WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.060 --> 00:00:06.639 The Church of Jesus Christ is by far, by far 2 00:00:07.099 --> 00:00:11.529 the largest organization on planet Earth. Nothing else comes close. 3 00:00:13.310 --> 00:00:17.769 The Church of Jesus Christ is bigger than China. The 4 00:00:17.829 --> 00:00:20.890 Church of Jesus Christ is bigger than China and Europe 5 00:00:20.910 --> 00:00:24.660 put together. The Church of Jesus Christ is bigger than 6 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:28.980 China and Europe and the United States put together. Nothing 7 00:00:29.059 --> 00:00:32.649 is bigger on this planet. than the church of Jesus Christ. 8 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:37.560 One out of every three people are followers of Christ. 9 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:43.560 How in the world did that happen? What caused Christianity 10 00:00:43.579 --> 00:00:49.689 to grow from a dozen poor Jewish fishermen to 120 11 00:00:49.689 --> 00:00:52.689 people and then to thousands and tens of thousands and 12 00:00:52.729 --> 00:00:58.109 then millions and now billions? What caused that growth? Why 13 00:00:58.149 --> 00:01:02.600 did Christianity spread so far And so fast, one reason, 14 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:07.920 we had the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is 15 00:01:07.959 --> 00:01:12.180 the single most significant event in history. It splits history 16 00:01:12.219 --> 00:01:16.390 into AD and BC. Even your own birthday is dated 17 00:01:16.670 --> 00:01:21.609 by Jesus Christ's resurrection. Nothing is more significant than God 18 00:01:21.670 --> 00:01:24.549 invaded earth. He said, I'm gonna prove I'm God by 19 00:01:24.609 --> 00:01:26.930 letting him kill me and come back to life three 20 00:01:26.950 --> 00:01:33.150 days later. And that news spread like wildfire because there 21 00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:37.170 were so many eyewitnesses. And it filled the followers of 22 00:01:37.250 --> 00:01:41.489 Jesus Christ, those early followers, with a hope that was contagious, 23 00:01:42.150 --> 00:01:47.689 with a love that was contagious, with a fearlessness, a 24 00:01:47.870 --> 00:01:52.530 courage that they didn't care what happened to them because 25 00:01:52.609 --> 00:01:57.329 they had seen the resurrected Jesus Christ. It's interesting that 26 00:01:57.390 --> 00:02:02.000 in the Bible, in the New Testament, before the resurrection happens, 27 00:02:02.359 --> 00:02:06.640 the word hope is only used one time, only one 28 00:02:06.680 --> 00:02:11.250 time in the first part of the New Testament. After 29 00:02:11.289 --> 00:02:14.870 the resurrection happens, the word hope is used over 80 times. 30 00:02:16.270 --> 00:02:19.550 Our hope is because Jesus Christ proved he said he 31 00:02:19.610 --> 00:02:23.719 was who he claimed to be by resurrecting three days later. 32 00:02:24.020 --> 00:02:28.560 Now let's just distinguish the difference between a resuscitation and 33 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:31.340 a resurrection. Today, there are all these books coming about 34 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:33.819 how people who die and come back to life, and 35 00:02:33.849 --> 00:02:35.750 they tell you what heaven's all about. You can throw 36 00:02:35.789 --> 00:02:40.889 all those books away. Those aren't resurrections. Those are resuscitations. 37 00:02:41.250 --> 00:02:45.009 If you've been dead for 20 minutes or an hour 38 00:02:45.409 --> 00:02:48.770 or two hours, that's a resuscitation. If you faint, if 39 00:02:48.830 --> 00:02:51.409 you go into a coma, we can resuscitate you. A 40 00:02:51.469 --> 00:02:56.870 resurrection means you've been buried for three days. And then 41 00:02:56.909 --> 00:03:00.750 you come back to life. That's a big difference. That's 42 00:03:00.789 --> 00:03:06.879 not a resuscitation. That's a resurrection. Only Jesus has resurrected. Now, 43 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:09.099 today what I want us to do is look at 44 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:14.120 the six reasons that followers of Jesus Christ are the 45 00:03:14.180 --> 00:03:16.780 most hopeful people in the world, why we have far 46 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:20.599 more hope than anybody else in a world that seems 47 00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:22.360 to be full of hopelessness. 