April 21 2019

Why Do You Seek the Living Among the Dead?

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, “saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” And they remembered His words. Luke 22 1:8

What has God told you?  
What is it that God has spoken into your life?   
Have you forgotten it in the midst of a Friday in which everything has been turned upside down and a Saturday which can’t get any longer? 
I’m here this Easter Sunday morning to tell you that that thing that God has spoken will come to pass in your life.  
On the Sunday morning when you go to check out the dead things, hoping that what has happened hasn’t really happened, that you can turn back time, you will hear, 
“why do you seek the living among the dead?”  
That thing is not dead; 
it went through the process it had to go through, in order to bring life!  
It is risen! 
Question for Discussion
What process are you in that needs some raising?  Sunday is coming!

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April 20 2019

Saturday – The Longest Day


But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So Peter went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:60-62

Imagine what a long day Saturday was for Peter.  
He had denied his Lord and now Jesus had gone to the cross and being crucified.  
On Friday, if someone had told him, “it may be Friday but Sunday is coming,” 
it probably wouldn’t have brought him any relief.  
He had given everything up for Jesus and then he watched Jesus give everything up for him, but he couldn’t begin to understand what it all meant.  
All he knew was that in the moments when it mattered the most, he had denied his Lord, his Teacher, his Master and most of all, his friend.  
There is always a day between Friday and Sunday.  
A long Saturday.  
A day in which we sit and question our choices and what might have been.  
But regardless of how long Saturday is, Sunday is still coming.  
Jesus is still Jesus and He is still on the throne.  
He still has a plan for our lives regardless of where we feel we messed up or missed the mark.  
Be assured, if you are in a Saturday in your life right now, Sunday is just around the corner.
Question for Discussion
What Saturday’s have your felt yourself in?  How did you feel?  At what point did you realize that Sunday was still coming?

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April 19 2019

It May Be Friday But Sunday Is Coming

Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ”Having said this, He breathed His last. Luke 23:42-46

Good Friday was a dark day, literally and figuratively.  
The sun was actually darkened in the physical, which mirrored what the disciples of Jesus must have been feeling.  
They were confused about the events that played out before the, dismayed, heartbroken. 
Nothing seemed to be going as planned.  
They had given up everything to follow Jesus and all that was now in jeopardy.  
And even more than that, He was their friend, their Teacher, their Master and how it broke their heart to see Him suffer and die.  
But in the midst of the darkness and in this passage we see two glimmers of hope:  
1) Jesus promised the their on the cross that he would be with Him in paradise that very day, 
2) the veil of the temple was torn in two.  In the midst of His suffering Jesus promised Eternal Life.  The veil that was torn threw open access to the Holiest of Holies where God Himself resided.  
These glimmers of hope pointed toward the hope of Sunday that was coming.  
If only the disciples had someone to tell them, 
“It may be Friday but Sunday is coming.”  
When we find ourselves in the dark (literally and figuratively) we must look to Jesus.  
He is saying to you today, 
“look beyond where you are today, it may be Friday but Sunday is coming.”
Question for Discussion
Is it Friday in your life?  Are you waiting for Sunday to come?

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