From Tragedy to Triumph

Mark Finley: The tomb is empty. Jesus takes the grave and turns it from darkness to light. He took the tragedy of the cross and turned it into the glorious proclamation of the gospel.
Guest (Female): This is HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: From Tragedy to Triumph. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay updated with HopeLives365 and Pastor Mark by going to HopeLives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: Three weeks ago, I was preaching at Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Massachusetts. During that sermon, I invited our Chinese pastors, three of them, to participate with me and tell their stories. Let me share with you about Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen was a member of the Red Army. He was a communist and believed that Christianity was for mindless, ignorant peasants. He thought nobody that has any brain could possibly be a Christian. In 1991, '92, and '93, a mighty revival swept through Northeastern China in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. One local congregation began to pray and seek God. The Spirit was poured out in an unusual way, and they began to baptize in that one church two to three thousand people every year. The pastor baptized people for a week in the baptismal waters. The pastor entered into the waters about 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning and baptized people all day for one week. These people were thoroughly indoctrinated. They were coming to church for about a year and at the end of the year they'd have the baptismal services. In three years, they baptized in that one congregation between eight and nine thousand people. The Holy Spirit was poured out in a mighty way. Well, Mr. Chen's wife came to those meetings at that great revival and she was baptized unbeknownst to him because he was off in the Red Army. His brother was baptized, and his father and mother were baptized. When Mr. Chen came back home, he was absolutely astounded and angry. He said, "What in the world is my wife doing joining this sect, becoming one of these ignoramus Christians? I've got to straighten her out." But as hard as he tried, she was firm to her convictions. He ranted, he raved, he threatened to beat her, but she was faithful to her convictions. At times, Mr. Chen would come into the local Adventist church and break up the services, disrupt it, but his wife was faithful to the call of Christ. On one occasion, he came to the outside of the church and smashed all the windows out with rocks, but his wife was faithful to her convictions. He was impressed with her faithfulness but threatened to leave her. At about this same time, she developed a very strange eye disease and needed to go into the hospital. As she went into the hospital, she had a serious operation on her eye and a very large patch on that one eye. The doctor told her not to do any more reading. Her husband sat by her hospital bed day after day, week after week. But he noticed that she was picking up the Bible and with the patch on the one eye, holding her Bible out and reading it. This frustrated Mr. Chen. He said, "Look, darling, you're going to go totally blind and not only will I have a wife that's a Christian, I'll have a blind wife." He said, "Let me read to you." She handed him her Bible and she said, "Read the book of Job." He began to read the book of Job and on one Sabbath afternoon they read the entire book of Job together. He was absolutely stunned with this man who'd gone through trial, gone through difficulty, gone through challenges. This man that had family problems, this man that had lost his possessions, but this Job that was so faithful to God. And he saw God working in Job's life in remarkable ways. Now, when Mr. Chen came to the end of the book of Job, he read passages like this, and if you have your Bible, please take it and turn to the last chapter of the book of Job. Mr. Chen could not believe his eyes as he read these passages because God had turned Job's sorrow into joy. He had turned his tears into rejoicing. He turned his mourning into jubilation. He turned his tragedy into triumph. Take your Bible and look at Job chapter 42, verse 10. Mr. Chen read this and he was amazed. "And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." Let your eyes drop down to verse 12. "Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning." Look at Job 42, verse 16. "After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations." Mr. Chen was absolutely amazed at a God that was that powerful, a God that was that incredible, a God that was that amazing, a God that could take the tears and bring joy, the tragedy and bring triumph. Mr. Chen continued reading the Bible secretly. When his wife would go out for treatment, Mr. Chen would take the Bible out of the drawer and secretly read it. When she would have doctor's appointments, he would read it. And there was that day that Mr. Chen knelt by that bed and surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. Today, he is a pastor in that very city where that revival took place, and they have 400 churches and 20,000 members. Throughout the Bible, there are numerous examples of God leading people from tragedy to triumph. Think about Joseph. He goes from the pit to the prison to the palace, from tragedy to triumph. Think about Daniel. He's faithful to God, lives through Babylonian captivity, goes into captivity when he's 17 years old, but eventually becomes the Prime Minister of Babylon. Daniel goes from tragedy to triumph. Or think of Esther. She's a slave girl, but she becomes the queen, goes from tragedy to triumph. Now the greatest example, of course, is Christ Himself. The Friday of Jesus' crucifixion did not look hopeful at all. If there ever was a dark day, it was that one. And I'd like you to take your Bible and turn to Matthew the 26th chapter because let's try to look at what's taking place around the crucifixion, the attitudes that are taking place that day. It sure does not look hopeful at all for Jesus. And if you didn't know anything else except the crucifixion story, if you didn't know any of the prophecies that led up to it or if you didn't know the story of the resurrection following it, you would say this is one of the most depressing stories that I've ever read. If all you knew was the tragedy of the cross, if that's all you saw, you would think to yourself, this is a devastating blow for Christianity. Here the leader of the Christian faith hangs on a cruel cross with a crown of thorns upon His head, with blood running down His face, with nails through His hands, with His side pierced, crying out, "It is finished. