The Power of Hope

What a glorious, glorious day when our Lord Jesus Christ pleaded and rose from the grave, probably physically on the third day. That's what makes the distinction between the Christian faith, and all the other friend.

That is why Paul said, if Christ was not raised from the dead of faith is in vain and this is where we are offering stay June you will be blessed by the mess. Social scientists a group to whom I used to belong agree that loss of hope is a devastating condition.

In fact, we are seeing so much of it all around the world and I have to testified that there is nothing worse than feeling help lessen this. It darkens one's world. It deprives one of the clarity of thought, it steals all joy and hope for living. On the other hand, hope is very dynamic of life.

Hope is the very engine of optimism is the very door that leads from darkness to light, from impossible to possible from fear to faith from cowardice discouraged from giving up the perseverance. Hope is an essential ingredient of the life of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul tells the Ephesians, he said, before you come to Christ you work with help, but not one who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, should live without hope in that hopeless condition. If you ever been in that situation with your experience loss of hope of ever looked at your circumstances and concluded that there is no way out of this is no way out. There is no Paul Plouffe is no possibility of a breakthrough talk about the time when you've lost all hope and resigned yourself to the inevitable block future. Some of you know what I'm talking about when you have surrendered to the state of constant worry and anxiety, and hopelessness.

You have been there.

Some of you might be there now. I have absolutely wonderful news for you. I have great news for you. I have the best news in the whole world whenever hopelessness your going through right now God can say that with Dr. he can turn it into hope Mark chapter 16. This was the condition of the three women who came in showed up on that early Sunday morning at the tomb of Jesus that is exactly what the conditions on that Sunday morning the first resurrection Sunday.

Him that I please just put yourself in their place because you cannot comprehend this until you do that. I have watched and saw with their physical eyes Jesus to be crucified on that instrument of torture. We call the cross. They saw his body brought down from the blood across the saw man wrap him and bury him, and Joseph of Arimathea's tomb and then they had to stay away.

Everybody went home because it was Sabbath so they had to stay home on the Sabbath day Orthodox Jews did nothing on the Sabbath. They stayed home there as they spent their Sabbath all along, there went to their own tomb of hopelessness. They were in their own tomb of in the darkness they were in their own tomb of deep deep deep loss in their own tomb of sorrow and grief and resignation visit.

I want to remind you of something that is of vital importance. Just understand these women were just not any women they were women who had supported the ministry of Jesus. There were women who are followers of Jesus that their family members.

These women were called by God to serve his anointed Messiah, the Messiah, for whom thousands of years of prophesying in the prophets in the Old Testament that is coming.

His coming is coming. Now they have the privilege of serving him. These women had an unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ and to the Messiah.

These women stood with Jesus and his mother Mary through thick and thin, but now, now this to the foot of the cross with the only male disciple out of the 12 young John is only male disciple who did not cut and run, but he stood there with him at the cross the start of the foot of the cross. They saw the dreams led to death, they saw their hope being crucified but resigned themselves to their colossal loss and so on the day after the Sabbath rest, they came to the tomb on a Sunday morning early Sunday morning, but became depressed.

They were having a sense of hopelessness.

This woman Mary the mother of James and Mary Magdalene, whom the Lord delivered her from demon possession and then there was Salome.

Salome. She had two of her boys. The sons of Zebedee were two of the 12 disciples of Jesus know Salome was the leader of this group of women; how do you know that because in the Hebrew language. Whoever, whichever name comes last is a leader of the pack on the third day on Sunday morning after the Sabbath rest. They made plans all but their plans are based on hopelessness for brought spices. This is a very important customs among all Jews, not just for Jesus all Jews.

If the burial is on Friday their way to the Sabbath better than to go on the third day, if it's not on the Friday event. No Sabbath or go the next day and so they were bringing the spices. This Jewish custom of bringing spices for a dead body reported on the dead body because it didn't bury in boxes like we do not put the spices on the body so that it mitigate the odor of a decaying body all beloved, they did not realize all that have forgotten that the Bible 1000 years before Christ says my son will never see decay. Psalm 16 God said, my son will die for you, but wouldn't, but he will never see decay.

But, to their credit. These women did not cut and run like the rest of the disciples and stayed away. There were at least doing something doing something better than doing nothing they were doing something to face the grief they were doing something to face the pain it would bring something to face the loss.

There were doing something to deal with their sense of hope less nervous.

In verse three and Mark 16 as the women were coming into the tomb. They got near and near to the tomb of Jesus and they were talking to each other. So in their hopelessness, they began to discuss the biggest obstacle that they know they gonna be facing when they get to the tomb there to get closer and closer to the tomb.

