FINDING HOPE WHEN IT’S OVER (Back to Sunday School Series)

I put a few dents in my cowbell that college game day.

By the end, 5 seconds of overtime stood between defeat and victory. My son caught a pass, moved in, and took the shot.

It felt like an eternity between his one step of faith and knowing the outcome.

Suspense hangs in the air of our lives most days. Will we be winners when the final buzzer sounds?

Sitting on the sidelines, white-knuckled and heart-pounding, we pray for victory. But as the time ticks away, we begin to wonder. 

What if Jesus doesn't come through?

Jesus's friend Martha faced this same question in John’s Gospel, chapter 11. Her brother Lazarus was dying, and with precious seconds left, she sent an urgent message to Jesus: "Please come help!"

When Jesus showed up too late to save her brother, broken-hearted Martha could barely face her Lord.

But she dragged herself to Jesus anyway and told Him how she felt.

She began her lament," Lord, if you had been here." (v21). Her tears were fresh, and her grief raw. 

Jesus's reply may have sounded like all the others who tried to comfort her.

" Your brother will rise again," (v23) He said.

Not wanting to offend Jesus, Martha dutifully recited what she had been taught in Sunday School, "I know. I know. We're all winners in the end. Yay, Team Jesus." But that glorious day seemed so far away.

It always does. 

When the plug is pulled, and the lights grow dim, when the bleachers are littered with the leftovers of what used to be, it's hard to pick up the pieces. It seems impossible to see in the dark.

But Jesus says, The game's not over yet.

For every defeated heart, Jesus offers these words," You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in Me, even though he or she dies, will live." (v25)

You have victory no matter what happens on the field because the Victor stands with you.

For the enemy? It's game over.

But for you? It's just begun.

"Do you believe this?" (v26) Jesus asks your disappointed heart. 

Will you trust Me? He calls to your battered soul.

Like Martha, you can choose Life today. 

"Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." (v27) Martha confessed.

Choosing Jesus lights up Heaven's scoreboard so we can see the truth. Jesus Christ resurrects broken dreams from the grave and resets the clock on eternity.

Resurrection begins with Jesus.

Martha watched from the front row as Jesus shouted the truth of Who He is into a dark, hopeless situation. "Lazarus!" Come out!" (v43) 

But even before the tomb was empty, Martha's hands were already raised.  

Because all glory goes to the Victor.

Jesus Alone calls the game.