Hope in the Darkness

Intro

- Illustration- convincing kids to bear something unpleasant for a greater reward

o We often purposefully go through periods of darkness with the hope of a desired outcome- dieting, exercise, surgery

o The principle of delayed gratification- enduring something now with the hope of a greater benefit later.

- We’ve spent the last two week talking about the reality of trials, difficulties, and suffering in this life and our response as followers of Jesus.

- There’s no denying that this world throws some difficult things at us, but this morning I want to point us to some incredible, life changing truths that give us hope in the darkness

- Jesus showed us the way. He set our example as he followed the path to the cross

- But today, we celebrate his resurrection, the reality that gave Jesus hope in the pain of the cross and the same reality that gives us the sure and living hope that each one of us can have today! My greatest desire is that no one leaves here today without that sure hope secured in the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

- As Keifer read the account from the book of Luke, we see the discovery of the empty tomb. The angel declares, “He is not here. He is risen.” But the question is, how does this account affect our lives today? Why is it so important that Jesus rose from the dead?

o Paul said in 1 Cor. 15 “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

- Read 1 Peter 1:3-9

The Resurrection Gives Us New Life (3)

A. Through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, God has poured out his mercy on us

1. We are sinful and deserve God's wrath

2. Jesus paid our debt on the cross

3. And he offers us the free gift of salvation

B. When we accept this gift, he gives us new birth (life)

1. Given- comes from God, he caused it, we can do nothing to earn this

2. Illustration of spring- new life

3. The old man has passed away

C. This new life gives us living hope

1. Because Christ is indeed alive!

2. If Christ stayed in the tomb, we would have no hope! But he is living!

3. Hope is a funny thing

a. Hope is the belief that something will happen in the future

b. Illustration- the thing that varies is the probability of that thing actually happening- “I hope...” vs “I hope…”

c. difference between a hope that is grounded and sure vs. a hope that is empty, false, and baseless (the world offers)

4. So what is our hope based on? What is its foundation

a. The resurrection of Jesus

b. This is why it is called a living hope

The Resurrection Gives Us Future Hope (4-5)

A. The hope of an inheritance in Heaven

1. Illustration of inheritance

2. Gal. 4:7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

3. An inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade

a. Illustration- expensive thing fading- Palau

B. This inheritance is being guarded in heaven by God's power

1. Word is "shielded"- military term

2. A sure thing- it will be kept safe- it cannot be lost

a. Illustration- bike lock

b. So many people in this world live with an uncertainty of what will happen when they die- it's a scary thought!

c. But the reality is that it’s not up to us- and that is reassuring! We are not the ones who secure and preserve our salvation, God does that in all of his power and glory- we can rest assured that our inheritance and our future hope is secure

d. He doesn’t get angry at our mistakes or annoyed with our failures and say, “That’s it, you’re on your own!”

3. Through faith- this is our part- believing and trusting what we know to be true about God and his promises

C. The day is coming when this future hope will be made a reality

1. “For a salvation that will be revealed in the last time”

2. We experience salvation at the moment we place our faith in Christ (forgiveness of sins, indwelling of the Holy Spirit), but we will experience it in its fulness when we are in heaven with Jesus

3. Eph. 1:13-14 “In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.”

The Resurrection Gives Us Present Joy (6-9)

- You ever meet someone like that, that’s just always happy, and you kinda hate them for it

- "In this you rejoice"- all that Peter has been focusing on up to this point- God’s great mercy,

o If we take these truths- what we know- that God has offered us a way of salvation, he has freed us from the penalty of sin, he has given us an inheritance that can never be taken from us- when we truly believe these things and act on them, live like they are true- we can have joy

A. Joy in trials

1. Trials are difficult, suffering and loss cause grief, but if we have this living hope within us, this faith that is bound to the reality of what God has done for us, then no amount of grief or sorrow can diminish the joy that is planted deep within us

B. These trials refine and prove our faith

1. Illustration- you can’t really tell if something is genuine until it has been tested

a. If trials cause someone to abandon their faith, it is evidence that they had no faith to begin with.

2. If we are focused on Christ, we can come out of these difficulties stronger

a. James 1:3, 12 “

b. Like fire purifies gold

c. But faith is far more precious that gold- what do we prioritize in life?

C. Inexpressible joy

1. Our faith and our joy come from a relationship with a person, not simply from knowing facts from a book, or doing or saying the right things, it’s a personal relationship with Jesus

a. There is a deep love for Christ- a person we have never met- but the love we have for him comes from an understanding of who he is and what he has done for us.

2. Receiving the goal of your faith- the salvation of your soul

a. This is the single most important decision of your life

Conclusion

- So What?

o Have you received the new life that Jesus offers?

o Do you have the sure hope of a future in heaven?

o Do you have lasting, inexpressible joy in your life?

- This is my greatest desire for each one of you here today, that you experience that New Life that Jesus offers to you. That you would have that unshakable hope and surety of eternal life, and not only future hope, but a present joy that is not based on circumstances, a joy that does not fade when things get difficult, a joy that is rooted in the person of and work of Jesus

- You might be thinking, “This sounds nice, but how could it be possible?”

- It is impossible apart from the resurrection of Jesus. If we pursue lasting joy or a secure hope for the future in anything other than Jesus, we will never find it.

- but Jesus offers each one of us the free gift of salvation. He paid your debt on the cross and all he asks is that you put your faith and trust in him.

- If you’ve never made that decision, will you do that today?

o “Dear God, I know that I am not worthy to be accepted by you. I don’t deserve your gift of eternal life. I am guilty of rebelling against you and ignoring you. I need forgiveness.

o Thank you for sending your son to die for me that I may be forgiven. Thank you that he rose from the dead to give me new life.

o Please forgive me and change me, that I may live with Jesus as my ruler. Amen”