Two Minutes Till Midnight

Once again I am using an article a pastoral friend wrote. Why? Because it is relevant to today's situation in the world. This isn't President Trump's fault. This isn't our past President's fault. This is the fault of the human race in general. If we aren't busy fighting each other, we are fighting or arguing with someone else over their beliefs rather than discussing. I do believe peace at any price is no peace at all, but there is always room for dialogue and thought...

Ray Pritchard
Keep Believing Ministries
Shawnee, Kansas

Two Minutes Till Midnight

How close are we to the end of the world?

Since 1947, a magazine called the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has kept the “Doomsday Clock” to show how close we are to global catastrophe. As the situation in the world gets better or worse, the hands of the clock are set closer or further away from midnight. On January 25, 2018 the clock was set at two minutes till midnight, the closest it’s been since the height of the Cold War in 1953. The scientists cited the proliferation of nuclear weapons as a major reason to adjust the clock.

We are dancing with disaster.

Recently Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his country had developed a new “super-missile” that can’t be stopped by conventional defense systems. Footage accompanying the announcement seemed to picture a missile heading toward the US.

Consider these headlines:

“When Will We Have Another World War? History Says Soon.”
“Battered, Bruised and Jumpy—The Whole World is on Edge.”
“Is the Global Economy Facing a Financial Armageddon?”

The situation in the world has become so unstable that catastrophe could happen at any moment. We’re hearing people use words like “Armageddon” and the “End of Days” to describe what may lie ahead for planet earth.
No wonder many people are preparing for the worst.

When I was a child, my mother taught me a bedtime prayer I said every night. It goes like this: “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Although I never thought about it when I was young, it’s a heavy thing for a five-year-old to pray, “If I should die before I wake.”

What if that bedtime prayer finally came true? What if, after years of rising and shining, the sun doesn’t come up for you? What if you knew this would be your final day on earth? What if you knew you would not live to see another sunrise? What would you do? How would you live?

What if the scientists are right, and we are truly only two minutes away from midnight? What if World War III breaks out? Those questions are not as farfetched as they used to be.

Something like that was on Peter’s mind when he said, “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7). The phrase certainly includes the day of our death. But his words go beyond that to encompass the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. How close are we to that day? The New Testament tells us his return is not far away:

“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here” (Romans 13:12).
“The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5).
“The Lord’s coming is near” (James 5:8).
“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

How soon is soon? If you have read Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis, you may remember this conversation between Lucy and Aslan, the lion who is the Christ-figure in the story:
“Do not look so sad. We shall meet soon again.”
“Please, Aslan,” said Lucy, “what do you call soon?”
“I call all times soon,” said Aslan; and instantly he was vanished away.
Are We There Yet?

We can say the same thing about the Lord’s return. Since God does not reckon time the same way we do, we know Christ’s coming was “soon” 2,000 years ago, and 1,000 years ago, and 500 years ago, and 50 years ago, and five years ago. Think how close we must be now. As we travel onward, the Lord’s coming is always close and coming closer at the same time.

When Billy Graham preached on the Second Coming of Christ, he often told the story of a grandfather clock whose chimes rang every hour, once for one o’clock, twice for two o’clock, and so on. One night the clock malfunctioned, causing the chimes to ring thirteen times. A little boy heard it and raced through the house yelling “Get up, everyone get up! It’s later than it’s ever been.” How true that is. It’s later than it’s ever been, and we’re closer to the Second Coming than ever before.

If we believe that, what difference should it make? In 1 Peter 4:7-11 we discover four principles for fearless living in uncertain times. This is God’s message to those living “two minutes till midnight.”

# 1: KEEP YOUR EMOTIONS UNDER CONTROL SO YOU CAN PRAY.

“Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (v. 7).

The Greek word translated “clear minded” is the word used for the man with the legion of demons after Christ healed him (Mark 5:1-20). With the demons gone, he was in his “right mind.” The term describes a state of emotional control so that under pressure, you don’t wilt or waver or give in to anger or fear or otherwise lose your composure. It’s what happens when the Golden State Warriors are trailing late in the game. As the seconds tick away, the Warriors remain cool, calm, deliberate and determined. There is no fear in their eyes. The crowd counts down the seconds: 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1. Steph Curry takes a shot from five feet beyond the three-point line. As Dick Vitale would say, “Nothing but net, Baby!” The Warriors win because they kept their composure in a pressure situation.

