John 11:45-54
Notes
Transcript
What will you do with Jesus?
What will you do with Jesus?
Good Morning,
Introduce - pleasure and honor to work with Tony and Chris
Every time I get a chance to get up here, I feel so blessed and so grateful to share God’s Word with you guys. I feel like it’s a great opportunity to dive deep into the Word and get more experience in preaching. So I really do enjoy it.
What an incredible service last week. Talking about the risen LORD.
The pinnacle of Christianity, what our very faith is based on. The resurrection of our Lord and Savior. God in the flesh, Jesus Christ.
But not only did we hear about His victory. We also heard about His sacrifice. Pastor Chris painted a pretty vivid picture about the crucifixion. Then, Pastor Tony gave us the hope behind the resurrection. Just awesome.
What love. What an amazing act of love to bear our cross. The cross meant for us, in which we are so deserving,
But God, rich in His grace and mercy, stepped down from His throne, took on the flesh of man in the form of Jesus Christ, and intervened. He upheld the law for us, walked among us without sin, then, out of His love for us, took upon the righteous wrath of God, that we might be forgiven if we trust Him, if we believe in Him, He will forgive every last sin, past, present and future.
He gives us life, undeserving, and eternal forgiveness. What a God we serve.
You know guys, we have great pastors. These men preach the gospel. They preach Jesus and they don’t sit up here and tell you to believe them. They tell you to read your bibles. They tell you this so you won’t be misled. They tell you this to encourage you to have a relationship with your Savior. So it is one of the most important things you can do.
Here’s something else though, if you are not reading your bible…you are MISSING out!!!
This is the word of God. (talk about the beauty of the bible.)
The bible is the LIVING Word of God.
Poetic
Elegantly written ( the beauty of the way it’s written)
Truth filled
Love centered
All pointing to one person. Jesus Christ.
We see the beauty of creation, and the redemption of man. We see the glorious King lay down His life for His people, I mean, Hollywood couldn’t write a better story if they tried. And believe me, they have.
Anyone who says the bible is borning, has never read it and understood it.
It is the most incredible book in history. Read your bible guys. Study it, be transformed by it. It is our standard as Christians, it is our foundation, it is our guide and meant to shape our lives. It is a love letter from God to His people to give us hope in His promises. And again, if you’re not reading it, you’re missing out on all of that.
So getting into today's text.
So some context. Jesus just blew the roof off. He literally did the impossible. He has given life. Raised Lazarus from the grave
John is pretty cool for many reasons, but two of my favorites are the 7 I AM statements, and then the 7 miracles. Not by accident.
So why these stick out a little bit, is in that there are 7 of each. Why is that significant? Well, God uses the number 7 as this number of completion, perfection, and divine fulfillment. And what’s cool is we see this all throughout the bible. Starting in Genesis…how many days did God create the world in? 6 and rested on the…? 7th.
A completed week, including rest …. 7 Days.
I read that in Hebrew culture, the number 7 is often tied to oaths and covenants.
The number 7 is often used in the completion of redemption.
7 Priests, 7 trumpets, 7 laps around Jericho.
What about forgiveness? Peter asks Jesus should we forgive 7 times? Jesus says, Yeah, 70 x 7. Representing completed and limitless forgiveness.
In Revelation, we have a bunch of 7’s.
7 churches
7 Angels
7 Spirits
7 Seals
7 Trumpets
7 Bowls
The tribulation is how many years? 7
So all that to tell you that the number 7 is significant. Which is why I think there are these 7 I am statements and the 7 miracles.
So what miracles has Jesus done up to this point? Let’s do a quick recap.
Water to wine. The wedding at Cana in chapter 2
Healing the officials son in John 4
Healing the paralytic in Bethesda in chapter 5
Feeding the 5000 in chapter 6
One of my favorites, Jesus walks on water in chapter 6 as well
Healing the man born bind. Been talking about that one quite a bit, and finally
Jesus raises a dead man.
