Stuart Johns – Page 14 – Idaville Church

Life’s Goal

Mother’s Day

Life’s Goal

(Proverbs 31:10-31)

INTRODUCTION

“According to a poll by Family Circle magazine, 86 percent of mothers think they don't get enough respect, and 80 percent agree that moms who stay at home get even less. Even so, 77 percent of mothers who work full-time would rather stay home if they could.

Moms in both camps are a bit defensive: 73 percent of those at home think working moms look down on them, while 66 percent of those who work feel the same way about moms who are at home.

The main message, however, is a positive one: while 70 percent of mothers say that being a mom is much more demanding than they expected, 92 percent say it is also much more rewarding.”

Time (5-6-2002), p. 18; submitted by Jon R. Mutchler, Ferndale, Washington.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/april/6041706.html].

BODY

ME
- Stating the obvious
  - - I’m not a mother
    - I’m not a wife
    - I’m not a woman
- That’s why I have to rely on God’s Word to speak about woman today

WE
- Expectations from other moms
  - - Perhaps you’re a stay-a-home mom (I guess every mom is a stay-at-home right now, with the Coronavirus), and you feel like working moms are looking down on you
    - Maybe you’re a working mom, and you feel like stay-at-home moms are looking down on you
    - Take heart that both kinds of moms are feeling the same way, so don’t put that undue pressure on yourselves
- Biblical characteristics from God
  - - It’s easy to look at what other moms are doing and feel like a failure, but don’t play the compare game
    - God’s Word gives us Biblical characteristics and qualities for women, and He is the One we should strive to please
    - Being a wife and mother will fall into place when we spend time focusing on God and His Word

Most everyone is familiar with Proverbs 31. There is a ministry organization that’s called Proverbs31 Ministries. People talk about a Proverbs 31 woman. We’re going to look at Proverbs 31:10-31 today as we celebrate Mother’s Day. The writer of this section of Proverbs talks about a wife of noble character and how rare that can be. Fortunately, it is not impossible. As we look at this passage today, I want to encourage every woman to . . .

BIG IDEA – Seek to be rare, don’t compare.

Let’s pray

GOD (Proverbs 31:10-31)
- Background
  - - The final verses in the book of Proverbs (vv. 10-31) have two very powerful patterns that are important to recognize
      - Acrostic
        This is not the only acrostic poem in Proverbs or the entire Bible, there are others
        The beginning of each verse starts with the consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet) [show image of the Hebrew alphabet]
        [Show image of Proverbs 31:10-31]
        This shows an incredible beauty in how the poem was constructed
      - Chiastic Structure
        The other pattern we see is the chiastic structure
        [Show image of chiastic structure]
        In a chiastic structure there are matching pairs that point to a central theme that the author doesn’t want the reader or audience to miss
        They say certain things heading into the central theme and then say the exact same things in reverse order as they move away from the central theme
    - We are going to be using the chiastic structure as our guide, looking at the central theme first and working our way out
- Central theme (v. 23)
  - - Who is this Proverb written for?
      - I don’t want us to miss the historical and contextual significance of the book of Proverbs
      - Most of the book was written by Solomon with help from Agur and Lemuel at the very end
      - It seems to be primarily written to Solomon’s son(s) about how to obtain wisdom and live a disciplined and prudent life
      - As it pertains to our passage today, and the central theme, the character qualities listed are for a wife, perhaps for Solomon’s son(s)
    - The central theme then is about the husband of this woman of noble character
      - The husband of this woman is respected at the city gate
      - He is part of the ruling council of elders for her city
    - With that said, I don’t want us to take too much time focusing on the husband, because it’s Mother’s Day
    - “The woman was formed out of man – not out of his head to rule over him; not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him; but out of his side to be his equal, from beneath his arm to be protected, and from near his heart to be loved.” [Matthew Henry cited by Anders, Homan Old Testament Commentary, Proverbs, 358]
    - Let’s look at the character qualities, of this ideal wife, that allows her husband to be respected at the city gate
    - We’re going to look at each matching pair as we get further and further from the central theme
- Character qualities (vv. 10-22, 24-31)
  - - Making of coverings and garments (vv. 22, 24)
      - For herself (v. 22)
        She works hard at the textile trade
        Most women in the Near East were gifted at weaving and making their own garments
        We’ll see this more as we progress through this passage
        She is weaving large coverings for her bed
        She is also clothed in fine linen and purple
        Fine linen would have been made from flax and imported from Egypt
        Purple refers to wool that was dyed and was imported from Phoenicia (the dye came from shellfish found there)
        The woman would have made her own garments from these imported materials
        She was dressed with the best
        She’s resourceful as we will see in a moment
        TODAY
        Most of our wives aren’t weaving or sewing their own sheets and blankets, but they are making sure that we have sheets and blankets at the best possible price – they’re researching the thread count to make sure the quality is good
        They are also making sure to dress well
        Making sure that our bed has sheets and blankets and dressing herself well shows us, guys, that our wives love us and are concerned about us
        She not only makes items for herself, she also makes items to sell
      - For others (v. 24)
        She is so industrious that she has more than enough garments and sashes to sell to the merchants
        I’ve been impressed with those of you in our congregation, who know how to sew, and have used your giftedness to provide hundreds of masks to individuals in our community and beyond – and you’ve done that out of your own generosity, at no charge (we’ll see the character quality of generosity in v. 20)
      - She is not only concerned about herself and her husband, but also her children
    - Clothing of children and herself (vv. 21b, 25a)
      - Her children don’t have to be afraid of the cold associated with the season of snow, because their mother provides scarlet clothing (v. 21b)
        Again, the dyed cloth would have been expensive
        Scarlet would have referred to wool garments instead of a light linen made from flax
        Wool would have helped to retain heat
        Waltke explains that mentioning the color of the thread, is another way of saying wool, simply because “linen does not readily accept dye.” [Waltke, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 15-31, 530]
        This mother spares no expense in taking care of her family and keeping them warm
        TODAY – how have you seen your mother or wife making sure you are warm?
      - The matching unit speaks of a woman being clothed, but not with garments (v. 25a)
        She is clothed with strength and dignity
        She is able to face any adversity that comes her way with confidence instead of fear
        TODAY – How have you seen your mother or wife face adversity and uncertainty?
      - The woman in this passage is prepared for the future
    - No fear (vv. 21a, 25b)
      - She is ready when winter comes and can laugh at the days to come
        This shows not only a physical readiness, but an emotional readiness
        We’ll see in the final matched pair where this confidence and emotional readiness and strength come from
        It doesn’t come from herself
      - In this next pair, we see that this woman is generous, compassionate, loving, and caring
    - Wife gives to others (vv. 20, 26)
      - With her possessions (v. 20)
        Perhaps you’re skeptical about whether or not this is truly a matching pair
        Both Anders and Garrett explain that throughout Proverbs, and other wisdom literature, that the mark of wisdom is in providing for the poor – it is a fundamental virtue [Anders, 362; Garrett, The New American Commentary, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 250]
        This woman is either giving them what they need (food, clothing, etc.) and/or inviting them into her home
        What we see here is generosity and hospitality
        TODAY – How have you seen your mother or wife reaching out to those in need, and either providing what they need or inviting them into your home?
      - With her words (v. 26)
        Speaks with wisdom
        “That she speaks with wisdom implies that she already possesses it and that wisdom shapes what she has to say and how she says it.” [Waltke, 532]
        It is probable that she is sharing her wisdom with her husband
        Husbands, how many of you have experienced the great wisdom of your wives?
        I know I have – God has given Judy incredible wisdom and I’m a better man when I listen to God speaking through her
        Faithful instruction is on her tongue
        Can you hear her children? “Mom, why did you give that garment, you made, to that beggar?” “Why did you invited that family to our house for a meal?”
        Can you see her, gently sitting down with her children and explaining, “God has been so good to us. He has provided for your father and I above what we could ever imagine. We want others to know and experience God’s love, compassion, and provision through us. So, sometimes we give them clothing or feed them a meal.”
        She uses the wisdom she has gained through circumstances and questions from her children as teachable moments
        She is concerned about passing on the wisdom she has gained
        TODAY – What wisdom has your mother passed on to you?
      - She not only speaks and lives out wisdom, but she works hard
    - Wife works hard (vv. 13-19, 27)
      - Works herself (vv. 13-19)
        She makes her own thread from the wool and flax she selects (vv. 13, 19)
        She probably goes to the market place and carefully looks through the wool selections
        She also carefully looks at the flax selection, for the best quality
        Flax was made from a plant that was uprooted and dried and then the fibers were extracted from the plant
        Flax was used to make linen, so the better the flax, the better the linen
        She uses the distaff and the spindle in order to spin her own wool and flax thread for weaving and making garments
        She does this with eager hands (at the pleasure of her hands – she enjoys it!)
        She provides food for her family (vv. 14-15)
        She goes to the market place before sunrise, so she’ll have the best food selection possible for her family
        She also chooses exotic food for her family to enjoy
        She’s probably not making food for the servant girls, but rather, providing the raw ingredients for them to make the food
        She is a savvy business person (v. 16)
        She looks at all of the angles, puts a plan together, and then executes her plan in purchasing a field and then planting a vineyard on it
        We’ve been watching old episodes of “Counting On” with the Duggar children and Jinger decides that she wants to buy a car, at the auction, and then flip it. She takes a couple of her brothers with her to the auction, then she has a couple other brothers, a friend, and her one sister who make the necessary repairs and detail and clean the car, and finally she takes two other brothers with her to show the vehicle to a prospective buyer – she did her homework and used the generous resources of family members to help her purchase and sell the vehicle for a profit.
        She is not lazy (v. 17)
        She plans her work and works her plan
        She has a strong back and strong arms
        She probably has strong hands as well
        She never lacks for financial resources (v. 18)
        The trading that she does is profitable
        Her lamp does not go out, is not necessarily speaking about her staying up late working into the night, but rather, is probably talking about the fact that she never lacks money, she is prosperous
        TODAY – In what ways have you seen your mother or wife working hard for the family?
        Does she make things and sell them?
        Does she provide good food for you to eat?
        Is she a savvy business person?
        Does she every stop working?
        Does she provide financially for you?
        This woman not only works hard herself, but she also supervises the work of others
      - Supervises the work of others (v. 27)
        She is aware of everything that’s happening in the household
        When something is missing around the house, who do you ask first? (Mom)
        She is not idle
        I’ve watched my mom and my wife preparing for family meals and they both have multiple things cooking at the same time and are able to know where everyone is and all the details of upcoming events and activities
        There are times when I have to ask Judy if she is going to stop and sit down (of course it’s for selfish reasons, because I want to stop and sit down)
        When I first met Judy’s Grandma Young I wondered if she ever ate, because she would be a flurry of activity around the dinner table. She would always ask if I needed anything else, because my plate was empty. She wanted to make sure everyone was provided for, before she would take time to eat.
      - We all know how hard our mothers and wives work to provide just what we need, so we should take time to recognize and acknowledge that fact
    - Recognition by husband and children (vv. 11-12, 28-29)
      - Husbands (vv. 11-12, 28b-29)
        Do you have full confidence in your wife? (when is the last time you told her that?)
        How has she brought good into your life? (when is the last time you expressed gratitude for the good she has brought into your life?)
        When is the last time you’ve praised your wife?
        The author gives us an example here, “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
        When Judy and I were dating, I told the guys in the dorm that I was sorry for them, because they had to settle for second best, since I was dating the best! (I know it sounds cheesy, but I meant it)
        How can you praise your wife today? What characteristics are your grateful for?
        Husbands aren’t the only ones who need to recognize the incredible woman in their home, children need to also
      - Children (v. 28a)
        When is the last time you’ve expressed your gratitude and love for everything that your mother is doing or did do for you?
        Today is the perfect day to do just that
      - All of this leads to the very first matching pair in this passage
    - High value of a good wife (vv. 10, 30-31)
      - The author of this section helps us to understand that a wife of noble character can be found, but it is rare, like a precious stone
        The description that we have seen in this passage may not reflect a single woman, but may be a composite portrait of ideal womanhood [The NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for Proverbs 31:10-31, 1131]
        It’s always tempting to look at other woman and compare ourselves to them
        I want to encourage you to not compare yourself to anyone else, but use the characteristics found in this passage as your guide to becoming a virtuous woman
        Seek to be rare, don’t compare
      - Where does this woman find the physical and emotional strength to do everything she does, with excellence?
        It doesn’t come from within her
        She can’t accomplish this on her own
        It comes from revering the Lord
        When I was sharing with Judy about the message for today, she said that the only way for her to excel in these character traits is to be connected to the vine
        She is referring to John 15:1-17
        We read these words in verse 5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
        She shared that when she has tried to do anything on her own, she has failed, but when she stays connected to Jesus, and does it with His strength, she succeeds
        My Next Step Today Is To: Stay connected to Jesus, so I can be a wife and/or mother of noble character.
      - True reward and praise come from being connected to the Lord, not through charm or beauty
        “In short, ‘charm’ deceives because it promises a lifetime of happiness that it cannot deliver . . . ‘beauty is said to be deceitful because it passes away, and with it passes the hope of happiness base on it.’” [Waltke, 535]
        “Inner spiritual beauty does not deceive.” [Waltke, 535]

CONCLUSION

“About ten years ago, I found my mother sitting at the kitchen table. She was reading and chuckling in frustration, so I asked her what she was looking at.

