Future Hope

March 27, 2022

Randy Hageman

The resurrection of Jesus Christ promises those of us who place our faith in him “a living

” that nothing in this world can take away from us.

[Jesus our Lord] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. —Romans 4:25 (NIV) (emphasis added)

I [Paul] want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection…. —Philippians 3:10 (NIV) (emphasis added)

The

of Christ is a source of salvation, life and power for us today!

What if the resurrection isn’t a suspension of the natural order but the beginning of the

of the order as God always intended it, as He demonstrated in the Garden of Eden before sin entered the picture?

The resurrection means not merely that Christians have a hope for the future but that they have hope that comes from the future. —Tim Keller

Jesus: “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” —Mark 1:15 (ESV)

In Jesus the kingdom of God was here completely, and through the power of his resurrection it began to

into our world, extending beyond Jesus to us!

The kingdom of God is not yet here fully, for even those of us who are Christians continue to have battles with sin, but it has

to become real even in our lives, to give us the power and hope we need to live in challenging times.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. —Ephesians 1:18-21 (NLT)

Christ’s resurrection was the beginning, the firstfruits, the inbreaking of God’s Kingdom on

as it is in heaven.

The LORD is king! He is robed in majesty. Indeed, the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. Your throne, O LORD, has stood from time immemorial. You yourself are from the everlasting past.… Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, O LORD, is holy forever and ever. —Psalms 93:1-2,5 (NLT)

While God reigns, and His “royal laws cannot be changed,” sin

us from living in and experiencing the wonders of His kingdom.

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. He will delight in obeying the LORD.… —Isaiah 11:1-3a (NLT)

… He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. —Isaiah 11:3b-5 (NLT)

The prophet Isaiah gives us a picture of life that no human had

since Adam and Eve.

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD. —Isaiah 11:6-9 (NLT)

The prophet Isaiah tells us the day is coming when there will not just be peace among people but all creation itself will be

.

Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. —Romans 8:20-21 (NLT)

Where God is not acknowledged as King, there is darkness and death. —Tim Keller

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!” —Isaiah 40:3-5 (NLT)

The kingdom of God will see the renewal of all creation through God’s supernatural actions, healing all the wounds of humanity and creation due to sin, as God comes to once again live

His people, as He did in the Garden of Eden.

I [John] heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”… —Revelation 21:3-5 (NLT)

Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace. —Daniel 12:2 (NLT)

Jesus did say “the kingdom of God is at hand,” but Jesus pointed to a coming that was not at all the way the Jews

.

Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God had arrived, and it will lead to delivery from sin and death, but he also taught his disciples that the Kingdom had not

come.

Jesus: Pray then like this:… Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. —Matthew 6:9-10 (ESV)

Jesus: …The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches. —Matthew 13:31-32 (NLT)

Jesus pointed to a kingdom

here and in their midst, and yet it had not fully arrived.

In general, those who believe that the kingdom is only “not yet” will be extremely pessimistic and negative about change in people, the church, and society. Those who believe that the kingdom is already here will be overly optimistic and naïve about the possibility of revival, change, and transformation. —John Stott

The Apostle Paul emphasized what Jesus had said as he spoke of

as the “firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:20) and the “firstborn” (Colossians 1:18) from the dead.

As Paul uses terms like these, he’s saying that Jesus’ resurrection on that first Easter doesn’t just point to our own future resurrection, but it

it!

We are being brought out of a kingdom of darkness into a kingdom of light that frees us from the following:

For [the Father] has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. —Colossians 1:13-14 (NLT)

1.The risen Christ, the King, brings us freedom from the fear of

and

Reveal Answer

.

And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. —1 Corinthians 15:17 (NLT)

• The Father looks at us and sees the treasure of His Son Jesus Christ, and the degree to which you and I live aware of that, to that degree we are
  Reveal Answer
  from any guilt or shame in our pasts.
  

2.The resurrection brings us freedom from the fear of

.

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. —Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)

3.The death and resurrection of Christ frees us from other “spiritual rulers and authorities” that seek to

us today.

He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. —Colossians 2:14-15 (NLT)

The resurrection showed everyone that Jesus had paid our

to divine justice, saving us when we could never save ourselves.

Whatever controls us is really our god.… The one who seeks power is controlled by power. The one who seeks acceptance is controlled by the people he or she wants to please. We do not control ourselves. We are controlled by the lord of our life. —Rebecca Pippert

When we repent and are born again, we are “transferred… into the kingdom of [the Father’s] dear Son” and the

he offers us.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. —Romans 8:1 (ESV)

Next Week: Glorious Hope