Matthew 27:45

The Chapel Fort Wayne

Matthew 27:45

Darkness Overall

March 20, 2024 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Matthew 27:45

This darkness was from noon to 3 pm. One ancient scholar points out that 3 pm was when the Jews of Jesus’ day offered their daily sacrifice. On this day God was offering His own sacrifice, once and for all, for the sins of the whole world! We make little of our sins. We call them mistakes. We blame others. We minimize their impact. But sin is our utter rebellion against God. It is the spirit and energy in each of us that shakes our fist against God and says to God, “I do not want to serve you, I want to serve myself!” This high-handed rebellion against God must be judged by our holy God! But because of His love, God poured out His judgment against our sin upon His own Son on the cross. The darkness that occurred in that moment, for those 3 hours, was a supernatural act of God, displaying His displeasure and judgment upon humanity for crucifying His Son.

PASSAGE: Matthew 27:45 - "From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land."

PAUSE: Have you paused this Lent and taken the time to consider the pain, the agony, the heartache, the torture, the loneliness, the blood, the darkness, and the overwhelming suffering of the crucifixion? The penalty for our sins is dark.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, today, I grieve your pain and suffering. Help me realize the gravity of my sins and your suffering to save my soul.

Luke 24:32

April 5, 2024 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Luke 24:32

I don’t know about you, but for me, this series exploring the “Easter Eggs” hidden throughout the Old Testament has been so rewarding! I can relate to these men who walked along the road to Emmaus with Jesus, recalling stories that they thought they knew so well, but now they were seeing the details clearly for the first time--realizing that this Gospel message has been weaved all throughout the Old Testament and pointed perfectly to Jesus Christ. We should continue to seek wisdom and clarity through God's word. May we never become puffed up with knowledge, but rather seek to understand who God is and what He has done for us. Lord, help us to understand your whole gospel message clearly so that we may go and tell others, and may your love burn in the hearts of all who hear of you. PASSAGE: Luke 24:32 - “They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” PAUSE: One of the goals of this series was to help you embrace Scripture and appreciate the blending of the old with the new. The early disciples described this experience as “burning within their hearts.” Ask the Lord to burn within your own heart as you read, meditate, and apply the Scriptures to your life. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see and to understand Scripture better. Help me to burn within my own soul as a read and meditate on you!

1 Corinthians 15:58

April 4, 2024 • Pastor Josh Lewis • 1 Corinthians 15:58

What motivates you to keep working when things get hard? It probably depends on the situation, and if we’re honest with ourselves, sometimes it can be easy to quit if we don’t have a strong motivator to keep us going. If you are ever feeling tempted to give up on work that the Lord has called you to, don’t get discouraged. You’re not alone. The reason Paul writes this to his audience is because there can be a very real temptation to give up or lose our purpose. Paul’s encouragement is to remember our focus on Christ. This whole chapter focuses on the victory that has been secured because of Christ’s resurrection, and that same victory is assured for us through Christ. Let that assurance be your motivation to never give up. Keep serving the Lord in whatever capacity He has called you to! PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." PAUSE: The resurrection changes everything! It changes our perspective as followers of Christ. As the church, it changes our purpose! The resurrection invites us to be steadfast in continuing the work of the Lord. Moving forward, our purpose should never be about ourselves but rather to serve the Lord. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for being short-sided and desiring to quit. Give me a steadfast heart; allow me to do the work of the Lord today!

1 Corinthians 15:57

April 3, 2024 • Pastor Mike Fanning • 1 Corinthians 15:57

Without the gospel of Jesus Christ, death and all of death’s devastation wins daily victory and final victory over everyone! But through the gospel, God reverses the curse and sting of death. And He replaces death with LIFE! Because Christ is Life and we are in Christ! On this side of heaven God gives purpose to our suffering and gives us the spiritual power to grow in victory over sin in our lives. And because of the gospel, those who are in Christ no longer live in fear of death because our eternal destiny with God has been set, and guaranteed! And so, the victory we have in this life through Jesus Christ will give way to ultimate victory in the New Heavens and New Earth where sin and death are completely removed altogether. New life with new bodies, living face to face with our Savior forever and ever! This is our victory in Jesus! It starts the moment we trust in Christ and it never ends! Never! PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 15:57 - "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." PAUSE: Paul concludes the resurrection chapter with a shout of victory! Throughout this Holy Week, have you paused and thanked Jesus? Have you thanked him for the cross? Have you thanked him for the forgiveness of sins? Let us take a moment, pause, and thank our Heavenly Father for our victory! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I sing a victory song today. Because of Christ, I am now forgiven of all my past, present, and future sins. Thank you, Jesus!