What does it mean that Christ is our future?

Hey, thanks again for sending in questions related to our recent sermons. This last week, we concluded our series, This Is My Story, for this summer, at least, and we heard from Beth who talked about church as family. The connection, um, family-like relationships that we can experience with those in the church. And said in our teaching on the passage in Ephesians 2, the reason that we can have that deep connection with one another is our common foundation in Christ, that he is our cornerstone.

That really meaning, uh, that we build everything in our lives around, um, and on. He’s strong enough to hold all of it, our hopes, dreams, self-worth, future. Um, he can hold all of that. In fact, he is all of that. He is our hope. He is our dreams. He is what we’re aiming for in life. He is our treasure.

He is our self-worth. He is our future. So if we have all of that in common with somebody, if you are chatting with someone and you realize we have, we have the same aim in life. We have the same future that we’re looking forward to. We have the same source of self-worth. Um, then you’re going to feel very connected, uh, to that person. And so, the question for this week is, um, what does it exactly mean that Christ is our future, Christ is our hope, Christ is our self-worth? Um, and I would say,

the the easiest way to think about it is if you, uh, consider Christ a means to an end, a different end other than him, or if he is the end that you’re hoping for. You know, if, um, if you feel empty in life and you think, uh, a career, a relationship, um, a child, a house is going to fulfill that emptiness in you and you’re asking Christ to provide career, house, relationship, child, then then you’re kind of asking Christ to be a means to a different end. Um, same thing if you have an illness and

you’re like, Christ, heal this illness. Thinking that that is really what you need most in life. Not that, again, in that scenario, Christ is a means to an end. Not that, not that it’s wrong to pray for healing for an illness, not that it’s wrong to pray for a career, not that it’s wrong to pray for, you know, a house, relationship, child, whatever. All that’s fine to pray for and ask for.

But, but the question is, is which one would you actually want more? Um, if you if you had to choose between, you know, house and Christ, a cure and Christ, which which one, which one are you actually hoping in to have more? Um, which one’s more foundational for you? Again, Christ being the cornerstone. Um, that’s how you tell, is if he’s the cornerstone or not. Uh, is the the treasure at the end of your life is not, uh, when if you’re a Christian, it’s not so much, you know, comfort and bliss in

heaven. The the biggest treasure in heaven is Christ himself. That’s what we’re, that’s what we’re looking forward to enjoying, is is being with him. He’s the reward for us. Um, and so if you could imagine heaven with all the, um, you know, beaches and houses and relationships and food, um, the best that you’ve ever had, and you could have all of that forever, but Christ wasn’t there, if you could be happy in that heaven, then Christ isn’t your cornerstone. Um, he’s not what’s, you know, most foundational

for you. Um, and so, a self-evaluation for you, and it also maybe help diagnose, um, you know, if you’re like, hey, I say I’m a Christian, but I don’t really feel connected, you know, to other Christians. I’m like, well, hey, maybe and there could be lots of reasons for that, and maybe the other Christians you’re around just aren’t treating you how they should.

So there could be lots of reasons for that. But one of the reasons could be that you don’t have the same foundational cornerstone. You might not actually be aiming for Christ. You might be hoping Christ helps you accomplish some other end, um, in which case you don’t have the same foundation as others. Um, and so that’s what it means that Christ is our hope. Is he is the thing that we’re looking forward to most.

He is what we want most. We would say something like, don’t cure this illness if it’s going to give me less of you, Lord. What I want from this illness is to get more of you, most, and then also I want a cure. But most is what I want is more of you. That’s what it would mean. Um, so we hope that’s clarifying.

Thanks for the question. We’ll see you next time.