Dave’s Monday Blast – April 21, 2025
Because Jesus’ resurrection is a historic fact, we can live with Hope! When Jesus came out of the tomb, the door of salvation was opened to all. The late Charles Stanley commented: “I believe hope is one of the most emotionally packed words in any language. When it is spoken, the impossible suddenly becomes possible, where darkness is overtaken by light and despair turns to joy. And that’s exactly what happened when a group of women arrived at Jesus’ tomb early on a Sunday morning to anoint His body with spices.”
Days before, they had watched Jesus die horrifically, along with their dreams. Imagine their amazement when Jesus met them on their way back from the tomb (Matthew 28:8 – 9). In those moments, everything changed. Hope was restored!
Hope for the Past. If they had found Jesus’ body, we would all be in deep trouble (1 Corinthians 15:17). Jesus’ resurrection assures us that all our failings, past-present-future, have been completely covered by His blood. His resurrection proved His efficacy, it proved that His promises are always kept.
Hope for our Future. The resurrection is also the reason we can be confident about our future. The Apostle affirms why we can have this future hope in 1 Corinthians 15:19. When our flesh weakens with age or succumbs to illness, we know that we will one day receive strong immortal bodies that will never become sick or tired. This life is a mere breath compared to eternity.
Hope for the Present. It’s all well and good to rejoice in our salvation and hope for our future glorification (fancy way of saying when we get to heaven and receive our eternal bodies), but what does Christ’s resurrection do for us right now? Jesus promised us “a Helper” who will work tirelessly to transform us and to empower us to live the Christian life as new creatures (John 16:7).
How does He do this? The Holy Spirit Sanctifies us (sets us apart) by giving us understanding of God’s Word, empowering us to overcome sin, conforming us to Christ’s image, and encouraging us through life’s trials, we can walk in newness of life. Just like He did!
Considering that Christ’s resurrection is the best news we could ever hear, we can have full confidence that we are forgiven and declared righteous. All we need has been provided for us by God’s Spirit and Word. As was true of those women who found an empty tomb, our hope is real. We have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). Knowing Scripture to be true, we can’t help but be encouraged today and every day hereafter! That’s good isn’t it!
