Message Podcast - Faith Baptist Church of Mandarin

The darkness of life can impact our faith. It can cause us to question if God is real, if He cares, and even if what He said is true. It might surprise you to learn that a similar dilemma took place on the very first Easter. Things were not going at all according to their plans. But when the sun came up on Sunday morning, everything forever changed!

Can God be good when life is not? When times become dark, they often plunge us into a place of questions we hoped we'd never have to ask. But when you feel broken, abandoned, and struggling to find answers, look for the light. Discover how you can cling to God even when your circumstances are overwhelming. Remember that when times are dark, God sends His light of hope.

On the first Palm Sunday, the world was filled with people, like us, who struggled with being patient. The people had waited a long time for God to deliver them. They had grown tired of waiting and decided that now was the time for God to do something. However, their impatience blinded them to what they were actually doing, and also caused them to miss how God was moving.

After Jesus died on the cross, those who had followed Him expected what everyone expects after someone dies—that they would stay dead. But one of Jesus’ disciples, John, gave an eyewitness account of what happened: Jesus rose from the dead! In this narrative, we see John making the case that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be, the Messiah, the Son of God. The question remains, do you BELIEVE?

What comes to mind when you hear the word, "sacrifice?" Depending on the context, the word could carry a variety of meanings. But when we think of it in connection to Jesus, it leads us to the place of the cross. It is at the cross that we clearly see God's amazing love for us.