Hope In The Dark

Hope In The Dark | Gareth Nicholson | 05 April 2026

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He Is Not Here: The Foundation of Our Faith

I believe there’s something deep in every human heart that longs for the presence of God. And that’s a powerful truth - because God shows up where He is wanted.

But we live in a culture filled with skepticism. Not just toward Christianity, but toward faith, institutions, and religion as a whole. Many people today aren’t rejecting faith after deep study - they’re reacting to fragments. What you might call “TikTok theology”: surface-level opinions shaped by short clips, soundbites, and secondhand interpretations.

And often, the Bible becomes the target.

People say things like:

• “The Old Testament is full of violence - how can that align with a loving God?”

• “The Gospels contradict each other.”

• “There are confusing or outdated commands - how do you explain those?”

But here’s the reality: many criticisms of Christianity come from taking small pieces of Scripture out of context, without understanding the bigger story.

Back to the Beginning

Let’s go back to the early church.

The first followers of Jesus didn’t have a Bible like we do today. There was no neatly bound collection of Scripture. What they had was something far more immediate and powerful:

They had a person. And they had an event.

The Bible, as we know it, came later - a collection of eyewitness accounts, written down and compiled over time. It’s inspired, powerful, and essential. But it’s not the foundation of our faith.

The foundation of the Christian faith is Jesus, and one defining moment:

The resurrection.

Why the Resurrection Changes Everything

The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:

“If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

That’s a bold statement.

If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead:

• Faith is meaningless

• Preaching is pointless

• Hope is empty

But if He did rise?

Then everything changes.

Faith has a foundation. Hope becomes unshakable. Life gains purpose and direction.

Christianity doesn’t stand or fall on philosophical ideas - it stands or falls on a historical claim: that Jesus went into the grave and came out again.

“He Is Not Here”

Imagine the scene.

Jesus’ followers had just watched Him die. The grief, the confusion, the hopelessness - it would have been overwhelming. Saturday was silent. A day of waiting. A day of wondering, What now?

Then Sunday morning.

Some women go to the tomb, carrying spices to prepare His body. But instead of finding death, they encounter something unexpected.

The stone is rolled away. The tomb is empty. And they hear these words:

“He is not here.”

Four words that changed everything.

Not anxiety. Not panic. Not loss.

Victory.

The Implications of an Empty Tomb

If Jesus were still in the tomb:

• There would be no lasting hope

• No victory over death

• No eternal life

But because He is not there:

• Death has been defeated

• Hope is alive

• Fear no longer has the final word

And it’s not just about what we’re saved from - it’s about what we’re saved for.

Saved From… and Saved For

Yes, Jesus saves us from:

• Sin

• Shame

• Fear

• Separation from God

But He also saves us for something:

• A new identity

• A restored relationship with God

• A life filled with purpose

• A Spirit-empowered future

If Jesus had only died, He would have been a martyr.

But because He rose, He is King.

A Personal Invitation

It’s easy to think this message is for someone else.

“But you don’t know my story.”You don’t know what I’ve done.”

You’re right - but Jesus does.

And He chose the cross anyway.

The message of the gospel is this:

Every person has fallen short. The cost of sin is death. But the gift of God is life through Jesus.

And this gift is available to everyone.

Romans 10:9 says:

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Not some. Everyone.

Because He Is Not There…

Because He is not in the tomb:

• You can live with hope

• You can walk in freedom

• You can experience healing

• You can discover your purpose

This is the foundation of our faith.

Not just a book. Not just a belief system.

A person. An event.

An empty tomb.

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