Many people can’t take the pressure of life. They just can’t handle it. They get stressed by the constant flow of information. Worldwide 269 billion emails are sent each day. That doesn’t include text messages, tweets, Facebook posts, or any social media at all. It’s overwhelming to think about.

It feels like the national blood pressure has gone up a hundred points in the last several years. Critical impatience has replaced our usual self-assurance. I see it every day when I drive in traffic. In the old days, if you paused for a second when the light turned green, people waited patiently. Now they hit the horn, and then they hit it again. We get angry quicker, and when we get angry, we lose our temper.

To survive you need to be clear-minded so you can see things in their proper perspective. Why? Peter says “so that you can pray.” When you are always uptight, always running from one thing to another, stressed to the max, it’s easy to become distracted, bothered, and controlled by your circumstances. What happens? You can’t pray. Your mind won’t stop whizzing and worrying. When we are wound up like a top, we can’t slow down or focus long enough to pray.

I ran across a sentence that grabbed my attention: “If we live without prayer, we will die without hope.” It’s not easy to persevere. Complaining seems to come naturally to most of us. But the moment we start to pray, suddenly we can hear music a mile away, we remember a conversation we had last week, and before long, we’re not praying because we have been distracted. The point is: In light of the approaching end of the age, don’t panic—pray! Keep it together between your ears so you can pray. Start praying early in the morning—as soon as you wake up—before the pressure of the day wraps its arms around you. Start with prayer, and you’re likely to remain cool, calm and collected all day long.

# 2: BE QUICK TO FORGIVE THE STUPID THINGS PEOPLE DO.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins” (v. 8).

The word “deeply” might be better translated “fervently.” It pictures a runner straining for the tape, a basketball player leaping for a rebound, or an outfielder stretching for a fly ball. It means “stretched-out love.” It’s love that goes on and on and on. We must make that sort of effort because true love is difficult. It costs something. Once you get to know another person, real love means going to the wall for them, stretching to the limit, putting yourself in a place where you can be hurt.

That’s why Peter says, “Above all, love each other deeply.” We are to love each other with a stretched-out love because “love covers a multitude of sins.” Every time someone wrongs me I have two choices. I can deal with it, forgive it, and move on, or I can drag that person through the mud and stir up all kinds of dissension.

Love refuses to wash its dirty laundry in public. Love handles it privately, it goes out of its way to veil sin, to treat it discreetly. It is exactly the opposite of hatred that exposes weakness and humiliates someone else. Love deals with sin publicly only as a last resort.

First there is love, then there is forgiveness, then there is silence. Love has a short memory and sealed lips. We need this truth because others will fail us a “multitude” of times. Love isn’t surprised when close friends fail, isn’t surprised when promises aren’t kept, isn’t surprised when others write unkind emails, and isn’t surprised when we are criticized unfairly. Fervent love expects others to fail, expects to be hurt, and expects to be used unfairly. It goes on loving anyway.

Over the years I have performed many wedding ceremonies. The same thought comes to me each time when I see the radiant bride standing before me with the slightly befuddled groom at her side. I look at them and think: “They don’t have a clue.” How could they? I didn’t have a clue when I got married. You learn so much in just the first few weeks, and still, you don’t know much at all. Even after a few years, you’re still learning and growing. Marlene and I have been married for 43 years, and we’re learning all the time. No one really “has a clue” when they get married. If your marriage is going to succeed, love will have to cover a multitude of sins.

The same is true of the church. No church can survive very long unless the members decide that love will cover a multitude of sins. The same is true where you work. No one can stay at any job for any length of time unless love covers a multitude of sins. This applies to every part of life. Because sin is everywhere, love must stretch out to cover it. Without that “stretched-out” love, we will never be able to live together.

