WEBVTT 00:00:00.490 --> 00:00:05.910 It was many years after that resurrection morning 00:00:05.910 --> 00:00:10.310 that the Apostle John was all by himself on an 00:00:10.310 --> 00:00:15.650 island in the Mediterranean called Patmos. He 00:00:15.650 --> 00:00:20.809 had served his Lord Jesus Christ faithfully for 00:00:20.809 --> 00:00:25.530 now some 60 years after he had last seen Christ. 00:00:26.890 --> 00:00:30.149 The emperor Domitian was intent upon snuffing 00:00:30.149 --> 00:00:34.329 out Christianity in the Roman Empire. And in 00:00:34.329 --> 00:00:37.950 order to try to achieve that end, he sent the 00:00:37.950 --> 00:00:43.850 last of the apostles, John, in exile to an island. 00:00:46.310 --> 00:00:51.909 And there it was on a Sunday, on a Lord's Day, 00:00:52.770 --> 00:00:57.159 that John was meditating upon these things. And 00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:00.179 suddenly he heard a voice. It sounded like a 00:01:00.179 --> 00:01:02.740 trumpet to him. He turned around to see who it 00:01:02.740 --> 00:01:06.000 was that was speaking. And there he saw the most 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:13.140 majestic person he had ever seen. And this person 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:22.799 said to him, Do not be afraid. I am the first 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:40.469 and the last, and the living one. He had not 00:01:40.469 --> 00:01:44.909 recognized the visage of his Savior, so majestic, 00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:48.909 so changed with Jesus as he appeared to him on 00:01:48.909 --> 00:01:53.189 that island. But Jesus identified himself quickly 00:01:53.189 --> 00:01:57.450 as the one who was dead. but who was now alive 00:01:57.450 --> 00:02:03.450 forevermore. John may have been meditating upon 00:02:03.450 --> 00:02:07.290 the despair that he had experienced with the 00:02:07.290 --> 00:02:11.030 disciples those three days after the crucifixion. 00:02:13.449 --> 00:02:18.349 Recently I was reading a book entitled Across 00:02:18.349 --> 00:02:20.909 China by Peter Jenkins. Maybe some of you have 00:02:20.909 --> 00:02:25.879 read it. Jenkins recounts the story in the book 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:29.539 of a young man whose name was Chris. Chris was 00:02:29.539 --> 00:02:33.219 in his mid -twenties, five foot ten inches tall, 00:02:33.319 --> 00:02:40.159 handsome, sandy, blonde hair, intelligent, muscular. 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:43.740 He was a mountain climber. His father was a teacher 00:02:43.740 --> 00:02:47.620 at MIT. But Chris wanted to be a mountain climber 00:02:47.620 --> 00:02:52.000 and so he got practice doing that and was excellent. 00:02:53.020 --> 00:02:59.199 In fact, he was a guide. He was so good. On one 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:01.560 occasion, a man from Seattle by the name of Jim, 00:03:01.699 --> 00:03:04.580 who was an attorney in his mid -40s, wanted to 00:03:04.580 --> 00:03:08.400 go on an expedition. And in order to give him 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:12.340 some experience, he paired up with Chris for 00:03:12.340 --> 00:03:18.319 a journey up Mount McKinley in Alaska. The two 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:22.580 of them went alone. They took along about 200 00:03:22.580 --> 00:03:27.479 pounds of equipment and food, placed it on a 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:30.599 plastic sled in between the two of them, and 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:32.919 then began going up the side of the mountain 00:03:32.919 --> 00:03:35.699 that way with a rope 10 feet long on the front 00:03:35.699 --> 00:03:39.199 of the sled attached to Chris as he led the way, 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:41.939 and a rope 10 feet long on the back of the sled 00:03:41.939 --> 00:03:47.180 attached to Jim as he followed. As they approached 00:03:47.180 --> 00:03:49.520 a particular pass, they were crossing a glacier. 00:03:50.909 --> 00:03:53.030 And those who do this sort of thing know that 00:03:53.030 --> 00:03:57.129 one of the dangers of a glacier is a crevasse, 00:03:57.370 --> 00:04:01.949 a place where the ice has split. But often that 00:04:01.949 --> 00:04:05.090 crevasse is hidden because snow has blown over 00:04:05.090 --> 00:04:08.189 it. Well, they could see many of the crevasses 00:04:08.189 --> 00:04:11.210 because the snow was dipped where they were. 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:16.439 Jim later couldn't remember exactly what happened 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:18.920 but suddenly Chris disappeared in front of him 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:21.319 and the first thing he knew he was being pulled 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:25.939 down. Chris had slipped into a crevasse that 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:29.579 was entirely hidden. It was three feet wide at 00:04:29.579 --> 00:04:33.319 the top and then it narrowed down to 18 inches 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:38.959 at the bottom 25 feet down. Chris fell head first. 