What does God do when you fail Him?

So many people say they’ll come to church, but then don’t, because… they feel bad.

They know they do things wrong… …they know they’re not a good person… …and they feel scared they’ll feel that way if they come on a Sunday.

Many of us here feel like bad people a lot of the time. We’re scared people will see us for who we are… …and we cover that over in different ways. Perhaps we look for distractions. Or we blame or criticise others to deflect. Or we seek perfectionism to compensate.

The story of the first Easter Sunday morning starts with massive, massive failure: Judas had betrayed Jesus to be murdered. The disciples hadn’t believed or understood Jesus’ words. His followers were tiny and divided. Pete—Jesus’ most loyal friend—had denied him three times.

The Jesus project was a catastrophic failure. And when we fail at things, we have a natural fear of being abandoned or punished.

So the question for the disciples is this: What will God do? What does God do when you fail Him?

And yet, the Easter story is not about how people come through for God—it’s about how God comes through for people.

Here’s two things we learn from Mark’s account of Easter Day:

1) We don’t believe what Jesus promises
2) But Jesus still does what he promises

Let’s look at the first: 1) We don’t believe what Jesus promises

Please look at verses 1-2:

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

The women think that death has won. Jesus had predicted he would rise from the dead. But they simply didn’t believe him.

We fail to believe what God says, and because we don’t believe God, we don’t understand him.

Look again at vv. 3-4:

They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.

They are confused, focused only on their immediate physical problems. And because they are so stuck in their lack of belief even when they see the first evidence that Jesus’ promises were true and that he has risen from the dead, they can’t understand what’s right in front of their eyes!

Their lack of belief leads them to get upset. Look again at v. 5:

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

This week I was texting back and forth with a friend, who was so upset about me telling him “Jesus loves you.” He replied in anger, saying: “Here’s MY opinion, and you may not say you have a different opinion; and I never want to hear you say again ‘Jesus loves you’.”

Unbelief makes people alarmed and upset about the gospel message. And then, finally, look again at v. 8:

So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

They run away, they don’t talk about Jesus, and they’re just scared.

Here is the first lesson from Marks’ account of Easter Day: We don’t believe what Jesus promises

And this unbelief has several consequences: We don’t believe, so we’re focused on immediate problems. We don’t believe, so we get confused about what God says. —and no amount of evidence or explanation will change that.

We don’t believe, so we get angry and upset at God’s love. We don’t believe, so we are full of fear and don’t want to talk about Jesus.

How do you ignore what Jesus says? How do you panic about things in front of you instead of trusting His promises? Where do you find yourself constantly confused about what the Bible says?

How often do you avoid conversations about Jesus, or don’t talk about Jesus, because you’re afraid, confused, or embarrassed.

How much do you hear your internal voice saying words like: “I’m too far gone,” “I’m a failure,” “God is disappointed in me.”

And so when you hear “Jesus loves you; Jesus has forgiven you; God is in a good mood with you.” How much does that frustrate you, because… …you want to be a good person without needing God’s mercy?

All of these things in your life are signs of unbelief. They arise from not trusting what God says.

The Easter story is not about strong believers—it’s about fearful failures.

People who fail in faith: people like you; and people like me.

Which brings us to Mark’s second point: That even though we struggle to believe: Jesus still does what he promises

Look again at v. 6:

But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.

The women have failed, they are stuck in their unbelief, they don’t understand what’s happening.

And yet Jesus died for their sin, and rose again to make them righteous, anyway, despite their unbelief.

Jesus died on the cross to take the legal penalty for your sin. Whether you believe that or not—he did it. He did this for every single individual in the whole world.

Even though, every single one of us lets him down and fails him… …he died for you anyway.

And Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and giving you God’s righteousness. All of the perfect and good things about God… …His perfect love, his perfect mercy, his patience, …kindness, gentless, self-control. Even though you don’t deserve them… …Jesus rose from the dead to give these things to you

This is righteousness—being a right and good person… …and by rising from the dead… …Jesus gave you his righteousness. And he did this for the women anyway, even though they failed to believe him.

The angel goes on in v. 7:

But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’

Jesus rises from the dead, even though the women didn’t believe, and the first thing Jesus does, which this angels tells the women, is that Jesus reaches out a hand of friendship to the very people who had failed him.

At the moment Jesus was arrested Mark 14:50-52 tells us this:

And they all left him and fled. And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

Jesus’ disciples were so desperate to abandon Jesus, that one man ran away naked.

Peter, Jesus best friend, had failed even further, 14:66-72:

one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

These disciples that had fled—even one being naked.

This Peter who denied Jesus—even three times when questioned only by a servant girl.

These people who failed Jesus so catastrophically, are the people Jesus reaches out to immediately after rising from the dead.

The angel said to the women:

tell his disciples—and Peter—that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you

Jesus still does what he promises

And today, Easter Day in the year 2 thousand and twenty five, we are still talking about the resurrection, we are celebration this moment… …because Jesus’ Gospel is unstoppable.

The Jewish authorities could not stop him. The Roman court system could not stop him. Whipping and nailing him to a cross could not stop him. Death itself could not stop him.

And your and my failure cannot stop him. Our passage ends with the failure of the women to speak, v. 8:

they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

And yet this day would not be defined by their failure toward Jesus, but by his victory toward them.

So, you don’t need to run away from Jesus. You don’t need hide in shame. You are not too far gone.

Whatever your particular failure is: Jesus already died for it. He already rose to give you his righteousness.

And just like he did with Peter and the disciples—he’s reaching out to you today.

You might feel like a failure. You might not believe properly. But Jesus still calls you by name. He’s not waiting for you to become good—He’s already given you his goodness.

There’s no need to pretend anymore. No need to hide your mistakes. No need to explain away your guilt. No need to make up for past errors.

You don’t need to be crushed by guilt.

You don’t need to be afraid of how God will react. You can talk to him honestly. You can come to church positively. You can speak openly to others about Jesus.

Because this story shows: Jesus comes to failures like you and failures like me.

So, this week, like the angel said to the women: go and tell people about Jesus. Not because you’re brave, but because he’s alive. Not because you’re strong, but because he keeps his promises.

So, What does God do when you fail him? He doesn’t abandon you. He doesn’t lash out at you. He doesn’t wait for you to clean yourself up.

1) We don’t believe what Jesus promises

So, We focus on immediate problems. We get confused about what God says. We get angry and upset at God’s love. We are full of fear and don’t want to talk about Jesus.

2) But Jesus still does what he promises

Think of all these people who let him down:
the women didn’t believe—he rose from the dead anyway
the disciples ran away naked—he reached out to them
Peter denied him three times—the angel named Peter as the disciple Jesus wanted to meet.

Jesus forgives you. And because of Easter Day: Jesus makes you righteous. And so, as the angel says to the women:

go, tell