Redeemption Gives Hope

Tonight, I am going to share with you the most important story from the Bible. Its the truth that as Christians we hold most dear, because it is the only place we find true hope.

Hope in the Bible is different then the way we often think about it normally. Typically we think of hope as simply a wish. “I hope my wins the big game.” or “ I hope mom order’s pizza tonight.” In the Bible, hope is confidence. Because we believe in God we have hope in the future, We know who He is so we trust and hope with confidence that he will deliver.

But why can we have hope with such confidence? Because of what we know God has done in the past, we can trust him today, and hope in him tomorrow. Read John 3:16-17

John 3:16–17 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

These basic verses, that many of you know or are familiar with, so us the truth.

God Loves Us

That He Gave his only son

Read Mark 15:16-20

Mark 15:16–20 ESV

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

What a terrible thing, to mock Jesus and then to crucify him.

Matthew 27:45–46 ESV

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Matthew 27:50–51 ESV

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

On the cross Jesus felt alone. Seperated from his friends, but more importantly seperated from God, for the first time ever. He bore the weight of our sin and died in our place.

So that Whoever believes

Will not perish, but have eternal life

Illistration: Cups