One-sentence summary:
In this message, Tommy teaches that biblical hope is not wishful thinking but a confident expectation rooted in God’s promises—especially the resurrection—and that where you place your hope determines how you live, suffer, and endure.
Four-paragraph summary:
Tommy begins by calling the church into unity through prayer, reminding everyone that church is not Sunday attendance but a living fellowship of believers carrying real burdens—illness, surgeries, strained marriages, and private struggles. From there, he returns to 1 Corinthians 15, building on last week’s foundation about faith and the Old Testament. Paul’s argument is clear: if there is no resurrection, then Christian suffering is pointless and believers are to be pitied. But Christ has been raised, and that changes everything. The resurrection is not a side doctrine—it is the anchor of Christian hope.
He then carefully distinguishes between faith and hope. Faith is believing God’s Word so deeply that it produces fruit. Hope, however, is a confident expectation of what is to come. Hope is not wishful thinking. It is not superstition. It is not positive energy. It is expectation grounded in promise. Tommy illustrates this with humorous but honest examples—lottery tickets, marriage expectations, unanswered prayers for healing—to show how misplaced expectations lead to disappointment. Many believers confuse failed expectations with failed faith, when in reality they placed hope in outcomes God never promised. Scripture does not promise ease—it promises resurrection, strength in suffering, and ultimate victory over death.
Paul’s point becomes sharp: if our hope is only for this life, we are pitiful. If Christianity is about comfort, prosperity, or social standing, it collapses under suffering. But if our hope is in resurrection—if we truly expect Christ to raise us as He was raised—then suffering makes sense, risk makes sense, sacrifice makes sense. Lack of boldness often reveals misplaced hope. Fear of preaching the gospel, fear of financial instability, fear of loss—these stem from hoping in comfort rather than in Christ’s promises. When hope is rightly placed in the resurrection and in God’s covenant faithfulness, believers endure differently.
Tommy closes by warning against foolishness and shallow Scripture knowledge, using the “baptism for the dead” passage to show how isolated verses can distort truth. Without understanding the whole counsel of Scripture, believers become vulnerable to deception. Ultimately, he calls the church to relocate their hope—not in marriage, money, healing, perfect children, or safety—but in God’s unshakable promises. Faith believes His Word. Hope confidently expects its fulfillment. Love lives it out. These three remain forever. And when hope is anchored in resurrection, believers can live boldly, suffer faithfully, and stand unmoved.