Easter Sunday 2023: The Audacious Hope of Easter

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What is hope?

• Elpis
• Tikvah

Importance of right hope

Do we have hope today?

• Do we have the right hope?
• Is the resurrection account believable?
• How does the resurrection bring audacious hope for those who believe?

1. Do we have the right hope?

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

Luke 24:5

• Human methodology and technology
• Human religion and morality 

Matthew 23:27-28

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

• Human Knowledge and Philosophy

‘Man is a useless passion. It is meaningless that we live and it is meaningless that we die.’

Jean-Paul Sartre

The Myth of Sisyphus- Albert Camu

2. Is the resurrection account believable?

• Where is the body?         
• Why make this story up?
• Why the sudden change?

1 Corinthians 15:3-6

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

• Not scientific?

3. How does the resurrection bring audacious hope for those who believe?

Hope beyond this life: Meaning and Eternal Life

1 Corinthians 15:19-20

19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Hope despite our weakness and fallen nature: Unconditional Love

Luke 24:6-7

6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”

Hope this moment, despite our circumstances: Power and freedom

Ephesians 1:18-20

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

Our deepest desires

Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.  – CS Lewis

The audacious hope in Christ

2 Co 4:4

4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.