Tuesday: Resurrection Hope
The Christian hope in the second coming of Jesus is not just about looking forward to a bright future. For the early Christians, the bodily resurrection of Jesus gave the promise of His return a solid reality. If He could come back from the dead—which they had witnessed for themselves—He would surely come back to complete the project of removing sin and its effects and renewing the world (see 1 Cor. 15:22-23).
Resurrection
For the apostle Paul, the resurrection was the key element of the Advent hope. He was prepared to stake the credibility of everything he preached on this crowning miracle in the story of Jesus: “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile” (1 Cor. 15:17, NIV). Think about his words here and how important the resurrection of Christ is to all that we hope for.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. How would you explain to an interested nonbeliever why the truth of the resurrection is so pivotal to Christian hope?
Witnessing the resurrected Jesus transformed the first disciples. As we have seen, Jesus had previously sent them out to announce and enact the kingdom of God (see Matt. 10:5-8), but Jesus’ death shattered their courage and smashed their hopes. Their later commission (see Matt. 28:18-20), given by the resurrected Jesus and powered by the coming of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:1-4), set them on the path of changing the world and living out the kingdom that Jesus had established.
Freed from the power and fear of death, the early believers lived and shared courageously in the name of Jesus (see, for example, 1 Cor. 15:30-31). The evil that brings death is the same evil that brings suffering, injustice, poverty, and oppression in all their forms. Yet, because of Jesus and His victory over death, all of this will one day end. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26, NIV).
| In the end, no matter whom we help now, they will all eventually die anyway. What does this harsh truth teach us about how important it is to let others know of the hope they can find in the death and resurrection of Jesus? |
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I have to admit that living in a secular scientifically-minded world, any talk of the resurrection is regarded as an anachronistic belief. If you cannot measure or experience it is does not exist. Among Christians the idea of the resurrection is central and while we may different ideas about it, the key element of Christ overcoming death so that we can live is something we treasure deeply.
The overarching problem we have then is convincing non-believers that there is something in this story of resurrection. The resurrection is not something we can prove be scientific measurement. We cannot do a confirming experiment. And the words we use to describe the resurrection are not even in the vocabulary of most people these days.
I think we need to understand that there is a deep spiritual message in the story of the resurrection. I am not trying to discount the physical event by any means, merely developing a line of thought that may help us communicate the idea better. In a spiritual sense, Jesus is only living still if he is living in us. We have a whole lot of phrases used to describe that spiritual resurrection. "Christ in me", Not I but Christ", "Living in Jesus" and so on; all of which talk about a relationship with Jesus as a real person. It is when we express that "Christ living in me" principle that we speak most eloquently about the risen Christ. And, if we are not expressing that principle in our living but claiming that Jesus has been resurrected then we are living a lie.
One of the reasons that Christianity is regarded as irrelevant today is that the Christian name has been associated with self-interest for centuries. Christianity can only claim that Jesus is alive if they live like Jesus now. If we want to be listened to, live like Jesus.
I initially thought the lesson authors were scratching for ideas to fill out the quarter, and did not see the relevance of this topic to the theme for this quarter, The Least of These, but I think there is a link. We can talk about the resurrection if we care for "the least of these" because that is what the living Jesus did.
Has anyone lost a loved one? Sure we have.
From the youngest to the oldest of the earth we have all experienced death in the family.
Evolution teaches you have come from nothing and you will become nothing.
However, we have been redeemed and have been given the hope of resurrection in Christ.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living, just because He lives
When I lost my father this year, these are the words which comfort me knowing that this separation is not forever.
His labor has come to an end. He is resting and at the call of the trumpet, he will be raised again.
This promise is affirmed by the resurrection of Christ.
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal and forgive
He lived and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove my savior lives
I am sorry for your loss, Newbegin. A loving, godly father is a precious treasure and when we are separated from him by death, the pain is intense. I am praying Jesus will constantly send you fresh supplies of His Holy Spirit to comfort you in every way. Looking forward to that glorious reunion day when we will see our loved ones again and never say goodbye.
I lost my father the beginning of October 2014. It still hurts to this very day.
"Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish a desire with anticipation.""
To have hope is to be positive about the future!
“We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience(and yes confidence).”
Romans 8:24-25
We put our trust in the Lord, which is where we find our best confidence. Wow, He keeps our feet from being snared. Proverbs 3:26.
The resurrection gives hope beyond this life. So, that helps me to understand that my future treasure through Christ is bigger than my bank account or life achievements (1 Cor 15:35–49).
And affirms to me that I am safe in the arms of Jesus
The resurrection of Christ is a testimony that death is not the end