WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.280 There are times in our lives when things happen that we just don't understand. 00:00:07.780 --> 00:00:16.039 ! I imagine when Jesus was abruptly interrupted from his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:20.800 ! and arrested that it was a confusing time for the disciples. 00:00:22.400 --> 00:00:29.120 I mean, it's not like Jesus didn't warn them ahead of time, and it's not like he didn't prepare them for that. 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:38.939 However, when the one that you thought was invincible suddenly becomes vulnerable, it's shocking. 00:00:40.820 --> 00:00:44.520 Now, next week we're going to celebrate a living Lord who walked out of the tomb on his own 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:47.820 and has given us the opportunity for eternal life in him. 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:54.980 However, before we get there, I want to deal with the reality of the Friday and the Saturday before. 00:00:54.979 --> 00:01:02.519 I don't really think you can truly understand the triumph of the empty tomb 00:01:02.519 --> 00:01:12.439 until we felt the weight of the cross and the silence of a sealed tomb. 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:19.060 They seized him in the midst of his prayer in the Garden. 00:01:19.980 --> 00:01:23.120 They dragged him through a kangaroo court system. 00:01:24.060 --> 00:01:28.539 They beat him all along the way, mocked him while they did it, 00:01:29.259 --> 00:01:33.299 then flogged him and made him carry his own cross, 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:37.180 and then nailed him to it between two thieves. 00:01:37.180 --> 00:01:44.480 Now, I want us to pick up that scene in Matthew chapter 27, beginning in verse 45. 00:01:45.740 --> 00:01:46.280 It says, 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:50.760 Now for the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 00:01:51.600 --> 00:01:56.520 That's six hours after the sun came up, about noon. 00:01:56.519 --> 00:02:02.179 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:07.879 Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that means my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 00:02:09.079 --> 00:02:11.439 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:12.919 This man is calling Elijah. 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:16.180 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, 00:02:16.340 --> 00:02:20.319 filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:22.340 But the others said, 00:02:22.699 --> 00:02:25.759 Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him. 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:31.479 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 00:02:32.539 --> 00:02:36.759 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn into from top to bottom, 00:02:37.359 --> 00:02:42.759 and the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 00:02:44.060 --> 00:02:47.740 What a dark day for so many. 00:02:47.740 --> 00:02:54.480 The followers of Jesus that witnessed this horrific event 00:02:54.480 --> 00:02:57.980 had to be in dismay. 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:03.820 I also think about the mother of the thieves that were on each side of him 00:03:03.820 --> 00:03:07.260 if they were there to witness this. 00:03:08.040 --> 00:03:09.500 Because if they witnessed it, 00:03:09.540 --> 00:03:12.400 they were grieving about their loved one's lives 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:14.500 before they were crucified. 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:19.560 And the deadly path that they had taken in their life, 00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:22.280 and now they would die for it. 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:26.719 However, in the midst of those thieves was the darling Son of God. 00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:29.180 He was completely innocent. 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:33.159 He was doing all of this for other folks, 00:03:33.240 --> 00:03:36.560 and he was enduring all this shame for others. 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:42.479 The flogging that ripped the flesh off his back. 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:43.420 He did that for others. 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:46.420 The cross that smothered out the air from his lungs. 00:03:47.219 --> 00:03:48.420 He did that for others. 00:03:48.539 --> 00:03:51.960 The nails that they drove in his hands and in his feet. 00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:57.199 And the crown of thorns that they shoved down on his already bleeding brow, 00:03:57.300 --> 00:03:58.379 as Scripture tells us. 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:01.400 The blood that he shed. 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:03.359 The spirit inside. 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:05.539 All of it was for others. 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:09.620 And now he breathes his last. 00:04:12.019 --> 00:04:13.319 What a dark day. 00:04:16.379 --> 00:04:19.500 The days when we experience a death 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:23.579 are always dark days. 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.000 Funerals are dark days. 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:28.019 They're tough. 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:34.459 I mean, even when there's great Christian testimonies 00:04:34.459 --> 00:04:36.899 that have been lived out by the loved one that has died, 00:04:38.459 --> 00:04:40.100 sometimes that even makes it worse 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:41.719 because you love them that much more 00:04:41.719 --> 00:04:46.480 because you know what they've invested in you, 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:48.139 and you've seen what they've invested in the Lord, 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:50.659 and you've been impacted by their faith. 