Renewing grace
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Mark 16: 1 – 11
Mark 16: 1 – 11
Introduction: Disappointment
usually looks like
a heavy heart
when expectations
go unmet.
And…
The most recognizable
illustration
of this
is someone
sitting slumped,
resting
their head
in their hands
or covering their face
with a facepalm gesture,
or an emoji
with downturned eyes
and a tiny,
dropping frown.
And…
Let me say
That…
None of us
are strangers
to Disappointment.
Neither
Was Abraham Lincoln
In fact
In 1858
the Illinois legislature
using an obscure
statute--
sent Stephen A. Douglas
to the U.S. Senate
instead
of Abraham Lincoln.
although Lincoln
had won
the popular vote.
and…
When
a sympathetic friend
asked Lincoln
how he felt...
Here’s
what he said.
he said, …
I feel…
"Like the boy
who stubbed his toe.
He said
I am too big
to cry .
and too badly hurt
to laugh."
Now…
Have you felt
that way before?
I have.
But I’m so glad
For
the grace of God.
And with that in mind
Let’s read our text
For this evening
In Mark 16
The Bible says
In Mark 16:1–11 “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid. Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.”
Let’s
Go to the Lord
In a word of prayer
(Pray)
I. Grace renews this from pain
Declaration
Now then
The text
That we just read
Is one
Of the most
Beloved texts
In all the Word of God.
It is ....
the most important truth…
Found…
In the Scripture.
It
Is perhaps
The key event…
That changed…
Everything…
In the spiritual realm.
It is ...
the Resurrection
Of the Lord Jesus Christ!
And
I say....
That It …
is ...
the most important truth
Found in the Scripture…
Because Although…
There is nothing supernatural
About death
That’s true
Everybody dies…
We
Talked about that
A number of weeks ago
As we began our Sunday morning series…
On preparing for eternity.
We read the words…
….That…
In Hebrews 9:27 “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
So everybody dies
And the Lord Jesus
Did as well.
But
Although
Everyone dies…
Yet
Not everyone
has resurrected.
That’s true.
And even those
Who like Lazarus
Was
Raised
From the dead.
Well
Even Lazarus
Died again.
But when Jesus
Rose from the dead…
He never died....
Again.
But
Be that
As it may…
This text
Is one
Of celebration.
But you know…
For those followers of Jesus
Who were living out
The events…
Of this text…
the Story
Does not begin
In a celebratory fashion.
See
At dawn
on Sunday
the first day of the week
In our text…
Mary Magdalene,
Mary
the mother of James,
and Salome
Came to the tomb...
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because…
Just three days
.... before.....
They Had buried
The Son of God.
And
As Mark 16
Begins....
Those women
Came to a tomb
With burial spices ...
to anoint
Jesus' dead body .
And how discouraged
They must’ve felt.
And
When they arrived
There at the grave
On that Sunday…
They were worried
about how they would move
the massive stone
blocking the entrance. ..
Into the tomb
but
upon arrival,
they
Found the stone
had already been rolled away.
And that...must’ve been
Quite confusing.
And as we’ve already read…
Inside the tomb, …
they encounter an angel
described
as a young man
in
a white robe.
who tells them
not to be alarmed.
Because they were alarmed.
But
He announces
that
Jesus
has risen from the dead .
In fact
Verse 6 says
(Mark 16:6 “And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.”
And then
In verse 7
The angel
instructs them
to go tell the disciples
especially Peter
that they will see Jesus
in Galilee.
So
Overcome with fear
and amazement, …
the women flee .
But
Have you ever
Thought about
How those women
Must’ve felt…
Early
That first resurrection morning?
I mean
They woke up
that day
No doubt
With the Lord’s death
On their minds.
And they had no idea
He was alive.
They didn’t know
Before arriving there
That the stone
Had been rolled away.
They
Didn’t know
About the empty tomb.
All they knew was…
The Lord was dead.
They had watched Him die.
