Sign of Resurrection
Notes
Transcript
Sign of Resurrection
John 11:1-16
INTRODUCTION
ILL- movies about time travel to past
- back to future
- bill and teds excellent adventure
-Groundhog Day - he already knows what’s going to happen.
Over 200 time travel movies.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
One common theme in all of the signs= physical sight or spiritual sight?
Disciples did not have assurance or conviction concerning Lazarus.
They never really doubt Jesus, they just didn't expect anything miraculous to happen.
part of fun is the expectation of the event.
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”
The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.
Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,
and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
5 Areas We Must Trust Jesus
5 Areas We Must Trust Jesus
1. Purpose (1-4)
1. Purpose (1-4)
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Perspective- Jesus had a different perspective than his disciples.
He knew the reason for Lazarus' death.
Present reality or end result?
Purpose: Lazarus' life or God's glory?
Jesus did not heal every sick person or raise every dead person.
But, those he did heal or raise were done to bring glory to God.
2. Timing (5-7)
2. Timing (5-7)
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
He loved them so much he waited two more days.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Questioning God's timing- he is beyond time and knows all time.
God sees beginning, ending, and everything in between at the same time.
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
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.”
Trust God with his timing. He knows more than we do and his picture is much bigger than ours.
3. Location (8-10)
3. Location (8-10)
The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
It is not safe.
Egypt was not the safest place for Moses.
Goliath was not the safest place for David.
The palace was not safest place for Daniel.
In the streets preaching was not the safest place for Paul.
Light and darkness
They were choosing fearful condition of the night instead of realizing Jesus was the Light.
Stumbling
Term with meaning.
=failing to accomplish the goal.
Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,
as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Stumbling is the result of failing to walk in the light of Christ.
Jesus is a stumbling block for those living in darkness.
The cross is a stumbling block.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
4. Reality (11-15)
4. Reality (11-15)
After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”
The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.
Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,
and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Maybe it's not as bad as it seems.
Why risk our life to go and wake someone up from sleep?
Sleep becomes the picture of death for the early church.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Sleep= for those dead in the Lord.
Sleep is temporary.
Bodies awake at the resurrection.
Sleep is not soul sleep-
Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Death is real, but it is temporary.
5. Cost (16)
5. Cost (16)
So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
They were willing to go with Jesus but did not believe it was to raise Lazarus.
Willing to die, but he doesn't always ask us to die.
Notice who says this. Thomas. Doubting Thomas.
He seems to be on the pessimistic side of things.
John 14- how do we know the way?
After resurrection- I have to see it.
We are not called to live defeated lives. We are called to live victorious lives.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We live in victory no matter if we live or die serving him.
For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
CONCLUSION
How do you limit Jesus working in your life?
Have you surrendered to Jesus' will for you life?
Have you surrendered to Jesus' will for you life?