48 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:24.800 Why do we have hope? 49 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:27.479 Six reasons. If you're writing these down, here's the first one. 50 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:30.979 Number one, the first reason Jesus' resurrection gives us hope 51 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:36.840 is we have been completely forgiven. We have been completely forgiven. 52 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:41.430 Jesus repeatedly said over and over, I'm gonna die on 53 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:43.870 the cross to pay for all your sins. He said 54 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:46.009 it over and over and over. And then he said, 55 00:03:46.270 --> 00:03:48.710 and then I'm gonna come back to life three days 56 00:03:48.770 --> 00:03:51.550 later to prove that I am who I say I am. Now, 57 00:03:52.030 --> 00:03:54.719 if he hadn't done the second part, the first part 58 00:03:54.780 --> 00:03:59.400 doesn't really matter. If he didn't come back to life, 59 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:01.639 then I have every reason to doubt that he died 60 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:05.780 for my sins. The two go together. Now, let me 61 00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:07.780 give you some good news. There on your outline, the 62 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:13.530 Bible says this, Ephesians chapter one, verse seven, in Christ, 63 00:04:14.340 --> 00:04:17.610 we are set free by the blood of his death. 64 00:04:18.449 --> 00:04:19.589 And so we have. 65 00:04:19.430 --> 00:04:25.050 Forgiveness of sins because of God's rich grace. Now we're 66 00:04:25.089 --> 00:04:28.189 all imperfect. So we all carry regrets and we all 67 00:04:28.269 --> 00:04:32.420 carry remorse. And we always wish we had done things differently. 68 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:35.480 We all have sins and things that we feel bad 69 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:38.459 about and guilty about. And God doesn't want you carrying 70 00:04:38.500 --> 00:04:41.399 guilt through life. God doesn't want you carrying a load 71 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:44.990 of shame through life. The whole reason he died on 72 00:04:45.009 --> 00:04:47.970 the cross was so that you could be free from 73 00:04:48.149 --> 00:04:51.389 all of that guilt, all of that shame. Guilt wastes 74 00:04:51.430 --> 00:04:55.980 an awful lot of energy. It fatigues you. It tires you. 75 00:04:56.199 --> 00:04:59.759 It robs you of peace of mind. But Jesus said, 76 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:02.100 I came to die for your sins so you don't 77 00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:04.139 have to die for them. I was hung on the 78 00:05:04.180 --> 00:05:07.120 cross so you can quit hanging yourself on the cross. 79 00:05:07.139 --> 00:05:10.189 I don't know if you've ever asked the question or 80 00:05:10.230 --> 00:05:14.129 thought about it. Who really killed Jesus? Who put Jesus 81 00:05:14.870 --> 00:05:17.329 on the cross? Who is to blame for Jesus being 82 00:05:17.649 --> 00:05:21.120 on the cross? Well, it wasn't Judas. and it wasn't 83 00:05:21.189 --> 00:05:23.970 Caiaphas the high priest, and it wasn't Pilate the governor, 84 00:05:24.310 --> 00:05:27.189 and it wasn't the Romans, and it wasn't the religious leaders, 85 00:05:27.230 --> 00:05:30.310 and it wasn't even the crowd. The answer is twofold. 86 00:05:30.350 --> 00:05:33.069 Who put Jesus on the cross? And this may shock you. 87 00:05:33.610 --> 00:05:36.110 This may shock you, but the answer is twofold. The 88 00:05:36.170 --> 00:05:38.170 first is, the first. 89 00:05:38.029 --> 00:05:40.949 Answer is this. God did. God did. 90 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:44.699 God put Jesus on the cross. It was his plan 91 00:05:44.779 --> 00:05:48.180 from the very beginning. It's why Jesus came to earth. 92 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:52.519 to die for our sins. That's the whole reason. It 93 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:55.740 was God's plan before any of us were ever born. 94 00:05:56.220 --> 00:05:59.810 Here's what the Bible says in Isaiah chapter 53 in 95 00:05:59.819 --> 00:06:03.029 the Bible. All of us have strayed away like sheep. 