00:04:41.009 --> 00:04:43.949 And on top of him came the 200 -pound sled, and 00:04:43.949 --> 00:04:50.410 after that came Jim. As soon as he could regain 00:04:50.410 --> 00:04:54.810 his senses, Jim took off the snowshoes he was 00:04:54.810 --> 00:04:58.430 wearing as best he could in 18 inches of space 00:04:58.430 --> 00:05:05.470 where he was wedged. Chris was able to talk to 00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:08.689 him, but he couldn't see Chris's head, couldn't 00:05:08.689 --> 00:05:11.800 see his upper torso, only his legs. were visible 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:15.279 and the sled and all the material scattered around 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:21.199 them in that narrow crevasse. Jim quickly realized 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:23.399 that his left arm was useless. It was broken. 00:05:24.100 --> 00:05:27.360 His shoulder was broken. He had only one good 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:31.699 arm. He reached over to try to pull up Chris 00:05:31.699 --> 00:05:36.139 and could not even begin to budge him. And so 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:39.139 he took a rope out of the pack. that he was carrying 00:05:39.139 --> 00:05:43.819 and tied it to Chris. And then he began to climb 00:05:43.819 --> 00:05:48.680 up the side of the crevasse. It took him an hour 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:54.139 to get to the top. Once up there, he began to 00:05:54.139 --> 00:05:58.500 try to pull straight up, to try to lift Chris 00:05:58.500 --> 00:06:01.980 out of the point where he was wedged helplessly 00:06:01.980 --> 00:06:07.649 in the bottom. He couldn't budge him. He climbed 00:06:07.649 --> 00:06:11.709 back down into the crevasse. Did everything that 00:06:11.709 --> 00:06:15.350 he knew over a period of some six or eight hours 00:06:15.350 --> 00:06:19.629 to try to free his friend who was still lucid, 00:06:19.970 --> 00:06:23.529 who could talk to him. But nothing could free 00:06:23.529 --> 00:06:28.490 him from where he had been smashed into the bottom 00:06:28.490 --> 00:06:35.129 of the crevasse. Later, Jim wrote in his diary 00:06:35.129 --> 00:06:39.269 that it was about 9 .30 that night that he and 00:06:39.269 --> 00:06:44.850 Chris both realized the inevitable. That Chris 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:49.709 was hopelessly trapped, head first, at the bottom 00:06:49.709 --> 00:06:53.970 of that crevasse. And Jim was now too exhausted 00:06:53.970 --> 00:06:57.629 to help him. And only with great exertion was 00:06:57.629 --> 00:07:00.209 he able once more to climb to the top of the 00:07:00.209 --> 00:07:06.759 crevasse himself. And he laid there, totally 00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:13.360 drained of his strength. It was about three hours 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:18.560 before Chris, at the bottom of the crevasse, 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:26.500 finally died. Can you imagine the despair and 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:30.180 the horror that that young man must have faced? 00:07:31.209 --> 00:07:36.089 as he died there upside down, trapped in the 00:07:36.089 --> 00:07:42.050 bottom of an ice crevasse where he is entombed 00:07:42.050 --> 00:07:51.930 still today. Talk about hopelessness. It must 00:07:51.930 --> 00:07:56.629 have been something like that the night after 00:07:56.629 --> 00:08:04.579 the crucifixion. Most of the disciples had either 00:08:04.579 --> 00:08:08.980 run or watched from afar. John was close enough 00:08:08.980 --> 00:08:13.439 that he was at the cross with Mary. And she understood 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:16.879 what Simeon had meant when they dedicated Jesus 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:19.420 and he told her that a sword would pierce her 00:08:19.420 --> 00:08:26.319 own soul. For as she watched her firstborn, being 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:32.289 crucified, there was a sword of pain. and agony 00:08:32.289 --> 00:08:41.669 in her heart. And finally, he died. It was Nicodemus 00:08:41.669 --> 00:08:45.090 and Joseph of Arimathea who came later, having 00:08:45.090 --> 00:08:47.250 received permission to take the body of Jesus 00:08:47.250 --> 00:08:49.549 down from the cross. Often the bodies were allowed 00:08:49.549 --> 00:08:53.029 to hang there for days, as a reminder to everyone 00:08:53.029 --> 00:08:56.730 what these criminals had done. But in this case, 00:08:56.850 --> 