Something In Between

0:00:02.120 --> 0:00:04.680 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.920 --> 0:00:07.160 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.200 --> 0:00:10.479 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:12.559 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:24.160 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. Hallelujah, hallelujah. 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:38.520 You can feel it right. God is up to something today. Hey, 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:42.960 welcome Happy Resurrection Sunday. Everybody all over the world. We 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:46.600 greet you in the name of Jesus, the name above 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:50.000 every name, Jesus who is seated at the right hand 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:53.720 of God, Jesus who was laid down in grief and 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:57.800 awoke holding keys. May he unlock prison doors in your 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:01.960 life today. We believe He's going to do something awesome. 0:01:02.000 --> 0:01:07.120 Tell your neighbor, I believe God is gonna not going 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:15.720 to gonna do something awesome in your life today, spectacular 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:20.319 in your life today, mind blowing in your life today. 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:22.959 And now look at him and say mine too. I'm 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:30.160 getting in on this. Another stone is rolling right now? 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:34.000 Is it you? Is it you he wants to call 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.679 out of depression? Is that you he wants to call 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:42.200 out of despair? I'm looking for me. God gave me 0:01:42.240 --> 0:01:45.680 a word for this Easter Sunday. This is my nineteenth 0:01:45.720 --> 0:01:52.120 Easter preaching here at Elevation Church. I would like to say, 0:01:52.160 --> 0:01:54.320 and I hope that I don't jinx it by saying 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.480 this before the sermon. It's the best Easter crowd we've 0:01:57.560 --> 0:02:01.400 ever had on the Easter Sunday. Now live up to that, 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:06.600 all right, it's a lot of pressure. Don't be acting 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.280 all stuffy because Aunt Susie came to church with you today. 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:19.760 Act how you always act. I know you will. So 0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:22.760 I want to share with you from the Resurrection account 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:28.239 in Matthew chapter twenty eight, and offer a fresh perspective 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:31.079 that the Lord shared with me. I think one of 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:33.760 the greatest blessings God can give you sometimes is a 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:37.720 fresh perspective. You know, just where you look at things different. 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:43.240 Sometimes He changes things. Sometimes he changes the way I 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:48.680 see things, and then things change. So the perspective on 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:51.320 the Resurrection. You know, nineteen years of preaching this thing, 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:54.680 you would think I knew what was in it. But 0:02:54.800 --> 0:02:56.760 God is so great and his word is so awesome. 0:02:56.760 --> 0:03:01.160 It's just the most remarkable he ever told, the most 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:04.840 remarkable of an inhuman history that Jesus rose from the grave. 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:07.400 But let's go back there for a moment into a 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:11.160 flashback in Matthew chapter twenty eight. I'm going to read 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:13.919 verses one through four for context, but my lesson really 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:18.200 picks up at verse five. The Bible says, after the Sabbath, 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:21.280 at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:25.200 Magdalen and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:28.600 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:32.040 Lord came down from heaven, and, going to the tomb, 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:37.880 rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:40.120 was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:43.400 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:51.040 and became like dead men. Verse five. Pay attention. The 0:03:51.080 --> 0:03:55.880 angel said to the women, do not be afraid. Really, 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:01.240 so the guards are over here dead, These big Roman 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:05.000 soldiers are like dead men, and the women are supposed 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:08.480 to not be afraid. Okay. But the angel said to 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:11.840 the women, this is this guy, this stone rolling, This 0:04:11.880 --> 0:04:15.040 is a ba right here, a big angel. I don't 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:19.479 know what you what. Okay, it's easter, it's easter. I 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:21.680 will think for you. The angel said to the women, 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:26.240 do not be afraid, for I know that you are 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:32.800 looking for Jesus who was crucified. I need you to say. 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:42.479 The keyword was verse six. He is not here. He 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:47.680 has risen. All of that already happened. All of that 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:52.120 already happened. He is not here. He has risen, just 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:54.920 as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 0:04:55.040 --> 0:05:00.359 Then go quickly and tell his disciples. He has risen 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:04.760 from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:09.840 There you will see him. Now I have told you 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:13.039 verse eight, and will stop here for now. So the 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:19.200 women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, 0:05:20.040 --> 0:05:23.880 and ran to tell his disciples. I want to use 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:28.120 as a subject for this sermon today, something in between, 0:05:29.760 --> 0:05:34.440 something in between. And would you look at your neighbor 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:39.000 real quick and say I'm something in between. Look at 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:44.520 your other neighbor, the one you rejected, scorned and bypassed 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:48.279 the first time, say I'm something in between, and you 0:05:48.360 --> 0:05:59.719 may be seated. Wow, something in between. I'm so excited 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:01.960 to pre man. I know I was excited because I 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:05.159 was having weird dreams three in the morning, four in 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:07.240 the morning, about four I woke up. I was dreaming 0:06:07.240 --> 0:06:12.640 about Clemson. I reckon I fell asleep when they were 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.160 losing their game. They made it to the Elite eight, 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:18.719 but then they lost. So I think that was in 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:23.120 my subconscious and so was the excitement of like Easter 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:25.440 and anything as possible. So in my dream, listen to this. 