I Am The Ressurection
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We were looking forward to being here today. We all need a missions adventure.
To stir us up about the things of God.
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Greeting from Edgewood Maryland, My name is Pastor James Bryson, yes I was born with the title of Pastor in front of my name haha.
The Edgewood church plant started at the height of covid inside of a transitional home. And my core team initially where ex convicts and recovering drug addicts.
Sense the church started we had gang fights almost breakout
We had a guy with no arms no legs started cussing at me in the middle of church service and tried to rush me while in his wheel chair.
We recently almost had a fight during teen night.
But also marriages have been restored.
People have been delivered from drug and alcohol addictions
So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
There is a readiness and a eagerness to preach the gospel.
There is a preparedness to preach the gospel.
Our lives are built for this.
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
This is Pauls charge to Timothy, and God charge to every minster!
The reason why he wanted Timothy to preach the word is because it is infallible and profitable for every aspect of human life and all the works of the ministry.
This is very strong language because it has to do with whether we feel like it or not.
Whether we think the situations warrants it or not.
Whether we think there would be a proper response or not. God is calling all of us to preach the word.
I remember I was evangelizing to one gentleman from west Baltimore and it seemed like he wasn’t paying me any attention. Like what I was telling him was in one ear and out the other.
The word is what promotes the fellowship the word is what cultivates unity. The Spirit of the word is what breaks strong holds.
The word shouldn’t just be my frame of reference but the very context of my life.
It should frame and alter my politics it should frame how I live.
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
David said I hidden your word in my heart so I would not sin against you.
I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.
Then I would still have comfort; Though in anguish I would exult, He will not spare; For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.
When Steven the first martyr was killed the church began to proclaim the gospel throughout the entire world. There was a sense of urgency and witness amongst the first group of believers.
We are going to turn to the story of Lazarus resurrection. This is the story that ultimately led Jesus to His death. The irony is that a story about the resurrection is what lead to Jesus death.
This is the story about a man named Lazarus who was the brother of Mary and Martha,
Jesus was close friends with Lazarus.
Jesus indeed loved Lazarus.
Lazarus got very sick which then led to his death.
When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Lazarus has been dead for four days at this point.
Back then in Palestine the temperature was very warm so the body would decompose rather quickly.
So typically when a person dies they would bury that person within the same day.
There were sources that the soul hovers over the body of the deceased person for the first three days, intending to re-enter it, but as soon as it sees its appearance change, ie. decomposition has set in, it departs. At that point death is irreversible.
So Lazarus death was far outside the superstition of you have 3 days to revive the body.
Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
Martha was like an activist , so she was quick to jump to a situation, she quick to protest. And act impulsively at times.
Mary was the contemplative sister so she waited inside the house.
We see that in luke 10- mary was the one sitting at Jesus feet while Martha was the one working hard.
Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Marta had a curtain frame of reference about the resurrection. She knew the theology of the resurrection very clearly. “In the last days Christ will resurrect the body.”
Maybe she was under the impression that Jesus was trying to counsel her. But he gave her bad counsel.
She just experienced a very close lost so this was a counseling session. This was grief share.
Maybe she was saying I would expect this kind of counsel from Peter but not from You Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
So Jesus did something masterful He wanted to divert her abstract understanding of the resurrection to a personalized belief in Him.
This is a Place God is trying to take all of us. His desire is not for us just to have head knowledge about Him but to know Him personally.
1 Corinthians 8:1 (NKJV)
Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
Allot of times we look at our theology like a wall. Like my theology is all that there is. My theology is God.
But our theology should be a window to Christ its not Christ.
Essentially what Jesus is saying Martha I know you’ve been to Bible School you paid attention. You graduated valedictorian. But you need to know, not only do I have the power to resurrect but I AM the resurrection.
No only does my Father give me ability but I am the ability.
Just as He not only gives the bread from heaven in John 6:27. But He is the Bread from heaven John 6:35.
so also he not only raises the dead on the last day (5:21, 25ff.) but is himself the resurrection and the life.
Jesus asked Martha a question “do you believe this?”
The question was calculated to get her to think.
When people are grieving
So if we where to ask Jesus what kind of “life” are you, “are you abundant life, are you resurrected life, or are you eternal life?” I believe He would say yes.