You don’t need to worry; God’s already working it out.
there’s a tendency for us sometimes to
want to make faith something that it’s
not
I wonder can I preach to you today like
we’re real people it may be that people
outside of the faith sometimes get the
wrong idea about the nature of faith and
they think that faith is chiefly a
matter of imagination so people who have
faith have really good ability to
suspend their disbelief and think about
this world that doesn’t really exist but
faith for me is not a matter of
imagination it’s a matter of
interpretation what I mean by that is
for me faith is not a denial of reality
but it is a deeper reality than the
reality that I see that governs the way
that I live this is the essence of faith
in Mark’s gospel it is always a
demonstration it is not always visible
but just because you can’t see it
doesn’t mean it isn’t real and isn’t it
powerful and profound that the greatest
demonstration of God’s power came in the
moment when Jesus wasn’t there the
greatest demonstration of God’s power
was his absence in the place where the
women looked for him touch the person
next to you and say it can’t end like this
it can’t end like this and sometimes our
faith leaves us at a place of
frustration the atmosphere of this text
in Mark chapter 16 is an atmosphere of
frustration specifically for these women
and I wanted to call this message
hidden figures but I figured only one
movie reference per Easter sermon and so
I had remarkable restraint not to call
the sermon hidden figures about Mary
Magdalene and Mary and Salome if you’re
looking for a baby name consider Salome
they bought spices now remember Peter in
the garden drew a sword because he had
strength as long as he was in control of
the outcome but if you look on Sunday
morning Jesus has been dead now for
three days according to the Jewish way
of counting days and these women they didn’t
draw swords in the garden they had a
different kind of strength these spice
girls
watch out had the kind of quiet strength
that would enable them even in the midst
of disappointment to still go to the
place where their dream died and do the
best they could with what they had
notice who is missing in the text it’s
not only Jesus who’s missing in the text
he was expected to be in the grave and
he wasn’t there
but where is Peter where is Peter waving
his sword and talking so loud have you
ever noticed how sometimes the loudest
people aren’t the most loyal
I noticed it at a Panthers game there
was a lady in front of me she was so
loud she was gone in the third quarter too
because sometimes the people who are the
loudest are not the most loyal
that’s a dating seminar and it’s Easter
I’m giving you bonus material where’s
Peter this is what the women are trying
to figure out because the men who should
have been with them to help them move
the stone away
remember it’s much easier to roll the
stone that is at the mouth of this cave
which we call a tomb but it was more like
a cave and Mark points out a detail he
says it was a very heavy stone so we
can’t do this by ourselves and upon
realizing that we’ve got the spices
watch this but we don’t have the
strength to roll the stone away
I think it’s an indictment on the men I
think it is an indictment on the eleven
disciples I thought there were twelve
Judas is dead it’s
already a different thing for him he’s
already gone he couldn’t hang on he
couldn’t face himself after it and Peter
well Peter who’s gonna preach in 50
days on the day of Pentecost is so
disappointed that he can’t
potentially show his face or maybe he
doesn’t want to venture out into the
darkness and risk greater disappointment
I found out that the greater the faith
the deeper the disappointment
when you really believe in something and
this is why some of you don’t expect
much out of life anymore it is your
defense mechanism against disappointment
because if you don’t venture out you
don’t have to be vulnerable hope is
very vulnerable faith is very fragile it
puts you in a place where you’re
actually expecting something and as
Peter stood there considering the cost
of discipleship in the shadow of the
cross it shot through his central
nervous system that this was the end and
he’s not with the women
neither is James neither is John for
that matter or Bartholomew there were
plenty of people who could have been
with them but they weren’t and so now
the women they got their spices they’re
not talking much it’s not a happy
processional but they’re on their way
and on their way they realize hey wait a
minute when we get there we can’t do
what we need to do to do what we came to
do because we have spices but we’re
not strong enough have you ever felt
like there was something in your way now
it could be depression
it could be addiction it could be
genetics it could be your history it
could be your mental
conditioning have you ever felt like
there was something in your way that no
matter how great or how high your faith
would rise or become there was something
in your way some stone in your way I
love what the Bible says because the
women are walking and they’re worried
well you can’t do it well you can’t do
it either
well Mary you should have well don’t
tell me what I should have done Salome
I’m not the one whose mom named her
after a deli meat you should have done it
you should have thought where’s Peter
but instead of resenting who wasn’t with
them they asked the question who will
roll the stone away
I got good gospel news this Easter God