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:56.060 And then even those who are suffering with strong Christian faith, 00:04:56.480 --> 00:04:58.139 the surviving sufferers, 00:04:58.139 --> 00:04:59.120 even with great faith, 00:04:59.159 --> 00:05:02.339 it's a dark, tough day. 00:05:02.979 --> 00:05:06.199 And sadly, oftentimes, people may miss this, 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:09.939 that even the darker days are those that follow. 00:05:09.939 --> 00:05:13.459 When the funeral is over and the food's been eaten, 00:05:14.459 --> 00:05:16.040 and the family goes back home, 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:18.139 and the friends go back to work, 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:22.139 and the reality and the certainty of the death 00:05:22.139 --> 00:05:25.759 is so frank and so real and so confronting, 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:30.459 it happens in our passage as well. 00:05:30.459 --> 00:05:31.379 I want you to see this. 00:05:32.379 --> 00:05:34.899 In verse 57, it says this and following, 00:05:34.899 --> 00:05:35.899 when it was evening, 00:05:35.899 --> 00:05:36.019 when it was evening, 00:05:36.019 --> 00:05:39.239 there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, 00:05:39.239 --> 00:05:41.879 who also was a disciple of Jesus. 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.879 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:48.239 then Pilate ordered it to be given to him, 00:05:48.799 --> 00:05:50.079 and Joseph took the body 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:53.259 and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 00:05:53.259 --> 00:05:56.560 and laid it in his own new tomb, 00:05:57.060 --> 00:05:58.199 which he had cut in a rock, 00:05:58.240 --> 00:05:59.539 and he rolled a great stone 00:05:59.539 --> 00:06:01.779 to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:04.120 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:07.279 were there sitting opposite the tomb. 00:06:08.019 --> 00:06:09.579 And then it goes on to say in verse 66, 00:06:09.579 --> 00:06:12.379 So they went and made the tomb secure 00:06:12.379 --> 00:06:17.279 by sealing the stone and setting a guard. 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:23.060 Now you probably know the rest of this story. 00:06:24.819 --> 00:06:26.279 If you don't know it, 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:27.939 I encourage you to come back next week. 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:32.060 We can celebrate that together. 00:06:34.019 --> 00:06:38.500 However, how much thought have you put into the darkness 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:41.319 that Mary and the disciples felt 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:47.100 from noon on Friday to Sunday morning? 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:53.240 Because Saturday was a long, difficult day 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:57.540 that had to feel like it had some finality. 00:06:59.540 --> 00:07:01.500 I mean, death has finality. 00:07:03.459 --> 00:07:06.120 It is never easy at the time, 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:08.600 and it weighs heavy in the days that follow, 00:07:08.899 --> 00:07:10.840 and it never really goes away 00:07:10.840 --> 00:07:12.860 when you lose someone you hold close. 00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:13.800 It never really does. 00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:18.980 It don't even have to be death, quite honestly. 00:07:20.500 --> 00:07:23.000 I mean, a dark Saturday with a sealed tomb 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:25.139 feels a lot like moments in our lives 00:07:25.139 --> 00:07:27.759 when it seems like everything is shut. 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:32.420 Every option that we can think of is shut, 00:07:32.420 --> 00:07:34.100 locked, locked. 00:07:36.660 --> 00:07:37.879 Man, it feels final. 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:45.280 Years ago, I volunteered to be a chaplain 00:07:45.280 --> 00:07:47.259 for the Pickens County Sheriff's Office. 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:54.560 At that time, they had regional chaplains, 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:59.040 and they said, they told me, 00:07:59.280 --> 00:08:01.899 we can take care of the drunks and the drug addicts 00:08:01.899 --> 00:08:02.579 and the criminals. 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:05.980 It's the crying and grieving that we don't want to handle. 00:08:06.840 --> 00:08:07.819 We need some help with that. 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:12.920 And so I got to go to death calls. 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:15.220 Anytime the police came, 00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:18.060 a chaplain needed to be there. 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:23.379 And I saw all kinds of circumstances with that, 00:08:23.660 --> 00:08:25.939 but then one day they called me, 00:08:25.959 --> 00:08:28.759 and typically, I've done prison ministry as well. 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:30.780 When I was in South Mississippi, 00:08:30.980 --> 00:08:34.860 I was a chaplain at a prison down there 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:38.360 and been cell to cell with solitary confinement guys 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:39.320 and all that kind of stuff. 