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:28.960 I was at Clemson as a student, as a forty 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:33.400 four year old man, and I was going to football 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:35.320 practice to see if I could walk on and play. 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:38.760 That's how excited I was. I didn't even play little 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:41.480 league football. I've never played football in my life. That's 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:44.159 how excited I have been to be with you. I 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:47.719 was dreaming about Dabbo, and of course that has everything 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:51.520 to do with Matthew twenty eight. But I'm just excited, 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:53.800 you know. And when I get excited, I'm an extreme person. 0:06:54.680 --> 0:06:56.480 I am. I'm going to get excited about something that 0:06:56.560 --> 0:07:01.080 I'm all in. I sell everything, buy everything, sell everything, 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:03.440 and then buy everything, buy it, and then sell it. 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:07.880 I'm very extreme. So for me, it was a real 0:07:07.920 --> 0:07:10.960 insight to realize that everything in this text, which is 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:16.320 about as extreme as you get angels, rolling stones, earthquakes 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:23.080 shaking the foundation of the planet, dead men rising, that's 0:07:23.080 --> 0:07:27.880 as extreme as it gets. A crucifixion where the innocent 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:33.200 son of God was treated as a common criminal. That's 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:37.720 as extreme as it gets. And yet everything in the text, 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:45.000 everybody say, and yet everything is in between. One man said, 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:47.920 life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:52.520 And as the women are bringing their spices to anoint Jesus, 0:07:53.160 --> 0:07:56.960 he's already taken a stroll on a Sunday morning. So 0:07:57.040 --> 0:07:59.720 we love this text because everything is in between. But 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:04.080 just reading it for the exclamation point of the resurrection 0:08:04.240 --> 0:08:07.880 misses some of the intricacy. First of all, let me 0:08:07.920 --> 0:08:10.920 give you this in a few different ways. The ministry 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:14.320 of Jesus in Matthew chapter twenty eight is at an 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:19.480 in between moment, in that he has already fulfilled his 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:23.720 earthly mission, which is to save us from our sin 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:26.840 by dying on a cross, so that everybody who puts 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:28.760 their faith in him, and that could be you today 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:32.640 could be saved in his name. And then after he 0:08:32.679 --> 0:08:35.480 did that, suffered a horrible death that we could not abide. 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:40.960 He rose again with all power in his hand. He's 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:45.479 done with that now, but he has not yet ascended 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:49.240 to the right hand of God. So his earthly mission 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:54.320 is complete, but his heavenly ministry, where he sits at 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:56.840 the right hand of God, what he's doing now has 0:08:56.880 --> 0:09:01.520 not yet begun. He's in between. One thing I was 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:04.160 tempted to skip over, but when I slowed down and 0:09:04.200 --> 0:09:07.400 read it became very important is that the Bible says 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:11.200 it was after the Sabbath at dawn on the first 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:13.720 day of the week when the ladies found the tomb 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:16.720 of Jesus empty. So think about that. Not only was 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:20.400 the ministry of Jesus in between, but this is an 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:24.920 in between moment as well. The ministry is in between. 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:30.640 The moment is in between. It's dawn, not exactly morning, 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:39.679 it's not exactly night. It's something in between. That's why 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:45.760 I wore this today. It's springing Charlotte, and it's not 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:51.840 exactly cold, and it's not exactly hot. It's something so 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:58.480 I've got coverage and ventilation. It's something in between. Graham 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:00.160 was picking on me. I had this shirt that I 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:01.880 thought was really cool, and I bought like fifty of 0:10:01.920 --> 0:10:04.559 them because I'm extreme, and he said, I hate tell 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:06.480 you this because I then he got fifty. I did 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:10.640 not get that shirt. It's not a compression shirt, and 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:14.199 it's not fashionable. It's got a scoop neck and it's 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:17.720 too tight, and it's not an athletic shirt you can 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:19.280 work out in, and it's definitely not something you need 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:24.880 to wear on stage. It's something in between. Some of 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:30.520 y'all came to church today with your they're not exactly 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:41.400 just your friend. Little dtr might happen in the car 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:44.120 on the way home from elevation today. I'm here to 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:49.600 serve you know well, no, we're not dating, but not 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:52.720 evangelizing her either. I invited her to church with maybe 0:10:52.760 --> 0:11:01.400 some ulterior motives. There's something in between. It's dawn, it's morning, 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:04.800 it's night. The night is losing its grip on the morning, 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:08.000 but it is just peeking through the shades of pink. 