Sun, 9 April 2017
One of my favorite characters in J. R. R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings triology is Samwise Gamgee [show pic]. He is the ever loyal sidekick of Frodo Baggins. From Samwise comes a saying that has made its way into our vernacular. I think you’ll know it. Please finish this familiar expression: “Where there’s life, there’s .”
Yes. Where there’s life, there’s hope.
The idea is that, no matter how grim the circumstance are, so long as there is life, there is hope for victory. Once death comes, however, all hope is lost.
Where there’s life, there’s hope.
But this does not do justice to the good news of Jesus. The good news goes much further. The world says, “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” Jesus says, “Where there’s death, there’s hope.”
Because of Jesus, even death itself has no claim on believers. We have hope in this life and after this life!
How can we have hope when death comes knocking? Turn in your Bible to John 11 and we’ll show you the source of our hope. It is found in him who is the resurrection and the life—Jesus!
Read 11:1-7 and 34-44.
Pray.
Transition to first point: Where there’s death, there’s hope. This hope is only and wholly because of Jesus. In our story today we are going learn more about Jesus and how he works in our lives. Knowing him and his ways better should strengthen our hope, even in the darkest of days. Now to be sure, there are times when his ways can be mysterious and even frustrating to us. The first thing that stands out in the story of Larazus is that Jesus waited. . . .
Signs: So You May Believe Jesus waited |