Matthew 28:1-8
I want to take you on a journey that begins in the first chapter of Genesis and concludes with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. The reason for this journey is to help you discern one of the “ways of God” from the pages of scripture. We will stop along our path to discover biblical stories that illustrate the truth He wants us to see. And, ultimately, find the hope that is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Part of our problem with understanding God’s ways is our tendency to think that He should operate in a similar fashion to us. We reason that since we have been made in the image of God, His ways must be like our ways. However, the scripture is clear when it says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
What we have to remember is that though we are made in the image of God, sin corrupted and marred that image. Consequently, everything changed for mankind after Adam’s fall and now we must each learn to discern God’s ways from the most reliable source...the Bible. Even a brief look at one of Jesus’ most famous sermons, The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29), demonstrates the vast difference between God’s ways and our own. For instance, when you read the Beatitudes (5:3-10), you quickly discover that what God values is much different to what mankind usually values. Or, you hear the oft repeated phrase from Jesus’ lips, “You have heard that it was said...but I say to you…” as He contrasts man’s ways to His own. And, how different it is to hear Him say, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) That is the very antithesis of what most people in our society teach and/or believe about the accumulation of wealth and possessions. Jesus’ whole sermon provides one illustration after another demonstrating that God’s ways are very much distinct to our own. We continually discover from reading the scripture that what is commonly accepted as the best wisdom of our day is often contrary to the “ways of God.”
It is very important that every one of us seeks discernment in understanding the ways of God from scripture for at least two reasons.
- If you don’t learn His ways you may well become disappointed in Him for not meeting YOUR(!!) expectations. Whether you know it or not, all of us approach God with our own preconceived ideas of what we think He should do in any given situation. When He doesn’t act/react in those ways, we lose heart, get confused, and/or become disillusioned. I’ve met too many people that have fallen by the wayside simply because God didn’t do what they thought He should do. This is a similar problem to the one Paul discusses in Romans 1 where he demonstrates the downward spiral of disappointment, degradation and depravity that results when mankind tries to make God in their own image.
- When you don’t passionately seek to understand the ways of God, you usually miss out on what God is doing and thus miss out on the blessing of God. Learning the ways of God is about becoming a partner with Him where He is at work so we can experience His fullness in our daily lives. Even if the circumstances where you presently find yourself are unpleasant, knowing the ways of God will better equip you to face your circumstances with courage and in His strength. You will be able to see His purpose and plan through the painful times, as well as the pleasant ones.
This is a lifelong pursuit in which we are engaged and not until we reach Heaven will we fully understand all of God’s ways. But, until then we should desire to gain a better understanding of what He is doing and why He is doing it.
One of the ways of God found in scripture can be demonstrated by taking a journey back to the beginning of time.
How it all began
Most of us think of starting our daily routine in the early morning hours with breakfast, the morning paper and maybe a cup of coffee. Our time to work is usually from sunrise to sunset, at least for the majority of people. And, even for those whose schedules are different, they still mark time in a similar fashion and have to make significant adjustments to accommodate their unusual “days.”
However, from the very first book of the Bible, God establishes a distinct pattern and one whose spiritual significance we often fail to recognize.
In the opening two verses of Genesis we are told that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:1-2). It’s not until the next verse that God creates light when He says, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (Genesis 1:3) In other words, when God begins a new work He often starts with darkness rather than light.
If you follow the remaining verses of Genesis 1 you discover that there is this repeated phrase illustrating this point: “So the evening and the morning were…” (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). The days as God created them started with the evening and then comes the morning. In other words, what we usually call the end of the day (night), God calls the beginning of a new day.
To demonstrate further, consider that most life forms start out in darkness. For instance, the gestation period of a new baby takes place in the safe, but dark womb of his/her mother. It’s not until nine months pass that this special gift from God sees the light of day with all the joy he/she brings. Or, consider that during the night you lay down to sleep in order to rest and rejuvenate, but it’s not until the next morning that you realize the renewing effects of that previous night. What we think of as the end of a day (darkness), God considers the beginning of a new day with renewed strength. Consequently, we have to remember that what appears to be the end to us is actually the place of beginning for God.
Consider God’s Servant Job
Job is one of the best known Bible characters in the Old Testament. Except for Christ Himself, no one has suffered any more emotionally or physically than this man. All Job was doing was managing his business, guiding his family, and loving his God. He had no idea that in the Heavenly realm there was a challenge issued about whether he would remain faithful to God if all of his blessings in this life were suddenly removed.
There was no warning or time to prepare...suddenly Job was plunged into the deepest, darkest night anyone could ever imagine. In a moment, all ten of his children were taken from him in death, his entire life’s work was suddenly depleted, and his good health was gone. Added to these devastating events, his wife told him to curse God and die, while the comfort his friends brought him did little more than add insult to injury. It would seem as if the “night” of Job’s life could not have gotten any darker. But, what we learn is that even in his “night,” God was not absent. God was right there superintending everything and limiting what Satan was allowed to do to him in order to test him. Never be deceived into thinking that when God is silent...God is absent. Nothing can touch the child of God but what God allows to touch him/her for His purposes.
Remember what we’ve learned: evenings always hold the promise that a new “morning” is coming. And, that is exactly what Job experienced as his “night’ turned into “day.” As the Psalmist wrote, “...Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
Job endured his long “night” without losing his faith or testimony for God and He restored to him double what he had lost before the “dark” period of his troubles began. He had the birth of ten more children, more wealth, more livestock and more crops than he previously owned. And, the comfort of God for the loss of his other children, as well as his continued faithfulness to his God.
