From Hopelessness to Hope: The Power of Resurrection
Summary
In the quiet moments before dawn, fear and uncertainty gripped the hearts of those who had followed Jesus. The resurrection story begins with a sense of hopelessness, but it quickly transforms into a narrative of miraculous possibility. As Mary and the disciples discovered the empty tomb, the reality of Jesus' resurrection began to unfold, challenging their understanding of what was possible. This Easter, we gather to celebrate not just the historical event of the resurrection, but the profound implications it holds for our lives today.
Many of us come to this celebration from different places—some with deep faith, others out of obligation, and some with skepticism. Regardless of why you are here, the message of Easter is for everyone. It is a reminder that while human beings are capable of great things, there are limits to what we can achieve on our own. We can create, innovate, and love, but the impossible—victory over sin, death, and evil—requires something beyond human effort. It requires Jesus.
Jesus' death and resurrection make the impossible possible. Through Him, we can live in victory over sin, experience forgiveness, and find freedom from guilt and shame. His resurrection assures us that death is not the end, but a doorway to eternal life. The power of Jesus' resurrection is not just a historical fact; it is a present reality that transforms lives. It empowers us to face the challenges of life with hope and courage, knowing that we are not alone.
Moreover, Jesus equips us to battle the spiritual forces of evil that we cannot defeat on our own. Through the Holy Spirit, we are given the tools to discern and fight against the darkness in the world and within ourselves. This spiritual empowerment is a gift that enables us to live lives of purpose and meaning, aligned with God's eternal plan.
Ultimately, the resurrection invites us to acknowledge the giver of all good gifts. While we can do great things, knowing Jesus allows us to live with gratitude and purpose, understanding that our abilities are part of a higher calling. In Jesus, we find the power to do not just great things, but impossible things. This is the good news of the gospel: that through Jesus, the impossible is made possible.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Resurrection Transforms Hopelessness into Possibility: The story of the empty tomb begins with fear and uncertainty but ends with the realization of Jesus' resurrection, challenging our understanding of what is possible. This transformation is a reminder that Jesus makes the impossible possible in our lives. [07:54]
2. Human Achievement vs. Divine Possibility: While humans can achieve great things, there are limits to what we can do on our own. Jesus' resurrection offers victory over sin, death, and evil—impossible feats without divine intervention. This victory is a gift that transforms our lives. [35:23]
3. Living in Victory Over Sin: Jesus' power to forgive and free us from sin's grasp is unparalleled. Through Him, we can live forgiven and free, no longer burdened by guilt and shame. This freedom is a testament to the transformative power of Jesus' resurrection. [38:55]
4. Eternal Life Through Jesus: The resurrection assures us that death is not the end. Jesus' victory over death offers us the promise of eternal life, a gift extended to all who call on His name. This assurance empowers us to face life's challenges with hope. [42:15]
5. Spiritual Empowerment Against Evil: Jesus equips us to battle spiritual forces of evil through the Holy Spirit. This empowerment enables us to discern and fight against darkness, living lives of purpose and meaning aligned with God's eternal plan. [46:15]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [07:54] - The Empty Tomb and Resurrection
- [12:46] - Human Achievement and Divine Possibility
- [18:30] - Victory Over Sin
- [23:45] - Eternal Life Through Jesus
- [28:10] - Spiritual Empowerment Against Evil
- [32:55] - The Gift of Forgiveness
- [35:23] - Living in Freedom
- [38:55] - Assurance of Eternal Life
- [42:15] - Battling Spiritual Forces
- [46:15] - Acknowledging the Giver of Gifts
- [50:07] - Conclusion and Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Matthew 19:25-26 - "When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"
