As Steve has already mentioned,
a few more days will be Good Friday and Easter,
marking the suffering and death of Christ Jesus
on the cross and his burial and resurrection.
The event of Easter is significant not just for Christians,
but for every human.
It's the heart of the gospel,
the good news that Christians proclaim.
It's where humans find hope to face the most unchangeable,
and inevitable threats of human life, our destiny.
Humans all want to know where we are going and heading.
Our ability to put up with the journey increases
according to how desirable the destiny is.
That ability increases as we age,
but our entitlement to the question,
are we there yet,
decreases.
Repeated by a three-year-old,
which is over there joining his church,
that question is cute but irritating.
However, if a 50-year-old man like myself,
growing up,
keep asking this question,
it's just irritable,
and most likely will kick me out of your car.
Humans need to organize
the sequence of individual sensations
and life experience
into a particular story.
When that story leads somewhere,
it gives us hope.
Making sense of our destination
gives us meaning.
What we believe about our future
completely controls how we experience our present.
So how do we make sense
of the unchangeable and inevitable fact
that people are destined to die once?
How do we have a human hope
that can make sense of death
and stand up to it
and help us to face a fear of death,
even triumph over it?
Christians believe Jesus is all about hope,
and in Jesus is a hope
that can face anything.
One of the crucial parts
of the Christian story
has always been deliverance
from death through Christ.
The Bible is full of passage,
like what we have just read
from Romans 8 and 2 Timothy 1.
Jesus is a savior of the world
who has destroyed death
and has brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.
He saved humans in the hope
of redemption and adoption
to be God's children.
But before we look at Christian hope,
let's look at how our society
addresses the topic of hope
or the lack of it,
in particular with death.
And after that,
we'll look at three characters
of Christian hope.
So, when it comes to hope
and comes to our life
and the inevitable destination of death,
not many people will be chomping at the beat
to ask, are we there yet?
Death is a topic
that many people would like to avoid
because generally,
we feel fearful and sad
and hopeless about the matter.
I came across a TED Talk
by Stephen Cave.
He's a philosopher
and the author of the book
Immortality,
The Quest to Live Forever
and How It Drives Civilization.
His TED Talk
talks about four stories
humans tell themselves
to help us cope with the fear of death.
Every culture in human history
has some story about some magic potion
of fountains of youth
that promise we can live forever.
Ancient Egypt, India, and the Chinese
have this kind of story.
And the contemporary
will tell this story
on the belief that science
will conquer death.
But if you look through history,
the only thing in common
for all those people
that have taken the potion
is that they're all still lying in the grave.
Realizing we cannot escape death
that we tell a restoration story
of somehow people can raise up
and live again.
Christians, Jews, and Muslims
share these orthodox beliefs.
And we invent this story
in the scientific age
into freezing our body
until technology and medicine
is advanced enough
to deal with our ill body.
Too many people
who tell this story
religion is a coping mechanism
for our hopeless world.
Another story
that we tell ourselves
is that we get to leave
our body behind,
to live on
as a spirit or soul
to avoid the messiness
and problems
of having a physical body.
And again,
in our digital age,
we upload our mind
on the computer
to live as an avatar
after we die.
Or lastly,
we can live on
to immortality
in our legacy
through people thinking
or telling about us.
Living on
in the memories
of the living.
I remember
this perspective.
This is the perspective
of my parents
as I grew up.
the demand
of the living
to keep the dead alive
knows no cultural difference.
Many cultures
emphasize the importance
of getting married
and having children
or for having
a biological legacy.
Suppose you're single
or a parent
with mature kids.
Have you bought
into this idea
of the secular society
which feeds
our hopelessness?
All these stories
are humans
trying to create hope
with their actions.
Hope by doing.
Cave's conclusion
is very typical
of many philosophers
of our day and age.
He used the method
of a book.
Just as a book
is spun by its cover
by the beginning
and end,
so are life
are bound
by birth and death.
The characters
within it
know no horizon.
They only know
the moment
that make up
their story
even when the book
is closed.
It makes no sense
for you
to feel
what is outside
of this cover
whether before your birth
or after your death.
And you needn't worry
how long
the book is
or whether
it's a comic strip
or an epic.
The only thing
that matters
is that you make
it a good story.
When dealing
with the terror
of death
many people
have taken on
to live out
a good life story
by living out
their life's desires.
