Get Up, Get Out, Get Going
#Emerge Week Four
Pastor Kris Freeman
Revolution Church
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Scripture: John 11:1-53 (NLT)
11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”
Jesus did not immediately return, instead he made a PROMISE that would later take a MIRACLE.
11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” 12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”
God is in the miracle business, but he’s always about the MOMENT for it.
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Why did Jesus wait to return to Bethany?
- The waiting brought PURPOSE
This miracle was not truly about the resurrection of Lazarus. It was about the resurrection of Jesus. The miracle of the raising of Lazarus was so powerful it ushered in the conspiracy of the leaders to get rid of Jesus.
And through death, God brings LIFE. That’s the whole story of the Bible!
2. The waiting brought TESTING
- Jesus tested the faith of the disciples
- Jesus tested the faith of Mary and Martha
- Jesus tested the faith of the onlookers (the crowd)
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
3. The waiting brought AUTHENTICATION
An ancient custom said the spirit hovered over the body for three days after death.
Had Jesus raised Lazarus immediately, people would have QUESTIONED the miracle.
40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
God has the power to transform death into life. But when he does, what is the purpose for that power in your story?
There is no mention that Lazarus eventually went to Heaven without dying. So this miracle was a TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT for a bigger purpose!
What’s DEAD in your life that needs life, for the purpose of pointing others to ETERNAL LIFE?
45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”
53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.
#Emerge #RevWhiteHouse
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