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May 1, 2017
A Dark Sabbath - John 19
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| Just as Christ once rested in the stern of a boat through a raging storm, He rested in the tomb as storms raged within His disciples. A day after Jesus’ death, fear, doubt, and grief must have cycled endlessly through their minds. Memories of their lives with Him must have played there too: how it felt to stand upon a rolling sea, to feed thousands with a few loaves of bread, or to see Lazarus’ burial clothes heaped in the dirt. No doubt their hearts grew sick with confusion as they contemplated these things.
The disciples’ feeble faith shouldn’t surprise us, because if we’re honest, we see it in ourselves. The “little of faith,†as Jesus often called them, failed to believe or remember things the Lord said of Himself - that He’d lay down His life and take it up again. Had His followers faithfully held these things in their hearts, that Sabbath day might have been a time of joyful anticipation.
At times in our lives, God may seem absent, but ultimately we know that He will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). And unlike the disciples, we’ll never experience the dark prospect of a failed Savior. But many times we forget the promises of God. In the face of uncertainty, how frequently do we turn to a “do-it-yourself†Christianity to fix our problems?
Too often we look no further than our own solutions, when what we need is the wonder-working power of Christ’s resurrection and a posture of humility as we wait on Him. If we are willing to wait through the darkness of night, we can rest in knowing that morning will surely come.
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Current Sermon Series
How different would the world look if everyone got what they deserved? Would your salary be the same? What would our prisons look like? Would nice guys finish first or last? Or would things be a lot worse? This four-part sermon series takes a look at the things we actually deserve that God's forgiveness spares us from: death, condemnation, rejection, and being counted out.
Last Week:
Zacchaeus was a tax collector and one of the most hated people in his community. From that hatred, he was being rejected and most likely very lonely. Then he heard about Jesus and wanted to meet Him. When he met Jesus, it changed his life.
Sunday's message is available for streaming or for download on our
sermons page, or by visiting us on iTunes.
Next Week:
We will be concluding our series I Deserve It by looking at the familiar disciple, Peter. We will cover the topic of I Deserve To Be Counted Out, But He Gave Me Another Chance.
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