"For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 1But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me… And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain… And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins… BUT IN FACT CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD, THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP… What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.'”  1 Corinthians 15:9-10, 14, 17, 20, 32 

Paul chose obedience to the things of the Lord, which involved hardship (Acts 9:16).

The source of this radical and full-orbed obedience is found in 1 Corinthians 15:20, where the Scripture teaches that because Christ was raised, then those who believe in him will be raised with him. Therefore, suffering, obedience, and living out the Christian faith is never in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

The hope of the resurrection should radically change the way all believers view life. This frees us from the craving desire to “fit in” or to consume. It gives us a desire to walk before an audience of One and to serve others.

Hope as viewed through the lens of Psalm 13

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, 'I have prevailed over him,' lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because he has dealt bountifully with me."  Psalm 13

1. High anxiety, despair (vv. 1-2).

“How long” is spoken four times in this passage, underscoring a sense of personal bewilderment regarding his seeming abandonment by God.

2. The pouring out of your heart to God in prayer (vv. 3-4).

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  Psalm 30:5

“Do you know what it is to live in the future - to live on expectation - to antedate heaven? Happy believer, to have so sure, so comforting a hope. It may be all dark now, but it will soon be light; it may all be trial now, but it will soon be all happiness (Eternity awaits).”  Charles C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, May 13th

The faith that looks to the past with gratitude and into the future with faith and confidence (vv. 5-6).

“A faith that looks back to Christ’s death and resurrection is not sufficient… Forgiveness for the Christian also depends on having, like Abraham, a futuristic faith in God’s promises. Thus, we cannot regard justifying faith as sufficient if it honors only the past fact of Christ’s death and resurrection, but does not honor the future promises of God, thus mocking his character and integrity.”  Daniel Fuller, Unity of the Bible, p. 272

APPLICATION STATEMENTS

1. The Christian faith is a lifelong battle that requires vigilance, effort, fighting the good fight of faith, resisting the devil, putting on the full armor of God, and stripping away the sin that entangles. And we do this with joy because of the goodness that’s found in Christ.

2. The battle is never-ending.

3. The Battle Cry: “Christ is the first fruits of the coming eternal glory.”

4. “God brings on dryness, with resultant restlessness of heart, in order to induce a new depth of humble, hopeful openness to himself, which he then crowns with a liberating and animating reassurance of his love – one that goes beyond anything that was sensed before. As Christ’s humiliation and grief on the cross preceded his exaltation to the joy of his throne, so over and over again humbling experiences of impotence and frustration precede inward renewing, with a sense of triumph and glory, in the believer’s heart. Thus, with wisdom adapted to each Christian’s temperament, circumstances, and needs, our heavenly Father draws and binds his children closer to himself.” J.I. Packer, Rediscovering Holiness, pp. 100-101

5. The Lord has dealt bountifully.