She told me that she'd been studying Proverbs for her devotions and that she'd just read chapter 31, which lists the qualities of a virtuous wife. She was frustrated because she realized she could never be the woman God describes there. We talked about it some more, and my mom finally arrived at a decision that still inspires me today: she decided to take on the challenge, one verse at a time. She said: ‘I'll work on the first item in the list. When I've got that one mastered, I'll move to the next one—hopefully I'll be a virtuous woman before I die.’

I recently checked in with her to see how she was progressing. She laughed and told me she was seven or eight items into the list but was currently stuck on, ‘Her children call her blessed.’ She said, ‘I might have to wait for all of them to grow out of their teens before I can accomplish that one.’

Last year, my sisters and I got together and made a Certificate of Completion in Proverbs 31 Training. We took every verse and came up with an example of when she had fulfilled that requirement. When the certificate was finished, it looked like a real diploma and listed her many accomplishments. We all signed it, including my dad.

I read it out loud to her, and when I got to the last verse, ‘Her children call her blessed,’ one by one each of us said, ‘Mom, you are blessed.’ She cried and cried—she had finally reached her life's goal!”

Submitted by Jennifer Tatum, Romeoville, Illinois.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/search/?query=Proverbs%2031:10-31&type=scripture&start=21].

Husbands and Children

My Next Step Today Is To: Take time, today, to tell my wife and/or mother that she is blessed.

Women

My Next Step Today Is To: Take on the challenge of seeking to be rare, one item at a time, so I can be a virtuous woman.

May 10, 2020/by Office

Bread Appeal

Believe John Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Salvation, Self-examination

Believe

Bread Appeal

(John 13:18-30)

INTRODUCTION

“Our skin is soft, like tightly woven fabric. It appears porous from the outside—with millions of tiny openings that ooze sweat. But you might be surprised to learn how effective a barrier our skin can be.

For decades medicine makers have tried to develop drugs that can be administered through the skin. Doctors call them ‘transdermal’ drugs—like some pain-relieving sprays and nicotine and hormone patches. Pharmaceutical companies are racing to perfect a way to make drugs that can be accepted this way—and painlessly.

But for all the work, they have only been able to find a handful of compounds that go through our skin. However, if our skin is prepared—temporarily altered—medicines can permeate it. Scientists have developed ointments that make the skin able to transmit drugs. They've used very low electrical currents to propel drugs through the skin. They've even invented little patches about the size of a band-aid with tiny microneedles that pierce the top layers of the skin enough to get drugs in but not deep enough to be felt by our nerves.

All of this to try to overcome the barrier of our skin.

Spiritually we're the same. Our hearts have barriers. We can be immersed in God's grace, but at times none of it permeates into our hearts. Judas spent over three years up-close with Jesus himself, but in the end He handed Jesus over to be murdered for 30 pieces of silver. A child can be raised by godly parents, hearing Bible stories and earnest prayers at home, faithfully attending church every Sunday, but then grow up to be a prodigal who never returns.

Sometimes the problem isn't the environment. Sometimes the problem is that we are impenetrable to the gospel. Just as the skin must be treated to transmit medication to the body, so our souls require the special work of God's grace before we can receive the life and healing that he wants to bring.”

John B. Carpenter

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2003/july/14501.html].

BODY

ME
- Scared of needles
  - - Growing up I didn’t like going to the doctor, especially if a shot was involved
    - I didn’t like needles, so I was scared every time I had to go to doctor
    - I’ve grown to tolerate needles and it doesn’t bother me to have to get a shot anymore
    - I’ve always admired the fact that my father has faithfully given blood throughout his life
      - I don’t know how many galloons he has given
      - At one point in my life, I desperately wanted to start giving blood on a consistent basis, because of my father’s example, but I never did
      - In times past, when I did donate blood, I would always get light headed afterwards
      - The last time I gave blood, which was many years ago, I had hyped myself up and was determined to be so mentally strong that I wouldn’t get light headed
      - It seemed to work until the nurse told me to put my arm up over my head – I got light headed
      - My fear of needles has been greater than my desire to imitate my father
    - There is no way I can fake being a blood donor
      - I could pick up T-shirts at the thrift store that say how many pints or galloons of blood I’ve donated
      - I could join social media groups for individuals who are blood donors
      - I could champion the American Red Cross and the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank and post images on my social media accounts
      - I could volunteer with those organizations
      - But none of that would make me a blood donor
    - From the outside looking in, you would perhaps assume that I was a blood donor – and I may let you believe that

WE
- Fake it ‘til you make it
  - - This idea is prevalent with multilevel marketing companies
    - Those companies operate on the idea of gathering family and friends underneath you as partners in business
    - The way that you “make it” is by having a large network of people in your pipeline underneath you
    - At the beginning, when you don’t have a large network underneath you, it’s important that those you are recruiting believe that there is an incredible potential to make a lot of money
    - So, you introduce them to people in the company who are making lots of money, so they will catch the vision and join you as a partner in business
    - If everything goes well, you eventually advance to the point where you are making a significant amount of residual income (you get a percentage of the sales from everyone in your pipeline)

As we’ll see today, the disciples didn’t have any idea who Jesus was talking about when He told them that one of the Twelve was going to betray Him. They were at a loss. None of them suspected that Judas was the one. Judas had ministered together with them for three years. He had healed and cast out demons, just like they had. He had shared with others about Jesus. John wants us to understand, from this passage, that . . .

BIG IDEA – You can’t fake being a true follower of Jesus.

Let’s pray

GOD (John 13:18-30)
- Betrayal predicted (vv. 18-20)
  - - Background
      - Pastor Marc did an excellent job last week of walking us through Jesus washing His disciple’s feet
      - The first statement that Jesus makes in this section of Scripture requires us to look back at what was said in verse 17
        Jesus ends his time of washing the disciple’s feet by saying, Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them
        Jesus is talking about his example of washing their feet and His teaching about how they should wash each other’s feet
      - Jesus knew that not every one of them was going to be blessed, because He knew that one of them was going to betray Him
        This one individual was not going to wash the other disciples’ feet – he wasn’t going to do what Jesus had just modeled for them and taught them about
        In fact, in the Gospel of Matthew we learn that Judas hanged himself after betraying Jesus and trying to return the 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 27:3-10)
      - Jesus says that He knows those He has chosen
        PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is all-knowing (omniscient)
        We know that Jesus willingly gave up some of His supernatural abilities when He became human
        We also know that God, at specific times, would allow Jesus to access those same abilities for God’s glory and to accomplish His purposes
        At this point, God has given Jesus the ability to know the hearts of His disciples
        Some believe that Jesus’ statement here contradicts what He said in Capernaum
        John 6:70-71, Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
        “But it is simply another way of saying the same thing: the disciples are ‘chosen’ corporately as ‘the Twelve,’ but not all are individually chosen. Jesus is simply repeating in different words what he said a few verses earlier, ‘and you men are clean, but not all of you’ (v. 10).” [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 739]
        While God’s sovereignty is evident in the fact that Judas would betray Jesus in order to fulfill scripture, I don’t believe that Judas agreed to be one of Jesus’ disciples with the sole purpose and premeditation of betraying Him
        I believe, he genuinely followed Jesus at the beginning, but Jesus also knew the kind of man that Judas was and what would tempt him to betray someone
        Burge highlights Brown’s translation of verse 18, “What I say does not refer to all of you: I know the kind of men I chose. But the purpose is to have the scripture fulfilled . . .” [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 371]
      - Jesus uses Psalm 41:9 as the scripture that is being fulfilled
        This Psalm was David’s lament about being abandoned and deserted
        “Rabbinic interpretation took Ps. 41:9 to refer to Ahithophel’s conspiracy with Absalom against David.” [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 411]
        2 Samuel 15:12, 31 record the fact that Ahithophel had joined Absalom’s conspiracy and rebellion
        Ahithophel had been a close friend and counselor for David – he had shared hundreds, if not thousands, of meals with David
        There are two important cultural aspects of the Psalm, that Jesus quotes, that we need to discuss
        The sharing of bread
        In the Near East and the Semitic settings of the Old and New Testaments, the sharing of bread or a meal was considered a symbol of personal intimacy and loyalty to a superior
        It was not something that was taken lightly
        Judas had shared hundreds of meals with Jesus over the three years they were together
        To betray someone whom you had shared a meal with was considered “a gross breach of the tradition of hospitality.” [Bernard cited by Köstenberger, 411]
        The lifting of the heel against another person
        From a cultural perspective, in the Near East, showing the bottom of the foot to someone is considered a symbol of contempt and a breach of honor
        Borchert shares, “Having taught in both the Middle East and the Orient, I learned quickly to keep my feet on the floor and not show the bottom of my feet. Such a practice is a change of style for anyone from the West who identifies relaxation with the putting up of one’s feet.” [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 12-21, 89]
        The lifting up of the heel could also suggest the kick of a mule, which gives us a wonderful word picture of what it would look and feel like to be betrayed by someone who is close to us – who has shared a meal with us
      - All of this sets the stage for what Jesus says next
    - Prediction
      - Jesus is telling them before it happens
        He’s telling them that Psalm 41:9 is going to be fulfilled in their presence
        The reason He’s telling them ahead of time is so they will believe that I am He
        The original Greek does not have the word “He,” so Jesus is saying that He is telling them ahead of time so they will believe that He is the I AM
        This is so significant, because God used this same identification for Himself when talking with Moses in the wilderness
        If you recall, Moses wanted a name to give the Israelite leaders in Egypt when He went back to bring them out of Egypt
        The name that God gives Moses is, I AM WHO I AM
        God told Moses to tell them that I AM had sent him to them (Exodus 3:14)
        PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus is divine, He is God!
        This naturally leads into His next truth statement
      - Chain of acceptance
        Jesus had already sent the disciples out two-by-two
        He would eventually commission them to spread the good news about Him to every nation (Matthew 28:19-20)
        Jesus is basically saying that if anyone accepts His disciples, whom He has sent out to share the good news, then they automatically accept Him
        If they automatically accept Jesus, then they automatically accept the One who sent Jesus from heaven to earth – God, the Father!
        “A modern parable: A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art: everything from Picasso to Raphael. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father grieved deeply for his only son.
        
        About a month later, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, ‘Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart. He died instantly. He often talked about you and your love for art.’
        
        The young man held out the package and said, ‘I know this isn't much. I'm not a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.’ The father opened the package and gazed at a portrait of his son. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured his son in the painting. The father hung the portrait over his mantle. When visitors came to his home, he always drew attention to the portrait of his son before he showed them any other great works.
        
        When the father died, his paintings were to be auctioned. Many influential people gathered, excited about the opportunity to purchase them. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel and asked for someone to start the bidding. The crowd scoffed and demanded the Van Goghs and the Rembrandts. But the auctioneer persisted. ‘Who will start the bidding? $200? $100?’ The crowd again insisted on seeing the famous paintings. Still the auctioneer solicited, ‘The son! The son! Who'll take the son?’
        
        Finally a voice said, ‘I'll give $10 for the painting.’ The longtime gardener of the father was poor and couldn't afford anything more. While the auctioneer continued to pursue a higher bid, the crowd became angry. The auctioneer pounded the gavel and sold the painting for $10 to the gardener.
        
        An eager buyer from the second row bellowed, ‘Finally, on with the auction.’ But the auctioneer explained, ‘I'm sorry, the auction is over. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything.’
        