Too many people get their feelings hurt too easily. A touchy Christian is a contradiction in terms. Here’s the worst of it. While you sit at home stewing in your juices because your feelings got hurt, the person who hurt you is out having a good time because he doesn’t even realize he hurt your feelings.

In a practical sense, what does it mean to “cover” the sins of others? Here are a few suggestions:

• You don’t talk about it all the time.
• You don’t try to intimidate people.
• You don’t keep reminding others of their sin.
• You pray for God to bless them.
• You move forward with your own life.

This is a big part of your job description as a Christian. You are to cover the sins of others. If that seems hard, just go and do for others what Jesus has done for you. We are to extend grace to others as God has extended grace to us. We who have been showered with God’s grace in Christ are to give to other undeserving sinners (who have sinned against us) the same outpouring of grace. From God to us to others. Grace to us, grace to others. This is God’s plan.

# 3: STOP COMPLAINING AND START SHARING WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU.

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (v. 9).

The word hospitality means kindness shown to strangers. That was vitally important in the early church because they didn’t have buildings. In that day traveling Bible teachers and evangelists would come to a town and stay with a local family. They had to because they didn’t have a Sheraton or a Hilton or a Holiday Inn. The inns they did have were filthy and dangerous. The first Christians depended on hospitality as they spread the gospel.
Welcoming other believers into your home was a matter of honor.

But there is a qualification. We are to do it “without grumbling.” The Greek word means to “mumble under your breath.” But why would anyone grumble about hospitality? Most of us don’t look at our homes the way the early Christians looked at theirs. They saw their homes as not only a shelter for their families but also as a tool for ministry. They understood God had given them a place to live not just to get away from the world but also as a means for ministering to others.

Far too many of us view our homes as a shelter for our family and nothing more. If we crack open the doors at all, it is to entertain a few close friends. But hospitality and entertaining are two different things. Opening your home to close friends is a given. You start there. But Peter is talking about using your home to minister to those you don’t know very well. It certainly includes Christians from other nations. But it also includes refugees, missionaries, families in need, unwed mothers, and displaced children needing a place to stay.

God gave you a home for two primary reasons: First, as a shelter for your family and second, as a tool for ministry. It was never meant to be a monument to your net worth, a badge of your status, or a refuge in which to hide from the world. It is not a castle in which you entertain your relatives and chosen friends, or a museum for your china, a gallery for your pictures, a garden for your flowers, a playground for your kids, or a showroom for your furniture. God gave you a home to shelter your family and to minister to others.

Your home is your single best tool for evangelism and Christian ministry. Hospitality is one way to show fervent love for other believers. If you don’t know where to start, invite someone to eat lunch with you today. Or if that scares you, do it next Sunday. As the end of all things draws near, it will become increasingly important for Christians to open their homes to each other.

There is one final point Peter makes about living in the last days.

# 4: USE YOUR GIFTS TO BLESS OTHERS.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others” (v. 10).

In that little phrase we learn three things: 1) Every believer has a spiritual gift, 2) Your gift may not be the same as anyone else’s, and 3) You are to use your gift to serve others. Verse 11 categorizes spiritual gifts into two groups—the speaking gifts and the helping gifts. Speaking includes anyone who teaches the Word of God, whether publicly or privately, whether to a group or one-on-one. It includes speaking from a pulpit or in a small group or to a Sunday School class. Peter says, if you speak, make sure you speak the very words of God. Let your words be based on God’s Word.

Helping gifts include everything else in the church, such as cooking a meal for a new mother, cleaning up after a church event, driving the bus, counting the offering, stacking chairs in the dining room, serving at a satellite campus, changing diapers in the nursery, visiting the sick, calling a friend on the phone, writing a note of encouragement, giving money, praying, counseling, ushering, singing, or volunteering to drive kids to camp. It includes any of the 1,001 other things that keep the church going. Whatever your gift is, do it in the mighty strength which God supplies.

When you stand before the Lord someday, he is going to ask you, “What did you do with what I gave you?” You won’t be quizzed about anyone else, but you will have to give an account of your stewardship.

Ponder these questions:

• How are you using the gifts God has given you?
• Who have you helped along the way?
• Is your church better and stronger because you are here?
• Are you wasting God’s gifts or are you using them for his glory?

