most miserable.” “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; The Resurrection is Central to our Faith and Hope! “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” 1 Cor 15:17-19

“(they) were assembled for fear of the Jews” “Most miserable” certainly seems to describe the disciples during those 3 days. John 20:19 “(they) were assembled for fear of the Jews” 1. Jesus had tried repeatedly to prepare them for what was about to happen.

A few weeks before “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem suffer many things of the elders ...priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Mt. 16:21

Mt 26:2 “Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, A few days before: Mt 26:2 “Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.”

The night before he said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

2. Jesus invites them to “join” Him. before I suffer:” A. “My Peace” (eirē’nē) means to join Me! Communion! Luke 22:15 “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:”

B. Satan was also seeking partners. Lk 22:21 “The hand of him that betrays me is with me on the table…” 24 “And there was also a strife… which of them should be accounted the greatest.” 31 “Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat… but I have prayed for you “

but the flesh is weak.” C. In Gethsemane Jesus appealed: Mt 26:38 “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: …watch with me. “ 40 “he cometh, and findeth them asleep… could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

C. Sadly, they joined the wrong side. That same night: Judas betrayed him. Peter denied him. 3) “Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.” Matthew 26:56

Because of this, they spent the next three days in misery and despair. “(they) were assembled for fear of the Jews…, Jn 20:19 E. “Jesus …stood in the midst and saith… Peace be unto you.”

3. Before they could experience and the power of His resurrection, the peace of Christ and the power of His resurrection, They had to go through a process (to Join God!)

with little thought or patience for God’s plan or process! A. Satan understands this process better than we do! He tries to trap us in the confusion of the temporary with little thought or patience for God’s plan or process! (which produces God’s Peace)

During the dark (desert) times, he seeks to drive us to despair He pressures us to “join him” by making choices that reflect our immediate feelings and fears, instead of our Faith! During the dark (desert) times, he seeks to drive us to despair and convince us that “all is lost.”

B. Paul understood God’s process B. Paul understood God’s process. “what things were gain to me, I counted loss for Christ. Phil. 3:7-8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having my own righteousness...but the righteousness of God by faith”

and the power of His resurrection…” Phil. 3:10 a “That I may know him, and the power of His resurrection…” Phil. 3:10 a

of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death…” “ and the fellowship (koinonia: partnership) of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death…” Phil. 3:10 b Symmorpho’ō: From Syn: union with And Morphe’: to shape and adjust.

1) God seeks to shape (adjust) us, to be like His Son! “All things work together to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to (Symmorphos’: shaped in union with) the image of His son.” Ro. 8:28,29

2) Satan seeks to sidetrack us (from God) through sin. Heb 12:1-2 “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us,

Heb. 12:2“looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith.” a) When Peter shifted his focus (and faith) away from Christ and toward his circumstances; He sank! (Mt. 14:24-33)

b) All the disciples repeated this “shift” in focus for these three days and as a result: They “partnered” with Satan (instead of God) Their faith (and peace) sank accordingly!

Lest ye be weary and faint” Heb. 12:2“looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith. 3 For consider Him… (Analogiz’omai: proportion, estimate, evaluate) Lest ye be weary and faint”

If we fail to properly consider (proportion) Jesus, we’ll also “faint…” Proportion: Noun: The correct, or ideal relationship between one thing and the parts of a whole. Verb: To adjust or regulate something so that it has a suitable relationship to something else.

What Does Easter Mean? That God has a Plan! (Redemption and Restoration!) That Plan involves a Process! (Salvation  Sanctification!) That Process involves a partnership! (Commitment  Consecration)

Changed the world! We face the same challenge and choice. Ro. 12:1,2 That Partnership involves a Personal Choice! The apostles made that choice and allowed God to “shape them”. That choice “changed” them and God, through them, Changed the world! “for consider Him” Heb 12:3 We face the same challenge and choice. Ro. 12:1,2

“take my yoke upon you and learn of me, That Partnership involves a Personal Choice! Do you need to make some “adjustments” so that your relationship (partnership) with Jesus is appropriately aligned so that you can know the partnership of “His Peace”? “for consider Him” Heb 12:3 “take my yoke upon you and learn of me, ye shall find rest for your soul” Mt 11:29