        Source unknown; submitted by Leslie Bauer, Barrington, Illinois
        
        [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2002/september/13900.html]
        The same is true for us, as it pertains to accepting the good news of Jesus Christ from one of His disciples
        If we accept the testimony of the transformed life of our family member, friend, neighbor, or coworker, then we are accepting Jesus and God also
        If we accept the testimony about Jesus, God’s Son, we get everything!
        What is everything?
        It is the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with God
        Quote John 3:16
        God loves us so much that He already had a plan in place to deal with our rebellion against Him, which He calls sin
        Every one of us has sinned, no one is exempt – we’re born sinners
        God is also just and has to punish sin, but He sent Jesus to die on a cross to take our punishment for sin, so we can have eternal life – that’s everything!
        My Next Step Today Is To: Believe in Jesus and accept His perfect sacrifice on the cross, so I can have eternal life.
        I encourage you to follow that chain of acceptance today
    - Jesus is predicting His betrayal, because it is just about to happen
- Betrayal begins (vv. 21-30)
  - - Jesus is troubled in His spirit
      - The statement, “After he had said this” marks the conclusion of the previous discourse and the beginning of a new one
      - This is the third time, in the Gospel of John, that we see Jesus experiencing deep anguish
        The same Greek word was used two other times concerning Jesus
        John 11:33, when He saw Mary weeping at the death of her brother Lazarus
        John 12:27, when Jesus was explaining to His disciples why He must die
        Jesus is probably troubled in His spirit, because He knows those He has chosen – He knows what Judas is about to do
        While it fulfills Scripture, it doesn’t make it any easier on Jesus – He is fully God and fully man
      - Jesus didn’t want His disciples to miss the fulfillment of Psalm 41:9, so He tells them directly that one of them is going to betray Him
    - The disciples are confused by the news and try to get an answer
      - None of them had any idea whom Jesus was referring to
        We don’t see it in the Gospel of John, but Matthew and Mark record what I think is an incredibly powerful principle for us to embrace
        PRINCIPLE #3 – Self-evaluation is important and profitable.
        Each of the disciples were saddened and immediately ask Jesus if it was them (Matthew 26:22; Mark 14:19)
        They didn’t point the finger, because they had no idea who Jesus could be talking about
        When we’re confronted with something like this do we immediately take time to ask ourselves if we are the one who has betrayed Jesus or someone else
        Or, do we immediately begin to think about someone else in our group and say to ourselves, “I bet they’re the one.”
        I have to admit that I don’t always do self-evaluation first, and have found myself questioning, in my mind, those in the group trying to determine who needs to pay attention to what is being said
        More often than not, I do self-evaluation to make sure that I’m not at fault
        I remember a situation where a memo was sent out to the entire organization I worked for, about the speed limit entering the grounds. I had no idea who was speeding and who wasn’t, but I immediately begun to question whether or not I had been speeding when entering the grounds. I was very mindful about my speed from that point on
        My Next Step Today Is To: Spend time evaluating myself, first this week, as situations come up.
        PRINCIPLE #4 – Anyone can look like a disciple, but God knows our heart.
        Judas did a pretty good job of hiding the sin that was overtaking him
        His love of money was more powerful than his love for Jesus and the lost
        He had been taking money from the money box that the disciples kept (John 12:6)
        He accepted 30 pieces of silver as payment for betraying Jesus
        1 Timothy 6:10, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
        Judas had been with Jesus for three years
        He saw Jesus do the miraculous
        He heard Jesus teach about many things
        He probably performed miracles and cast out demons, himself
        He probably prayed and taught others about Jesus
        Even though Judas had done all these things, his heart was corrupted by the love of money, and Jesus knew that about him
        You can’t fake being a true follower of Jesus.
        Application
        We can’t point fingers at Judas, because some of us suffer from the same thing
        From the outside we look super religious and holy
        Other people would acknowledge that we are a true and genuine follower of Jesus
        Perhaps we teach Sunday school or lead a discipleship group, we attend church whenever the doors are open, we give sacrificially to the church and other organizations, we do all these things that make it look like were a genuine follower of Jesus Christ
        They would never suspect that our hearts are corrupt with some kind of sin
        We can’t hide that from God, because He knows our heart
        Are you a true and genuine follower of Jesus Christ?
        Is there some sin that would identify you as a betrayer of Jesus and not a genuine follower?
        My Next Step Today Is To: Confess any sin that is keeping me from truly following Jesus, and determine to repent and turn from it today.
        You can’t fake being a true follower of Jesus.
      - Private conversation
        What we see next is a private conversation that takes place between Jesus, John, and Judas
        Peter is the first one to perhaps ask the question that every disciple had
        He prompts John to ask Jesus which disciple He means
        Cultural background
        In order to understand the scene, where John is prompted to ask Jesus the question, and then leans back against Him to ask, we have to understand the cultural setting for the meal they were sharing
        For special meals, the Jews would use the Roman way of reclining at the table
        A low three-sided table shaped like a “U” would be set up and couches/cushions would surround it on the outside
        Those serving the meal would do so from inside the U-shaped table
        Each guest would recline at the table with their head toward the table and their feet away from the table
        They would all recline on their left elbow and eat with their right hand
        The host of the meal would be at the center of the table with the guest of honor at his left and the second guest of honor to his right [Köstenberger, 415]
        Jesus was the host of the meal and was sitting in the center with John to His right and, as most believe, Judas to His left (the place of honor)
        John has his back to Jesus, so the most natural thing for him to do, in asking the question, is to lean back against Jesus’ chest
        John asks Jesus who it is that is going to betray Him
        Jesus’ response
        Jesus doesn’t say Judas’ name in response to the question
        Instead He tells John that the person He gives the piece of bread to, after He dips it in the dish, is the person who is going to betray Him
      - This sets the stage for Jesus’ final appeal to Judas
    - Bread appeal
      - Jesus immediately dips the bread in the dish and gives it to Judas Iscariot
        The reason most scholars believe that Judas was in the position of honor, to Jesus’ left, is because Jesus is able to give the piece of bread to him without the other disciples knowing the private conversation that has just taken place between He and John
        Jesus tells Judas to quickly do what he is about to do
        We all know what Jesus is talking about, because we have the rest of the story provided in the Gospels
        The other disciples, around the table, didn’t understand why Jesus said this to Judas
        They speculated that because Judas was in charge of the money (the treasurer) that Jesus was asking him to go buy supplies for the Feast or to give alms to the poor
        Judas would not be buying supplies for the Passover Feast, because that is what they were participating in that night
        He would have been buying supplies for the Feast of Unleavened Bread that would begin that night and last for seven days [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 475]
        It would not have been unusual for Judas to go and give something to the poor on Passover night, because this was the traditional practice at that time [Borchert, 95]
        The temple gates would be left open from midnight on, so those who were poor, and had to beg for alms, could gather there [Carson, 475]
        While Jesus’ command to Judas was heard by the whole group, the conversation with John about who was going to betray Him was private
        John knew what Jesus was talking about when He told Judas to go quickly and do what he was going to do
        How did the other disciples miss that conversation?
        First, John had leaned back against Jesus and probably whispered in His ear
        Second, after each disciple had asked Jesus if it was him, they were probably talking among themselves about who it might be, but also a dispute had broken out among them about which of them was considered to be the greatest (Luke 22:24)
        The disciples were distracted, which is probably why they didn’t hear the conversation between Jesus and John
        Jesus’ love for Judas
        Perhaps Jesus had set Judas to His left as a way of showing him how much He loved him – it was the place of honor
        As Jesus offers the piece of bread to Judas, I come only imagine that His desire was that Judas would reconsider the plans he had made with the chief priests to betray Him
        This was His final appeal to Judas, His bread appeal
        Judas couldn’t fake it any more, he had to make a decision – accept or reject Jesus
        You can’t fake being a true follower of Jesus.
      - Satan enters Judas and he leaves
        As soon as Judas took the bread, he had made his choice – reject Jesus
        He immediately left the Passover meal
      - It was night
        John’s statement about it being night is not only a time stamp, but is also a spiritual reality for Judas
        He had chosen darkness instead of light
        That’s the same choice every one of us has to make
        Will we choose to accept or reject Jesus Christ, the Light of the world?

YOU
- Will you accept Jesus by believing in Him, so you can have eternal life?
- Will you take time this week to do self-evaluation concerning any situation that arises?
- Will you take time to evaluate if there is any sin in your life that is keeping you from truly following Jesus Christ?

- As we all commit to these next steps, we will see transformed lives, that are genuinely committed to Jesus

CONCLUSION

“Think of Judas. Judas decided to follow Jesus. Judas heard Jesus teach. He went out two by two with the others, healing the sick and exorcising demons. Judas did a lot of disciple kinds of things. Yet he is remembered solely for how his relationship with Jesus ended.

How a life, a ministry, how a relationship ends is absolutely crucial to everything that goes before it.”

Craig Brian Larson, "Strong to the Finish," Preaching Today, Tape No. 155.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1996/march/1662.html].

“It is startling to think that Satan can actually come into the heart of a man in such close touch with Jesus as Judas was. And more--he is cunningly trying to do it today. Yet he can get in only through a door opened from the inside. ‘Every man controls the door of his own life.’ Satan can't get in without our help.

S. D. Gordon in The Bent-Knee Time. Christianity Today, Vol. 33, no. 10.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1998/september/5349.html].

May 3, 2020/by Office

Bundle To Be Saved

Believe John Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Outreach, Salvation

Believe

Bundle To Be Saved

(John 12:37-50)

INTRODUCTION

Progressive Insurance has been using Flo for many years to help sell insurance. One of their advertising campaigns features Flo with a young couple who is expecting a child.

Flo says to the couple, “We have another way to help you save.”

The man says, “Oh, really, how?”

“By bundling,” Flo says. “If you get your Homeowners and Auto Insurance together, we give you even more savings.”

“Ooh!” the man says

“A big bundle,” Flo announces

Flo begins to make comparisons, “Home and Auto together, it’s like peanut butter and jelly.”

The husband says, “Oh, like burgers and fries.”

The wife says, “Or, pickles and ice cream.”

Flo responds with, “Unicorns and glitter, [pause], No?”

Bundling is important in the insurance industry, and it’s not exclusive to one insurance company

BODY

ME
- Bundling our insurance
  - - The insurance company we use for our renters, auto, and liability insurance, gives us discounts
    - Because we have multiple insurance policies with them, it helps us to save
- Bundling our trips to town
  - - My boys will tell you that Judy and I bundle our trips to town
    - We don’t normally go to town for just one item or for one purpose
    - We wait until there is a need to visit multiple locations for various purposes
    - On Wednesday of this week we needed to go to town for various reasons
      - The online mobile banking service was unavailable and I had a paycheck that needed to be deposited
      - There were certain items that Judy was not able to get with online ordering and mobile pickup from the grocery store – certain items were listed as in-store only purchased, even though we were able to add them previously to our mobile order
      - I had some prescriptions that were ready at the pharmacy
      - And since we were shopping close to Chick-fil-A, we had to place a mobile order there, as well

WE
- Bundling
  - - Perhaps you’ve bundled your insurance, so you can save money
    - Maybe you’re like Judy and I and you bundle your trips to town

The verses today conclude chapter 12 of John, but they also conclude the major section on Jesus’ message and ministry. The remainder of the book will focus on Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Jesus’ summary of His message, He once again makes it clear that He and the Father are one. Jesus is divine. He has come from the Father. John wants us to understand from this passage that . . .

BIG IDEA – To be saved we have to believe that Jesus is God.

This is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions of the world – what we believe about who Jesus is and why He came to earth.

Let’s pray

GOD (John 12:37-50)
- Jews (vv. 37-42)
  - - Unbelief (vv. 37-41)
      - We see that miraculous signs do not always produce faith in Jesus
        John tells us that his whole purpose in recording the miraculous sings, that he did in this Gospel, was with the hope that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in His name (John 20:31)
        For some, it was just what they needed to take the step of faith
        For the Jews, specifically in this passage, and for us, generally, miraculous signs are not enough, and John gives us the reason why
      - Quotes the prophet Isaiah
        John now interprets Isaiah’s prophecies about the Israelites of his day, and how it applies to Jesus and the 1st Century Jews and our culture today
        Read Isaiah 53:1-6
        It’s not hard to see how Isaiah was prophesying about Jesus
        We see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in John’s Gospel
        The Jews didn’t believe Jesus’ words, that He was the Messiah, that He was sent from God, that He was God – they rejected the verbal message (Isaiah says, message)
        They also rejected the miraculous signs
        In Isaiah, the arm of the Lord, is referring to His miraculous signs, manifested through Jesus
        Here are the miraculous signs that God had performed through Jesus, up through chapter 12
        Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-11)
        Jesus heals the government official’s sons (John 4:46-54)
        Jesus heals the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-18)
        Jesus feeds five thousand, plus people (John 6:1-14)
        Jesus heals the man who was born blind (John 9:1-12)
        Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44)
        So what we see is that Jesus, through God, has power over the elements (water, bread, fish); over sickness and conditions that develop after birth; over genetic mutations that happen prior to birth; and over death itself
        God’s words and works, through Jesus, were not enough to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah, sent from God
        To be saved we have to believe that Jesus is God.
        Why weren’t His words and works enough?
        Is God not sovereign, is He not all-powerful?
        We have to remember that there are two things in tension here
        God’s sovereignty
        Human responsibility (our free will)
        Those two attributes will help us to understand the next passage that John quotes from Isaiah
        John tells us that they could not believe, and quotes Isaiah 6:10 as the reason why
        Read Isaiah 6:1-10
        John doesn’t say anything about the Jews’ ears, probably because he is focusing on the fact that the 1st Century Jews rejected Jesus’ words and works – they didn’t believe the miraculous signs and His words didn’t transform the part of the them that thinks and feels (their heart)
        He also reverses the order of the eyes and heart (there’s really no significance to that reversal)
        There is lots of discussion about what John is trying to say here
        Is John talking about predestination?
        The short answer is, No
        At some point in church history, the idea of predestination took a turn, that I believe was never intended or taught in Scripture
        Most people hear the term predestination and immediately think that God has chosen some people to be saved and others to be condemned to hell
        That doesn’t seem to fit with God’s desire, that all people be saved (Read 1 Timothy 2:1-7; 2 Peter 3:8-9, and John 3:16)
        I believe we have misinterpreted or not defined predestination correctly, as God sees it
        I don’t want to spend too much time talking about this, because it is not the main point of this passage
        I believe that D.A. Carson does an excellent job of explaining God’s heart as it pertains to what John says about the reason the Jews could not believe
        “If a superficial reading finds this harsh, manipulative, even robotic, four things must constantly be borne in mind: (1) God’s sovereignty in these matters is never pitted against human responsibility (cf. notes on v. 38); (2) God’s judicial hardening is not presented as the capricious manipulation of an arbitrary potentate cursing morally neutral or even morally pure beings, but as a holy condemnation of a guilty people who are condemned to do and be what they themselves have chosen; (3) God’s sovereignty in these matters can also be a cause for hope, for if he is not sovereign in these areas there is little point in petitioning him for help, while if he is sovereign the anguished pleas of the prophet (Is. 63:15-19) – and of believers throughout the history of the church – make sense; (4) God’s sovereign hardening of the people in Isaiah’s day, his commissioning of Isaiah to apparently fruitless ministry, is a stage in God’s ‘strange work’ (Is. 28:21-22) that brings God’s ultimate redemptive purposes to pass. Paul argues rather similarly in Romans 9:22-33.” [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 448-49]
        John tells us that Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about it (Isaiah 6:1-4)
      - Application
        PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s desire is that His people believe in His words and works.
        It’s amazing when someone believes God’s Word without having to experience His works (the supernatural/miraculous)
        “Miracles don’t produce faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). The only path to faith is to be in the Word and to grab hold of the Word.” [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, New Testament, 543]
        In John 10:25-30, Jesus tells the religious leaders that He already told them that He was the Christ, but they didn’t believe Him
        The miracles He did in His Father’s name speak for Him, but they didn’t believe those either
        The reason they didn’t believe, is because they weren’t His sheep – part of God’s family
        Thomas missed seeing Jesus, after His resurrection, when He appeared to the disciples the first time
        Thomas said He wouldn’t believe unless he could see the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and put his finger in the nail marks and place his hand in the spear hole in Jesus’ side
        The second time Jesus appears to them Thomas is there
        Jesus encourages Thomas to do just what he said, but Thomas didn’t have to
        Then Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
        If someone needs to see God’s miraculous signs, in addition to hearing His words, in order to believe, it’s certainly better than not believing at all
        My Next Step Today Is To: Believe in Jesus’ words and works as proof that He is the Messiah.
        PRINCIPLE #2 – God will not force anyone to believe in Him.
        Psalm 81:11-12, “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.”
        Paul explains in Romans 1:18-32 about God’s wrath against mankind, because they would not submit to Him, but rather followed the ways of the world – He gave them over to their sinful desires
        “God used George Whitefield in a way seldom seen in this world. He was the main instrument in the spiritual revival known as the Great Awakening, which sept across the United States in the mid-1700s. Whitefield was also good friends with Benjamin Franklin. Their friendship began when Whitefield came to Philadelphia in 1739 and lasted until his death in 1770. During the course of this thirty-one-year friendship, Franklin was the primary publisher of all of Whitefield’s sermons and journals. Forty-five times Whitefield’s sermons were reprinted in Franklin’s newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, and eight times the sermons filled the entire front page. Franklin published ten editions of Whitefield’s journals and sold thousands of reprints of Whitefield’s sermons.
        