00:09:00.330 the Passover was upon them. And the Jews wanted 00:09:00.330 --> 00:09:03.470 the bodies down too. So these two men who had 00:09:03.470 --> 00:09:06.889 been secret followers of Jesus took his body 00:09:06.889 --> 00:09:10.590 down and they put it into the tomb of Joseph 00:09:10.590 --> 00:09:13.090 of Arimathea. And there they rolled the stone 00:09:13.090 --> 00:09:18.429 shut. What hopelessness and despair there must 00:09:18.429 --> 00:09:22.789 have been in the hearts of the disciples. How 00:09:22.789 --> 00:09:27.970 empty they must have felt. They had come to believe 00:09:29.089 --> 00:09:34.350 in Jesus of Nazareth. They actually believed 00:09:34.350 --> 00:09:38.230 that he was going to bring the kingdom. They 00:09:38.230 --> 00:09:41.730 had given up years of their lives. They had set 00:09:41.730 --> 00:09:44.750 aside their livelihoods. Some were fishermen, 00:09:45.830 --> 00:09:48.389 others were tax collectors or other occupations. 00:09:48.450 --> 00:09:50.669 But they laid all of that aside to follow him. 00:09:51.450 --> 00:09:57.159 And now he is dead and in a tomb. And they and 00:09:57.159 --> 00:10:00.720 some of the other followers are huddled in fear, 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:06.940 in despair and hopelessness. A couple of days 00:10:06.940 --> 00:10:11.779 later, on the first day of the week, two of them 00:10:11.779 --> 00:10:14.159 had left Jerusalem early and were walking toward 00:10:14.159 --> 00:10:18.659 their home. And they said to a stranger who happened 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:21.480 to accompany them on part of the journey to their 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:27.320 homes, we had hoped that it was He who would 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:30.639 bring the kingdom to Israel. You see, in the 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:34.759 way they said that, we had hoped, but now they 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:42.279 were without hope. Back in Jerusalem, as the 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:46.019 morning began to dawn on that first day of the 00:10:46.019 --> 00:10:49.740 week, some of the women were bringing spices 00:10:49.740 --> 00:10:56.690 to finish the burial of Jesus of Nazareth. When 00:10:56.690 --> 00:10:58.509 they got to the tomb, they found that it was 00:10:58.509 --> 00:11:03.269 disturbed. And they received, some of them, announcement 00:11:03.269 --> 00:11:06.830 from angels. He is not here. He has risen from 00:11:06.830 --> 00:11:08.850 the dead. And one of them, Mary, who lingered 00:11:08.850 --> 00:11:11.690 behind for a while, actually heard his voice 00:11:11.690 --> 00:11:17.409 and turned and saw him and touched him. And suddenly, 00:11:18.090 --> 00:11:22.129 the despair and the hopelessness turned to great 00:11:22.129 --> 00:11:26.620 joy and celebration. as it slowly began to dawn 00:11:26.620 --> 00:11:30.179 upon them that in fact He was risen from the 00:11:30.179 --> 00:11:37.220 dead. And joy filled their hearts and joy changed 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:42.700 their lives as they understood and realized that 00:11:42.700 --> 00:11:45.299 this One that they had loved and known in the 00:11:45.299 --> 00:11:51.100 flesh and who had died was now alive as He said 00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:59.600 Himself forevermore. And they ate with Him, and 00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:03.480 they met with Him, and they conversed with Him 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:07.159 on numerous occasions over the next 40 days or 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:10.340 so, until that day that they met with Him on 00:12:10.340 --> 00:12:13.779 the Mount of Olives. And while He was speaking 00:12:13.779 --> 00:12:17.039 to them, He was taken up out of their sight into 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:25.100 heaven. And they became flaming evangelists of 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:29.389 this message. of the risen Christ as the Holy 00:12:29.389 --> 00:12:32.929 Spirit came upon them and filled their lives. 00:12:35.750 --> 00:12:40.730 We live in a world that is in despair. It is 00:12:40.730 --> 00:12:52.750 hopelessly trapped in a crevasse of sin and wickedness 00:12:52.750 --> 00:12:58.269 and rebellion against God. And because of that 00:12:58.269 --> 00:13:01.909 crevasse, there's absolutely no hope for the 00:13:01.909 --> 00:13:07.610 world. And those who are in the world are without 00:13:07.610 --> 00:13:13.750 God and without hope. We live in the most technological 00:13:13.750 --> 00:13:17.929 society in the history of the world. We can pretty 00:13:17.929 --> 00:13:20.629 much do what we want to do and go where we want 00:13:20.629 --> 00:13:24.850 to go. We have time in our hands. We can fulfill 00:13:24.850 --> 00:13:29.789 most of the pleasures that we desire. Isn't it 00:13:29.789 --> 00:13:39.269 amazing that in a world like ours, suicide is 00:13:39.269 --> 00:13:42.230 one of the leading killers of our young people? 