Malcolm Potts April 20th 2014 - Easter Sunday "But God..."

Where is your confidence?  Really, where is your hope? Where do you go first when trouble looms? Wherever it is says a lot about us.The bible is full of stories of confidence dashed and hope extinguished: stuttering Moses told to lead a rabble of slaves; panicked Jacob watching the dust of his brother’s fuming army coming roaring towards his family;  Joseph cast down a well by his disaffected brothers; Elijah huddling in a cave having a solo nervous breakdown; disciples denying and deserting; Paul beaten, hounded, pursued and excommunicated.  Hardly the stuff of resurrection is it?Except for these two words – “But God…..”But with God all things are possible [Mt 19:26],… but God alone can forgive our sins [Mk 2:7]]… but God raised Jesus from the dead [Acts 2:24]… but God promised Abraham [Acts 7:5]… but God was with Joseph [Acts 7:7]… but God has helped me in every way [Paul] [Acts 26:2]… but God demonstrates his great love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us [Rom 5:8]… but God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ [1Cor 15:57]… but God is rich in mercy [Eph 2:4]… but God is the builder of everything [Heb 3:4].  (You get the idea.)When hope is dashed and confidence is gone it’s possible that God is only just beginning his resurrection move.As Paul says in Romans 5 [The Message paraphrase], “Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway…. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.… If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life!”Not everyone saw or believed in Jesus’ resurrection even back then.  The same is true today.  But some people practise seeing resurrection things, are attentive to being expanded and deepened by Jesus’ resurrection life.There’s a fella some of us know who has been forced out of his business premises.  It’s like death, a kind of crucifixion.  But he said to me the other day that, as he has apprehensively pushed into new negotiations and premises, he is up to ‘minor miracle 15’. As he faces fears and presses in to new challenges, his confidence is in God who can do all things and is the builder of everything.None of us will see the threats and violence and despair and suffering of many of the great biblical characters.  But we do have to endure our own challenges, press in to our own doubts and fears, walk our own faith journey. When our confidence is shattered and our hope extinguished, Jesus’  resurrection is the big ‘But God...’ moment.  It  reminds us that that we don’t fight for victory, we fight from the victory of Christ, who faced death and hell and returned more than a conqueror.He is risen!   Happy Easter,Malcolm