The Humanity of Jesus - "That we may Believe" [Part 3]
The Humanity of Jesus - "That we may Believe" • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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— Our message this week is the 3rd sermon of 4 from John 11.
— We are going to look at John 11.28-37. It begins on page 897 of the bibles in the rack in front of you.
— Of course you can also use your own bible or an app on your phone.
— Turn there while we are doing a bit of review from that last couple of weeks.
Bit of Review of Chapter 11 so far...
Bit of Review of Chapter 11 so far...
— John 11 presents the profound spiritual implications of
— faith, resurrection, and the identity of Jesus Christ as God incarnate, God with skin on
— The chapter recounts the story of Jesus walking with Martha, Mary and His disciples through the sickness and death of Lazarus.
— But Lazarus does not stay “dead!” He rises in the Bible’s Greatest of all Miracles!
— This authority over death, along with His compassion to Lazarus’ family points to Jesus as the the Great IAM, as we learned back in John 8.
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
— God, the giver of life, Jesus His only begotten son have acted throughout history.
— During Jesus time on earth he demonstrated His divine power, His power to heal, his power to forgive sin
— AND His power over death itself.
— This looks forward to His own resurrection and promise of eternal life by Faith, by Faith in Him.
Faith — Reliance and Trust in God
— In the worst of their times, when their brother has died really right before their eyes
— They are told to have Faith, to have Hope in Jesus as the Messiah
— The Jews have waited 4000 years for The Messiah.
— Jesus did NOT come as expected… He didn’t come as a warrior king, who forcibly made things right.
— He came as a humble servant. A servant even until death.
Hope — The Confidence that we will experience the fullness of God
— Martha exhibits her HOPE in Jesus as the Messiah and the source of resurrection for Lazarus.
— While Mary's grief prompts a mix of emotions.
— Jesus' response to their reactions teaches that even in the midst of sorrow, trusting in him brings.. Hope.
Ultimately, this chapter deepens the revelation of Jesus identity
— He Resurrection and the Life, affirming his ability to conquer death and offering eternal life to those who believe in him.
— Why do we continue walking the road that we do?
— Why do we claw our way in the world that is doing everything to defeat us? ------ Why have so many lost hope, lost faith, Why have so many lost connection with us. Why?
— Here’s why in my opinion
Have we lost the Revelation of Jesus Christ?
— Have we lost His “fullness?”
— Have we taken a step back from making the church, it’s people a priority in our lives.
— Let’s transition now to our passage for today. We are in John 11.28-37.
Stand now if you can
28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him.
31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
The Lazarus Story - Part 3
— This passage that reveals the profound humanity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
— Here we witness the God of the Universe filled with compassion.
— Filled with loss
— Even though He is God… He poured himself out of his God-ness to be a man.
— Listen to Phil 2.5-7
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
— He left a portion of His God identity at the door so that He could pick up some humanity.
— He emptied himself, became a servant!
— Why did he do that… Why leave the place He was to come to the earth “in the likeness of men..?
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
— Jesus did something that we could not do… So that we would rely on Him alone to do those impossible things through us.
— I have 3 “impossible” things this morning. That we can’t do without Him.
#1 - Form an Emotional Connection… With Someone
— We read that upon seeing Mary weeping and witnessing the grief of those around her, Jesus was deeply moved in his spirit.
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
— Jesus was “deeply moved.”
— How was he so deeply moved that he was “troubled”
— I don’t want to read into the scripture but I wonder… Was he sick to his stomach as we might say?
— Here is Jesus response
35 Jesus wept.
- These two words speak volumes about the genuine compassion and empathy Jesus had for his friends.
- Through his tears, he offers a powerful testament to his understanding of human pain and his willingness to share in it.
— The verse captures the deep humanity of Jesus Christ and his capacity to embrace human suffering.
— He was fully in touch with the emotions and sorrows of me and of you.
— This verse reminds us that Jesus' does not isolate him from our human experiences; instead, he chooses to engage with our struggles and offer us comfort and hope.
— His tears and our tears remind us that Jesus fully embraced the human experience.
— He connected with those present on the deepest emotional level.
WHY?
— He was genuinely, deeply sad!
— That kind of emotion and reaction is a human trait.
— For some it is very difficult to express what Jesus expressed
— For others… We cry at McDonalds commercials and Facebook posts
— Another IMPOSSIBLE THING that we can do through Jesus
#2 - Embrace Relationship, Friendship and Community
— Jesus, Mary, Martha and Lazarus were friends.
— Jesus may have been to Bethany several times in His life… he probably stayed with them, ate with them, shared around the table with them.
As a result there was “Relationship,” and “Community.”
— The deepest parts of our souls long for community.
— and in that community we find relationship…
— Among the 100’s of reasons that gangs roam our streets
— Is lack of positive relationships in the home with and family, with parents
— Those kids and adults get scooped up by the gangs who provide that “Relationship and “Connection” that we all want and need.
— In verse 32, Mary expresses that anguish, that hurt, that gut punch over the death of her brother, Lazarus.
32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
— Jesus presence becomes the “safe place and person” to let it all out.
— You know we all need a “safe place” and “person” to pour it all out.
— Is it your spouse, is it your parent, is it a friend… is it Jesus.
— For your health make sure it is someone!
— This shows us that Jesus values authentic, intimate connections and is a true friend who listens and empathizes with our struggles.
36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
— This was NOT see… look at him, look he is crying, some kind of Savior, Messiah he is.
— No… I think the response was much more measured and sympathetic
— It was much more like this… “See how He loved him...”
#3 Even Jesus had His detractors… So will we
— There was the ever present group of “them” as identified here.
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
— Yes, he could have! But he didn’t, because it was form his glory that he didn’t
— You may have heard in your time… buck it up dude, pull it together, maybe there is still a voice in your head calling you a “cry baby”
— There will always be detractor in our world
Review and Application
—We are faced with grief, sorrow and emotion in our lives each and every day.
— Sometimes is big and bad and ugly… sometimes it may not even show except to those closest to us
— Through the passage of time all of us are going to be faced with it… Smacked with it and humbled by it.
So what do we do… How do we take the next breath?
— How do we live to fight another day
— How do we wake up and realize this for the Glory of God.
— In many respects this are the things that allow to have that perspective
#1 - Form an Emotional Connection… With Someone
— Allow someone else in… past the hard shell, past the bravado, past the stiff upper lip.
— Allow them the opportunity to be “Jesus” to you in the moment.
#2 - Embrace Relationship, Friendship and Community
— This thing called Relationship, Friendship and Community is not easy. it takes work, it takes perseverance, it takes a coat of armor and
— It takes the gentleness of a parent with a new born baby
— Embrace who Jesus was… embrace who He has given to you in Relationship and Friendship and in Community.
— and finally #3
#3 Even Jesus had His detractors… So will we
— Not let the naysayers get the best of you.
— Your connection, the depth of your feeling, your response is yours.
— But remember… The creator of universe… wept!
Let’s pray!