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:43.120 But I was told, 00:08:43.779 --> 00:08:45.220 when I worked for the sheriff's office, 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:49.620 it was a volunteer for the sheriff's office, 00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:53.460 that it was those that dealt with those in the jail, 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:59.980 it helped to just stay with the officers most of the time 00:08:59.980 --> 00:09:02.700 instead of let somebody else, 00:09:02.920 --> 00:09:04.800 line up somebody else to handle them 00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:09.060 because they still want the conflict. 00:09:10.060 --> 00:09:11.200 But they called me one day. 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:17.920 They said, we've got a guy that we'd like for you to come talk to. 00:09:19.800 --> 00:09:21.420 He's locked up and his daddy's died. 00:09:22.860 --> 00:09:24.140 And he can't go to the funeral. 00:09:26.740 --> 00:09:28.040 And he's upset about it. 00:09:29.900 --> 00:09:33.580 So I went down there, 00:09:33.700 --> 00:09:36.040 and if you've never been to jail, 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:37.300 you don't have to admit it this morning, 00:09:37.299 --> 00:09:40.379 but if you've never been to jail, 00:09:40.599 --> 00:09:41.819 you've watched it on television 00:09:41.819 --> 00:09:44.079 where they have the little phones and the glass 00:09:44.079 --> 00:09:45.620 and you hold the phone up 00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:47.899 and you talk through the glass and those type things. 00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:49.000 They took me to that area, 00:09:49.339 --> 00:09:52.459 and they said, we're going to put you on the other side with him. 00:09:53.699 --> 00:09:54.159 I said, okay. 00:09:55.319 --> 00:09:56.979 So they opened this steel door, 00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:58.559 and I went in, 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:01.039 and then they brought this 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:05.299 big old Tennessee mountain boy in. 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:08.359 tore up, 00:10:09.079 --> 00:10:12.979 and they shut that door behind him, 00:10:13.659 --> 00:10:14.479 steel on steel, 00:10:14.859 --> 00:10:15.579 and locked it 00:10:15.579 --> 00:10:16.759 and told me, 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:17.959 when you're done, 00:10:18.019 --> 00:10:18.759 just knock on the door. 00:10:18.839 --> 00:10:19.459 We'll let you out. 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:22.679 We sat there about 30 minutes. 00:10:22.779 --> 00:10:24.379 I don't remember the details of the conversation. 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:26.419 I tried to give him some comfort 00:10:26.419 --> 00:10:28.079 in a very difficult situation, 00:10:28.319 --> 00:10:29.719 surprising situation for him. 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:31.959 He couldn't be there for his family. 00:10:32.099 --> 00:10:33.079 He was tore up about it. 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:36.379 I prayed with him, 00:10:37.299 --> 00:10:39.599 got up to leave. 00:10:53.359 --> 00:10:54.599 I felt vulnerable. 00:10:54.600 --> 00:11:00.620 I sensed that he may know that I was vulnerable. 00:11:02.680 --> 00:11:03.680 I knocked again. 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:04.580 They opened the door, 00:11:05.100 --> 00:11:06.759 and I went out, 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:08.820 and I guess you know the end of the story. 00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:09.940 I made it out alive, 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:10.440 but anyway, 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:14.080 I don't know if he had aggressive bone in his body, 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:15.600 but he was tore up and upset, 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:22.840 and when I thought about the sealed tomb, 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:27.360 and I thought about the sudden stops 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:28.800 that come in people's lives, 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:34.980 sometimes life stops behind closed doors. 00:11:37.779 --> 00:11:39.180 At least it feels like it. 00:11:39.179 --> 00:11:44.099 It had to seem outside that sealed tomb 00:11:44.099 --> 00:11:46.859 as if nothing else was going to happen 00:11:46.859 --> 00:11:47.959 or nothing was happening, 00:11:48.059 --> 00:11:49.019 and this was it. 00:11:49.139 --> 00:11:51.819 The hard spots in life feel like that. 00:11:53.839 --> 00:11:55.939 However, I want you to remember some things 00:11:55.939 --> 00:11:58.079 when you experience, 00:11:58.199 --> 00:12:01.019 when we experience hard spots in life. 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:04.120 First thing is this. 00:12:04.980 --> 00:12:07.000 This is not the end of the story. 00:12:09.699 --> 00:12:11.059 When the tomb is sealed 00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:12.919 and the door is slammed, 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:15.319 it feels like the end. 00:12:15.439 --> 00:12:17.100 However, when times get tough 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:19.919 and prayers don't seem to get past the ceiling 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:20.960 and the answers don't come, 00:12:21.059 --> 00:12:22.899 we need to remember some words 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:23.980 that we've heard before. 00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:28.379 The disciples during that Saturday 00:12:28.379 --> 00:12:30.500 went and locked themselves in a room, 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:31.360 scared to death, 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:35.840 puzzled about the future. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:40.360 They needed to remember the words of Jesus 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:43.759 that he said to them as he entered Jerusalem. 