Gratitude Challenge 1 // Resurrection over Death

An All Saints Day Message by Pastor Mark Jordan

Click here to watch the intro video for this week’s message

Intro | Gratitude Challenge

• 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) | give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
• How do we express gratitude when life is challenging?
• This month we will look at several issues and address them from a biblical point of view
  • Resurrection over Death
  • Faith over Fear
  • Abundance over Scarcity
  • Generosity over Greed

2 Corinthians 5:1-9 (MSG) | For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less. That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we’ll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming. But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that’s what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions.

Bible Take-Aways

• The Old Body
  • Earthly tent
  • Filled with frustration
  • Deteriorating (entropy)
  • Unable to see Jesus face-to-face
• The New Body
  • Referred to as a home in heaven
  • Relief
  • Eternal
  • With Jesus
• The Resolve: Paul was determined to please God in both bodies

Gratitude Challenge

• Finding the ability to be content in the challenge is itself a challenge
• Losing a loved one can be so world-recking that we lose self
• It was in losing Mia that I was finally able to understand how Jesus could say His soul was sorrowful unto death.
• Once I came to find some contentment, I realized I had a reason to live!

This Week’s Challenge

• Give thanks to those whose lives made you who you are
• Look forward to the hope of glory in God’s presence along with those who precede you
• Keep looking for ways to shine in the darkness

Holy Communion

Reflection Questions

1. How do you find All Saints Day this year? How can you share hope with others who are grieving?
2. What did the Apostle Paul have to say about the old body we face in Christ?
3. What did the Apostle Paul have to say about the new body we look forward to?
4. What kind of resolve do you need to bridge the past with the future here in the present?
5. Regardless of how you face grief, how can you show gratitude even if it’s a challenge?