Sunday's Message - Living with Hope

Easter is the most important day in the year, because we celebrate the most important event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. During this sermon series, we’ll consider five ways the resurrection can impact our lives. They include the following:

• Living with Hope - April 27
• Living with Clarity - May 4
• Living with Purpose - May 11
• Living with Understanding - May 25
• Living with Courage - June 1

On Sunday, April 27, we focused on how we can live with hope, because the resurrection assures us that death is not the end but a passage to a new life in God’s presence, offering comfort and hope in times of suffering, pain, or loss.  Below is the podcast and text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Now, I think we can all agree that Easter 2025 is over. And if you have any doubt, just take a trip to Walmart. When I was there on Thursday, it was actually kind of sad seeing all the Easter stuff marked down 50%. I mean, if that’s not a bunny bummer (something that’s very hard to say fast three times), I don’t know what is. And you know, what may make it even worse is knowing that all the stuff that isn’t sold in the next week will probably be shoved into the boxes for next year or simply tossed. No, we’re certainly living after Easter.

And I’ll tell you, that’s going to be our theme during five services between now and Pentecost on June 8. You see, we’re going to look at five ways our living can change because of the resurrection. For example, we’ll talk about how the resurrection can clarify our expectations and focus our purpose as well as how it can increase our understanding and courage. And in each of these messages, we’ll use some scripture from the New Testament that’s associated with the resurrection to understand better how we might live now that Easter is in the books.

And this morning we’ll start by looking at hope. You see, we’re going to use what the Apostle Paul wrote in the fifteenth chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians to talk about how and why the resurrection can enable us to feel more hope as we go about our daily living. 

And you know, although it wasn’t intentional, we just went through three days that I think was really all about hope, and I’m talking about the NFL draft. I mean, it really doesn’t matter you cheer for the Eagles or the Titans, I think every football fan is feeling a little more hope today than they did on Wednesday, maybe with the exception of those who follow a team that didn’t draft a quarterback until the sixth round because they’re waiting for a forty-one year-old player who tore his achilles tendon a couple of years ago to make up his mind. But I won’t mention that player’s name. No, outside of those poor folks who could be stuck cheering for Mason Rudolph or Skylar Thompson or Will Howard in September, there’s a lot of hope among NFL fans at the moment.

And I’ve got to tell you, I think that’s great, because hope isn’t exactly flowing through our world right now. In fact, it’s not all that challenging to see plenty of reasons to feel a little bit pessimistic now-a-days. Good night nurse, just look around; things just don’t seem to be getting better, and when you add in all the personal stuff that sort of knocks us around, and I’m talking about things like health concerns and financial concerns and maybe most important of all, quarterback concerns, well, there’s little wonder that hope sure seems to be in short supply.

But here’s some good news, thanks to that first Easter, I don’t think that needs to be the case, at least not for us. And I’ll tell you, that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. I mean, as I said, during this message, we’re going to look at the fifteenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and we’re going to explore three reasons why I think the resurrection of Jesus Christ can enable us to live with hope right here and right now.

For example, first, I believe that hope is possible when we decide to trust that death has been defeated. And I’ll tell you why. When we believe that the power of death has been broken and its sting removed, we can now move into the future with confidence because the past is no longer that dark shadow hanging over our lives. And I’ll tell you, I think that was the Apostle Paul’s point when he wrote this to the Corinthians:

If we preach that Christ was raised from death, how can some of you say the dead will not be raised to life? If they won’t be raised to life, Christ himself wasn’t raised to life. And if Christ wasn’t raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. If the dead won’t be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying he raised Christ to life, when he really did not.

So if the dead won’t be raised to life, Christ wasn’t raised to life. Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins. And those people who died after putting their faith in him are completely lost. If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.

But Christ has been raised to life!  [1 Corinthians 15:12-20a, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul said, and just think about what it means. You see, without the resurrection, death is guaranteed to win in the end. Just like taxes, it’s something that can’t be avoided or ignored. In a sense, I think you could say that death is undefeated. And let’s get real, if this life is all we’ve got, with no hope beyond this mortal toil, what did Paul write, “we are worse off than anyone else.” [1 Corinthians 15:19b, CEV] No wonder he will write a little bit later, “If the dead are not raised to life, ‘Let’s eat and drink. Tomorrow we die.’” [1 Corinthians 15:32b, CEV] But listen to me, with the resurrection, man, that’s no longer true, is it? Death isn’t in control, and it sure doesn’t have the last word. As he wrote, “But Christ has been raised to life!” [1 Corinthians 15:12-20a, CEV] And because of that, again using Paul’s summary of a quote from Isaiah, “Death has lost the battle! Where is its victory? Where is its sting?” [1 Corinthians 15:54b-55, CEV] You see, because Jesus was raised, time has expired. The horn has sounded. And death lost.