2. John 14:6 - "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
3. Ephesians 6:10-20 - A passage about the armor of God and spiritual warfare.
Observation Questions:
1. What emotions did the followers of Jesus experience before discovering the empty tomb, and how did these emotions change after the resurrection? [07:54]
2. According to the sermon, what are some examples of great things that humans can achieve without acknowledging Jesus? [35:23]
3. How does the sermon describe the role of Jesus in making the impossible possible, particularly in relation to sin and death? [38:55]
4. What does Ephesians 6:10-20 say about the nature of the spiritual battle believers face, and what resources are provided to them?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the resurrection of Jesus challenge our understanding of what is possible in our lives today? [07:54]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that human achievements are limited without divine intervention? [35:23]
3. How does the assurance of eternal life through Jesus impact a believer's perspective on death and life's challenges? [38:55]
4. What does it mean to be spiritually empowered against evil, and how does this empowerment manifest in a believer's life? [42:15]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt hopeless. How might the message of the resurrection transform your perspective on that situation? [07:54]
2. Identify an area in your life where you feel limited by your own abilities. How can you invite Jesus into that area to make the impossible possible? [35:23]
3. How does the promise of eternal life through Jesus change the way you approach daily challenges and fears? [38:55]
4. Consider the spiritual battles you face. What steps can you take to equip yourself with the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:10-20?
5. How can you acknowledge the giver of all good gifts in your daily life, and what difference might this make in how you use your talents and abilities? [46:15]
6. Think of a specific situation where you need to forgive someone or seek forgiveness. How can the power of Jesus' resurrection help you in this process? [38:55]
7. What practical steps can you take this week to live with gratitude and purpose, recognizing your higher calling in Jesus? [46:15]
Devotional
Day 1: From Hopelessness to Miraculous Possibility
In the quiet moments before dawn, fear and uncertainty gripped the hearts of those who had followed Jesus. The resurrection story begins with a sense of hopelessness, but it quickly transforms into a narrative of miraculous possibility. As Mary and the disciples discovered the empty tomb, the reality of Jesus' resurrection began to unfold, challenging their understanding of what was possible. This transformation is a reminder that Jesus makes the impossible possible in our lives. [07:54]
Luke 24:1-3 (ESV): "But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus."
Reflection: Think of a situation in your life that feels hopeless. How can you invite Jesus into this situation to transform it into a possibility for His miraculous work?
Day 2: Divine Possibility Beyond Human Achievement
While humans can achieve great things, there are limits to what we can do on our own. Jesus' resurrection offers victory over sin, death, and evil—impossible feats without divine intervention. This victory is a gift that transforms our lives. It reminds us that while we can create, innovate, and love, the impossible requires something beyond human effort. It requires Jesus. [35:23]
Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV): "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you are relying solely on your own strength. How can you invite God's divine power to work in this area today?
Day 3: Living in Victory Over Sin
Jesus' power to forgive and free us from sin's grasp is unparalleled. Through Him, we can live forgiven and free, no longer burdened by guilt and shame. This freedom is a testament to the transformative power of Jesus' resurrection. It empowers us to face the challenges of life with hope and courage, knowing that we are not alone. [38:55]
Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV): "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Reflection: Consider a sin or guilt that you have been holding onto. How can you embrace the forgiveness and freedom that Jesus offers you today?
Day 4: Assurance of Eternal Life
The resurrection assures us that death is not the end. Jesus' victory over death offers us the promise of eternal life, a gift extended to all who call on His name. This assurance empowers us to face life's challenges with hope, knowing that our ultimate destiny is secure in Him. [42:15]
1 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV): "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you."
Reflection: How does the promise of eternal life change the way you view your current struggles and challenges? What steps can you take to live with this eternal perspective today?
Day 5: Spiritual Empowerment Against Evil
Jesus equips us to battle spiritual forces of evil through the Holy Spirit. This empowerment enables us to discern and fight against darkness, living lives of purpose and meaning aligned with God's eternal plan. Through the Holy Spirit, we are given the tools to discern and fight against the darkness in the world and within ourselves. [46:15]
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (ESV): "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."
Reflection: Identify a spiritual battle you are currently facing. How can you rely on the Holy Spirit's empowerment to fight this battle with God's strength and wisdom?
