living in Sunday

Intro

Each of us has something in common… we all are slaves to time and we experience life on a day in and day out basis. We give the days specific names so we can help mark the passage of time. Some of us live for certain days… Depending on your personality type...

Mondays:

the start of the work week signalling a new week of possibilities and the ability to get things done

holidays often occur on Mondays making it like a half-brother to the weekend

“From 1971 on, Memorial Day has always been on a Monday which signals the unoffical start of the summer, BBQs, movies, and mattress sales” (Allan West)

Monday night football

Tuesdays:

absolute worst day of the week

by its very nature of its place on the calendar, it is the black sheep of the week

Ed McMahon - “there was a time when people didnt’ go out of their house on Tuesday night at eight o’clock because Milton Berle was on”

but Tuesday is now relegated to restaurant specials where you can get good deals (especially if you have kids)… Poor Tuesday… it’s the Kids Eat Free day

Wednesday:

signals the mid-part of the week and brings with the dawn a ray of hope that the ever loved weekend is right around the corner

Thursday:

hope is rising cause Friday is a comin’

so often it is ladies night in certain institutions

and before the kids, Thursday night was TV night for Rachel and I… some of our favorites were on Thursday nights

Friday:

paychecks, high school football, dates with that special one, the end of a school week, blockbuster movie premieres and the beginning of two long days of boredom for those who love school

Saturday and Sunday:

and of course those two make up the weekend

There was a long week that occurred over 2,000 years ago… a week that is unimaginable for most of us… there were not days of eating free or TV shows or movie premiere or ladies night… and certainly no paycheck on Friday… in fact, that Friday was the day Jesus paid out for all of us.

1 Peter 2:21–24 ESV

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

The Friday that Jesus died on the cross for you and for me is the most significant Friday that has ever graced a calendar. Period. Yet, we must understand that although Jesus Christ did not STAY DEAD, time marched on while Jesus was in the tomb. The people that were left behind… Mary the mother of Jesus, all the other Mary’s mentioned in the Gospels, the disciples, the other followers of Jesus… all had to endure a weekend that was unlike any other. They had to live through Saturday and Sunday.

Matthew 27:62–65 ESV

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”

I wonder what those people who loved Jesus and followed Him experienced on Saturday. That Saturday was a no hope, no courage, no point, no sense, no work, no solution, no joke, no words, no fund kind-of-day. These chief priests and Pharisees were celebrating their victory… they had finally gotten rid of this Person they felt was encroaching on their power. Soldiers were posted at the tomb. I’m sure the chief priests and Pharisees breathed a great sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Jesus’ disciples were hiding in fear that they, too, would receive a cross and suffer horribly and be killed for following Jesus. The disciples hid behind closed doors in fear. The disciples who had walked and talked with Jesus did not understand that He would die and that He would rise again… even though He told them!

Mark 9:31–32 ESV

for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

This passage and others like and show us that the disciples did not always fully understand what Jesus was teaching, what He was doing, and what the point of their time together would lead to. And it wasn’t just the disciples...

The women had spent Saturday planning out how they would prepare Jesus’ body for its final resting place.

Mark 16:1–3 ESV

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

That had spent all day Saturday focused on grief and thinking about the dreadful task that awaited them the next day at the tomb.

We know of course that Saturday for the Jews was the Sabbath and none of them would have been doing any work or anything like that. I imagine that Saturday was a discouraging day full of hopelessness because they saw the last three years of their lives come to a deathly end. They had nothing to do but sit and think and stew in their hopelessness. Questions filled the air… what would they do now? where would they live? how would they avoid the authorities? how could they hid and then sneak out of the city? had God abandoned them? is this all there is?

I see in a passage related to Jesus’ resurrection that many of the disciples were going to absolutely drop all that they learned and would try to go back to their old lives.

John 21:2–3 ESV

Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

John 21:2-3

This passage tells us that 64% of 7 out of 11 (remember no Judas!) had absolutely given up and were going to go back to their old lives. They had no idea what to do.

They gave up to hopelessness to the idea that Jesus was the Messiah.

They gave up not knowing what they were supposed to do with their lives.

They embraced sadness and lost-ness and forgot all that Jesus had taught them by words and deeds.

In terms of worst days, I would say that this Saturday ranked as the worst in these people’s lives. Jesus had not come off the cross, but had died and was buried. Jesus had been beaten almost beyond recognition and the followers of Jesus were now scattered and afraid and hiding.

I thought a lot about what the disciples were experiencing on this Saturday… and I hope now you’ve thought a little about that too. They were living in a Saturday full of no hope and no purpose and no answers. I don’t know about you (well, actually I think I do) but I can easily get stuck in Saturday, living with a Saturday state of mind - no hope, no courage, no plans, believing that death is the final end or that God has abandoned me to my circumstances.

Yet in all of this, the week marches on for them.

In our lives, the week marches on.

All four Gospels record Jesus’ resurrection and we have four different perspectives to draw on about this significant Sunday. Let’s read this morning from and we’ll sprinkle some in along the way.

Matthew 28:1–10 ESV

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Sunday was a day unlike any other. This Sunday was a day unlike any other Sunday in the history of Sundays and is perhaps the absolute greatest day that has ever existed on the calendar. This particular Sunday was Resurrection Day!… a day of eternal love! renewed life! and unending hope!

