Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] I'm going to talk this morning about hope this morning. And we're going to read a great passage of scripture from John, chapter 20, starting at verse 24. And the context of the passage is that Jesus has risen from the grave.
[00:00:22] Can you imagine?
[00:00:25] He's come out. He's alive. And he goes around over the course of days and a few weeks of appearing to people.
[00:00:35] He just appears in a room like this. People are gathering. They're locking themselves in, scared. And suddenly Jesus appears.
[00:00:44] I want to tell you this morning that God by his spirit is here this morning. Having the Holy Spirit is as good as having Jesus Christ here this morning with us. Amen. And so Jesus was appearing to different people.
[00:00:58] But there was one disciple who got left out.
[00:01:03] He wasn't there when Jesus started appearing to people after the resurrection. Okay, let's read from verse 24. It says, now, Thomas called the twin. One of the twelve was not with them when Jesus came.
[00:01:20] The other disciples therefore said to him, we have seen the Lord. So he said to them, unless I see his hands, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.
[00:01:43] It's quite a statement, isn't it?
[00:01:47] All the disciples are telling him, we have seen the Lord.
[00:01:51] We have seen Jesus Christ. The one who, for the last three years, Thomas has been healing people, the one who actually wrote Lazarus from the grave himself, that Jesus, we've seen him.
[00:02:08] He's appeared to us.
[00:02:10] And Thomas does this classic, I will not believe until I see for myself.
[00:02:19] After eight days, his disciples were again inside. And this time Thomas was with them.
[00:02:28] Jesus came and the doors being shut, he stood in the midst of them and said, peace to you. Then he said to Thomas, reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach your hand here and put it in my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, my lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. But blessed are those who have not seen me and believed. Let me just say that again. Blessed are those who, this is Jesus saying this now, who have not seen him, but believe. Everyone say, believe.
[00:03:22] And truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. And I could go on and go on and read the whole thing, but for time's sake, I won't this morning. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
[00:03:51] You know, in life, there are many things that will come and go.
[00:03:55] Deo, glory, eventually, I guess, will go.
[00:03:59] Let's hope. Not soon, but many things will come and go. Many things will be important for a season in our lives. But then for another season, they won't be important.
[00:04:10] But scripture tells us that there are three key things that need to remain that can't just go for one season and then come back again for another. But they need to be constant in our lives if we are going to live the victorious life that Christ has called us to live. And it is this. It is faith, it is hope, and it is love.
[00:04:38] Three things that need to remain that are essential. Let's remind ourselves what hope is this morning. Well, let me tell you what hope isn't.
[00:04:47] Hope is not wishful thinking that something may happen in the future.
[00:04:55] Hope will never, ever real biblical hope will never, ever disappoint us.
[00:05:02] But it is not this wishful thinking.
[00:05:05] Hope that is seen is no hope at all.
[00:05:11] So scripture tells us that hope is invisible.
[00:05:16] But you see, when the believer in Christ hopes for the invisible, what is invisible that we read in scripture, that we see in scripture, it becomes a sure truth and a sure reality. It means that we can live out in confidence, in assurance in God.
[00:05:45] How many of us need to leave this place this morning with absolutely hope in our bellies this morning? Faith, hope and love.
[00:05:57] Hope is not wishful thinking. It is that confident expectation of all that is good that is going to take place.
[00:06:09] Wishful thinking says this.
[00:06:13] It says, maybe God will come to my rescue.
[00:06:19] Maybe he's got me covered.
[00:06:23] Maybe if I just do this, maybe at some point it might come to pass. That's wishful thinking.
[00:06:31] Hope says, I may not see it now, but I know with confidence, I know with full assurance that what God says shall come to pass. Not might come to pass, but shall come to pass. That's why in that room that day, some of the disciples, I believe, were eagerly expecting the resurrection. They were eagerly expecting. I don't believe they understood everything, but I think some of them, deep down in their spirit, were like, I feel something's going to happen. There is some expectation in my heart. I just think it's going to happen.
[00:07:22] But you see, when we don't have hope, when we don't fully believe, we walk out.
[00:07:34] Our lives been defeated because of a lack of hope.
[00:07:45] Hope is essential to living a life that is absolutely filled with joy and peace. You know, in a world that is full of utter despair and hopelessness. And it is church.
[00:07:58] The church of Jesus Christ needs to be people with hope, absolutely. Hope, hope. Hope that Jesus Christ, he died, he was buried, and that three days later he rose from the grave. That is our hope. We sang it this morning, Lawson. You know that as Christ was in the ground and he rose from the dead. If we have hope in Christ, we too will rise from the grave. What a hope. What an assurance this morning of a hope in Jesus Christ.
[00:08:32] Thomas said, I'm not going to believe unless I see how many of us today say, I'm not going to believe that my prayer is going to be answered until I see physical evidence.
[00:08:44] I've heard so many people say, well, I kind of believe that Jesus will return. But until I see him coming through the clouds, I'm not really going to have that full hope that it's going to happen. Let me tell you, it's going to be too late by the time that happens.
[00:09:00] Because it's this side of eternity. We need to put our hope and faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Hope is that confidence. I want to say to this morning church, the resurrection changes everything every day that we live. We should remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ and live in the fullness and the assurance and the promises that the resurrection brings.
[00:09:25] It's time to ditch pessimistic thinking.
[00:09:31] It's gone very quiet. We're not pessimistic, surely, we're the church.
[00:09:38] Anybody with me this morning? Yes.
[00:09:43] It's a hope that won't disappoint because his love has been poured out in our hearts. I want to say to us this morning, let's not be like the culture of our day that thinks the worst.