The began to think of the biggest obstacles.

The biggest problem when they get to the tomb who is going to roll away the stone. This is a huge song that I dozen men literally needed in order to push it and put it on the matter because Caiaphas you remember insisted on it is that the Pontius Pilate he said he said he was dollarized so make sure you have the largest stone that you can find and seal it and he did. Who's going to move the stone from his sister, Mrs. please tell Mrs. by now there are moving from hopelessness to helplessness and that amazing huge though not of me ask you this.

Never been there.

You're there now available been in the situation I have when things are coming after the succession every time you think that you seeing the light at the end of the thermal but it turns out to be a train and you lose hope. And so this is who is going to move the stone mask. What keeps you up at night looking sharp enough. What causes you anxiety and fear and worry what deep disappointment. Are you living was what are you trying to tranquilize day and then they are now. These three women had a plan to deal with their hopelessness. These three women had to face up to the shattered dreams.

These three women were doing their best in a bad situation but Isaac got to the tomb to her utter amazement number in amazement as a week work to the Shaka absolute shock that there is no word to describe it. It was devastating. Initially the stones already been rolled away in the day Christ had risen bubbly physically from the dead. All of a sudden they realized that God's plan is far greater, far, far greater than theirs but God's plan was far superior to theirs. That God's plan was far more wonderful than could ever imagine God's plan was all alone for his son's body not to decay in the tomb.

It used to bother me that Christ who coexisted with the father before all worlds.

The Bible said, through whom and for whom all of creation was created all things came into being through him beyond the universe and yet he was buried in a borrowed tomb, not a know when you're young with a these things bother you, but used to bother me until my old avenger system is Michael. Don't let that bother you he was not going to be there for very long, is willing to spend the weekend and numbered by day event may the rest of my life. He's only going to be there until he defeats death was only going to be there until he conquers the grave was only going to be there until he is victorious over our greatest enemy death from the beginning before the creation of the world before the creation of the universe, the triune God father son and Holy Spirit, one God we believe in one God, triune God, it was decided within the triune head within the Godhead that God the son would die on the cross for the sins of everyone who would believe in him, that God the son would pay the penalty for the sinners will confess that they are sinners and their need for salvation and they need his forgiveness that he will pay for every repentant believer that God the son will bear his own. His perfect body on his sinless body. The sin on the guilt and the imperfection of everyone who would believe in him, that God the son would shed his own blood so that whosoever availed themselves of that blood would be seen as righteous in the eyes of God the father that God the son would die as a substitute for the eternal death of everyone who believes in him that God the son would die for our redemption and then on the third day rise again so that he can assure every believer in Jesus Christ of their own resurrection. My precious friends please listen carefully to what I'm going to tell you when I see every statistics is getting worse. People who claim to be Christians believe that there are many ways to God. It just breaks my heart that all religions lead to the same God that all religions lead to heaven. All religions lead to the same place know in a million nose and the question I would ask them and I'm going to ask you did brood arise from the bed now is Mohammed Stu Lente now did Krishna walk out of the grave now but listen to me. I like to be fair that to the credit of these men. The founders of all these religions to their credit they never, never, never, never, never, is ignorance of people that they don't know what they said they never claimed to be God then never claimed to be the only white of the father. They never claimed to be the only way to heaven.

They never claimed it as their followers who came in the deified Jesus made the claim that he is the way the truth and the life you can only come to God the father and be assured of heaven through God the son, Jesus claimed to be only way of salvation.

The only way to heaven only white out on the life the only way to God the father and then he got out of the grave on the third day to prove it. The reason why Jesus rose from the dead on the third day so that everyone everywhere in the world may know that he is the only one who guarantees our resurrection. That is the only one who can save us paternally.

That is the only one who can deliver you from the hopelessness of hell for eternity is the only one who can forgive all of your sins, past, present and future is the only one who can deliver you from lives. Hopelessness is the only one who can give you peace and joy in this life and forever with him in eternity is the only one who can give you in the midst of hopeless situation is the only one who can conquer your greatest from the most powerful enemy, death is the only one who can deliver you from the chains of addictions is the only one who can give you purpose in life and praise God praise God giving glory glory, giving glory, praise God. Praise God underprivileged people we are but a privilege to be with it for granted.

