Worship

“Sunday is Coming” by Phil Wickham

Scripture

“So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” -John 20:3-9, ESV

Living in the Reality of Resurrection

What if we lived with the perspective that every day is Easter Sunday? Every day we get to live in the celebration of what was accomplished when Jesus got up from that grave. Sin and death don’t stand a chance. The grave isn’t our final destination; in fact, those who are in Christ don’t even taste death. The very power on that Easter morning that raised Jesus and rolled the stone away lives in you! The redemption of your life starts at the cross and is finished at the empty tomb.

But Jesus had something else He wanted to share with us that was a hidden treasure in the garden tomb. Notice the detail of where and how His headcloth was lying: nicely folded and separate. We have to culturally understand the meaning of this symbolism in order to take hold of this glorious message.

In those days, every master had a servant. When the servant had set out meals the way their master desired, in perfect detail, he or she would wait out of sight until the master had completed his meal and finished eating.

If the master was finished, he would wipe his fingers and face and beard and wad up the napkin, tossing it onto the table and then arise. This would be a sign to the servant that it was OK to begin to clear the table. The wadded-up napkin said to the servant, “I am finished.”

If the master folded his napkin upon his exit from the table and placed it neatly beside his plate, it was a message to not touch the table. The nicely folded napkin said to the servant, “I am coming back!”

In essence, Jesus said, “‘It is finished’ (John 19:30)” when He hung on the cross because the work that He came to do was complete. Redemption and forgiveness was accomplished! But He also implied, “I am not finished; I am coming back!” And out of that grave, He walked with another purpose ahead of Him: to come back for the Bride He died for and take us with Him to the wedding feast of the Lamb!

Understanding the Times

This coming Monday evening (April 17), my dearest friend Joy is going to teach a series on the tribulation and the coming of Jesus, based on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. It will be a four-part study over Zoom, beginning at 7 p.m. CST. I specifically asked her to teach this to us, that we would know the times and the seasons to which we are living. My prayer is that it will answer the question for you: “How then shall I live?” You can register for this study today.

Here’s a teaser for you from 2 Thessalonians. Notice the sequence of time—the acceleration of the end of days—as we put piece by piece together and watch in accordance with Scripture.

“Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” -2 Thessalonians 2:5-8, ESV, emphasis added

The Church in Thessalonica was shaken as Paul prepared them for what the end of days would look like. You and I can be prepared and at peace, living in urgency and expectation!

Peter ran to the tomb in search of Jesus, looking for answers with his own urgency and expectation. But we have the rest of the story that the disciples had to walk out. We have the full picture and the full scope of Scripture, which Peter only saw in part. Luke 24:12 says, “Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.” We don’t have to wonder anymore. And to the degree to which Peter ran to the tomb for discovery and understanding, we must run from the empty tomb, not wasting a day or a moment! If we don’t tell the people of our risen Lord, who will? If we can’t be entrusted to be ministers of reconciliation, who will?

The Great Commission’s Urgency

Church, are you trustworthy of your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the Earth?

I have had several people tell me recently, “When I retire, then I will go.” Or some say, “When I am courageous, then I will go.” What if those timelines you have set for yourself are not realistic? What if Jesus is returning, and the list of people you know who have yet to hear will not go with you? According to a recent Barna study, 75% of American Christians don’t know what the Great Commission is. That means that the 25% of us who do have a mandate and responsibility in this hour that we cannot back down from. When we pray for the Lord to search and know us and reveal the things in our hearts that need to be circumcised and consecrated anew, time is one of those things.

Our timeline needs to align with God’s timeline, or we are going to miss a very critical hour!

A Call to Action

“Are you willing? Are you ready? God has chosen each of us to live now, at this very moment in history, for His eternal purposes. We are not here now by some mistake. God has ordained that we be born and that we live now, to do the works now that He has prepared for us in advance, to His glory. It is an unimaginable privilege. This is the hour of the American Church. We are charged with pointing our fellow Americans and the whole world to the God who has somehow allowed us the inexpressibly great privilege of representing Him in these dark days. Will we do so? Will you?” -Eric Metaxas, “Letter to the American Church”

If the reality, revelation, and joy of Easter sits in our spirit daily, we will live differently, because how could we not? It’s not time to hide away. It’s time to run from that empty grave because our Bridegroom is putting on His sandals, and the angels are tuning their trumpets in preparation as Jesus is coming for His bride.

Lord, I ask that You would deposit a great sense of the urgency of the hour into Your people. And in turn, would You begin to shift our timelines so that we underscore our lives to Your timeline? I pray for radical readjustments and alignments. I pray for holy boldness and courage to do things differently, to speak differently, to pray from Your perspective, and to live with Your mandate of commission. I pray that the Great Commission would substitute the great American dream in our lives. Make the shift, Holy Spirit, deep inside of us—no matter what it costs us. Let Easter be the very definition of our existence and our life pursuit! In the powerful name of Jesus!

We have one life and one moment assigned to us, and it’s time Church, to arise, because Jesus is coming soon!

A few reminders:

• Spiritual confusion, poverty, and oppressive societies have kept the gospel from advancing through Latin America. But people are searching for hope, which you can share! Join us in Latin America this June 23-July 1!
• May 3, we are launching Houston as one of Arise’s 70 city chapters! Texas residents, we invite you to join us at the free Houston Vision Lunch. Make sure to RSVP as we only have tickets for the first 60 RSVPs!

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