Bill Smith - April 23, 2017
The Promise Purchased You
Scripture References: Genesis 1:26, Exodus 19:6, Revelation 5:9-10, Genesis 2:15
From Series: "The Promise"
We’ve all seen evidence that we live in a world that is deeply broken. Our society tells us that with more education and understanding, it will all just fix itself. But then you realize that, no, this has never worked and never will. What we experience now is no different from what human societies have always experienced and have never been able to solve. That doesn’t mean there is no hope. In our previous message series, There is Still Hope, we saw God actively moving towards his creation; pursuing those made in his image, even when they were moving away from him. We’ll continue on that journey with our new series, The Promise. The Promise is not an abstract force or power. The Promise is a person who has come to deliver us. We begin this Easter message series with Isaac when he was promised to Abraham as a picture of this deliverer. On Palm Sunday we recognize what will happen to The Promise as the crowd shouts, “The King has come,” while the King says, “I’ve come to die.” We’ll see throughout the next week from, Genesis 22, that even though God provides a substitute sacrifice for Isaac, he doesn’t provide one for his own son. Then, moving into Easter Sunday, we rejoice that death is not the last word on The Promise. Our redemption requires his death, but it also requires resurrection. If Christ is risen, then there is hope. It’s found in The Promise God has given us.