Because He lives…I know he holds the future!

1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 54-58

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

This week, we have reflected on the God who defeated death. The God who holds the whole world in His hands. The God who has given us not a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control!

Today, I want those thoughts to meld together as Paul reminds us of the glorious truth that our God holds the future. Why? Because “in fact Christ has been raised”!

This allows us to be hopeful that death has been defeated. Death has no victory. Death has no sting.

For all who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, their future is sure—heaven with their God. Paradise is the future of all Christians. This is why we can be joyful: our future is secure.

One last note: our future does not depend on us keeping it. Peter tells us God is guarding it (1 Peter 1:4). Paul tells us that nothing can separate us from our inheritance (Romans 8:38–39).

How does knowing your future give you peace in the present?
How does knowing the end give you peace in the middle?