00:12:43.940 --> 00:12:46.259 In Matthew chapter 20, verse 18 and 19, 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:48.340 he said, see, we're going up to Jerusalem 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:49.820 and the Son of Man will be delivered 00:12:49.820 --> 00:12:51.679 over to the chief priests and scribes 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:54.240 and they will condemn him to death 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:56.360 and deliver him over to the Gentiles 00:12:56.360 --> 00:13:00.039 to be mocked and flogged and crucified. 00:13:00.039 --> 00:13:02.039 Everything that he said had come true. 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:03.559 And then he said, 00:13:03.779 --> 00:13:06.539 and he will be raised on the third day. 00:13:08.539 --> 00:13:10.699 Sometimes it's hard to remember the things 00:13:10.699 --> 00:13:11.959 that we already know 00:13:11.959 --> 00:13:14.959 because our circumstances get so loud 00:13:14.959 --> 00:13:19.679 that we fail to hear the reminding whispers 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:20.860 of the Holy Spirit 00:13:20.860 --> 00:13:23.219 and remember Christ in the upper room 00:13:23.219 --> 00:13:25.240 promised that the helper would come 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:28.360 to help us remember the word of God 00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:30.940 that we had implanted into our lives. 00:13:32.200 --> 00:13:35.019 Sometimes when the sudden stops come, 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:37.980 it's hard to remember 00:13:37.980 --> 00:13:41.560 when the Holy Spirit says, 00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:43.580 as he did in Luke 24, verse 6, 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:47.039 remember how he told you. 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:51.219 What's he talking about? 00:13:51.599 --> 00:13:53.099 What is there to remember? 00:13:55.199 --> 00:13:56.879 Remember what he said in the upper room 00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:00.779 in John 14, 1, when he said, 00:14:00.959 --> 00:14:02.240 let not your hearts be troubled, 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:05.399 believe in God, believe also in me. 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:08.659 When he goes on later in that chapter 00:14:08.659 --> 00:14:09.779 in verse 18 and says, 00:14:09.839 --> 00:14:11.360 I will not leave you as orphans. 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:13.419 I'm not going to leave you alone. 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:14.759 I'll come to you. 00:14:16.560 --> 00:14:18.220 He goes on in verse 27 to say, 00:14:18.460 --> 00:14:19.139 peace I leave with you. 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:20.720 My peace I give to you, 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:22.779 not as the world gives do I give unto you. 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:23.960 Let not your hearts be troubled. 00:14:24.300 --> 00:14:25.680 Neither let it be afraid. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:30.460 Those are words that the disciples 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:32.200 needed to remember that day 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:34.379 and I'll tell you 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:36.340 that it was not only spoken for them, 00:14:36.500 --> 00:14:38.620 it was also spoken for us. 00:14:38.620 --> 00:14:40.820 We need to remember 00:14:40.820 --> 00:14:43.580 that we need not let our hearts be troubled, 00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:44.460 believe in God. 00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:46.620 You can believe also in Christ. 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:47.899 He's faithful. 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:52.779 He will not leave us alone. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:58.360 He'll come to us. 00:15:00.519 --> 00:15:02.740 And the peace that he gives us 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:05.200 is unlike anything else 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:06.639 we can find in this life. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:10.580 We will not find that kind of peace, 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:12.199 that kind of solace from the Lord. 00:15:12.340 --> 00:15:14.759 We will not find it in anybody else. 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:18.379 We will not find it in the bottom of a bottle. 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:22.840 We will not find it in the arms of someone else. 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:26.720 The peace 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:30.899 that is beyond understanding 00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:33.360 only comes through Christ. 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:37.120 And he promises us, 00:15:37.340 --> 00:15:38.340 not only the disciples, 00:15:39.139 --> 00:15:40.620 but he promises us 00:15:40.620 --> 00:15:42.419 that he'll come to us. 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:44.460 Christian, listen, 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:45.240 I say it a lot, 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:46.580 but I mean it every time I say it. 00:15:46.740 --> 00:15:48.220 We don't know what tomorrow holds, 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:50.080 but thank God I know who holds tomorrow. 00:15:50.680 --> 00:15:52.399 And because I know who holds tomorrow, 00:15:52.740 --> 00:15:53.899 whatever tomorrow holds, 00:15:54.060 --> 00:15:55.399 I trust him with it. 00:15:56.360 --> 00:15:58.200 He will guide us each step of the way, 00:15:58.279 --> 00:15:59.700 whether we sense it or not, 00:15:59.700 --> 00:16:02.400 if we'll look to him. 00:16:03.420 --> 00:16:03.879 And I mean, 00:16:03.920 --> 00:16:05.360 it may feel sealed today. 