Quotes
Atheists and agnostics Do great things People of other religions Can do great things You don't need to believe In the resurrection of Jesus Or believe that he's The son of God The king of kings Or the lord of lords To do great things In this world So why do we need Jesus At all? Why did we come here today To celebrate then? It's true You don't need to believe In Jesus to do great things But you do Need Jesus If you're going to do Impossible things You don't need Jesus If you want to live You don't need Jesus To do great things But you do need Jesus If you want to live In victory over sin Death and the devil You see apart from Jesus Living in victory Over sin, death And the devil Is impossible If you want to do Something impossible Like this You do need Jesus On the cross Through his death And resurrection Jesus conquers sin And death And the devil Jesus did what We cannot do He did what for us Would be impossible But it's not impossible For Jesus In Matthew chapter 19 The disciples are asking Jesus a question About who can be saved Who can please God And enter into eternal life And it comes out Of this interaction That Jesus is having With a young man And Jesus' response To the man And the text says And it was a tough response The text says That when Jesus heard When the disciples heard What Jesus' response To the man was They were greatly astonished And they asked Jesus Well who then can be saved? [00:32:17] (94 seconds)
And Jesus looked at them And said with man This is impossible But with God All things are possible Only God Only through Jesus Are impossible things Possible You see impossible things Are blocked by sin Death and the devil Those things Keep us from accomplishing Or defeating the things They stand in front of Impossible things Are guarded by entities And powers That apart from Jesus We can't contend with Do you understand What I'm saying? Are you awake enough This morning? I mean You will not be able To live in forgiveness If sin holds you fast If sin has caught you In its grasp And will not let you go It will crush you Under its condemnation On our own effort And work It's impossible To be freed From the power of sin You can try And justify it You can dress it up And make it Seem like it's Going to be okay Or try to lessen Its impact on your life But you can't be Freed from it Unless you know Jesus as Lord You see Jesus Makes the impossible Living, forgiven And freed from The bondage of sin Possible Because Jesus And Jesus alone Holds the power To forgive sin To wipe the slate clean And he destroys Not only sin's Hold on you But its power To condemn you Jesus renews He resurrects And he opens A new path Out of sin A life beyond its grasp Can I get a witness here? [00:33:51] (92 seconds)
You see Jesus offers new life Now it's true That we can't change Change our past But through divine Forgiveness that Jesus Offers We can change What the past means And the power That it holds over us You see through Jesus' work on the cross And his forgiveness Of our sins When you call out to him And you ask for forgiveness Through him Our past No longer defines us In fact God Will even use The broken stuff Of our past For his good In Jesus' power Of forgiveness What was once Shame and guilt Becomes a source Of empathy For others We are no longer Burdened by it It can even become A part of our testimony Of God's goodness And God's grace And God's love Listen to me No matter how dark Or twisted Your impossible past is In Jesus A new day And a new life Are possible On your own That sort of transformation Won't happen It's impossible On your own Sin will destroy your life But Jesus makes The impossible Possible You can live free [00:35:39] (63 seconds)
And if you doubt God's power over death, we can see Jesus has this power in two ways. First of all, when he lived, Jesus raised the dead. He had power over death while he was doing his ministry here on earth. There are three accounts of Jesus raising people from the dead while he was alive in Scripture. The widow's son in Nain. Jairus' daughter. A friend of his, Lazarus. Lazarus had been dead for three days, in the tomb for three days. And Lazarus is brought out of that tomb simply by Jesus' command. Lazarus, come out! It's impossible for us. Try it sometime. It's impossible for us. But not for Jesus. Because Jesus is who he says he is. He's the Son of God. The Lord and Savior who holds power over sin and death. And holds eternal life in his hand. And second, the proof that Jesus has power over death can be found in so many biblical accounts of people seeing Jesus after he had died and risen. There were many witnesses to his death, first and foremost. [00:38:10] (66 seconds)
And then many witnesses to his resurrection. After he died and was raised, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene at the tomb. We heard about some of that this morning. Jesus appeared to the disciple Peter. He appeared to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus after he had been risen from the dead. And Jesus appeared to seven disciples at the Sea of Galilee. Jesus appeared to eleven disciples. Some when Thomas was present. Some when Thomas was absent. Jesus appears to his brother James and to the Apostle Paul. And then Paul writes that Jesus appeared to over 500 people at once after he had died. Even first century non -Christians historians speak of Jesus appearing to his followers after he had been resurrected from the dead. In fact, being raised from the dead, having power over death, is what fueled the faith of Jesus' disciples and followers. It caused his once timid, doubting, scared, grieving, lost followers to become so bold, so faithful that they would die telling others about Jesus' risen Lord, this Lord that is raised from the dead. They had that sort of bold confidence because death didn't scare them. [00:39:36] (71 seconds)