So when their minds
He was gone.
Because again...
As they had witnessed
The crucifixion
They
Heard Jesus’
Last words…
It is finished…
And then
He bowed His head
And gave up the ghost.
So when Jesus died…
There hope…
Died with Him!
There
Dreams
Died with…
The Lord.
Their Aspirations…
Of a brighter tomorrow
Died with Him.
And listen please
Early
That Sunday morning
On the first
Resurrection Sunday.
Those women
And obviously
The disciples
Were absolutely empty…
Inside.
There
Spiritual strength
Was gone.
They were helpless.
Hopeless.
And hurting.
Have you been there?
I surely have!
And not all that
long ago.
In fact
In my 28 years
Serving here
I’ve had times
Where my spiritual strength
Was gone...
Because of disappointment
Disillusionment
And discouragement.
And
That’s where
Mary Magdalene
Mary…
The mother of James
Salome…
And the other women were.
They came to that grave…
Both hopeless…
And hurting.
And
They weren’t
The only ones
Who were hurting.
The Lord’s disciples
Were as well.
And even after
Mary Magdalene
saw the risen Lord…
Herself.
And
After she Was told
To go tell the disciples
That Jesus was alive...
The disciples....still
Remained helpless.
In fact
Notice Verse 9 again
It says
(Mark 16:9 “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”
it
Goes on to say
In verses 10 – 11
(Mark 16:10–11 “And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.”
So
Even after getting
The best news
They had ever heard…
That did not assuage…
Their hopeless spirit.
They
Were spirit Sick.
Their soul was hurting.
They didn’t believe it.
And you know why?
It is because
Their spirits
Needed renewal.
Has
Your spirit
Ever
needed renewal?
Mine has.
By the way
In the Biblical sense,
The renewal
Of one’s spirit
means experiencing
a complete,
divinely-empowered transformation
of your inner life.
and
Rather
than a quick
emotional fix
or simple self-improvement,
it represents
a continuous
inward change
where
the Holy Spirit
reshapes your thoughts,
Realigns
Your desires,
and attitudes
to align them
with God's will.
And listen please
I
Have had times in my life
And even
In my ministry here
Where
I needed that renewal.
Because
Of
a hurting heart.
And those women
And
Disciples did.
They needed
To have their spirits renewed.
So
The Lord Jesus
Provided them
With something
That we may need.…
At this very moment.
Or
We might need it...
Sometime
In the future.
Jesus provided them
With renewing grace.
And
That’s what
I want to talk about...
Tonight.
Discussion
Now
In an independent Baptist church
We hear a lot
About Grace.
Don’t we?
We sing about it
We sing songs like
Marvelous grace
of our loving Lord,
Grace
that exceeds
our sin
and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary's mount
outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb
was shed
Grace, grace...
God’s grace
But
We sing about grace.
We talk
About the subject of grace.
But what exactly
is grace?
Well
I’ve said this before
But I want to say it
Again.
Grace
is
God’s riches
At Christ’s
Expense.
Now think about that.
The riches
Of salvation…
The riches
Of the help of God…
In our daily life.
the
Riches
Of having the ability
To serve the Lord…
And live for Him...
God
Has given us
all these riches
All these treasures
At the expense
Of our Savior!
Grace
Is therefore
What God bestows
upon me.
Not because
Of any merit
of my own.
Not because
I even remotely
deserve it
But
God bestows grace
On me
God bestows grace
On you
He bestows grace
On us,..
Simply because
He is good.
For example
We are saved
By grace
(Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
By the way
DL Moody said
Law tells me
How crooked I am
But
Grace
Comes along
And
Straightens me out.
That’s good!
And it reminds me
Of the story
About Peter Miller
A Baptist preacher
Living
In Ephrata Pennsylvania
In the days
Of the Revolutionary war.
Now
Near the place
That is the church
Where he ministered.
There lived a man
Who
Constantly maligned
The pastor.
