The Story- Chapter 27 Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• As we enter into the 27th chapter of The Story, we are going to touch on chapter 26 also because I would like for us to look at three days of Jesus’ life.

• Friday, which was the day of the crucifixion, Saturday which was a day in which Jesus was in the tomb dead, and I want to take us to the glorious Sunday, where Jesus was resurrected!

• Those three days were wrought with emotions and difficulties. The emotions of those three days are real and raw. The first Easter Sunday was so good in part because the day before was so bad. In between those days was a day that was most likely a blur to Jesus’ disciples.

• On Saturday it seemed that Jesus was totally defeated as His body lay lifeless in the tomb.

• There are times in life that it all seems like a blur, a bad dream, or something we want to forget.

• Life can be a struggle and it can be difficult as the disciples of Jesus was finding out.

• Friday and Saturday was a terrible time because the world of the disciples of Jesus seemed to be shattered. The hopes, the dreams, the joy gone.

• What was life going to be like now? No one was betting on a resurrection. The disciples were stuck in a rut, they were in a bad place. Ever felt that way?

• In The Story we will see how we can get unstuck from Friday and Saturday and move into Sunday!

• Let’s begin by looking at Matthew 27:45-50

• SLIDE #2

• Matthew 27:45–50 (NIV) 45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema (SA BACK THIN I)sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

• SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. Friday- A day of devastation.

• From this passage we can see that Friday was a terrible day for the disciples.

• On Friday. Jesus was tried and beaten and hung on the cross.

• The disciples were in shock. This man, who did so many miraculous things, the man whom some of them saw transfigured, the man who feed the 5000 with 5 pieces of bread 2 fish!

• I wonder as they watched the events unfold if they were thinking that at any moment Jesus would put a stop to it all.

• I wonder if they kept thinking, He is the son of God, so He will stop this nonsense and take His rightful place on the throne and get on with RULING!

• Their whole world had to be crushed! Three years down the drain. There would be no sitting on the right and left of Jesus. There would be no more crowds treating Jesus like a rock star.

• IT was over. No ONE survives what happened to Jesus.

• Have you had your world crushed before, maybe you have faced something devastating and life seemed to be at its’ end. When we face devastating things I life it affects our heart and our minds.

• Let’s look at verses 62-64 to see when a devastated heart heads next.

• SLIDE #4

• Matthew 27:62–64 (NIV) The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

• Day two.

• SLIDE #5

II. Saturday- A day of despair.

• It was what we would call Friday evening. The Day of Preparation.

• Friday, the sixth day of the week, was called the day of Preparation, as all labor for the seventh day was to be done then.

• So In verse 62 it starts with the phrase “the next day”. The way the Jews counted days, the next day would start after sundown. SO on what we would call Friday evening, the religious leaders went to Pilate with a request.