ONLINE SUNDAY SERVICE MESSAGE – TOPIC: OUR CHRISTIAN HOPE BY DR. MENSAL OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)

DATE: 19TH APRIL, 2020

TEXT: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:14-19

Last week, we celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And the Resurrection, as you know, is the Foundation of our Christian Faith.

And so, following after the Resurrection, I want to Preach this morning on the Subject that I have Titled: “OUR CHRISTIAN HOPE”.

WHAT IS THE HOPE OF A CHRISTIAN? – What are we looking forward to?

… That is what we are going to address today.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was not only for Himself; but for those who believe in Him – People we call today, BELIEVERS, or His Followers.

It is the Foundation of our lives; and His Resurrection is OUR HOPE!

When we say that something is “OUR HOPE”; it means that it is something we have confidence in, and wait for EXPECTANTLY.

… “Something you have CONFIDENCE in, and wait for EXPECTANTLY!”

… That is what HOPE is.

There is something that God wants Christians to have CONFIDENCE in, and wait for EXPECTANTLY.

And that thing that God wants us to have Confidence in and wait for EXPECTANTLY is the repellent to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The life of the Christian starts from here on Earth but it continues after life on Earth, in the next life.

And when we talk about HOPE, we are talking about something that God wants us to have a “Deep Assurance” and a Foundation in.

My opening Text is in going to be from 1 CORINTHIANS 15:14-19;

… And let’s hear the reading of God’s Word.

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

Well, the Scriptures says: if our “Only Hope” is in this life, then we are a very pitiful bunch of people.

Those of us who call ourselves Christians, and name Jesus Christ as our Lord, and live for Him: If our “Only Hope” is in this world, then we are a very, very sorrowful and pitiable bunch of people.

The Christian life doesn’t end here on Earth.

And just because people do not come from the dead, does not mean we do not have an idea of what happens when we live this Earth.

… There is life beyond this EARTH.

There are things that indicate to us that there is life after this Earth.

Because every evening when we go to bed to sleep; we loose consciousness of life. And we don’t even know that we are human beings at that time.

And whilst we are in that state of unconsciousness, there is another part of our lives that’s at play – We dream, we enter into a totally different world, and things happen.

And anybody looking at our body would think that nothing was happening within us. And then we wake up!

It’s an indication of life after beyond this Earth – That there would come a time when people would look at your body and think – that’s the end of you! And not knowing there’s another life you are entering into.

And every time a child is born, it tells us that there is life beyond.

Because when that child is conceived in the womb, they have no concept of life beyond the womb.

If they were to articulate their fuss; if you told a child, there is another world and you describe that life to them; they would think it’s an impossibility!

But one day they leave the womb, and entered this world.

And if you were in the womb with them, you would think: Oh, they left the womb, and probably they are dead and gone forever!

But a whole New Life begins for them after and outside of the womb.

And that is what God uses to indicate to us that when we leave this Earth it would seems as if, that’s the end. But a WHOLE NEW LIFE is going to open up to us.

… And for us Christians, we have to examine what life is after this Earth.

So, what is the hope of the Christian?

What is it that Paul is saying: If we don’t have any Hope, then we are pitiful bunch of people?

WHAT IS THAT HOPE?

And I’m going to talk about Four (4) Things that are the FOUNDATION OF THE HOPE OF THE BELIEVER.

1. The first (1st) of our Hope as Believers is “THE NEW LIFE” – Our Resurrection.

As Christians we know that beyond this life, there is a Resurrection.

It is a Hope whose Foundation is in Christ Jesus – He Resurrected from the dead.

And He called Himself, “The Resurrection and The Life”.

In John 11:25-26; Jesus Christ said:

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

… I suppose the question is to you: do you believe this?

The Apostle Paul further states in Corinthians 6:14 – “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His Own Power.”

There is a day of Resurrection for Believers in Christ.

Just as Christ was Resurrected from the dead; we also would be Resurrected from the dead.

In our Christian Faith, the Resurrection from the dead is laid down with major events that will take place in our world.

