Key points
- 1
1When life gets dark, remember His cross — the darkness that fell on Jesus was God's judgment landing on Him instead of on us, so darkness in your life is not proof that God has abandoned you.
“That darkness of God's judgment was falling upon Jesus. That was the point of him going to the cross. God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. He will judge sin. So the reason Jesus went to the cross was for the darkness to fall on him, not on us”
A story from life
Pastor Bill recounts a breaking point early in the church's life — grieving his father, his mother dying, financial pressure, and his wife's quiet comfort on the floor
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2When you feel alone, remember His cry — Jesus cried out 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?' showing that honest, feeling-filled prayer is not a lack of faith but faith in the dark.
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3When God feels far away, remember His curtain — the temple curtain torn from top to bottom means God Himself opened the room; if He feels distant, it is not from His side but because we are choosing to stay in the rubble rather than entering His presence.
“our feelings scream, Alone. You're alone. But the cross says, You and me are loved. You're seen, and you're held despite how you feel”
“If God feels far away from you, that isn't from his side. He's not running from you. He's not hiding from you. He's not rejecting you. It's us choosing to stay in the rubble instead of entering the room”
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4Dark days become good days when we take our sin seriously AND embrace the depth of God's love — refusing either side keeps us stuck in the rubble.
“If the cross shows you the worst about your sin and the best about his love, which side are you refusing to look at”
A story from life
Pastor Bill's father redefines a 'good day' while watching the sunset after the first day of battle at Iwo Jima in January 1945
- 5
5Communion is God's invitation to define what a good day really is — confessing sin, professing faith, and walking back through the curtain into His presence.
“son, as you go through life, that's what Jesus did for us on the cross. It's what he did. He stayed faithful for us, and he came back to life. He stayed in the fight for you and me. And we call that Good Friday”
“the big idea is the darkest day did the deepest good. The darkest day did the deepest good. And that can happen in all of our days as well if we allow it”
Illustration
Article about Newark Airport being ranked the worst in the United States, used to introduce the theme of being stuck and unable to get where you're going
Application
Pastor Bill frames the takeaway around three anchors drawn from the cross: remember His cross (darkness is not God judging you — He already took that judgment), remember His cry (it is okay to feel alone and say so, because honest prayer is faith in the dark, not the absence of it), and remember His curtain (God tore it open, so if He feels far away, the distance is on our side). The practical question he leaves us with is: are you stuck because you are minimizing your sin, or because you do not believe how deeply God loves you? Whichever it is, the next step is the same — confess, trust, and walk through the curtain into His presence. When we do that, no matter what the day looked like, it becomes a good day.