        Their relationship extended beyond a business relationship. On more than one occasion when Whitefield came to Philadelphia, he stayed with Franklin in his home. When some of the religious elite criticized Whitefield in another local paper, Franklin wrote a rebuttal. His support for Whitefield, along with a regular correspondence between the two, continued for the next thirty years. Despite their friendship and Whitefield’s continued presentation of the gospel, Franklin never responded in faith. In his autobiography Franklin wrote about Whitefield: ‘He used sometimes to pray for my conversion, but never had the satisfaction of believing that his prayers were heard’ (quoted in Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin, 113).” [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John, 253]
        Romans 1:20, For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
        No one in all humanity can say to the Lord on the last day, “I didn’t know!”
        It’s a matter of whether or not we have rejected Him
      - John tells us that while some didn’t believe, there were many that did believe
    - Belief (vv. 42-43)
      - Many believed
        It’s fascinating that while some didn’t believe, John tells us that, at the same time, many believed
        Those who believed also included some of the religious leaders (members of the Sanhedrin or Jewish Council)
      - Would not confess
        They were “secret” followers of Jesus
        We’re familiar with two secret followers, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea
        Eventually, they confessed their allegiance to Jesus when they asked Pilot for His body, so they could bury it properly
        Put out of the synagogue
        This was serious business for the religious leaders
        Their entire social, economic, and religious worth were wrapped up in being a part of the synagogue
        They weren’t about to sacrifice that in order to publicly confess Jesus
        Loved praise from men more than praise from God
        Being a part of the Sanhedrin or Jewish Council probably brought prestige and recognition from the general Jewish population
        They rather enjoyed the attention they received as part of that governing body
      - Application
        Not willing to sacrifice
        “The church has always had people who remain borderline believers, unwilling to confess openly their attachment to Jesus because of all sorts of pressure.” [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 12-21, 66]
        Perhaps that’s where some of us are today
        We say we believe in Jesus when we’re with a certain group of people, but we would never openly say that around coworkers, friends, or neighbors
        We’re afraid that if those groups find out, they’ll think we’re not cool
        We’re afraid they’ll exclude us from their group
        It happens even within the church
        We’re afraid that if we truly go all in for Jesus, that some of the people in the church will not accept us
        If we raise our hands in worship or clap during a song, that other people will think getting caught up in emotionalism
        If we talk too much about sharing the Gospel with our family and friends that people in the church will feel uncomfortable
        If we give a testimony every week, because we’re grateful for the Lord’s working in our lives, that someone will criticize us for always sharing
        Counting the cost of truly following Jesus
        Truly following Jesus is often very costly
        It may cost us relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers
        It could cost us our job, as we publicly confess Jesus to our coworkers
        It could affect the social, economic, and religious areas of our lives – as it should
        “Genuine belief brings radical, complete, and lasting transformation of the whole person from the inside out . . . Jesus has no secret followers.” [Carter & Wredberg, 259]
        “John provides models of excellent discipleship.” [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 349]
        John 1:35-51 (calling of the first disciples)
        John 4:1-42 (Women at the well the Samaritan people from her city)
        PRINCIPLE #3 – God is pleased when His people publicly confess their faith in Him.
        When is the last time you’ve done that?
        Do your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers even know that you’re a follower of Jesus Christ?
        My Next Step Today Is To: Love the praise from God more than the praise from men.
        My Next Step Today Is To: Stop following Jesus in secret and publicly confess my faith in Him to my family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
        Don’t just make the commitment to this next step in your heart and mind
        Write out names of people that you are going to share your faith with and when you plan to do it
        Share that list with another believer and ask them to pray for you and hold you accountable
    - All of this leads to Jesus’ summary of His message
    - His message is for all humanity
- All Humanity (vv. 44-50)
  - - Belief (vv. 44-46)
      - Jesus says that when a person believes in Him they are affirming that they believe in God
      - PRINCIPLE #4 – Jesus is God.
        Jesus says it two ways here
        When we believe in Jesus we’re not only believing in Him, but also in the One who sent Him – God the Father
        When we look at Jesus, we also see the One who sent Him – God!
        Jesus had told the religious leaders this on multiple occasions, as we see in the Gospels
        This wasn’t new information for them
        To be saved we have to believe that Jesus is God.
        Again, Jesus states His purpose for coming to earth
        He came as a light
        John 8:12, When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
        When we believe in Jesus, we no longer have to stay in darkness
        The darkness that Jesus is referring to is the darkness of sin (Rom. 3:23)
        Sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:2)
        1 John 1:5-7, This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
        God and Jesus are perfect, no darkness in them, no sin
        Jesus willingly took our punishment for sin when He died on the cross
        He made a way for us to pass from darkness to light and to have our sins purified, so that God sees us a righteous
        My Next Step Today Is To: Believe in Jesus and have my sins purified, so I no longer have to live in darkness.
      - Jesus not only addressed those who believe, but also those who don’t believe
    - Unbelief (vv. 47-50)
      - Faith comes from hearing
        Jesus doesn’t even mention miraculous signs at this point
        He says that the person who hears His words but does not keep them, but rather rejects His words, will be judged
        But Jesus isn’t the One who is going to judge them, because He came to save (John 3:17)
      - God’s word brings judgment on unbelievers
        The same words that Jesus had used while on earth will be what is used to judge unbelievers
        Jesus and God are one as we see from His explanation that He didn’t speak on His own, but He only spoke what God commanded Him to say – God gave Him the words to say and also the understanding about how to say it
      - God’s command leads to eternal life
        We have the Bible today, which is God’s words to us – His command
        His Word is trustworthy and true
        If we want to know if God is real, then we need to spend time in His Word
        He will reveal Himself to us when we genuinely seek Him
        As we spend time in His Word, it will lead us to eternal life

YOU
- Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, because of His words and the miraculous signs that John has recorded for us?
- Have you been following Jesus in secret and are you ready to publicly confess Him?
- Are you ready to believe in Jesus and have your sins purified, so you can have eternal life?

WE
- We need to support one another as we begin to publicly confess Jesus to our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers
- Just imagine the impact on our communities as we boldly confess Jesus as Lord, instead of following Him in secret
- There is an openness right now to spiritual things as we face the COVID-19 pandemic – let’s not miss this incredible opportunity!

CONCLUSION

“English author H. G. Wells, famous for science fiction novels like The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds, once wrote a short story called ‘The Country of the Blind.’ It's about an inaccessible, luxurious valley in Ecuador where, due to a strange disease, everyone is blind. After 15 generations of this blindness there was no recollection of sight or color or the outside world at all. Finally, a man from the outside—a man who could see—literally fell into their midst. He had fallen off a high cliff and survived, only to stumble into their forgotten country.

When he realized that everyone else was blind, he remembered the old adage: ‘In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.’ Wells writes:

He tried at first on several occasions to tell them of sight. ‘Look you here, you people,’ he said. ‘There are things you do not understand in me.’ Once or twice one or two of them attended to him; they sat with faces downcast and ears turned intelligently towards him, and he did his best to tell them what it was to see.

But they never believed him. They thought he was crazy. The man fell in love with a girl there and the girl's father, Yacob, went to talk to a doctor about him. A conversation ensued:

[The doctor said]: ‘I think I may say with reasonable certainty that, in order to cure him complete, all that we need to do is a simple and easy surgical operation—namely, to remove these irritant bodies [his eyes!].’

‘And then he will be sane?’ [they asked].

‘Then he will be perfectly sane, and a quite admirable citizen.’

‘Thank Heaven for science!’ said old Yacob.

Wells goes on to point out that the man would not be allowed to marry Yacob's daughter unless he submitted to an operation that would blind him. So what would the man do? Wells writes:

He had fully meant to go to a lonely place where the meadows were beautiful with white narcissus, and there remain until the hour of his sacrifice should come, but as he walked he lifted up his eyes and saw the morning, the morning like an angel in golden armour, marching down the steeps…

It seemed to him that before this splendour, he and this blind world in the valley, and his love and all, were no more than a pit of sin. And the man who could see escaped the country of the blind with his life.

That is where we live—in the country of the blind that is proud of its science, sure of its health, oblivious to the light. It is not only pitiful; it is deadly. Jesus said, "Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil." Jesus had his own name for "the country of the blind." He called it "the world." In his last words to his disciples before going to the cross, Jesus warned them of the hostility they would face—just as he had—in this blind world. Yet rather than pulling his beloved followers out of this blind and hostile world, Jesus sent his own Spirit into his people to convince this world of its blindness.

Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois; source: www.online-literature.com/wellshg/3/.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2008/october/2100608.html].

April 19, 2020/by Office

From Seeing To Believing

Easter John Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Easter, Resurrection, Salvation

EASTER SUNDAY

From Seeing To Believing

(John 20:1-23)

INTRODUCTION

I want you to think about the very beginning of the COVID-19, Coronavirus. There were news reports coming out of Wuhan, China that people were getting sick with a terrible virus. The initial reports talked about how this virus was particularly serious for children and the elderly. Now, I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t too concerned about the novel Coronavirus, simply because it was halfway around the world and I wasn’t planning on traveling to that part of the world anytime soon.

We heard about how cruise ships were quarantining crew members and passengers for 14 days, when confirmed cases of the virus were discovered. Again, I wasn’t too concerned, because I wasn’t going on a cruise anytime soon.

When the first cases hit the state of Washington, I started to think more seriously about this new virus, but again wasn’t anxious or fearful. There was a progression of understanding, as cases of the virus began to pop up in New York and New Jersey (that’s closer to home).

When federal and state authorities closed schools for two weeks, we all started going through a progression of understanding about this virus and its seriousness. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Pennsylvania state map and the graph of new cases that Senator Doug Mastriano provides every day (show map).

We are continuing to move through a progression of understanding as it pertains to the Coronavirus – should we wear masks and gloves when we have to go out, how long can I wait before I have to go to the store, when will my children be returning to school, when can I return to work, is my work considered essential or not, as a first-responder, am I going to get infected, if I’m infected am I asymptomatic, if I’m infected will the hospital have the medical supplies available to help me?