00:13:43.110 --> 00:13:50.330 They choose to end their own lives. Isn't it 00:13:50.330 --> 00:13:58.250 amazing? That those companies that manufacture 00:13:58.250 --> 00:14:03.509 drugs that deal with depression can hardly keep 00:14:03.509 --> 00:14:08.230 up with their business. We live in a despairing 00:14:08.230 --> 00:14:12.490 world because it is a world without any hope. 00:14:17.649 --> 00:14:21.529 One of the great men of this century was Winston 00:14:21.529 --> 00:14:26.240 Churchill. Near his death, Winston Churchill, 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:31.279 the former Prime Minister of England, had these 00:14:31.279 --> 00:14:36.000 words to say, I am an old man. I have lived a 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:40.600 long time. I have never seen days like these. 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:46.039 I am tired of it all. I see no hope for the future. 00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:53.870 Our problems are beyond us. The French philosopher 00:14:53.870 --> 00:14:58.789 and novelist Jean -Paul Sauterre said, man can 00:14:58.789 --> 00:15:02.730 count on no one but himself. He is alone, abandoned 00:15:02.730 --> 00:15:06.590 on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, 00:15:06.730 --> 00:15:10.190 without hope, with no other aim than the one 00:15:10.190 --> 00:15:13.490 he sets for himself, with no other destiny than 00:15:13.490 --> 00:15:16.789 the one he forges for himself on this earth. 00:15:18.110 --> 00:15:21.440 Ladies and gentlemen, you and I who have faith 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:26.600 in Jesus Christ are a people distinct in this 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:31.000 world. Because we have come on this morning to 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:37.539 celebrate hope that lives in our hearts. We are 00:15:37.539 --> 00:15:40.740 distinct because we live in a world that is without 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:47.200 hope because it is without God. But in His grace 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:52.220 and goodness, God has revealed Himself to us 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:56.600 and has opened our hearts to see the truth that 00:15:56.600 --> 00:16:01.740 is in Jesus Christ. And many of us have come 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:04.480 to the place where we have placed our personal 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:08.940 faith in Jesus Christ. And receiving Him as our 00:16:08.940 --> 00:16:16.190 Lord, we are walking with Him. We are a people 00:16:16.190 --> 00:16:19.090 distinct in this world because we are a people 00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:23.409 of a living hope. May I remind you of Peter's 00:16:23.409 --> 00:16:27.330 words, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 00:16:27.330 --> 00:16:30.690 Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy 00:16:30.690 --> 00:16:34.710 has caused us to be born again to a living hope 00:16:34.710 --> 00:16:37.490 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from 00:16:37.490 --> 00:16:41.730 the dead. It is possible for you and me to pass 00:16:41.730 --> 00:16:44.509 through trials in this life in which we may even 00:16:44.509 --> 00:16:51.490 come to the point of despair. Circumstances may 00:16:51.490 --> 00:16:54.909 fall into our lives in which we feel trapped 00:16:54.909 --> 00:17:01.549 and we feel hopeless. But let us remember that 00:17:01.549 --> 00:17:06.769 those feelings are lies. That in Jesus Christ 00:17:06.769 --> 00:17:11.190 there is a living and eternal and assure hope. 00:17:13.190 --> 00:17:16.289 If you as a child of God have come to this service 00:17:16.289 --> 00:17:20.250 this morning, on this Easter morning, and you 00:17:20.250 --> 00:17:23.230 feel a certain despair and a certain hopelessness 00:17:23.230 --> 00:17:26.069 that has attached itself to your life because 00:17:26.069 --> 00:17:29.490 of your circumstances, whatever they be, let 00:17:29.490 --> 00:17:32.430 me tell you that your feelings are lying to you. 00:17:33.309 --> 00:17:36.390 That on this Easter Sunday there is greater hope 00:17:36.390 --> 00:17:39.839 than you can possibly absorb. if your faith is 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:43.559 in Christ. There is a hope that will lift you 00:17:43.559 --> 00:17:45.880 from the circumstances and the despair that you 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:49.839 may feel inside now, and which will set you on 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:53.720 a solid plane, a solid path for the rest of your 