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" If that's all you knew, you knew nothing leading up to the cross, nothing following the cross, you would say what a tragedy. If all you read were the reactions of people to Jesus dying on the cross, you would say what a tragedy. Let's look at four reactions to the cross. The first reaction is the reaction of the disciples. You find that in Matthew chapter 26 and verse 56. "But all this was done that the scripture of the prophets might be fulfilled." Verse 56, "Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled." Not too pleasant, is it? Here He's with His disciples for three and a half years and every single one of those disciples forsake Him. Every single one of those disciples at that moment flee. All of His disciples forsook Him and fled. What a tragedy. Let's look at the reaction of the Jews. Matthew chapter 27, verse 22 to 25. This is at the trial of Christ when Pilate offers the crowd either Jesus or Barabbas. Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified." Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more saying, "Let Him be crucified." When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it." Now all the people cried out, and who are they? The Jewish masses, the Jewish crowd. And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and our children." So the people He came to redeem, the Bible says He came to His own and His own received Him not. So you look at the disciples, they forsake Him and flee. You look at the Jews, and the Jews say His blood be upon us and our children. If all you saw was the picture of the cross, it would be a tragedy. You'd say there is no hope here. You'd be filled with hopeless despair.
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Mark Finley: Matthew 27, verse 27 to 32. And here is what you see when you look at the reaction of the soldiers. "Then the soldiers," verse 27, "of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And when they twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him. 'Hail, King of the Jews!' They spat upon Him and they took the reed and struck Him on the head." Now the disciples forsake Him. The Jews say "Crucify Him. We want the blood upon our heads." The Roman soldiers spit upon Him and mock Him. What about the religious leaders? If anyone should have been sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit, if anybody should have been sensitive to the things of God, you would think it would be people that had studied the Bible all their lives. Matthew 27, verse 41 and 42. What is the reaction of the religious leaders? "Likewise the chief priest also mocking with the scribes, they said, 'He saved others, Himself He cannot save. If He's the King of Israel, let Him come down from the cross and we will believe Him.'" What hopeless despair. It was dark, dark Friday. The flowers drooped their heads, the sun ceased its shining, the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed. It was dark, dark Friday. And Christ's own statement on the cross indicates bewilderment, confusion. He says in Matthew 27, verse 45 and 46, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Sin is so evil, sin is so wicked, sin is so terrible that for that moment even the Savior could not see the Father's face. Even for that moment there was the hiding of the Father's face, and it appeared to Christ that even God had forsaken Him. But a prophecy centuries old was waiting for its fulfillment. A prophecy over a thousand years old was waiting to come to fruition very, very soon. Now, when Jesus died, He did not die with despair. He said, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit." But David had made a prediction, a prediction centuries old that on that Sunday morning would be fulfilled. Take your Bible and turn to Psalm 16 because God is a master at turning tragedy into triumph. He is a master at turning defeat into victory. He is a master at turning sorrow into joy. And here's a prophecy a thousand years old that waited as a seed in the earth to bloom and to grow and to blossom. Psalm 16, verse 9 and 10. David predicted that although Christ would go into the grave, that His body would never see corruption. In other words, that He would be resurrected from the dead. Psalm 16, verse 9 and 10. "Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh will rest in hope." That's what Jesus said when He said, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit." What He was saying is my flesh is resting in hope, the hope of the resurrection, the hope of a new day that will dawn, the hope of an empty tomb, the hope of the glory of Sunday morning. Then verse 10, here is the prophecy. "You will not leave my soul," that's my life, my person, my being, "in Sheol." Sheol is the grave. "Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You'll show me the path of life." So Jesus knew of this prophecy and although He could not see through the portals of the tomb, by faith He believed that His body would not be left in corruption, that He would be raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. Friday's tragedy gave way to Sunday's triumph. The old rugged cross yielded to the empty tomb. The crucified Savior became our resurrected Lord. The dying Lamb became our living Priest. The darkness that engulfed the cross gave way to the glorious light of resurrection morning. The soldiers that watched Him die fell over