Hope is Alive!

1. Jesus left the Tomb he was buried in.

Jesus only swooned; He didn’t die. The disciples stole His body. Authorities moved the body. They went to the wrong tomb. Jesus only swooned; He didn’t die.

2. Jesus being alive after death was confirmed by many witnesses.

Acts 1:1–3 Dear Theophilus: In my first book I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before he was taken up, he gave instructions by the power of the Holy Spirit to the men he had chosen as his apostles.

For 40 days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God.

3. Jesus’ followers were confident he was alive.

Hope Means I Must Wait for Something.

Romans 8:24-25 We were given this hope when we were saved Romans 8:24-25 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Luke 7:33-34 For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’...

Matthew 11:2–3  John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

John 1:29 …John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Believers Are by Definition Hopers in Christ.

Ephesians 2:12 …you were separate from Christ Ephesians 2:12 …you were separate from Christ... without hope and without God in the world.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

Some Have Gone To Their Graves in Hope.

Hebrews 11:39-40 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us....

Isaiah 61:3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Salvation through Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

1 Timothy 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God...

Glorification with Christ.

Colossians 1:27 ...the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.

1 John 3:2-3 ...We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

John 16:33 “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me John 16:33 “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

God Strengthens our Hope Through His Word.

Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Daniel 6:16 ...So the king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!"

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.