MESSAGES ON DEMAND
Ray Parascando - March 27, 2016
Resurrection Hope
The centerpiece of Christianity is not stained glass windows, a list of dos and don’ts, or a record of how bad you have been. The centerpiece of Christianity is what is celebrated each Sunday, that there is an empty tomb in Jerusalem. We give God thanks and praise that because the same power that rose Christ from the dead is the same power that holds up every promise that we hold to be true from God’s world. What separates Christianity from every other world view, and religious expression on the face of the earth is that Jesus Christ did indeed raised from the dead. This is not just a folk tale or fairy tale, rather it is a viable part of history. The greatest of all that can be found from the empty tomb, the greatest truth you can take today, that is something we can apply to our lives, to our families, and to every day forward is the hope that comes from the promises of God. The ultimate promise that He defeated sin and death is true.
Scripture References: Mark 16:1-8
From Series: "Secure Hope"
Over the course of your life, you will have grief, you will feel stuck, you will experience abandonment, you will be overwhelmed, you will get played, you will lose in your battle with temptation, and you will even forget God. All of these realities of life contribute to what your greatest struggle is, which is hopelessness. To fix this problem, we typically look for hope in the form of superstitious hope, which is like a mystical thinking type of hope, or self-hope, which is a wishful thinking type of hope. Both of these versions of hope will only further your state of hopelessness. Thankfully, the Bible offers something called Secure Hope. This hope is built on the promises of God. Job 8:13 says, “…those who forget God have no hope.” When we forget God, and His promises, any of those common areas of life can lead to a total state of hopelessness. Therefore, we take a detailed look at the hope you need, which is the Secure Hope of Jesus Christ.