Pastor Chris has a great message on this if you guys remember. At the end of the passages, Jesus tells the people around to unbind him and let him go. Chris referenced this to our new lives, that we are free from the bondage of sin when Jesus gives us this new life.
I felt this to its core when I was saved. I even made this picture of a man having chains broken by God my profile picture on Facebook for quite a while.
When Jesus saved me, the fear, the pain, the depression, the anxiety, the uncertainty…was like all the linen clothes, all the bindings that had a hold of me, and one day, Jesus said unbind him and let him go…This is the very reason I stand before you today.
So, we get into a common theme in the next few verses. Division and seeing the reaction of the people. Which leads me to the question for the day. What will you do with Jesus?
So let’s dive into God’s Word and see what He has for us today. Before we do that, let’s pray.
So our text today falls in John chapter 11. Verses 45-54
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.
If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all.
48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
So after this chapter, you guys will see that John really slows it down. The first chapters we have covered so far span over a period of years. After this final miracle, we get the last weeks and days of the life of Jesus. So the focus switches from His ministry, to His works and the path to the cross.
So at this transitional point, we have more of this back and forth about who Jesus is and what people are doing with the knowledge of Him and His power.
So Jesus has done this unthinkable miracle. Jesus has literally brought back to life, a man that was dead for 4 days. Not unconscious, not sleeping, not in a coma…but DEAD. Lazarus was even starting to produce a stench right.
And what is the reaction?
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him,
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
So we have this crowd of people accompanying Jesus, Mary, Martha and who knows how many others. Following Jesus to see what He does and what happens.
I really don’t think that anyone saw this coming. Remember how broken the sisters were. They said to Jesus if He had been there He could have saved Lazarus right. Jesus even cried. That probably sent a strong message to His followers. LIke dang, Jesus is crying, this is hopeless now.
But then the unthinkable actually happens. Jesus prays to the Father, and calls Lazarus out of the grave.
Can you imagine the scene there? I was trying to think of what that might look like and I tell you, I am at a loss for thoughts and words. I can’t even fathom what people were saying and thinking at this moment.
But as we read, there is division. Even with what just happened. Visually confirmed, a man was raised.
This made me think that no matter how much evidence is provided, some folks just won’t believe. We still see that today. All over the place. A recent event…
How many of you know about the Artemis 2 journey?
It was the recent trip we took to the moon. Just last week, they sent 4 people to sort of sling shot around the moon and capture the dark side of the moon and some photos of earth etc.
But I look online and see what? Division. It’s fake, it’s real, the earth is flat, the earth is round…blah blah blah.
Literally 10s of thousands of people tracked this event - private sectors etc.
I think they went into space. I saw some of the pictures, and I was just in awe of how awesome our Creator is. Many didn’t see it like that. They saw government deception. They saw conspiracy, they saw lies.
We all have the ability to form an opinion based on evidence. But what I see as a major problem is when the evidence is so compelling, and you still have doubters.
Jesus raised a man from the dead. Who was already starting to smell. 4 days. And yet, some believed, and some went to rat Him out. Tell the Pharisees what He had done.
Does that mean that these people didn’t believe what they saw? Not necessarily. What it definitely means is they chose to reject the miracle and tell the Pharisees about this miraculous event in a malicious way to perhaps earn favor with the Pharisees, or do as so many do and just stir the pot and create drama.
So these Jews who ran to the Pharisees told them what happened and how do the Pharisees respond?
Verse 47
So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.
47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.
This just baffles me. Folks just came to tell them, Jesus raised a man from the dead. They don’t rejoice, they don’t say we have found a man that can overcome death, they gather and say “What do we do?”
What do we do with this Jesus?
And why do they have that response? Why are they not seeking Him and instead trying to figure out what they ought to do with Him?
