Sermon Series: The Resurrection Series
Sermon (Part 1): “Prepared for Tomorrow Today: Christ in You the Hope of Glory!”

April 3, 2022

Examine the picture above and think about this my friend. There is a sudden announcement that comes on the television, as well as the national state emergency alarm system begins to sound telling the people of the United States of America that they are in grave danger. Enemy forces are planning to launch multiple thermonuclear missile attacks targeted at major cities through- out the United States, including Washington, D.C. Time of impact is 10:00 AM tomorrow morning.

With military generals, at the President’s side, he grimly notifies the country that our protective forces against the attack of the enemy have all been rendered useless. And, the President resigns himself that the nation will lose many, if not all of its citizens, and the country destroyed within the next 24 hours.

With such news there is chaos and panic in the streets, as it seems that the world is coming to an end. People every-where are running, crying, and screaming for help. Transportation services—air, ground, and sea have all been frozen in place. Food, supplies, and gasoline lines are long and shortages are certain. The stock market and banking systems have shut down, and people are desperate to withdraw cash from ATM machines as fast as they can. Despair and the feeling of doom are everywhere.

However, in spite of all the mayhem, there is one group of people, who are remaining calm and at peace. These people have mobilized in large forces to provide comfort, encouragement, supplies, prayer, and most importantly salvation through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ—to family, friends, strangers, and even their personal enemies. These people are called, “born-again Christians—sons of the Living God.

Even if it had not been a catastrophic event as I have described, born-again Christians who know who they are in Jesus Christ, and what they have dwelling on the side of their hearts maintain a steady-state of peace and contentment—no matter the hardship of circumstances. They neither fear evil nor death because they know that the Lord is their Shepherd and they never lack any good thing. Though they walk through valley of the shadow of death, they fear no evil—as they know the Lord is with them. (Ps. 23:1, 4)

Praise the Lord Saints! As we enter into the Easter Season of 2022, I have entitled the next four weeks of preaching:

“The Resurrection Series.”

I pray these four power-packed messages will bless your socks off, and then back on your feet—giving you an assurance that it is so good to know the Lord, Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

What a glorious and victorious life we have in Jesus Christ! Just think about how amazing it is to have Jesus Christ and His life abiding in your born-again heart forever. (I John 4:15 & John 15:5) Oh, why fear anything when you know God in Christ Jesus is living on the inside of you! Not just the life of Jesus Christ as He walked on earth and ministered as the Son of Man—that alone is mighty awesome.
But, we have the very life of Jesus Christ as He is seated at the Right Hand of God the Father, as King of kings and Lord of lords dwelling in side our hearts. (I John 4:17) Greater is the Lord in you, than the wicked one Satan and the kingdom of darkness is in the world! (I John 4:4) Moreover, through Jesus Christ we have already overcome the devil and all of his antics!

Today, I am going to talk about our spiritual readiness to be with the Lord. The title of the Message, (Part 1) is: “Prepared for Tomorrow Today: Christ in You the Hope of Glory!” I want to dedicate this message to two of my beloved family members: my dear Aunt Essie King and Cousin Beebe Hawkins.

Right now, I believe it would do you good to affirm before God Almighty, His Holy Angels, the great company of witnesses (the Saints in heaven), and the congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ present in all authority in earth, to say the following:

“I am prepared for tomorrow today,because
Jesus Christ abides in me, and He is my Hope
of Glory!”

My, my, my, as we sit in this congregation—this very moment and hour—we are assured that we are on our way to that Great Coronation, which will be held in the middle of the air, when Jesus Christ returns to rapture His Church!
Please consider and understand this well. We are not trying to get ready or to qualify for heaven through self-good works. Rather, God has made us “Heaven-Ready” right now and forever!
Let’s Examine I Thess. 4.16-18

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Oh yes, it gives me great pleasure to comfort you with these words—even if the world should end tomorrow. So let me reinforce what I said before. We don’t think it’s a possibility that we will be raised from the dead, or be alive and caught up together when Jesus Christ returns. We know we shall be with the Lord upon His return!

In fact, we are more certain that we will be with the Lord upon His return, than we are sure of our own names, what time it is, or our present physical location! While we did not personally witness with our physical eyes the Resurrection of Jesus Christ—we have heard and believed the report in our hearts—and Jesus Christ has blessed us with the inner witness of the Holy Ghost! (Is. 53:1-2, John 20:29 & Rom. 8:16)

Moreover, all because of one Man, Jesus Christ and His finished works on the cross, God has given to every believer in Jesus Christ a very special gift. This gift is called, “A LIVING HOPE.”

