When we talk about God, we can use a number of words to describe Him. He is the God of Love. The God of Joy. The God of Mercy. It’s almost endless when we think about all of the different ATTRIBUTES of God. But this morning I want to preach to you a message on just ONE of those ATTRIBUTES. He is the God of HOPE.
ILLUS: I was reading about a young man who had a DEADLY DISEASE. He went to see a new doctor and the doctor examined him and COLDLY said “You realize you won’t make it to the end of the year.” The young man left the office and began to cry. He told the receptionist, “That man took away my hope.” She said, “Yes he did, maybe it’s time to get a New One.” Maybe you’re here this morning and you’ve lost HOPE. Things are really bad right now. You may be missing LIFE the way it used to be. You may have lost a LOVED ONE and it seems like the PAIN won’t end. Maybe you’re BATTLING a disease and there’s no RELIEF in sight. Maybe it seems like everything is FALLING APART and things look HOPELESS. Well let me tell you something. It’s TIME to get a NEW HOPE. Jesus CAME, LIVED, and DIED to bring HOPE to this SINFUL WORLD. Jesus Christ is the ONLY ONE who can bring HOPE into YOUR world today. So HOW does He do that? Well that’s what I want to look at today.
Let’s start off by reading just one Verse this Morning.
Turn, if you will, to Romans 15 and we’ll read Verse 13.
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
The definition of HOPE as a NOUN is: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
As a VERB HOPE is defined: to want something to happen or be the case.
Today we CELEBRATE the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, almost 2000 years ago a man named Jesus suffered the Roman form of Capitol Punishment. Crucifixion. And as he hung there between the Earth and Heaven I’m sure that many felt a sense of hopelessness. His MOTHER stood there and watched her son die. Some of the disciples were there to watch as Jesus hung there. Blood running down from the GASHES on his back. His face also covered with BLOOD from the Crown of thorns pushed down upon his head. Gasping for air, pulling himself up for every breath.
Some people were probably there CELEBRATING. Enjoying the SPECTACLE. Watching the BIG SHOW.
While others were there CRYING in DISBELIEF. How could this happen? A perfect man who did nothing but good. Why was He dying? Well, 2000 years later I can answer that question. He died to bring hope. So let’s take a look at HOW He brought HOPE but before we do, let’s pray.
Brother _____, would you lead us?
So HOW does Jesus bring HOPE to us, as we’re living in a world that seems to be falling apart?
Inflation is on the rise. It’s costing more and more to feed our families.
There’s war in Europe. There’s war in the Middle East. There’s 35 ARMED CONFLICTS going on in Africa and 21 going on in Asia. An ARMED CONFLICT is a nice way to say WAR!!!
And we have DIVISION in our own country. We’re more divided now than we have been since the Civil War. You have the Lefty Pinko Commies on one side and then you have the Radical Right Wingers, such as myself, on the other side. And it seems like the divide gets wider everyday.
So in all of this MESS, how does Jesus offer HOPE?
I. Well, first of all, while the world offers ENTERTAINMENT, Jesus offers FULFILLMENT.
I don’t know of any time when there have been more things to distract you from REALITY. Entertainment is the Name of the Game. When I was a kid we had PONG. You all remember PONG. It was a BIG UPGRADE from PINBALL MACHINES. You could set there and bounce a little ball on your TV screen for hours. It was KIND OF like playing TENNIS on your TV.
But now-a-days we all carry computers around in our pockets. We can play games on these computers. Check Facebook. Twitter. And X. Gossip about other people. You see, it’s ok to do that when it’s done on your hand held computer. Right? Make reservations. Watch movies. Pay bills.
And oh yeah, you can even make PHONE CALLS on those things. Imagine that.
We have RESORTS and SPAS to go to.
We have Amusement Parks and Cruise Lines.
And listen, there’s nothing wrong with a lot of these things but they are made to ENTERTAIN. Entertain is defined as AMUSEMENT or ENJOYMENT. You might say it takes our minds off of what’s going on around us. It takes our mind off of the PROBLEMS we have. The SADNESS in our lives. But here’s the deal. Entertainment, Amusement, Enjoyment is only temporary. It doesn’t FULFILL the need we all have.
Listen, part of the HOPE that Jesus gives us is simply FULFILLING HIS WILL in our lives. God has a PLAN for every one of us and when we SUBMIT to HIM there’s NOTHING LIKE IT.
The world offers ENTERTAINMENT but Jesus offers FULFILLMENT. 1 Corinthians 2:9 and 10.
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
Listen, the FULFILLMENT that God offers is not just a TEMPORARY FEELING. It’s FULFILLMENT that will LAST.
And listen, it’s NOT some SHALLOW FEELING. It’s DEEP and it’s REAL. Think about it for a minute. A REAL RELATIONSHIP with the God of this UNIVERSE. He wants YOU to be His child. He wants to be YOUR FATHER.