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:10.320 The sky is not yet blue and clear yet, it's 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:11.960 just a little bit of it that I can see 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:15.800 as the night relinquishes its whole. Is something in between, 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:18.600 you see what I mean. It's a beautiful text, a 0:11:18.600 --> 0:11:21.559 beautiful text because not only is the ministry of Jesus 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:25.120 in between, not only is the moment in between, but 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:31.120 the messengers are in between. The messenger the angel. The 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:35.600 Angel is not Jesus. The Angel is not God. But 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:38.960 the Angel is not a human either. The Angel is 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:44.079 Maybe if I preach this till Christmas, y'all will finally 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:46.440 get my call and response Kate and say it is 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:50.480 something in between. Put it in the chat. It's something 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:53.920 in between. Now look at your neighbor and say, you're 0:11:53.960 --> 0:12:01.760 not an angel. Tell him, but I don't think you're 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:08.680 a devil either. Now repeat the next line. You're something 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:12.840 in between. I need everybody in this church that is 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:18.000 not an angel. But you're not a devil. I'm not 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:21.160 the best Christian in the world. I'm probably not the 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:23.320 worst one either. I've seen how some of y'all drive 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:27.440 with your elevation stickers on your car. I didn't know 0:12:27.520 --> 0:12:29.400 that was a worship signal when you did that one 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:35.120 finger up in the air. Does that mean something in between? 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:41.360 We all are pink, purple, indigold, blue, violet. I don't 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:45.960 care what you wore in here underneath that is your flesh. 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:49.720 And although you may be ready for heaven when you die, 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:55.680 because Jesus Rose, don't you need him in between? Come on, 0:12:55.880 --> 0:12:59.160 don't you need him in between? Wave at me if 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:01.880 you need him in between? I mean Lord, I appreciate 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:03.599 one day you're coming to get me up out of 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:06.080 here and take me to a place where there's no 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:10.040 more tears. But there's tears here, and I need you 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:18.319 in between. So the ministry of Jesus is in between, 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:21.640 the messenger is in between, the moment is in between. 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:25.760 And then you have something that the angel says to 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:29.120 the women. And it is like these annoying parents that 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:33.440 try to coach their kids from the bleachers. When I 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:36.560 go to watch my kid wrestle, they'll say things to 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:39.360 the kid that is probably the right thing to say 0:13:39.400 --> 0:13:41.719 to the kid, but it's not that easy to do 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:45.280 when you're out there doing it. I heard one parent 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:47.000 say to a kid who was wrestling the other day. 0:13:47.040 --> 0:13:48.800 His kid was getting beat and he said, that's the 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:56.680 wrong move. That helps dad, Thanks, I let you know 0:13:56.720 --> 0:14:00.400 the right one. And here's the angel. Look what he 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:04.960 says to the women. He says, don't be afraid. And 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:10.679 that's easy for you to say. You're an angel. You're 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:15.960 big angel, a ba a bold angel. You've been in 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:19.640 the presence of God. You weren't there when we watched 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:27.080 him die. You're not bound by this flesh. Don't be afraid, 0:14:28.040 --> 0:14:32.160 and the Bible gives a very, very instructive phrase. And 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:33.640 this is where I want to teach you today. I'm 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:35.920 gonna teach you a lesson today. If you are gonna 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:37.600 look this good to come to church. We are going 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:40.000 to get the most out of your outfit today and 0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:44.880 teach you something. All right, because it was crowded when 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:47.360 you came here to Valentine today, right, and you had 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:49.280 to fight through some things to get here. Now, I 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:51.560 don't worry. Next week, there'll be plenty of room for everybody, 0:14:51.640 --> 0:14:56.600 So come on back. I'm probably gonna start a new 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:58.760 series next week, an eight week series, so you should 0:14:58.800 --> 0:15:03.240 come back next week. But look what the angel said. 0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:05.600 He said, do not be afraid, for I know that 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:08.640 you are looking for verse five again. Please Jesus who 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:12.360 was crucified. He is not here where you expected him 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:15.120 to be. He is not dead, which is the last 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:17.920 way you saw him. He is not lying in this 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:25.200 place anymore. He has risen just as he said. Won't 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:28.480 he do it just like he promised? Now, come and 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:33.720 see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and 0:15:33.800 --> 0:15:37.080 tell his disciples he has risen from the dead and 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:42.040 is going ahead of you. Into Galilee. There you will 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:45.120 see him. Now I have told you verse eight. The 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:48.320 women were full of faith and doubted nothing, and so 0:15:48.400 --> 0:15:51.640 they did what the angel instructed. Is the way this 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:57.400 should read. If we were angels. God's got me and 0:15:57.440 --> 0:15:59.560 it doesn't matter that they're laying people off in my 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:02.760 division because God's my provider. Is how it should read 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:06.920 if we were angels. I know that God's going to 0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:09.080 bring my kid back, so I'm not going to spend 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:11.400 all of my time worrying about it. I'm going to 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:13.360 turn it over to the Lord and do the best 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:17.040 I can. Is how it should feel if I'm an angel, 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:19.640 And if I didn't believe in God at all, then 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:24.080 I would have complete despair. But I believe in Him. 0:16:24.120 --> 0:16:27.000 But yet I have to be in this body, and 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:33.200 so I'm something in between. Like the women in this passage. 