LIVE IN SUNDAY

Mary Magdalene came to Jesus’ tomb stuck in a Saturday state of mind. In fact, when she found the tomb empty she said,

John 20:13 ESV

They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

The empty tomb did not take away her despair and grief in fact it seemed to magnify because she felt someone had come and stolen His body in an effort to desecrate Him even further than had already been done that Friday. The angels she met did not take away her grief because I think her mind and heart were swirling with the dizziness of despair. This woman who loves Jesus dearly had dthe sadness and hopelessness of Saturday shadowing her heart.

LIVE IN SUNDAY

and agree that Jesus, alive from the dead, meets with Mary Magdalene and calls her by name. Mary thought wrongly that Jesus was the gardener because she did not expect to see Him… at all. I also happen to think that she was beyond hysterical and just out of her mind with worry. records for us that Jesus spoke Mary’s name and she realized that Jesus, her Lord, is alive from the dead. She fell down and worshipped Him.

Relief swept her.

Hope filled her heart.

Purpose energized her soul.

Confidence was renewed.

Faith was again realized.

Safety was assured.

Understanding perhaps dawned a little.

Jesus was calling for Mary to leave the Saturday behind and live in Sunday.

LIVE IN SUNDAY

Author and Minister Max Lucado tells the story of his brother, D. D was an outgoing, friend-making, joy-bringing kind of guy and D was a personal ambassador for his shy, younger brother, Max. In his teen years D met a bootlegger and alcohol trapped D. For four decades D drank away his health, his friends, his jobs and his money. At age 54 D made a serious decision to join AA. His life and marriage stabilized, but the years of alcohol and smoking 3 packs a day left D in very fragile health. He began to have chest pains. He was rushed to the emergency room by ambulance. By the time his wife, Donna, arrived with one of their sons, D was gone. They went in to see his now dead body. One of his hands was resting on his thigh with his fingers curled in the international sign language form of “I love you.” Max knows why D did that. He had moved out of Saturday into Sunday; out of desperation into hope; out of fear into courage. By God’s grace D moved from Saturday to Sunday.

LIVE IN SUNDAY

Or take Tim for example...

Tim always thought of himself as a regular guy. He loved his family, worked hard, went to church, and even volunteered at the local homeless shelter. But life began to go sideways on him. His employer cut back his hours because of the economy and something to do with health insurance. His bills started to stack up. He wasn’t sure if he should tell his wife that they were three months behind on rent. One of his boys was getting into trouble at school and started to hang out with the wrong crowd. It all seemed to crush in on him the day his wife called him at work and told him she lost her job. Tim drove home that day from work and just sat in the driveway in his car. What would they do now? Where would they live if they lost their house? How would they avoid the bill collectors? Had God abandoned him and his family? What was he supposed to think?

Tim made a decision right in the car that he would choose to trust in God. He would choose to have faith even though it seemed hopeless and all he had were questions. Tim got out of his car and his kids met him on the sidewalk up to the house. “Come in dad!” the kids yelled. They sure seemed excited about something! He walked into his house to his wife humming and cooking and preparing something special. He was at a loss! She had just lost her job and she was celebrating! Tim reminded himself of his prayer in the car just moments before that he would trust in God and have faith and choose to believe in a God who works for the good of those who love Him.

He sat down to the dinner table where his wife proceeded to tell about her day. She had lost one job in the morning and by the afternoon had another job closer to home that paid exactly the same money. They were even going to give her a signing on bonus… she asked Tim what they should do with the extra money.

Today is Sunday. I do mean the day of the week is Sunday… but I also mean something so much more for us today. It is Sunday. It is Resurrection Sunday. We serve a Risen Savior that conquered death and fear and hopelessness and He is inviting us to move from a Saturday state of mind into a Sunday lifestyle. The choice is yours.

Choose to react in faith when life is more than you can bear.

Choose to believe that you are in the palm of God’s hand.

Choose to live your life with God’s purposes in mind.

Choose hope over hopelessness.

Choose prayer over worry.

I do not have to tell you that every single day of the week can be hard. Life can get difficult and we wonder how we will get through. The answer for those of us who are already believers is that we are to...

LIVE IN SUNDAY

Sunday is hope in a hopeless situation.

Sunday is faith when you don’t see the reason.

Sunday is patience when worry wants to overwhelm.

Sunday is forgiveness when you want to hate.

Sunday is grace when you don’t want to give it.

Sunday is giving when you feel like keeping it all.

Sunday is trusting His heart when you can’t see His hand.

Sunday is living out the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

LIVE IN SUNDAY

Those same answers await for those who may have arrived this morning not yet believing… As we have walked through the various words of Truth from the Bible this morning something inside you has caused you to start believing. For too long you have lived in Saturday but as one who watched all that had happened on that Friday but was just waiting to see what all would happen. For you the Spirit of God has done something inside you today. Some would say that He has “quickened” your spirit… He has brought your spirit from death to life. And now because your spirit has been awoken, you must now repent...

Luke 24:46–47 ESV

and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Repentance comes out of the recognition of one’s own sin, but the object of repentance is the person and work of Christ, or faith in Christ.

You see it’s not a prayer that saves you, it is Jesus that saves you. And when the Spirit of God calls, you respond. You respond simply acknowledging that you are not capable of living a life worthy of salvation… you are not capable of living a life of righteousness… you are not capable of living a life worthy of God...

But JESUS… living in Jesus you find salvation… living in Jesus you are made righteous because He is righteous… living in Jesus you are made worthy before God.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

As we take a few moments to reflect on Christ and His sacrifice… will you move from Saturday (whichever Saturday you’ve been living in - the one without hope or the one without belief) and move into and start LIVING IN SUNDAY.