If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
The Sanhidrin operated under Roman rule. As most of us know, during this time, the Romans controlled everything. It was their world, and the Jewish leaders operated under their, we’ll call it supervision. They were allowed to worship their God, they were allowed to have their festivals, they were allowed a sense of Jewish community etc. But this was not power, this was the illusion of power that the Romans gave them.
So in essence, what were they worried about? This illusion of power and control being taken away for their lack of ability to control Jesus and what He was doing.
They didn’t want Rome to come and take their positions and “power”.
But if we look closely, they basically said if Jesus is allowed to continue like this, there will be no denying who He is. All will eventually believe in Him. And what does that mean for the Sanhidrin? No more need, no more power, no more “control”.
This got me thinking about what power and money can do to a person.
How tightly people hold on to these things.
The first thing that came to mind for me, is I began to think about one of the biggest scams in our country’s history. Y’all heard of Bernie Madoff?
This guy basically helped devise the rules and regulations for Wall Street. He was considered in all respects a brilliant investor. A financial power house that everyone looked up to throughout the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s.
If you had money in his fund, man that alone was bragging rights.
He had more power and money than most will ever see. He was the guy.
But what the truth was, he was deceiving people. All the trades and investments were fake. It was a ponzi scheme. He would literally take money from one investor and give it to another.
He made these fake statements that showed EVERYONE was making money with him.
But as all lies eventually become exposed, this was no different. The money ran out and everything came crashing down.
The reason I wanted to bring this up, is to show you what people will do for money and power.
Not only did Madoff lie and deceive people for these things, but he destroyed the livelihood of many people. Their life savings, their hope for the future, their inheritance for their children….gone.
So what happens next is incredible. Upon hearing of this news, that all that money is gone, and everything was a scam, many people’s lives came crashing down on them.
At least two of his investors killed themselves, his son killed himself because of the backlash that followed. It was absolutely disastrous.
I’ve watched lots of documentaries in the past. Y’all know 20/20 and those type of shows?
I’ve seen people be murdered for money, lust, greed, power and even comfort and convenience.
So we can easily see the lengths that people will go to, to keep their power, to keep their money, or to remain in control or just make sure there’s no waves in their lives.
This situation is no different. The Jewish leaders were willing to go to any length to hold on to what they had. Even murder. Even discussing it openly. That takes some guts.
Look at this…
But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
So Caiaphas is worried they are going to provoke Rome. He is sort of taking charge here and we can see the authority he is taking hold of.
He says, You know nothing at all. Clearly a statement of dominance. He’s like, we need to do something about this and we need to do it now.
He is in this self preservation mode. He knows that Rome can easily crush them and all their ways, so what is his solution, simple, mafia style, take Him out.
His plan is to kill Jesus and end the controversy.
He was focused on a current political solution here. God was focused on a spiritual and eternal solution.
While Caiaphas was right, his mindset was wrong. His motives were wrong.
He had this self willed desire to remain in control. Or at least hold on to the false sense of control that the Romans gave them.
What’s crazy is Caiaphas knew the scriptures and was prophesying without even knowing it. The bible tells us there will be a substitutionary death and punishment.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
This prophecy shows that Jesus will take our place on the cross. Again, Caiaphas looking at this from a political standpoint, misses the whole thing. Caught up in his own ideas. Look at the next verses though….
He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
So God uses this guy, a man with wicked motives and an evil heart full of hate and murderous thoughts to fulfill prophecy. We see that God is Sovereign here and that His power is not limited to believers. We have another powerful example of that in Judas Iscariot.
But what really stood out to me in these verses here is that Jesus would die, not only of the nation, but also to gather God’s children from all over the earth.
I am one of those people, you folks here today, if you have trusted in Christ and in Christ ALONE for your salvation, you are also one of those children.
Let me make something clear here. Caiaphas is not responsible for the death of Jesus. We see in the text that on that very day, the Jewish counsel made plans to kill Jesus. So how are they not responsible for the death of Jesus if they planned it, and carried it out??? Funny you should ask….
