Tremble | Randy Frazee | ONE
Teaching Notes
I love how this reading ends like a cliffhanger, adrenaline surging but with jolted finish. There’s a revelation –Jesus is alive! And yet, so many questions remain, dots still left to connect. Gasping for air, lost for words, the three women fled because they were “Trembling, bewildered, and afraid.”
Q: Could you imagine?
Q: What are you most afraid of right now?
Q: How do we cope with these fears?
Dave Barry the old humorist once said, “All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears – of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, of speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words ‘Some Assembly Required.’”
And of course, there are “clinical” ways to face our fears and I can personally tell you that Christ-centered therapy has been a game changer.
But as a pastor I want to approach this question theologically and say…
“How do we not allow our fears to rule our lives?
How can we have peace in our lives?”
Well, here’s the answer:
Choose a better fear.
Tremble at something bigger.
“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you fear him.”
Luke 12:4-5
What Jesus is getting at is this:
Your God is too small.
Your fear is too small.
When we lose our fear in God, we will fear everything else, and that will take us down a vicious and repeatable cycle.
Q: Can you see that progression in you?
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Luke 12:6-7
That’s why the empty grave is so important.
The empty grave confirms that, with God, there is no rival or equal.
He is the most powerful.
He conquers death (note: see 1 Corinthians 15:12-28).
The empty grave reminds us that we stand before the Living God, awesome in power and mighty in strength.
He has overcome death itself.
Not only is his power confirmed, so too is his love.
And because of an empty grave, we join Paul in saying:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
William D. Eisenhower explains the relationship with rightly fearing God this way: “Unfortunately, many of us presume that the world is the ultimate threat and that God's function is to offset it. How different this is from the biblical position that God is far scarier than the world…When we assume that the world is the ultimate threat, we give it unwarranted power, for in truth, the world's threats are temporary. When we expect God to balance the stress of the world, we reduce him to the world's equal…As I walk with the Lord, I discover that God poses an ominous threat to my ego, but not to me. He rescues me from my delusions, so he may reveal the truth that sets me free. He casts me down, only to lift me up again. He sits in judgment of my sin, but forgives me nevertheless. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom but love from the Lord is its completion.”
So, in the midst of our ailment, suffering or pain…In the midst of our anxiety or fears, in the midst of our very real-world anguish and pain, we can say:
Cheer Up! On Your Feet. The Risen One is calling you.
And He is…All Powerful. All Good. Complete Love.
And that’s the difference. The women at the empty grave chose a better fear! The one who is “far scarier.”
They were trembling, bewildered and afraid before an empty grave, not an empty life.
The grave was empty, but their hearts were full.
THEY TREMBLED AT AN EMPTY GRAVE.
At nothing else and no one else.
Q: Do you long to tremble like that?
WE TREMBLE AT AN EMPTY GRAVE.
At nothing else and no one else.
So I call you to courage:
We don’t tremble over national elections. We tremble at the one who has the power of heaven.
We don’t tremble over outbreaks and pull backs. We tremble at the one who pulled back the veil of heaven.
We don’t tremble or wait for the next shoe to drop, because we tremble at the one who’s sandal we cannot untie.
We don’t tremble at newsfeeds or breaking news, we tremble at the one who was broken for our sins; who was crucified, rose, ascended, and today sits on the throne as Lord over all creation.
We don’t tremble at doomsayer’s predictions; we tremble at the one who promises to return and make all things new.
WE TREMBLE AT AN EMPTY GRAVE.
At nothing else and no one else.
Because Jesus says:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
Sunday Set List
WFC Lenexa/Online
Rattle- Elevation Worship
Tremble- Mosaic MSM
Jesus Is Our King- The Collective KC
There Is A King- Elevation Worship
Because He Lives- People & Songs
WFC Speedway
Rattle- Elevation Worship
Death Was Arrested- North Point Worship
Graves Into Gardens- Elevation Worship Feat./Brandon Lake
Raise A Hallelujah- Bethel Music
Jesus Is Our King- The Collective KC
Be sure to save our Spotify Worship Playlist, updated weekly with the upcoming Sunday’s set!
Watching Group Content + Discussion
Find weekly watching group content here.
What stood out to you from today’s viewing?
How would you summarize these chapters in a sentence or two?
What did you learn about Jesus in these chapters?
What did you learn about people/humanity in these chapters?
What is God asking you to do, be, embrace, change and/or believe from these chapters?