[00:09:55] How many of us, over years maybe, have been a bit like that? We think the worst case scenario.
[00:10:04] Do you know why we think the worst case scenario? Well, we know the answer because we lack faith, hope and love and what the world does. The world says, well, if I think of the worst case scenario happening when it doesn't really happen, I won't be too disappointed.
[00:10:23] Let us go down the worst case scenario so that I won't be disappointed with any outcomes in life. But you see, God has something different for his church.
[00:10:33] He wants us to go. I don't need to think about the worst case scenario. I want you to start hoping in what I've said. I want you to put your absolute hope in me, because hope will not be disappointed. Hope will not disappoint you. God wants us to abide in hope every single day. Church, have you got hope for your families? Have you got hope for your marriage? Have you got hope for your business or whatever it is that you are a part of? Hope for your workplace, hope for your streets. Jeremiah 29 says, I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.
[00:11:19] Lord, I'm leaving this room today.
[00:11:23] I'm going to ditch pessimistic thinking. I'm not going to think about the worst case scenario. I'm going to say, God, you have good plans for my life because of the resurrection of Jesus, because the grave could not hold him, because he is that good. He has good things for the Church of Jesus Christ. For those who will believe, even though they have not yet seen any evidence of any promises coming, we hold onto them in hope.
[00:12:06] The Bible says that if we have hope only for this life, then we're to be pitted out of everybody on the earth. If you've only got hope, I just hope it's going to work for me. I just hope, you know, it's not this wishful thinking. It is this confidence, assurance that God is going to see us through. The Bible says that when Christ returns. Do you believe that Christ will return?
[00:12:36] Good. Good. I'm in the right place.
[00:12:39] The Bible says that when Jesus Christ returns, the dead in Christ will rise. Those who are alive will be gathered together to meet him in the air. In a twinkling of an eye, we will be changed and we will be like him at the last trumpet call.
[00:13:00] That is the hope we have. If you are walking in a pessimistic outlook, if you have despair, despondency, depression over you this morning, lift up your eyes. Church. Have hope again in the death, the burial, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the return of Jesus Christ. This morning we will rise.
[00:13:28] A passage in one corinthians 15. I'm going to finish in a moment and bring dave up. We're going to break bread together.
[00:13:34] Paul says that this is what the world do. They say, let's eat, let's drink, let's just enjoy time now for tomorrow we die. In other words, don't think about there's a hopeless eternity waiting for you. There's nothing in the future. Just live now. Enjoy it while you can.
[00:13:55] Church. That's not our calling.
[00:13:58] That's not our calling.
[00:14:01] We're on a mission. We're passing through to eternity, to a lifetime with Christ.
[00:14:10] And Paul says in response to that, he says, careful who you mix with.
[00:14:17] Be careful who your friendships are. I want to say to you this morning as well, if you want hope, if you want to walk in hope, be careful. Who are your friends.
[00:14:31] We don't need any job's comforters who pretend to comfort.
[00:14:38] We need people who walk with us who are hope filled, who might be going through the darkest time of their life. But they're saying, but there's hope in Christ. But I am confident, I have assurance that Christ will come to my aid. He will supply all my needs. I may be sick in my body, but I know he is my healer. It's not he might be my healer. He is my healer. He is my sustainer. He is the one that will take my body when it's in the ground and rise it up again.
[00:15:19] That's the hope we have, church. That is the hope it is the confidence we have.
[00:15:27] The first, Adam.
[00:15:29] I haven't got time to go into this. The Bible talks about the first man and the second man. The first man being Adam, us, mankind. The second man being Christ. The first man, he was of the dust of the dust, Adam, okay. He became a living being.
[00:15:49] The second man that came, Christ, became a life giving spirit.
[00:15:57] Life giving spirit. Just close your eyes for a moment, holy spirit, breathe life into your church this morning.
[00:16:09] Come and breathe life over your people, over your sons and your daughters this morning. Jesus Christ, a life giving spirit from heaven. And the Bible says that just as we were born into the image of Adam, into man, so we are born into the image of the heavenly man. Wow.
[00:16:44] Jesus is raised from the dead, which he is.
[00:16:48] We too will rise from the grave.
[00:16:53] If Jesus Christ healed people 2000 years ago, let me tell you, he's healing people today because he does not change.
[00:17:05] If Jesus told us that we can trust in him completely, then you can trust in him completely.
[00:17:14] Because he doesn't lie. He's not going to let you go.
[00:17:18] He's looking for a people who will say, Lord, I'm going to hope you. I'm not going to look at my circumstances. I'm not going to look at the wind and the waves that are raging around me. I am going to put my hope, confident assurance in Christ Jesus as Lord. Romans five says this, it says, now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.
[00:17:51] Hang on a minute. As you trust in him, as you trust in him, that you may abound in all hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:18:09] Just bow your heads for a moment. Just bow your heads for a moment. Sorry, I've had to rush it I don't like rushing sermons. I can't get everything out that I want to say. But I think we've got the message of hope this morning.
[00:18:26] May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, as you're bowing your heads this morning, on this day, Lord Jesus, of celebrating the cross, the resurrection, Father. Lord, I pray that you would do a work in people's hearts and lives this morning because you are good. There are some people in this room this morning, Lord, that need desperately the hope, the hope that is only found in you.
[00:19:10] Lord, forgive us when we use terminology that wishes. That wishes you'll do this. That uses terminology like, well, maybe, Father, help us to be a people that get hold of your word and declare it to be true in our lives.
[00:19:35] Lord, fill us with hope.
[00:19:39] Can we say this together before I just welcome Dave. Let's say it together. Come on. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