In World War II, a French village had a statue of Jesus in their town square. When the bombing came, the statue was damaged, and pieces were broken off. They stored the pieces, and after the war they began to rebuild the statue. It had cracks now, but they appreciated it even more. To their dismay, the only pieces they couldn’t find were the hands of Jesus. That troubled them because the hands had the nail prints and that was significant to them. They thought they would have to take the statue down, until one person placed a gold plaque at the bottom of the statue that read, “He has no hands but ours.”

He has no hands but ours.
He has no eyes but ours.
He has no lips but ours.
He has no feet but ours.

We are the body of Christ in the world.

Peter says, “The end of all things is near.” We know the end times will be turbulent days. The world will seem to be turned upside-down. Long-held standards will fall. Men will be afraid. Morals will be jettisoned. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

Do you know what time it is? It’s time to get ready for the coming of the Lord!

• In these earthshaking days, clear your mind for prayer.
• In these turbulent times, be quick to forgive.
• As you see the end approaching, open your home to others.
• As the days draw near for the return of Christ, use your spiritual gifts to serve others.

The signs are everywhere. The countdown has begun. Trumpets sound in heaven as the King prepares to leave his palace. On earth, his children pray with new excitement and new understanding these words from the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom Come.”

It won’t be long now.

One final word. If Jesus comes back today, will you be ready to meet him? If you say, “I hope so” or “I’m not sure,” you aren’t ready. If you don’t know him, you aren’t ready to meet him. But you can be ready by trusting him as your Savior. Run to the Cross. Put your hope in what Jesus Christ did when he died on the cross and rose from the dead. Lay aside your trust in anything you have done and trust in Jesus Christ alone.

Do it now before it’s too late.

There is an old fable about a time when Satan was training three apprentice devils. He asked the first one how he proposed to deceive people. “I will tell them there is no God.” “That will never work,” Satan replied, “since everyone knows there is a God.” The second one volunteered that he would tell people there is no hell. “That won’t work either. Everyone knows there must be a hell.” Then the third apprentice devil spoke up. “I will tell them there is no hurry.” Satan smiled and said, “You will deceive millions.”

That has been one of Satan’s chief tactics. He wins multitudes by convincing them they have plenty of time to think about God, plenty of time to come to Christ, and plenty of time to be forgiven. But it is not true. Today is the only day you have. It may be your last day. There has never been a better time for you to come to Christ.

At Billy Graham’s funeral, Anne Graham Lotz spoke of the significance of her father’s death, calling it a “shot across the bow.” It’s a message from heaven saying, “Wake up, church. Wake up, world. Jesus is coming!” She’s certainly right that it’s time for all of us to wake up.

What if we are living not in the last days but the last hours?
What if Jesus were to come this week, this month, this year?

Christians can face the future with optimism. The world looks at all the problems and says, “Is there any hope?” For those who know Jesus Christ, there is enormous hope. These are great days to be alive, the greatest days in all human history. We may be the generation privileged to see the return of Jesus Christ.

There’s never been a better time to be a Christian.
There’s never been a better time to tell someone else.

If we truly are just two minutes till midnight, let’s rededicate ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. May this be a day when we say, “Not less for Jesus, but more.”

Jesus is coming.
Are you ready?

Going Deeper

1. If you kept in mind that “the end of all things is near,” how might that change your life?

2. “A touchy Christian is a contradiction in terms.” What does that mean?

3. Why is it important to show hospitality without grumbling?

4. “Jesus is coming. Are you ready?” How would you answer that question?

See you next blog
Ted

Failure Is Not An Option On This Job

You don't need a license or a diploma to become a father, yet the job description is one of the toughest imaginable. According to Scripture, a father encourages and comforts his children, urging them to "live lives worthy of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12). He is charged with the instruction (Proverbs 1:8-9) and discipline (Hebrews 12:10) of his offspring. He is expected to provide "good gifts" for his children (Matthew 7:9-11). Harder still, a father must not "exasperate" his children as he does these things. Instead–and most important of all–he is to "bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4 NIV).