Notice, I said “A LIVING HOPE,” and not Living Hope. “A Living Hope” is singular, targeted, and specific belonging to One Person, Jesus Christ! That’s right, we have been given the Living Hope of Jesus Christ Himself! A very precious gift from God that He will never take away from us, as all of His gifts and callings are without repentance! (Rom. 11.29) Yes, A LIVING HOPE—that never fades in good times, sad times, and last breath times!
The Apostle Peter wrote at I Peter 1:3-5 the following:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant
mercy has begotten us again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and
undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved
in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God
through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time.

Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the dead over 2,000 years ago secured and reserved for us an “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled and that never fades away.”
Let me tell you about the “inheritance” we have in God in Jesus Christ: The inheritance is we will be changed into Jesus Christ’s glorious image, His very likeness; whereby we shall put on the glorified body of Christ. For when we see Jesus Christ we shall be like Him.

Beloved, now we are children of God;
and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,
but we know that when
He is revealed, we shall be like Him,
for we shall see
Him as He is. (I John 3:2)

And we know that all things work together for good
to those who love God, to those who are the called
according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew,
He also predestined to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
(Rom. 8:28-29)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18) 

We already have the life of Jesus Christ abiding in our hearts, and next, our bodies will bear His glorious image. My, my, my “Resurrection on the inside and Resurrection on the outside equals the full Harvest of Christ magnified!” Imagine what it will be like to walk around heaven and earth with Christ magnified in and through you—radiating with absolute light!
When we put on our glorified bodies, God will behold the complete and full reflection of Himself, just as He required before the foundations of the world! We will be absolutely radiating in His Holiness to the praise of the glory of His grace. (Eph. 1:3-6) Nothing will make us rejoice more than to know God is well pleased with the glory He beholds.
When we put on our glorified bodies, we will be full-partakers of our inheritance as heirs of God, and joint heirs of Christ.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God, and if children,
then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified
together.” (Rom. 8:16-17)

In perpetuity, God will share with us the exceeding riches of His kindness towards us. (Eph. 2:7) Wealth and riches unimaginable by human standards and consumption will be ours all in righteousness. And, ultimately, we will rule and reign in the new heaven and earth with the Lord, no longer remembering death and sorrows of the past. (Is. 65:17 & Rev. 21:1, 3-4)
In the meantime—until Jesus returns—the Apostle Peter says we are “kept by the power of God.” That is, the power of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:8) through faith for salvation—the receiving our glorified body and fullness of the joint inheritance we have with Christ—that is ready to be revealed in that day.

The power of the Holy Ghost fuels this Living Hope of Jesus Christ in us! For a moment, examine your heart and let’s prove that “The Living Hope of Christ” is in you! The Holy Ghost witnesses to the mind of your soul, and then the mind of your soul witnesses to your human brain of the Living Hope of Jesus Christ in you. I ask of you the following questions:

  1. Is Jesus Christ in You? Notice, the answer is immediately, “Yes!” That is the power of the Holy Ghost fueling the knowledge of Christ in you.
  2. Will you be among the Saints of God changed into the image of Jesus Christ when He returns? Listen to your heart, notice the answer again is emphatically, “Yes!” This is the power and unction of the Holy Ghost fueling this knowledge. By the unction of the Holy Ghost you know all things. (I John 2:20)

Notice, how confidently and boldly this knowledge is spoken through you by the power of the Holy Ghost. Your confidence in Christ in you and being changed into His image is far greater even then when you affirm your own name, or any other named thing!!! The reason is because Jesus Christ in you is greater than “All” things in heaven, earth, and beneath the earth. (Acts 4:12, Php. 2:10, & I John 4:4)

Glory to God! The Living Hope of Jesus Christ abides in you. Examine these examples of how the Living Hope of Jesus served Him in His ministry, death, burial, and Resurrection:

–The Living Hope of Jesus Christ showed itself strong on His behalf when an angry mob-crowd of Jews fresh out of synagogue in Nazareth, laid their hands on Jesus and drove Him to the brink of a cliff, but then he went right through the midst of them all. All because Jesus told them the truth that He is the Messiah. (Luke 4:28-30)

