A Reason to Hope

April 9, 2023

 

INTRODUCTION

WHAT MOVES YOU?

 

A Reason to Hope: to believe that there is a better future that is available to each of us and all of us

 

KEY POINT: The resurrection of Jesus gives everyone a reason to hope

 

TEXT: John 19:1-18

 

Jesus came to disrupt the darkness (vv. 1-2)

Darkness is more than just the absence of light, it is the absence of good: it’s not just a physical reality but a moral and spiritual reality as well

 

SIN: humanity’s rejection of God’s way, choosing rather their own way; the sense that we know better than God how to experience the good life

 

Though his death, Jesus bore the penalty for sin and with his resurrection demonstrated his power over sin and death

 

Jesus is closer to you than you think (vv. 11-14)

Sometimes, when we are in midst of daily struggles that we fail to notice what is around us—our struggles become so big that it is hard to see anything else

 

God has not given up on us…but he comes and meets us right where we are at

 

Jesus cares more than you realize (v. 15)

Often people view God as merely demanding: the God of commandments, but he is also the God of questions—inviting us to wrestle with where we are at

 

Those moments where you wrestle deeply, searching for answers and processing loss invite his presence

 

Jesus wants to transform your life with his life (vv. 16-18)

When he spoke her name, everything changed!

His life was for her life—a life not limited by earthly scarcity but empowered by heaven’s abundance

 

What do we do?

 

Acknowledge our need

Being honest with him in his presence

Recognizing that our sin has set death in motion and we can’t undo it ourselves

 

Deciding that it is time for a change—a new direction

 

Receive His gift of life

Jesus wants to give us the gift of life—to unburden us from our sin and shame

A life not defined by our history, hurts, and habits, but by his grace

 

Allow His life to move you

Letting his hope begin to empower you to live the life you were created for—the one God intended

 

RESPONSE: Jesus, I put my hope in you—may your life give me life!