Pretty daunting huh? It would be even harder if you did not seek God's counsel daily! Yet, there are men who are called fathers that do not seek God's counsel and if it were not for a godly wife would raise monsters instead of kids who made it into the passage of adulthood. Your children imitate what they see when they are young. Children need boundaries and role models when life gets tough. They grow up with the perception of what they is see how a person should act, but if your fail in your guidance may more likely find they have a bend in another direction. If you are passive they will more than likely be aggressive, however maybe too aggressive to the point of hurting others. If you are passive-aggressive they will more-than-likely grow up angry. If you are angry at the world at large they will end up frustrated and feel alone. It matters that we recognize our shortcomings and failures early in life before we father children. That is when we get honest with God and start seeking his counsel through His word. Being a father is not a part-time job where you may think your other job is more important, you will fail miserably at home. You may become President of the company but if you fail at home because you were just too busy, you failed in life! Just playing with your kids is not enough, providing entertainment to keep them off the streets is not enough, providing the best tutors for their studies is not enough, what they really need is a full-time Dad humble enough to allow God to give instruction as to how to raise his family and love his wife.

In the face of these enormous responsibilities, you may feel like a high school dropout interviewing for a job as a nuclear physicist–you know that your résumé doesn't measure up! YOU ARE NEEDED AS A ROLE MODEL! It's up to you DAD to be the best dad possible but don't be discouraged. Scripture tells us that our heavenly Father will assist us in each of life's heavy responsibilities: "The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs" (Isaiah 58:11 NIV). You can depend on almighty God, the Father of all fathers, for strength in every parenting challenge–no matter what your qualifications might be, but you have to seek Him to find out how best to do the job.

See you next blog,
Ted

By the way Dad, did I ever tell you I know first-hand what failure at home feels like! It doesn't have to stay that way-make the change and take the time to learn.

A Challenge For Men!

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4.8

Christianity Today and Dr. James Dobson did an extensive survey last year of women who stated they were Christians. They surveyed more than 9,000 moms to find out what matters most to them, and how we could be a source of encouragement. The answer they gave to one particular question was a surprise.

When asked, "Where do you need your husbands to be the most helpful around the house?", the #1 answer wasn't preparing meals, cleaning rooms, or doing the dishes. 65% of moms said they needed help with family devotions.

Introducing the Family Challenge. This 10-day challenge is designed to encourage your family to spend regular time together in God's Word and to help you create a pattern of family devotional time.

Men, if this is new to your family, we invite you to accept this challenge and join us as we all draw nearer to God and one another.

http://www.drjamesdobson.org/challenges/10-day-family-challenge/day-one?sc=FEM&mc=FEM041810DFC&utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_campaign=20180411%2010DFC%20(FEM041810DFC)%20(2)&spMailingID=19354957&spUserID=MjE0NzcwOTg3NzIxS0&spJobID=1240614925&spReportId=MTI0MDYxNDkyNQS2

How about it guys? Are you up to the challenge?

See you next blog,

Ted

Good News from the Graveyard

Pastor Ray Pritchard sent this yesterday and I felt it was even better than what I was going to share. It's exciting to know our God is a living God and He loved us enough to solve the problem of death and hell for those who would believe...IT NEVER REALLY WAS ABOUT US BUT ABOUT JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON!

 
A few days ago I took a walk through Greenwood Cemetery in Dallas. It's an old graveyard not far from North Central Expressway. Many of the early leaders of Dallas are buried there.
 
When I arrived, the place was almost deserted. I drove down one of the narrow roads and stopped near a large monument. A few blocks away hundreds of cars hurried on their way to and from downtown. From the sky came the sound of planes making their final descent to Love Field.
 
I spent some time walking and looking and thinking. Greenwood Cemetery is a good place to do that because it’s an oasis of solitude surrounded by city noise. 
 
