God's already working out what you're worried about. | Pastor Steven Furtick

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 you for watching make sure you subscribe to this channel so you don't miss a single video or live stream and share this video with a friend and don't forget you can join me live every Sunday thanks again for watching

Channel: Official Steven Furtick

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Id: CoCY9fZBiNs

Length: 14min 32sec (872 seconds)

Published: Tue May 14 2019