Again, God’s sovereignty on display. Since the promise of Genesis 3, we see that God will send His son to rescue His people.
These guys were stepping right into God’s divine plan without even knowing it.
Nothing about this is random.
We’ve talked about God’s timing several times up here. This is exactly when things are starting to come together, the decision to kill Jesus was not random, the betrayal, the crucifixion…none of this was random.
Look at Acts 4 27-28
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
This is all on purpose. Jesus tells us Himself in some of my favorite passages.
Back in John chapter 10…
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
So they plotted…but Jesus PERMITTED it.
So as I mentioned, after this chapter, John slows it way down. We’re going to get a detailed account and what happened in His last days.
The last verse from the text today sets the stage for that.
Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
So now it’s crunch time. He gathers His disciples and they sort of disappear. The next verses tell us that we’re slowing down as it tells us the Passover is at hand. So it’s coming up, and as we know, that is when He was killed.
So they stay out of the public for a time and I think probably get in some strong teachings, prayer and fellowship with Jesus. Jesus knowing what was at hand.
So circling back. We have a lot of the same things going on. Jesus performs a miracle, the crowd is divided and we are left with the question. What do we do with Jesus?
We see 3 responses here in the text. First we see the response of the crowd that witnessed this raising of Lazarus.
Remember what it said? Some believed, some went and snitched on Him.
So the crowd makes the decision on what they do with Jesus. They believed or didn’t. Typical crowd mentality. Split. Just like we see in the world today. We have evidence, some will follow it and make a rational conclusion, some will disregard it and stick with their own ideas.
Second, we see the reaction of the Pharisees. They ask the same question, but in a different context. What do we do with this Man? What do we do to preserve our way of life?
Their conclusion? They decide on murder.
Then, we have the last group of people. The disciples. What is their reaction? They follow Jesus. They believe in Him, given the evidence. They’ve seen the miracles, they’ve heard the teachings, they’ve experienced salvation through Jesus. So they do what the evidence tells them. Follow Jesus.
With a world full of options for “enlightenment, spirituality, happiness, fulfillment, and even salvation, how do we know where to turn? Side note....AI Jesus
I once heard it like this, history shows us that Jesus lived. That we can be certain of. But what we believe boils down to this…
He was either the greatest con artist of all time, willing to die to deceive many. Problem with this one is that not only would He have to die for this, but He would have to convince His followers to be willing to die for His lies as well ... .that's a tough sell you guys.
Second option. He was a lunatic who truly thought He was the Son of God and was killed for that. Problem with this one…how do we account for His miracles? Crazy people aren’t magic folks.
Third and final option, we can believe He is who He said He is.
I for one, have looked at the evidence, I’ve looked throughout history, I have read the bible and studied it and I can see clearly, the evidence points to Him being the very person and God he says He is.
So what does that mean?
The word Gospel means good news.
What this means for us, is that by His will, by His authority, by His love and mercy, we are saved, and redeemed by the very God who created us.
His love for us extends beyond our years. His love is eternal and it does not fail.
What is so amazing about our God, is He is faithful. How do we know this? By His actions and by Him keeping all His promises to date. He has kept every single one.
So we can rest assured He is not going to quit on us now. He is coming back, He is going to complete His plan and He is coming for His bride.
The question remains, given the evidence, what are you going to do with Jesus?
I have made my decision. I have believed in Him. I have submitted to Him, I have trusted Him with my life, my death and my eternity.
If you haven’t made this decision yet, don’t wait. Life moves fast, and as we all know, death can come without warning.
We are given the promise of eternal life. In death, we are resurrected with our Savior, with our King. We are saved from sin and given the righteous robe of glory.
Scripture tells us this is a gift of grace. That we are given life by His death. We are saved by the works of Jesus Christ in His walk of righteousness and upholding of the law, and then His sacrifice on the cross. Culminating in His resurrection from the grave. He is our light, He is our hope, He is our God.
Let’s pray.
