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Day 22 - Resurrection Hope: Making All Things New

Bible Passage

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:20-26)

 

Adoration

Christ didn’t just die – He rose again, defeating death once and for all. God assures us that in and through Christ He will make all things new and give us resurrection life – this is the great hope the Christian has. Praise the resurrected Jesus for our living hope!

 

Meditation

We don’t have to look very far to realise that we live in a sinful dying world – there have been far too many acts of cruelty and terror in the last year alone. We cannot read the news and not weep. While it might be easier to ignore these things and live our lives, we cannot – indeed, we must not. We see the events happening, and as Christians we know why they happen. Every single aspect of brokenness can be traced back to sin and the the fall of Man in the garden, and we know that left to ourselves, nothing we can do to fix broken, corrupt hearts.

As children of Adam, each of us has a sin nature and our flesh suffers the effects of the fall. How great a hope then, that if because of Adam’s original sin we will surely die, then how much more will Christ’s salvation, the second Adam, guarantee our resurrection! In Christ “all [shall] be made alive”, and that even death, the last enemy will be destroyed. Revelation 21:4-5 tells us that God “will wipe away every tear... and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore”, and that He will “[make] all things new”.

Resurrection hope is only accessible to us because Jesus lives today! Because there is an empty tomb in Jerusalem, there is wonderful resurrection hope for us in Christ. In fact, there is hope for all the world in the risen Christ!

  • What does it mean that Jesus is “the firstfruits” of our resurrection hope? Think about what it means that Jesus’ resurrection guarantees our own too.
  • If death, the last enemy is defeated, what does that mean for your struggles today? 

 

Prayer

Dear Lord, we thank You for the hope that You have given us. Our resurrection hope will stand the test of time, and lifts our eyes beyond the grave. We look forward to the day when all sufferings cease and sorrows die, and every single one of our longings will be satisfied. Let us look forward to the unspeakable joy that will flood our souls, for only then, will we truly be home1. Help us hold fast to our hope with faith that only You can sustain, O Lord. All this we pray this in the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.

Pray for:

  • Christians all over the world, that we will be reminded of hope amid the chaos and sin in our world.
  • GBC that a renewed understanding of our resurrection hope will humble and encourage us so that we change the way we live.
  • Christians in government and politics, that they will govern and lead Singapore well for the good of all.

1 Prayer adapted from “There is a Hope” by Stuart Townend.