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:35.920 It says verse eight, look at this police they hurried 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:39.520 away from the tomb. And I love this phrase because 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:46.480 this is how I feel, afraid yet filled with joy. 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:51.120 This is not a translation error, by the way, because 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:54.320 most of us think like you're either gonna be afraid 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:58.800 or filled with joy. I had somebody ask me the 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:00.840 other day, I was going to do something that was 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:04.560 a big deal, and they said, are you looking forward 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:08.520 to it or are you dreading it? And I was like, 0:17:11.000 --> 0:17:14.680 are those the only two options? Because I'm not exactly 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:17.960 looking forward to it. I'm not exactly dreading it. I'm 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:25.480 something and it can change from moment to moment. I'm like, 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:28.919 really grateful for this life God has given me and 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:33.680 this influence that He gave me. And then sometimes that 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:42.200 anticipation feels like anxiety, and sometimes my anxiety feels like anticipation. 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:49.480 And sometimes listen to this. The difference between anticipation and 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:55.080 anxiety is the way you label it. Some of the 0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:56.680 things in your life today. Now I'm going to talk 0:17:56.760 --> 0:17:59.080 right to where you live. Let's get away from two 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:01.720 thousand years ago history and bring it right into your 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:06.880 current situation that I'm saying, I'm anxious. If you look 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:11.040 beneath the anxious feeling, there is actually a future that 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:15.320 you are anticipating. And every time you step forward, you 0:18:15.400 --> 0:18:18.399 shake a little bit. Every time you reach for the 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:21.560 right thing, it feels a little foreign in your hands 0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:25.800 because you've been reaching for the wrong thing. But the 0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:32.639 Bible says that you can be afraid yet filled, that 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:36.240 you can be empty in your energy and filled with 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:40.760 God's spirit. That you can be empty and not know 0:18:40.840 --> 0:18:43.320 the solution of how this is going to work out, 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:47.800 but yet somehow have complete confidence that He who began, 0:18:49.520 --> 0:18:54.480 he who began a good work in me, will be 0:18:54.680 --> 0:19:00.439 faithful to complete it. Somebody say, I'm yet filled. I 0:19:00.600 --> 0:19:02.480 like the way that felt when I said it. I'm 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:05.080 yet filled. I don't have all the money I need 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:08.160 to start the business, but I'm yet filled with faith 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:10.600 that if God wants me to do it, the supply 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:14.359 is on the way. No, I don't know how this 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:18.320 is gonna exactly turn out yet, but I'm yet filled 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:20.919 with the knowledge that the God who was with me 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:24.719 before in the previous season would not abandon me between 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:32.920 winter and spring. At this point, if you interviewed these marys, 0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:38.560 they would say, our minds are back and forth. We're grieving. 0:19:38.600 --> 0:19:39.919 I want to put these on the board so you 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:41.639 can see it real quick. Put the first ones up. 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:51.159 I'm grieving, but I've got good news, and I know 0:19:52.720 --> 0:19:57.000 that it's going to be good in the end. But 0:19:57.119 --> 0:20:01.800 my grief didn't go away just because I got good news. 0:20:03.760 --> 0:20:05.960 This is why you can throw up your hands and 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:12.920 worship God even while you're going through hell. That's how 0:20:12.960 --> 0:20:17.200 you reach for them. Now, let me make sure I'm 0:20:17.200 --> 0:20:20.240 making this clear, because I get so worked up and 0:20:20.320 --> 0:20:24.280 I start moving too fast. Their grief over the depth 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:28.119 of Jesus did not disappear to make way for the 0:20:28.119 --> 0:20:31.879 good news that he was risen. And in the text 0:20:31.920 --> 0:20:37.160 it says a little conjunction. It says afraid yet filled 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:46.480 yet is a conjunction. Jesus is my conjunction. Jesus is 0:20:46.560 --> 0:20:50.720 my in between thing. Jesus is how I can say. 0:20:50.840 --> 0:20:54.000 You know, how people say it's all good. I can't 0:20:54.000 --> 0:20:57.680 say that. I got some habits that are not good. 0:20:58.160 --> 0:21:01.280 I've got some people in my life. I must skip 0:21:01.280 --> 0:21:04.080 that one. I'll come back to that next week. I've 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:06.960 got some things I'm dealing with that are not good. 0:21:07.600 --> 0:21:10.520 So it's not all good. How are you doing? It's 0:21:10.560 --> 0:21:12.280 all good? We say that all the time. I don't 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:13.840 say that. I don't say that anymore because it's not 0:21:13.880 --> 0:21:17.520 all good. But it's not all grief either. And you 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:21.360 got to remember that when you're going through a dawning 0:21:21.640 --> 0:21:26.360 season where it's not exactly dark, it's not exactly light. 0:21:27.000 --> 0:21:30.600 My marriage isn't exactly back on track, but it's not 0:21:30.720 --> 0:21:35.040 yet falling apart. I haven't yet lost my mind, but 0:21:35.119 --> 0:21:37.720 I'm not really that same yet either, So don't test me, 0:21:37.800 --> 0:21:43.360 because I could pop loose real quick. I'm something in between. 0:21:44.160 --> 0:21:46.120 But I read a Bible verse I want to give 0:21:46.160 --> 0:21:48.880 to you from the New Testament in Romans eight twenty eight. 