Others
will focus
on the part
of life
that they can
control to live
every day
to the fullest.
What is your
approach to life?
people may be
willing
to agree
that death
remains something
to be feared
because it's the end
of our existence
and all that we have
worked for in life.
Death
is violently
imposing
unconsciousness
on someone
which is considered
a crime.
Death
is an
intuition
of life
that somewhat
and always
only
appears
because something
has gone wrong.
There's nothing
natural about death.
Some contemporary
thinkers
try to neutralize
the terror
of death
by treating it
as an inevitable
step of life.
This account's
most favorite
popular
culture expression
is in
The Lion King.
A young lion
is told that
though lion
eat the antelope
they eventually
die and fertilize
the grass
and the antelope
eat the grass.
So it all
connected
in a great
circle of life.
On the surface
there is
something attractive
about this
circle of life
approach.
Our life
will contribute
to something
to value something
no matter how
many failures
or mistakes
we have made.
But if you
think deeply
think deeper
it's being
recycled
fertilizer
how you want
others
to summarize
your life.
But that is
what our
popular culture
encourages us to do
to deal with
the unchangeable
inevitable
effects of
human destiny
or to accept
hope
or to have hope
is just to
accept the
inevitability
of life.
atheists
philosophers
often consider
religious people
less enlightened
and primitive
because they
rely on something
supernatural
that cannot
empirically
prove to exist.
However
they also
cannot verify
that God
does not exist.
Secular
thinkers
seem to believe
we can rationalize
the terror
and fear
we feel
about death
by insisting
that death
is nothing
to be afraid
of.
But even
a very young
kid
realizes
death is
fearful
because it
means the
end of love.
Death
tears us away
from those
we love
from the
relationships
that make
life meaningful.
We feel
death
because
also because
we are not
sure
that death
is the end.
No one
has been
through death
and come
back to
tell us
what is
on the
other
side.
All is
there,
no one.
Christianity
tells a
different
resurrection
story
because
Jesus
is the
person
that
has
conquered
death.
Christian
hope
explains
why we
feel
death
is so
unnatural
and
help us
to face
even
triumph
over it.
Death
feels
unnatural
because
it's not
part of
God's
original
design.
The book
of Genesis
explains
that
God
did not
create
humans
to age,
weaken,
fade,
or die.
We were
not made
for love
relationship
that ends
in death.
Death
is an
intrusion
resulting
from sin
and our
human race
turning away
from God.
But God
has not
turned away
from us.
The New
Testament
letter
to the
Hebrews
explains
that
God
sent
Jesus
the
immortal
son
of God
into
the
world.
Shame
is
in
our
humanity
and
becoming
subject
to
weakness
and
death
so that
by his
death
he
may
break
the
power
of him
who holds
the power
of death
and free
those
who
all their
lives
were held
in slavery
by their
fear of
death.
God
solved
our
dilemma
of being
trapped
in sin
and death
by becoming
our
substitute.
Jesus
went
before
us
to
the
cross
to
pay
for
the
punishment
of
us
turning
away
from
God.
This
coming
Friday
is
Good
Friday
followed
by
Easter
Sunday.
We'll
speak
more
about
the
Christian
resurrection
story
and how
Jesus
broke
death
and
power
over
us
by
dying
in
our
place
and
pay
our
penalty.
God
saved
Christian
in the
hope
of
being
fully
adopted
as
his
children
and
in
the
hope
of
full
redemption
of
our
bodies.
Christian
hope
does not
only
address
where
we
are
going
and
give
us
hope
for
life
after
death.
Christian
hope
has
also
three
distinct
and
unique
characteristics.
It is
personal,
concrete,
and
fulfilling.
Christian
hope
is
personal
because
Jesus
told us
in
John
14
2
that
he
was
going
to
his
father's
house
to
prepare
a
place
for
us.
We
call
that
place
heaven.
What
mean
imagery
do you
have
when
you
think
of
heaven?
Would
it be
a
picture
of
people
dressed
in
white
robe
floating
on
clouds
with
halves?
There's
the common
misunderstanding
of
heaven
being a
consumer
paradise
where
all the
pleasure
and comfort
human
thoughts
to buy
on
earth
are now
free
for grabs
and
popular
religious
imagination
thinks
of heaven
as a
trouble-free
place
of
ease.