ILLUS: Ryan and Morgan, adopted a child from an orphanage in another country. They'd passed through all the legal processes in that country. Charlie was their son. But right before the day when they were supposed to pick Charlie up from the orphanage, things changed. There were some political upheavals, and the country froze the process. No more children were going to be able to leave the country.
They couldn’t go get their BOY, their SON, so they decided to do something about it. They flew over from the US and basically camped outside of the orphanage. They spent half their time with their son and the other half lobbying the courts and meeting with government officials, pleading with them to release their son. After a few weeks Morgan had to return home, but Ryan stayed. It was at Christmas time. This was not where he wanted to be at Christmas—away from home, far from family. But here was a father who loved his son and was willing to fight for that son. There would be more days and weeks of struggle, but, finally, he won. He got to bring Charlie home.
That Christmas, as Ryan battled the court systems on the other side of the world … he was a picture of the kind of "Eternal Father" that God is for anyone who asks him to be. God FOUGHT for YOU and I.
You see, God went even further for us than Ryan went for his son. He sent his only Son down to this world of pain so that we could be His children. He did all of that because he loves us. He did all that because he wants to be with us. Jesus came to us to ensure that we could go to be with him, and it cost him a whole lot more than a plane ticket.
Part of the HOPE that we have today, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, is the FULFILLMENT that we have by serving Him. While the world offers us ENTERTAINMENT, Jesus offers us FULFILLMENT.
II. Secondly, the world offers us a TREATMENT but Jesus offers us a CURE.
You know I was thinking about those who are sick today. Some of you all have BATTLED CANCER in the past and some of you all are BATTLING it today. Some are BATTLING Diabetes, Krohn’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Heart Disease, Fiber Myalgia and Dementia. It’s been right at 2 years now since my dad died of Dementia. What an EVIL DISEASE.
And for some of these DISEASES and ILLNESSES the world offers TREATMENT. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m thankful for doctors and nurses. I’m thankful for all of those who work in the Health Care Field. I’m THANKFUL for the TREATMENTS that they offer. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. But even when they do work it’s just temporary. They just PUT OFF, the INEVITABLE, DEATH.
As much as we would like, there is NO PILL that’s gonna make you live forever. There’s NO FOUNTAIN of YOUTH. There’s NO SERUM or SPECIAL ELIXIR that’s gonna fix OLD AGE.
You can EXERCISE. Nothing wrong with that.
You can eat HEALTHY. Lot’s of fruits and vegetables.
Take your SUPPLEMENTS and VITAMINS.
CUT OUT BACON!!! Now THAT has to be a SIN!!! LOL
But LISTEN, we can do all of these things and we’re still GONNA DIE. Hebrews 9:27 tells us this and our EYES do too don’t they?
You see, I look around and I see people getting older. I see you fellows out there. Some of you all’s HAIR is starting to turn GREY and even worse than that, some of you all’s HAIR is falling OUT!!!
And let me say this before I get myself into a lot of trouble. You ladies look awful pretty today. But I see a few wrinkles working their way up on you all’s faces. And every once in a while I SEE (Clear throat) I SEE your ROOTS. Boy you all are getting OLD.
But THEN!!! Then I look in the mirror and there’s an OLD MAN staring back at me. And I say, “Who is that OLD GEEZER?”
The WORLD OFFERS US A TREATMENT!!! But in the end there’s NO HOPE when these TREATMENTS FAIL.
But listen here. Jesus offers MORE than just a TREATMENT, He offers us a CURE. Now THAT gives me HOPE!!!
And listen, it gets even better. It’s a DOUBLE CURE. Jesus doesn’t just TREAT our SIN SICK SOUL. He CURES US. In Mark 2, Verses 14-17, Jesus tells us that HE is the GREAT PHYSICIAN for SIN SICK SOULS.
“And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus CURES SIN SICK SOULS!!!
You see, in this day and age we try to FIX SINNERS.
Some get PROBATION. They check in every month.
Others go to REHABILITATION FACILITIES.
Some we send to JAIL HOPING they will learn their lesson.
But then some we just THROW into PRISON and THROW away the KEY. Just keep them away from society.
Listen, I’m all for it. I say let’s get tough on CRIME. My point is, WE CAN’T FIX THEM. We can just TREAT the PROBLEM. That doesn’t give much HOPE does it?
But Jesus CURES the SIN SICK SOUL.
There’s people here today who have been in PRISON and PRISON didn’t FIX THEM. JESUS DID.
There’s people here today who have been through REHAB. REHAB didn’t fix them … JESUS DID.
And when it really comes down to it, this building is FULL of people who were SIN SICK BUT BUT BUT!!!! Jesus came into our lives. There’s NONE OF US better than anyone else because we were ALL on our way to HELL until JESUS came and HEALED our SIN SICK SOULS!!!
Now THAT GIVES ME HOPE!!! Can I get an AMEN?!!!
