Here is the message on Matthew 27:45-50 that I taught on Tuesday, Dec. 6, for the Dahlonega community advent luncheon series, entitled, "Waiting Through the Pain." Both audio and sermon notes are included below. I love teaching in that context, where believers from all over the community come together to celebrate the gospel of Jesus. Thanks to St. Luke's Catholic Church for hosting!
This is a quote from Tim Keller's book, Counterfeit Gods, that provides encouragement for those of us who are being so well loved by our Father that he is tearing our idols away from us (and usually without anesthetic).
Sometimes God seems to be killing us when he's actually saving us... The Bible is filled with stories of figures such as [Abraham and] Joseph, Moses and David in which God seemed to have abandoned them, but later it is revealed he was dealing with the destructive idols in their lives and that could only come to pass through their experience of difficulty... We can't know all the reasons that our Father is allowing bad things to happen to us, but like Jesus did, we can trust him in those difficult times. As we look at him and rejoice in what he did for us, we will have the joy and hope necessary—and the freedom from counterfeit gods—to follow the call of God when times seem at their darkest and most difficult.