And I’ll tell you, just knowing that can give us hope. I mean, not only does the resurrection remind us that life after death is possible, but we can also believe that when Christ died, so did we. And when Christ was raised, in a sense we were too, giving us the opportunity to live, and I mean, really live right here and now. You see, because of the resurrection, the mistakes of the past don’t have to distort the lives we live in the present. Why? Because some of our weaknesses and limitations that we normally carry around, man, they were nailed to the cross and wiped away by the empty tomb. In fact, it’s like what Paul said to the Romans when he wrote, 

As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God. [Romans 6:8-11, CEV]

I’m telling you, I believe that we can live with hope when we trust that death has been defeated. And that’s the first thing we can find in the resurrection. But that’s not all.

You see, second, I think that we can also live with hope when we decide to trust that we’ll be raised too. And you know, I think that’s exactly what Paul was getting at as he continued to explain the resurrection to the Corinthians. Just listen to what he wrote:

But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns. Then after Christ has destroyed all powers and forces, the end will come, and he will give the kingdom to God the Father.  [1 Corinthians 15:20-24, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote, and I’ll tell you, in my book, this is really exciting. You see, the resurrection of Jesus started a process. He was the first fruits of a coming harvest meaning that the rest will be brought in later. In other words, because Jesus was raised from death to new life, so will we. And let me be clear, this possibility of new life isn’t grounded in a whole bunch of theology. It’s not based on some metaphysical reality. And it certainly doesn’t involve a mess of wishful thinking. No sir, our hope for the future is as concrete as an empty tomb and as real as Mary Magdalene hearing her risen Lord say her name. Why? Because just like his grave was empty, we can believe that one day ours will be too.

And you know, when we decide to believe this, all of a sudden our entire view of the future changes. I mean, let’s face it, death is the ultimate unknown, because it’s nothing we can experience while we’re still alive. But you know, since Jesus was raised as the first fruits and since he was raised at a certain time and place and since he was raised into a reality that we can understand, now we have a good reason to trust that not only will God do this for us, he’s also going to do it for those who’ve gone ahead, for mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters that we’re going to see all of them again when the harvest comes in. And you know, maybe that’s what Peter was getting at when he wrote this in his first letter:

Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on. God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear.

You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. [1 Peter 1:3-5, CEV]

I’m telling you, I believe that we can live with hope when we decide to trust that just as Christ was raised to new life, so will we. And that’s the second thing we can find in the resurrection. But again that’s not all.

Because, third, we can live with hope because we can decide to trust that our future will be glorious, glorious because it’s grounded in God himself and glorious because we’ll have the chance to share it with everybody we’ve loved. I mean, just listen to how Paul described this resurrected future as he continued his explanation to the Corinthians:

Christ will rule until he puts all his enemies under his power, and the last enemy he destroys will be death. When the Scriptures say he will put everything under his power, they don’t include God. It was God who put everything under the power of Christ. After everything is under the power of God’s Son, he will put himself under the power of God, who put everything under his Son’s power. Then God will mean everything to everyone. [1 Corinthians 15:25-28, CEV]

My gosh, “Then God will mean everything to everyone;” [1 Corinthians 15:28b, CEV] now, that’s what Paul said. And I’ll tell you, it sounds a lot like what he wrote to the Philippians when we said that, after death has been defeated and after we’ve been raised as Christ was raised, the time would come when “...at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord!’” [Philippians 2:10-11, CEV] I’m telling you, that’s not just what’s going to happen to us. It represents the ultimate destiny of all creation.

And you know, when times get tough, this is a vision we need to claim. I mean, even though things may be happening that we neither understand nor like, this isn’t the way things end. And even though we may face more than our share of problems and pain along the way, this is not our ultimate destiny. And even though we may be struggling with death itself, believe the good news, this is not how our story ends. You see, because of the resurrection, life isn’t just a repetitive and almost meaningless series of highs and lows, gains and losses, success and failures, birth and death. Instead, it’s a journey with a definite beginning and a definite ending. And as we look to that end, I’m telling you, this is the vision we can claim, one about which that John of Patmos wrote,

I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and so had the sea. Then I saw New Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God in heaven. It was like a bride dressed in her wedding gown and ready to meet her husband.

I heard a loud voice shout from the throne:

God’s home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever. [Revelation 21:1-4, CEV]

I’m telling you, I think that we can live with hope when we decide to trust that the future, our future will be glorious. And that’s the third thing we can find in the resurrection. 

Last evening the NFL draft ended. And since not a single snap will be taken in a real game for four months, I think the fans of nearly every team have good reason to be hopeful. Man, they have some new players which means they have all kinds of new possibilities. Of course, for some, that’s going to change by the middle of October, and they’ll start looking forward to the possibility of getting Arch Manning during the 2026 NFL draft right here in Pittsburgh. That’s just the way it is. Their hope will be gone. But you know, that shouldn’t be the case as we move past our celebration of the resurrection. You see, we can decide to trust that death has been defeated and we can decide to trust that, just like Jesus was raised, we’ll be raised too and we can decide to trust that our future will be glorious. You see, after Easter, we can decide to live with hope.