0:21:49.720 --> 0:21:53.919 Romans eight twenty eight says that in all things God 0:21:54.000 --> 0:21:57.919 works for the good of them that love Him and 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:03.080 our call according to it purpose. It doesn't say everything 0:22:03.160 --> 0:22:06.600 will be all good. It says, even when it's not 0:22:06.880 --> 0:22:11.000 all good, it's still all God. God, help me shout. 0:22:13.040 --> 0:22:15.359 That's what I want you to say about your life today. 0:22:16.400 --> 0:22:21.800 It's not all good, but it's all God. Somebody shout, 0:22:21.920 --> 0:22:25.720 is all God. That's how I made it high. Find 0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:31.680 somebody say, oh God. I wouldn't dismay if I did 0:22:31.800 --> 0:22:36.080 not believe that I would see the goodness of the Lord, 0:22:37.280 --> 0:22:40.800 that I would see it. Can't see it right now, 0:22:41.240 --> 0:22:43.760 can't prove it on a charge, can't draw it on 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:44.359 the ground. 0:22:44.680 --> 0:22:50.680 So I got God, God, God, I shout a God, 0:22:57.280 --> 0:22:58.320 and I got grief. 0:22:59.440 --> 0:23:03.159 Are you grief? Ask your neighbor? Are you grieving? Or 0:23:03.200 --> 0:23:08.280 are you good. Tell him I got something in between. 0:23:09.320 --> 0:23:14.040 I got something seek. God is my in between. God 0:23:14.080 --> 0:23:18.440 will take whatever happens. If it's bad, he'll make it good. 0:23:18.960 --> 0:23:22.320 If it's good, he'll get glory out of it. If 0:23:22.359 --> 0:23:25.600 it's bad, he'll make it good. And they'll no' live. 0:23:25.840 --> 0:23:34.560 Look God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, 0:23:35.119 --> 0:23:35.879 oh God. 0:23:41.720 --> 0:23:44.680 So if you see me play in Division one NCAA football, 0:23:45.400 --> 0:23:49.320 you know it was Oh God, something must have happened 0:23:49.359 --> 0:23:51.280 in between. Now watch this? Can I give you more? 0:23:52.119 --> 0:23:54.520 There is a quote that changed my life from the 0:23:54.520 --> 0:23:58.399 Austrian psychologist Victor Frankel. He wrote the book Man Search 0:23:58.480 --> 0:24:00.600 for Meaning. It is one of the best selling books 0:24:00.640 --> 0:24:03.320 of all time. And I know why from this one quote. 0:24:03.520 --> 0:24:06.560 Put it on the screen. Look at this goodness what 0:24:06.640 --> 0:24:14.440 he said, between stimulus and response. There is a space. 0:24:15.880 --> 0:24:22.480 In that space is our power to choose our response. 0:24:24.080 --> 0:24:31.600 In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Wait, 0:24:31.640 --> 0:24:33.240 I should have told you more about him before I 0:24:33.240 --> 0:24:40.240 read what he said. He was a Holocaust survivor. So 0:24:40.480 --> 0:24:45.199 Victor Frankel didn't say it's all good. I don't know 0:24:45.280 --> 0:24:48.679 anything about his religious belief, but I found this to 0:24:48.680 --> 0:24:51.879 be true in my life. Sometimes the only thing I 0:24:51.920 --> 0:24:56.240 have is that space between stimulus. Do you know what 0:24:56.280 --> 0:24:58.080 I mean by stimulus? Not the checks they gave to 0:24:58.119 --> 0:24:59.840 everybody over the age of three or a while back. 0:25:01.400 --> 0:25:05.400 But what happens a stimulus like bop, you hit my hand, 0:25:06.000 --> 0:25:08.960 I'm gonna slap your face, or and this is where 0:25:08.960 --> 0:25:11.720 he talks about the space you slap my hand in 0:25:11.800 --> 0:25:16.879 between my slap back is a space, somebody say space. 0:25:17.760 --> 0:25:24.359 Look the quote again, between stimulus, between stimulus and response. 0:25:25.840 --> 0:25:34.560 The women were afraid, yet that's the space filled. And 0:25:34.600 --> 0:25:39.440 so they ran on the revelation that they had, even 0:25:39.440 --> 0:25:46.720 though they didn't know what the result would be. Now 0:25:46.840 --> 0:25:48.880 they only have to go about a mile to get 0:25:48.920 --> 0:25:52.280 to Jerusalem, where the disciples are still saying, But there's 0:25:52.359 --> 0:25:55.440 eighty miles to go to Galilee, where Jesus said he 0:25:55.480 --> 0:25:57.880 would meet them. Keep that in mind. As important as 0:25:57.880 --> 0:26:01.520 we talk about space, stimulus, response, let's talk about God. 0:26:01.560 --> 0:26:06.800 Let's talk about Jesus. Since this Eastern the cross was 0:26:06.800 --> 0:26:12.600 God's response to your sin. The stimulus was your sin. 0:26:13.400 --> 0:26:16.480 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, 0:26:17.760 --> 0:26:21.000 and God's response to your sin could have been wrath. 0:26:22.320 --> 0:26:26.840 Instead it was grace, the distance was fixed between me 0:26:26.880 --> 0:26:28.800 and God so that I could not come to him. 0:26:29.560 --> 0:26:34.480 His response, he came to me. The suffering was the stimulus. 0:26:35.720 --> 0:26:40.280 Forgiveness was his response. You're starting to see what I'm 0:26:40.280 --> 0:26:46.080 talking about. That space in your life right now is 0:26:46.119 --> 0:26:50.399 what happened to you and what you will do next. 0:26:51.400 --> 0:26:54.600 And the resurrection speaks to that. Because if there is 0:26:54.640 --> 0:26:57.760 a space, put it up one more time between the 0:26:57.800 --> 0:27:01.000 stimulus and response. And if that's space, is my power 0:27:01.080 --> 0:27:05.160 to choose my response. I know one thing about me, Okay, 0:27:05.600 --> 0:27:08.560 I don't do very good with that space. I had 0:27:08.640 --> 0:27:13.199 one this week. This guy texted me something crazy. I 0:27:13.240 --> 0:27:14.720 hadn't heard from him in eight years, and he just 0:27:14.760 --> 0:27:16.800 decided to text me something crazy out of the blue. 0:27:16.800 --> 0:27:23.959 Happy Easter. Here's something stupid, antagonistic, irritating, ignorant, all of it. Now, 0:27:24.440 --> 0:27:26.359 what I want to tell you is I prayed for 0:27:26.480 --> 0:27:30.680 him and sent him some boots, some pink boots for Easter. 0:27:33.640 --> 0:27:36.680 I made the best text. And you'll know I'm pretty 0:27:36.680 --> 0:27:40.479 good with words. I put every word I've ever learned 0:27:43.480 --> 0:27:49.439 in seminary and in seventh grade in a text. I 0:27:49.480 --> 0:27:54.800 tried seven different drafts. I typed them all up and 0:27:54.840 --> 0:28:00.719 I deleted him, and then I typed another one, and 0:28:00.760 --> 0:28:03.760 I deleted and everyone I typed up got better than 0:28:03.800 --> 0:28:07.080 the last one by the time I finished texting him back. 0:28:08.160 --> 0:28:09.679 By the time I finished texting him back, now this 0:28:09.680 --> 0:28:13.200 is important, By the time I've ended up texting him back, 0:28:14.040 --> 0:28:22.320 I didn't send it all right, I'm gonna save you 0:28:22.359 --> 0:28:23.920 a lot of trouble. Look at your neighbor and say 0:28:24.280 --> 0:28:33.439 you need space before you hit sind What in the 0:28:33.520 --> 0:28:36.040 world would we have paid to know that earlier in 0:28:36.080 --> 0:28:41.640 our life, not just on a text, but on a response. 