But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns. Then after Christ has destroyed all powers and forces, the end will come, and he will give the kingdom to God the Father.
Christ will rule until he puts all his enemies under his power, and the last enemy he destroys will be death. When the Scriptures say that he will put everything under his power, they don’t include God. It was God who put everything under the power of Christ. After everything is under the power of God’s Son, he will put himself under the power of God, who put everything under his Son’s power. Then God will mean everything to everyone.
1 Corinthians 15:20-28 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
In this uncertain world, it is sometimes difficult to be sure of anything. Yet, when we dare to believe the Word of God, we are given a blessed assurance that His Word is true. When we believe God gave His Son's life and raised Him from the dead, we are given a hope for the future because He did all this for us. God gave Jesus this power to save us from the certain death of sin. Faith that He did this is what He asks of us. Belief in who He is demonstrates our faith. And it takes faith to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
There are some things we believe in that prove to be untrue and often we don't have to wait very long to discover we've been deceived. We all live each day hoping for something and sometimes find ourselves disheartened when our hopes are dashed. Yet, we rise above the frustration of disappointment and look for something else to hope for. That's human. When we put our hope in Jesus, we venture into the divine. We invite God into our hopes and dreams.
Through Jesus Christ, God has given us hope that we can count on. We just have to believe. As surely as rain comes from the clouds and stars light up the sky, Jesus is coming back to complete what He was sent to accomplish. As we follow Him, our souls are being prepared for eternal life in the Kingdom of God. However, this hope requires waiting. The mission of the believer as we wait for the return of Christ is to share this hope with others. Jesus has already done and is still doing His part to carry out God's plan and He will continue until the end. As we do our part, we can be certain that our hope in Him will not let us down.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:10 NIV
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