96 00:06:03.050 --> 00:06:05.490 In other words, we've all done our own thing. We've 97 00:06:05.550 --> 00:06:08.689 all left God's plan to follow our own. Yet the 98 00:06:08.790 --> 00:06:12.250 Lord laid on him, talking about Jesus, the guilt and 99 00:06:12.290 --> 00:06:16.250 sins of us all. From prison and trial, they led 100 00:06:16.290 --> 00:06:19.579 him away to his death. But who among the people 101 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:23.000 realized that he was dying for their sins, that he 102 00:06:23.019 --> 00:06:24.240 was suffering for their punishment? 103 00:06:24.259 --> 00:06:25.920 He said, nobody realized that at the time. 104 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.959 He had done no wrong. He had never deceived anyone. 105 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:33.839 But he was buried like a criminal. He was put 106 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:37.879 in a rich man's grave. But it was God's plan 107 00:06:38.819 --> 00:06:42.250 that he should suffer. God, it was God's plan. Yet, 108 00:06:42.790 --> 00:06:46.910 when his life is made an offering for sins, he 109 00:06:47.029 --> 00:06:50.009 will have a multitude of children. In other words, there'll 110 00:06:50.029 --> 00:06:52.509 be people who will follow him. I don't know if 111 00:06:52.550 --> 00:06:54.930 you noticed in this passage the change in tense. The 112 00:06:54.949 --> 00:06:58.649 first part is in past tense, and then it goes 113 00:06:58.740 --> 00:07:01.740 to future. When his life is made an offering for sin, 114 00:07:02.019 --> 00:07:04.379 he will have a multitude of children. You know why 115 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:09.319 the change in tense, past tense to future? Because this was. 116 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:11.459 Written 700 years before Jesus Christ. 117 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:13.779 This is a prophecy. 118 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:14.240 Prophecy. 119 00:07:15.009 --> 00:07:20.680 And Isaiah 700 BC is telling and predicting exactly what's 120 00:07:20.689 --> 00:07:23.720 going to happen to the Messiah, the Savior, the Son 121 00:07:23.740 --> 00:07:26.920 of God who comes to earth. And this happened exactly 122 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:30.939 how it happened. It was part of God's plan. But 123 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:33.389 the second one may surprise you too. Who put Jesus 124 00:07:33.449 --> 00:07:33.990 on the cross? 125 00:07:35.329 --> 00:07:38.769 We did. I did. You did. 126 00:07:39.910 --> 00:07:42.149 If none of us had ever sinned, Jesus wouldn't have 127 00:07:42.170 --> 00:07:45.110 to die for our sins. The Bible says this in 128 00:07:45.149 --> 00:07:49.910 Romans chapter four, Jesus was handed over to die because 129 00:07:49.949 --> 00:07:54.040 of our sins. And he was raised from the dead 130 00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:59.439 to make us right with God. So we've been completely forgiven. 131 00:08:00.379 --> 00:08:04.250 That gives me hope. I'm not facing any judgment. I 132 00:08:04.290 --> 00:08:07.769 have hope because I have been completely forgiven. Number two, 133 00:08:08.329 --> 00:08:11.129 second reason Jesus' resurrection gives us hope is we're no 134 00:08:11.170 --> 00:08:16.910 longer afraid to die. we are no longer afraid to die. Now, 135 00:08:17.069 --> 00:08:21.269 I mentioned this in the Good Friday services, that when 136 00:08:21.310 --> 00:08:23.180 Jesus Christ died on the cross, one of the things 137 00:08:23.220 --> 00:08:25.480 he did is he broke the power of death, and 138 00:08:25.939 --> 00:08:29.180 he broke the power of the fear of death. The 139 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:33.129 fear of death is a universal fear. Everybody has it. 140 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:34.970 I've traveled all around the world. 141 00:08:35.909 --> 00:08:36.610 One time I went. 142 00:08:36.490 --> 00:08:41.350 40 6,000 miles in 40 days, literally went circled completely 143 00:08:41.379 --> 00:08:43.490 the earth. And I found the fear of death everywhere 144 00:08:44.950 --> 00:08:47.009 because it's unknown. 145 00:08:47.070 --> 00:08:47.610 We don't know. 146 00:08:47.970 --> 00:08:52.110 But what did Jesus do? He came back to life. 147 00:08:52.669 --> 00:08:56.559 Let me explain this. If Jesus Christ hadn't resurrected from 148 00:08:56.580 --> 00:08:59.940 the dead, you wouldn't even know that there's life after death. 149 00:09:00.860 --> 00:09:02.940 You wouldn't even know it. You might guess at it. 150 00:09:02.980 --> 00:09:04.940 You might say, well, I hope there's life after death, 151 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:07.929 but you'd have nothing to prove it. But Jesus Christ 152 00:09:07.970 --> 00:09:11.389 came back, said, I've conquered death. There is greater life 153 00:09:12.070 --> 00:09:12.909 after death. 