Fortify Your Hope

• READ Heb 6:1-3 watching the Avengers movies lately. Great cinema. Good versus evil. Heroes. Sacrifice. Endgame is the one where Thanos must be destroyed to save the universe
• My favorite Avenger is Iron Man. Why? Probably because I could be him. I can wear a suit.
• And what Iron Man does in the end is he gives up his life to save everyone else. Its epic. 
• What the movie projects is simple: If you sacrifice yourself for something meaningful, if you leave a legacy, if you die heroically, then that’s enough. The journey ends. The story closes. The universe moves on. You’re just dead./// The world will celebrate you if you leave well. 
• It makes for great movies. It just doesn’t make for great theology. 
• But Scripture says this life is not all there is. You will live forever. The question is not whether your life mattered. The question is under what verdict you will stand before Christ. 
• As a Christian, you should be encouraged by the hope of the resurrection and comforted that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. And you should be sobered by the reality of eternal judgment. That is what we are talking about today.

1. Cultural Christianity

• We’re Christians. We believe that death is not the end. We believe in the resurrection of the dead. We believe in eternal judgment. Consequences are eternal.

• What’s hard is that modern thought is not “there is no meaning.” It is “make meaning while you’re here.” The world does not deny good and evil. It believes good and evil are settled in history. The unreligious do not believe nothing matters. They believe only this life matters.

• Much of modern day Christianity has been infected with pagan ideas to the point that biblical Christianity is either ignored or at best, misinterpreted. Many people believe contrary to truth. 

• I’ve sat and performed more funerals that I can count where I was sure the dead wasn’t making heaven, but not one person in the room had any doubt that they were “in a better place”

• Here’s five pagan thoughts that have infected Modern evangelical Christianity:

• Biggest one- Therapuetic Deism. We appease the gods so we will be blessed and flourish
• USA- God wants me happy, he fills my plans, gives me stuff, keeps me healthy, Fixes me. 
• 2-Greek thought, only the truly wicked suffered severe punishment. Most drifted into the underworld. “Only murderers and monsters go to hell.” USA– Im not a murderer or rapist
• 3- Heroic Humanism  Meaning is found in courage, sacrifice, and legacy.“As long as I mattered while I was here.” Legacy is horizontal. Judgment is vertical. USA- I did good things in my life
• 4-Pagan religion of doing the right ritual to secure a better afterlife.
• USA “I was baptized.” “I go to church sometimes.” “ I said the prayer”
• 5- Greeks taught Underworld Continuity loved ones continued as shades in Hades.
• USA “They’re watching over us.” “We’ll all be reunited no matter what.”
• Basically- God exists for me, I’m not that bad, My work is enough, rituals cover me, We all end up together anyway. Sounds good. Its just not what the bible teaches. 

But the Bible teaches something far more serious and far more glorious

2. The Bible Teaches the Resurrection of everyone. 

• Our scripture in Hebrews 6 calls it ‘resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment’
• Christianity didn’t invent the afterlife. It centered eternity around Christ and covenant with Him
• Here’s the biblical truth: Everyone lives forever. Some rise to life. Some rise to judgment.
•  Scripture could not be clearer-.John 5:28–29 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
• Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.

• not symbolic language. It is the clearest statement in Scripture that EVERYONE will be raised.

• Whether you hope in Jesus or not, the Bible declares: you will come back after the grave

• 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
• Rev 20:12–15 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God… And the dead were judged according to their works… 
• But for those of us who have received Christ, who believe in him and trust in him? He promises- 
• Jn 11:25–26 Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?
• When we come to Christ, eternal life is now. Death no longer ends our story. We live forever
• You must wrap your head around the reality that the hope of the resurrection is the hope of being reunited with Christ. Nothing else. Its not fire insurance. Not family reunion. Its christ. 
• If what excites you most about heaven isn’t Christ, then you don’t yet understand heaven.
• Many people who want to go to heaven don’t want Christ. They want earth in heaven. ///
• And the resurrection power is already working in believers… Ro 8:11 if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

• When believers talk about the hope of the resurrection we’re talking about those who believe in Christ, have received him, live for him and want to spend eternity with him. Not the lost. 