00:16:05.520 --> 00:16:06.600 It may feel locked. 00:16:06.660 --> 00:16:07.680 It may feel done. 00:16:08.060 --> 00:16:08.759 But my friend, 00:16:09.420 --> 00:16:10.940 as far as I can tell, 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:11.800 looking around this room, 00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:12.920 we still have breath. 00:16:14.460 --> 00:16:15.920 And if that's the case, 00:16:16.560 --> 00:16:17.680 this ain't the end of the story. 00:16:19.040 --> 00:16:19.720 By the way, 00:16:19.860 --> 00:16:22.020 if you lose your breath, 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:23.460 it still ain't the end of the story, 00:16:23.520 --> 00:16:24.000 by the way. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:28.940 The reality is, 00:16:29.019 --> 00:16:29.919 we need to know 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:32.340 that this is not the end of the story. 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:33.100 The other thing is, 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:34.820 there's a lot more happening 00:16:34.820 --> 00:16:36.740 than we think. 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:42.019 When somebody goes in for major surgery, 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:44.860 no one suffers more, 00:16:44.899 --> 00:16:45.500 in my opinion, 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:46.580 no one suffers more 00:16:46.580 --> 00:16:47.399 amidst that surgery 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:48.720 than the waiting family. 00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:50.340 Now, 00:16:50.700 --> 00:16:51.919 the person who's having the surgery 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:52.679 may do the suffering 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:53.659 when they wake up, 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.779 but when they're out, 00:16:58.139 --> 00:16:59.039 they don't know the difference. 00:17:01.059 --> 00:17:02.820 I hope the surgeon's not the one 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:04.099 suffering more than anybody else. 00:17:04.099 --> 00:17:06.119 I hope he's strong and robust 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:07.059 after a good breakfast. 00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:07.900 That's what I hope. 00:17:12.380 --> 00:17:13.700 But that waiting family, 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:14.259 that's tough. 00:17:17.859 --> 00:17:19.480 Unaware of what's going on. 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:23.579 They're on high alert, 00:17:23.579 --> 00:17:25.759 and if they're in a waiting room 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:28.220 that's got a phone on a wall, 00:17:28.379 --> 00:17:29.139 they're going to jump 00:17:29.139 --> 00:17:30.799 every time it rings. 00:17:31.419 --> 00:17:32.179 Could be mine. 00:17:35.299 --> 00:17:36.419 When they get word 00:17:36.419 --> 00:17:38.240 an hour after they thought 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:39.639 the surgery was going on 00:17:39.639 --> 00:17:40.699 that it just started, 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:43.419 I've seen it time and time again, 00:17:44.639 --> 00:17:46.220 it's hard for them to understand. 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:46.879 And when the updates 00:17:46.879 --> 00:17:47.619 don't come as quickly 00:17:47.619 --> 00:17:48.879 as they said they were going to come, 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:51.420 because they might be occupied 00:17:51.420 --> 00:17:52.520 doing their job 00:17:52.520 --> 00:17:54.300 instead of keeping us informed, 00:17:54.560 --> 00:17:56.760 it's tough. 00:17:57.500 --> 00:17:58.280 And then they get a friend 00:17:58.280 --> 00:17:59.080 that calls and says, 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:00.120 have you heard anything yet? 00:18:00.340 --> 00:18:01.560 And that makes it worse, 00:18:01.620 --> 00:18:02.180 by the way, 00:18:02.520 --> 00:18:02.880 you know. 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:06.420 Or then one waiting with them 00:18:06.420 --> 00:18:07.340 has the audacity to say, 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:08.720 shouldn't they be done by now? 00:18:08.780 --> 00:18:09.940 Don't say that, okay? 00:18:10.260 --> 00:18:11.360 Just don't say it. 00:18:11.600 --> 00:18:12.800 You can thank it if you want to, 00:18:12.840 --> 00:18:13.320 but go get something, 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:13.880 drink or something. 00:18:14.980 --> 00:18:15.680 Don't say it. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:16.960 It's nerve-wracking. 00:18:19.320 --> 00:18:20.620 Because it seems as if 00:18:20.620 --> 00:18:21.620 nothing is happening. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:22.519 Here I'm waiting. 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:25.980 But understand, 00:18:26.080 --> 00:18:27.320 the whole time we're waiting, 00:18:28.320 --> 00:18:30.560 the patient is rolled into place. 00:18:32.580 --> 00:18:35.019 The atmosphere is professionally 00:18:35.019 --> 00:18:36.400 set up for the procedure. 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:40.720 The doctor is properly prepping. 00:18:40.860 --> 00:18:42.039 The surgery starts 00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:43.480 with a patience 00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:45.140 and a tenacity 00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:47.700 that I cannot imagine. 00:18:48.140 --> 00:18:50.020 Work is being done. 00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:51.420 Man, it don't feel like it 00:18:51.420 --> 00:18:52.060 in the waiting room. 