Wednesday, April 16, 2014
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Growing up, my sons never lived anywhere but in the New York area. And, therefore, they developed some pretty intense loyalty to things New York. Take the baseball season for example. Yep, they're still diehard Yankee fans. I mean, even when their Yankees weren't giving them much to cheer about. My sons were so dedicated and they really still are to the Yankees, that after a particularly embarrassing loss my youngest son made it a point to wear his Yankee shirt to school.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Wearing the Shirt After the Loss."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John chapter 20; one of the most exciting chapters in all of scripture. Verse 1 says, "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark..." Listen, that's not only physically dark, it was just really dark among Jesus' followers. "...while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance."
Later in this chapter it says, "Mary stood outside the tomb crying." And then the story goes on. This is just so beautiful! "At this moment, she turned around and she saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 'Woman,' He said, 'why are you crying? Who is it that you are looking for?' Thinking He was the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She turned toward Him and cried out, 'Rabboni!' (which means Teacher)." Wow!
Now, Mary was at the moment of her ultimate loss. She had staked all her hopes and the rest of her life on this Jesus, only to see Him hanging on a cross; to see Him buried in a borrowed tomb. And you know what? It was a hard time for anybody to admit they belonged to Christ. It was a dangerous time for people to admit that. And here she was. She thought that she was on the winning team, and now this unexplainable, seemingly irreversible loss. It was a moment of total defeat it appeared. And most of Jesus' followers? Where are they? They're nowhere to be found.
Now, let's talk about you. Maybe you've lost someone you really loved, somebody you cared about deeply. Or maybe you've gotten bad news from the doctor, or you're out of work, you're out of answers. Now is the time many people retreat. At least they become very silent about their relationship with the Lord, because they don't understand. "God, what are you doing? Where are you?" Mary sure didn't understand what was going on. But, see, now is the time to say like Mary did, "Jesus is still my Lord!"
The test of all you believe... Here you go. The test of all you believe is whether you are loyal when you've lost; loyal in a season of loss. You know, the first one that Jesus appears to, the first person to ever see Jesus resurrected and alive is Mary; the one who stuck with Him at the cross. The one who stuck with Him when He was buried. The one who went there after He was dead and it seemed like all hope was gone; who's still at that tomb afterwards. The one who was loyal to Him; totally committed to Him even in the darkest hour.
What about you? If you stick with Jesus where there seems to be no reason to, you will meet Him in a way that most believers will never ever experience Him. You give your all to Jesus, and at that point you have won. And you experience Him in the dark time, for who did He show up to? Who did He introduce himself to? Who saw Him first? It was the one who had been loyal when there seemed to be no reason.
Is that You? See, if it is, then when the victory comes, you can celebrate as only the loyal can.