As I walked, I read the markers. As cemeteries go, Greenwood is an intimate place, taking up only a few blocks in the Uptown neighborhood. Each stone marker summed up a whole life in a kind of obituarial shorthand: a name, two dates, and a dash. I happened to find the gravestone for Jesse Spray, about whom I know nothing except for the inscription on the granite: “Jesse Spray, Nov. 12, 1845-Dec. 20, 1925.” Below was this lovely tribute:
                                         

A kind wife mourns in thee
A husband lost
The poor a friend who felt
What friendship cost

 
Civil War generals and titans of industry are buried next to those who in this life were relatively unknown. But the engraving on the stone is the same for all of them: a day of birth, a day of death, and a little dash representing everything in between. 
 
So many thoughts crowd the mind. I wondered about the thousands of people buried there. The markers read "Beloved mother," "Faithful father," "Rest in peace." Several quoted the words of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
 
I came across the grave of a man who had been a billionaire when he was alive. A few feet away I saw the marker for a young woman who died at the age of 30 in 1914. The inscription reads,
                           

Just when we learned to love her most,
God called her back to heaven.

 
I found numerous markers for children who died in infancy. One marked the burial spot of “Little Sydney” who lived nineteen months. Another memorialized Dora Lee Schram, who lived only 28 days before she died on September 3, 1890.

As I walked among the gravestones, alone with my thoughts, it occurred to me that the cemetery was quiet and peaceful. Exactly what a cemetery should be.
 

Late on a Friday Afternoon

 
It was probably very much like a certain cemetery outside Jerusalem. It was a garden cemetery, a little collection of tombs dug out of solid rock.
 
There the Jews buried their sacred dead.
There they laid their loved ones waiting for a better day.
 
There very late on a Friday afternoon . . .
              Just before sundown . . .
                            They buried the body of Jesus.
 
The Bible mentions four times that Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb. It belonged to a rich man named Joseph from the city of Arimathea. He was a prominent figure in local society because besides being rich, he was also a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling religious body. 
 
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John combine to tell us the story:
              Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 
              Pilate was surprised because he didn't think Jesus was dead yet.
              Crucifixion was a hideous way to die. 
              Strong men sometimes hung there for several days before they died.
 
But Jesus died after only six hours on the cross.
              They didn't break his legs.
              No need to.
              He was already dead.
 
When they took Jesus down from the cross, his body was in bad shape. It bore all the marks of the abuse he had suffered.
              He was covered with blood.
              There was a hole in his side.
              His face was horribly disfigured.
              Skin hung from his back in tatters.
 
Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped the body in strips of linen cloth. Then they sprinkled about 80 pounds of spices throughout the linen strips.
              Part of it was a kind of ground powder.
              The other part was a gummy substance.
The spices made the linen strips stick together and form a tight wrap around the body.
             
That was how the Jews embalmed their dead.
 

Buried Before Sundown

 
It was getting near sundown now. That created a problem because the Old Testament forbade the Jews to handle a dead body on the Sabbath. 
              No time to find a new grave.
              So Joseph volunteered his own.
              The Bible says it was fresh, newly dug out of the rock.
              No one had been laid there yet.
 
Doubtless Joseph meant for his own family to be buried there someday.
              But for the moment, everything is put aside.
              Joseph and Nicodemus pick up the limp, lifeless corpse of Jesus.
              And half-carry, half-drag it to the garden tomb.
 
Thank goodness it wasn't far away.
              Between the weight of the body . . .
              And the linen . . .
              And the spices . . .
              It must have been almost 250 pounds.
 
Meanwhile the sun slowly sinks beneath the western horizon.
              Shadows fall across the olive trees.
              The two men--secret disciples--carry the dead body of Jesus to the tomb.
              Close behind are Mary Magdalene and the other Mary . . .
              Weeping.
 
The little cemetery outside Jerusalem is still there.
The whole area is filled with little openings dug out of the mountainside.
 
The entrance to the tomb was very small.
Inside, it was dark, almost pitch-black.
              Musty and damp.
They laid the body of Jesus on a ledge and turned to go.
 
When they got outside, Joseph and Nicodemus rolled a great stone over the entrance.  The women sat by the side watching.
 
Then Joseph and Nicodemus left . . .
Then the two Marys left . . .
 
Darkness fell on the garden cemetery.
              Everyone had left.
              Inside the tomb . . . silence
              The smell of death was everywhere.
 

