Introduction

Happy Easter everyone! When you think about the future, how do you feel?

For most of us, when we think about the future, it brings all sorts of feelings—worry, anxiety, or hopelessness. There are lots of good reasons to feel that way. A global pandemic, wars, sickness, death, and so on.

Events and thoughts like this make us ask ourselves some scary questions. Questions like: Do we have any real security in this life? What does the future truly hold for us? Can we find freedom from fear, anxiety, and worry?

What if I told you, because of Easter weekend, the future is full of hope? We are going to look at a short passage from the Book of Colossians. In it, the author, Apostle Paul, is going to tell us three reasons the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us a hopeful future.

(Read Col. 3:1-4)

The future is hopeful because …

Our Body Will Be Made New—We’ll Experience a Resurrection Too

I don’t know about you, but as I get older, I am looking forward to an upgrade of my body. I fight hard NOT to get a dad bod. Some of us spend hundreds of dollars fighting the inevitable. Paul says, “Christ’s resurrection is your resurrection too!”

But what does resurrection really mean? Christianity is all about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we talk about resurrection we mean something specific. Jesus rose bodily from the tomb, not just his spirit. After the crucifixion, when people saw Jesus’ risen body, they touched him, flesh and blood, scars and all. People talked with Jesus and even ate with him. It was his same body but new and different. Our resurrection bodies will be the same. They will be real.

Theologically, the resurrection of Jesus is important for ...

Rob Hall is the Lead Pastor at New North Church, located in the San Francisco Bay Area.