Today, we’re going to talk about “The Hope of Easter.” What each one of us needs more of in our lives is hope. What our country and world needs is hope. What is hope? Oftentimes we use the word hope as a form of wish. I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. I hope the Cardinals win their next game. However, hope in the Bible has quite a different meaning. Hope in the Bible is a “confident expectation of a divinely provided future.” Biblical hope is a confidence and expectation that God has provided for a good future for you. This morning God wants to fill every person here with hope that God has a great future planned for you.
The opposite of hope is despair or hopelessness. We see examples of despair and hopelessness all around us. Despair and hopelessness drives people to harm themselves or others in many ways. Hopelessness leads people to try to escape life’s despair through different kinds of addictions. Despair about your future saps the joy from life.
On July 4, 1952, a young woman named Florence Chadwick intended to swim the channel from Catalina Island to the California coast. She had been the first woman to swim the English Channel is both directions and this was about the same distance, 22 miles. However, the water was numbingly cold that day. The fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her party. She swam more than 15 hours before she asked to be taken out of the water. Her trainer tried to encourage her to swim on since they were so close to land, but when Florence looked, all she saw was fog. So she quit. . . only one-mile from her goal, which she couldn’t see, it appeared hopeless to finish. Two months after her failure, Florence Chadwick walked off the same beach into the same channel. She swam the distance, setting a new speed record, because she could see the land and was filled with hope.
Where can we get the hope that we need in life? Our hope comes from Jesus.
Matthew 12:21 (NIV) 12:21 In his name the nations will put their hope.
Some people put their hope in wrong things and they are disappointed. But everyone who puts their hope in Jesus will never be disappointed. Easter is all about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3 (NIV) 1:3 In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Today, we’re going to take a closer look at how Jesus’ resurrection filled a certain woman with hope. As we do, ask God to fill your heart with hope this morning as well. Whatever you’re worried about, whatever situation you may feel hopelessness about, God has a good plan for you to give you hope.
Listen to or watch my April 8, 2012 message The Hope of Easter.