Fresh Hope in the Old Story

Apr 11, 2023

Explore how an ancient Easter story illuminates modern life. Pastor Ben Stuart shares insights on youth mental health, drawing connections between scripture and hope. He emphasizes that Jesus' resurrection offers assurance beyond death and serves as an anchor for justice. Grace transforms the guilty into agents of change, while the empty tomb validates our hope for salvation. Reflect on life’s struggles as signs of being alive and consider the invitation to know Jesus for a purposeful and hopeful existence.

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INSIGHT

Scripture Correlates With Hope

Frequent interaction with Scripture correlates with significantly higher hope and lower mortality from despair according to Harvard and survey data.
Engaging the Bible and weekly church attendance improves emotional and physical well-being.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Old Foundation Metaphor

Ben Stuart recounts buying a 1950s house and an inspector noting its deep, sturdy foundation as a metaphor for recovering solid ground.
He uses this story to argue some progress is recovery, not just innovation.

insights

INSIGHT

God Enters Our Suffering

The gospel declares the Maker entered human pain and even death, showing God is not aloof from suffering.
That presence gives comfort amid unanswered whys about pain, because God shares our story.

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Easter Memories and Cultural Change

00:36 • 3min

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Rising Youth Mental-Health Crisis and Scripture

03:43 • 4min

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Approach to the Easter Message

07:48 • 2min

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God Entered Our Story and Suffered

10:05 • 5min

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The Resurrection Offers Hope Beyond Death

14:58 • 55sec

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Belief Shapes Present Living

15:53 • 4min

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Easter as an Anchor for Justice

19:43 • 5min

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Grace Transforms the Guilty into Agents of Grace

24:30 • 5min

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Empty Tomb Validates Salvation Hope

29:33 • 25sec

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Death's Shadow Versus the Truck of Death

29:58 • 3min

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Progress May Be a Regress to What We Lost

32:42 • 4min

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Invitation to Know Jesus and Live Hopefully

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How is it that an ancient story could give us hope for today? In this message, Pastor Ben Stuart walks us through the familiar Easter story in scripture and shares how it provides us with comfort for suffering, a reason for living, an anchor for justice, and hope for the future.

Key Verses // 1 Thess 1:9-10, 1 Thess 4:13-14, 1 Thess 5:8-10

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Do you feel frustrated by a pattern of personal failures, overwhelmed by a chaotic culture, or disillusioned by a lack of meaning in everyday life? Your struggles do not mean you’re doomed. They’re actually a sign that you are alive. Now it’s a question of whether you will struggle well.

Pastor Ben's new book, Rest & War, is a field guide designed to equip you to walk elegantly through the battlefield of life.

Rest & War is out now, order your copy today!

https://www.restandwar.com/
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Give towards what God is doing through Passion City Church: https://passioncitychurch.com/give-online
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With Passion City Online you can join us every Sunday for gatherings at 9:30a + 11:30a!
Join us at https://passioncitychurch.com/dc
Subscribe to our Youtube channel to see more messages https://www.youtube.com/passioncitychurchdc
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At Passion City Church, we believe that because God has displayed the ultimate sacrifice in Jesus, our response to that in worship must be extravagant. It is our privilege, and our created purpose, to reflect God’s Glory to Him through our praise, our sacrifice, and our song.

Follow Passion City Church: https://www.instagram.com/passioncitydc/
Follow Ben Stuart: https://www.instagram.com/ben_stuart_/
Passion City Church is a Jesus church with locations in Atlanta and Washington D.C.
More info on Passion: https://passioncitychurch.com

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