Our hope in Christ – Preaching
Preaching Outline on I Corinthians 15:19 – If we hope in Christ only in this life, we are the most miserable of all men.
Introduction to I Corinthians 15:19
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt, the crowd that followed him was giving glory and praise to God for all the wonders they had seen, saying: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord”.
The people of Israel had been living under the rule of the Roman Empire for many years and were impatiently awaiting the appearance of the promised Messiah, who would free them, as they supposed, from all that oppression, because the Romans ruled with an iron fist and the people couldn’t stand that “humiliation” any longer.
Development
When Jesus appeared preaching his doctrine and speaking of liberation, everyone thought he was talking about their political, social and economic liberation from the tyranny of Rome. They didn’t realize that Jesus was speaking in spiritual and eternal terms, so the majority saw Jesus as the solution to their secular and immediate problems.
On the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem, glorified by all, the expectation was that he would perform a great sign, or perhaps promote some revolt against the Romans (Lk 24:21), leading everyone to the emancipation they had so long dreamed of. However, days went by and nothing of what the enthusiastic crowd had hoped for happened.
Jesus didn’t cause any riots in Jerusalem, he didn’t say a word against the hateful Romans, and little by little the mood and hopes of the crowd changed. By the end of that week, everyone’s mood, feelings and thoughts were completely opposite to those at the beginning.
When Pilate placed Barabbas and Jesus in front of that crowd, who at first “carried him in their arms”, so that they could choose which of the two should be released, they called for the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus.
What could have led those people to such a sudden and radical change in their feelings, attitudes and opinions? It was precisely the fact that they hoped in Christ only for this life, and not for eternal life.
Although Jesus spoke clearly when he entered Jerusalem that it was important for the grain of wheat to fall into the ground and die, in order to bear much fruit, no one understood the meaning of his words. Despite the testimony given by the heavens in agreement with the Lord’s statement, the crowd remained unbelieving about spiritual things, and with their sights set on a Jesus who would solve their secular and merely material problems, making their lives easier and more comfortable.
Many there wanted their worries removed so that they could have an easier time in their lives of sin.
But it was precisely through his crucifixion and resurrection that Jesus realized the Plan for the Liberation of Humanity, conceived by the Father in eternity (Jn 12:32). This liberation does not refer to something restricted to a simply earthly or human level, but to an immensely greater dimension, a liberation from the power of the adversary, the world and, above all, from sin.
Liberation
Deliverance from the power of death and eternal damnation, to give man salvation and eternal life, also granting him communion with the Father through the Holy Spirit.
The work of liberation carried out by the Lord Jesus on the cross gives us a new life in his presence, in which we are enabled by his Holy Spirit to overcome, through faith, the enemy, the world and sin, renewing in us at every moment the hope of salvation and preparing us for eternal life.
This Work doesn’t have any goals for this life or this world, because all that will pass away with a “great crash”. That’s why the Word says that “those who hope in Christ only for this life are the most miserable of men”.
Religion preaches a Jesus for this life. A Jesus materialized by bread from the bakery, water from Sanepar, a house from Cohab and so on. People today fill huge temples in search of a Jesus who will give them material prosperity, a good job, a brand new car, rid them of their illnesses, solve their marital problems and so many other things related to temporary life here on earth.
Few long for a commitment or a covenant with the Lord who gave himself for them, so when they get what they’re looking for, they quickly abandon him and move on with their lives.
Conclusion of I Corinthians 15:19
The Lord wants to lead people to an intimate experience with him; an experience that transforms their lives and disconnects them from the things of this world to a living and real hope of eternal life. Religion has created “wretches” because it only knows Jesus for this life. It promises everything in this world, but it only doesn’t promise eternal life, because it doesn’t know it.
The person who waits for Jesus only for this life will sooner or later end up rejecting him, despising him, but the person who waits on the Lord for eternity will have treasure in heaven.
Preaching Outline on I Corinthians 15:19 – If we hope in Christ only in this life, we are the most miserable of all men.
More Preaching Outlines
- The waiting that pleases God – Psalm 40:1
- Wait on the Lord – Psalm 27:14
- Peter’s release – Acts 12:5-12
- Patient until the coming of the Lord – James 5:7-8
