He Still Moves Stones

HE STILL MOVES STONES

TEXT: JOHN 20:1-9
THEME: GOD REVEALS HIS GLORY TO THE WORLD
Sometimes I become discouraged about the church and church people. Sometimes I become discouraged over the level of Christianity in this world. I can become overly focused on the negative aspects of the church. I can become disappointed in the church of Christ. It seems that the church often fails, often falls, and often disappoints. Probably, I am disappointed in the church because I am often disappointed in myself. I have this need to develop and grow. I have to pursuit of being a better minister than I am. Much of the congregational failings are placed on my shoulders. If the numbers are down I hear the comments of preaching better. If the contribution is down the comments of a poor sermon are directed my way. Being disappointed in myself is larger than just having the comments given to me. Most of this comes from myself. I wish I would have more home bible studies, maybe I should knock some more doors, try to meet some more people. Often I remember that I am to visit someone or check on someone two days after I was told to do so. I have this need to preach good lessons, lessons that do not fly over everyone’s heads. But it seems no matter how hard I try I seem to disappoint the congregation. I become so disappointed in myself. But I realize at some of my more optimistic moments that I am placing on the burden of the Lord’s church and the Lord’s work on my weak and small shoulders. No wonder I am disappointed with myself, I am a man. I cannot help but no life up the congregation’s expectations or my own expectations. If the whole burden of work, of blessing the congregation is on me I am going to fail.
And if you are like me you get disappointed with the congregation. You look around and see so much works that we could be doing. We see the failings of this congregation. But if we are honest in looking at the church as a whole, we see that the beginning of the problem is with ourselves. We do not give enough time, enough money, and enough prayer. We just do not have enough to give to the Lord. But once again we are making the assumption that everything about the church relies on us. It is on all our shoulders. It is up to us completely to make the church what it is. We have heard lesson after lesson about our responsibility to the Lord. We have heard preaching about the need to work, the need to pray, the need to give, and the need to do everything ourselves. And in the end, we fail. We disappoint. We are just human. And if you are like me, we wonder about what the Lord is doing for us, for his church, for his people. You wonder if the Lord died, and went on a permanent vacation for working in the church. How is the Lord working in his church? His shoulders are larger than ours. Does everything in the church fall on us? Sometimes we get into this attitude. We have to do everything right to have any success in the church. Everything seems to fall to us.
And I feel that you are like me, you need to be reminded that the Lord is not on taking it easy. The Lord is alive and active in his church. He bought his church with his blood and he continues to serve the church after his death. The Lord is still busy in this world. He is still active in our lives and in this congregation. We all need to