BODY

ME
- Learning Greek
  - - When I would read technical commentaries that had the actual Greek letters without an explanation of which English word it was referring to, I would use the same filler word when reading the sentence
    - I could visibly see the Greek word, but I had no idea what the word was or even how to pronounce it
    - Then I took the Greek Language course at seminary
      - At first, I was still looking at Greek words and didn’t know how to pronounce them
      - I had to start with the Greek letters and learn each one of those
      - Then I was able to sound out some basic Greek words
      - I learned a lot of Greek vocabulary words at the beginning
      - As I continued to study, I learned that there were various case endings that helped in understanding how the word is used in a sentence
      - Eventually we began translating simple sentences and then multiple verses
    - Intermediate Greek – fall of 2015
      - This course required translation of larger portions of scripture each week, from the beginning
      - It was and still is exciting to see and understand the nuances of Biblical Greek and the understanding that it brings to what scripture really means

WE
- School
  - - The COVID-19, Coronavirus has taken almost every student and teacher on a learning curve ride
    - While cyber school is becoming a more popular alternative to traditional public and private schools, the vast majority of students and teachers still use the traditional schooling approach
    - Since federal and state authorities have implemented social distancing as a way to stop the spread of the Coronavirus, students and teachers, in traditional schools, have had to make some pretty major adjustments to how they are learning
    - Now every student and teacher are experiencing online learning
    - They have had to go through a progression of understanding in order to make online learning work
      - Teachers have had to learn Microsoft Teams and other software options to teach remotely
      - Students have also had to learn different software options
      - Parents aren’t exempt from learning different software options, but they are also learning how to be a teacher
- Work
  - - When you start a new job, there is always a learning curve
    - You have to learn the ins and outs of how the company does certain things
    - After a couple of weeks, you begin to get the hang of it, but you may not have figured out all of the inside lingo, the chain of command, the authority structures, or the unspoken expectations
    - Eventually you understand all of that and you fit right in
- Church
  - - When attending a new church there is also a progression of understanding
    - When do we stand, when do we sit, what is the order of the service, do we raise our hands and/or clap when we’re worshiping, where is the bathroom, is there children’s church and Sunday school, where is the nursery, are food and drink allowed in the sanctuary, how do I find out more information about the ministries of the church
    - Eventually all of those questions are answered and we feel comfortable coming to church
    - Of course right now, you should have all of those questions answered, because you’re probably worshiping in your own home and you can stand, sit, raise your hands, clap, eat, drink, and use the bathroom whenever you’d like
- There is a progression that takes place in school, work, church, and other areas of life
  - - We’ll see in John 20:1-23 that the disciples went through a progression of understanding as they tried to comprehend Jesus’ resurrection
    - HI – Believing in Jesus’ resurrection requires a progression of understanding.

The Empty Tomb (John 20:1-9)
- The women were up early
  - - We know from the other three Gospel passages that there were more women with Mary Magdalene
      - She was the one whom Jesus freed from seven demons that possessed her
      - Mary loved Jesus deeply
      - She was one of the women that followed Joseph and Nicodemus to the tomb to see where Jesus would be buried
    - Mary’s statement to Peter and John in verse 2 also tell us there were a group of women that went together, because she uses the word “we”
    - They were on their way to the tomb while it was still dark
      - Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome had bought spices to anoint Jesus’ body (Mark 16:1-2)
      - They went to the tomb very early on the first day of week
      - They were talking about who would roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb
    - They find that the stone has been rolled away
      - “It is significant that the first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ were believing women. Among the Jews in that day, the testimony of women was not held in high regard. ‘It is better that the words of the Law be burned,’ said the rabbis, ‘than be delivered to a woman.’ But these Christian women had a greater message than that of the Law, for they knew that their Saviour was alive.” [Wiersbe]
    - Mary Magdalene immediately assumes Jesus body has been moved and starts running
- Mary Magdalene comes to Peter and John
  - - Since John is writing the Gospel account, he does not mention his own name, but rather calls himself “the other disciple, the one Jesus loved”
    - She would have probably come to the house of John
    - Peter was staying with him
    - She tells them that they have taken the Lord out of the tomb and that she and the other women don’t know where they have put him.
- Peter and John go to the tomb
  - - John outruns Peter
    - But, John is contemplative, so he doesn’t enter right away
    - When Peter arrives, he goes right in
    - The linen that was around Jesus’ head was folded nicely
      - Most commentaries state the linens around Jesus’ body still had the shape of his body, like an empty cocoon
        “Now, the Greek construction indicates that the linen clothes that were wrapped around Jesus were still lying in a circular form as though a body were in them.” [Smith]
        That would have been an amazing sight
      - No grave robbers had stolen his body, because they would not have left the linens so nicely
      - They would have stolen the linen burial clothes instead of the body, because they would have been brand new and made of fine linen
      - The fact that the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head was folded up by itself, separate from the linen is significant
        This would have allowed Peter and John to see that even though the other linens had the shape of a body that there was no body there
        Jesus was not there
    - John sees the empty tomb and believes
      - “The empty cross and the empty tomb are God’s ‘receipts’ telling us that the debt has been paid.” [Wiersbe]
      - Significant of “saw,” “saw” and “saw” in the Greek
        Verse 5 (NASB) – “and stooping and looking in, he [John] saw the linen wrappings lying there. . .” – the word “saw” in the Greek is ble’-pō (bleh-poe), meaning “to look at, to see visibly”
        Verse 6 – the Greek word is the-ō-re’-ō (thay-o-ray-o) which means, “to study more carefully” We get our English word “theory” from this Greek word
        Verse 8 – The Greek word is ā’-dō (eye-doe) and means, “to perceive with intelligent comprehension” We get our English word “idea” from this, so it can also mean “I get it”
      - “First you’re exposed to some piece of information. You hear what the teacher is saying. Then you give it some more thought down the road. And finally comes that moment when you really get it. It’s not just a concept theologically – but it becomes part of your life personally.” [Courson]
      - PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when His people see the empty tomb and believe in Jesus.
    - Why were they slow to believe what they were seeing?
      - Verse 9 tells us
      - “. . . They did not consider, and apply, and duly improve, what they knew of the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.” [Henry]
        1 Corinthians 15:3-4a, For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
        Isaiah 53:5, But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
      - We know they eventually understood
        Luke 24:6-8, He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” Then they remembered his words.
        Luke 24:45-48, Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
      - They definitely took the Gospel to all nations!
      - We are commanded to do the same thing
      - Do you understand from the Bible that Jesus had to rise from the dead?
        This is an important truth of the Gospel
        Many self-proclaimed prophets have died, but none have come back to life
        Jesus wasn’t a prophet – He was the Son of God
        God allowed Him to come alive again proving that Jesus’ perfect sacrifice was full payment for our sins
      - There was a progression of understanding for Peter and John as they examined the empty tomb
        Where are you at in that progression?
        Are you just seeing it for the first time, but not understanding?
        Are you examining it more closely?
        Are you at the “got it” stage, where you understand why Jesus had to come alive again?
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Move to the next phase of understanding concerning why Jesus had to rise from the dead.
        Maybe you need to see it for the first time
        You may be ready to study it more carefully for yourself (we’re here to help you with that)
        Perhaps you’re ready to move to full comprehension (we’re here to help with that move also)

The First Witness (John 20:10-18)
- Mary Magdalene remained at the tomb
  - - Peter and John had returned home
    - She looked into the tomb again while she is crying
    - She sees two angels in white
      - They are seated where Jesus’ body had been
      - One at the head
      - One at the foot
      - It is a picture of the ark of the covenant
- The angels ask her a question
  - - Why are you crying?
    - Mary gives her answer
      - They have taken MY Lord away
      - She uses the word “my” here, because she is fully committed to Him – she has given her life to serve Him
      - Are you fully committed to the Lord?
      - Can you call Jesus your Lord?
      - PRINCIPLE #2 – God’s desire is that His people are fully committed to Him.
      - Believing in Jesus and being fully committed to Him are two different things
        James 2:19, You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.
        Mark 8:34-38, Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
        My Next Step Today Is To: Deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Jesus, being fully committed to Him as my Lord!
- Mary sees Jesus
  - - She does not recognize Him
    - Jesus asks her the same question (why are your crying?), but goes further by asking who she is looking for
    - Mary thinks he is the gardener
      - She asks if he has carried Jesus body away
      - She is willing to go wherever the body is and carry it away
      - “Her words reveal her devotion. She never paused to consider how she would carry the corpse of a full-grown man or how she would explain her possession of it.” [Tenney quoted in Guzik’s commentary]
- Jesus reveals Himself
  - - He only says her name, Mary
      - However, Jesus said her name, whether it was with the same tone or flexion that He had said it before, she recognizes that it is Jesus speaking
      - John 10:3-4, The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
        More than one shepherd would keep his sheep in a fold over night
        When morning came, each shepherd would go to the fold and call to his sheep
        They recognized his voice and they would come out of the fold and follow him
      - Mary recognizes Jesus’ voice when He says her name
    - She calls Him teacher
    - Jesus gives her a warning
      - Don’t cling to me
        “Actually, the ancient Greek construction of this phrase ‘means to stop an action already begun rather than to avoid starting it.’ (Tenney)” [Guzik]
        She was worshiping Jesus at this point
        PRINCIPLE #3 – God is overjoyed when His people worship Jesus.
      - Why did He say, “Do not cling to Me?”
        She would see Him again
        He had to ascend to the Father so that the Holy Spirit could come
        She had a job to do
    - Jesus gives her instructions
      - Go to my brothers
        He doesn’t call them servants or friends anymore, but brothers
        John 15:15, I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
      - Tell them I am returning to heaven
- Mary goes to the disciples
  - - She tells them that she has seen the Lord and what is message was to them
    - There was doubt about the fact that Jesus had risen and that Mary had seen Him (Mark 16:9-11)
    - That was about to change

The Disciples Saved (John 20:19-23)
- Jesus appears to the disciples
  - - It happened on the same day they found the empty tomb
    - The disciples are all together
    - They are behind locked doors, because they are fearful of the Jews
- Jesus encourages them
  - - Shalom! – Peace be with you!
      - He does not condemn them for running away in the garden or for being absent at the crucifixion (although John was there)
      - He offers this same peace to you
      - Romans 5:1-2a, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
    - He proves that He is alive
      - He shows them His hands and side
      - Hebrews 9:22b, . . . without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
      - He encourages them to touch Him and asks for something to eat (Luke 24:38-43)
    - The disciples are overjoyed
- Jesus saves them
  - - Jesus again pronounces peace to them
    - He is sending them just as the Father had sent Him
    - He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
      - “At this point, the disciples are born again. Although they were already following Jesus, they were not yet regenerated because He had not yet died for their sins.” [Courson]
      - God had created Adam, but he did not have life until God breathed into him
      - The Gospel
        Every person who believes in Jesus receives the Holy Spirit as their guide and comforter
        John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
        Why do I have to believe in Jesus?
        Every human being is born with a “want to” to sin (Romans 3:23)
        Because God is holy and just He has to punish sin (separated Adam and Eve from the Garden, work the ground, increased pain in child bearing) otherwise he wouldn’t be holy and just (Romans 6:23)
        Another attribute of God is that He is loving (Jeremiah 31:3, I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.)
        Out of His great love He sent Jesus from heaven to earth, to grow up to be a man, and then to give His life to take away our sin and provide eternal life to those who believe
        Believing is not a once-and-done act, but rather a continual, active turning away from sin – that’s called repentance
        The Holy Spirit helps us to know what to do and what not to do – He is that still small voice
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Receive God’s love and believe in Jesus so I can have eternal life.
    - He states about forgiving and not forgiving sins
      - We know that only God has the right to forgive sins, so what does this verse mean?
      - “Jesus gives His disciples authority to announce forgiveness and to warn of guilt, as authorized by the Holy Spirit.” [Guzik]

YOU
- “People who hear about the resurrection for the first time may need time before they can comprehend this amazing story. Like Mary and the disciples, they may pass through four stages of belief.
  - - At first, they may think the story is a fabrication, impossible to believe (20:2)
    - Like Peter, they may check out the facts and still be puzzled about what happened (20:6)
    - Only when they encounter Jesus personally are they able to accept the fact of the resurrection (20:16)
    - Then, as they commit themselves to the risen Lord and devote their lives to serving him, they begin to understand fully the reality of his presence with them (20:28)” [NIV Life Application Bible]

CONCLUSION/ACTION

Just as believing in Jesus and accepting His resurrection took a progression of understanding for the disciples, it sometimes takes a progression of understanding for us to accept others who may be different than us.

“Once upon a time I had a young friend named Philip. Philip was born with Downs Syndrome. He was a pleasant child—happy, it seemed—but increasingly aware of the difference between himself and other children. Philip went to Sunday school at the Methodist church. His teacher, also a friend of mine, taught the third-grade class with Philip and nine other eight-year-old boys and girls.

You know eight-year-olds. And Philip, with his differences, was not readily accepted. But my teacher friend was creative, and he helped the group of eight-year-olds. They learned, they laughed, they played together. And they really cared about one another, even though eight-year-olds don't say they care about one another out loud. My friend could see it. He knew it. He also knew that Philip was not really a part of that group. Philip did not choose nor did he want to be different. He just was. And that was just the way things were.

My friend had a marvelous idea for his class the Sunday after Easter. You know those things that pantyhose come in—the containers that look like great big eggs—my friend had collected ten of them. The children loved it when he brought them into the room. Each child was to get one. It was a beautiful spring day, and the assignment was for each child to go outside, find a symbol for new life, put it into the egg, and bring it back to the classroom. They would then open and share their new life symbols and surprises one by one.

It was glorious. It was confusing. It was wild. They ran all around the church grounds, gathered their symbols, and returned to the classroom. They put all the eggs on a table, and then the teacher began to open them. All the children stood around the table.

