Overview of Sunday is Coming | Joel Osteen
Joel Osteen delivers an encouraging Easter-centered message about the resurrection and the promise that God finishes what He starts. Using the image of Friday representing loss, delay, and discouragement and Sunday representing breakthrough, fulfillment, and new life, he urges listeners to stay in faith even when their circumstances look hopeless. The sermon emphasizes that God’s timing is trustworthy, dead dreams can be revived, and believers should speak victory rather than defeat.
Main Message
“Sunday is coming”
- The core theme is that even when life feels like the darkest Friday, resurrection Sunday is ahead.
- Osteen repeatedly reminds listeners that:
- God will complete the work He began.
- Delays are not denials.
- What looks buried may actually be planted and will rise again.
God finishes what He starts
- He ties this to Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.”
- The sermon stresses confidence, patience, and expectancy:
- Keep believing.
- Keep praying.
- Keep doing your best.
- Don’t let disappointment convince you to quit.
Key Themes and Takeaways
Faith during delay
- Osteen says many people are living through a “Friday season”:
- debt,
- sickness,
- family conflict,
- career frustration,
- unanswered prayers.
- His message: don’t interpret delay as failure.
Speak life, not defeat
- He warns that the first battle is often in the mind.
- Rather than saying:
- “It’ll never happen,”
- “I missed my chance,”
- “It’s too late,”
- believers should declare:
- “It is finished,”
- “God will heal,”
- “God will restore,”
- “God will provide.”
Trust God’s timing
- A major point is that promises often take longer than expected.
- Osteen encourages listeners to believe that:
- God is arranging people and opportunities behind the scenes,
- the “appointed time” will not be late,
- waiting is part of the process.
Don’t give up on buried dreams
- He says people often lose momentum by letting go of dreams too soon.
- Even if a dream seems dead, it may still be alive in seed form.
- The encouragement is to fan the flame, regain vision, and expect God to bring it back.
Illustrative Stories Used
Marcos Witt’s family story
- Osteen shares a story about a missionary couple in Mexico.
- After the husband’s tragic death, the widow continued forward in faith.
- Their son, Marcos Witt, later became a major Christian music leader.
- The story is used to show that God can turn tragedy into a wider, flourishing fulfillment.
Dawn’s 29-year wait for a child
- Another example involves a woman who believed for a baby for nearly three decades.
- She eventually had twins.
- The point: God does not abort dreams, and He can bring abundance in unexpected ways.
David, Abigail, and delayed promise
- Osteen references David’s long wait to become king.
- David almost acted rashly when insulted by Nabal, but Abigail intervened.
- Abigail is presented as a “God-sent reminder” to stay focused and not sabotage destiny in frustration.
- Lesson: don’t make permanent decisions during temporary disappointment.
Paul’s medical mission calling
- He also shares about his brother Paul, who delayed and later fulfilled a childhood desire to do medical missions.
- The story reinforces that dreams can unfold years later in ways that still align with God’s plan.
Practical Applications
What listeners are encouraged to do
- Stay confident that God will complete what He started.
- Refuse negative self-talk and complaint.
- Keep your dreams alive even when you can’t see progress.
- Be patient with God’s timing.
- Live expectantly instead of settling for discouragement.
- Speak faith-filled declarations over health, family, finances, and future.
Declarations emphasized in the sermon
- “It is finished.”
- “Sunday is coming.”
- “God will bring this promise to pass.”
- “I am confident He will finish what He started.”
Closing Focus
Osteen ends with a salvation invitation, asking listeners to pray to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. He also promotes his book Your Words, Your Reality, reinforcing the idea that what people say shapes what they experience. The overall closing message is simple and hopeful: keep believing, because resurrection and restoration are still ahead.