R1112 The Hope of Easter, Pt.2

God has an encouraging word for you and me today, through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, a continuing message on hope. Yes, today is the Hope of Easter Part 2.

Yes, Easter on Sunday launched us into this wonderful resurrection concept that changes us from the inside out every moment of every day. We'll head back to Acts chapter 2 in just a moment, but don't forget, we're connecting on our website 24 hours a day at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. Wonderful resources, including wonderful books from Dr. Wilton. A lot of folks in this last few days have been asking about the book, See You at the Finish Line. It's one that many people give to friends that are graduating in high school or college.

A wonderful resource on our website at www.tewonline.org. Just look for the book, See You at the Finish Line. Now, let's dive into God's Word with Dr. Don Wilton. This is God's Word. I'm sharing God's truth with you because you and I are living in a searching world, aren't we? Men, women, boys and girls, and the hope of Easter, according to what God's Word says, means four things. Number one, it means that the Lord Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sin. That's the hope of Easter. The Bible says that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

I wrote in my letter to you this morning that you can read after lunch today. I said these words. One of the things that I love about First Baptist Church, and I trust this is true of all congregations who love the Lord Jesus, that the only difference between the best of us in here and the worst of them out there is the grace of God.

Amen. You see, the hope of Easter means that Jesus Christ paid the price for my sin. I'm a sinner. I was born in sin. The Bible says that I was conceived in sin. I'm a sinner by nature and I'm a sinner by choice.

In fact, the Bible says that because of the sin of Adam, all people have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And because of my sin and your sin, we can have no fellowship with a holy and a righteous God. There is no way I cannot give enough money. I cannot do enough works. I cannot go on enough mission trips. I cannot take care of enough Haitians. I cannot build enough orphanages.

I cannot dig enough wells for people to drink. I cannot issue enough Bibles. I cannot tend church enough. I cannot preach enough.

I cannot do anything enough excepting. Give my heart and life to Jesus because he's the only one who can remove the barrier of sin from my life, which separates me from God. That's why Jesus died. That's the hope of Easter because God, by his power, raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus Christ paid the price for my sin. But, you know, my dear friends, the hope of Easter means, number two, that the Lord Jesus paid the price for our death problem. Not just for my sin problem, but for my death, for our death problem. We've got a problem with death. Death is all around us. I'm sad to tell you that.

In fact, it's not a happy subject. Some of my best friends in all the world died when I was a senior in high school. I had a best friend in all the world, Graham Clark. He and I used to race motor cars together and we used to do all kinds of things together. He was absolutely my best friend, Graham Clark.

When I was a senior in high school, I mean, we did everything together and I went off to the army and I was in another country as a tank commander and I was far away. And suddenly I got called into headquarters. And the sergeant major and the commanding officer were there and they told me that my best friend had died. There was nothing I could do. I remember how sad I was. I've never forgotten him.

That was many years ago. Death is all around us. Death is a great perplexion. I mean, what can I say to you about death? How do you describe it? See, death is so final.

It's something where, you know, we're all headed. You know, Elizabeth Taylor died. Did you know that? She did. She was the queen of the screen. Queen of marriage, too. She was an expert. By the way, I would have loved to have met Richard Burton.

I mean, that guy, he was kind of like a man's man. He said he's dead. Death is, it's a mystery and it's a puzzle and it's perplexing and we try to explain it to our children and it's kind of dark and it's, and the hope of Easter. When you discover the hope of Easter, watch this, folks. This is what this day is all about. I just, I love this.

I just couldn't wait to tell you this. The hope of Easter means that Jesus Christ paid the price for my death problem. He took the problem of death away from me because he conquered death. That little word, by the way, that Peter uses means that he literally obliterated death.

He removed it. He made it possible for me to stand here and tell you that there's not a single person who has ever died that is dead. In fact, Jesus Christ is the death conqueror. I mean, a lot of great battles fought in this world. You and I are students of history and I greatly admire the General MacArthur's and Westmoreland's.

I greatly admire the General Eisenhower's and the Winston Churchill's, but surely there is no greater conqueror that ever graced this earth upon which we live than the only begotten of the father who by his own free will and predetermined choice of a sovereign and a holy God came to this earth with the one purpose in mind. And that is to conquer death. He took it away. He obliterated it because when you give your life to Christ, you receive all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ and you become a fellow conqueror of death.

You shall surely not die. And folks, I'm a pastor. I cannot tell you the difference enough between the funeral service of someone who has trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and the funeral service of someone who has not.

It's like North and South Pole. You can go to the funeral service of someone who had no time for God, had never given their life to Christ, had never discovered the hope of Easter. And all you hear are human accolades, which are good.

All you hear about what that person has done, the contribution they made to the world, which is good, which we ought to do. But you don't hear anything concerning hope beyond the grave because there is no hope for those who have not discovered the hope of Easter. Those who do not accept Jesus and who understand that Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sin problem, which separates us from God. He has paid the price for our death problem because he has given us eternal life.