He opened one, and there was a flower, and they ooh-ed and aah-ed. He opened another, and there was a little butterfly. ‘Beautiful,’ the girls all said, since it is hard for eight-year-old boys to say ‘beautiful.’ He opened another, and there was a rock. And as third-graders will, some laughed, and some said, ‘That's crazy! How's a rock supposed to be like new life?’ But the smart little boy who'd found it spoke up: ‘That's mine. And I knew all of you would get flowers and buds and leaves and butterflies and stuff like that. So I got a rock because I wanted to be different. And for me, that's new life.’ They all laughed.

My friend said something to himself about the profundity of eight-year-olds and opened the next one. There was nothing there. The other children, as eight-year-olds will, said, ‘That's not fair — that's stupid! — somebody didn't do right.’

Then my friend felt a tug on his shirt, and he looked down. Philip was standing beside him. ‘It's mine,’ Philip said. ‘It's mine.’

And the children said, ‘You don't ever do things right, Philip. There's nothing there!’

‘I did so do it,’ Philip said. ‘I did do it. It's empty. The tomb is empty!’

There was silence, a very full silence. And for you people who don't believe in miracles, I want to tell you that one happened that day last spring. From that time on, it was different. Philip suddenly became a part of that group of eight-year-old children. They took him in. He was set free from the tomb of his differentness.

Philip died last summer. His family had known since the time he was born that he wouldn't live out a full life span. Many other things had been wrong with his tiny body. And so, late last July, with an infection that most normal children could have quickly shrugged off, Philip died. The mystery simply enveloped him.

At the funeral, nine eight-year-old children marched up to the altar, not with flowers to cover over the stark reality of death. Nine eight-year-olds, with their Sunday school teacher, marched right up to that altar, and laid on it an empty egg—an empty, old, discarded pantyhose egg.”

Harry Pritchett, Jr., condensed by permission of The St. Luke's Journal of Theology, School of Theology, The University of the

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1997/september/4749.html]

April 12, 2020/by Office

The God Who Heals

Rally Day 2 Chronicles, Acts, Mark, Matthew Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Healing, Salvation, Trust

Prayer Rally

The God Who Heals

(2 Chron. 7:13-16; Acts 9:1-9, 17-18; Mark 5:25-34;

Mark 2:1-12; Matt. 6:25-34)

INTRODUCTION

“The movie Simon Birch follows a boy with stunted growth who has a clear sense that God has an important plan for his life. Little Simon is often met with obstacles and opposition, but he plods on through life until he really does become a hero.

Simon and his friend Joe do everything together, even though they are an odd pair. The unlikely Simon is always talking about the great plans God has for his life, but Joe is always doubtful. Joe has been deeply wounded by growing up without a father, and simply cannot move from cynicism to true faith.

Early in the movie, Simon and Joe are heading home from the swimming hole. As Simon and Joe wander through a field of wildflowers, they turn to discussing destiny and the role of faith.

Simon: But things will be different…once God makes me a hero.

Joe: You know, you shouldn't talk about this hero stuff, Simon.

Simon: Why not?

Joe: Because it's weird. The other kids tease you enough as it is.

Simon: I don't care. It's the truth.

Joe: But you don't have any proof.

Simon: I don't need proof, I have faith. Your problem is that you have no faith.

Joe: I got faith. I just want proof to back it up.

In the end, Simon does become a great hero, even though it leads to his death. Many years later, as Joe reflects on Simon's life, he can't help but finally move to a place of faith as well.

Elapsed time: DVD scene 6, 00:17:13–00:17:43. Rated PG

Simon Birch (Buena Vista 1998), written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson; submitted by Bill White, Paramount, California.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/february/9022706.html]

BODY

WE
- Our natural desire is to have proof of God’s existence or to have Him speak to us before we’ll take a step of faith
- Often times, but not always, God is waiting for us to take the step of faith toward Him, before He does the miraculous or speaks to us
- In the midst of difficulties, it can be hard to have faith in God’s ability to heal spiritually, physically, and financially

As we face the COVID-19 pandemic, we will need to take the necessary steps of faith, toward God, even when we have spiritual doubts, physical illness, and financial struggles. Our natural desire will be to demand signs from God before we move in faith. Now more than every we need to remember that . . .

BIG IDEA – God has the power to heal every area of our lives.

Today’s message is going to be done in a way that is different than usual. We are going to look at healing in three areas: spiritual, physical, and financial. As we complete each area, we are going to spend time praying through the Scriptures we’ve looked at and then responding in worship.

GOD
- Spiritual Healing (Acts 9:1-19; 2 Chronicles 7:13-16)
  - - There are certainly many passages of Scripture we could use to talk about spiritual healing
      - I’ve only chosen two passages
      - One will focus on spiritual healing for those who have never believed in Jesus
      - The second passage focuses on believers who have turned away from the Lord
    - Unsaved (Acts 9:1-19)
      - Read Acts 9:1-19
      - We are all familiar with this story of Saul’s conversion (we know Saul by his Greek name, Paul)
        He was zealous for God and the Jewish way of religion, but Jesus’ arrival on earth had transformed religion to a relationship with Jesus
        Change came hard for the religious leaders (chief priests, Pharisees, and Sadducees)
        They continued to try to stop the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and Saul was the ring leader
        But everything changed on the road to Damascus
        Saul had a face-to-face encounter with Jesus
        Jesus arrested him and stopped him in his tracks
        We see the glory of God surrounding Saul, and Jesus questioning him
        God’s glory temporarily blinded Saul – that’s how magnificent His glory is
        PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s glory is beyond compare (magnificent)!
        Ananias used by God
        God used a follower of Jesus Christ to restore Saul’s sight
        God used Ananias to bring physically healing to Saul’s eyes
        God has the power to heal every area of our lives
        This is an important principle for us to understand
        PRINCIPLE #2 – God uses His people to help others come to Jesus.
        We learn from this interaction that Saul was God’s chosen instrument to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the Gentiles and their kings
        Saul was transformed
        We see Saul praying, basically for three days’ straight
        I’m guessing that his prayers were different now
        After having his sight restored, Saul gets baptized
        This was an outward expression of an inward decision
        He was showing those, who were traveling with him and the believers in Damascus, that he had changed
        He was now going to experience being on the other side of persecution
      - Salvation – the Good News
        Sin
        With Saul, we see a complete 180 degree turn from trying to kill followers of Jesus Christ to sharing with everyone about Jesus Christ
        That is what repentance is – a 180 degree turn away from sin and running to Jesus
        We’ve all sinned – lying, stealing, blasphemer, adulterer and murderer in our hearts (Romans 3:23)
        Punishment for sin is eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23)
        God is loving and just
        Loving (Romans 5:8)
        Just – He has to punish sin
        Ecclesiastes 3:17, I thought in my heart, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.” (NIV)
        Jesus was the perfect sacrifice
        His death, burial, and resurrection opened the way for us to be in a right relationship with God
        Read Hebrews 10:13-24
        Being spiritually healed
        John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
        I encourage you to take that step of faith today into spiritual healing
        Prayer for salvation (encourage anyone who has never believed to pray after me)
      - We looked at being spiritually healed for the first time, but we also need to look at being spiritually healed as believers (it’s different concept)
    - Saved (2 Chronicles 7:13-16)
      - Read 2 Chronicles 7:13-16
      - The Lord spoke to Solomon after he had completed the temple and the royal palace
        God was basically telling Solomon that the Israelites would turn away from worshiping Him
        God gave Solomon a picture of what the discipline of His children would look like
        There would be droughts (no rain)
        Locusts (bugs) would eat up their produce and grain
        Plague among His people
        God also shared what steps the Israelites would need to take to stop His discipline of them
        Identifies those He is talking to (God’s people, called by His name)
        What they would need to do
        Humble themselves (put away pride and selfishness)
        Pray – talking to God
        Seek my face – turning to God instead of anything else
        Turn from their wicked ways (repentance)
        God’s promises
        He will see and hear from heaven
        He will forgive their sins
        1 John 1:9
        We see here the spiritual healing that takes place
        He will heal their land
        This passage really addresses all three areas of healing
        When God says He will heal their land, we have to go back to see what His discipline entailed – the drought and locusts would have devastated their economy/finances – and God promises to bring healing to their finances
        The plague would have affected their physical health and God promises to bring physical healing
        God has the power to heal every area of our lives
        The physical and financial healing will be developed more in the next two points
      - For now, we need to focus on the spiritual healing aspect
    - Worship-based prayer
      - Reverence
        Prayer Prompter: “Lord, thank You that Your glory is reflected in/through . . .” (Acts 9:3)
        Prayer Prompter: “Almighty God, thank You that You have the power to . . .” (2 Chronicles 7:13)
      - Response
        Prayer Prompter: “Dear Lord, I confess that I have persecuted You when . . .” (Acts 9:4)
        Prayer Prompter: “Righteous Father, I confess that I have not ________ (humbled, prayed, sought Your face, or turn from my wicked ways), please forgive me.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
      - Request
        Prayer Prompter: “Gracious God, please help me to hear Your voice and obey Your leading with . . .” (Acts 9:17)
        Prayer Prompter: “Loving Lord, I am committing today to __________ (seek humility, pray, seek Your face, repent of my wickedness) so that I can experience Your promise(s) of healing ___________ (spiritually, physically, financially).” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
      - Readiness
        Prayer Prompter: “Precious Savior, help me to obediently take the next step of faith by . . .” (Acts 9:18)
        Prayer Prompter: “Faithful Father, thank You that Your eyes are open and Your ears are attentive when I cry out to You about . . .” (2 Chronicles 7:15)

SONG: Jesus Messiah

- Physical Healing (Mark 5:25-34; Mark 2:1-12)
  - - I believe that as we take the step of faith into spiritual healing that God promises to sustain and provide for us physically and financially
      - Don’t get me wrong, I’m not preaching a prosperity gospel
      - Jesus never promised us that following Him would be easy, spiritually, physically, or financially – you won’t find that in Scripture
      - But, we know that the all-powerful, Creator of the universe is now our Heavenly Father and He watches over His children and promises to sustain us and provide for us through difficult times
      - “In my experience, signs follow decisions. The way you overcome spiritual inertia and produce spiritual momentum is by making tough decisions. And the tougher the decision, the more potential momentum it will produce. The primary reason most of us don't see God moving is simply because we aren't moving. If you want to see God move, you need to make a move!
        
        I cannot promise that signs will follow your faith in three minutes or three hours or three days. But when you take a step of faith, signs will follow. God will sanctify your expectations, and you will begin to live your life with holy anticipation. You won't be able to wait to see what God is going to do next.”
        
        Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase (Multnomah, 2008), pp. 32-33
        
        [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2008/september/5091508.html]
      - PRINCIPLE #3 – God is pleased when His people step out in faith.
    - Individual Faith (Mark 5:25-34)
      - Read Mark 5:25-34
      - The woman’s ailment
        We know that this woman had been dealing with a bleeding issue for 12 years
        She had probably sought out the best physicians of the day
        None of them were able to help, but she kept getting worse
        She was out of options and money
      - The woman’s faith
        Notice that the woman isn’t seeking recognition, but simply expresses her faith in thought
        She knows who Jesus is and His reputation of having healing power
        She believes that simply touching His cloak will release His healing power to her
        She is correct!
        Immediately her bleeding stopped and she knew it physically
        I really appreciate her incredible faith in Jesus’ healing power
        God has the power to heal every area of our lives
      - Jesus’ response
        Jesus realized that healing power had left His body and so He asked who touched His clothes
        The disciples didn’t understand, because many people probably touched His clothes since they were crowding around Him
        When the woman fearfully identifies herself, Jesus affirms her faith, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
      - I like that this potentially shy and reserved woman could quietly express her faith by simply touching Jesus’ cloak
      - Mark also records another physical healing that Jesus performed, but the entrance was much more dramatic
    - Corporate Faith (Mark 2:1-12)
      - Read Mark 2:1-12
      - Faith-filled friends
        People heard that Jesus had returned home and they wanted to be around Him
        He was preaching to a packed house, so much so, that this group of friends couldn’t get their paralyzed friend to Jesus
        So, they went up on the roof, dug a hole in the roof, and lowered their paralyzed friend right in front of Jesus
      - Jesus’ response
        Jesus recognized the faith of the group of friends and the paralytic, so He told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven (spiritual healing!)
        That didn’t sit well with some teachers of the law, but that didn’t matter to Jesus
        He then tells the paralytic to get up, take his mat, and go home, which he does
        Jesus told the man to get up, take his mat, and go home, so that the people would understand that He was God and had the authority on earth to forgive sins
      - God has the power to heal every area of our lives
    - Worship-based prayer
      - Reverence
        Prayer Prompter: “Jesus, thank You for revealing Your omnipotence (all-powerful) in my life by/through . . .”
      - Response
        Prayer Prompter: “Jesus, please forgive me for doubting Your ability to know everything, especially when it comes to ________ in my life.” [Mark 5:31]
        Prayer Prompter: “Precious Savior, I confess that I am currently skeptical about Your power to forgive the sins of __________ (name the person specifically).” [Mark 2:10]
      - Request
        Prayer Prompter: “Dear Lord, help me to have faith in Your healing power as I struggle with . . .”
      - Readiness
        Prayer Prompter: “Lord, thank You that You promise to give me peace as I step out in faith concerning . . .” [Mark 5:34]