PRAISE the LORD!!! I was LOST but NOW I’m FOUND, I was BLIND but NOW I SEE!!!
And listen, I told you that Jesus brought a DOUBLE CURE.
ILLUS: Remember on the Old Westerns, you’d have the OLD PEDDLERS come along in their COVERED WAGONS and they would sell their ELIXIR’S. They claimed that it would fix anything that was wrong with you and take a STAIN out of your SHIRT at the same time. Right? All it wound up being was a little moonshine. It was FAKE. But what Jesus offers us today is REAL. He OFFERS a CURE for a SIN SICK SOUL and He OFFERS a CURE for these BROKEN BODIES.
AND THAT GIVES ME HOPE.
You see, that’s what we celebrate today. The RESURRECTION of JESUS from the DEAD. Jesus had the same FLESHLY BODY as we do. Jesus wasn’t some SUPERMAN. If he got CUT, He BLED. If He got HIT, He BRUISED. If He smashed His thumb, His NAIL turned BLACK and BLUE and FELL OFF just like ours does. He knew PAIN just like we know PAIN. And He experienced the DEATH of His body, just like we all will experience the DEATH of our bodies.
SO WHY DOES THAT GIVE ME HOPE?
Because He rose on the THIRD DAY from the DEAD.
In 1 Corinthians Chapter 15, Paul is speaking to the Church there at Corinth. And he goes into the resurrection of Jesus. In Verse 12 he says,
“Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?”
There were some in this Church that DID NOT believe in the RESURRECTION of the DEAD. And so Paul has to explain it to them. Let’s go ahead and read Verses 13-22,
“But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
Why is it SO IMPORTANT that Christ arose from the DEAD? Why do we CELEBRATE that today? Why does it give us HOPE? Because Jesus was only the BEGINNING. You and I can LIVE AGAIN because of what Jesus did for us. HE IS THE CURE FOR THESE FLESHLY BODIES.
I’ve said it many times while standing over an OPEN HOLE speaking to a GRIEVING FAMILY. “Some day this CEMETERY is gonna look like a PLOWED FIELD.” Jesus is the CURE for these SICK, BROKEN, FLESHLY BODIES.
“On that resurrection morning
When all dead in Christ shall rise
I'll have a new body
Praise the Lord, I'll have a new life”
That’s the HOPE that we have in Jesus.
But let me ask you something. Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Have you put your TRUST in Him?
You see, we all know John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
That’s a beautiful Verse. But too many times we forget the next Verse. John 3:17
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
Jesus came into this world NOT to CONDEMN this world. It was already CONDEMNED. Mankind had fallen. Sin condemned every single person to HELL that had ever been born. Jesus came to OFFER US SALVATION. He defeated the CROSS. He DEFEATED DEATH, HELL and the GRAVE and HE ROSE AGAIN. Now is HE your Savior? Do you really KNOW HIM or do you just know ABOUT HIM?
Romans 10:9-13
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Now this is where the RUBBER meets the ROAD.
The WORLD offers us ENTERTAINMENT, but Jesus offers us FULFILLMENT. Are you LIVING a fulfilling life or are you just ENTERTAINED? Do you know what you’re LIVING FOR? Listen Jesus can give you PEACE and CONTENTMENT.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
And the WORLD can only offer us a TREATMENT, but Jesus offers us a CURE. What a GREAT DAY to TRULY PUT YOUR TRUST in Jesus. The DAY we CELEBRATE the HOPE that we have in Him. Instead of DREADING the SECOND COMING of Jesus, we can LOOK FORWARD to it. Titus 2:13
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
On December 7, 1988 an EARTHQUAKE leveled countless buildings in the Armenian area of the Soviet Union. In 4 minutes over 30,00 people died. One father raced to the school where his young son attended.
When he arrived, he saw that the building had been leveled. As he looked at the huge stones and rubble, he remembered a promise he had made to his child: “No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you.”
Driven by that promise, he found the area closest to his son’s classroom and began to pull back the rocks. Other parents arrived and began sobbing for their children. “It’s too late,” they told the man. “You know they are dead. You can’t help.” Even a police officer encouraged him to give up.
But the father refused. For 8 hours, then 16, then 32, 36 hours he dug. His hands were raw, and his energy was gone but he refused to quit. Finally, after 38 hours, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son’s voice. He called the boys name, “Arman! Arman!” And a voice answered him, “Dad, it’s me!” Then the boy said these words, “I told the other kids not to worry. I told them if you were alive, you’d save me, and when you saved me, they’d be saved, to. Because you promised, ‘No matter what, I’ll always be there for you.’”
Listen, God has made the same promise to us in John 14:3.
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” “I will come back” He PROMISED US. Yes, the EARTH will SHAKE. The ROCKS will FALL. Things might get hard. But our Father has made us a PROMISE and THAT gives me HOPE.
Let’s Pray
