04/05/2026
Today at Restoration, the name of Jesus was high and lifted up!!! The people praised, and the presence of the Lord was felt all over the house. Pastor Donna preached from Luke 24:1-9; the topic for the day was ETA—Early! This message declares that God doesn’t just show up “on time”, sometimes He shows up early. The women arrived at the tomb with plans, spices, and expectations to minister to a dead Jesus, but He had already risen. They were early by their clock, yet late to what God had already done. It reveals how we often miss God because we look for the usual and expected, while God moves in the supernatural and unexpected. The angels’ question, “Why seek the living among the dead?” becomes a personal challenge for us. We cannot expect living promises to be fulfilled in dead places. Many of us are “tomb-dwelling”, holding on to old seasons, failed plans, grief, and closure, while asking God to do a new thing there. But Jesus didn’t just get up; He came out. And if we want what God has for us, we must get up and come out too. The sermon drives home three powerful truths:
1) You Will Not Find It in the Tomb: Stop searching for God’s new move in places of finality, darkness, and what used to be. Leave the graveyard of old seasons.
2) We Must Remember What He Said: Jesus already told them He would rise (Luke 9:22). Their confusion came from forgetting His Word. When we forget what God said, we panic when things don’t look familiar. 3) Go Tell It!: After they remembered, they didn’t stay at the tomb. They ran to tell others. A real encounter with the risen Savior gives you resurrection testimony and resurrection responsibility. The sermon reminds us that God’s timing is not bound to ours. If it hasn’t happened yet, don’t assume He’s late. Learn to look for where God has already moved. His ETA is not late; it’s early.