Take-Home Sermon
What Has the Resurrection Got to Do with Me?
Matthew 22:23–33 · Poong Sung Kwang Yeom Church
1Married Couples
Do we treat our present difficulty as "the end of the road," or are we holding on together to a hope beyond it?
Even between husband and wife, conflicts and hurts arise that we cannot make sense of. In such moments we often feel that the trouble in front of us is the whole story, and we lose heart.
The Sadducees assumed that life after the resurrection would be exactly the same as now, and so they built a despairing question on that assumption. But Jesus tells us there is a new order that God will bring to completion. Our present difficulty is not the whole of our relationship.
"We believe that this present difficulty is not the whole story for us. Help us to hope together in what You will complete."
That we, as a couple, would look beyond our present struggles to God's good plan, and hold on to one another.
2Those Whose Spouse Does Not Share Their Faith
Am I judging my relationship with my spouse only by what is visible right now?
Watching a spouse who does not yet share our faith, impatience and despair can creep in. Looking only at the present circumstances, it can feel as though nothing is changing.
God is not the God of the dead but of the living. Just as His faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was not severed by death, His work in your spouse's life is not limited to what is visible now.
"Help me not to judge Your work in my spouse's life only by what I can see, but to trust You, who remain faithful to the end."
That we would wait patiently for God's living work in our spouse's life, and not lose hope.
3Parents of Young Children
When my child asks about death or loss, how do I answer?
Children often ask "What happens when you die?" after the death of a pet, or the passing of a grandparent. It is not easy for a parent to give an answer that is both honest and full of hope.
Jesus tells us that God is not the God of the dead but of the living. We can share this hope naturally in our own homes: death is not the end, because our relationship with God continues.
"Help me to teach my child about death not as a fear, but in the language of hope."
That our children would grow up learning the hope of the resurrection naturally, from an early age.
4Parents of Teenage and Older Children
Am I looking only at my child's present state, and missing the possibilities and God's plan that lie beyond it?
Watching a teenage child, parents often despair as though the present moment will continue forever. Grades, attitude, and the state of their faith can feel like the whole picture.
We heard today that the Sadducees misunderstood because they judged the future only by the present. We too must not judge our child's future only by what we see now. God is at work, alive, even in places we cannot see.
"Help me to believe that my child's present state is not the whole story, and to wait patiently for God's faithful work."
That we would trust the God who is even now at work in our child, and not grow impatient.
5Single Adults
Am I treating my present loneliness or uncertainty as "the whole of my life"?
Being single, anxiety about the future and loneliness in relationships can arise. Looking only at the present, it can feel as though there is no answer.
The resurrection does not take our suffering away, but it lets us see something greater than that suffering. Beside the uncertainty you feel today stands the living God, who is with you. Today's circumstance is not the conclusion of your life.
"I believe this present uncertainty is not the end of my story, and I hold on to the living God, today as well."
That we would not grow impatient where we are now, but trust the faithfulness of the living God.