–The Living Hope abiding in Jesus Christ moved Him to predict his sufferings and crucifixion! (Mark 9:31 & Luke 18:31-33)

–It was by The Living Hope of Jesus Christ that He boldly decreed, saying “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:18)

–The Living Hope of Jesus Christ, served as the catalyst for Jesus to endure lashes with the whip, mockery and scorn of Jews and Gentiles, to lay down on the wooden-rugged tree and receive nails in His hands and feet, and bear the sins and iniquities of us all. (Is. 53:1-12)

–The Living Hope of Jesus Christ, when he said, “it is finished” led the Spirit of Christ, to descend into the lower parts of hell and defeat Satan, snatching away the keys of death, hell, and the grave. (John 19:30 & Rev.1:18) He preached the gospel to the Old Testament Saints held captive in a compartment of hell, and lead captivity captive. (Eph. 4:8)

–Jesus Christ’s Living Hope assured Him before, during, and after all of His sufferings and Passion that he had an incorruptible, undefiled inheritance. He even called Himself the “Resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25)

Let’s go deeper now in learning about this Living Hope of Jesus Christ. The word “hope” in the New Testament is from the Greek word “elpis,” and means expectation, trust, and confidence. It comes from the root word elpo, which means to anticipate (with pleasure).

Our hope is an expectation, with anticipation of pleasure. It is not hope as the world defines, which is treated mostly as a fleeting wish. Bible hope is absolute trust, certainty, and confidence that we have and will see all God has prepared and reserved for our inheritance—with anticipated pleasure!

More specifically, our Living Hope of Jesus Christ is an expectation that we have eternal life (a deep and abiding relationship with God and Jesus—John 17:1-3) and will be raised again at the last day.

Or, should Jesus Christ tarry and we take our last breath on earth, we will never see, taste, nor experience death—but shall sail over death into life. Quicker even than you can blink your eye, to be absent from the body, you will be present with the Lord. (II Cor. 5:8) You should try that now. Blink your eyes, your transition to be with the Lord, when you take your last breath, is faster!

See the following Scriptures, John 6:40 and then John 5:24. Jesus said:

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every
one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him,
may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up
at the last day.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my
Word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condem-
nation, but is passed from death to life.

Thus, the Living Hope of Jesus Christ, produces within our hearts the fruit of the “Peace of Jesus Christ.” A life that is full of peace, serenity, security, soundness, and Oneness with God for all eternity.

Take a moment and examine your heart—think about God—notice there is nothing but calmness, stillness, safety, a knowing you have Oneness with God. No matter what is going on around you. No matter what troubling difficulty you may be facing in life right now—your heart—inner-man remains calm in Christ. No matter what physical pain Aunt Essie and Cousin Beebe may be experiencing right now their hearts are at rest and peace in Jesus Christ.
Go ahead and affirm that right now, saying: “I am calm in Christ.”
This is eternal life at work in your life! This is why meditating on God is so important, as I taught you a few weeks ago. Keeping your thought life on God leads to God’s Welfare: Perfect Health and Prosperity being manifested on you!
Can I take you deeper? As you meditate, thinking even about this Living Hope of Jesus Christ abiding in you—you enter into the Holy and Anointed portals of God, called the secret place of the Most High God. This is the place where the righteous dwell—make their holy habitation with God! (Ps. 91:1-16) Let me just capture for you verse 1in the Amplified Bible. It reads,

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of
the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].

In this world we have tribulation, trials, distresses, and frustration seemingly on every hand. (John 16:33) The heart of Mankind has waxed cold against God, and caused the world to be set on fire. Look how far man has fallen away from God—scarcely can we even find a man attending church anymore, and so many have decided to walk in the wickedness and perversion of their lust and sin.