Day in
And day out.
And let me say…
That can work on you.
When You are constantly maligned…
… it. can hurt your heart.
But
That man
Who continually
Maligned Pastor Miller
Became involved
In treason.
And he was subsequently arrested.
And then later
Sentenced to be hanged.
So
When the preacher
Heard about what happened.
He started out
On foot
To go see his friend
General Washington…
Who had condemned
The treasonous man.
And
Pastor Miller
Walked
70 miles
All the way to Philadelphia.
Not
To celebrate
His condemnation.
But rather
to
Plead
For the man’s life.
And when he stood
Before Gen. Washington.
Washington Thought…
He had come
To plead for mercy
For this man.
In fact
Washington said…
No Peter.
Your plea
For your friend
Cannot be granted.
But
The preacher said…
My friend??!!
he
Is the worst enemy
I have!
What?!
Washington said?
You have walked
Nearly 70 miles
To save the life
Of an enemy?
The
Puts the Matter
In a different light.
I will grant him…
The pardon.
And the point is…
Miller gave that man
Something
He did not deserve.
Miller
Extended grace
To this man
Before Gen. Washington.
And you know something?
Grace gave him
New life.
And Listen please…
that Is exactly
What
Grace
is designed to do…
Today.
Now
It is true
I have been redeemed by grace
And so have we.
But God wants us…
To be renewed…
By grace.
And
As those women
Came to the sepulcher
Early that Sunday morning.
As the disciples
Woke up
With hopeless Hearts…
Over the death
Of the Lord Jesus Christ...
Surely...
There
Spirits
Had been crushed
And needed
To be renewed....
by Grace!
Deliberation
But
Just how
Does Grace work?
You might ask?
Well first of all
as I have already
Alluded to.
Grace
Depends solely
On the goodness
And benevolence of God.
see
He looks down
At people like us.
He sees us
For what we truly are.
He knows our frame
And remembers
That we are but dust.
The Bible says
In Psalm 103:13 – 14
and
With that knowledge…
He could wipe us...
Out of existence.
He could abandon us…
To hell.
He could leave us
To our own devices.
But instead
He pities us
(Psalm 103:13–14 “Like as a father pitieth his children, So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.”
So
Instead of abandoning us
He
Pities us.
Is merciful
To us.
He bestows
Heavenly favor
On us.
And that is grace!
And
Let me say that
Every day
Of our life
We reap the benefits
Of His grace.
For example
Because of grace…
We have the hope
Of heaven.
Because
Of grace
We have help.
And receive provision....
Because of grace
We are heard
In terms of answered prayers….
Because of grace
We are humbled
As we experience
Royal. love
Because
God’s grace
We have guidance
Spiritual gifts
a Friend
Who sticks closer
Than a brother.
And when our hearts
Are hurting
His
Grace
Is always there.
Which
Reminds me
Of the story
of a weary traveler
who accepted a ride
in a cart
but
refused
to put his heavy backpack down,
choosing rather
to hold it
on his lap
so as not to impose
on the driver.
but...
The driver
kindly turned
To the weary traveler
and said...
"But don't you see,
it would not be
an imposition...
put your burden down.
My horse
will carry your load
whether you do
or not!"
so
Grace
is God offering
to carry the weight …
That…
you were never meant
to bear alone.
Delegation
And
That brings us
Back to our text
Once again.
Notice
Versus 1 – 2
Again it says
(Mark 16:1–2 “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.”
Now
Think About
Mary Magdalene.
We know
From reading this text
That Mary
Had been
A wicked woman.
In fact
Notice
Verse 9
It says
(Mark 16:9 “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”
That phrase
Out of whom
He
had Cast seven devils
Indicates for us
That
Before Mary
Was born again…
She had been controlled
By the evil one.
All these demons.
And that is terrible!
I mean
Just think about it.
Seven agents
Of Satan
Lived in her.
They whispered
to her.
they Guided
Her thoughts
And her actions.