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:57.220 There's more happening 00:18:57.220 --> 00:18:57.900 than we think. 00:19:00.300 --> 00:19:01.240 Have you ever planted 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:01.960 a fruit tree? 00:19:06.180 --> 00:19:07.700 You put a stick in the ground 00:19:07.700 --> 00:19:10.560 and put some dirt around it 00:19:10.560 --> 00:19:11.280 and fertilize it 00:19:11.280 --> 00:19:12.020 and pray over it 00:19:12.020 --> 00:19:12.660 and water it 00:19:12.660 --> 00:19:14.660 and go out there 00:19:14.660 --> 00:19:15.220 the first year 00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:15.680 and nothing. 00:19:16.340 --> 00:19:17.080 Nothing's happening. 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:20.120 The second year, 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:21.240 you get three leaves. 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:26.720 The third year, 00:19:26.779 --> 00:19:27.440 it looks pretty good, 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:28.300 but there's still no fruit. 00:19:31.120 --> 00:19:32.580 I thought I got a fruit tree. 00:19:32.660 --> 00:19:33.519 What'd they sell me? 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:37.500 But the reality is, 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:40.400 even when it appears 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:41.420 like nothing's working, 00:19:43.420 --> 00:19:45.039 beneath the surface, 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:47.339 the roots are growing deeper. 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:51.000 The foundation is being established. 00:19:51.539 --> 00:19:53.480 The tree is becoming stronger. 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:54.819 Listen to me. 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:56.779 It's becoming strong enough 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:58.939 to handle the fruit 00:19:58.939 --> 00:20:00.720 that it will produce. 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:03.819 And just because you don't see fruit 00:20:03.819 --> 00:20:08.099 doesn't mean nothing is happening. 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:11.220 The roots grow long 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:13.099 before the fruit shows. 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:19.259 the tomb was sealed shut 00:20:19.259 --> 00:20:21.459 with a Roman seal. 00:20:23.459 --> 00:20:25.339 And there lay the body of Jesus. 00:20:27.339 --> 00:20:28.799 But Christ was still moving. 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:32.159 Christ was still active. 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:33.959 Scripture says that he was proclaiming 00:20:33.959 --> 00:20:35.679 in the unseen realm 00:20:35.679 --> 00:20:37.659 that the victory of the cross 00:20:37.659 --> 00:20:38.740 was secure. 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:41.599 I just want you to understand 00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:43.240 that we may not see it all. 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:45.059 Let me be more clear. 00:20:45.319 --> 00:20:47.000 We will not see it all. 00:20:48.579 --> 00:20:50.099 No matter how sealed 00:20:50.099 --> 00:20:52.460 the fate of our situation may seem, 00:20:52.859 --> 00:20:54.440 God is doing more 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:57.099 than we could even think. 00:20:57.960 --> 00:20:58.980 God's at work. 00:21:02.140 --> 00:21:03.720 And also be assured of this. 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:08.380 The Lord is already in our tomorrows. 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:10.620 He's already there. 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:14.839 We don't ever need to let our faith 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:16.059 be limited to our sight. 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:16.799 As a matter of fact, 00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:18.640 if your faith is limited to your sight, 00:21:18.940 --> 00:21:19.859 it's not faith at all. 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:20.420 Matter of fact, 00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:22.819 Hebrews defines faith partially 00:21:22.819 --> 00:21:24.960 as the conviction of things not seen. 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:27.620 And do you know what you can't see? 00:21:29.539 --> 00:21:30.779 You can't see the thoughts 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:31.759 and the ways of God. 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:36.059 Isaiah 55, 8 and 9 says this, 00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:38.460 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 00:21:38.460 --> 00:21:40.579 neither are your ways my ways, 00:21:40.660 --> 00:21:41.480 declares the Lord. 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:44.980 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:48.059 so are my ways higher than your ways 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:50.579 and my thoughts than your thoughts. 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:52.360 I want you to understand today 00:21:52.360 --> 00:21:54.059 that he is beyond us. 00:21:54.539 --> 00:21:56.120 He is before us. 00:21:56.680 --> 00:21:58.019 He is above us. 00:21:58.400 --> 00:21:59.740 He is below us. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:01.500 He's all over the matter. 00:22:01.620 --> 00:22:04.380 He's everywhere and whatever the situation 00:22:04.380 --> 00:22:06.220 we may find ourselves in, 00:22:06.300 --> 00:22:08.720 no matter how sealed the rock 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:10.700 that's in our way seems to be. 00:22:10.700 --> 00:22:13.640 God is bigger and beyond 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:16.080 and ahead of all of it. 