154 00:09:14.870 --> 00:09:17.570 And that's good news. That gives us hope. Here's what 155 00:09:17.629 --> 00:09:18.210 Jesus said. 156 00:09:18.610 --> 00:09:23.919 John chapter 11, verse 25. Jesus promised, I am the 157 00:09:23.980 --> 00:09:30.070 resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me Even though 158 00:09:30.169 --> 00:09:34.870 they die, like everyone else, they will live again. 159 00:09:35.110 --> 00:09:38.070 That's a reason for hope. That's a reason for hope. 160 00:09:38.409 --> 00:09:42.059 If Jesus Christ hadn't resurrected on Easter Sunday, we're all 161 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:43.220 helpless and all hopeless. 162 00:09:43.259 --> 00:09:45.159 Death is the end. It's over. That's it. 163 00:09:46.620 --> 00:09:50.360 Now, when Jesus died, they buried him in a tomb. 164 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:53.870 In those days, they didn't bury people under the ground 165 00:09:53.899 --> 00:09:57.429 as much as they buried them in caves, kind of 166 00:09:57.450 --> 00:09:59.970 like mausoleums. and they would put a stone in front 167 00:10:00.009 --> 00:10:02.240 of the cave, and they would roll it away and 168 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:05.159 put some body in and then roll it back. And 169 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:08.299 they did this because entire families for generations would have 170 00:10:08.360 --> 00:10:12.240 like a family tomb. And there would be a lot 171 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:16.320 of people buried in the same cave. And so after 172 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:22.559 Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea volunteered his tomb, and they 173 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:24.700 rolled a huge stone in front of it, but then 174 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:27.779 Pilate had it sealed so it couldn't be moved back, 175 00:10:28.259 --> 00:10:32.320 and he posted Roman guards on either side. Now, the 176 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:34.580 12 disciples who were followers of Jesus at this time, 177 00:10:35.059 --> 00:10:39.279 they're scared to death. They run, they turn tail, and 178 00:10:39.340 --> 00:10:42.100 they run, they're scared. None of them believed the resurrection 179 00:10:42.139 --> 00:10:46.240 would happen. And so they're hiding in fear. They're disillusioned, 180 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:49.450 they're depressed, They're afraid they're going to be executed next 181 00:10:49.529 --> 00:10:52.029 as the followers of Jesus. And so they're running away 182 00:10:52.090 --> 00:11:02.899 and they're hiding. Every year, Christians from all over the 183 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:06.019 world remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by 184 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:09.940 traveling to Jerusalem where they walk the path that Jesus 185 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:12.070 took on the way to the cross. That path is 186 00:11:12.110 --> 00:11:15.250 called the Via Dolorosa. Now, since you may not be 187 00:11:15.309 --> 00:11:18.049 able to ever travel to Jerusalem, I want to suggest 188 00:11:18.090 --> 00:11:21.259 a way for you to celebrate and reflect on and 189 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:24.000 pray about what Jesus did for you on the cross. 190 00:11:24.820 --> 00:11:29.379 So I've created a brand new one-of-a-kind resource, Journey with Jesus. 191 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:37.009 A deluxe, hardcover, gift edition book that's illustrated with really beautiful, high-quality, 192 00:11:37.070 --> 00:11:41.529 glossy photos of mosaic tile artwork that reflect each of 193 00:11:41.570 --> 00:11:45.330 the stops that Jesus made on his journey to the cross. 194 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:48.139 You're not ever going to forget this gift. It's a 195 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:51.399 great book to keep and to study over and over again. 196 00:11:51.919 --> 00:11:54.019 And it'd make a great gift for your family and 197 00:11:54.059 --> 00:11:54.799 your friends too. 198 00:11:56.379 --> 00:12:00.830 This one-of-a-kind resource is only available through Daily Hope. Quantities 199 00:12:00.889 --> 00:12:03.929 are limited, so be sure to get yours today. Just 200 00:12:03.990 --> 00:12:05.909 call 844-467-3900 or visit dailyhopetv.com to get yours today. 