WEBVTT - 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