Against All Hope - A Good Friday! Series

The Bible is very clear and it is very important to note that history books affirm much about Jesus Christ:

• who is God, became a human being

• became a man fully obedient to God

• performed many miracles

• taught about God and eternal life

• was crucified, died, and was buried

• rose from the dead and spoke to over 500 people

• ascended back to heaven

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to Christians in Rome about 60 years after the birth of Jesus Christ. The letter connected Jesus Christ to the Scriptures of the Old Testament and provided instructions on how to live. This letter was not only for the Christians in Rome but for all Believers of Christ including us today. Please open your Bibles to this Letter to the Romans, to Chapter 4 (page.).

Read along with me Romans 4:18–25…………

Abraham knew the facts. He was 100 years old and his wife Sarah was barren. V18 states, “against all hope”. In other words, there was no way Abraham and Sarah could have a child!

But God said they will have a son. Against all hope, Abraham believed that God would give him a son! This is faith!

Let’s briefly apply this biblical truth to our lives.

Is God Holy, Perfect, Righteous, and eternally Good??

Are we holy, perfect, righteous, and good??

Revelation 21:27 states that nothing impure will enter where God is! We have a major problem. Because all of us have sinned against God, we can not enter God’s presence on our own!

This is a fact! Do you really believe this? Against all hope God told Abraham he would have a son and Abraham believed and it happened! Now, against all our hopes to go to heaven, what has God told us??

For God so loved every person in the world that He gave His one and only Son Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life with God! John 3:16

Do you believe in Jesus Christ who is God, who died for your sins? If you believe in Jesus Christ as your only Savior and God, then against all hope, you have been made holy and you can enter the presence of God!

This is a fact! Do you really believe this?

We are saved by faith through Jesus Christ. Now look at what God tells us in Romans Chapter 5:1-8………

What do believers of Christ have?

Christians have peace with God and access into God’s favor! God tells us to stand with this truth! In other words, be confident in what God says!

Is your heart truly at peace?

If not, Jesus is waiting for you to come back to Him!

Do you have an attitude of gratitude or an attitude of wanting? If you don’t see yourself thankful, be honest, Jesus is waiting for you to come back to Him!

For when we are truly in Jesus Christ, living by faith in Him, then we will rejoice, whether in God’s glory or temporary sufferings! How joyful are you with your life?

If not, Jesus is waiting for you to come back to Him!

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God, through Jesus Christ, has done everything for us to have peace, to be thankful, and to have joy! Jesus Christ is always waiting for us to receive His love. How do we get back to Him? We are to confess our sins, give up those sins, and remember Christ’s death for us.

Will you return to Christ by confessing your sins, writing them down on the red piece of paper? And when you are ready, take a pin, and place your sins on the cross as we sing “The Nails In Your Hands”.

If you believe in Jesus Christ as your only Savior and God, will you now come forward and celebrate Communion…..