Rewind — the teaching platform built on your church’s own preaching

The big idea

The empty tomb is greater than any empty room — Jesus proved Himself the way maker, miracle worker, and promise keeper by rising from the dead.

Even when Easter feels strange or isolating, Jesus is still who He always was — the way maker who conquered death. Like the first disciples, we can misunderstand or miss Him until He calls us by name, and once we hear Him and see Him clearly, our darkness gives way to His light.

Point 1 of 6

We can mistake Jesus for someone smaller than He is, just like the disciples did that first Easter.

Pastor Bill tells a story of being mistaken for a Target employee because of what he was wearing, and connects it to how the disciples mistook Jesus for someone who would simply fix their political and personal problems rather than recognizing who He truly was.

A story from life

Preacher recounts being mistaken for a Target employee while shopping in matching khakis and red polo shirt

Point 2 of 6

Mary found the tomb empty and assumed the worst, never imagining resurrection.

Working through John 20, Pastor Bill shows how Mary Magdalene, despite following Jesus and seeing His miracles, ran to tell Peter and John that Jesus's body had been stolen rather than considering He had risen.

That my empty room, whatever your empty room is, the empty tomb is greater than the empty room

— Pastor Bill Bush

He is the way maker. He is the miracle worker. He is the promise keeper, and He is the light in the darkness

— Pastor Bill Bush

Point 3 of 6

Jesus is the way maker who reconciles us to God through His death in our place.

Pastor Bill explains sin as rebelling against God's ways and trying to be our own god, which separates us from a holy God. Jesus lived perfectly and died in our place so we could be justified, made right with God.

What it means to sin is to not trust God

— Pastor Bill Bush

Point 4 of 6

Peter and John moved from glancing to theorizing to truly believing, but still went home still hiding.

Pastor Bill unpacks the Greek words for see in John 20:5-10, showing John progressing from a glance, to Peter theorizing about the folded head cloth, to John seeing and believing that Jesus rose as promised, yet they still returned to hiding, not yet living in the light.

Point 5 of 6

Mary encountered the risen Jesus but mistook Him for the gardener until He called her name.

Pastor Bill walks through John 20:11-16, describing Mary's ugly crying and confusion, her assumption that the man before her just worked there, and the turning point when Jesus spoke her name and she recognized Him as Rabboni, her teacher.

A story from life

Preacher's young daughter Micah becomes stuck and terrified under her bed in the dark; he rescues her by calling her name and turning on the light

Point 6 of 6

Recognizing Jesus happens when He calls your name, not when you solve your immediate problem.

Pastor Bill tells about his young daughter Micah, stuck and screaming under her bed in the dark, who only calmed down when he turned on the light and said her name. He applies this to how Jesus meets us in our fear and confusion by calling us by name.

it's not so much about what you're going through, it's about who you're with

— Pastor Bill Bush

I may not be in the room, but Jesus is

— Pastor Bill Bush

Take it into your week

Listen for Jesus to call your name, and let that be what turns the light on in your darkness.

Application

Recognize Jesus for who He really is
Don't settle for treating Jesus like someone who just fixes your immediate problem; see Him as the way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, and light in the darkness.
Listen for Him to call your name
Whether you already believe or are still stuck in fear and confusion like Mary, pay attention for Jesus speaking into your specific situation rather than looking past Him.
Say yes to Jesus for the first time
If you've never put your faith in what Jesus did on the cross, pray the prayer of surrender offered at the end, inviting Him to forgive you and become your way maker.
Follow Him as the way maker going forward
For those who prayed, commit to learning to follow Jesus daily and to visit rockpoint.io to click 'say yes to Jesus' so others can pray with and support you.

Keep going

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