201 00:12:17.610 --> 00:12:21.750 Now, three days later, on Easter Sunday morning, one of 202 00:12:21.789 --> 00:12:26.049 the women who's traveling with the disciples, Mary Magdalene, decides 203 00:12:26.090 --> 00:12:29.690 she's going to go to the tomb to be there. 204 00:12:30.370 --> 00:12:32.909 So she goes to the tomb, and when she gets there, 205 00:12:33.169 --> 00:12:37.649 she finds the seal has been broken, the stone has 206 00:12:37.700 --> 00:12:43.860 been rolled away, there's no body there, and the grave 207 00:12:43.940 --> 00:12:46.960 clothes that Jesus had wrapped him are folded and sitting 208 00:12:47.059 --> 00:12:53.580 there on a step in the tomb. By the way, 209 00:12:54.659 --> 00:12:56.539 some people say, well, maybe they stole the body. If 210 00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:58.539 you ever steal a body, leave the clothes on him. 211 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:02.590 There would be no reason to take the clothes off 212 00:13:02.620 --> 00:13:06.009 of a person and steal the body. If you're going 213 00:13:06.029 --> 00:13:07.269 to steal it, you may as well steal it with 214 00:13:07.289 --> 00:13:12.480 the clothes on it. But they're left there. And so 215 00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:16.080 Mary thinks the body's been stolen. I mean, that's the 216 00:13:16.139 --> 00:13:19.679 logical conclusion. And then all of a sudden she hears 217 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:23.220 a voice and she turns around and Jesus is standing there, 218 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:27.190 the risen Jesus Christ. And he says to her, Mary. 219 00:13:27.690 --> 00:13:29.889 And when she calls out his name, as she'd heard 220 00:13:30.210 --> 00:13:32.110 her name called many. 221 00:13:31.970 --> 00:13:34.049 Times, she knew it was the Lord. 222 00:13:35.190 --> 00:13:38.330 And he says, Jesus says, go tell all my brothers, 223 00:13:38.409 --> 00:13:41.840 go tell all the disciples that that I'm alive and 224 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:45.879 I'm coming to see him. So Mary runs to this 225 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:49.279 house where the disciples are inside with the door locked 226 00:13:49.340 --> 00:13:52.750 for fear. She bangs on the door, they let her in, 227 00:13:53.169 --> 00:13:55.309 and she says, you guys aren't gonna believe this, Jesus 228 00:13:55.370 --> 00:13:57.730 is alive. And you know what these great men of 229 00:13:57.769 --> 00:14:01.649 faith did? They doubted her. None of them believed her. 230 00:14:02.610 --> 00:14:04.690 None of them said, Mary, you've either seen a ghost, 231 00:14:04.730 --> 00:14:07.370 you've had a hallucination, you're just in deep grief. 232 00:14:08.570 --> 00:14:10.990 They don't believe her at all. So the point is this. 233 00:14:11.850 --> 00:14:15.470 Even the disciples, none of Jesus' followers actually believed he'd 234 00:14:15.509 --> 00:14:18.620 come back to life until they became eyewitnesses of it. 235 00:14:19.730 --> 00:14:23.029 It wasn't just hearsay. They said, I've got to see him. Now, 236 00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:26.789 let me ask you a question. If you saw someone 237 00:14:26.860 --> 00:14:30.759 walking down the street that you had just buried three 238 00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:37.960 days earlier, how would you feel about that? Maybe confused? 239 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:46.899 maybe scared to death, frightened, fearful, excited? Do you think 240 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:48.919 you would ever forget that experience? 241 00:14:50.179 --> 00:14:50.779 Not likely. 242 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:54.899 Would it change your worldview about life and death? 243 00:14:55.450 --> 00:14:59.809 Oh yeah. Would it give you new hope? Oh yeah. 244 00:15:00.769 --> 00:15:04.509 That there might be life after death? Oh yeah, absolutely. 245 00:15:05.490 --> 00:15:07.929 One of the things that's difficult to explain without the 246 00:15:07.990 --> 00:15:12.250 resurrection is the sudden change in the disciples because at 247 00:15:12.309 --> 00:15:16.490 the crucifixion, they're all scared to death. They're running, they're defeated, 248 00:15:16.830 --> 00:15:23.139 they're demoralized, they're in despair, they're disillusioned, they're depressed. Three 249 00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:26.299 days later, they're ready to take on Nero and the 250 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:27.279 Roman Empire. 