Key points
1When life gets dark, remember His cross
Pastor Bill walks through Matthew 27:45-51 and points out that the three hours of darkness at noon, the brightest part of the day, was not a natural eclipse but a sign of God's judgment falling on the land. He explains that this darkness fell on Jesus, not on us, because Jesus took God's judgment for sin on Himself so it wouldn't fall on us.
2Darkness in your life is not proof God has abandoned you
Pastor Bill explains that because Jesus already absorbed God's judgment, our dark seasons are not God punishing us, even though some darkness is the consequence of our own choices. Staring at the problem and worrying doesn't help; remembering the cross reminds us of both the seriousness of our sin and the depth of God's love.
That darkness of God's judgment was falling upon Jesus
darkness in your life is not proof that God has abandoned you
you're not alone. You never have been and you never will be
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
3When you feel alone, remember His cry
Pastor Bill unpacks Jesus' cry from the cross, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, quoting Psalm 22, explaining that in that moment Jesus, though fully God, felt genuinely abandoned as He bore all sin. He shares his own story of breaking down after his father's death and his mother's terminal illness, and how his wife held him and whispered that he was not alone, illustrating what Jesus does for us in our own dark cries.
4Jesus' cry was honest feeling, not lost faith
Pastor Bill notes that Jesus said my God, not just God, showing this was faith in the dark rather than disbelief. He teaches that God wants honesty about our feelings, while trusting that the feeling of abandonment isn't the final truth.
5When God feels far, remember His curtain
Pastor Bill describes the thick temple curtain that separated people from the Holy of Holies, and how only the high priest could enter once a year, tied with a rope in case God's holiness struck him dead. When Jesus died, that curtain tore top to bottom, showing God Himself opened the way into His presence, meaning if God feels far away it is not because He moved but because we're choosing to stay in the rubble instead of walking through.
If God feels far away from you, that isn't from his side
If the cross shows you the worst about your sin and the best about his love, which side are you refusing to look at
6A good day is defined by faithfulness, not by favorable circumstances
Pastor Bill tells the story of his father, a veteran of the Battle of Iwo Jima, who taught him that a good day isn't one where everything goes your way but one where you stayed faithful and are still in the fight. He connects this to Jesus staying faithful on the cross and rising again, redefining Good Friday as the pattern for how we can call our hardest days good.
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
7Communion is God's picture of how to have a good day
Pastor Bill explains that the bread represents the seriousness of our sin and the cup represents the depth of God's love shown in the new covenant. He invites the church to use communion as a moment to confess sin honestly, remember they are not alone, and choose to walk through the curtain into God's presence.
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's charge is to figure out which side of the cross you're refusing to look at — your sin or God's love — and step out of the rubble into the room with Him.
Remember His cross when it gets dark
Whenever darkness hits, whether caused by your own choices, someone else, or circumstances, stop staring at the problem and remember that Jesus already took God's judgment for you.
Remember His cry when you feel alone
Be honest with God about feeling abandoned, like Jesus was on the cross, while trusting that the feeling isn't the final truth — He is holding you even when you can't sense it.
Stop sitting in the rubble
Examine which side you're refusing to face: are you minimizing your sin, or refusing to trust how deeply God loves you? Confess, pray, and take your sin seriously so you can walk through the torn curtain into His presence.
Redefine what makes a day good
Instead of measuring a good day by whether circumstances went your way, ask whether you stayed faithful and are still in the fight, trusting that faithfulness is what makes it good.
Meet Jesus at the cross through communion
As you take the bread and cup, confess what needs confessing and receive the reminder that you are not alone; if you've never trusted Jesus, put your faith in Him for the first time.
Take it into your week
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
