WEEK 6
READ WEEK 5 NOTES HERE ... Days 27-33
DAY 34. JOHN STAYED CLOSE BY
From Max:
- He didn't know that Friday's tragedy would be Sunday's triumph.
REFLECT - Even when John's life was at its deepest darkness, John chose not to put Jesus behind his back.
Discuss - Why is it so easy to turn our backs on Jesus in the times of deep sadness, pain and loss? Don't forget, darkness is deepest just before the dawn.
DAY 35. THE EMPTY GRAVE
From Max:
- Through the rags of death, John saw the power of life.
REFLECT - Jesus' grave became empty so that you could become full.
Discuss - read John 20:6-7 and then click this link THE STONE WAS GONE BUT THE NAPKIN WASN'T to discover the meaning of the folded napkin where Jesus' head had lain.
DAY 36. MARY MAGDALENE AT JESUS' TOMB
From Max:
- Jesus waits for us to despair of human strength and then intervenes with heavenly strength.
REFLECT - When life is going out Jesus is coming in.
Discuss - read Psalm 46:10 and Isaiah 40:31. How does Jesus approach the troubled who seek Him? What do you think is the lifeblood of refreshing devotion?
Discuss - 'We are human beings not human doings.' ~ Rick Warren
DAY 37. THE DISCIPLES GATHER
From Max:
- I dare say that all of us have witnessed our sandcastle promises swept away by the pounding waves of panic and insecurity.
REFLECT - Jesus' resurrection means we can always return to Him. He is the welcoming brother of prodigals.
Discuss - Jesus will never hold yesterday against us when we want Him today.
Discuss - How could this be true? Yesterday wants to steal our tomorrow.
DAY 38. PEACE BE WITH YOU
From Max:
- When the Roman soldiers took Jesus, Jesus' followers took off.
REFLECT - "The truth of faith has little value when it is also not the life of the heart." ~ Brennan Manning
Discuss - God is enough. That is the root of peace. When we start seeking something besides Him, we lose it. ~ Brennan Manning
Discuss - How does Jesus' presence bring peace? Psalms 65:14 & 89:15 discuss blessings that will certainly lead to peace. What are they?
DAY 39. HIS RESURRECTED BODY
From Max:
- The hands that blessed the bread of the boy now bless the prayers of the millions.
REFLECT - Jesus rose to replace human distance with divine presence.
Discuss - When there is no defender, when you are cold, lost or lonely there remains the Advocate. He invites us to Heaven while we still stand upon earth. How does Luke 11:28-29 help?
DAY 40. HE DID IT JUST FOR YOU
From Max:
- Not once did Christ use His supernatural powers for personal comfort.
REFLECT - If I was the only one on the earth then Jesus would have still died for me. But I also would have held the hammer and the nails.
Discuss - Jesus no longer watches the hammer and the nails, the pain I have caused Him. Even when I take up these instruments from time to time His interest in me remains firmly placed only on my well-being. He did not tell a lie in John 10:10. Describe 'life to the full'.
RECAP - What are the two steps each believer will take to Resurrection?