251 00:15:28.139 --> 00:15:33.759 What happened? They had seen Jesus. They were eyewitnesses. They 252 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:34.220 knew Jesus. 253 00:15:34.909 --> 00:15:38.090 Physically something that had happened. Not just them, but a 254 00:15:38.129 --> 00:15:40.250 lot of other people did too. But now they've got 255 00:15:40.309 --> 00:15:44.059 courageous confidence. Now they've got contagious hope. Why? 256 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:45.700 They're eyewitnesses. 257 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:49.460 Here's what Peter wrote down in his book. When we 258 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:52.799 told you about the powerful coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, 259 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:58.309 we were not telling made-up stories that someone invented. Rather, 260 00:15:58.370 --> 00:16:03.090 we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. And not only these 261 00:16:03.149 --> 00:16:06.789 original 12, but Jesus came and stayed on earth for 262 00:16:06.850 --> 00:16:10.370 another 40 days, walked around Jerusalem. 263 00:16:10.210 --> 00:16:10.909 For 40 days. 264 00:16:10.929 --> 00:16:14.889 That's why literally tens of thousands of people became believers 265 00:16:15.269 --> 00:16:19.230 in a very short time because there were so many eyewitnesses. 266 00:16:19.509 --> 00:16:23.610 Here's what the Bible says, Acts chapter one, verse three. 267 00:16:23.669 --> 00:16:27.330 For 40 days after his death, Jesus appeared to people 268 00:16:27.789 --> 00:16:32.519 many times in many ways that proved beyond doubt that 269 00:16:32.590 --> 00:16:37.070 he was alive. They saw him and he talked with 270 00:16:37.110 --> 00:16:40.809 them about the kingdom of God. Can you imagine being 271 00:16:40.909 --> 00:16:44.429 one of the executors who put Jesus on the cross, 272 00:16:44.490 --> 00:16:47.549 one of the soldiers, and you saw that guy die 273 00:16:47.590 --> 00:16:49.110 and all of a sudden he's walking down the street 274 00:16:49.149 --> 00:16:54.070 and you go, he's back. That would be strange. Paul 275 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:56.899 lists just a few of the eyewitnesses. This isn't even 276 00:16:56.919 --> 00:17:00.320 an entire list. 1 Corinthians 15, he says, Christ died 277 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:02.629 for our sins just as the scripture said. Then he 278 00:17:02.669 --> 00:17:05.730 was buried. And then he was raised from the dead 279 00:17:05.809 --> 00:17:08.319 on the third day. Then he says he was seen 280 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:11.440 by Peter. And then he was seen by the 12 apostles. 281 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:15.660 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of 282 00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:20.170 his followers at one time. Most of them are still alive, 283 00:17:20.210 --> 00:17:22.170 though some have died by now. He sits on a 284 00:17:22.190 --> 00:17:26.009 hillside and teaches 500 people. Then he was seen by James. 285 00:17:26.630 --> 00:17:28.829 Later he was seen by all the apostles. Last of all, 286 00:17:29.250 --> 00:17:33.009 I saw him too. This isn't even an entire list. 287 00:17:33.089 --> 00:17:36.349 For 40 days he has multiple meetings with a lot 288 00:17:36.390 --> 00:17:41.170 of different people. Friends, this is what's called conclusive proof. 289 00:17:42.069 --> 00:17:47.200 This is what's called definitive evidence. Having 900 eyewitnesses would 290 00:17:47.259 --> 00:17:53.180 stand up in any court anywhere in the world. If 291 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:57.970 I were to tell you That this afternoon over at Starbucks, 292 00:17:58.309 --> 00:18:01.619 I saw the Queen of England. You might have a 293 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:05.079 reason to doubt that. Because it's just one guy saying it. 294 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:10.049 But if there were 900 different people who said, oh no, 295 00:18:10.069 --> 00:18:13.150 she's been here for 40 days. She's staying at the 296 00:18:14.410 --> 00:18:19.390 Quality Inn. And we had dinner with her the other night. 