Yes, there are and will be an ever increasing intensity of plagues, famines, storms, wars, riots, and many other calamities.
But, as Christians who dwell in the secret place of the Most High God; we are confident, certain, and undaunted because we know there is no adversary that can withstand the power of God!
We don’t tremble in tribulation, as we know that Jesus Christ has already deprived every tribulation of its power to hurt us and conquered it for us! We remain in Perfect Peace. (John 16:33)

We already know that the day of the Lord is coming when this world will end—with the lower heavens and earth on fire, dissolved with fervent heat and pass away. (II Pet. 3:10-12)
This Living Hope of Jesus Christ enables us, no matter the conditions of sudden fear or in times of quiet, to take our exercise in eternal life.
Yes, oh yes, we actually use times and seasons of sudden fear, to get some Holy Ghost exercise and practice things pertaining to eternal life. To use the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus to quicken dead, dying, sick, demon possessed and failing things to life—calling those things that be not as though they already were. As the sons of God, we have whatsoever we say! (Rom. 8:1-3, 4:17 & Mark 11:23-24)
This Living Hope of Jesus Christ causes us to be lights set on a hill shining into darkness to draw all men to Jesus Christ. As we endure personal affliction, persecution, sufferings, and tribulations as good soldiers of Christ—the world takes note and can see and smell the sweet savior of the aroma of Christ on our lives. (Matt. 5:14-16)
While we are under pressure, men can see and hear only the wisdom, knowledge and promises of God flowing from our mouths. Only blessings are released from our mouths when men curse and revile against us. We are found doing only God-good works to others, even when people have determined to hate us. Yes even, when they say they don’t believe in Jesus Christ—for we are God’s own handiwork predestined to walk in good works. (Eph. 2:10)
When we are deceived and taken advantage of by people in relationships and business dealings, we are quick to bend both of our knees and remain in prayer in the Holy Ghost for them until God turns their lives around. Until they are rescued from the fire of destruction, through utterances and groaning in languages borne from the Holy Ghost we pray. (Matt. 5:43-48 & Jude 20-23)
We don’t give any serious regard to the temporary things of this world and lust that is in it, because our eyes are focused on eternal things. (II Cor. 4:17-18) Sin is no more than a waste of our time. We hate sin, ignore sin and give it not place in our lives.
The song says, “Our hope (expectation with anticipated pleasure) is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ blood and righteousness.” Our hearts are fixed and looking for the return of Jesus Christ to put on our glorified bodies and partake of the fullness of our inheritance with Him. We are strangers and pilgrims in this weary world. Our expectation is for the second coming of Jesus Christ, which keeps us pure, even as He is pure! (I John 3:3)
We are the “epistle of Christ” read by all men. (II Cor. 3 2-3) Our lives are all a part of the sweet an ever enduring novel of Jesus Christ. Our personal testimonies of redemption continually show what it truly means to be a follower of Christ.
We tell stories of how, one day, we heard the gospel of Jesus Christ preached, and the Lord came and knocked at the door of our hearts. We opened the door of our heart, and Jesus Christ came in and dined with us. (Rev. 3:20) We remember how the Lord gave us a clean heart and renewed in us the right spirit—changed our lives completely around to worship Him alone in spirit and truth.
And, now we are possessed with possessing Jesus—our sole pursuit in life is to gain Christ and to tell everyone about Jesus and His sacrifice. How daily, we look toward heaven, knowing one day Jesus Christ is coming.
The song says Jesus is “coming on a cloud for you and me, it will not be very long just wait and see.” “Hold to His Hand, God’s unchanging hand and you will be ready when He comes.”
Another hymn says, “I’m holding my Savior’s Hand, I’m viewing the promised land, there is nothing on earth that can stop me from holding my Savior’s Hand!” My, my, my I love the songs of the Saints.
In closing, with all boldness like the Apostle Paul, we decree that whether in death or life, Christ is magnified in our mortal bodies. (Plp.1:20) Before we leave this earth we expect to draw others to Christ with how we live for Him. (John 12:32)

Our hope (expectation with anticipated pleasure) of being changed into the glorious image of Jesus Christ and partaking of our full inheritance with him is unchangeable and undefiled and is more assured than the place where we presently sit. And, for this, we are exceedingly glad and rejoice in the God of our salvation.

Let the Church of Jesus Christ say, Amen!

To Aunt Essie and Cousin Beebe, God has blessed you with “The Living Hope of Jesus Christ,” and you are Prepared for Tomorrow Today! Live on forever with Christ in You the Hope of Glory! Pastor Darryl and all the Saints of Exousia Ministries, Inc. love you!

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” (I John 5:13-14)

Please send your tithes and offerings in support of Exousia Ministries, Inc. to the PayPal link below. May God exponentially multiply your cheerful and hilarious giving to our ministry.

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Should the Lord tarry, see you next week!