0:28:43.400 --> 0:28:48.400 A response, and thankfully, if you are too weak in 0:28:48.480 --> 0:28:53.480 your own strength to make the right response, Easter comes 0:28:53.520 --> 0:28:58.960 to say that you have a savior who emptied the grave, 0:29:00.640 --> 0:29:04.640 and all power is in his name, and that same 0:29:04.800 --> 0:29:08.040 power is in you. What am I trying to say? 0:29:08.400 --> 0:29:14.200 Your Savior is a space maker? How many need a 0:29:14.240 --> 0:29:17.960 space making savior in your life today? To see the 0:29:18.000 --> 0:29:21.240 good I want to do? I don't always do it. 0:29:22.040 --> 0:29:24.720 And this is why this church is so excited about 0:29:24.800 --> 0:29:28.080 Jesus in case you're a first time guest, because our 0:29:28.160 --> 0:29:32.880 Savior is our space maker, because we were bound in sin, 0:29:33.640 --> 0:29:36.760 we were wrapped in our past, we were trapped in 0:29:36.880 --> 0:29:41.000 our trauma, we were locked in our loneliness, we were 0:29:41.120 --> 0:29:45.280 down in our despair, and the space maker came to 0:29:45.440 --> 0:29:51.360 show us that all things are possible. I five me 0:29:51.440 --> 0:29:54.760 and say, I got a space maker. I'm praising the 0:29:54.880 --> 0:30:00.600 space maker. Now, let's contrast this. Victor Frankle said there 0:30:00.720 --> 0:30:06.280 is a space between stimulus and response. The other philosopher, 0:30:07.160 --> 0:30:12.440 Willie Nelson, said, I got to give you what Willy said. Y'all. 0:30:12.480 --> 0:30:14.840 I go over to my mom's every Wednesday night for 0:30:14.880 --> 0:30:17.680 dinner and she picks out different I got a record player, 0:30:18.040 --> 0:30:20.080 and I asked her to pick a record every Wednesday, 0:30:20.120 --> 0:30:21.760 and lit's listen to music and eat, and then we 0:30:21.800 --> 0:30:24.640 watch will of Fortune and Uh, pass a Jack. I 0:30:24.640 --> 0:30:26.360 still want to meet you. If you ever watched me preach, 0:30:26.440 --> 0:30:29.560 that would be a real bucket list for me. I 0:30:29.600 --> 0:30:31.440 love pass a Jack. I pray for him every time 0:30:31.440 --> 0:30:35.160 before he goes on. But uh, I came in the 0:30:35.200 --> 0:30:37.120 other night and my mom was playing a record by 0:30:37.160 --> 0:30:39.800 Willie Nelson, and it got my attention. I thought I 0:30:39.800 --> 0:30:44.680 would use it in my Easter sermon. Willie says this, Well, 0:30:44.680 --> 0:30:48.520 I gotta get drunk, and I sure do. Dread it 0:30:49.760 --> 0:30:53.720 because I know just what I'm gonna do. I'll start 0:30:53.720 --> 0:30:58.840 to spend my money calling everybody honey and wind up 0:30:58.880 --> 0:31:03.640 singing the blues. I'll spend my whole pay check on 0:31:03.720 --> 0:31:06.840 some old wreck and brother, I can name you a few, 0:31:07.960 --> 0:31:11.000 but I gotta get drunk, and I sure do dread 0:31:11.040 --> 0:31:14.360 it because I know just what I'm gonna do. I 0:31:14.440 --> 0:31:16.720 researched it, and Willie said, that's the dumbest song he 0:31:16.760 --> 0:31:22.040 ever wrote. He said, it's a good song, but it's 0:31:22.040 --> 0:31:25.400 a stupid song. But it was true at the time. 0:31:26.800 --> 0:31:30.080 I gotta get drunk. I gotta go off. Did you 0:31:30.080 --> 0:31:32.200 hear what they said about me? I gotta go off. 0:31:32.200 --> 0:31:35.080 I gotta do it. I gotta do you disrespect me 0:31:35.120 --> 0:31:39.280 like that, I gotta do it. I think this Easter 0:31:40.440 --> 0:31:48.320 the space Maker wants to change your gotta watch me 0:31:50.680 --> 0:31:58.160 from I gotta do it to I gotta God. Somebody 0:31:58.200 --> 0:32:02.600 say I gotta God. I don't gotta do it anymore 0:32:03.280 --> 0:32:08.320 because I got a God who made space, who shed blood. 0:32:09.120 --> 0:32:12.000 And if I call on his name, and if I 0:32:12.120 --> 0:32:16.280 stay in his word, he can change me from Simon 0:32:16.600 --> 0:32:22.760 to Peter. He can change beauty out of ashes, he 0:32:22.800 --> 0:32:28.600 can turn graves into gardens. So I've got a grave. 0:32:28.800 --> 0:32:31.760 Watch this, but I've got a god who can turn 0:32:31.800 --> 0:32:34.480 it into a garden. Put it in the comments right now. 0:32:34.520 --> 0:32:37.280 I got a god. I got a god. What I 0:32:37.400 --> 0:32:40.760 used to have to do, I'm not powerless to do anymore. 0:32:41.160 --> 0:32:45.840 Because he got up. That's fifty percent of a shout 0:32:45.880 --> 0:32:48.960 that should have happened there. I'm gonna give you another opportunity. 0:32:49.440 --> 0:32:50.920 I don't gotta steak down. 0:32:51.320 --> 0:33:03.280 Does he got out? I got a god, give me 0:33:03.320 --> 0:33:05.880 my next set. So they're standing at the tomb the 0:33:05.920 --> 0:33:10.000 next worse and they're standing in a grave. But the 0:33:10.040 --> 0:33:15.400 angel says, go to Galilee. And they can't stay at 0:33:15.400 --> 0:33:18.840 the grave because he's not there. Somebody say, he's not here. 0:33:20.080 --> 0:33:23.480 He's not in this depression. He's not in this giving up. 0:33:23.760 --> 0:33:26.280 He's not in this failure. He's not in I mean, 0:33:26.280 --> 0:33:28.320 he's in it to help me, but he's not in 0:33:28.400 --> 0:33:35.880 it to leave me. He's calling me forward to Galilee. 0:33:36.080 --> 0:33:39.440 And so the women, all the women make some noise. 0:33:41.600 --> 0:33:46.400 They did it, and it's annoying, right because where are 0:33:46.440 --> 0:33:54.040 the guys. The guys are eating fish and chips and 0:33:54.120 --> 0:33:58.560 protein bars and Monster Energy drink and they say, now 0:33:58.600 --> 0:33:59.920 we got to go stop by and tell the guy 0:34:00.120 --> 0:34:03.760 that Jesus is gonna meet them in Galilee. I'll probably 0:34:03.840 --> 0:34:05.920 have skipped it and just went right on the Galilee myself. 0:34:06.360 --> 0:34:08.399 This is eighty miles, Benn, take like three or four days. 0:34:08.400 --> 0:34:10.080 So let's get ahead start because we want to see Jesus. 0:34:10.120 --> 0:34:13.680 Somebody say, I want to see Jesus. So what they do? 0:34:13.920 --> 0:34:16.919 They're afraid? Did you notice Vers? Eight? But they ran. 0:34:18.480 --> 0:34:23.480 They used their fear for something productive. I know you've 0:34:23.480 --> 0:34:26.799 been through some things. Use them. I know you got 0:34:26.800 --> 0:34:29.279 something on the inside of you chasing you. Well point 0:34:29.320 --> 0:34:32.279 it in the right direction and let's go. You've been 0:34:32.320 --> 0:34:36.840 an attic helping at it. You've been through horrible abuse. 0:34:36.920 --> 0:34:38.920 Put your arm around somebody. They need to hear that 0:34:38.960 --> 0:34:44.720 God can do a miracle for them. I'm leaving this grave. 0:34:44.920 --> 0:34:47.080 Everybody in here has got a grave. God is calling 0:34:47.120 --> 0:34:50.240 you away from everybody in here's I got a place 0:34:50.360 --> 0:34:53.720 in you, a place in life, a place you can't stay, 0:34:54.719 --> 0:34:57.600 and a long way to go. Oh, it's a long 0:34:57.640 --> 0:35:00.239 way to Galilee. I don't know if we can make 0:35:00.280 --> 0:35:03.840 it eighty miles to Galilee to see Jesus again. I 0:35:03.880 --> 0:35:05.920 don't know if I can make it through this season. 0:35:06.120 --> 0:35:07.560 I don't know if I can do it at this 0:35:07.640 --> 0:35:09.520 stage of my life. I don't know if I have 0:35:09.600 --> 0:35:11.560 the fuel left to do it again. I don't know 0:35:11.640 --> 0:35:14.120 if I have a repeat performance in me. The first 0:35:14.120 --> 0:35:16.800 time we followed him, it was hard, but then he died. 0:35:17.120 --> 0:35:19.400 I don't know if I have a second wind in me. 0:35:20.120 --> 0:35:24.400 But they're running, and this whole Sunday hinges on a 0:35:24.440 --> 0:35:29.520 word in Matthew twenty eight, verse nine that God brought 0:35:29.520 --> 0:35:31.839 you to this moment to show you. As they are 0:35:31.920 --> 0:35:36.400 leaving the graves and eventually going to Galilee, the Bible 0:35:36.440 --> 0:35:42.520 says Matthew twenty eight, verse nine. Suddenly, because not only 0:35:42.560 --> 0:35:46.759 do I have a space making savior, but I have 0:35:46.960 --> 0:35:54.160 a suddenly savior. Shout suddenly, come on, shout it with 0:35:54.239 --> 0:36:04.879 your lungs, baby, say suddenly suddenly? What suddenly Jesus met them? Oh? 0:36:04.920 --> 0:36:09.640 You mean they didn't have to go all eighty miles nah, 0:36:09.880 --> 0:36:15.319 because while that angel was still talking about Galilee, the 0:36:15.480 --> 0:36:19.480 Savior was headed your way. No, I need you just say 0:36:19.520 --> 0:36:22.400 this my thing. He's coming my way. 0:36:23.280 --> 0:36:26.560 He's headed my way, He's handed my way. 0:36:27.520 --> 0:36:28.440 He's headed my. 0:36:28.480 --> 0:36:39.680 Way, I'm leaving this grave, and the Lord wants somebody 0:36:40.000 --> 0:36:40.359 to know. 0:36:41.000 --> 0:36:43.640 You are not going to have to go all the 0:36:43.640 --> 0:36:49.239 way to Galilee to get to him. He's coming to you. 0:36:51.280 --> 0:36:53.279 See the scene with me, See the scene with me. 0:36:53.560 --> 0:36:56.440 They're running, they're running, and maybe between the two of 0:36:56.480 --> 0:36:57.480 them they're sharing. 