Our Hope Is In You Lord

Our Hope is in You Lord

Romans 6:8-11

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

Over 2,000 years ago a gift was given to humanity that would forever give hope to a world reigned by chaos, famines, wars, and debilitating diseases. This hope would not be found in riches, fame, or power that many of this world covet and see as the key to happiness, but instead in a babe lying in a manger, rapped in swaddling clothes (Luke 2:12). And yet while “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him,” (Isaiah 53:2) Jesus had a profound impact on those He met. While some were enamoured by His ability walk on water, heal lepers, the blind, and even raise people from the dead; others became envious, fearful, and outright rejected and despised Him so much that they persecuted and hung Him like a criminal, cursed upon a tree (Galatians 3:13). Ironically it would be upon the cross that Christ would take upon Himself our pain and bear our suffering, and in being stricken, crushed, and forsaken for our iniquities by His wounds we are offered healing not only of our minds but our very souls! During wars, famines, earthquakes, and diseases (Matthew 24:6-8) there is great hope for He who was, is and will forever be the Almighty (Revelation 1:8) offers us victory over tribulations and even death itself (1 Corinthians 15:50-55). Praise be to God that once sealed by His Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) not even the spiritual forces of this dark world (Ephesian 6:12) can overcome the Lamb who was slain before the creation of this world (Revelation 13:8). This is Easter and, in this sermon, I am going to introduce you to the eternal, unspeakable, glorious hope that can only be found at the foot of a cross and at the empty tomb!

Predictions of a King in Shepherd’s Clothing

Over 2,000 years ago we heard a voice of one dressed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, eating locusts and wild honey from the wilderness speaking words of great hope that will forever ring within our souls! John the Baptist told humanity to “prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him” (Matthew 3:1-3). He whom the prophets spoke of but never met and the angels who looked intently into His coming (1 Peter 1:12) had emptied Himself of the glory He had with the Father in heaven and was miraculously born both fully God and human (Philippians 2:6-8) from the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-25). This act fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah stating that there would always be someone from David’s line that would reign victorious (33:17). And yet despite being the Alpha and Omega, Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16), King of Kings (1 Timothy 6:15), Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Price of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), the Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20), True Vine (John 15:11) and Fountain of Living Waters (Jeremiah 17:13); very few recognized Him when He came to earth either because they simply were not looking for Him or they did not like this Good Shepherd calling them by name (John 10:1-5) and asking them to repent so that He might plow furrows of forgiveness and righteousness in their hearts (John 3:16)! Had Jesus come into this world born with human regality and a demonstration of power by crushing Israel’s’ enemies, His own would have accepted Him but instead by making Himself a shepherd to all and by granting access into His kingdom through confession, faith, grace, and mercy His own labelled Him an imposter for claiming to be whom He had always been, the Son of God (Matthew 27:43)!

When all Hope Seems Lost

“Hope” is defined as the “feeling of expectation and desire that something good is about to happen. Good Friday was one of the darkest times in the lives of Jesus’ followers! Those called to be His disciples had left everything to follow the Good Shepherd (Luke 18:28) with the hope and expectation that the kingdom of God would be realized (Matthew 3:2) and He would change the world for the better. How their hearts must have sunk in the Garden of Gethsemane when they heard Christ tell them that His “soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (26:38) and even more so when the chief priests, elders and a large crowd came with Judas who posed as a friend but ended up being His betrayer (26:47-50! Even though they heard Jesus say “the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise,” (Mark 9:31), they did not hear the triumphant resurrection but instead in that dreadful moment of betrayal all they could feel was fear that gripped so tightly their souls that they ran away as fast as they could (Matthew 26:56). Only Peter dared follow Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest and even then, the best he could offer the Good Shepherd was profound, gut-wrenching agony and sultry tears from his three-time denial of ever having known Him (Matthew 26:57-75). When darkness came over the land, the earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open I can only imagine the deep and profound sense of despair Mary and John must have felt when Christ spoke His last words, “my God, my God why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 27:45-54)! And yet despite the events clearly pointing to Jesus being the Son of God the best humanity could offer was the dismal statement “He was.”