Hope of the Resurrection!”

2 Corinthians 4:7 CSB

7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.

God has placed “this treasure” [the Gospel] in “clay jars” (indicating our fragile nature).

WHY? – “…so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.”

What makes us so indestructible (spiritually)?

What enables us to be “…afflicted in every way…perplexed…persecuted…struck down…always being over to death for Jesus’ sake,” and yet still walk in VICTORY?

You and I are ARMED TO THE TEETH SPIRITUALLY!

Yet they can still stomp us to the ground physically! The world can and does kill believers because of their faith in Jesus Christ!

And Jesus told us this would be the case:

John 16:1–4 CSB

1 “I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 They will do these things because they haven’t known the Father or me. 4 But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you will remember I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

Acts 7:54–60 CSB

54 When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. 58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he fell asleep.

I BELIEVE IT IS FAITH IN THE RESURRECTION—faith, belief, or trust that this life is NOT the end…THERE IS NEW LIFE AWAITING US!

PAUL and his companions believed in it as well:

2 Corinthians 4:13 CSB

13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak.

What exactly did Paul believe?

Psalm 116:9–10 CSB

9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed, even when I said, “I am severely oppressed.”

Job 19:25–27 CSB

25 But I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the dust. 26 Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet I will see God in my flesh. 27 I will see him myself; my eyes will look at him, and not as a stranger. My heart longs within me.

Paul believed in the RESURRECTION!

Romans 8:11 CSB

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.

1 Corinthians 6:14 CSB

14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

Colossians 1:22 CSB

22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him—

1 Thessalonians 4:14 CSB

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

Let’s look at OUR PASSAGE this morning:

2 Corinthians 4:13–18 CSB

13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. 14 For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. 15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

FROM OUR PASSAGE this morning we LEARN SEVERAL things that come from our hope in the Resurrection:

1. The Hope of the Resurrection Results in CONTINUED PROCLAMATION! – (4:13b)

In spite of opposition, and because we still believe, we will continue to speak!

1 John 1:1–3 CSB

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:12–15 CSB

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised.

1 Corinthians 15:20 CSB

20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

2. The Hope of the Resurrection is BASED on the RESURRECTION OF CHRIST! – (4:14)

1 Thessalonians 4:14 CSB

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

3. The Hope of the Resurrection RESULTS in THANKSGIVING and GLORY TO GOD! – (4:15)

NOTE: “…everything is for your benefit,” EVEN the difficult times!

Romans 8:28 CSB

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

And it’s all by “…grace [that] extends through more and more people!”

Do you realize that your hope in the Resurrection extends God’s grace to more and more people!

4. The Hope of the Resurrection ENCOURAGES US TO CONTINUE! – (4:16)

NOTE: Faith in the resurrection will NOT PREVENT the destruction of this body! (v.16b) – “…our outer person is being destroyed.”

HOWEVER, faith in the resurrection results in “…our inner person is being renewed day by day!”

Philippians 3:7–11 CSB

7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

5. The Hope of the Resurrection ENABLES US TO LIVE WITH AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE – (4:17-18)

Romans 8:18 CSB

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

(v.18) - What is your FOCUS this morning? The things that are seen? The things that are temporary?

IN CLOSING…

Hebrews 12:1–2 CSB

1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.