is already working out what you’re
worried about God already has your
miracle in motion
if you will take a step in faith the
Bible says when they got there not only
was the stone gone but there was a young
man most theologians believe because of
the synoptic gospel accounts that
confirm the report that this was an
angel who had not only rolled the stone
away but sat down on it now the reason
he sat down is not because he was tired
this angel did crossfit and had
excellent cardiovascular conditioning no
this angel came down rolled the stone
and sat down because in Jewish custom
when a teacher got ready to teach they
sat in a seat of authority so the
message is this what you thought you
couldn’t get through
I’m already over what you thought you
couldn’t do has already been done and
all power are there any easter people in
this section and authority belongs
to Jesus and I believe stones still roll
I believe God is working on what you’re
worried about
why would you stay up late crying about
see we don’t understand a lot of times
what’s happening as we’re walking what’s
happening as we’re walking Matthew gives
us a detail that mark omitted because he
said that at some point while these
women between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m. in the
darkness of despair doubt and
disappointment this is the atmosphere of
the text and in their great frustration
because of their lack of strength and
ability while they were walking God was
working while they were walking God was
working watch the second verse of the
last chapter of Matthew it’s a
different ending it’s a little bit of a
different detail that we don’t get
in Mark’s gospel it says that behold
there was a great earthquake for an
angel of the Lord descended
from heaven and came and rolled back the
stone and sat down on it the angel was
already on the way while the women were
walking to the tomb I dare you to look
at somebody and say your angel is
already on the way so don’t stress out
about it and don’t you dare turn around
and go back home because while you’re
worrying God is working God does some of
his best work in the dark and just
because you can’t see it doesn’t mean
it’s not in progress it can’t end like this
you think God would let these women get
all the way to the tomb and let a stone
stand in their way God says when you do
what you can do I will do what you
cannot do I’ll help you raise those kids
I’ll help you stay married to that man
I’ll help you make it through another
week I’ll help you help is on the way
that’s Easter it can’t end in frustration
it can’t end in my frustration and it can’t
end in failure either it can’t end in
frustration it can’t end in failure
Rudy can’t lose touch somebody say it
can’t end like this
see when you know the director you have
a pretty good sense of how the film is
going to end God I wish somebody came to
help me preach and not just look at me
today when you know who made the movie
when you know how it ends when Jesus sat
down with Peter he said you’re going to
fail you’re gonna deny me not once not
twice but check out this King James
English thrice by the time the rooster
crows but don’t worry about it Peter
I’ve got a job for you to do on the
other side of failure when the angel
said I’m gonna meet you in Galilee it
was more than a geographical arrangement
it was a statement of mission for many
of you remember that Galilee was the
place where Jesus did most of his
miracles it was the place where he first
called Peter
it was the Sea of Galilee where Peter
took Jesus all around to preach and heal
and deliver so when the angel said your
story can’t end here turn around and go
tell the disciples that I will meet them
in Galilee he was saying in effect this
can’t end in a grave because there’s
something more that I want to do meet me
in Galilee now that’s good news all on
its own for you to know that God is not
through with you for you to know that if
the devil could have killed you he would
have by now for you to know that the
testimony of your purpose is the very
fact of your survival the fact that
you’re still here
well that’s a reason to celebrate I
think this is my favorite Easter message
I’ve ever studied because of two words
go tell his disciples verse seven please
and Peter that hit me hard that the one
who disappointed Jesus the most deeply
was the one he singled out by name for
redemption and it gives me this hope
that maybe my name can go there too I’m
going back to Galilee because I don’t
believe this story ends at a grave it
can’t end like this
go tell Peter to start practicing
practicing what practicing his
preaching tell him to get all of his
fishing out of his system because I need
him in 50 days I need him on the day of
Pentecost when the Spirit comes I want
the one who failed the greatest
to be the trophy of my triumph and
transformation and there is someone here
who is standing over a grave of your own
failure today not realizing that
resurrection is an expectation that
allows you to experience life not
through the lens of your failure but
through the lens of grace and that’s a
really beautiful truth for Peter but
until it is personal for you you will
stay stuck in what God has called you
out of it can’t end I know it can’t end
like this I know that my story can’t end
in failure because God has already
promised me his grace for every failure
that I would face in this life hey thank
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thanks again for watching