I
believe
secular
thinkers
have some
merit
in
challenging
the
religious
view
of
heaven
especially
since
many
religious
people
live
a
moral
life
legalistically
mainly
to have
entry
to
heaven
but
secular
thinkers
and
religious
people
do not
know
what
heaven
or
Christian
hope
is
about.
18th
century
philosopher
and
preacher
Jonathan
Edward
wrote
a
sermon
titled
Heaven
is a
world
of
love
which
powerfully
conveys
what
Christian
hope
is
about.
I
have
included
a link
to this
address
in the
description
of our
live stream.
I also
have a
couple
of
copies
at the
back.
You
must
read
this
sermon
to
ensure
you
do not
mistake
what
Christian
hope
is
all
about.
The
ultimate
Christian
hope
is
not
some
radiance
or
immortality
but a
relationship.
At the
center
of
heaven
is
a
triune
God.
One
God
in
three
persons
Father
Son
and
Holy
Spirit
united
in
infinitely
dear
and
incomprehensible
mutual
love.
The
three
in
one
God
continuously
pour
love
into
one
another
in
joy
and
delight
becoming
like a
fountain
of
love
that
open
without
any
obstacle
to
hinder
access
and
overflow
to
the
world.
At
work
characterise
the most
loving
relationship
you have
experienced
in this
world
as a
highly
clogged
pipe
compared
to
heaven.
All
earthly
relationship
are
clogged
plight
that only
a tiny
amount
of
polluted
water
comes
through
because
of our
sin and
weakness.
we
will
see
the
great
fountain
of
love
in
Christ
in
person.
We
shall
know
Christ
Jesus'
love
far
beyond
what
we
have
perceived
and
he
has
loved
us
with
a
dying
love.
The
love
between
the
triune
God
one
God
in
three
persons
and
the
love
between
God
and
every
human
is
the
heart
and
core
of
Christian
hope.
nothing
is
more
transforming
than
when
someone
makes
a
powerful
decoration
to
express
an
expression
of
love
towards
us.
And
Jesus
did
that
two
thousand
years
ago.
In
this
world
we do
not
have
a
perfect
holy
and
utterly
other
centered
relationship.
So it
is suitable
for us
to hope
and long
for one.
We hope
for it
because we
have not
seen it.
Like
Romans
8
24
to
25
say
hope
that
is
seen
is
not
hope
at
all.
Who
hopes
for
what
they
already
have?
But
if
you
hope
for
what
we
do
not
yet
have,
wait
for
it
patiently.
In
Christ,
God
demonstrates
his
love
and
acceptance
for
you
beyond
what
we
can
understand
or
imagine.
He
personally
ensured
our
entry
to
heaven
so
that
we
can
experience
the
divine
love.
Christ
has
spoken
the
claim
of
sin
on
us
through
his
suffering
and
death.
We
might
physically
die,
but
death
become
only
an
entry
way
to
eternal
life
with
Christ.
Christian
hope
is also
concrete.
We
must
also
remember
that
eternal
life
that
the
Bible
promised
is
not
simply
that
we
live
forever
in
an
immaterial
spiritual
paradise,
removed
from
this
world.
The
salvation
of
this
world
we
live
in
is
what
Christians
hope
for
along
with
our
soul
and
bodies
which
is
why
Christian
hope
is
concrete.
Chapter
21 and
22 of
Revelation
where
Steve
let us
just stand
in
prayer
describe
the
end
of
history.
We
do not
ascend
to
heaven
but
God's
heavenly
glory
and
purifying
beauty
and
power
descend
to
renew
this
material
world.
Evil,
suffering,
aging,
disease,
poverty,
injustice,
and pain
are forever
removed.
Christians
look forward
to the
redemption
of their
body and
soul
as in
Romans
8.23
resurrecting
into a
new body
as Jesus
did.
Christian
hope
promised
that
we will
not
simply
get our
life
back
but
the
one
that
we
have
will
get
back
a
life
that
we
always
long
for
and
which
we
have
never
achieved.