Some call it: The End of the world; Others call it: The Rapture; Others call it: The Second Coming of Christ.

… And different Phrases!

All these are Biblical, and they point to something that’s going to happen some time, in the future Planet Earth.

And this is how it is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17;

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Note the points there:

• The Lord will descend from Heaven with a shout;
• The dead in Christ will rise first;
• Those who are alive would be caught up to meet the Lord the Air!

This is the BIG Resurrection Event. It is coming, and it’s going to occur as the Scriptures say.

So, even for those who die in this life; if they are in Christ, this is what the Bible predicts for them: that they will RISE again from the dead.

This life is not all that we have; and this life has no ending for us. There is life after existence. And for those who die in Christ there is a day of Resurrection coming – When the dead in Christ shall Rise, to be united with the Resurrected Lord.

… And that is our Hope – THAT WE HAVE BEEN UNITED WITH CHRIST.

… Beyond the Resurrection, is there any Hope? YES!

2. The Second (2nd) Hope of the Christian, beyond the Resurrection: is the HOPE OF A NEW BODY.

… A New Body – Our GLORIFIED BODIES.

This is a unique Hope.

It is also founded in Christ – When Christ Resurrected, He had a different Body from what He had before He died.

The earlier Body He had, had been badly bartered. Had been brutalised, had been worn out. But He had a New BODY that could not be worn out!

Of course, many Religions have the concept of form of Resurrection in it.

But when they talk about what happens when a Person resurrects; it is very different from how the Bible teaches, as the HOPE OF THE BELIEVERS.

Some Religion believes that people who die would become Ghosts, or would become Ancestors, or some other form.

Some believe when People die, they will come back again in a New ody, as a baby. Or some times even as an animal.

The Christian Hope of the Resurrection does not say that we would come back as Babies, or as Animals, or become Ghosts.

The Bible says: When we are Resurrected, God would give us Brand New BODIES: just as Jesus Christ was Resurrected and He had a Brand New BODY.

We do not come back as Ghosts, we do not become Babies and we do not take on the body of an Animal.

This is how the Bible describes it in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44;

“So also is the Resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in Incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in Glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in Power: It is sown a Natural Body; it is raised a Spiritual Body.
There is a Natural Body, and there is a Spiritual Body.”

Now, when the Bible says, using the word “SOWN” (in the Passage) – It is the equivalent of BURIED.

So, when a Christian dies and they are buried; their body has been SOWN.

And the Bible says: In the Resurrection, that body would be raised up INCORRUPTIBLE.

In other words, it will not deteriorate. it would not age, it would not loose vibrancy.

And then that Passage also says; that Body is RAISED IN GLORY, not in dishonour. It also says it is RAISED IN POWER.

And the Passage also says, IT IS RAISED A SPIRITUAL. BODY!

There would come a time when a Child of God is going to have a New Body – An Incorruptible Body, a Glorified Body, a Glorious Body, a Powerful Body and a Spiritual Body.

… It is the Hope of the Christian!

In the Resurrection we don’t go on carrying on with this old body.

Who wants to live for a long time with this body? – Getting sick, having toothache, having headache, having all kind of problems, and live eternally with this body.

… That would be Horrible!

In the Resurrection you have a totally different body.

Philippians 3:20-21 says;

“For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his Glorious Body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

… Jesus would transform our bodies to be conformed His Glorious Body!

So when we are Resurrected the Bible says the Body we will have would be like the Body Jesus Christ had. It is the kind of Body that Jesus had after His Resurrection.

Now, you know that after His Resurrection He had a BODY; and that Body could be recognised!

When Mary saw Him at the tomb, she KNEW – this was the Lord! When the Disciples saw Him, they KNEW – this was the Lord.

The Resurrected Body looked like Him, but it was not like the old one: Very DIFFERENT from the Old one.

You can in essence say: It is the Perfected Body that Christ received. A more Perfect Body than the one He had previously.

I. It was a Body that could walk through walls, instantly transporting itself from one Place to the other.

Jesus could be in one Place, and in one instance His Body could be in another Place.