SONG: Healer

- Financial Healing (Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 6:38; Malachi 3:6-12; 2 Chronicles 7:13-16)
  - - Financial struggles, especially with COVID-1 (Coronavirus pandemic)
      - I think we would all be kidding ourselves if we said that we weren’t concerned about our financial future with state and federal “stay-at-home” orders.
    - God’s part (Matthew 6:25-32)
      - Read Matthew 6:25-32
        God’s provision of food
        He takes care of the food needs for birds, who don’t sow, reap, or store food away in barns
        He says that we are more valuable than birds, which means that He will provide for us
        We may not know how it will happen, but it will
        Upper Adams Food Pantry, Gettysburg Soup Kitchen, New Hope Mobile Food Pantry
        Generosity of family, neighbors, or friends from church
        God’s provision of clothing
        God provides beautiful dressings for the fields through flowers
        The dressing of the fields is temporary and He says that He will clothe us even more
        As God’s children He says that we are valuable to Him and He will provide for us
      - Discipline of His children (2 Chron. 7:13; Malachi 3:6-9)
        As His children, He will also discipline us, just like a parent with their child(ren)
        As we already saw in 2 Chronicles 7:13, He will bring about droughts, and devouring bugs, and plagues as a way to get the attention of His children, so they will turn back to Him
        Read Malachi 3:6-9
        In Malachi 3:6-9 we see that we are under a curse for turning away from the Lord and robbing Him by not giving our tithes and offerings
      - God’s part is to provide and discipline, but we have a part to play also
    - Our part (Matthew 6:33a; Malachi 3:10; 2 Chronicles 7:14a)
      - Mathew 6:33a
        Seek God’s kingdom first
        Seek God’s righteousness first
        What has first place in your life above God’s kingdom and righteousness?
      - Malachi 3:10
        Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse
        For the Israelites this was the first fruits of all their labors (field and flock/grain and animal)
        To what or whom are you giving your first fruits instead of giving it to God?
      - 2 Chronicles 7:14a
        Humble ourselves
        Pray
        Seek God’s face
        Turn from our wicked ways
      - When we obediently do our part, God promises us certain things
    - God’s promises (Matthew 6:33b; Malachi 3:11-12; 2 Chronicles 7:14b)
      - Matthew 6:33b
        All these things will be given to you as well
        God promises to provide our every need (food & clothing)
      - Malachi 3:11-12
        God will prevent pests from devouring their crops (livelihood)
        God will make sure that nothing is wasted
        Other nations will call them blessed
      - 2 Chronicles 7:14b
        God will hear and see from heaven
        God will forgive our sins
        God will heal our land
      - God has the power to heal every area of our lives
    - Worship-based prayer
      - Reverence
        Prayer Prompter: “Lord, since You never change, I worship You because/for . . .” [Malachi 3:6]
        Prayer Prompter: “Heavenly Father, thank You that you value me more than . . .” [Matthew 6:26, 30]
      - Response
        Prayer Prompter: “Precious Savior, I confess that I seek ________ first instead of Your kingdom and righteousness.” [Matthew 6:33]
        Prayer Prompter: “Lord, please forgive me for using my first fruits on _________ instead of giving them to You as a tithe and offering.” [Malachi 3:8-9]
      - Request
        Prayer Prompter: “God, will You please help my faith to grow through _________ (difficult situation), so I will trust You more.” [Matthew 6:30]
        Prayer Prompter: “Lord, help me to take the step of faith to test You concerning robbing You of ________ (time, talents, or resources),” [Malachi 3:10]
      - Readiness
        Prayer Prompter: “Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing me and providing for me through . . .”

SONG: God Will Take Care Of You

YOU
- My Next Step Today Is To:
  - - Believe in Jesus and receive God’s gift of eternal life (spiritual healing)
    - Step out in faith and trust God to heal me physically (physical healing)
    - Trust God to provide for my every need, even during difficult times (financial healing)

CONCLUSION

“Every other Tuesday, Maria Lopez would come to clean my house.

Maria always arrived like a bubble of energy determined to restore order to my universe, scrubbing as though it were an act of worship.

As we became acquainted, I learned that Maria was a pastor's daughter from Peru who had no family in the United States. I had only been a Christian a few years and appreciated Maria's enthusiastic faith. She prayed out loud while she cleaned, and sang praise songs in Spanish while she scrubbed. She praised Jesus everywhere she went.

One Tuesday, Maria didn't show up for work. I anticipated seeing her cheery face the following day. But no one came.

When she didn't arrive the next day, I called. No one answered the phone.

This is so unlike her, I thought. She's so reliable. There must be a good reason.

On the third day, a nurse called to say Maria was at the hospital. Alarmed, I cut some flowers and drove to Northridge Hospital to find out what was wrong. I found Maria sitting up in bed, rocking back and forth with her head encased in a heavy iron cage resting on her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Touching her arm gently, I held out the flowers. She clutched them to her chest.

"What's that around your head, Maria?"

"Oooh, Meessus," she moaned, touching the iron contraption, "it is the torture of Satan."

Puzzled, I turned to the nurse. She explained, "It's called a halo. It's screwed and bolted directly into the skull in four different places. It isn't pleasant."

"How long must you wear it?" I asked Maria.

"Five months, my doctor say, maybe. But Meessus, you tell him, Maria, she no live five months with thees in her head. She die. You tell him, yes?"

"I'll talk to him, Maria. Anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes, Meessus. My Bible." She pointed to the bedside table. "Please, you read to me."

"Sure, Maria."

I started reading John 14. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

Out in the corridor, I found Maria's doctor. "Why is she wearing that hideous device?" I asked him.

"Because, to put it simply, if she didn't," he said, "her head would fall off. Maria has cancer. Her neck bones have degenerated to the point where they can no longer support her head."

"Can they be repaired? Or regenerated?" He shook his head gravely.

"It means we can't ever take it off. Maria will have to get used to living with it."

Every week when I visited, Maria asked me to pray with her and read from the Bible. She always requested the same chapter from the New Testament: John 14. Weeks turned into months. The heavy metal halo was crippling.

During one visit, months after being admitted to the hospital, Maria clutched my hands and whispered, "God tells Maria it won't be long. Soon, he say, we take this off."

Before I left the hospital, I stopped at the nurses' desk to ask how much longer Maria would be there. A nurse said they were preparing papers to release [her]. Maria doesn't have insurance or enough money to stay in the hospital. That's why they're releasing her.

Maria panicked when the doctor told her she must leave. "No! You take new x-ray." Touching the halo she cried, "You take this torture from me! I no leave with this!"

"There is really no point," he insisted. "Nothing has changed."

When I returned to the hospital two days later to pick up Maria, I was surprised to find her sitting in a chair, beaming ear to ear. "I no leave today," she said.

"Why not, Maria? Have you had your x-ray?"

"Yes. But I stay until they take this off." She rolled her eyes toward the halo.

Hasn't anyone told Maria what will happen when they take the halo off? It was my turn to panic. I can't tell her. Her despair will be overwhelming.

I cornered the doctor. "She won't leave until you take the halo off. What do we do?"

"We'll take it off," he replied.

"You said her head will roll off without it!"

Suddenly, Maria's doctor began acting strangely. He looked left and right, then muttered in low tones, "It won't roll. The x-ray we took this morning indicated her neck bones have regenerated."

"You said that was impossible."

"It is impossible."

I shook my head, confused. "Were the original x-rays a mistake?"

"Not at all. They're here for anyone to see."

"So?"

Before answering, the doctor sighed. "So there are things I can't explain. Her bones have regenerated, and they are strong enough to hold her head. That's all I know."

"Doctor! Is this a miracle?"

"I don't know about miracles, that's Maria's department. She tells me Jesus healed her."

Adapted from Barbara Royce Extract, "Maria and the Halo," Christian Reader (Jul/Aug 2001), p. 63.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2003/february/14185.html].

April 5, 2020/by Office

Role Reversal

Believe John Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Humility, Witnessing, Worship

Believe

Role Reversal

(John 12:12-19)

INTRODUCTION

“In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, characters interpret ancient lore and rhymes in order to discern events in the present in much the same way that Christians interpret Old Testament prophecies to predict the coming of Christ.

In the third book of the trilogy, The Return of the King, the hero, Aragorn, who is the rightful claimant to the throne of Gondor, returns to the city Minas Tirith. He is victorious in the battle against the dark lord Sauron, but he's not yet able to claim the throne.

He enters the city in disguise in order to go to the Houses of Healing. There he seeks to heal his friends who were struck in battle. As he performs this healing, one of the attendants repeats an ancient verse: ‘The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known.’”

J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings; submitted by F. Bradford Townley, Dover, Massachusetts.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2002/may/13690.html]

Jesus has the hands of a healer and He was entering the city of Jerusalem in a humble way.

BODY

ME
- Asked to serve on a board
  - - Within the past year I was asked to consider serving on a local board in the community
    - It’s always an honor to be asked to serve
    - Sometimes I’m tempted to agree immediately without taking time to think and pray about it
    - I didn’t agree immediately, but asked for time to pray and seek Judy’s counsel
    - It was during this time that I heard the Lord tell me, through studying John 3, that, like John the Baptist, I needed to make sure that Jesus becomes greater and that I must become less
    - The decision was simple at point – I had to decline the offer to serve on the local board
- Humility
  - - It wasn’t easy to humble myself and decline the offer
    - I want to serve our community, but I also want to do it with humility and not pride

WE
- Humility has changed in our culture as Carina Chocano points out:

“An article in the New York Times observes how ‘humility is not what it used to be.’ As a matter of fact, it may be the exact opposite of what it used to mean:

Lately it's pro forma—possibly even mandatory—for politicians, athletes, celebrities, and other public figures to be vocally and vigorously humbled by every honor awarded, prize won, job offered, record broken, pound lost, shout-out received, ‘like’ copped and thumb upped.

Diving at random into the internet and social media finds this new humility everywhere. A soap-opera actress on tour is humbled by the outpouring of love from fans. Comedians are humbled by big laughs, yoga practitioners are humbled by achieving difficult poses, athletes are humbled by good days on the field, Christmas volunteers are humbled by their own generosity and holiday spirit.

And yet none of these people sound very ‘humbled’ at all. On the contrary: They all seem exceedingly proud of themselves, hashtagging their humility to advertise their own status, success, sprightliness, generosity, moral superiority, and luck. When did humility get so cocky and vainglorious?”

Carina Chocano, "Calling Yourself 'Humbled' Doesn't Sound as Humble as It Used To," The New York Times (1-24-17)

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2017/february/4022717.html]

- Perhaps all of us would agree that having true humility can be difficult, especially when our culture is modeling anything but humility

As John continues to outline Jesus’ movements throughout Judea and Galilee, he shares about Jesus entering Jerusalem during His final week on earth. It wasn’t how the Jews expected Him to arrive. In fact, they misinterpreted His entrance into Jerusalem. His own disciples misunderstood His mission and the Pharisees would prove, once again, to be misguided in their intentions. Jesus was entering Jerusalem in a humble way, which was a role reversal in the minds of the crowd. As followers of Jesus Christ we are to live our lives in humility, just as Jesus did. John wants us to understand that . . .

BIG IDEA – Our humility is misunderstood by the world.

We are in good company, because the world misunderstood Jesus’ humility too.

Let’s pray

NOTE: This scene is recorded in all four Gospels, which speaks of its importance (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44).