Christianity
is the
only religion
that holds
our hope
for the
salvation
of this
world
along with
our souls
and body
and it's
not a
thing that
will get
even
better
get
eventually
better
hope
Christian
hope
is
concrete
as
concrete
as
the
resurrection
event
a couple
thousand
years ago
Jesus
Christ
resurrection
has
torn
the
barrier
between
the
ideal
and
the
real
and
provide
a
concrete
hope
to
many
done
and
old
people
it
helps
them
to
say
now
I
have
got
something
I
have
hope
I
have
hope
for
the
future
in
Jesus
the
reality
of
resurrection
helps
the
downtrodden
of the
world
to
get
the
justice
that
will
not
turn
them
the
oppressed
into
an
oppressor
it
can
do
so
because
it
is
not
a
consolation
of
for
life
loss
in
this
world
but
a
restoration
all
of
the
fundamental
reason
Christian
hope
is
concrete
is
because
God
has
given
us
the
Holy
Spirit
as
our
helper
Romans
2
28
tell us
that
the
Spirit
help us
in our
weakness
and the
Spirit
himself
intercedes
for us
and also
in 2
Timothy
1
7
says
for
the
Spirit
God
gave
us
do
not
make
us
timid
but
give
us
power
love
and
self
discipline
Christians
have
the
Holy
Spirit
a
person
in
a
three
in
one
God
as
a
pipe
that
channels
God's
love
to
us
the
experience
of
God's
love
help
us
to
love
even
our
enemies
or
those
that
oppress
us
this
spiritual
pipe
this
Holy
Spirit
pipe
is
not
and
never
will
be
clogged
because
Christians
are
saved
and
called
to
a
holy
life
not
because
of
anything
we
have
done
but
because
of
God's
purpose
and
grace
and
what
Jesus
has
done
for
us
Christian
hope
is
not
about
what
you
have
done
or
need
to
do
but
what
is
done
for
you
in
Jesus
has
already
loved
your
enemy
for
you
Jesus
has
already
loved
your
neighbor
as
how
you
would
love
yourself
that
is
how
you
will
change
yourself
and
change
the
world
Christian
believe
this
world
is
made
to
be
a
paradise
but
it
has
been
lost
and
the
book
of
Genesis
tell us
that
before
the
world
was
lost
God
saw
everything
he
created
including
humans
in
his
image
as
good
and
that's
why
Christian
hope
is
fulfilling
the
image
of
God
is
in
the
DNA
of
every
human
some
people
realize
that
this
fact
embraced
a
true
identity
and
became
Christian
others
maintain
a
skeptic
or
call
themselves
an
atheist
but
for
however
long
they
have
tried
has
failed
to
prove
God
does
not
exist
King
Solomon
is
known
to
be
the
wisest
king
ever
on
earth
and
he
wrote
in
Ecclesiastic
chapter
3
10
to
11
that
I
have
seen
the
burden
God
has
laid
on
the
human
race
he
has
made
everything
beautiful
in
this
time
he
has
also
set
eternity
in
the
human
heart
yet
no
one
can
fathom
what
God
has
done
from
beginning
to
end
you
will
have
a
longing
in
you
some
deep
and
unfulfilling
desire
if
eternity
is not
in your
heart
if
eternity
is not
in your
human
heart
you
see
every
beautiful
thing
in
the
creation
while
seeing
at the
same
time
how
sin
tainted
the
inside
of
you
it
is
such
a
burden
on
the
human
race
to
face
a
reality
of
this
mismatch
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
is
by
his
resurrection
he
has
lifted
the
burden
he
has
removed
the
stink
of
death
and
sin
and
restored
eternity
in
the
human
heart
Christian
hope
is
fulfilling
because
the
hole
in
your
heart
is
finally
filled
with
the
right
stuff
that
pumps
the
nutrients
your
body
need
to
thrive
and
grow
there
is
no
longer
a
heart
in
your
heart
that
causes
shortness
of breath
or
restricting
your
movement
you can
leap
walk
run
and
sprint
you can
live out
the life
Jesus
gives
you
and have
it
to
the
full
as
God
originally
designed
it
to
be
as
said
in
John
10
Christian
he offers
salvation
as a
gift
that
is
not
conditioned
on
us
living
a
morally
good
and
religiously
observant
life
salvation
and
eternity
do not
belong
to the
good
people
but
to
those
who
will
admit
they
are
not
good
enough
and
need
a
savior
those
hoping
to be
right
with
God
will
get
what
they
want
because
Roman
5
said
hope
does
not
put
us
to
shame
because
God's
love
has
been
poured
out
into
our
hearts
through
the
Holy
Spirit
who
has
been
given
to
us