II. It is Body that could ASCEND; defiling the Law of Gravity.

III. It is a Body, but it’s not a Natural Body.

It is not subject to deterioration, and it is not subject to death!

The Bible calls it a Glorious Body, or a Glorified Body. It is also called a Spiritual Body!

In a Glorious Body, all sicknesses are healed. In a Glorious Body, all infirmities are Restored: The Blind has Perfect eyesight, the Lame have Perfect limbs! Those who were amputated have their limbs totally Restored.

The Body parts they lost in the Natural Body are fully restored in the Spiritual Body.

That is the Hope of the Believer!

We don’t become little cockroaches and mice; we don’t come as bulls, we don’t become Ghosts. We don’t even come as Babies.

… We receive a totally New BODY.

So, what kind of Body is that?

Well, we don’t know everything about it.

But when we examined the Scriptures, we get cleared of the indications of that Body.

First of all, it is The Body of Jesus Christ after Resurrection.

So if you want to understand how the Resurrected Body of the Believer, or the Gloried Body, or the Glorious Body of the Believer looks; you have to examine how the Body of Jesus Christ looked.

It is very obvious that the Body of Jesus Christ after Resurrection, did not have blood in it.

You and I have blood in our bodies. But it is very obvious that the Body of Jesus Christ did not have blood in it.

How do I know?

Well, nobody cut His flesh to see. But we know that He shed His Blood, and Presented His Blood as a sacrifice for our Atonement.

You cannot Present your Blood and still have it at the same time.

So if He didn’t have blood in Him, why was He still alive because for us Naturally, we need blood to keep this body alive?

Jesus Christ Resurrected, His Blood has been Presented as an Offering, but His Body is still ALIVE!

… Because it’s not q Natural Body; it is a. Spiritual Body.

The Glorified Body is sustained by something more Powerful than Blood! It looks like a normal body, but it has no blood in it.

It’s sustained by something more Powerful.

And what is that POWERFUL THING?

Well it is my conceded fear is that the Glorified Body is Sustained by the Light of God.

Because the only other Source of Life (apart from blood) is Light.

“In Him was Light, and the Light was the Life of men.”

When God wanted to bring LIFE to this Earth, the first (1st) thing He did was to say: LET THERE BE LIGHT.

… And then Life started.

“God expresses LIFE by releasing LIGHT.”

And it is my conceded fear that the Body that is Resurrected; the Glorified Body, would have no blood in it. But would have the Light of God crossing through, from the head to the toes.

… That is the Life that God has for us; that is the kind of Body that God has for the Believer.

We have the HOPE of a Resurrection – When we leave this Earth, that is not the end.

A life on this Earth: as nice and beautiful as it is, as Pleasurable as it is: All the wonderful places that the Earth has; all the great Mountains that we can climb, the Valleys, the flowers, the River Bodies that we can admire, can NEVER be compared to the life God has prepared ahead of us.

There is a Resurrection coming for every Believer; There is a Glorified Body coming for every Believer. And if you are s child of God, that is your HOPE.

The Hope of a Resurrection, the Hope of a Glorious Body.

3. The Third (3rd) Hope of the Believer is the HOPE OF A NEW WORLD – our HOME in Glory!

You cannot have a Resurrected Person, in a Glorified Body, coming to live in this contaminated world – It doesn’t fit!

So there has to be a world that is designed to accommodate the Resurrected Life, the Glorified Body. And that world must be suitable for the Resurrected Person.

This world, is our Home now, but in the Resurrection we are going to have another Home: just as the Babies in the womb changes home when they are born, so we change Home when we’re Resurrected.

There are many ways that people describe this New Home that God has Prepared for Believers – Some call it Heaven, some call it the Kingdom of God, some call it the New Jerusalem.

… Jesus calls is My Father’s House.

In John 14:1-3 He said this to His Disciples (and He is saying it to you and to me):

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to Prepare a place for you. And if I go and Prepare a Place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

… This is a “Prepared Place” by Jesus, for those who believe in Him.

It is a “Prepared Place!

It has been Specifically, Purposely, Tailor-Made, for the Resurrected Person with a Glorified Body. And they live in this Place, Jesus says He is Preparing.

