The Hope That Wouldn't Die : Pastor Tony Samuels

Jesus going to the grave seemed like one of the darkest moments in eternity. Even Jesus himself uttered the words on the cross, “My God, My God, why hast though forsaken me?” Where was the Father in this moment of history? It’s in these times, when it seems like God is nowhere to be found, that He is actually working His greatest miracle. Remember this: God always has the final word. What God was about to do was hidden. The Bible says if the devil had known that God was going to bring light out of darkness, he would have never crucified the Lord of Glory. Jesus rising on that day was the manifestation of God’s Glory; a Hope that would not die!

Sometimes things happen in life that take the strength out of our hope. The enemy also wants to leave us in a state of hopelessness. But what God did with Jesus gives us an eternal perspective that we can always look to when things seem the darkest. As Hebrews 12:2 says, we look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

What God starts, He will finish. Even death could not stop the will of God from coming to pass. He is so awesome, death was just a part of His story to make history. The Resurrection was not just for 2,000 years ago; it is for right now! The same hope, the same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells inside of us. Outside circumstances are no match for the hope that God has placed on the inside of us. Look at Romans 5:5 (AMP): Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

If Jesus had never come out of that grave, it would have been a huge disappointment, which represents a huge defeat. With the Lord, there are no disappointments, and there are no defeats. This outcome was inevitable! It was a definite, an absolute! It would not and could not be denied; it was only a matter of time.  

More than ever before, we have to believe in our Lord. He has placed His Hope inside of us. Look at Hebrews 6:19 (AMP): This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells].  

This hope serves as an anchor, so that we will be steadfast and able to deal with pressure, and at the same time, maintain our heavenly position. Maybe we were not there to see the empty grave, but we are partakers of the same hope and power that raised our Lord and Savior from the dead. 

He Is Alive, And He Has Given Us A Hope That Will Never Die!

April 12th, 2020