Our Hope is NOT in the Cross Alone

Introduction

Everyone, before I get into today's message, please write down the three parts of the gospel in your bulletin. But use pencil. See if you know it. What is the gospel?

A: Death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

See:

Isaiah 53 (focus on vv. 5-10)

Jonah 1:17; 2:10

Hosea 6:2

Dwight L. Moody told the following story:

A leading surgeon I heard of, when he has a bad wound to dress, or a broken limb to set, tells the patient:

“Now, look at the wound, see just how it looks, and then look at me!”

So when you have seen the state your heart is in, look up to Christ, and nowhere else.

Moody, D. L. (1899). Moody’s Stories: Being a Second Volume of Anecdotes, Incidents and Illustrations (p. 43). New York; Chicago; Toronto; London; Edinburg: Fleming H. Revell.

Most of us want Jesus to do things in our lives. And so we look to Christ - the healer and Savior of our souls! Inherent in this view of Christ is the very thing so often forgotten, or at least rarely emphasized these days from our pulpits and gospel presentations - the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We preach the death of Christ, while we take for granted His resurrection. But if we point our attention to this truth, rather than assume it in all else we do, then we find a resistance to believe. But there's no reason to do that. No reason to NOT believe. Our hope is in His resurrection, even more than in the cross.

The gospel presented by the Disciples to a world that had never heard about Jesus included the resurrection. And this miracle made a huge stir! That's what our world needs today - indeed it's what Christians and everyone else needs to wake up to! Jesus is alive.

I want us to refocus our gospel message - our very hope - pinning everything onto the resurrection for providing everything needed for heaven!

Of course, the cross satisfies the Mosaic Law. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. And the shedding of perfect blood washes us white as snow. But that isn't enough. Jesus had to rise again! We wouldn't be here this morning if He hadn't. But we cannot simply focus on the resurrection on Easter Sunday. We need to focus on it all the time! It's the most important thing Jesus did!

No resurrection, no preaching

No resurrection, no faith

No resurrection, no truth

No resurrection, no forgiveness

No resurrection, no heaven

Conclusion

Our hope isn't just in the cross. It set the scene for the greatest miracle of all - the Resurrection. And the resurrection is the gospel! There is no good news apart from it! There is no point in obeying the Bible apart from it. There is no hope of heaven apart from it. This is why we celebrate EVERY Sunday. The disciples met on Sunday - Resurrection Day! And we need to double down on that message! It changed the hearts of every one of the Disciples. It should change the hearts of every one of us here this morning! There's no compartmentalizing this reality. We can't just talk about this on Sunday - it is central to everything we do, everything we are, and everything we hope for! This is what we celebrate every day we walk with the Living, resurrected Savior!