Run With Hope Series

Theme: Run with Hope

Text: John 20:1-9

Happy Resurrection Day!!

Greetings: The Lord is good and his love endures forever. We began the lent with the theme “Throw Off Hindrances - Run with perseverance - Fix your eyes upon Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-3). On this resurrection day, Easter Sunday morning, let us greet one another by saying, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).

Joke: Rest in Peace

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed a Sunday school boy was staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names. The pastor walked up, he called the pastor and asked

“Pastor, what is this?”

“Well, son, it’s a memorial to all the men and women who have died in the service.”

He asks, “Which one, the 7:00 am or 9 am service?”

This morning I would like to encourage you to RUN WITH HOPE. John 20:1-9 has the record of running disciples, Mary ran from the tomb to the city, and Simon and John ran from the city to the tomb in desperation. However, Thursday night became a nightmare for the disciples, and fled the scene.

1. Ran away from Jesus

Mark records that the disciples ran away from Jesus. “Then everyone deserted him and fled. A young fled naked leaving his garments behind” (Mark 14:50-51). Peter and other disciples spoke emphatically that they would never leave Jesus, but all the eleven ran from the scene. Peter showed some drama but couldn’t succeed. Judas was already parted with money (Mark 14:31). However, running away from the presence of God is not safer, easier, and less risky.

While Jesus was alive, disciples were happy to move around with Him. They were not afraid of anybody – they never worried about either the Tyrant Roman rulers or the Jewish religious leaders. As long as Jesus was with disciples, they had extra-ordinary powers to do things, they preached the Kingdom of God, cast out the demons, and they had authority over the satanic powers. But now, their master was treated very badly along with the robbers, he was given a cruel punishment and death on the cross. The death of Jesus brought great fear and anxiety.

People have different reasons for running away from God. Some are running away to keep their bad habits, running away to keep unwanted relationships, and unapproved conduct which is not pleasing to God.

People run away from God but keep maintaining their false piety, hypocrisy, and pseudo-identity. Some follow Jesus like Peter at a distance (Matthew 26:58). But one thing is sure you will never be safe when you are away from God. It is good to be under the wings of God (Psalm 91:1-2).

Are you running away from Jesus because your prayers were unanswered, your sincerity was not appreciated by God, your faith was insulted, and your claims of the promises did not hold good for you? The God of impossibilities allowed you to experience failures, defeats, and losses which you never wanted, you never longed for and waited for. So, sometimes you feel like giving up Jesus.

Do you want to Ignore him in your life? Your high expectations about him, and your great testimony about him are not working in your life. You spoke highly of him. You introduced him to many of your friends and neighbors as a great unfailing God. But now you experience the defeats. Now you feel like giving up your faith, your confessions, and professing of faith. It seems that he couldn’t and he can’t lead you to success.

But remember that despondency came to saints: Moses made a painful prayer of discouragement and despondency (Number 11:10-15). Job was telling ‘I despise my very life’ (Job 3:21, 10:1). Rebekah said: ‘I am disgusted with living because of these Hittite women’ (Genesis 27:46). Solomon said: “I hated living under the sun, all of it is meaningless to chase life (Ecclesiastes 2:17). He further said that the dead are happier than the living (Ecclesiastes 4:2). David cried unto the Lord ‘My God and My God, why have you forsaken me’ (Psalm 22:1). And he sings: Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? (Psalm 139:7). Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword? (Romans 8:36).

Dear people of God, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Are you still running from the battles of life and not winning? Jesus is our victory. Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:57).

2. Running without Hope (John 20:1-2)

Joke:

A little girl became restless as the Pastor’s sermon dragged on and on. Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered, “Mommy, if we give him the offering now, will he let us go?”