Here's the reality of the cross: Our sin is a massive deal, and our sin touches everything, including our relationships, our heart, and our addictions. The cross is the perfect example of what sin would love to do to us. But the cross is also proof of his grace. Some of us are holding onto things out of shame, and it is robbing you of your hope and your confidence in the Lord. However, the second you turn to Jesus and confess your sin, He forgets it completely. We have hope through the cross.
We also have hope through the resurrection. John spends so much time throughout the Gospel that he wrote helping us understand the promise of the Spirit, and helping us understand that He is faithful with promises. After promise, after promise, after promise, after promise, after promise, he proves he can be trusted to fulfill whatever he says. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says it like this: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.” So by the power of a resurrection, the resurrection makes a promise to you that you are now sealed by the Spirit, that you are kept in Heaven for him, and that your salvation is secure. It's a done deal. He made a promise, and he'll keep his promise.
Your hope should be an anchor for your soul. Life is going to pull and push you around in its waves and make you feel uncertain of God’s promises. But you have an anchor of Jesus! Take confidence because the resurrection is a demonstration of God's power at work to fulfill his promises. God is a promise keeper. If the resurrection shows you anything, it should be that, even when it seems impossible, God will keep his promise to you.
Reflection/Discussion Question: What have you allowed to push and pull you in life when you should have been anchored in the hope of Jesus?
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