Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 1 Cor. 15. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Easter is a time of great hopefulness – just as Springtime renews hope and joy among people. With the coming of Spring we begin to anticipate a new flourishing of living things – flowers, trees, shrubs, gardens, and new births among the animals. So also Easter, the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, continues to defy death – He is the firstfruits – there is much more to come.
- However, we tend to quickly forget about Easter, and the celebration of the coming of Spring gives way to the hard labor, sweat, and toil of the Summer months. Our hopes transfer from Christ to the things of this world. For unbelievers, there is no other hope. For believers, we can easily become distracted from our principle hope, and think only of “hopes” we have for this life.
- If that is the case, we have made a very poor choice – for all “earthly” hopes are ultimately “dashed” and disappear, if not in the evils that often prevail in this fallen world of sin, then in aging and death. God’s Word urges us to understand these things, that:
I. If Our Hope In Christ Is For This Life Only We Are Of All People Most To Be Pitied
A. This World Continues To Be Predominated By Sin, Wickedness, And Inequalities
1. We are often on the wrong end of the inequalities, as Jesus Himself taught – “the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” Luke 16:8
2. And when we are on the more profitable side of the inequalities, we have only allowed our selfishness and wicked ambition to prevail
B. Further, Life In This World Is Short, Temporary, And Ends Badly In Aging And Death – So We Need God’s Gracious Mercy And Forgiveness, And His Promise And Provision Of Continued Life In His Eternal Heavenly Kingdom
Heb. 9:27 “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
Statement: This is not to say that it is not a huge blessing to have hope in Christ in this life – goodness, the comfort of His gracious mercy, forgiveness, and ongoing blessing in our lives is a huge benefit to earthly living. However, one of these blessings is the understanding that as we live to God in this world through faith in Jesus Christ, we will also live forever with Him after our death.
Application: Still, we have to keep things in balance – neither neglecting His blessings in this life, nor making the things of this life our only hope, or our principle hope. For our text makes clear that:
II. Our Hope In Christ Is For Eternal Life
A. We Hope For Our Own Resurrection In Glory, On The Last Day
Text: “But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ.”
B. We Hope For The End Of All Our Enemies – Sin, Temptations, Aging, Death, And All Of God’s Enemies, Wicked Unbelievers
Text: “Then comes the end when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
Statement: I’m certain that our “hope” is often too small – that we simply can’t imagine the blessedness that is to come when Christ makes all things new. This makes the temptation to “hope for this life only” much stronger. But when we “hope for this life only,” everything gets skewed and distorted – to the point where we may lose faith and hope for the eternal future altogether! This would make us “of all people, most to be pitied.” Lord, preserve us!
Application: So let us take care to keep our main hope in Christ – for the wondrous blessings promised in the life to come, our resurrection, the renewal of all things in blessedness and holiness, the wonders of His new heavens and earth! For:
III. Having The Right Hope Also Strengthens Us In All Of This Earthly Life – As We Wait Patiently For Him To Put All Things Under His Feet
Text: “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”
Statement: Let us not forget that He is reigning even now – nothing is beyond His power and control! Let us not forget that all of God’s enemies will be destroyed – a wondrous new world is coming, the home of perfect holiness and righteousness.
Application: Knowledge of this reality, firm faith in this reality, and making this our central “hope,” enables us to focus and devote our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. This blesses everything about our earthly life, and certainly brings great blessings to those around us. This makes our lives rich in storing up heavenly treasures for ourselves, and Scripture assures us that “blessed are the dead who die in the Lord . . . that they may rest from the labors . . . and their works do follow them.” [Rev. 14:13]
Conclusion: So the choice is before us – “hope for this life only,” which is most pitiful; OR “HOPE BEYOND THIS LIFE” which is God’s will for us, and is filled with a richness of being that is truly wondrous. Easter is about the latter, “HOPE BEYOND THIS LIFE.” Christian faith is about the latter, the hope that Christ has given us for everlasting life in His blessed kingdom. The better choice and hope is obvious – God grant it to us all! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.