How Christ crushes hopelessness …

Of all the people who have ever experienced hopelessness, I think the original disciples of Jesus must have felt its impact as great as anyone ever has.

And as many of you know, hopelessness has a very real impact on our lives. Outreach, Inc., shares a story that shows how hopelessness saps the life out of us …

Years ago, a small town in Maine was proposed for the site of a great hydroelectric plant. Since the dam would be built across the river, the entire town would be submerged. When the project was announced, the people were given many months to arrange their affairs and relocate.

During the time before the dam was built, an interesting thing happened. All improvements ceased. No painting was done. No repairs were made on the buildings, roads, and sidewalks. Day by day, the whole town got shabbier and shabbier. A long time before the waters came, the town looked uncared for and abandoned, even though the people had not yet moved away. One citizen complained, “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power for the present.” The town was cursed with hopelessness because it had no future.

That’s how those first disciples must have felt — robbed of what they thought would be a great future following Christ now emptied them of power for the present.

Their hopes were shattered.

But wait!

Just one more day and Christ would crush the hopelessness His followers experienced. Even more, Jesus would shatter forever the hold that hopelessness can have on anyone who is His disciple.

On the cross, Christ defeated sin once and for all. But what about death?

Just wait … Sunday is coming!

Scotty