She
Was wicked…
Before she got saved.
And the truth is
It is hard telling
Just what
She had been involved in
Without Christ.
And
By the way…
Some people
Even in this day
Are inhabited
By demons as well.
In fact
In March
of 2005
a
16-year-old
Name Jeffrey Weiss
Walked
into his high school
Dressed all in black.
He was wearing
A long black trench coat.
And
With two guns
That he had stolen
From his granddad
Who he also murdered.
Jeffrey Weiss
Killed
A security guard
A teacher
And five students.
And
He wounded
Seven others
Before taking his own life.
But
Why would he do that?
Well
Weiss was Obsessed…
With murders.
In fact
He constantly
Watched movies
About murder.
he even played
Video games
About murder.
He created Animations
About murder.
Which he posted online.
He
Was simply obsessed…
With murder.
He was obsessed
And possessed
With a spirit of evil.
Just like Mary Magdalen…
Had been.
Oh but
Thank the Lord!
The Lord Jesus Christ
By His grace
Called the demons
From Mary Magdalene.
He Cast the demons
Out of her.
And saved her
by His grace.
And
How we praise God…
Today…
That we…
You and I…
Have received the grace
Of salvation as well.
Salvation in Christ…
Whereby
He
Has delivered us
From an eternity
In a place called hell.
He delivered us
Just like
He delivered Mary Magdalene.
Delineation
But
Let me say
That Mary Magdalene
Would not only need
Saving grace
For her life.
But like you and me…
She would also need
Situational grace.
That is
Grace
For her present situation.
Because again
Remember…
She had witnessed
The crucifixion
Of her Savior.
In fact
We are told
About
The Lord’s crucifixion
In Matthew 27:55–56 “And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.”
So Mary
Had beheld…
Or witnessed…
The crucifixion…
Of the Lord Jesus.
She saw Him
die.
She
Was there
When He breathed His last breath
As he was crucified.…
In a horrific manner.
And in her heart and soul
She must’ve felt
Hopeless
As that took place.
she
No doubt
Was helpless
In her spirit
Just like we’ve been
From time to time.
And maybe
Like we are right now…
At this very moment.
Because
Of something tragic
That is taking place
In our life.
Or something devastating
Discouraging
or disillusioning
That is taking place
In our life.
But
As she arrived
At that grave
With hopelessness
And despair
Grace
Greeted her
In fact
Turn if you would
to
A parallel passage
In the book of John
In chapter 20
John 20
And let’s read
Beginning in verse 11.
John wrote
That as Mary
Arrived at the tomb
(John 20:11–16 “But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.”
Man
Grace
Met her
Face-to-face.
That
When she realized
He was alive…
Hope
Was renewed in her.
It
Sprang to life…
In her heart.
It gave her courage
For that moment…
And the days ahead!
It gave her the ability
To press on
In spite
Of any hardships.
And
For all of us
Today
As God’s people.
We too...
Have access to grace
through the resurrection
Of our Savior!
And
All
That is necessary
To gain access
To that grace
Is to remember
He Is alive!
And because He is
We are never
Alone!
I am
Reminded
Of the song we sing sometimes.
I've seen the lightning
flashing
and heard the thunder roll;
I've felt sin's breakers
dashing,
trying
to conquer
my soul;
I've heard
the voice
of Jesus
telling me still
to fight on;
He promised never
to leave me,
Never
to leave me alone.
II. Grace renews us from pain
Declaration
But
Think about Mary
For just a moment…
Think about the grace…
The Lord gave her…
In that moment.
And first of all
Consider
That
The Lord
By His grace…
Had delivered her
Previously
From the pain
Of her lost condition.
see...
She had been in bondage
To those seven demons
And was in constant
spiritual pain
and agony.
Oh but
The Lord Jesus Christ
Delivered her
From the pain
Of her lost condition
He saved her soul!
Just like He
Has saved all of us.