But Peter here takes this to another level. He says the real hope of Easter means that Jesus Christ has paid the price for our hell problem. You'll be interesting to note, for example, in verse 27.

Quoting the prophet there, he says, because you will not abandon me to the grave. Do you know that Paul, when he wrote about Jesus dying on the cross and being raised by the power of God, said that he has conquered sin, death and the grave. By the way, folks, by the way, do you know that that word grave, do you know what that word is in God's word?

Do you know what that word is? It's the word Sheol or Hades, hell. Jesus Christ has paid the price for our hell. Do you know that Time magazine this past week put on its front cover a religious leader who has made a claim that there is no hell.

And then they named him as one of the 100 most influential people in the United States, along with Oprah Winfrey and all the other great influential people in America. And when this man wrote a book in the name of this God of whom I speak, people began to clamor. Because all of a sudden he gave to our world what our world wants to hear and wants to know, that surely there could be no place like hell with decent people.

How can you say that to jolly fine people? Our world desperately wants to popularize the fact that there is no way that anybody could ever go to a place called hell. It is impossible and God is a God of love. How could God ever send anybody?

The question is the wrong question. One of my closest friends sharing with me this week said to me, pastor, it's the wrong question. The question is not whether or not there is a hell.

The question ought to be what if there is? Jesus evidently made it very clear to us concerning hell in three areas. Number one, he went there. Do you know when Jesus died he went down and paid a visit to those in hell? Depositing our sin in the place where it would live for all time and all eternity before by the power of God he was raised triumphantly leaving our sin, death and hell where it belongs. He was raised to walk in newness of life. Jesus went there. Jesus spoke of hell himself. He taught us about it.

He told us about the reality of people who go there. He painted it in definitive terms, shared with us the absolute certainty of life after death. But Jesus died on a cross and rose triumphantly from the grave to show us that as God's son he was the only one motivated and prompted by this unbelievable love of God, this incredible fact that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believes in him should not die and go to hell but should receive eternal life and go to heaven to be with him forever and forever and forever and forever.

And what joy to look forward to that forever and ever with Jesus. Please forgive the interruption. We'll be back with more of the great teaching of Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment. Dr. Don insists I remind you we're here for you. We'd love to pray with you anytime at 866-899-WORD.

I pray you jot the number down or store it in your cell, 866-899-9673. We'll always connect you with one of us, happy to talk or listen or pray or connect you with one of our resources. Right now the resource called The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children has been one of the most powerful resources we've made available in these last seven or eight weeks. It's just a great resource both with a book from Stormy O'Martian and audio resources all combined together.

See the details on our website at www.tewonline.org and it's just one of many great resources. And know this, as you invest in that particular resource, a gift of $25 or more or anything, a book you buy, it's investing in the ministry of lifting up the name of Jesus. He doesn't like me to brag about it but it is something I want to brag about. Dr. Don doesn't take any money from his book sales. It all goes into making the opportunity to share Christ with more radio stations, more online opportunities, more video channels. The man is just committed to sharing Christ.

No salary, his salary is paid by the church that he serves as pastor and the encouraging word is made possible by your gifts. And whether you gift for a resource like that or you just choose to give, I pray you'll consider investing in this fertile soil where every day lives are being changed by the power of Jesus Christ through his servant, Dr. Don Wilton and his word, the Bible itself. Again, forgive the destruction.

Let's dive back into great teaching from Dr. Don Wilton next. The hope of Easter means that Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin problem. He paid the price for our death problem.

He paid the price for our hell problem. Friends, when we die, you and I see a casket. We think of a box. We think of a body. We think of a lid. We think of ground and dirt.

We think of closing up, sealing up, darkness. It is a picture of sin and death and the grave and hell. But Jesus Christ bust open the closed casket. He came forth from the grave.

He opened the darkness so that light could shine into the box of our life. And he said, you believe in me. I will give you eternal life. That's the hope of Easter.

But there's one more. The Lord Jesus paid the price for our heaven problem. I love that. I love that the Lord Jesus. This is the meaning.

This is the hope. This is what it means to discover the hope of Easter, that the Lord Jesus paid the price for our heaven problem. I have an announcement to make when Jesus died on the cross and by the power of God was raised from the dead. He bought my house for me. He reserved my space. He did. He paid the price.

He sealed the transaction. You see, he came under the express orders of the owner of this place called heaven. Owned and operated by God, our Heavenly Father, the abode of God, the place where God is. This is God's real estate. This is God's heavenly resort. This is God's gathering place. This is where the royal wedding is going to take place.

It is not going to be confined to a few streets around Buckingham Palace. When you talk about the Lord Jesus Christ, he came and he paid the price for my heaven problem. He has said to me, I am going to prepare a place for you, son. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will receive you under myself.