297 00:18:19.410 --> 00:18:21.910 And somebody said, well, we had breakfast. And another guy goes, well, 298 00:18:21.930 --> 00:18:25.069 we went fishing with her. And I said, oh, no, well, 299 00:18:25.109 --> 00:18:26.609 we had her over for dinner. And another said, well, 300 00:18:26.630 --> 00:18:31.480 we heard her with 500 people at a symposium. And 301 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:35.099 you had 900 eyewitnesses right off the bat. Friends, now 302 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:38.279 you've got a problem with your doubt. Because it's not 303 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:42.549 just me saying it. It's eyewitness after eyewitness after eyewitness 304 00:18:42.690 --> 00:18:43.369 for 40 days. 305 00:18:43.809 --> 00:18:49.509 This is why the church exploded. And within years, there. 306 00:18:49.369 --> 00:18:54.809 Were 30,000 members of the church just in Jerusalem. And 307 00:18:54.849 --> 00:18:56.690 then it had grown to nearly a half a million. 308 00:18:57.250 --> 00:19:00.549 And it exploded all over the Roman Empire. And what 309 00:19:00.589 --> 00:19:03.630 had been persecuted within 300 years is now the official 310 00:19:03.890 --> 00:19:06.069 religion of the Roman Empire. 311 00:19:06.230 --> 00:19:06.490 Why? 312 00:19:07.619 --> 00:19:11.259 Because of the resurrection. There were so many eyewitnesses. Now, 313 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:12.819 there's a third reason we have hope. 314 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:14.240 And it's this. 315 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:19.140 We now have God's spirit in us. We now have 316 00:19:19.220 --> 00:19:23.019 God's spirit inside of his spirit of power, his Holy Spirit, 317 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:26.240 his spirit of love. The night before Jesus went to 318 00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:30.569 the cross, before he dies, he says, guys, I'm gonna 319 00:19:30.609 --> 00:19:32.829 be leaving. I'm going back to heaven, but I'm gonna 320 00:19:32.930 --> 00:19:36.869 send my spirit to be inside you. Now, at the 321 00:19:37.009 --> 00:19:41.170 end of 40 days, Jesus ascends back up to heaven. 322 00:19:41.990 --> 00:19:44.400 But before he did, he tells him, he says, Don't 323 00:19:44.460 --> 00:19:47.529 do anything until I send your spirit. Don't try to 324 00:19:47.569 --> 00:19:49.910 do anything on your own power. Wait for my spirit. 325 00:19:49.930 --> 00:19:52.569 He's going to give you power. And in Acts chapter one, 326 00:19:52.630 --> 00:19:55.069 verse eight, Jesus says this before he goes back to heaven, 327 00:19:55.609 --> 00:19:58.150 when the Holy spirit has come upon you, you will 328 00:19:58.190 --> 00:20:04.230 receive power. And you'll tell people everywhere about me in Jerusalem, 329 00:20:04.289 --> 00:20:06.230 throughout Judea and Samaria. 330 00:20:06.029 --> 00:20:09.309 And to the ends of the earth. They had seen. 331 00:20:09.130 --> 00:20:11.450 Jesus face to face, and then he says, I'm going 332 00:20:11.470 --> 00:20:13.490 to send my spirit to be in you, and he's 333 00:20:13.509 --> 00:20:15.759 going to give you power to do things you couldn't 334 00:20:15.779 --> 00:20:20.799 do on your own. So now they've gone from fearful 335 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:25.859 to fearless, right? They've gone from hopeless to hopeful. They've 336 00:20:25.880 --> 00:20:29.000 gone from being cowards to being courageous. Let's take on 337 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:32.619 the Roman Empire. Nothing is gonna stop them. Now they've 338 00:20:32.660 --> 00:20:34.220 seen Jesus alive. 339 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:35.180 He is who he said he is. 340 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:37.369 And now he's saying, I'm putting my spirit in you 341 00:20:37.380 --> 00:20:42.289 and they're empowered by God's spirit. Do you know that 342 00:20:42.349 --> 00:20:44.589 God never intended for you to go through life just 343 00:20:44.650 --> 00:20:48.309 on your own power? God wants to have a personal 344 00:20:48.349 --> 00:20:50.750 connection with you. He wants to put his love, his 345 00:20:50.829 --> 00:20:53.940 power and his spirit Inside you that gives you a 346 00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:55.480 supernatural advantage. 347 00:20:55.640 --> 00:20:57.859 It gives you additional. 348 00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:00.099 Power that you don't have on your own When you 349 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:02.759 don't have that power you say things like this i'm 350 00:21:02.819 --> 00:21:06.690 at the end of my rope I'm barely hanging on 351 00:21:07.130 --> 00:21:09.609 i'm ready to throw in the towel. I'm sick and 352 00:21:09.650 --> 00:21:12.750 tired of being sick and tired I'm running on fumes. 