April
15, 2001 sunrise service “Wonders in the Dark?”
Psalm 88:1-13
By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville
Baptist Church.
Is
there hope for the hopeless and help for the helpless?
This is a sunrise
sermon and was preached in the cemetery.
The purpose of this sermon is to show the hope that we have in
Christ who is the risen Lord.
Scripture Text:
Psalm 88:1 (KJS) A Song [or] Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the
chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD
God of my salvation, I have cried day [and] night before thee: 2 Let my
prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; 3 For my soul is
full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. 4 I am counted
with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man [that hath] no strength:
5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou
rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. 6 Thou hast laid me
in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. 7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon
me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves. Selah. 8 Thou hast put
away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto
them: [I am] shut up, and I cannot come forth. 9 Mine eye mourneth by reason
of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my
hands unto thee. 10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise
[and] praise thee? Selah. 11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the
grave? [or] thy faithfulness in destruction? 12 Shall thy wonders be known
in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13 But unto
thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
1.
The feelings of the people. Before
the resurrection of the Lord from the dead.
As
we gather in the graveyard, this reminds us of those times we have been here
to bury our loved ones and friends. It
isn’t a pleasant time. Feel the
pain of death: separation,
lostness, hopelessness, helpless, weakness, Have you seen the emptiness of
life: When the disciples realized
that the Lord was dead they began to experience the hopelessness of life.
The disciples were lost without their master teacher, and they huddled
in a room for fear of the Romans. What
would you have done?
2.
The questions of the people? Would
we question the Lord?
Will
you show wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise thee?
Shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave or thy
faithfulness in destruction?
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark and they
righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? Is it too late for us now?
Now that our friend and teacher has died, now that our loved ones have
died, and now that we know that we are going to die is there anything that you
can do? Mary and Martha said Lord
if you had been here our brother, Lazarus would not have died.
But, it seems your too late. Why
have you allowed all of this death and misery?
It would even seem that you O Lord have inflicted your punishment on
us? What will you do now to us?
3.
The decision of the people.
Unto
thee have I cried, O Lord: and in the morning will my prayer come before thee.
Where else can we turn? Where
can we go? We have now hope and
no one to turn to.
4.
Hear the Lord’s Answer to the people.
I
have loved you with an everlasting love. I have loved even before I created
you. I have come to live
with you and die for you. I lived with as a transient not having a place to
lay my head. I have felt the pain
of the death of a friend and a loved one. I have cried. I have felt the pain of desertion and betrayal.
I have been wrongly accused and
murdered to further the evil plans of the religious right.
I have seen the injustices of society first hand.
I have been there. I was
crucified because I am the King of the Jews.
I was buried in a borrowed tomb.
I will show you, the dead, the wonders of the only true living God.
Even though you are dead, yet will you live.
Come and see the borrowed tomb they put me in.
I am no longer there. My
Father raised me up on the third day. Come
and see the loving kindness that is to be found in the grave.
It is seen there. The tomb
is empty. Even though you may
think that I am unfaithful, you must remember that I am the Lord of the heaven
and the earth and I will act, as I will.
You must see that I am. You
must realize that I will not and have not forgotten you.
You must wait to see the wonders, but believe and not doubt.
I have heard your cry.
Now you must believe that I have answered you.
I have not only answered you in the written Word of God, but I have
spoken to you in person through He, the Holy Spirit.
He has shown you who I am. He has shown you the power of living with me
in the world. Now go to proclaim
with your life, your lips, and your love who I am.
I am the Lord of the living and the dead.
I am the one makes the dead to speak and live again. I am the one and only who will give you hope in a world of
hopelessness. I am the One who
loves you with an everlasting love. Go
and be not doubting but believe and show the others who don’t see and
don’t know and don’t believe that there is some light to be found in the
darkness.
. 10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the
dead arise [and] praise thee? Selah. 11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared
in the grave? [or] thy faithfulness in destruction? 12 Shall thy wonders be
known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13 But
unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent
thee.