HOW DOES THE PLACE LOOK LIKE?

Well, the Bible gives us clues of it – Revelation 21:1-4;

“And I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth: for the First Heaven and the First Earth were Passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, Prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a Great Voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His People, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

… What a Glorious Picture of the Hope of the Christians – Resurrection, Glorified Body and a New Home.

The concept of Heaven is found in many Religions.

In most cases, if you examine many Religions, Heaven (however they call it) is a world of “Sensual and Physical Pleasure”.

But in the Christian Hope, Heaven is not a Place or a world of Physical Pleasure. It’s a world where the Tabernacle of God is amongst His People. It’s a place of Pleasing God and not Pleasing ourselves.

… And ENJOY ourselves (so to speak!)

And because the Tabernacle of God is amongst us; He wipes away every tears, takes away every sorrows, and every crying. And takes away Death!

It is a Place suitable for Glorified Bodies.

… And in that Place, the most important thing is Pleasing God.

Jesus said, there would be no Marriage in Heaven.

So the ultimate of human contact is denied in Heaven.

WHY? – Because the Glorified Body has different needs from this Physical Body.

This Physical Body needs certain things to make it feel good. But when you have a Glorified Body; your desires, your appetite are different!

It is a Place govern by God directly. It is a Place when its Ecology is sustained by God: There is no light, except the Light of God. There is no sun, there is no moon, there is no electricity.

But the LIGHT OF GOD sustains the atmosphere.

That Place is currently the Abode of God, and His Heavenly Beings.

… In the Resurrection, it will also be our Home!

There would be no Marriage there, for those of you who are hoping to marry in Heaven – BAD NEWS for you. There would be no Marriage there!

Our Marriage would be with Christ: He would be the Groom, we would be His Bride. We will be United with Him FOR EVER!

And THIS HOPE, is only for those who know Jesus Christ as Lord.

For those who reject Jesus Christ: there would be a Resurrection, but there would be no Glorified Body, and there would be no Father’s House for them.

There’s another place they are going to go to, which is OPPOSITE of the New Jerusalem.

The Hope of the Christian is that; there would be a Resurrection, there is be a Glorified Body, and there is a New Home.

4. The final Hope of the Believer is a NEW MISSION – Our REIGN with Christ.

On Earth we work, we work for SURVIVAL.

I know that as of now, most of us are not working, because we have been locked down.

But, we work for Survival. We work to make ends meet, we work to take salaries.

And we take Pleasure in our work – Whether you are a Painter or you are a Footballer, or you are a Banker or you are a Mechanic, and whatsoever you do, you take Pleasure in it.

So, when we are Resurrected, and we have a Glorious Body, and we are in Heaven; WHAT DO WE DO?

Well, sometimes you get People giving the impression that we would spend the whole time saying: Holy, Holy, Holy to God.

… It’s good to Worship God.

But in Eternity, that is going to be too much of a task. There has to be something else we are doing.

We are not going to be. Sitting on clouds with Harps; playing Music forever. There has to be something!

What would be the MISSION? What would we be doing?

Revelation 22:3-5 says:

“And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face; and His Name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

… And that is what I want to focus on: – “They shall reign for ever and ever.”

That word REIGN means to exercise Authority as a King or a Sovereign, over His Jurisdiction.

It means to have Dominion and Power over an area.

So, when the Bible says that in this New Place, they shall Reign; it’s not just about seeing His face and Worshiping Him. There’s also another dimension REIGNING with Christ.

In the Resurrection, our Glorified Bodies, living in a New World, would join Christ in exercising Authorities over New Territories. And I believe those jurisdictions would include Places in the created Universe.

If God has created this vast Universe, then there has to be Control over them; there has to be Management of them!

And so when the Bible says we shall reign with Christ, it is possible to think that Believers will be part of those God uses to Rule the created Universe.

… That is our HOPE!

We live our lives as Christians, not only celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also hoping and believing and expecting in our own Resurrection.