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:58.700 life. The secret to knowing and experiencing 00:17:58.700 --> 00:18:03.539 and feeling that hope is yielding to the lordship 00:18:03.539 --> 00:18:10.160 of Jesus Christ in your life today. Today. It 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:13.019 may be that you have come to this service as 00:18:13.019 --> 00:18:16.880 a religious person who's never placed personal 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:20.700 faith in Jesus Christ. You've grown up in our 00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:23.359 culture with the story of Good Friday and Easter 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:26.240 and you know something about it, but there hasn't 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:29.500 been that personal relationship with God established 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:32.880 in your life. A relationship that is established 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:37.099 by faith. Would you do that today? By turning 00:18:37.099 --> 00:18:40.690 from your sins and to the Savior? and say to 00:18:40.690 --> 00:18:45.170 Him who died for you and rose again, Jesus Christ, 00:18:45.809 --> 00:18:53.049 living one, living God, come into my life and 00:18:53.049 --> 00:18:57.450 deliver me from my sin and from my despair and 00:18:57.450 --> 00:19:02.089 my hopelessness and fill me with your salvation 00:19:02.089 --> 00:19:06.589 and your hope. Oh friend, He will do that. And 00:19:06.589 --> 00:19:10.460 He will impart to you a living hope. a living 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:15.079 hope that is reserved in heaven for you, and 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:19.700 which nothing can ever take away. Let's pray 00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:25.779 together. Our heads bowed, our eyes closed. In 00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:27.819 a moment we're going to sing again of the joy 00:19:27.819 --> 00:19:31.299 of the resurrection, but before we sing, in just 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:37.309 a moment, Has the Spirit of God on this Easter 00:19:37.309 --> 00:19:41.369 Sunday done something in your heart? Perhaps 00:19:41.369 --> 00:19:45.349 there's someone here who would say, today on 00:19:45.349 --> 00:19:51.970 this Easter of 1991, I am trusting Jesus Christ 00:19:51.970 --> 00:19:56.390 as my Savior. I have known about Him before, 00:19:57.170 --> 00:20:01.460 but today I'm trusting Him. And I am inviting 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:04.759 Him. I am receiving Him into my life as my Lord 00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:09.180 and my Savior as an act of faith. If that is 00:20:09.180 --> 00:20:13.099 your choice and your decision today, would you 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:15.500 indicate that by your uplifted hand just where 00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:20.380 you're seated? Let that be an act of faith on 00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:22.960 your part by the uplifted hand saying today I 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:27.319 am trusting Him as my Lord. I want His living 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:36.259 hope. What about those who are here, who have 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:38.740 trusted Him but who have been living in despair? 00:20:41.220 --> 00:20:44.799 Would you say to Him, Lord Jesus, be my hope 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:52.180 today? I feel hopeless. I feel trapped. I feel 00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:54.700 like I can't get out of this crevasse into which 00:20:54.700 --> 00:20:59.240 I've fallen. But I know that You have conquered 00:20:59.240 --> 00:21:06.069 even death. that you are my hope. And I reestablish 00:21:06.069 --> 00:21:09.329 your right to rule in my life. And I yield myself 00:21:09.329 --> 00:21:13.930 afresh on this Easter to your Lordship in my 00:21:13.930 --> 00:21:18.150 life. If that is your decision, would you raise 00:21:18.150 --> 00:21:22.410 your hand and say that to Him? God bless you. 00:21:24.450 --> 00:21:28.710 Anyone else? Yes, I want Jesus to be the Lord 00:21:28.710 --> 00:21:33.750 of my life. risen from the dead, let him live 00:21:33.750 --> 00:21:38.609 his life in me. Father, thank you for the truth 00:21:38.609 --> 00:21:42.630 of the resurrection. And may this glorious truth 00:21:42.630 --> 00:21:47.069 lift our hearts. And as we depart from here in 00:21:47.069 --> 00:21:52.430 a few moments, may it lift us in praise and worship 00:21:52.430 --> 00:21:56.269 to you, so that as we go out from here, we go 00:21:56.269 --> 00:22:01.029 out with Jesus as the Lord of our lives. In His 00:22:01.029 --> 00:22:02.869 name we pray, Amen.