And maybe
We
Weren’t possessed
By seven demons
But we were on a pathway
To spiritual death…
Eternal separation…
From God.
But by grace
We were saved…
By our faith in Him…
How we praise the Lord!
But
Not only did Jesus
Deliver Mary...
From the pain
Of her lost condition.
But at the same time too...
He consoled her
Amidst the pain
Of His own.
Prior condition
Because again
Remember
She had watched Jesus die
She had seen him
Agonizing
On the cross…
Struggling to breathe…
No doubt…
Gasping
For air.
She witnessed all that.
And
Let me tell you
If you’ve ever witnessed that…
In a loved one…
That’s hard!
As matter of fact
Just a few weeks ago
On a Thursday…
I called my brother
Who
Had been in the hospital.
And he was struggling.
He could barely talk.
His breathing
Was labored
He sounded
Incoherent.
And I knew
He was close to death.
And
Let me tell you
That was painful
For me.
Because he was my brother.
We grew up
Together
We shared a bedroom
Together
We had been very close.
And
I loved Will.
And listening to his struggle
Was painful
For me.
Just as certainly
As it was for Mary…
When she saw Jesus
Struggling on the cross.
oh
But there in John 20
As she met the Master
The risen Lord.
When she saw
that He was risen
From the dead.
She was consoled!
In fact
Let’s read
In John 20 again
Beginning in verse 1
The Bible says
(John 20:1–13 “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.”
But notice
Verse 14-5
It says
(John 20:14–15 “And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”
but
Don’t miss
Verse 16
It says
(John 20:16 “Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.”
When she knew Jesus
Was alive
Her spirit revived.
And
The point is
Jesus consoled her
From the pain
She was going through.
And praise God
by His marvelous grace
He can console us too.
Because
He
Is the resurrection
And the life.
So that
Whatever is breaking our hearts.
The Lord
Can help us.
But see
Grace
Can renew us
From pain.
Any of the pain
That this life
dishes out.
Discussion
And
Not only that
But grace
Can renew us
From pessimism.
Somebody said
Pastor
What is pessimism?
Well
Pessimism
Is a lack of confidence
In the future.
It is a lack of hope
In the here and now.
And let me ask you…
Have you ever been pessimistic?
Where to you…
It looked like
Tomorrow
Brought no promise
of better things?
That tomorrow
Only looked bleak.
And therefore Hope..
Evaded you?
Because in your mind
It looked as though
Things
Would never get better?
Have you ever felt that way…
Before?
I know I have…
Recently!
And perhaps
You have to.
well..
I want to imagine
as Mary Magdalene
Came to that Tomb.
She was not only
Experiencing pain.
But she was experiencing…
Pessimism…
About the days ahead.
But
I’m just so glad
That Jesus is alive.
He is not in the grave.
He is at the right hand…
Of God the Father.
And therefore
I don’t have to be hopeless
About tomorrow.
See
As recipients of grace
We don’t have
To be pessimistic.
But let’s be honest…
Disappointment
Can cause pessimism
In your life
In our life
In fact
Think about
The disciples
For just a moment.
Man
Were they ever disappointed
They were totally
Let down
When the Lord Jesus died
And they were no doubt pessimistic
About the future.
Because see
They had plans
To ride the coattails
Of Jesus
Right into the kingdom.
They fully expected
That since
He was the Messiah…
Then
He would defeat Rome
And
Usher in
A new kingdom
For the nation of Israel.
And they probably figured
They would be
His cabinet.
They figured things
Would turn out nicely for them.
But
When they watched die.
When they saw Jesus dead...
Their dreams died too.
Life
Didn’t turn out
The way they thought it should.
And those men
Were no doubt
Utterly disappointed.
oh but
Praise God
for His Grace.
Because
When they saw the Lord…
Their disappointment
Was replaced
With delight.
In fact
If you’re still
In John 20
Read with me
Verses 19 – 20
It says
(John 20:19–20 “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.”