Silent Saturday

 
The Bible says very little about that Saturday.
              We know about Good Friday.
              We know about Easter Sunday.
             
But of that Saturday in between we know almost nothing. 
 
At some point the Romans put a seal on the stone to keep people away.
 
Luke says of the disciples . . . "And on the Sabbath they rested."
 

Sunrise Surprise

 
But of Sunday, the Bible is very clear.
 
Matthew says, "Late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week."
Mark says, "Very early on the first day of the week."
Luke says, "On the first day of the week, at early dawn."
John says, "Now on the first day of the week . . . Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb."
 
The women came to anoint the body of Jesus.
They weren't expecting a resurrection.
It was the farthest thing from their minds.
 
But to their shock . . . and surprise . . . and utter confusion . . .
      The seal was broken.
              The stone was rolled away.
              The tomb was open.
 
They looked inside.
              Jesus was gone.
              The tomb was empty.
 
Two angels stood beside them and uttered two of the most powerful sentences in the Bible:
 
"Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5-6).
 
Mary ran and found Peter and John.
              She didn't believe it at first. 
              It was too much to take.
 
Peter and John ran to the tomb.
              John got there first.
              But Peter went inside.
 

An Empty Cocoon

 
The Bible has a strange word about what he found (John 20:6-7). It says he found the linen cloth lying there, and the head cloth wrapped by itself.
 
I think it means the linens were like an empty shell, as if whoever had been inside had simply passed right through them, like a cocoon after the butterfly has flown away.
 
Then Mary met Jesus . . . alive from the dead.
Then two disciples on the road to Emmaus met Jesus . . . alive from the dead.
Then the apostles met Jesus . . . alive from the dead.
Then doubting Thomas met Jesus . . . alive from the dead.
Then 500 people at one time met Jesus . . . alive from the dead.
 
The message went out:  He's Alive!  
 
An ancient legend says that in the early church a believer was to be martyred for his faith. As they tied his hands and led him to the stake, he was asked if he had any last words. He shouted out, "He is risen." Unknown to the authorities, in the surrounding hills, the Christians had gathered to watch the execution. When they heard the words, "He is risen," they cried out with one voice, "He is risen indeed."
 
That's how they greeted one another in the early church.
              He is risen!
              He is risen indeed!
 

You Can't Keep a Good Man Down

 
Fifty days after the resurrection of Christ, Peter preached in Jerusalem to the very people who had crucified Jesus (Acts 2:14-41). His blood was on their hands. 
 
In that sermon he said these words . . .
              Jesus of Nazareth . . . You nailed to a cross . . . and put to death.
              But God raised him from the dead.
              Freeing him from the agony of death.
              For it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
 
On the walls of a Sunday School classroom in California, I saw this bit of graffiti: "Christ rose from the dead. You can't keep a good man down."
 
That's what Peter said . . . Death could not hold him.
 

Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior.
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord.
Up from the grave he arose
With a mighty triumph o'er his foes.
He arose a victor o'er the dark domain.
And he lives forever with his saints to reign.
He arose, He arose. Hallelujah! Christ arose.
 

A Preacher Who Didn't Believe

 
It's Easter Sunday. At Greenwood Cemetery everything is quiet . . . peaceful . . . beautiful.

No resurrections there . . . yet.
 
I'll never forget the first graveside service I ever performed. It happened soon after I became the pastor of a church in California. It was a service for someone I didn't know. 
 
I stood at the graveside and tried to say a few words. When I prayed, I said something like, "As we await the resurrection day." To my surprise, the words stuck in my throat. I barely finished my prayer.
 
I was humiliated. I called myself a preacher, and I couldn't perform a simple graveside service. 
 
What was wrong?
I had come face to face with death for the first time as a pastor. It overwhelmed me. The awful finality of death hit me square in the face. 
 
Then I knew the truth. I wasn't sure I believed in the resurrection of the dead. 
 

Looking in the Wrong Place

 
I went home and thought about it. Was it true? Could I believe it? 
Many people have been to the cemetery and wondered the same thing.
 
