The Hope of the Resurrection

- I know that Pastor Jay has been speaking about the soon return of Jesus in general and more specifically that he has been talking about the blessed hope as it is referred to by Paul in his letter to Titus

Hope is one of those topics that is so important and yet it is also one of the things that appears to be in short supply these days

Just over two years ago I left my church and went back to school to do a Masters in Counselling Psychology but I can honestly say that more than two decades of Pastoring did not prepare me for the epidemic of mental health problems our nation is facing

The uncertainty and anxiety, the sceptisism and pessimism, the despair and depression

I know that you know what I’m talking about because some of you have been facing it as well

Would it surprise you to know that lots of Christians do?

There is help however, but just before I get into that let me state emphatically that if you are facing an issue, please talk to a professional

Don’t believe the lies of the enemy who would have you keep quiet and suffer alone after all his only aim is to steal, kill, and destroy

This morning I want us to consider hope, hope that has been made possible because of the resurrection of Jesus, hope that Peter referred to as living hope

1 Peter 1:3 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

But it wasn’t always this way for Peter, in fact Peter went through terrible dispair and a range of emotions that few of us could comrehend

Take a journey back some 2000 years with me for a moment and I’ll show you what I mean

It’s what we now refer to as Palm Sunday and Peter is swollen with pride and joy as he walks alongside his master who is riding a donkey into Jerusalem as huge crowds cheer and cry out “Hosanna to the Son of David”

He must have felt on top of the world like nothing and nobody could stop their little group now

These feelings are only reinforced over the next few days as the Rabbi challenges the corrupt leaders of the established religion

Something new was afoot and the air was filled with excitment for Peter because he was right in the middle of it

Then the confusion of the passover supper, Jesus…the Messiah!…was washing feet and talking all sorts of nonsense about being betrayed and dying after all had left His side

Who can blame Peter for jumping up and protesting and declaring his allegence once again by stating that Jesus must not die and that he alone, if necessary, would protect Jesus to the end

The sting of the master’s correction and the unmitigated gall to suggest that Peter would deny Him three times

They headed towards the garden to pray and Peter likely felt some relief of the familiarity of it all while he still pondered the charges made about him

Then it happened, the torches, the soldiers, the noise and the confusion, a kiss from a trusted friend and all chaos ensues

Fear, anxiety, adrenaline as Peter grabs a sword and strikes out at the closest person to him and cuts of someone’s ear (make no mistake he was trying to take off their head)

The trial brought even more confusion and fear, after all this was not what was supposed to happen, Jesus was the one, the one who would usher in the new kingdom

Then came the crucifixion where they felt each blow of the soldiers hammer and as the cross was dropped into its hole all their hopes, ambitions, and dreams dropped with it

Peter had even done the unimaginable and, just like Jesus had predicted, he had denied ever having met this man who had given him meaning and purpose

Hiding for fear that they would be next Saturday was a mix of uncertainty, frustration, outrage, desparation, and more as this group tried to make sense of what this week had brought

But the roller coaster still had one more stomach churning twist when, after falling asleep due to sheer exhaustion, their sleep is shattered by the panicked voice of Mary bursting into the hideout

John 20:1–6 NIV

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,

VIDEO

Peter so overcome with grief and emotion that this strict Jewish man ignored the law of Moses and ran into the tomb only to find the empty burial shroud and that is when everything began to come together and make sense and that is the moment Peter had in mind when he wrote the opening of his first epistle that we read earlier

1 Peter 1:3 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

This morning let me give you three ways this living hope can touch your life and change you, just like it did Peter, if you will let

First let’s make sure we are all on the same page with what hope means

The dictionary defines hope as wanting something to happen but the word that Peter used is the Greek word “elpida” and what it means is an expectation of what is sure

Because of the resurrection of Jesus there are three things we can be sure of with an expectation of their impact on us and that is our past, our present, and our future

First your past stained with sin and shame is atoned for and forgiveness is yours because of the resurrection of Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:12–17 NIV

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

I can not begin to tell you how many Christians I work with who are held captive by their past, by the things they did or said or that were done and said to them

The guilt and the shame they carry that is not their burden because Christ lifted that when He rose from the dead

I want to give you one of the most important passages in the book, highlight it, circle it, dogear the page (if you still use a paper version), do whatever it takes to make it stand out

Romans 8:1 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

Not some condemnation, not a little bit of condemnation, the Word says “NO CONDEMNATION”

But you don’t know MY story.

No I don’t but He does and it doesn’t have to hold you captive because He wants to take it from you

What is it about your past that you are holding onto, what is it from your past that is holding onto you?

Release it, Release it to Jesus and participate in the living hope provided by His resurrection

Next is the present

How many of you are tired of hearing things like “unprecedented times” or “ getting used to the new normal”?

How many are tired of the pandemic and the uncertainty and anxiety it brings into already overwhelmed lives

How many remember the “Promise Boxes” that were so popular in the 80’s?

You know one promise of Jesus I never found in those boxes is found in John 16:33 where Jesus promises His followers, “In this world you will have trouble”

I wish it weren’t true but it is

In fact Jesus also told us not to get hung up worrying about tomorrow because each day already has enough trouble without adding more (Matthew 6:34)

But here’s the good news

Romans 8:31–39 NIV

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The hope that has been robbed from you because of the everyday problems and troubles you face has been restored through the resurrection of Jesus because He has ascended to the Father and sits right next to Him interceding for you, intervening on your behalf

That is why none of these listed by Paul can separate us from His love

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting He will make life easy for you, but when it does get tough

Hebrews 4:15–16 NIV

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

This is the kind of cofidence, the kind of hope that is ours in facing the uncertainty of life

The hymnwriter wrote “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness” What is your hope built on?

Lastly this morning is the future because as Paul told the Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15:19 NIV

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

And the prophet Jeremiah speaking the promises of God said that it is God’s plan to give us, among other things, “Hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11)

This is what Pastor Jay has been preaching on and, while I could probably do a better job, I won’t embarass him that way :-)

but let me remind you of a passage that he shared found in

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 NIV

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Therefore encourage one another with the hope that these words bring, the “zosan elpida” the Living Hope that because He was raised we too shall be made just like Him and have all eternity with Him, with each other, and with our motorcycles

Ok I don’t have chapter and verse for that last one but you cannot take away my hope.

So before we sing the final song would you allow me to present you with one more scripture?

It’s a benediction, a way for me to proclaim blessing over you as you prepare to head out and it comes from Romans 15.

Romans 15:12–13 NIV

And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.