It’s hard to fathom how Jesus’s followers felt immediately after his death. When He secretly appeared to His saddened followers on the road to Emmaus, they said, we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel (Lk 24:21). When Jesus died, their hopes died with him. But at the empty tomb, hope was found again! The empty tomb remains the Christian’s symbol of hope. Whenever we are tempted to see Christ’s promises as empty, all we need to do is look to the empty tomb. “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said” (Matt. 28:6).

 Take Home Message: Because the tomb is empty, I have hope. 

• I have hope because I remember the promises of Christ (1-10). 
• Jesus promised that… 
  • He will not reject you.
  • He will make Himself known to you.
  • He will answer you.

• I have hope because I encountered the risen Christ (11-16). 
• I have hope because I announce the ascended Christ (17-18). 
• We announce the ascended Christ to the… 
  • Discouraged: “I’ll never be good enough.”
• Distrusting: “No one’s good enough.”
• Depressed: “Why even try?” 

Message: The Resurrection 

Scripture: John 20:1-18 

Simple. Authentic. Jesus. 

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