0:36:58.000 --> 0:36:59.799 I don't know if we should trust that big man 0:37:00.120 --> 0:37:02.760 sitting on the stone. He said he was an angel, 0:37:02.760 --> 0:37:05.560 but who knows. You can't trust any men. And the 0:37:05.640 --> 0:37:08.560 other sister says back, the other Mary says back, well, 0:37:08.600 --> 0:37:09.520 what are we going to do? 0:37:09.840 --> 0:37:12.400 We can't stay at the grave. We've got to go. 0:37:12.840 --> 0:37:16.080 We can't stay in this dead place. We've got to go. 0:37:16.480 --> 0:37:18.919 If we stay here, it will only ever beat dead. 0:37:19.239 --> 0:37:22.279 We's not coming back to the grave. We've got to go. 0:37:22.760 --> 0:37:26.399 And so they're going, and they're going, and they're calculating 0:37:26.680 --> 0:37:30.160 all the distance between them and Galilee. 0:37:30.200 --> 0:37:34.080 We got seventy miles left between where we can't stay 0:37:34.520 --> 0:37:37.200 and where we want to be. And somebody is there 0:37:37.280 --> 0:37:41.560 right now. You're calculating the distance between where you are 0:37:42.000 --> 0:37:44.600 and where you think you need to be. But put 0:37:44.640 --> 0:37:46.240 my verse back on the screen. 0:37:46.280 --> 0:37:51.200 The Bible says, suddenly Jesus met them and on their 0:37:51.280 --> 0:38:01.000 way from the grave to Galilee, they hear something in between, greetings. 0:38:01.560 --> 0:38:07.920 Could that be greetings? It sounds like him, greetings. Yeah, 0:38:07.960 --> 0:38:10.759 that's his voice. I thought we were gonna have to 0:38:10.800 --> 0:38:15.840 go all the way to Galilee, but suddenly somebody shouts, suddenly, 0:38:17.080 --> 0:38:21.600 I see something in between. Jesus met me in the 0:38:21.640 --> 0:38:25.680 middle of my mess. Jesus met me on my first mile. 0:38:26.280 --> 0:38:33.680 Jesus is gonna meet me in this moment. What a savior, 0:38:34.800 --> 0:38:40.759 I said, What a savior? Not only is he a 0:38:40.840 --> 0:38:45.280 space making savior, not only is he a suddenly savior. 0:38:45.560 --> 0:38:48.880 Do you understand the power of the savior suddenly that 0:38:49.080 --> 0:38:53.120 a lifetime of sins can be washed away with one 0:38:53.239 --> 0:38:56.479 call upon his name, with one mention of his name, 0:38:56.800 --> 0:39:02.120 with the bowing off your knee, Everything that speaks the 0:39:02.200 --> 0:39:07.080 name of Jesus will be saved because he's a suddenly savior. 0:39:08.480 --> 0:39:11.000 And the thing that you're so stressed about, if God 0:39:11.080 --> 0:39:14.480 is real, what makes you think he isn't already planning 0:39:14.480 --> 0:39:19.520 to do something in between, because that's how the devil 0:39:19.560 --> 0:39:23.560 will get you. I was talking to somebody the other 0:39:23.640 --> 0:39:26.040 day and they said, I'm so worried about my kid 0:39:26.080 --> 0:39:28.920 going to college and this college and that college. Their 0:39:29.000 --> 0:39:32.919 kid is in the seventh grade. I said, don't worry 0:39:32.920 --> 0:39:35.240 about that. Worry about something else. You can worry about stuff, 0:39:35.239 --> 0:39:38.800 but don't worry about that. So much could happen in between. 0:39:40.760 --> 0:39:42.840 You understand, you think you are going to just be 0:39:42.920 --> 0:39:45.640 lonely the rest of your life. God could have one 0:39:45.719 --> 0:39:51.320 greeter out those doors. And in between the time I 0:39:51.560 --> 0:39:55.279 say Amen and the time you try to eat some 0:39:55.480 --> 0:40:02.239 ham for lunch, God could do something in between. That's 0:40:02.280 --> 0:40:06.719 all that. Holly, she was traveling through Monk's Corner. I listen, 0:40:06.920 --> 0:40:09.440 she was living. She grew up in Miami, Florida. She 0:40:09.480 --> 0:40:11.960 was traveling all over the country doing ministry with this team, 0:40:12.080 --> 0:40:14.080 this ministry team, and they would ride around in an 0:40:14.160 --> 0:40:16.440 RV and do ministry. And their travels brought them to 0:40:16.480 --> 0:40:18.960 Monk's Corner. All right, So you got Miami, you got 0:40:18.960 --> 0:40:23.719 Monk's Corner, very different, very different. And she saw a 0:40:23.840 --> 0:40:25.759 very handsome young man at the church where they were 0:40:25.960 --> 0:40:28.719 no she did, and listen how good her game was. 0:40:28.960 --> 0:40:31.960 She comes up, She's like, I'm homeschooled, and uh, I 0:40:31.960 --> 0:40:34.960 need to take the act. And I was wondering, maybe 0:40:34.960 --> 0:40:36.359 if you could go to your guidance counselor and get 0:40:36.360 --> 0:40:41.320 me an act prep pack. That is the most masterfully 0:40:41.400 --> 0:40:47.479 understated pickup line in the history of great romances. Could 0:40:47.480 --> 0:40:49.399 you go to your guidance counselor? And when I looked 0:40:49.400 --> 0:40:50.960 at her, I was like, Oh, I know another guidance 0:40:51.000 --> 0:40:55.560 counselor that I believe. Come on, somebody, you got a 0:40:55.600 --> 0:40:59.800 guidance counselor. Because while I was growing up in Miami, 0:41:00.040 --> 0:41:06.560 in Monk's Corner six hundred and fifteen miles away in Miami, Miami, 0:41:07.360 --> 0:41:12.759 two months corner, if God could do that from a 0:41:12.880 --> 0:41:21.080 grave to Galilee and everything in between, you don't even 0:41:21.120 --> 0:41:28.600 know what he can do in between. All right, preach 0:41:28.640 --> 0:41:30.160 it to your fear for a minute. Let's talk to 0:41:30.160 --> 0:41:35.200 your fear of say, God always does something in between. 0:41:36.120 --> 0:41:38.720 So the outcome you're dreading is based on the events 0:41:38.719 --> 0:41:42.240 that you are hypothetically creating. What if God does something 0:41:42.280 --> 0:41:45.120 in between. What if it doesn't even go to trial. 0:41:47.960 --> 0:41:49.480 What if you get through it. What if you get 0:41:49.520 --> 0:41:50.960 through it and it ends up being the best thing 0:41:51.000 --> 0:41:57.600 that ever happened to you? What if God does something? 0:41:59.400 --> 0:42:02.840 What if God does something in between? He must be 0:42:02.960 --> 0:42:08.600 doing something in between. He did it for Daniel. Daniel 0:42:08.680 --> 0:42:12.200 spent the night in a lion's den, but their teeth 0:42:12.320 --> 0:42:18.520 never touched him. There must have been something in between 0:42:18.680 --> 0:42:23.520 Daniel and those lions. He did it for the three 0:42:23.600 --> 0:42:27.280 Hebrew boys. They were thrown in a fire. The fire 0:42:27.440 --> 0:42:31.040 was heated up seven times hotter than normal, but they 0:42:31.080 --> 0:42:34.319 didn't smell like smoke when they came out. I mean, 0:42:34.320 --> 0:42:36.279 if you even get close to the fire, you're gonna 0:42:36.280 --> 0:42:38.840 smell like smoke. So if they came out of the 0:42:38.880 --> 0:42:43.680 fire and didn't smell like smoke, God must have done 0:42:44.000 --> 0:42:50.200 something in between. Will not this same God, will not 0:42:50.400 --> 0:42:54.560 this same Savior who met the women, not when they 0:42:54.680 --> 0:42:57.200 got to Goalie. And now I don't feel sorry for 0:42:57.239 --> 0:43:01.879 them anymore because the boys had to wait. They got 0:43:01.920 --> 0:43:10.120 to see him first. I stand before you today, excited 0:43:11.000 --> 0:43:15.640 and afraid. I stand before you today a sinner and 0:43:15.680 --> 0:43:18.799 a saint. I stand before you today a flawed man 0:43:18.840 --> 0:43:22.160 and a child of God. And I'm never all of both. 0:43:23.400 --> 0:43:29.400 I'm something in between. What Jesus said to those women 0:43:31.160 --> 0:43:34.440 will touch you so deeply. He said, I'm going ahead 0:43:34.440 --> 0:43:38.160 of you, but I met you on the way. I'm 0:43:38.200 --> 0:43:42.680 already in your tomorrow. But I'm going to show up 0:43:42.719 --> 0:43:52.160 right now to remind you who you're walking in. Thank you, Jesus. 0:43:53.440 --> 0:43:56.680 Say thank you Jesus. When you talk back to the 0:43:56.719 --> 0:43:58.959 preacher in church, don't talk to the preacher, talk to God. 0:43:59.000 --> 0:44:01.360 Say thank you Lord for that word. Thank you Jesus. 