And the point is
The Lord Jesus
Renewed their spirits
By His grace
In the resurrection.
And
If we today
Would just remind ourselves
Constantly
That no matter what
We are going through
If we would remind ourselves
That our Savior
Is alive
That
Whether we are facing
Disappointment
Dilemma
Discouragement
Or dismay.
None of that can compare
With the belief
And with knowing…
We serve
A risen Savior!
And
All we need to do
Is to see the Lord
But
Not only does Grace
Renew us
From pessimism
Caused by disappointment.
But it can also renew us
From pessimism
Caused by unbelief.
In fact
Look back
In our text
In Mark 16
If you would please
And read with me
Versus 9 – 10
The Bible says
(Mark 16:9–10 “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.”
And then notice
Verse 11
(Mark 16:11 “And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.”
see
Even as Jesus
Had tried
To tell them
That He would rise again
In days gone by.
And even
After they heard the good news
that He in fact
Was alive…
They wouldn’t believe!
Oh
But when they saw Him
For themselves…
Grace
Renewed them
From the pessimism
Of their unbelief.
They were glad
When they saw the Lord.
And
For us today
When our hearts
Are overshadowed by unbelief.
All we need to do
Is to spend time
In the presence
Of the Lord.
To just
see Him .
Somebody said
Pastor
How do we see Him?
Well
The Scripture
has the answer.
In fact
Jesus said
In Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
So
Do you want to see the Lord?
Then
Have a pure heart.
That is
Live a life
That is clean
Before the Lord.
Secondly
Live a life of faith
Trusting God.
Moses did.
The Scripture says
In Hebrews 11:27 “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.”
see
Because Moses
Was trusting in God
He was able
to see the Lord.
Even in difficult circumstances.
And listen please
Those who see the Lord
Can be delivered
From pessimistic attitudes.
And
Not only that
But if you want to see
The Lord.
Then
seek Him constantly.
If you seek Him
He will be found of thee
The Bible says
In 1 Chronicles 28:9
But see
If you want deliverance
From a pessimistic heart
And I sure do.
But if you want deliverance
From a pessimistic heart…
Then determine
To live a life of purity.
Trust in the Lord.
And seek the Lord constantly.
Determination
And
Apparently
Those disciples
Who had no doubt
Been pessimistic
Did.
Because see
Grace renewed them
Not only
From
The pain
They experienced
At Jesus’ death.
But Grace renewed them
From their pessimistic attitude.
And I say that…
Because
As you study the book of Acts
You no longer find
Hopelessness in them
You No longer see
Pessimism
In their life.
In fact
Years later
The apostle Peter
Would write
(1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
He has given us
A living hope
Peter said
And
Do
You know why
Peter said that?
Do you know why
Peter could say
I Have a hope
that is living?
That is alive?
Well…
He could say that
Because
He had seen
The resurrected Christ.
And therefore
Hope
Was renewed in his heart.
Which
Reminds me
Of the song
We Seeing sometimes.
That
Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
All fear is gone
Because
I know
He holds the future
And life is worth
The living
Just because
He lives.
And Christian…
By the way
I am
Speaking this
Myself too...
but Christian…
God
Through Marvelous grace
Can renew us
Even amid our pain
And even with
Our pessimism
If
We just determine
To see the Lord.
To focus
On the Savior.
Rather than circumstances.
To focus on Christ
Instead of our disappointments.
To keep our mind
Stayed
On Jesus
Instead of on our pain.
But maybe
You are
Disappointed
About something
That has happened
or That seems
Like it will never happen.
Well
if so
Why not
Come to the altar
Get into the Lord’s presence
This evening
Let Him
Renew your heart.
Why not endeavor
To try to see Jesus…
In the midst of it all.
Why not
Make a commitment
To have a pure heart
a trusting heart
A seeking heart.
Seeking the Lord
In the midst of your trial…
In the midst…
Your disappointment!
Conclusion: Let’s close in prayer