*Trusting God, Believing and Hoping for:

I. A New Body – A Glorified Body, which does not cough nor sneeze.

II. A New Body that’s not susceptible to virus and viral attacks.

III. A New Body that is Whole, that is Perfect in every way!

IV. A Spiritual Body, a Glorified Body – The Body that Jesus had at His Resurrection.

That is the Hope of the Christian:

1. A New Home, a Place to dwell with God for ever.

The Earth is a nice Place; but there are all kinds of stuff here that makes the world a difficult place to live in.

2. And then a New Mission; Working with God, Reigning with Christ, Ruling with Christ and Serving Him in a Pleasurable way.

So, if this is the Hope of the Christian; HOW SHOULD WE LIVE OUR LIVES HERE ON EARTH?

There are people who say that sometimes People become so Heavenly minded that they are of no Earthly Good!

So, there has to be a balance.

1 John 3:2-3 says; “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this Hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is Pure.”

“… Every man who has this Hope in Him Purifies himself, just as He is Pure.”

If you cherish this Christian Hope, then your responsibility is to live to Please Him, whilst you are here upon Earth: is: To Purify yourself – It is to make sure that you live right and you live Righteous, and you live Holy before Him.

If this is our Hope, we cannot live our lives anyhow. We cannot just go about sinning as if we have no Hope. We cannot live our lives as if we don’t have something; then there is nothing ELSE for us.

… There is HOPE FOR THE BELIEVER!

And that is what we look forward to.

And those who have this Hope in them, PURIFY THEMSELVES.

So today, I want to ask you a question: Is that your Hope? Is that what you are looking for, too?

Or your Hope is just going to Church, be part of the Church, be part of the Women’s Group, be part of the Men’s Group. Dance when music is played; Then after that, the END of it!

Is that all the Christian life is all about?

When a Christian is barren, is that the end of them? Is that how we are living our lives?

If that is how we are living our lives, there is no difference between the Christian and the none Christian.

But we live our lives with the FULL Expectation of the Resurrection, of a Glorified Body, of a New Home (Heaven) and of a New Mission; Reigning with Christ.

And because that is our Hope, we live our lives to Please Him, to Serve Him, to Honour Him. And we PURIFY ourselves.

May Jesus Christ help us to keep this Hope alive constantly before us. And as Christians, we would not come to the point of living our lives as if it is base on what we achieve here on Earth, and what we get here on Earth.

… There is HOPE for the BELIEVER!

ALTAR CALL

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, nothing I have described here, is Hope for you.

You cannot participate in it, because this is not a General Issue and Condition.

This here, Jesus says: He has Prepared this for a Special Group of people – For those who trust Him, for those who believe in Him. For those who will make Him the Lord of their lives.

So, if you are listening to me today, you say Pastor, I want this as my Hope. When life on Earth here is ended, this is how I want my future to look like.

Then, the way to live that life is to let Christ come into your life, to be the Lord of your life. To live in you; for you to serve Him, for you to Purify your life for Him. For you to make Him the Master of your life.

So if you want this Hope as a Christian, why don’t you bow your heads with me as we Pray (wherever you are) or reading this on the Label of DMC. As you invite Jesus to come into your life; as you Pray and tell Him to come into your heart:

PRAYER FOR SALVATION

Say Father, I come to You as I am. I am a sinner, forgive me of my sins. Wash me, and cleanse me with the Blood of Jesus.

I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ died for me. That He was RAISED from the dead for my Justification. And today, I accept Him as my Lord and Personal Saviour.

I Thank You Father for accepting me. In Jesus’ Name – Amen!

If that was your Prayer, then I give you the Promise of Scripture: Your sins have been washed away. As far as the East is from the West, God has removed your sins. And you are a brand New Person in Christ; old things have passed away; behold all things have become New.

… And for those of you who are in Christ keep this Hope alive in Him – The Hope of Resurrection, for a Glorious Body, for a New Home, and for a New Mission in Him – to Reign with Him.

CLOSING PRAYER

May the Lord strengthen you to Serve Him, to Live for Him and to Honour Him everyday of your life. In Jesus’ Name – AMEN!

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