WEBVTT 00:00:01.449 --> 00:00:04.910 This is your daily reminder. God has not run 00:00:04.910 --> 00:00:08.609 out of mercy, not for you, not today. Welcome 00:00:08.609 --> 00:00:12.560 to the New Mercies Podcast. Welcome. Today is 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:16.379 April the 3rd. It is Good Friday. It's the Friday 00:00:16.379 --> 00:00:19.300 before Easter Sunday, and we're excited about 00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:23.120 the reading plan for today. It is in Luke chapter 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:26.280 24, verses 1 through 35. Once again, we already 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:28.859 looked at it on Tuesday. Once this week, looking 00:00:28.859 --> 00:00:31.660 at it again today, reading it again, and then 00:00:31.660 --> 00:00:33.780 we're going to talk about it on Sunday, and we're 00:00:33.780 --> 00:00:36.659 going to read it again on Monday. I love how 00:00:36.659 --> 00:00:40.140 this reading plan is taking us through this core 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:42.500 scriptures over and over and over again. I've 00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:44.600 had people asking me, why did you do that? And 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:46.479 I said, part of the reason was I want scripture 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:50.299 to rest in us. I want it to be memorized by us. 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:52.479 I want it to be over and over and over again, 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:55.539 poured over us. poured into us. As always, if 00:00:55.539 --> 00:00:58.479 you are new to the podcast, whether you're watching 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:00.840 this on YouTube or listening to this on any of 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:02.740 the podcast platforms, I want to encourage you 00:01:02.740 --> 00:01:05.040 to like and subscribe and follow. All that does 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:07.620 is it helps me know this is bringing value to 00:01:07.620 --> 00:01:10.000 you, and it makes me want to put more and more 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:11.939 of these out. So it just helps me know, hey, 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:14.739 people are actually listening. And it will remind 00:01:14.739 --> 00:01:16.680 you every morning. It comes out Monday through 00:01:16.680 --> 00:01:19.079 Saturday, every single day. Some encouragement 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:21.579 for you, hopefully between eight to 10 minutes 00:01:21.579 --> 00:01:24.640 long each day. And as always, if you would like 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:26.780 to donate financially, you can do that in the 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:30.219 episode description link. Now, to jump straight 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:34.000 in today to Luke 24, verses 1 through 35, I just 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:35.799 want to read a couple of verses to you today, 00:01:35.939 --> 00:01:38.719 and really something that stuck out to me. This 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:40.299 is going to be a little shorter episode today. 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:42.879 It is Good Friday. Typically, we would talk about 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:45.239 the crucifixion of Christ. We did that last week, 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:49.859 but this is the day that we remember as the crucifixion. 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:52.439 I just want to focus in today on something that 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:56.180 is very, maybe the contrast to that. Obviously, 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:57.659 he rose from the dead, and we're going to be 00:01:57.659 --> 00:02:01.280 reading about that, but also that the first couple 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:03.700 of verses kind of blew me away today. As I was 00:02:03.700 --> 00:02:06.489 looking at them and reading them, I was overwhelmed 00:02:06.489 --> 00:02:09.129 and challenged, and so I want to challenge you 00:02:09.129 --> 00:02:12.150 as I read this. Just a couple of verses today. 00:02:12.250 --> 00:02:15.210 Listen to verses 1 through 3. Here we go. Beginning 00:02:15.210 --> 00:02:17.710 at Luke 24, verse number 1. But on the first 00:02:17.710 --> 00:02:20.870 day of the week, at early dawn, they went to 00:02:20.870 --> 00:02:23.490 the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 00:02:23.830 --> 00:02:26.509 And they found the stone rolled away from the 00:02:26.509 --> 00:02:30.669 tomb. But when they went in, they did not find 00:02:30.669 --> 00:02:33.949 the body of the Lord Jesus. Now, this is the 00:02:33.949 --> 00:02:36.370 ladies that had been preparing the spices and 00:02:36.370 --> 00:02:38.430 the ointments. Here's what I want to share with 00:02:38.430 --> 00:02:40.270 you today. Something that just jumped out at 00:02:40.270 --> 00:02:42.729 me. All this text is great. Read it all and let 00:02:42.729 --> 00:02:46.069 it soak in. Pray over it. Let it change your 00:02:46.069 --> 00:02:49.189 life. Let it seep into the very essence of who 00:02:49.189 --> 00:02:52.990 you are. Let it overwhelm you and transform you. 00:02:53.270 --> 00:02:55.750 But today, here's the first three verses. And 00:02:55.750 --> 00:02:57.310 I was going to read even through verse 5 and 00:02:57.310 --> 00:03:00.370 6. And as I was reading over it over again and 00:03:00.370 --> 00:03:02.210 again, this is what stuck out to me the most. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:04.000 This will be a little shorter episode, a little 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:06.400 more concise today. Here's what I was encouraged 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:13.319 by. These ladies, sometimes we look at the Scripture 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:16.139 and we don't put ourselves there. We don't watch 00:03:16.139 --> 00:03:18.300 it. We don't think about it. The men were asleep 00:03:18.300 --> 00:03:20.240 is what's going on. The men were asleep. This 00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:24.060 is very early in the morning. One of the gospel 00:03:24.060 --> 00:03:26.379 accounts says it was before the dawn had broken, 00:03:26.500 --> 00:03:31.129 before the light of day. It says, at early dawn, 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:34.810 before the sun really came up, they began to 00:03:34.810 --> 00:03:37.530 make their journey. What were they doing? These 00:03:37.530 --> 00:03:40.530 women were going to prepare the body of Jesus 00:03:40.530 --> 00:03:42.909 with these ointments and these spices. Now, there 00:03:42.909 --> 00:03:45.590 is something wild about this scene. It's dark. 00:03:46.110 --> 00:03:48.590 They have to walk out there. I was thinking, 00:03:48.650 --> 00:03:51.639 where are the men? Where are the men? There's 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:53.659 no man that says, hey, I'll hold a lantern for 00:03:53.659 --> 00:03:55.819 you in front of you. I'll check to make sure 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:58.719 the coast is clear. I'll make sure that the guards, 00:03:58.740 --> 00:04:00.699 when you get there, don't give you a hard time, 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:02.800 don't cause you a lot of trouble. I'll help move 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:06.020 the stone away because I'm a big burly man. None 00:04:06.020 --> 00:04:08.599 of that happened. These men were still hiding 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:12.319 in fear and they were sleeping. They were asleep. 00:04:12.659 --> 00:04:15.479 They weren't going out to be bold. These women 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:19.589 absolutely loved. Jesus. Over and over again, 00:04:19.629 --> 00:04:21.410 what I have seen over the last couple of chapters, 00:04:21.529 --> 00:04:24.670 especially in Luke, is that the women of the 00:04:24.670 --> 00:04:28.089 town, the women that follow Jesus, loved him 00:04:28.089 --> 00:04:30.910 like crazy. They loved him like crazy. They were 00:04:30.910 --> 00:04:33.350 not rebuking him. They were never speaking ugly 00:04:33.350 --> 00:04:36.470 of him. They were always showing care, showing 00:04:36.470 --> 00:04:40.129 love. In every scene, we find a female that's 00:04:40.129 --> 00:04:42.899 connected to Jesus. Always. I mean, it was never 00:04:42.899 --> 00:04:45.639 disrespectful. And I think, what in the world? 00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:48.779 The women got it. They figured it out. The guys 00:04:48.779 --> 00:04:50.699 are over here hiding, afraid of the authorities. 00:04:50.939 --> 00:04:54.079 These women said, we're going to go to a graveyard. 00:04:54.889 --> 00:04:57.910 in the dark, and we're going to go, and yes, 00:04:57.990 --> 00:05:00.649 there's guards that are standing guard at the 00:05:00.649 --> 00:05:03.970 tomb. Yes, there's a giant stone. Yes, there's 00:05:03.970 --> 00:05:06.449 a seal with the governor's stamp in it. Yes, 00:05:06.509 --> 00:05:09.310 we know all that is the case, but love can break 00:05:09.310 --> 00:05:12.290 all of these bounds. Love can break every one 00:05:12.290 --> 00:05:14.230 of these chains, and we can get in and do what 00:05:14.230 --> 00:05:16.110 we need to do. What were the women planning on 00:05:16.110 --> 00:05:19.490 doing? They couldn't move the stone. They couldn't 00:05:19.490 --> 00:05:21.290 break the seal. They couldn't get through the 00:05:21.290 --> 00:05:24.430 guards. What's going on? It's dark. What are 00:05:24.430 --> 00:05:26.930 the women doing? And what are the men doing? 00:05:27.110 --> 00:05:30.949 The women had so much ridiculous courage that 00:05:30.949 --> 00:05:33.250 they said, we're willing to do all of this for 00:05:33.250 --> 00:05:36.970 our Jesus. That's what we're willing to do. As 00:05:36.970 --> 00:05:39.470 I look at the text over and over again, I wonder, 00:05:39.529 --> 00:05:42.529 how much are you willing to do for Jesus? How 00:05:42.529 --> 00:05:46.040 much am I willing to do for Jesus? The Bible 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:48.139 says that on the first day of the week, that's 00:05:48.139 --> 00:05:50.319 why I wore my first day of the week shirt today, 00:05:50.420 --> 00:05:52.459 because it was the first day of the week. All 00:05:52.459 --> 00:05:53.819 the gospel accounts say it was the first day 00:05:53.819 --> 00:05:55.100 of the week. Make sure they knew. It was Sunday 00:05:55.100 --> 00:05:58.660 morning that the women went to the tomb. Not 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:02.220 only do they get there, there's no guards. The 00:06:02.220 --> 00:06:04.959 guards, they've run away in fright. They've run 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:08.480 away completely terrified. They're gone. The 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:11.420 stone has been rolled away. And these women, 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:14.399 as courageous as they were, went into the tomb 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:17.899 and saw there was no person in there. Jesus' 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:21.550 body was not there. The more of the scene that 00:06:21.550 --> 00:06:23.689 plays out, it says they were perplexed, and then 00:06:23.689 --> 00:06:26.269 there was two men in dazzling clothing. It was 00:06:26.269 --> 00:06:28.230 these two angels. They talked, why are you searching 00:06:28.230 --> 00:06:30.029 for the living among the dead? All that scene 00:06:30.029 --> 00:06:31.589 kind of takes out, and it's beautiful, and it's 00:06:31.589 --> 00:06:33.129 awesome, it's amazing. And there's a lot of theology 00:06:33.129 --> 00:06:34.689 in that. I don't want to get into that today. 00:06:34.769 --> 00:06:36.850 What I want to say is, where is your courage? 00:06:37.050 --> 00:06:40.350 Where is your love? These women loved Jesus like 00:06:40.350 --> 00:06:43.699 crazy. Like crazy. And they weren't going to 00:06:43.699 --> 00:06:47.500 let anything, any obstacle stand in their way 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:51.100 of getting to him and caring for him as best 00:06:51.100 --> 00:06:54.600 as they could. These women said, I'll go in the 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:58.379 dark. I'll fight off a guard. I'll figure out 00:06:58.379 --> 00:07:00.740 a way to move a stone bigger than me. I'll figure 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:03.660 out a way to ask for forgiveness after I break 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:06.480 the seal of the governor so that people know, 00:07:06.600 --> 00:07:09.439 yes, I came in and did this. They were willing 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:13.079 to put their life on the line. And Jesus had 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:17.019 died. That's what happened. They saw Jesus crucified. 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:19.899 They saw him taken and buried. It said that just 00:07:19.899 --> 00:07:22.139 a couple of verses earlier in chapter 23. They 00:07:22.139 --> 00:07:24.699 saw where they buried him. And they said, we 00:07:24.699 --> 00:07:26.740 are going to have, they have so much courage. 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:29.339 How much courage do you have for this Lord? How 00:07:29.339 --> 00:07:31.720 much do you have? I wonder if we were sitting 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:34.519 in this time frame, in this first century, and 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:37.160 we saw this happen. Are we going to be the bold 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:39.839 women that go to the tomb, or are we going to 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:42.839 be the scared disciples that won't? Because in 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:44.819 this scene, we see that the women come back and 00:07:44.819 --> 00:07:46.939 wake the disciples up. Hey, guys, just so you 00:07:46.939 --> 00:07:49.519 know, we were at the tomb. He's not there. We've 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:52.360 been told he's alive. And then the disciples, 00:07:52.579 --> 00:07:54.420 a couple of them, take off running to the tomb. 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:58.639 I almost wonder those disciples, when Peter and 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:00.939 John run to the tomb, I almost wonder, do they 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:04.019 feel ridiculous because the women were the ones 00:08:04.019 --> 00:08:05.740 that made this call? The women were the ones 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:08.259 that showed up at the right time, at the right 00:08:08.259 --> 00:08:10.459 place? They were the first to hear about it, 00:08:10.500 --> 00:08:14.399 first to witness it. Why? Because they had the 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:17.939 courage. I would love to be the first to witness 00:08:17.939 --> 00:08:21.279 a revival breaking out, but I would have to first... 00:08:21.610 --> 00:08:24.670 have the courage to step out of my comfort zone 00:08:24.670 --> 00:08:28.569 to go through any obstacle to show my love for 00:08:28.569 --> 00:08:31.850 Jesus. My call to you today, my challenge to 00:08:31.850 --> 00:08:35.309 you today is read the text and then show somebody 00:08:35.309 --> 00:08:37.830 how much you love Jesus.