• 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
• If your only hope is escape from hell and not eternity with Christ, you’ve got misguided hope!
• I think what many people miss about heaven- Heaven is where believers go when they die, but it is not the final destination. The ultimate Christian hope is the resurrection of the body and life in a restored creation where God dwells with humanity forever.
• That’s the danger of cultural Christianity: Its “I want good kids” not “I want my children to know the power of the resurrection” Its “I want a good marriage” not “I want to be conformed to Christ to prepare me for heaven”. Its “I don’t want hell” not “I want to dwell with Christ”
• 1 Cor 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
• Philippians 3:20–21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body
• Our resurrection hope is not escape from earth. It is entrance into eternal union with Christ.
• Its gaining a new body, in a new heaven, with a new earth, with no decay, no struggle, no sin
• The idea of Heaven as an escape v a new reality w the prescense of God is missed

• You’ll work without toil, you’ll live on a new earth, God dwelling with a restored creation

3. How to gain Christ

• How do you live then? To what do you focus your attention?
• Trust in Christ that he has and will forgive you from sin and don’t live in shame and guilt. 
• Philippians 3:9 And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.
• Count all things less than Jesus. Make him your only hope, desire and love. Desire HIM
• Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 
• Put the world in its proper place. Its great to be alive. The food, fun, amusements etc
• But its not what its all about. This life isn’t about you satisfying yourself above all else. 
• Matthew 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
• Seek to know God. You were saved to know him. Worship, prayer, word, fellowship etc. 
• John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ 
• Seek to know his power and victory- make your life about the things of God primarily. All of it
• Philippians 3:10–11 That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
• If you want to attain the resurrection of the dead, live like you want to attain it. 
• Ive gained a few pounds over the past few months. Why? I don’t want abs. I want ice cream. 
• I’ve realized what it takes and it’s a price I’m not willing to pay. I’ve resigned myself to it. 
• But when It comes to my sprituality, there’s not a price I’m not willing to pay. I’m not giving up and I’m not giving in. I’m going to be “conformed to his death, if by any means I may attain”

4. Because Judgment is real

• Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
• I believe that the judgment seat of Christ is real and one day I will stand before it. 
• Acts 17:31 Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.
• I don’t know when that day is coming, but I know that its coming. you must be prepared
• Lu 12:40 you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

• People that chose to reject Christ are choosing the judgement of God on their lives

• Ro 2:5–6  But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his deeds. Rom 14:10–12 For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ… So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Mat 12:36–37 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. There will be a biblical real tangible day of reckoning upon this earth

• And this is a hard charge for those who reject the hope of Christ. It’s a sober reality

• If you know you have rejected Christ, stop today! Hear the words of Christ with HOPE not fear

• John 5:24 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
• Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
• 1 Ths 5:9 God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
• The day of Judgment isn’t a day of fear for the child of God, it’s a day of rejoicing. A day of Hope

• One- we will be united with Christ

• “when we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing it will be”. I’m excited to get to heaven and be with Jesus. I love his presence in my life right now, I can’t imagine being before him
• The worship will be better, the spirit will be stronger, the love will be more intense.
• 2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

• Two- we will be delivered from this world to a new restored world. 

• Galatians 1:4 Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
• That means when the day of judgment comes, we will be in a new restored creation. No more toil, no more pain, no more tears, doubts, fears or worries. We will be with him and not here
• The bible says there will be a new heaven and a new earth and that we’ll get new bodies
• So we will be transferred and transformed and delivered! Our earthly bodies restored
• Three- We will live in a restored creation with restored bodie
•  The Bible does not end with souls floating in the clouds. It ends with a new heaven and a new earth where God dwells with His people forever.
• Rev 21:3 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.” That is the final picture of eternity. God with us. Not distant. Not symbolic. Real.
•  We will not be ghosts or shadows. We will be raised with real, glorified bodies. Philippians 3:21 says He “will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body.”
• That means no sickness, no decay, no weakness, no aging, no death. You will be fully alive in a way you have never experienced before.
• And we will live in a restored creation. This world will not be discarded. It will be renewed. Romans 8 says creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption.
•  Every wrong will be made right. Every injustice corrected. Every broken thing healed. The curse will be gone. Sin will be gone. Death will be gone.
• Rev 21:4 says, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
• We will work without toil, live without fear, love without sin, and worship without distraction. This is not escape from creation. This is creation finally restored the way God intended it to be.
• And at the center of it all will not be streets of gold or mansions. It will be Christ Himself. We will see Him, dwell with Him, and enjoy Him forever.
• That is the Christian hope. Not just life after death. Life after resurrection in a restored body, in a restored world, with a restored relationship with God forever.

• Four- we will rule and reign with Christ
• Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
• We will resurrect, in a restored creation, in the presence of God for eternity. A real existence
• All of the fullness of God realized, received and made manifest in our lives. 
• Iron Man died to save the universe for a moment. Jesus rose and still reigns to save forever.
• The question is not whether your story ends. The question is how it continues after death.
• Choose today to trust Christ as your savior to usher you into an Eternity with Him.