as dead men as the glory of the Lord was resurrected. I love that song "Rise Again," the words and music by Dallas Holm. It goes like this: "Go ahead, drive the nails in my hands. Laugh at me where you stand. Go ahead and say it isn't me. The day will come when you will see, 'cause I'll rise again. There's no power on earth that can tie me down. Yes, I'll rise again because death cannot keep me in the ground." You see, the resurrection reveals that we serve an all-powerful God that turns every tragedy into triumph. The resurrection reveals that Christ is alive. The tomb is empty and that makes all the difference. Now, commenting on the death of Christ on the cross and how the resurrection impacts our own lives, because the question we have to ask is what difference does the empty tomb make to you and to me today? What difference does it make that Christ turned the tragedy of Calvary into the glory of the resurrection? How does that relate to me when I live on Monday and Tuesday and Thursday and Friday? What difference does that make in my life? Ellen White makes this magnificent statement in Desire of Ages, page 692. This is worth noting. "Christ rejoiced that He could do more for His followers than they could ask or think. He spoke with assurance, knowing that an almighty decree had been given before the world was made." See, what was the mighty decree given before the world was made? It was that Christ would triumph over the principalities and powers of hell. It is that the devil is a defeated foe. Notice, I continue: "Jesus knew the truth, armed with the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit, would conquer in the contest with evil, and that the blood-stained banner would wave triumphantly over His followers." You and I need not march to heaven as a band of mourners. The victory in Jesus Christ has been won. Hallelujah! It's been won. We can walk to heaven triumphantly, not with our heads bowed in gloom and doom, not looking at all the troubles and trials around us. Christ has triumphed over the principalities and powers of hell. The tomb is empty. Now, notice what Ellen White says. Jesus knew that the life of His trusting disciples would be like His, a series of uninterrupted victories, not seen to be such here, but recognized as such in the great hereafter. The life of Jesus' followers would be a life of what? A life of what? Uninterrupted victories. Not seen to be such here, but from the perspective of eternity. Have you gone through some crushing blows in your life? Some tragedies, some defeats? When we look back from the perspective of eternity, we will choose to be led exactly like God has led us. We will look back and we will see our darkest moments and our shattered dreams and our frustrated hopes as stair steps of uninterrupted victory for the glory of God. It is fascinating to consider the fact that Jesus turns every tragedy of our life into a triumph, every defeat into a victory, that we can trust Him that He is doing things right. One of Charles Fitch's favorite songs was that song "Lo He Comes, Lo Jesus Comes." If you have your hymnals, take it. I need to tell you something about this song. Notice the first verse: "Watch, ye saints, with eyelids waking, lo, the powers of heaven are shaking. Keep your lamps all trimmed and burning, ready for your Lord's returning." Now it's that chorus that I want you to do. Let's read the chorus together. You ready to read? 598. Reading the chorus: "Lo, He comes! Lo, Jesus comes! Lo, He comes, all glorious! Jesus comes to reign victorious, lo, He comes! Yes, Jesus comes!" See, that's what the early Adventists believed. They believed that Christ was coming. How could they be doubtful? How could they be discouraged? How could they be disappointed? Why? Because they had a hope and that hope burnt in their hearts, that hope burned in their soul. They believed Christ was coming. When you go out of this church today, go out with a joy in your heart. Christ has triumphed over the principalities and powers of hell. The tomb is empty. Jesus takes the grave and turns it from darkness to light. He took the tragedy of the cross and turned it into the glorious proclamation of the gospel. When you go out of this place today, go out knowing that you are part of an end-time, last-day movement that experienced a disappointment but has accepted the Christ commission to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. Does the church have some challenges today? It does. Did Israel have some challenges? It did. Did the New Testament church have some challenges? Certainly. But did God get Israel finally to the promised land? He did. Did God lead Israel in another direction? He led them directly to that promised land. It took them a while to get there, but they got there, right? Did God bless the New Testament church in spite of Peter's denial, in spite of Thomas's doubt, in spite of the problems James and John had? God poured out His Spirit, their hearts were broken, and God did something with that New Testament church. There is something that is buoyed up Seventh-day Adventists throughout our history. We are not a people of gloom, we are a people of hope. Why? Because we believe that Jesus Christ is coming again and there is nothing more hopeful. We look beyond the tragedy to the triumph. We look beyond to what's around us to what's above us. We get our mind not on trials, but on joy. We focus not on what human beings are doing, but what Christ is doing. We are a people of hope, not doom.
Guest (Female): You've been listening to HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at HopeLives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.
Mark Finley: Will Christ take this body of believers, the Adventist Church, as enfeebled and defective as it may be, and cause it to gloriously triumph? Will God take this little congregation at Haymarket, Warrenton, as enfeebled and defective as we may be, as weak as we may be, as feeble as we may be, as faulty as we may be? We're not quite ready for translation yet. Maybe next week, but not today.