I want to tell you on this resurrection Sunday is not large stone in your life that he cannot remove that is not to, that threatens to better you that he cannot empty. There is no mountain of shame and guilt and sin that he cannot destroy. There is no pain and sorrow that he cannot replace with his comfort and solace that is not death that he cannot conquer yet one of the saddest things to me personally. After 2000 years of the most scrutinized evidence of the resurrection of 500 are witnesses of the resurrected Jesus with hundreds of thousands of people are said Calle may do whatever you want because I know my Jesus is living today.

Those who refuse to believe in the physical bodily resurrection of Jesus. One day would have to face as judge, the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus is far greater than all the other events in history. Back in the 60s there was some group of offbeat theologians who came up with this cockamamie audience would call it good number that some of you do that movement is dead and Jesus continue to raise believers into eternal life with him and here in Mark chapter 16 verses four and five. It tells us the women looked up and they saw the stone stone rolled away. Can I get personal with you. You might be living behind a huge stone of guilt and despair. Some of you are living behind a huge stone of pain and hopelessness. Some of you are living behind a huge stone of meaninglessness of life, so we were living behind the huge stone of crushing anxiety about your future or your family's future. I can tell you on the authority of God's word and the testimony of millions of people around the world that the resurrected Jesus can remove all stones of impossibilities in your life. The resurrected Jesus can shatter the prisons of worry and anxiety. The resurrected Jesus alone can remove your sin and guilt and pain. The Bible said he removes and flies pharmacies from the West. All you need to do is come to the end of yourself confident of trying to save yourself. Come to the end of trying to earn God's mercy, to the end of thinking that you can do enough good things in order to outweigh your bad things. Let me tell you, you can do good things for 10,000 lifetimes. You can never get to heaven based on these only on the blood of Jesus Christ is risen today I noticed some people in modern value in the West. The word repentance is almost a dirty word but I love it. It's a beautiful word.

The word repentance is not just feeling remorse about the wrong things you've done in an anonymous a lot more than that. Repent means that you can faster God what God already knows confess and allow his supernatural power to help you get off into the next exit and going the opposite direction. Repentance means asking the resurrected Jesus to come into your life and clean out and clean up all of the dead corpse of seeing them guilt and grief and pain and all the past. John and he will clean it and raise you with him in Christ. Someone was there with Michael. How can God love me so unconditionally. I don't feel I deserve it. Join the club feel or feel you deserve it can be saved. How can he love me so unconditionally that he gives his own perfect sinless son to die for me and my sins. How can Jesus, God's son love you so much that he did go to a cross for me.

I can't comprehend that I understand the me ask you this.

How can you explain human love talking about selfless unselfish love.

How do you explain that can't but I can tell you that the resurrected Jesus is the source of all genuine inexplicable love you ever see in the world. Remember this. It was your sin and mine that took him to the cross. It was his love.

Jesus is love that Capt. will not cross until he died. It was the father's love that raise him up again on the third day. Praise God. So would you respond to his inexplicable love today would you respond there can be no doubt whatsoever about the resurrection of Jesus. Any honest historian would tell you that and that is why his resurrection demands a verdict, it demands a verdict from every human being on the face of the earth. The Bible said that the time of ignorance God has overlooked, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent. For he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world by this man Jesus and as a proof he raised him from the dead. The price is.

The work is done, receive, and accept him as your Savior today allow the hope of the resurrection to fill you with all hope.

Lord Jesus the resurrection is enough in the resurrection of Jesus on the third day is our only hope.

And so I pray for every single person at the sound of my voice they've never come availed themselves to this incredible forgiveness and eternal life with you believing in Jesus repenting of their sins and praises Jesus a you respond to the explicable love of God today. You're listening to Dr. Michael Yousef, teacher on leading the way and if you would like to learn more about God's love and the incredible power of hope available to you. Visit LTW.Ord/Jesus hello friends throughout our nation's history. It has often been in the darkest times that God brought unprecedented revival. However, the means God uses for bringing about survival are almost always the same commitment to prayer and uncompromising preaching of the gospel.

For this reason this month I am launching rail movement called awake America and I want to challenge you to pray for God to bring a spiritual awakening to nation starting with your city, your compass and your neighborhood to encourage your friends and your family and your church groups do not together for revival starts with you and me, so I hope jointly learned about the worldwide ministry impact of Dr. Michael you sent in leading the way. When you speak to an industry representative at 866-6264 356.866 626-4356 with click over to LTW.org, LTW.Ord many of you like to write is nice handwritten notes to send to us and we live getting them address is leading the way, PO Box 20100 Atlanta, GA 30325. This program is brought to you by leading the way. Make plans to listen again next time right here once again passionately proclaim