Just Hope!

In this year of Just Mercy we can also reflect on Just Hope. They is a hope for justice. We are crying for justice in an unjust world. This is Resurrection Sunday. Yes Easter as the children would refer to it. Its a time for us to understand that the God we serve gave us hope on Resurrection Sunday. Its this hope that we can tap into in many of our hopeless situations.

I have been hearing about so much death the past weeks leading up to today. We were in lent season. This was a time for us to consecrate ourselves. The Lenten season is a time when many Christians observe a period of fasting, repentance, moderation, self-denial and spiritual discipline. The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ—his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial, and resurrection.

Shortly after the beginning of lent we have been over inundated with the fears of this invisible virus. We have been asked to upend our normal activities. We been asked to shelter in place. We been asked not to go to work unless you are an essential employee such as Health Care worker, Police Officer, Fireman, Super Market Worker, Transportation Employee, Cook County Sheriff . This list can broadened. As of this morning we are well over half million affected 19, 000 dead and 29,000 recovered. We are not sure how many more will perish or survive. In Illinois we close to 18,000 confirmed cases with close to 600 deaths.

This crisis has taught us something that we better put our hope in Jesus! We are facing some dark times. Perilous times, troubling times. The only one that will bring us out of this is Jesus. We need to be shouting that the Lord got up on the third day. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

1 Corinthians remind us that our only hope is Jesus. Its on a day like today we need Just Hope. I shared those statistics but did not mention that its African Americans who are suffering the greatest from COVID-19. Our current state of morbidity has put us at greatest risk. Its no secret we already suffer from the highest rates of cancers, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, immune deficiencies. So when COVID let lose than we were most vulnerable. Malcolm X said when the world gets a cold we get pneumonia! Let me add t that when the world gets Corona we die!

The sad thing is it seems like we preaching to the wall. In Chicago in the mist of a pandemic we still have folks shooting one another. Still have folks ignoring all safety measures. We still have folks being foolish with their lives. We need Just Hope!

So how do we grab a hold of this Just Hope.

Well I am glad you asked! First of all we need to REFOCUS

Refocusing requires to look back at to what we learned in the past. Paul does an interesting thing. He opens up Chapter 15 with theses words. Now I would remind you! Five words that should cause us to think. Here he is reminding them that the Gospel was preached to you. I am not sure who I am talking to but you need a refocus on God word. A reminded of what the Gospel is. Its often a challenge when you must remind someone of that they already know. In hopeless situation we already know who will bring us out. During our darkest times we are reminded that weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. We are reminded that Jesus said I will be with Always even to the end of the world. This refocus will cause us not to panic. It will cause us to seek the Lord more earnestly. How many can admit that your prayer life has been strengthen during COVID. See that Hymn I will trust in the Lord means something right now. Proverbs chapter 3 reminds us

3  Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4  So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man.

5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths. 7  Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 8  It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Pr 3:3–8). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. We need a refocus on the Lord. The refocus will help you understand How Great the Lord is. Paul argument is that you need to know The Lord has done the miraculous. Yes I know he opened blinded eyes, caused the lame to walk, the death to hear, the dumb to talk. Yes he fed the 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, yeas he walked on water, calmed the seas and ceased the wind. He even restored life to the dead. This was all great! Yet the feat of all feats is that he died on a Friday and on the 3rd day he was raised from the dead. Now get this raised according to the Scriptures. Yes verse 4 said according to the scriptures. He was seen of men who would be credible witnesses of his resurrection. It is one thing to say he got up. Its another thing to have witnesses that can testify I saw him after he got up. I like John testimony in 1 John Chapter 1 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (1 Jn 1:1–4). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. When we refocus on the the Word we get peace and joy. Blesses Assurance Jesus is mine oh what a foretaste of Glory Divine.

Not only Refocused we need to Reflective

Paul reminds us that it is But by the Grace of God we are who we are. God did not save you for nothing. When we look at verses 8-10 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Co 15:8–10). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. Our reflection will cause us to admit we were something to deal with. Some of us were a hot mess! We even were persecutors of the church. Yes we were. Yet while we were yet sinners Christ dies for us. We need to be Reflective of how far God has brought us and where he brought us from. I am not talking to the super saint s who were saved all their lives. I am talking to some folks who really got a testimony. So much so they sometimes question why did God save me? Paul said But by the Grace of God I am what I am. Only God can take Pimps and make them Preachers, Whore-mongers and make them Worshipers, Liers and make them leaders, the dastardly and make them deacons and tricksters and make the Trustees Faithless and make the faithful, or even persecutors and make the Praisers. Yes it is the Grace of God that I am what I am. Now I can say this I may not be all i want to be but thank God I am not what i use to be. Grace! Grace! Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but know I am found Blind but now I see! Grace! I am reflective of God Grace in my life. Steering me guiding me! Giving me words to say! Grace!

That’s why I work so hard because I am the least of those who should be saved. I get early to fight the good fight because I know I have a debt of gratitude. If it had not been for the Lord who was on my side oh where would i be!

Finally we not only need to Refocus, and Be Reflective we need to Resurrect!

Paul makes a strong argument here. Without the resurrection of Jesus we have nothing. If Christ me not raised then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. If that is then we have been misrepresenting God. Our testimony holds true God did raised Christ from the dead!

With the truth that God raised Christ from the dead put us in a great situation.

First of our Faith is real. We don’t have worry about the current state of affairs. We can trust God! If he can raise Christ he can raise us. Not just in the resurrection. We have some earthly situations that have taken the life out of us. Don’t be so quick to judge but there are some situations out there and they have become heavy. Life threatening. Life consuming. Life absorbing. But if we can just trust the one who knows all, cares about us all and can never fail. Then we have some Just HOPE. We have some lively hope. We can resurrect out of our lives of despair, our lives of chaos, or lives of joylessness. What ever it is it cant be greater than death. Look Verse 27 said For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him! (1 Co 15:27). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

There is no Virus, No disease, No Mental health Issue, No addiction, No Enemy, No Weapon, No Demonic Force, No Person, No Naysayer, No deceiver. God is in Control and he is ready to resurrect. Even Jesus was subject to God That’s why its God who raised Christ from the Dead.

Yeah we have JUST HOPE TODAY. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55  “O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Co 15:50–58). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.