And where I am there, ye may be also. I know because I have discovered the hope of Easter that Jesus Christ lives in my heart, despite myself. Despite my fears, despite my pain, despite my searching heart. My sin problem is being dealt with, my death problem has been dealt with and overcome. My hell problem is no longer existent because there is now therefore no condemnation for me because I am in Christ Jesus. He has paid the price for my heaven problem. I have my home in heaven. My reservation has been made. I can leave home without my American Express card.

This is not going to cost me anything because the price was paid in full and at any cost. He sent himself his spirit as a deposit, a stamp guaranteeing my place round the feast table of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Somebody say amen on this Easter Sunday morning.

Whoo! So how do we discover this hope? What can you do about it? Listen carefully. Number one, believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. You might say to me today, Don, how do I do this?

What do I need to do? Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Number two, trust in Jesus Christ by faith. The Bible says that the just shall live by faith. Some of you today might say to me, Pastor, I just don't really understand.

You don't have to. If you had to understand, the Bible would tell us that. This is God's truth. There's not one passage in the Bible that says a prerequisite for coming to know Jesus Christ is that you have the knowledge and understanding. That is the modern Gnostic, modern day Pharisaism movement.

It is a legalistic movement. God's word says we are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest you and I should boast that we deserve salvation.

We don't deserve it. Christ died upon a cross that you might have life. Believe in your heart. Trust in him by faith. Number three, identify with him through believers baptism.

Identify with him through believers baptism. Baptism will not and cannot ever save you. But every person who has given their heart to Jesus must be baptized by immersion because the Bible tells us Jesus was baptized as a believer.

Jesus led the way. And baptism is the place of your public confession. Baptism, when you get into the waters of baptism, you are publicly identifying with the death of Jesus upon the cross, his burial in the grave. When you when I take you and put you under the water in baptism, the water closes over you.

It's the same picture of Jesus dying when death completely encompassed him because he died completely 100 percent. But I'm not going to leave you under the water. If I left you under the water, what would happen to you?

You wouldn't make it up. Was Jesus Christ left under the water? Did God leave him in the grave?

No, he conquered the grave. And so it is I raise you up to walk in newness of life. You've been listening to Dr. Don as he's been teaching and preaching from the pulpit.

Now, as he steps into the studio, open your heart to what he wants to share next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? I'm so happy to hear that. Why don't you pray this prayer with me today? Dear God, I know that you love me very, very much. And I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on a cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin. Today, I repent of my sin.

I confess my sin to you. And I invite you to come into my heart and into my life by faith. In Jesus' name I pray. If you prayed that prayer, let me be the first one to welcome you to the family of God.

This is wonderful. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying for you and how very important this is for me. Call us so that we can talk to you and connect you in the right place so you can begin this wonderful journey.

And in just a moment, I'm going to come back with a final word. If you just gave your life to Jesus Christ or rededicated your life to Christ, welcome to the family of God and oh, how we'd love to rejoice with you. Dr. Don would love to pray for you, to rejoice over what God is doing in your life and also to put you some free resources in the mail within the next day or so that'll help you grow in your faith. If you'll call us and tell us about your decision at 866-899-WORD, we'll send that right away. That's 866-899-9673 or you can meet us online at www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org where you'll discover great resources like this. Hello everybody. You know my friends know me as Don Wilton, pastor, friend, neighbor, dad, husband, grandpa. But I'm going to tell you people all around the world just like you know and identify Dr. Billy Graham as that man that God used to reach so many people around the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. I had the privilege of knowing Mr. Graham in a very personal and intimate way, both as his friend and as his pastor. In fact, for many years I drove up to his home in Montreat, North Carolina and visited with him every Saturday. Just like friends do everywhere, we sat together and ate together, walked, talked. We discussed politics, friends, places, people. We laughed our heads off.

We did everything one could possibly imagine. That's why I wrote this wonderful book, Saturdays with Billy. It's all about a personal relationship and I hope and pray that Saturdays with Billy will be a blessing to you, will inspire you and will encourage your heart just as Mr. Graham encouraged my heart and changed my life. God bless you, my friends.

Again, that's just one of many great resources on our website at www.tewonline.org. And though the resource is important, the most important resource is the ability to joyfully pray for you. Before we get away, closing thoughts from Dr. Don.

You know, these are such special times together. I'm so grateful, my friends, that we can worship together like this through the encouraging word broadcast ministry and you're such a vital part of all that God's doing and I just love you and I want you to know that. You know, this ministry goes on 24 hours round the clock all the time. We want to be involved in your life and we want to continue to pray for you.

You can call us at any time. You can partner with us all the time through prayer and through your giving. We know that you are 100% engaged as we are in sharing God's truth with our searching world.

That's what this is all about. We need Jesus, don't we? And God is doing a great work and I love you today. Thank God for you. Pray for you. God bless you. Our time's gone for today but be sure and join us tomorrow for the next edition of The Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilton.