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Sermon Details
- Pastor Name: Jonathan Cornell
- Date & Time: March 27, 2016 | 10:00am
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SERMON SERIES:
Jesus is Greater Than, Therefore
It’s Easter Sunday, the day in which we share the best news the world has ever known. But that news only comes after three days of darkness. As one famous preacher has put it, it may be Friday, but Sunday’s coming. The incredible paradox of the story of Jesus of Nazareth is that only after the hardship does the victory come. The path to glory is laid in painful steps. Without the Cross of Calvary, Resurrection joy just doesn’t make sense. This is the great dichotomy of Christianity.
We have a saying in our house: There are two types of people in the world, those who have been broken and those who will be. And those who have yet to be broken should pray that there are people near to them who have who can walk with them. We all face dark days, we will all have Good Fridays.
The God we celebrate and worship together this morning, the God who in Jesus Christ overcame the grave, is the God we meet in the tensions of life—between brokenness and forgiveness, between heartache and hope. There’s another story that captures that paradox; it’s the story of Joseph. Joseph is the beloved son of Jacob, one of the patriarchs of the book of Genesis. He was a man who at a young age was given a vision of greatness, but his road of redemption brought him to the depth, and lifted him to the heights. So if you would, please stand with me in honor and reverence for God’s Word and listen to the word of the Lord.
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Joseph was a kid who had a big vision for his life. But that vision was shattered when his older brothers had finally gotten fed up with the favoritism he was shown by their father Jacob. So they sold him as a slave to a caravan headed for Egypt.
Download the entire transcript: Hebrews 12 1-3 Genesis 50 Easter Morning Mercies
