Uncertainty is nothing new. Times are uncertain, but God is not. He’s still got the whole world in his hands.
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
Nothing New
Scripture: Mark 14:17-26
Pastor Tom Cogle
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Idea:Uncertainty is nothing new. Times are uncertain, but God is not. He’s still got the whole world in his hands.
Introduction
One of the most dramatic moments in human history took place in what has been described as the upper room. Jesus and his men had gathered for the Passover meal—an annual meal Jewish families gathered to eat to commemorate the night before the morning when the nation would be released from Egyptian captivity. It was a meal eaten to remember God’s faithfulness after 400 years of seeming faithlessness—400 years during which the Jewish people lived as slaves, but eventually became a nation.Four hundred years of unanswered prayer. Four hundred years of harsh treatment. But at last, God had sent a deliverer—Moses—who stood up to the most powerful man on the planet, Pharaoh, and demanded that he let God’s people go.Now, 1,400 years later, Jesus is gathered with his disciples to commemorate that historic event. But the disciples are a bit distracted. Things aren’t going well. Their popularity has diminished. They noted that Jesus did not enter Jerusalem by day, but stayed in the countryside until the sun set before entering. There was secrecy around where they would meet that night. Jesus hadn’t even told them. And understandably so. They knew that there was a movement to have Jesus arrested. He kept talking about his death. And Judas was acting very strangely.The certainty they had grown accustomed to was gone. Now there were more questions than answers. And as they gathered for their annual feast, things got even crazier.
Mark 14:17When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me [hand me over] . . .Since Jesus was rarely wrong, this didn’t come as good news.. . .—one who is eating with me.”19They were saddened [disappointed], and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?”Nobody asked, “What do you mean?” Or, “To who?” They knew. They were just hoping it wasn’t really going to happen. They knew the moment they heard he was headed to Jerusalem. It was as if he had given up . . . was walking into a trap.20It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.[uJpa¿gw: depart, leave, withdraw]But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.
I.Most of what we find in the Scriptures was written in environments of extreme uncertainty.
A. This book is not filled with feel-good messages for a world we don’t live in. Here we find God active and speaking directly into uncertain times.1. Joseph listened as his brothers debated whether to sell him or kill him . . . and we discover that God was with him.2. King David was awakened one morning to the rumor that his own son was conspiring against him.3. A frightened mother wrapped her baby in a blanket and put him in a basket so that Egyptian soldiers wouldn’t kill him.4. Years later, another mother flees her home with her newborn son to escape the sword of Herod.5. The apostle Paul thought God had called him, but found himself in a Roman prison. He writes to us about what to do when God’s promises don’t seem to be coming true.
B. This is the perfect place to come in times of uncertainty. The Bible is filled with stories of people facing uncertainty and discovering that not only is God not absent, he is often diligently at work accomplishing his will in this world and in the lives of those he loves.
C.We are reminded that God still has the whole world in his hands.
D.We are challenged to trust him when it’s hard to find him/understand him/manage him.The story continues. Because we know the end of the story, the next few words have extraordinary significance, but they are completely lost on the Twelve because of the situation they are in.22While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” 23Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.He foreshadows the event that will be celebrated for 2,000 years—buildings built because of it, wars fought, a worldwide movement begun. God is about to make his move on behalf of the world, but everything seems to be moving backwards and getting worse. As they are leaving, the news gets worse . . .27“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: “ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”Now he refers to the EVENT that will change everything. But it is too dark for them to see or find hope. So . . .Peter speaks for all of us…29Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”Peter was thinking: I don’t like this plan and I’m going to do something about it. But in the end, he was the most humiliated of all; he fell away in the most humiliating fashion.Here’s the question we must each answer for ourselves as we face our personal and national uncertainty: Is it possible that God is still active, still accomplishing his purposes when there is no indication of his activity? Active in your world and the world? When everything seems to be going backwards? Dark?Your answer to that question will determine your response to your/our current uncertainty.1. I think if we were to interview the disciples and ask them about their darkest hours, they would have been the hours that began here.2. With the clarity of hindsight, if we were to ask, “When did God accomplish his greatest work?” it would have been in these same hours.3. This was the beginning of three days of utter despair for the disciples. This was the culmination of God’s plan of redemption.4. When life is uncertain, God is not. He’s still got the whole world in his hands.5. Good things come from broken things. When we can see that God is behind or in or working through the undesirable circumstances—even the ones we bring on ourselves—there is a sense of purpose and peace that emerges.6. That won’t get me a job, pay my bills, keep me in school, or restore my 401k.7. It won’t. But it will allow you to maintain hope and faith in the meantime.• It will allow you to go to bed at night with the confidence that God has not abandoned you.• It will motivate you to be on the lookout for his grace and intervention.• It will keep you from leaning in directions that only make things worse.• It will protect you from despair.
Remember: When life is uncertain, God is not. He’s still got the whole world in his hands.
Conclusion
I was watching an interview of Reverend Otis Moss Jr., who is an African American pastor in his 70s. Reverend Moss was born in 1935 in rural Georgia. He was raised in LaGrange and orphaned at 16.He saw and experienced the worst of what America had to offer. He came to faith early and became a pastor at 19. He befriended Martin Luther King Jr. and joined him in his fight against racism. He marched with King in Selma, Alabama, and Washington, D.C.
During the interview, he told several interesting stories. Then he sort of stared off into space for a moment and said something we’ve all read and heard a thousand times.
He said, “and we know . . . that in all things God works for the good of those who love him . . .’” (And he couldn’t finish.) So, the interviewer did:“. . . and who have been called according to his purpose.”(Romans 8:28)He said: “That’s right . . . but sometimes it takes Him awhile.”Reverend Moss knew firsthand “that when life is uncertain, God is not.”HE’S STILL GOT THE WHILE WORLD IN HIS HANDS.