Scripture: Luke 23:44-46 (It’s Friday,)
Mark 16:2-6 (But Sunday Is Coming)
Pastor and sociologist, Dr. Tony Campolo, tells about participating in a worship service that remembered those horrible events that led up to Jesus’ death on Good Friday. The sermon was preached by a wise, elderly African-American pastor. Tony writes: “For an hour and a half he preached one line over and over again…‘It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming’!” He started his sermon real softly by saying, “It was Friday; it was Friday and my Jesus was dead on the tree. But that was Friday, and Sunday’s comin’!” He came on louder as he said, “It was Friday and Mary was cryin’ her eyes out. The disciples were runnin’ in every direction, like sheep without a shepherd, but that was Friday, and Sunday’s comin!”
He picked up the volume and shouted, “It was Friday, but they didn’t know that Sunday’s comin’. It was Friday, and on Friday Pilate thought he had washed his hands of a lot of trouble. The Pharisees were struttin’ around, laughin’ and pokin’ each other in the ribs. But they didn’t know it was only Friday! Sunday’s comin’!”
Tony said, “By the time he had come to the end of the message, he had me and everybody else so worked up that when he yelled at the top of his lungs, `It’s Friday!’ all 500 of us in that church yelled back, ‘But Sunday’s Comin’!’”
“It’s Friday, But Sunday Is Coming” is a message of hope. God is a God of reversals.
I. FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE THE HOPE THAT DEATH WILL CONTINUE TO BE REVERSED.
As Christians, when death comes, we have hope of the resurrection! At the grave, “It’s Friday, But Sunday Is Coming!”
II. ALSO, WE HAVE THE HOPE THAT LIVES AND ATTITUDES WILL CONTINUE TO BE REVERSED.
Repentance means to change, to “reverse direction.” It means a spiritual “U-TURN” in life. Through Jesus, we have the hope that, because of grace, an unsaved person’s future can be reversed to salvation; that bad habits can be reversed to good habits; that defeats and failures can be reversed to victories; that a negative attitude can be reversed to a positive attitude; that anger, hostility, hatred and resentment can be reversed to forgiveness and love; that pride and arrogance can be reversed to humility. “It’s Friday, But Sunday Is Coming!”
III. AND THEN, WE HAVE THE HOPE THAT GOD WILL BE WITH US WHEN “SITUATIONS” IN OUR LIFE ARE REVERSED.
Life is good, then suddenly, life breaks open at the seams and everything changes. When the love we have counted on is gone; when someone crucifies our hopes and dreams; when our heart aches, and we do not understand life, we need to remember, “It’s Friday, But Sunday Is Coming!”
In life, we know that from time to time there will be a mournful Monday, a terrible Tuesday, a washed-out Wednesday, a trying Thursday, a fearful Friday, and a sad Saturday. But, on that awful day, whichever day it is, we need to think about the worst day of Jesus’ life, and then with heart and soul and every fiber of our being shout, “It’s Friday, But Sunday Is Coming!”