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:22.419 I meet with men on Tuesday mornings 00:22:22.419 --> 00:22:25.299 and we've been talking about the sovereignty of God. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:28.339 And we've talked again and again 00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:30.659 about difficult matters in life 00:22:30.659 --> 00:22:36.059 that we never knew the answer in this life too. 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:38.939 And we may never know the answers to those things. 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:41.179 However, we came to the conclusion, 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:42.240 well, some of them hadn't, 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:44.980 but most of us have come to the conclusion 00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:46.160 that when we get to heaven, 00:22:46.339 --> 00:22:48.079 we're not going to ask questions. 00:22:49.740 --> 00:22:51.880 I've heard people say all my life, 00:22:51.980 --> 00:22:52.700 boy, when I get to heaven, 00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:53.460 I'm going to ask, 00:22:54.120 --> 00:22:54.980 why? 00:22:58.120 --> 00:22:58.880 No, you're not. 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:00.720 I don't think you are. 00:23:03.420 --> 00:23:05.059 I believe when we get to heaven, 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:08.039 we'll see things as he sees them. 00:23:08.039 --> 00:23:12.759 And we'll see his face. 00:23:15.180 --> 00:23:19.039 And all the unclear matters of this life 00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:22.200 will not only become instantly clear, 00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:26.279 they just won't matter 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:29.279 when we see his face. 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:33.920 We'll celebrate at his feet. 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:37.039 The reality is, 00:23:37.580 --> 00:23:39.880 although we don't ask for it, 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:44.259 although we wish it would happen another way, 00:23:44.380 --> 00:23:45.960 God does some of his greatest works 00:23:45.960 --> 00:23:48.740 in the deepest valleys that we face. 00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:50.180 We don't understand that. 00:23:50.600 --> 00:23:51.980 We can't understand it. 00:23:52.500 --> 00:23:53.880 We won't understand it. 00:23:54.980 --> 00:23:57.680 We don't need to understand it. 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:02.120 Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says this, 00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:04.659 trust in the Lord with all your heart. 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:09.099 And do not lean on your own understanding. 00:24:11.099 --> 00:24:13.179 In all your ways acknowledge him 00:24:13.179 --> 00:24:15.859 and he will make straight your paths. 00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:18.259 Folks, you can trust the Lord. 00:24:21.539 --> 00:24:23.019 And let me just add this. 00:24:23.019 --> 00:24:29.000 Do you know what else God has given you? 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:33.920 He's given us this body of believers. 00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:38.099 I want to ask a question this morning. 00:24:38.139 --> 00:24:39.240 I want you to respond to it. 00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:43.039 If you're a perfect person, 00:24:43.079 --> 00:24:44.500 I want you to raise your hand this morning. 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:45.980 If you're perfect. 00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:46.099 If you're perfect. 00:24:46.099 --> 00:24:51.819 I don't see any. 00:24:56.359 --> 00:24:57.339 And you know why? 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:01.139 Because there's not any. 00:25:05.179 --> 00:25:07.039 There's not a perfect person in this church. 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:20.839 He has surrounded us with people that struggle 00:25:20.839 --> 00:25:23.299 and suffer. 00:25:25.579 --> 00:25:27.240 Very similar to the way we do it. 00:25:28.819 --> 00:25:31.460 We do well not to make it show on Sunday. 00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:35.840 But the reality is there's a lot more connection here 00:25:35.840 --> 00:25:37.920 than we could ever imagine. 00:25:39.620 --> 00:25:42.920 This is what the body of believers is all about. 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:45.799 That's why Christ came to establish the church. 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:47.740 We're all individuals walking through 00:25:47.740 --> 00:25:49.059 fairly common valleys. 00:25:49.600 --> 00:25:50.860 They come at different times. 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:52.019 They come in different ways. 00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:53.340 They're pretty common. 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:55.559 And our circumstances are not near as unique 00:25:55.559 --> 00:25:56.920 as we'd like to think they are. 00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:00.079 Don't fake it. 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:02.059 Don't fake it. 00:26:03.860 --> 00:26:05.000 We need each other. 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:09.120 And we come to this place week after week 00:26:09.120 --> 00:26:11.559 because we need to think together. 00:26:12.340 --> 00:26:13.799 We need to pray together. 00:26:14.400 --> 00:26:17.279 We need to be encouraged by God's word together. 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:21.120 We need to seek the face of God together. 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:23.279 We need to watch the living testimonies 00:26:23.840 --> 00:26:26.059 stamped across each other's lives. 