Dr. Craig Mobey
I am sure that you can agree that the world in which you live, is not the same as the world you grew up in. When I think back to my youth, property fences were lower, if any at all. We had grey payphones on the sidewalks. Postboxes were red and too were on the sidewalk. Milk was delivered to your doorstep in a glass bottle. The police patrolled on foot. There were ice cream vans. Life was simpler.
And somehow, in those days of my youth – my good old days – my parents spoke of their good old days, meaning their youth and that things were better back then. Things are not like that anymore. This is the reality of living in a fallen world. And in our struggles, it is increasingly more difficult to focus on the right things.
Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-22 (NiRV)
12 We have preached that Christ has been raised from the dead. So how can some of you say that no one rises from the dead?
13 If no one rises from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, what we preach doesn’t mean anything. Your faith doesn’t mean anything either.
15 More than that, we would be lying about God. We have given witness that God raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if the dead are not raised.
16 If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith doesn’t mean anything. Your sins have not been forgiven.
18 Those who have died believing in Christ are also lost.
19 Do we have hope in Christ only for this life? Then people should pity us more than anyone else.
20 But Christ really has been raised from the dead. He is the first of all those who will rise.
21 Death came because of what a man did. Rising from the dead also comes because of what a man did.
22 Because of Adam, all people die. So because of Christ, all will be made alive.
Focus: Verse 19, Do we have hope in Christ only for this life? Then people should pity us more than anyone else.
Introduction
Prices have gone up, values and morals have seemingly deteriorated, technology has advanced (not always for the better, in my opinion), safety and security are not what they once were, and more. We are surrounded by misery, sickness, greed, war, disagreements, false prophets, deception, corruption, and sin. I can only wonder how and when it will all end.
We cannot paint an idealistic picture of this fallen world, which will one day, come to an end.
This morning’s Scripture paints a picture of hope and assurance. It centres hard on the reality of a resurrected Christ and what this means for our faith and future hope.
Paul writes, “Do we have hope in Christ only for this life? Then people should pity us more than anyone else.” Two distinct periods are referred to, this life and the one beyond. In other words, there is a bigger picture unfolding than merely our time here on earth.
Body
If all that you are expecting from Jesus is limited to this world, then as Scripture states, “people should pity us more than anyone else.” As the King James Translation puts it, “we are of all men most miserable.” If all that you are expecting from Jesus is limited to this world, then you have every reason to be miserable.
We must understand a few things:
- A Christian’s hope is not in any man, woman, angel, money, possessions, laws, privileges, or qualifications. In other words, not in him/herself or anything they can do, achieve, or say, which is temporary.
- A Christian’s hope is in Jesus as security, salvation, redemption, protection, forgiveness, grace, love, mercy, and future glory. In other words, in everything He has done and will still do, which is permanent.
- If our hope in Jesus was in this life in this fallen world only, then we have no hope in death and the things that will follow the grave.
As a people, it is possible that life may be characterized by dissatisfaction. There is always something that needs to change and something that needs improving. We don’t like hardships and difficulties; we hope that things will improve, and we work toward that. It’s almost as if we have an optimistic outlook for a fallen world.
It seems to me that too many Christians are preoccupied with what happens in this life while setting aside the reality of this life’s fixed amount of time. It’s almost as if their concept of Christianity is getting something from God in this world only. In which case, they will be miserable.
The apostles on the other hand did not have an easy life. They were continually exposed to hardship and persecution for their faith in and work for Jesus. Their circumstances might have been miserable, but they were not.
It leads me to a theory that for some Christians there might be a blurred boundary between present feelings and difficulties and future hope.
We must remember that there is coming that point for each one of us where time ends, and eternity begins. Hebrews 13:14 reads, “Here we do not have a city that lasts. But we are looking for the city that is going to come.” In other words, we are passing through this world on our way to the next: eternity.
Reflection
Where is your “permanent line” – is it in this world or eternity?
If you can only see the things of your time on this planet, you will be an unhappy person. You will be a frustrated person. You will be a hurting person. You will be a complaining person because things are not always going the way you want them to. You may even be a bitter person. You might wonder why God is not answering your prayers.
What if you have the wrong perspective?
Are you looking at today through the lens of eternity? Or looking at eternity through the lens of today? Or looking at both through the lens of Scripture? Your primary lens is how you see reality, this world ,and the things to come.
Reality check
“One In Seven Christian Minorities Under Threat In 2022” reports Forbes[1] who continues, “According to the research, the persecution of Christians has reached the highest levels since the World Watch List began nearly 30 years ago. ‘Across 76 countries, more than 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith – an increase of 20 million since last year.’”
Yet the message of the gospel still goes forth. Despite. We can reflect on where and in whom their hope is and what matters.
Conclusion
Yes, the good old days were there, but so are the good days of today and of tomorrow. Sometimes we try and face tomorrow, from today’s circumstances and challenges, and focus on the 20, 30 or 50 years that we expect to have left this side of the grave. We are frustrated now, we are angry now, we are disappointed now, we are depressed now, we are hurting now, and we worry about the days after tomorrow, even though the Lord has not given any of them to us yet.
Yet, the days after tomorrow are important: not only must we sensibly plan ahead while we are on this side of the grave, but we have to keep sight of matters eternal and that we hope in Christ for this life, and the one to come.
We cannot live in reverse; we need to life facing forward. Take the good of the past and use it as a reminder of Gods goodness during today’s struggle. Then focus with everlasting hope on the future. HOPE also means Hold On, Pain Ends. Amen.
[1] Ochab, E.U. 2022. One In Seven Christian Minorities Under Threat In 2022. Forbes. Accessed 6 February 2023 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2022/01/20/one-in-seven-christian-minorities-under-threat-in-2022/?sh=5ab7f18b7d2d.