0:44:01.360 --> 0:44:03.759 I received that coming to me right now on this 0:44:03.800 --> 0:44:05.920 first mile of my eighty mile journey. I got to 0:44:05.960 --> 0:44:08.520 get to Galilee, but I'm thankful that you met me 0:44:10.840 --> 0:44:18.640 in between. And he tells them, go, I know you're afraid, 0:44:18.719 --> 0:44:31.120 Verse ten, but go go tell my brothers. You still 0:44:31.160 --> 0:44:35.960 calling them brothers after they left you at the cross. 0:44:36.200 --> 0:44:39.839 Every single disciple except John went away, and Jesus called 0:44:39.840 --> 0:44:47.560 them brothers. Every person in this room today, if we 0:44:47.600 --> 0:44:51.560 could look inside your heart, you are carrying the guilt. 0:44:52.680 --> 0:44:55.440 Put my final slide on the screen, because I want 0:44:55.440 --> 0:44:59.000 to give an invitation to you now of what you did, 0:45:00.719 --> 0:45:05.080 the guilt of who you think you are, the guild 0:45:05.160 --> 0:45:06.840 of what you failed to live up to that you 0:45:06.920 --> 0:45:11.640 meant to be. And then there is the glory of God, 0:45:12.360 --> 0:45:16.480 who is Jesus Christ, who is the righteous one who 0:45:16.560 --> 0:45:19.160 knew no sin but became sin that we might become 0:45:19.200 --> 0:45:24.240 the righteousness. Of God. All have sin and fall short 0:45:24.239 --> 0:45:27.440 of the glory of God. You're not the best Christian 0:45:27.480 --> 0:45:32.239 that ever lived. His name is Jesus. But there is 0:45:32.280 --> 0:45:36.239 nothing so wrong with you today that the Savior, who 0:45:36.280 --> 0:45:42.880 is perfect and pure, cannot redeem it. Why are we 0:45:43.040 --> 0:45:49.000 surprised to see him? Why are we surprised to hear 0:45:49.080 --> 0:45:53.920 him in between the grave and galilee. We shouldn't be 0:45:54.000 --> 0:45:57.400 surprised that he met us in the middle. We shouldn't 0:45:57.400 --> 0:46:00.360 be surprised when he shows up in our shame. Wouldn't 0:46:00.360 --> 0:46:03.600 be surprised when he gives us mercy for our mess 0:46:04.280 --> 0:46:08.080 and righteousness for our rags. We shouldn't be surprised to 0:46:08.120 --> 0:46:10.719 see him in between because the last time we saw 0:46:10.800 --> 0:46:14.800 him on the cross, Look what John nineteen eighteen says 0:46:14.880 --> 0:46:22.120 Jesus was doing there. They crucified him with two other men, 0:46:23.280 --> 0:46:27.000 one on either side, back on the screen, and Jesus 0:46:28.760 --> 0:46:38.920 in between. I see Jesus in between today. There's an 0:46:38.960 --> 0:46:43.040 anointing on this word to bring you out of your grave, 0:46:44.360 --> 0:46:48.239 to bring you out of your guilt. For wherever there 0:46:48.360 --> 0:46:55.239 was guilt, grace was greater. Grace was greater whatever you did. 0:46:55.320 --> 0:47:01.880 Wherever you've been but gone is breaking good morning. He 0:47:02.120 --> 0:47:09.120 is risen, and his grace is greater. 0:47:11.120 --> 0:47:15.600 Your sin has separated you from God, but your savior 0:47:16.040 --> 0:47:21.560 is greater than your sin. He is Jesus in between, 0:47:22.920 --> 0:47:25.160 making you right with God. You could never be right 0:47:25.239 --> 0:47:27.400 with God in your own righteousness. You don't have to. 0:47:27.719 --> 0:47:29.280 You've got Jesus in between. 0:47:31.160 --> 0:47:36.080 Right now, while the presence of God is standing on 0:47:36.120 --> 0:47:41.200 this road in this moment, what Jesus said to the women, 0:47:41.280 --> 0:47:44.560 he says to you, greetings, be not afraid, but go. 0:47:45.680 --> 0:47:48.320 It's bowt eyes closed. Everyone standing at every location, no 0:47:48.400 --> 0:47:52.279 one moving. This is a holy moment. This is an 0:47:52.320 --> 0:47:57.200 in between moment. For though our sins where a scarlet, 0:47:57.239 --> 0:47:58.960 he washed them as white as snow. This is an 0:47:59.000 --> 0:48:05.000 in between moment. He is a stretching savior. He is 0:48:05.040 --> 0:48:10.719 a suddenly savior. He is a space making savior. And 0:48:10.800 --> 0:48:15.960 there is room at this cross for you, for everyone 0:48:16.000 --> 0:48:18.520 online and at all of our locations who wants today 0:48:19.840 --> 0:48:23.240 to meet Jesus. I want to tell you the great 0:48:23.280 --> 0:48:26.320 secret of the mystery of the Gospel. While the women 0:48:26.400 --> 0:48:31.520 were looking for Jesus, Jesus was already looking for them, 0:48:31.600 --> 0:48:34.600 and he desires to meet you in this moment. Right now, 0:48:34.600 --> 0:48:37.000 I'm going to pray a prayer. If you've been far 0:48:37.040 --> 0:48:39.759 from God and you know it, and yet today he 0:48:39.840 --> 0:48:45.680 calls you brother, sister, friend, child of God. If your 0:48:45.719 --> 0:48:47.440 sins have been weighing heavy on your heart and you 0:48:47.480 --> 0:48:50.080 haven't known what to do with them, and shame is great, 0:48:51.160 --> 0:48:53.480 I introduce you now to the Savior, whose name is greater. 0:48:54.560 --> 0:48:57.000 I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Won't be 0:48:57.040 --> 0:48:59.960 a magic trick, but it is an act of faith. 0:49:01.080 --> 0:49:03.520 The Bible says that if anyone calls on the name 0:49:03.520 --> 0:49:07.399 of the Lord, they will be saved. It is by 0:49:07.560 --> 0:49:11.640 grace that you are saved. Your guilt is great, his 0:49:11.760 --> 0:49:14.960 glory is great. But His grace is greater than your guilt, 0:49:15.080 --> 0:49:19.160 and you can receive it right now. Suddenly you can 0:49:19.200 --> 0:49:25.280 be a brand new person today this day. So right now, 0:49:25.760 --> 0:49:27.799 if this message was for you, I want you to 0:49:27.840 --> 0:49:30.120 repeat this prayer after me. You're coming to Jesus. He 0:49:30.120 --> 0:49:32.880 already came to you. You just repeat after me and 0:49:32.960 --> 0:49:34.680 let him into your heart and turn from your sin, 0:49:34.840 --> 0:49:37.080 and he will make you a brand new person. We're 0:49:37.120 --> 0:49:39.800 praying out loud as a church family for the benefit 0:49:39.840 --> 0:49:42.239 of those who are coming to God. For the first 0:49:42.320 --> 0:49:45.680 time or coming back to God. Repeat after me, this 0:49:45.760 --> 0:49:52.360 is your moment, Heavenly Father. Today is my day of salvation. 0:49:53.760 --> 0:49:58.120 I am a sinner in need of a savior, and 0:49:58.200 --> 0:50:03.160 I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God 0:50:04.280 --> 0:50:07.760 and the savior of the world. I believe he died 0:50:08.920 --> 0:50:13.399 that I would be forgiven and rose again to give 0:50:13.440 --> 0:50:19.600 me life. I receive this new life. This is my 0:50:19.760 --> 0:50:24.800 new beginning. I am a child of God. On the counter. 0:50:24.840 --> 0:50:27.080 Three shoot your hand up if you prayed that boldly. 0:50:27.120 --> 0:50:28.960 One two, three. 0:50:29.040 --> 0:50:35.560 We celebrate your resurrection today. We celebrate your resurrection today. 0:50:35.960 --> 0:50:40.480 That is what it's all about. Today. That Jesus met me, 0:50:41.520 --> 0:50:46.840 that Jesus changed me, that Jesus is with me, and 0:50:47.040 --> 0:50:51.200 I'll never be the same. I need everybody who believes 0:50:51.239 --> 0:50:54.480 Jesus is it give him a great sound of lives. 0:50:55.760 --> 0:51:00.440 Wait a little better than that. 0:50:59.000 --> 0:51:06.600 Makes such stay on the side of and yet myself. 0:51:07.840 --> 0:51:17.919 So thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those 0:51:17.960 --> 0:51:20.960 of you who give generously to this ministry. Is because 0:51:20.960 --> 0:51:23.919 of you that this ministry is possible. You can click 0:51:23.960 --> 0:51:26.879 the link in the description to give now or visit 0:51:26.960 --> 0:51:30.960 Elevation Church dot org. Slash podcast for more information and 0:51:31.000 --> 0:51:34.200 if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can 0:51:34.200 --> 0:51:36.680 share it with your friends. You can click the share button, 0:51:36.719 --> 0:51:39.120 take a screenshot and share it on your social stories 0:51:39.160 --> 0:51:41.920 and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. 0:51:41.960 --> 0:51:42.560 God bless you.