00:26:26.180 --> 00:26:28.079 It's an encouragement to each one of us. 00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:31.380 God has put us together to gain strength 00:26:31.380 --> 00:26:32.460 from each other. 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:36.200 And you only get as much as you invest into it. 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:44.060 God don't want us to survive the dark days. 00:26:45.340 --> 00:26:48.580 God wants us to thrive in the dark days. 00:26:48.579 --> 00:26:52.939 And the Fridays of life can be horrible. 00:26:55.939 --> 00:27:01.279 And the weight of the Saturdays, 00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:04.399 they stink. 00:27:07.799 --> 00:27:08.799 It's tough. 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:13.139 But folks, Sunday's coming. 00:27:15.460 --> 00:27:16.659 And we can trust him 00:27:16.659 --> 00:27:19.460 because Christ lives. 00:27:22.099 --> 00:27:23.419 With every head bow and every eye closed, 00:27:23.460 --> 00:27:24.419 I want to ask you this morning, 00:27:24.879 --> 00:27:26.940 if you've ever surrendered your life 00:27:26.940 --> 00:27:28.139 to the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:27:29.139 --> 00:27:33.419 if you've ever confessed that you have need of him 00:27:33.419 --> 00:27:34.720 due to the sin in your life, 00:27:35.399 --> 00:27:36.519 that you need him to forgive you 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:37.299 and to cleanse you 00:27:37.299 --> 00:27:38.220 and to come into your life 00:27:38.220 --> 00:27:38.799 and to save you. 00:27:38.920 --> 00:27:40.619 If that's never happened to you, 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:41.680 I want you to know 00:27:41.680 --> 00:27:42.920 that today's the day of salvation. 00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:44.259 He'll meet you where you are 00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:46.099 and he'll change your life forever. 00:27:48.119 --> 00:27:49.740 What a blessing it was last week 00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:51.779 when somebody came to their senses, 00:27:52.859 --> 00:27:54.759 as I think about an illustration in Scripture. 00:27:57.619 --> 00:27:59.339 And she came down and hugged my neck 00:27:59.339 --> 00:28:00.480 and said, I need to be saved. 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:06.380 If you need to give your life to Christ today, 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:09.640 we're going to stand in just a moment. 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:10.339 We're going to sing. 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:11.740 You come. 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:13.039 Say, Pastor, I want to be saved. 00:28:15.620 --> 00:28:16.700 Maybe you're here this morning 00:28:16.700 --> 00:28:19.839 and you have been saved, 00:28:19.920 --> 00:28:20.980 but you've never been baptized. 00:28:22.940 --> 00:28:24.700 We baptized a gentleman last week 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:27.599 that had been saved for a long time, 00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:28.980 but never had been baptized as a believer. 00:28:28.980 --> 00:28:34.180 We had the joy of him publicly celebrating 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:35.420 what Christ had done secretly 00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:36.519 in his heart a long time ago. 00:28:37.380 --> 00:28:38.660 If you've never done that, 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:41.380 I encourage you to come. 00:28:43.720 --> 00:28:44.860 Maybe God's drawing you 00:28:44.860 --> 00:28:46.240 to Pickens First Baptist Church. 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:48.700 This is where he'd have you 00:28:48.700 --> 00:28:50.259 to plant your life and serve him. 00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:52.660 And if that be the case, you come. 00:28:53.360 --> 00:28:54.059 We welcome you 00:28:54.059 --> 00:28:55.880 and we'll be happy to guide you in that. 00:28:57.660 --> 00:28:58.839 Maybe you're here this morning 00:28:58.839 --> 00:29:02.740 and man, you're in a tough spot. 00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:06.579 You got a burden in your life. 00:29:06.679 --> 00:29:07.740 Maybe it's a burden for somebody else. 00:29:07.799 --> 00:29:08.619 Maybe it's a burden for yourself. 00:29:09.139 --> 00:29:10.339 You got a burden in your life 00:29:10.339 --> 00:29:11.659 that you need to lay down before the Lord. 00:29:13.299 --> 00:29:14.439 You've worried too long. 00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:15.939 You need to give it to the Lord. 00:29:16.379 --> 00:29:17.059 Trust him with it. 00:29:18.399 --> 00:29:19.539 You can do that at this altar. 00:29:19.659 --> 00:29:20.699 You can do it with me praying for you. 00:29:20.740 --> 00:29:21.799 You can do it where you stand. 00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:25.359 Give that to the Lord. 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:29.159 The God of the Sundays 00:29:29.159 --> 00:29:30.959 is also the God of the waiting on Saturday. 00:29:31.979 --> 00:29:33.359 You can trust him with it. 00:29:35.919 --> 00:29:37.179 Whatever he's told you to do 00:29:37.179 --> 00:29:38.459 is be obedient and follow him. 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:41.199 Heavenly Father, I love you 00:29:41.199 --> 00:29:42.539 and I thank you for the opportunity 00:29:42.539 --> 00:29:44.259 you give us to learn from your word. 00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:46.500 I pray that we'll apply it to our lives 00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:48.039 and that we'll answer you in response 00:29:48.039 --> 00:29:49.399 as you speak to us today. 00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:52.780 In Jesus' precious name, amen.