If you just go on what you see, it's a hard doctrine to believe.
              The odds seem to be against it.
              No one living today has ever seen a resurrection.
              There hasn't been one for 2000 years.
              If you go to the cemetery and wait for one, you'll have to wait a long, long time.
 
As I thought about these things, the Lord seemed to say to me,
              "Son, you've been looking in the wrong place.
              Come with me."
              It seemed as if the Lord took me to a great city,
              To a grove of trees on a hillside outside the city walls.
              Among the trees on the hillside, a cemetery.
 
The Lord pointed to a certain tomb. The stone had been rolled away.
              "Look inside."  
              I looked inside.
              I didn't see anything
              Except for some rumpled linens and a cloth folded in a corner.
 
Then it hit me. The tomb was empty. Whoever had been there was gone.
              And he left his grave clothes behind.
 

Why I Believe

 
My friends, I do not believe in the resurrection of the dead because of anything I can see with my eyes. Everything I see argues against it.
 
I believe in the resurrection of the dead because I believe in the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday morning.
 
The Bible says, "If we believe that Jesus died and rose again . . . even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
 

"Temporary Residence"

 
There's good news from the graveyard.
              Good news that the tomb is empty.
              Good news that Jesus rose from the dead.
              Good news that the Devil couldn't hold him.
              Good news that death has lost its sting.
              Good news that the grave has lost its victory.
              Good news that we need not fear death anymore.
 
 As far as I know my heart, I am not afraid to die.
              Not because I am especially brave.
              But I know what's on the other side.
              My Lord has come back and told me what I can expect.
              I don't have anything to worry about.
 
If you hear I have died tonight, when you bury me,
              Stick up a sign that says, "Temporary residence."
              I'm coming back. You can count on it.
 
I say that without any sense of pride or boasting. For my resurrection does not depend on me.
              It does not depend on my good deeds.
              It does not depend on any merit in me at all.
 
It depends wholly on my Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning. He promised if I would trust in him, someday I would rise with him. I've staked my entire life on that promise. If it's not true, I have no other hope.
 
But it is true. That's why I don't plan on staying dead forever. 
 
There’s a reason the Bible says, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26).
 
Death will not have the last word.
 
We think we are going from the land of the living to the land of the dying. No!
We are going from the land of the dying to the land of the living!
 
I ran across a wonderful phrase from the Pulpit Commentary that lifts my heart every time I read it. There will be “victory on the last battlefield.” Life is a series of battles for all of us, and we all “take it on the chin” sooner or later. But in the last battle, the struggle with death, there is victory for the children of God.
 

Don't Look in the Graveyard

 
Good news from the graveyard? That's a strange place for good news. But that's what Easter is all about. If you're looking for Jesus on Easter Sunday, don't look in the graveyard. He isn't there. He left 2000 years ago and never went back.
 
The really good news is this: If you are looking for Jesus today, you can meet him right now. May I introduce you to him?
 
His name is Jesus of Nazareth. He is called the Son of God. God loved you so much that he sent Jesus to die on the cross for you. He was buried in Joseph's tomb. He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning. He paid for your sins so that if you believe in him, you will never perish but have everlasting life.
 
You can have eternal life.
You can know your sins are forgiven.
You can have victory on the last battlefield.
 
The living Lord Jesus Christ would like to meet you right now. Will you give your heart to him? Will you trust him? Will you come to him?
 
I pray you will. This could be the happiest Easter of your life if you will come to Jesus.
 
The next move is up to you.
 
Heavenly Father, we thank you that Jesus who died now lives again. 
 
Living Lord, be born anew in our hearts today. Lead us to the empty tomb. Let faith rise to banish our fears. For those who doubt, help them to believe all over again.
 
Thank you that we do not worship a dead Jesus.
Because of Easter, we worship a living Christ.
 
Glory to his name forever!
Amen.

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Copyright © 2018 Keep Believing Ministries, All rights reserved. This email list allows you to receive the free sermon email from Pastor Ray Pritchard, President and founder of Keep Believing Ministries. Our mailing address is: Keep Believing Ministries P.O. Box 257 Elmhurst, IL 60126 HE IS RISEN, Ted