They were all gruesomely killed. Except for John. They were all killed for their faith. They're preaching and following Jesus. You see, if Jesus' resurrection was a lie, if they didn't witness him risen from the dead, there would be no way that they would all keep up this charade in the face of terrible, painful torture and death. No way. It was the resurrection, seeing Jesus raised up and alive after being crucified, that sealed the disciples' ministry and zeal. They saw and talked to Jesus, who was once dead and is now living, and that made the impossible possible. Life after death. And the gift of eternal life is not merely for Jesus alone, but the invitation to eternal life is extended to all who call on his name and claim him as Lord and Savior. No other man, no other philosophy, ideology, or religion makes this impossible thing possible. Only Jesus. It's why Jesus says in John chapter 14, I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. The impossible is only possible through Jesus. [00:40:22] (67 seconds)
And finally, there are agents of malice and evil that are present in this world, and they are wreaking havoc in our lives and communities. Amen? And if we're honest, we can all see the evil at work in our world and in our lives. It's all around us. Just turn on the news or take a really good look within yourself. Things are not good. We all have the capacity for some really terrible actions and words. And beyond the temptations that we all face towards that kind of evil, the devil is at work doing all sorts of hideous, terrible things throughout the world. The evil that humanity faces is beyond our ability to fight or defeat. We don't have the ability to defeat the forces of evil. In fact, they're impossible for us to fight because they are spiritual in nature, and we are corporal. We are bodies. We are human. There is only one hope. We have the only possibility for victory, and it's found in Jesus. Only Jesus promises to give us the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit will dwell in us, enabling us to discern good from evil, giving us the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to battle the evil that we face. And through the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us the victory by providing for us the necessary spiritual armor and spiritual weapons needed to fight a spiritual battle against the forces of evil. I invite you to read Ephesians 6, 10 -20, where the Apostle Paul outlines how the impossible is possible. As Jesus, as Jesus gives us the things we need to fight spiritual battles against the forces of evil. In fact, in Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes that the battle isn't against flesh and blood of the people, but rather against, he says, the rulers, the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. That's how Paul describes the enemy that we're up against. [00:41:50] (112 seconds)
The impossible that is beyond our reach is the reason that God's love brought Jesus in the flesh to us. That's what Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4 through 9 tells us when it says, But God, being rich in mercy because of his great love for us which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, makes us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it's a gift from God. Not a result of work so that no one may boast. You see, when you're dead, that's all you can do is be dead. Nothing's possible. But the God of the impossible sent Jesus to pluck us out of darkness, out of death, that we were wallowing in, and through Jesus he gives us life, forgiveness, and victory, and that's why we're here today. That's what we're celebrating. For the impossible is possible because of Jesus. It's true. Human beings are amazing, but we have our limits. [00:43:49] (73 seconds)
We can only create so much. As vast as our understanding is, it's limited. For instance, we can know what makes up a tree. We can understand its cells, its molecular structure. We understand this process. That applies to just about everything in the natural world. We know a lot, but our knowledge and our abilities are limited. We aren't God, in other words. We are not the creator. That's Jesus. He's the one that the Gospel of John describes in this way. He was in the beginning with God. All things were created through Him. And without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life. And the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Nothing is impossible for Jesus because all things were made through Him and for Him. He is light. And He is life. He is God's love lived out for us. Jesus endured the cross. It's shame. It's pain. It's agony for you and me. He took down the sins of the world. He took on death and He walked straight at the devil to defeat them all in order to make the impossible. possible for us. [00:45:12] (71 seconds)
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