353 00:21:13.069 --> 00:21:16.109 I'm out of gas. I don't feel like I can make. 354 00:21:15.930 --> 00:21:18.690 It to the weekend Why because you were never meant 355 00:21:18.930 --> 00:21:22.619 to live your life just on your own power God 356 00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:24.779 wants you to be plugged into the power. Until you're 357 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:27.839 plugged into the power, you can't fulfill your purpose. A 358 00:21:27.900 --> 00:21:30.740 blender can't fulfill its purpose unless it's plugged into the power. 359 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:33.519 A vacuum cleaner can't fulfill its purpose unless it's plugged 360 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:36.660 into the power. You can't fulfill your purpose unless you're 361 00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:37.869 plugged into God's power. 362 00:21:39.250 --> 00:21:40.430 Now, here's the amazing thing. 363 00:21:41.029 --> 00:21:44.890 The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, 364 00:21:45.170 --> 00:21:48.369 split history into A.D. and B.C., that same power is 365 00:21:48.410 --> 00:21:50.930 available to you on a daily basis. 366 00:21:51.369 --> 00:21:52.170 Yeah, come on, Rick. 367 00:21:52.670 --> 00:21:56.490 No, I'm serious. Look at this next verse. Ephesians chapter one, 368 00:21:57.390 --> 00:22:02.019 verse 19 and 20. I pray that you will begin 369 00:22:02.099 --> 00:22:06.680 to understand, this is the Bible talking, how incredibly great 370 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:12.359 his power is, that's God's power, to help those who 371 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:18.519 believe him. It is the same mighty power that raised Jesus, 372 00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:22.779 raised Christ from the dead. What is this power? It's 373 00:22:22.819 --> 00:22:26.960 the power of God's spirit in your life. Now listen, say, well, 374 00:22:26.980 --> 00:22:30.180 what does that mean to me? If God's spirit can 375 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:33.960 raise a dead Jesus, he can raise a dead marriage. 376 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:39.980 If God's spirit can raise a dead person, he can 377 00:22:40.019 --> 00:22:46.960 raise a dead career. If God's spirit resurrection power can 378 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:50.759 raise a dead man, he can raise a dead dream 379 00:22:52.140 --> 00:22:54.460 He can do anything in your life. He can do 380 00:22:54.660 --> 00:22:55.759 anything in your life. 381 00:22:56.339 --> 00:22:59.099 It's all easy. What is this power? 382 00:22:59.480 --> 00:23:04.240 It's the power to be free from your past. It's 383 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:07.640 the power to break those memories that have been holding 384 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:11.880 you back. It's the power to start over when you 385 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:15.400 feel like giving up. It's the power to change things 386 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:17.900 you think you could never, ever change, and you can't 387 00:23:18.069 --> 00:23:22.420 on your own. It's the power to overcome habits and 388 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:26.140 hurts and hangups that hold you back. It's the power 389 00:23:26.359 --> 00:23:30.069 to keep going when you feel like giving up. That 390 00:23:30.150 --> 00:23:34.309 power is available to you. That's resurrection power. That gave 391 00:23:34.690 --> 00:23:38.849 them hope. It's the reason we have hope today. Number four, 392 00:23:39.529 --> 00:23:42.369 the fourth reason we live with the most hope, why 393 00:23:42.430 --> 00:23:45.920 we have more hope than anybody else is because God 394 00:23:46.460 --> 00:23:51.859 will never stop loving us. God will never, never, never 395 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:56.000 stop loving us. Jeremiah chapter 31 in the Bible, verse three, 396 00:23:56.359 --> 00:24:01.640 God says this, I have loved you with an everlasting love. 397 00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:02.359 Did you know that? 398 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:05.960 God has never made a person he doesn't love. In fact, 399 00:24:05.980 --> 00:24:08.380 you can't make God stop loving you. You can try, 400 00:24:08.440 --> 00:24:11.220 but you'll fail because God's love is based on who 401 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:14.000