The Lord is in the Details

My first experience with Riddles Bend Baptist Church was on Saturday evening, May 7, 2011. The church hosted a meal for my family and me and to do a Q and A with me before the vote the next day.

A man sat across from me during the meal and the conversation came easy. At some point I asked “Are you wearing a new shirt.” He looked puzzled, and said “yes I am but how did you know?” I said, “well I noticed that sticker down the left front panel with the size on it, and assumed it was new.” Jeff Bedwell and I have been friends ever since. If you pay attention to detail you can learn a lot.

We often say the Devil is in the details.

But the truth is that often times, the Lord is in the details. the Holy Spirit led the human authors of the Scripture to share a detail that is easy to pass over, or at least cause us to wonder why that detail was included. Such is the case in the Gospel of John as John records the events of that early Easter Sunday morning, when they disciples were first learning that the body of Jesus was missing.

In John’s account, Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb and found the stone moved. She went and got Peter and John who ran in lock step back to the tomb.

John then tells us a few details that might seem insignificant, but tell us a lot.

John 20:3–9 HCSB

At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. Then, following him, Simon Peter came also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then entered the tomb, saw, and believed. For they still did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead.

Details Clear Up Confusion.

John 20:5 HCSB

Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in.

Some people get confused about the Gospel story. I have noticed that a growing group of people who profess to be Christians are declaring that the resurrection of Jesus isn’t that important.

But that just doesn’t jive with what the Bible says.

The Gospels, Acts, and all the rest of the New Testament hold the resurrection as foundational.

Notice that John sees empty spot where Jesus should be… confusion.

But the detail that starts to clarify the confusion is in verse 6 and 7

John 20:6–7 HCSB

Then, following him, Simon Peter came also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself.

I’ve known many people who have been robbed. Without exception, the robbers don’t clean up after themselves.

I believe the Holy Spirit led John to record this detail because it let them know that

The empty tomb was an INSIDE JOB

Details Cultivate Faith

John 20:8 HCSB

The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then entered the tomb, saw, and believed.

Verse 8- They saw and they believed.

Up until that point they didn’t understand Jesus would rise from the grave.

They saw… seeing is believing. Doubting Thomas said he needed to see it to believe it. Philip told Nathaniel, come and see Jesus. Check him out for yourselves.

Details point point to truth. Do you take the time to see the reality of God, the truthfulness of God’s Word, and the fact of the resurrection in the details? I see God in a sunrise. Every time a new baby is born. When I step on my deck and see God’s blessing in creation. I can trace him in the details of my life… sometimes only in hindsight, knowing that in every tear I’ve shed, every hurt I’ve caused, and every hurt someone else has caused me. God is weaving my life. Looking at the details of life with a proper perspective can CULTIVATE FAITH.

Details Call for Commitment.

What John and Peter experienced that day changed their lives forever. It started with that one little detail. Folded grave clothes.

God had more work to do on Peter. Remember Peter. Big mouth. I’ll never deny you Lord. But He did three times just like Jesus predicted He would. Not long after the resurrection, Jesus would lovingly corner him up and ask him …. For a love commitment… Do you love me? Then for a service commitment … feed my lambs.

They understood a truth that would show up in the words of a hymn hundreds of years later. “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life my all.”

CS Lewis “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, is of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

Boy I’m telling you, John and Peter were forever changed and served Jesus with a white hot passion. They were not once in a while worshippers.

1 John 1:1–3 HCSB

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life— that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us — what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may have fellowship along with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:3–5 HCSB

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

These men became fully COMMITTED followers of Jesus because of the resurrection.

And it cost them. There commitments cost them. John found himself vanquished to a little island called Patmos, isolated from the world and his Christian brothers because of his preaching.

I find it interesting that part of the Apostle John's punishment at the hand of the Roman government was to isolate him from the church. I know many professing Christians who act like it is punishment to go to church. Why do so many of us loathe or see as unimportant what the early followers of Jesus saw as paramount?

Tradition has Peter crucified upside down for his faith.

They didn’t fizzle out, they didn’t back down, they didn’t involve themselves with other priorities that took place and priority of that one important fact that they learned from the insignificant detail of a folded facial cloth. The body of Jesus was missing from the tomb because God raised Jesus from the dead… he wasn’t stolen… there was no plot to hide him. The missing body was an inside job.

Application:

God knows the details of your life and has your right where he wants you. It is no small detail that you are here today. God cares for you and all that pertains to you.

God is in the details.. What is He trying to say to you in the details of your life? What is He using to get your attention? To let you know He is real. To call you to a deeper level of belief and commitment to Him and His purposes?

For many of you today needs to be the day you look at the details and realize that The Easter Story is real, and the resurrected Jesus is worth committing your life to.

Many of us need to surrender the details of our life to God. Maybe you need to spend some time calling out to God asking Him to show you HIMSELF in the details of what’s happening around you.

Oh and why not consider Resurrection Sunday as a time to make Riddles Bend your church home?