The Day Before Sunday

Intro: Words of Encouragement, Intro of the theme

Welcome - Pastor Rex and his family are on vacation and he asked me to step in for him this week to share God’s word. My name is Joel Richards and I was the Pastor of La Loma Grace in Modesto before retiring three years ago.

Thanks for joining us in our study of God’s word. This message is designed to encourage you in your walk with our Lord and especially at a time like this. I think we could all use a little encouragement. If you want to be prepare yourself for this study open your Bible to 1 Corinthians 15

Let me give you a title that will be easy to remember and help you long past the time of listening to this message.

The title is simply - The Day Before Sunday. The Day before Sunday.

There are a lot of special days in our lives - birthday - anniversaries, etc.

A few months ago now you probably focused on four particular days found in one week.

Four days:

Palm Sunday

Maundy Thursday - mandate

Good Friday

Easter

What about Saturday? What was it like?

Have you ever thought about what this day may have been like?

Curse -Tears - death - mourning - crying - pain - hopeless

New American Standard Bible The New Heaven and Earth

He shall awipe away every tear from their eyes; and bthere shall no longer be any death; cthere shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; dthe first things have passed away.”

New American Standard Bible The River and the Tree of Life

And athere shall no longer be any curse;

Saturday is a dreadful day as they wait for Sunday!

They are not the only ones who struggle with the day before Easter. Look in your Bibles with me at 1 Corinthians 15.

1 Corinthians 15:22 NASB

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.

note verse 22. This is not talking about being made alive spiritually. This is actually talking about alive vs being dead.,i.e., resurrection. See next verse.

1 Corinthians 15:23 NASB

But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming,

It is obvious that there is a gap between the resurrection of Christ and our resurrection. This is a period of time, similar to the concept of the day of the Lord. If you think of our resurrection as our Sunday/Easter then this period of time is our Saturday.

Now, think of the similarities between the disciples Saturday and and ours.

Curse -Tears - death - mourning - crying - pain -

New American Standard Bible The New Heaven and Earth

He shall awipe away every tear from their eyes; and bthere shall no longer be any death; cthere shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; dthe first things have passed away.”

New American Standard Bible The River and the Tree of Life

And athere shall no longer be any curse;

There is one major differences. We are not hopeless!

We actually pull all the realities/results to Christ’s resurrection into our Saturday and we live very differently as a result.

New American Standard Bible Deliverance from Bondage

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having bthe first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves cgroan within ourselves, dwaiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, ethe redemption of our body. 24 For ain hope we have been saved, but bhope that is seen is not hope; for 1why does one also hope for what he sees? 25 But aif we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

It’s Friday but Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday… Jesus was nailed dead on a cross.