Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too
much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect
yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are
going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words
today and receive the power we need to live healthy,
vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Wednesday, December eighteen,
twenty twenty four. Hello, my name is Elle David Harris.
I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's Word every single day, and
today is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson
study series themes in the Gospel of John, and our
caption for today is the Empty Tomb, the Empty tumb
We'll get into that in just a moment, but first
I like to say welcome to you and ask you
to go over to your Daily Portion dot com. I
need you to join our online community. That's where we
have conversations online about what our study is. We can
type to each other and ask our questions, give our comments.
It's a vibrant a vibrant space for that. Yes, and
I need you also to make sure that you have
the companion guide we're doing. We have life Application. I've
never seen it done before like this, so that is
why we produced it. Okay, Life Application Guide. And also
let us know where you are in the world at
your daily portion dot com. This is one of the
ways that we continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's
go ahead and pray and then we will get underway.
Father and Heaven. Thank you for giving us this day
and getting us right into the middle of our work week. Father,
thank you for keeping us safe, keeping us in a
position where we can worship you and connect with you. Father,
please give us understanding, help us not to look in
the places of the dead for the living. In Jesus name,
I pray, Amen and Amen again. The empty tomb, the
empty tomb. Let me ask you a question, and it's
a question that I need to be answering for myself, Like,
am I looking Are you looking for life in dead places?
I said, are you looking for life in dead places?
What does that mean? I'm saying that if God is
delivering you from filling the blank negative thing. Why do
some of us go back and look at that thing
that has been run over on the road, that roadkill,
looking at that thing that is dead and buried and
exhuming its body proverbially, so that we can remember when
we used to be beaten up our in a relationship
that we shouldn't have been in. Huh, going to those
places where we failed because we were bound by rum,
We were bound by drugs and other kinds of abuses
to ourselves. Right, Why are we going to those dead
places where we experienced church hurt? Looking for life? You see,
sometimes people are looking for love and life in all
the wrong places. I said, some people are looking for love,
looking for life in all the wrong places. These are
the times in which we live. And unfortunately they were
some of God's people looking for Jesus in an empty tomb.
He promised that he was not going to be there
Sunday morning. He promised that he was going to be
He was going to raise, he was going to take
up his life again, and he would have all power
in his hands. But they were looking for him in
a dead space, looking for life in a dead space.
I hope we're not looking for life in a dead space.
The Bible says here in John chapter twenty, beginning at
verse one, the first day of the week, cometh Mary
Magdalene early when it was yet dark, unto the suppulcher,
and see if the stone taken away from the sepulcher.
You see, she should have been going there. And I
don't really care if people think I'm being critical, And
I really don't care if people say, oh, well, if
it were you, you would do the same thing, And
I'm like, well, I don't know, I don't know. I mean,
the children of Israel did the wrong thing. The first
generation of freed slaves, even Moses and Aaron, died in
the wilderness with millions of others. Ah, but there was
a Joshua, there was a Caleb, like there were men
who believed God and said that God has promised, and
therefore we can take the city. Those giants are not giants.
Those giants don't matter to God. We serve a mighty God.
And so Mary Magdalene, no disrespect. I'm saying Mary Magdalene,
when she went to the sepulcher, she should have went
gone there waiting to see that the stone was rolled away.
She should have been there to worship and say, God,
I knew that you would not leave us. I knew
you would not forsake us. I knew that you would
keep your promise, and that Jesus would not be here.
I just wanted to see it with my own eyes.
But alas, alas, that's not why she went. The Bible
says in verse two. Then she runneth and cometh to Simon,
Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and
seth unto them. They have taken away the Lord out
of the sepulcher. What come on, Mary, no dis like.
I know you love Jesus. You were forgiven much, therefore
you loved much. I know you poured all out for her.
I know that you chose the best part. Mary. But
in this moment, Mary, why are you looking for Jesus
where dead people are? And so she says that somebody
took like somebody kidnapped his dead body. That's what she
told Peter and the other disciple, and came to the sepulcher.
So they ran both together, and the other disciple did
out run Peter. Why were they running so fast?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 2: Why were they running to see Jesus, to see Jesus
in worship, because they knew he was alive, or something else. Well,
let's go with the something else. Don't be distracted by
by blinking camera. It is hot in here, so it's malfunctioning.
I apologize, And the Bible continues verse five. And he's
stooping down and looking in. Saw the linen clothes, of
course he did, lying, yet he went not in. Then
cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher,
and see it the linen clothsed lie yes, verse seven,
and the napkin that was about his head, not lying
with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place
by itself. This is where you begin to worship brothers
and sisters, and you say, ah, Christ, the Lord has
risen today, hallelujah. They should have been worshiping him Verse eight.
And went also in that other disciple which came first
into the sepulcher, and he saw and he believed. What
did he believe? Oh wait a minute, for as yet
they knew not the scripture. Oh so they weren't believing
that Jesus did exactly what he said that he did,
For they yet knew not the scripture that he must
rise again from the dead. I thought Jesus said it
to them directly Verse ten. Then the disciples went away
again unto their own home. These dudes are fearful. These
dudes are dejected and feel rejected. They're fearful man because
they think the devil one when Jesus promised that he
would come and wake up again, because he would take
up his life on the third day, But they as
yet knew not the scripture that he must rise from
the dead. Why not, brothers and sisters? Why is it
that in twenty twenty four some of us don't know
the scriptures that teach us that we can be spiritually raised, incorruptible? Like,
how is it that so few of us actually embrace
the life applications that we don't look in dead places
for living truths? Why is it? Well, because sometimes humans
lack faith. And so I'm going into our companion guide.
I'm going into the companion guide. You should see a
link in the description to be able to get that.
And I'm going to go into a relationship application. Okay,
and this is how we win using the letters wi
N Okay. If you need all of it. You're going
to have to pick it up because I won't be
able to cover it. But in relationships, w what is
important now? In this case? Well, Mary, Magdalene, Peter, and
John's reactions to the empty Tomb show different aspects of
faith and understanding. Their responses teach us about the importance
of community and how we can grow in our faith
through shared experiences and support. I internalize the insight, internalize
the insight. Reflect on your relationships within your faith community.
Are you support awarding one another as Peter and John did,
running together to seek answers and to find truth. Are
there people in your community who may need encouragement to believe?
You see these men and I'll leave the next best
move for you to pick up in the book and
you can share it in the community. Okay. But there
are times that we as we are searching for truth,
searching for our ability to live for God, searching for
connection with God, that our brothers and sisters can help us,
can help us and say, don't give up now, don't
give up now, sister, don't give up now. Brother, He's
alive like he's alive. Christ, the Lord has risen today. Hallelujah.
Now live with him until Jesus God.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening. Friends, Always remember we cannot
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. This has been your daily
portion with El David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,