A despised and forgotten man
Further into God’s record is the story of another faithful servant whose name was Joseph. God had shown him a vision of his future destiny which he shared with his brothers. That only furthered their ill-will toward him because of the favoritism their father already showed him. As a result Joseph was taken by his brothers and thrown into a waterless pit...a very dark place in his life.
They later took him and sold him into slavery to the Egyptians, making the “darkness” of his night all the worse. After being lied about, Joseph found himself in an even darker prison, forgotten by a man that had promised to remember him. Throughout all of these trials, Joseph maintained his character and commitment to God without compromising his faith.
As with every nighttime, day began to dawn in Joseph’s life when he correctly (with God’s help) interpreted the Pharoah’s dreams. Finally, the vision God had given him as a young man, approximately 13 years earlier (Genesis 37:2; 41:46), was being fulfilled and Joseph was able to reconcile with his brothers and save his family from starvation during a terrible drought. Again, what appears to be the end to us, is a place of new beginning for God.
Who’s in charge?
On another occasion, while Moses and Aaron were leading the children of Israel through the desert toward the Promised Land, there were those among them that called their leadership into question. As these two men were being challenged, God spoke to them and said:
...“Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you.” (Numbers 17:1-5)
They immediately began to obey God by collecting the rods from each tribe of Israel and they put them in the Holy of Holies, which was a small room in the Tabernacle where God’s presence would descend to meet with His people. The rest of the time the room was dark and it’s there that these twelve rods lay all night long. The next morning Moses discovered something amazing.
Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. (Numbers 17:8)
Incredibly, in the darkness of that night/room, one of the rods (Aaron’s) blossomed with life out of a dead stick and that new life was realized in the morning. But, that’s the way God often chooses to work and it is something we need to grasp in our spiritual journey with Him. To us evening is the time of hopelessness and helplessness, but to God every night contains the promise of a new day!
Delay doesn’t mean denial
When David was anointed to be King of Israel he was approximately sixteen years of age. It wasn’t until he was thirty years old (2 Samuel 5:4) that he actually became the King of Israel. The fourteen intervening years must have seemed like an eternity to David. God had given him this incredible vision about his future and then delayed its fulfillment not for weeks or months...but years. Between these two events David’s soul was plunged into the darkness of the night filled with peril, danger and despair.
On the occasion that David came to the attention of the ruling King Saul, it was primarily because he had defeated Goliath and overthrown the arch enemies of Israel. Saul heard the victory chants about David and his jealousy grew to monumental proportions as he sought every imaginable means to kill the one he felt threatened his rule. For years David wandered in the mountains, caves and desert, fleeing for his life. He had few friends and more enemies than he could count. And, when you read the Psalms you get a glimpse of the darkness of the “night” David felt in his soul.
But, the night eventually gave way to morning and David became the greatest King Israel had ever known. Our God often chooses to begin His work in the darkness and at first light make His plans and purposes known.
The story of all stories
Of course, there is no story that illustrates this particular “way of God” better than the story of Jesus’ resurrection.
From His birth in Bethlehem Jesus had come into a world darkened by sin. Israel was living under the dark oppression of the Roman Empire. It was a very sad time for all the Jewish people. And then Jesus appeared…
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it...That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” (John 1:4-5, 9)
Jesus spent the next 33 years of His life living out His Father’s will and demonstrating that He is the “Light of the world.” However, a night still faced Him like no other night before it. From His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane to the lonely hours He hung on the cross, there was a darkness that enshrouded Him and all the land. Listen to its description.
“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:45-46)
Upon giving up His spirit to the Father, the body of Jesus was taken to a new tomb and buried. The ensuing hours must have seemed like an eternity. As yet, no one believed that He would rise from the dead and the disciples were basically cowering as they tried to regroup in the shadows of their own darkness. What would happen to them and what should they do next? It sometimes feels as if there is an eternity that exists between Friday and Sunday when you’re sitting in the darkness...confused, bewildered and afraid.
But, don’t forget this truth about the “ways of God,” what we usually call the end, God calls the beginning. The night always gives way to the day!
Listen to the resurrection story…
“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came 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 from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow...‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.’ So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.” (Matthew 28:1-8)
Maybe this particular “morning” is best put in the words of a popular song whose chorus says, “Then came the morning, night turned into day. The stone was rolled away, hope rose with the dawn. Then came the morning, shadows vanished before the sun. Death had lost and life had won, for morning had come.”
In the middle of your darkest night it’s usually hard to think about the morning, You’re enshrouded in the darkness of the moment. Nevertheless, the morning always comes because that’s God’s way!
Conclusion:
Easter is a time for recognizing how God works, as well as understanding what He has done for us. It’s a time to remember that what appears to be the end to us is actually the place of beginning for God. Let’s all be thankful for the promise sunrise brings!
Each one of us has to have a beginning with God through Christ Jesus. His death, the darkness He faced, the suffering He endured for us, and His resurrection were all so that you and I could have hope now and in the life to come. But, the only way to experience that hope is to receive Him as your Savior while He’s calling out to you.
How can you do this? Acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you can’t save yourself. Call out to Jesus Who died to save you from the penalty of your sins. And, ask Him to be your Savior right now. It’s just that simple!
Let the “morning star” (2 Peter 1:19; Revelation 22:16) arise in your hearts by taking Christ as your Savior today!