GOD (John 12:12-19)
- Misinterpreted (vv. 12-15)
  - - If the anointing of Jesus by Mary took place on Saturday evening, then the next day would be Sunday
    - The great crowd
      - Who was this crowd?
        John tells us that it was a great crowd that had come for the Feast
        It’s understood that the crowd would have been those who had already made their way to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast
        They would have only been about 1.7 miles from Bethany, but perhaps it was even closer than that
        Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that Jesus had left Bethany and was headed to Bethphage, which was nearly half way between Bethany and Jerusalem
        So now Jesus is only about one mile from Jerusalem
        Jerusalem proper would not have been able to accommodate the population increase, so people would have set up temporary housing in the Kidron Valley [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 340]
        So, they would have been closer still to Jesus and the crowd following Him from Bethany through Bethphage
        It would have been easy for them to see this smaller crowd cresting the hill of the Mount of Olives and hearing their voices rejoicing
      - What were they doing?
        Took palm branches and went out to meet Jesus
        It wouldn’t have been difficult for them to find palm branches, because date palms were plentiful there
        They especially grew around Jericho which had the name “City of Palms” (Deut. 34:3; 2 Chron. 28:15) [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 369]
        John doesn’t tell us what the crowd does with the palm branches
        Throughout church history to our modern day, we see people waving palm branches in remembrance of Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem
        Luke doesn’t even mention the palm branches at all
        Matthew and Mark tell us that the crowd cut branches and laid them on the road with their cloaks (in our modern time this would be considered “rolling out the red carpet”)
        It’s certainly acceptable to think that some of the crowd were waving the palm branches, perhaps before they laid them down on the road
        As they are coming from the Kidron Valley and from Bethphage, the crowd is shouting something
        Shouting/Acclaiming
        Hosanna!
        It’s an Aramaic term that literally means, “save us now!” or “give salvation now!” or “save/salvation now!”
        The Jews would have been familiar with this term from Psalm 118
        Psalm 118:25, O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success.
        The crowd probably misinterpreted their cry for salvation
        They were looking for political salvation from Roman rule
        Little did they know that their cry for salvation was so much deeper (not political, but spiritual)
        They didn’t stop with crying out for salvation, but continued with a blessing
        Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
        This had traditionally been a blessing on the pilgrims who made their way to Jerusalem for the Feasts
        It is a direct quote from Psalm 118:26a, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
        It is likely that the blessing is not for the pilgrims at this point, because they are saying this in response to Jesus riding in to Jerusalem on a donkey
        It has a messianic meaning
        “So here; the crowds do not simply pronounce a blessing in the name of the Lord on the one who comes, but pronounce a blessing on the one who comes in the name of the Lord. The next line shows that this is the way the crowd understands their own words: Blessed is the King of Israel is not a quotation from Psalm 118, but messianic identification of ‘he who comes in the name of the Lord’.” [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 432]
        Blessed is the King of Israel!
        This is not the first time in John’s Gospel that someone has referred to Jesus as the King of Israel
        John 1:49, Then Nathaniel declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
        Certainly Jesus is the King of Israel, but not just Israel – He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
        While a previous crowd tried to force Him into this title and role, it was not yet time for Him to claim that role
        It’s an exciting time in Jerusalem as Jesus begins the process of truly revealing Himself to the crowds
        Yet their acclamation of Him misses the mark, because they are misinterpreting His role and purpose
        Application
        There is a positive principle for us even though the crowd misinterpreted it here
        “What ‘the Jews’ could not accept, this crowd, five days before Passover, does accept, albeit on its own terms and in the traditional vocabulary of its own liturgy.” [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 676-77]
        PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when His people worship Jesus.
        As followers of Jesus Christ, on the other side of His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, we can and should worship Him
        We can cry out to Him to “save us now!”, because He has already done the work of redemption
        We can bless Him with our worship, because He came in the name of the Lord
        We can bless Him, because He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
        My Next Step Today Is To: Take time, each day this week, to worship Jesus because He has saved me and is my King!
      - The crowd consisted of those, coming out from around Jerusalem, and those who have been with Jesus in Bethany
      - They are rejoicing in the fact that Jesus is coming into Jerusalem, but He isn’t doing it in the way they probably thought
    - Jesus fulfills prophecy
      - Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey
        “Here he accepts kingship, but on his own terms, ‘sitting on a donkey’s colt.’” [Michaels, 678]
        Jesus was showing the crowd that His kingship didn’t have anything to do with the political difficulties of the day
        He was reversing the role of “king,” in the minds of the crowd, by not riding in on a war horse
        He wasn’t coming to conquer the Romans
        He was coming to bring peace between God and humanity
        That was the significance of riding into Jerusalem on a young donkey
        PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus models humility in leadership.
        He was not going around beating His own drum, like Carina Chocano mentioned about our modern politicians, athletes, celebrities, and other public figures
        He very quietly climbed on the back of this young donkey and rode into Jerusalem
        We can learn a lot from how Jesus handled His “popularity”
        Some of the greatest managers I’ve ever worked under are those who are willing to step up and help with any task at work, no matter how menial
        That shows humble leadership – leading by example
        For those of us who are in positions of leadership, we should take our cues from Jesus
        Our humility is misunderstood by the world.
      - Where did the donkey come from?
        John just tells us that Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it
        Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us that Jesus gave instructions to a couple of His disciples, about where to get the donkey colt in Bethphage
      - Jesus was simply fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy
        John doesn’t quote Zechariah word-for-word, but the same meaning is clear
        Zechariah 9:9, Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
        The phrase, “Daughter of Zion,” was another way of referring to the people of Jerusalem
    - Jesus is embracing His kingship, but not in the way that the crowd was probably thinking, as they were rejoicing and welcoming Him
    - They simply misinterpreted His role and purpose, but His own disciples were struggling to understand everything that was happening
- Misunderstood (vv. 16-18)
  - - John explains that Jesus’ disciples did not understand all this, at first
      - This wasn’t the first time that the disciples misunderstood Jesus
        Read Matthew 15:10-20
        Read Luke 24:19-27 (two disciples on the road to Emmaus)
      - Their misunderstanding was only temporary as John points out
        John points out that at first his disciples did not understand all this
        It wasn’t until Jesus had risen from the dead that the disciples truly understood how He had fulfilled Old Testament scriptures
        Luke 24:44-49, He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
        This all happened after Jesus came alive again and right before He ascended into heaven
        The disciples were to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit was poured out on them
      - PRINCIPLE #3 – God provides understanding of His Word through His Holy Spirit.
        The same Holy Spirit that was given to the disciples is given to every follower of Jesus Christ
        The Holy Spirit gives us power to witness for Jesus Christ with our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers – it is the power from on high
        The Holy Spirit, as part of the Godhead, also helps us to understand Scripture
        2 Timothy 2:7, Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
        Read Ephesians 3:14-19
        Psalm 119:17-18, Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
        My Next Step Today Is To: Ask the Lord to help me understand His Word as I read and study it this week.
      - While the disciples misunderstood Jesus role at this point, they were not alone
    - The crowd also misunderstood
      - Two crowds
        The crowd that was with Jesus at the raising of Lazarus
        This crowd had witnessed the incredible miracle of a dead man being brought back to life
        It transformed them and they couldn’t remain silent
        PRINCIPLE #4 – God is pleased when His people share with others about Jesus.
        Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
        Matthew 28:18-20, Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”
        This is the mission of the church – Pursue, Grow, and Multiply disciples
        We accomplish that mission by sharing with others about Jesus and what He has done in our lives
        My Next Step Today Is To: Share about Jesus with at least one person this week.
        The crowd who was witnessing had been with Jesus in Bethany, but the second crowd was coming out of Jerusalem
        The crowd that was coming out from Jerusalem
        They had heard about the miraculous sign and went out to meet Jesus
        John doesn’t say that they believe in Jesus
        In fact, in John 12:37, we read these words, Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.
        “But when they realized Jesus had a different agenda than a political one, a different agenda than a national one, a different agenda than a material one – their cry changed from ‘Hosanna’ to ‘Crucify him.’” [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, New Testament, 540]
        “The same is still true. Christians individually and churches corporately mobilize politically for this cause or for that personality; to change our government or to change our economy. But very few are interested in a Cross that speaks of dying to self. An arresting picture of Calvary depicts three empty crosses on Golgotha, with a donkey in the background, chewing on a palm frond. You see, it’s one thing to shout at a parade, and something else altogether to stand at the foot of the Cross.” [Courson, 540]
        That’s a powerful challenge for us – are we willing to die to self or are we content to just shout at a parade
      - While the one crowd was witnessing about Jesus, we realize the second crowd probably misunderstood what was happening as Jesus was coming into Jerusalem
    - The crowd and the disciples misunderstood Jesus’ role, but the Pharisees were misguided
- Misguided (v. 19)
  - - If you recall from chapter 11, Caiaphas, the chief priests, and the Pharisees had determined that Jesus must die
    - They had instructed the swelling crowds in Jerusalem to let them know when and where they saw Jesus, so they could arrest Him
      - Their plans were getting them nowhere
      - They thought that with the help of the crowds they would finally be able to arrest Jesus, but the crowds were going to see Jesus
      - They were excited about His arrival and were rejoicing as they ushered Him into Jerusalem
      - The Pharisees were misguided in thinking that the crowd was going to help them
      - God’s timing is perfect
      - As we’ll see, the crowd will eventually help the Pharisees bring about Jesus’ death

YOU
- How will you set aside time every day this week to worship Jesus because He has saved you and is your King?
- Will you ask the Lord to help you understand His Word as you read and study it this week?
- Who will you share Jesus with this week?

CONCLUSION

“King Jesus, why did you choose a lowly donkey to carry you to ride in your parade?

Had you no friend who owned a horse--a royal mount with spirit for a king to ride?

Why choose a donkey, small, unassuming beast of burden trained to plow not carry kings?

King Jesus, why did you choose me, a lowly unimportant person to bear you in my world today?

I'm poor and unimportant, trained to work not carry kings--let alone the King of kings, and yet you've chosen me to carry you in triumph in this world's parade.

King Jesus, keep me small so all may see how great you are; keep me humble, so all may say,

‘Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord,’ not what a great [donkey] ass he rides.”

Joseph Bayly in Psalms of My Life. Christianity Today, Vol. 33, no. 5.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1997/december/4911.html].

March 22, 2020/by Office

A Beautiful Thing

Believe John Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Witnessing, Work, Worship

Believe

A Beautiful Thing

(John 12:1-11)

INTRODUCTION

“In Leadership, pastor and author Stu Weber writes:

My youngest son is the third of three boys. The first two are high-powered; the third is not any less high-powered, but he's the third out of three. By the time you've had a brother who's All-Conference this and another brother who's All-Conference that, there's not much left for you to do.

As a father, I worried about our caboose. He is the most sensitive of the three. To encourage him, I spent a lot of time with him in the outdoors—camping, hunting, fishing. Anybody who has spent time in the outdoors knows that a pocketknife is essential gear—the man with the best blade gets the job done. So, whenever you're setting up camp, you're always looking for the knife.

My son Ryan had a pocketknife that became his identity. His older brothers always had to ask him to use the knife as we were setting up camp. That became his status in the tribe. He was the man with the blade.

My birthday came around one year, and my family was planning a party for me. Earlier in the afternoon my youngest walked into my office at home where I was studying. At first I didn't hear him; I felt him—I could sense his presence—and I turned around.

He had chosen this moment because he wanted to give me a birthday present, but not at the birthday party. He wanted it to be just me and him. He handed me a present, and I opened it—it was his knife.”

Stu Weber, "What It Takes to Reach Men," Leadership (Fall 1994), p.128.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2000/june/12477.html]

BODY

ME
- Auto-Pilot
  - - It happens from time-to-time that as a Pastor, I can go into auto-pilot mode
    - I can prepare services for Wednesday evenings or Sunday mornings without thinking too much about it
    - I can accomplish my work without engaging my heart
- Holy Spirit led
  - - Most times I’m engaging my heart by seeking the filling of the Holy Spirit in preparing the worship service
    - I want the Lord to transform me as I’m preparing for Wednesday evenings, Sunday mornings, and any discipleship opportunities throughout the week
    - There are times when I’m worshipping the Lord and allow the words to really sink in and when that happens it’s hard not to cry
    - I’m engaging my heart and mind in worshiping the Lord

WE
- It’s easy for all of us to fall into the habit of just mindlessly doing our work without engaging our heart and mind
- It can also happen when we worship the Lord
  - - We don’t really engage our hearts and minds in worship, but just go through the motions
    - We know the tune and the words by heart, but don’t sing them from the heart (we don’t allow the message to transform us)

This passage is rich with all kinds of themes, but there are two main themes we’re going to focus on. We’re going to see that the Christian life is a balance of three things: work, worship, and witness. We’re also going to see the contrast between the heart of Mary and the heart of Judas. John wants us to understand that . . .

BIG IDEA – God knows our heart.

He knows our heart as we work for Him, as we worship Him, and as we witness for Him.

Let’s pray

GOD (John 12:1-11)
- Work (vv. 1-2)
  - - Background information
      - John gives us a time stamp
        It is six days before the Passover
        Passover would begin on Thursday evening, so Jesus would have arrived on the preceding Saturday
        According to how days were determined in Jewish culture, Saturday would have started after sundown on Friday
        The meal honoring Jesus probably took place on Saturday evening, after sundown, when Sabbath had officially ended [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 427]
      - John also gives us a location
        He is back in Bethany
        It’s not the Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, but the Bethany where Lazarus lived with his two sisters, Martha and Mary
        It was the one that was less than two miles from Jerusalem
        We also know that it isn’t some other Lazarus that John is talking about, but the one that Jesus raised from the dead
      - These specific identifiers let us know exactly where Jesus is, six days prior to Passover
    - Meal in Jesus’ honor
      - There is a meal that has been prepared in Jesus’ honor
        We know from John 11:54 that Jesus left Bethany, after raising Lazarus from the dead, and went up to a region near the desert to the village of Ephraim
        Perhaps in His haste to leave the area around Jerusalem, there was not time to provide a meal in Jesus’ honor
        They weren’t going to miss another opportunity to honor Jesus for what He did in raising Lazarus
        Where did the meal take place?
        If we only read the record found in the Gospel of John, we could very easily assume that the meal was hosted at the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary
        But, Gospel writers, Matthew (26:6-13) and Mark (14:3-9), also record the anointing of Jesus by a woman in the village named Bethany
        When we read those two accounts we know that the meal was hosted in the home of a man named Simon the Leper
        Since John does not record an actual location, it is not inconceivable that it was hosted in Simon’s home (this removes any contradiction that some see in the Gospel writer’s accounts)
        What we see next is Martha’s servant heart
      - Martha helped to serve
        It didn’t matter whether the meal was hosted in her home or not, Martha has this incredible servants heart
        She steps right in and helps to serve the meal at Simon’s home
        She’s not concerned about who is or isn’t helping to serve at this point
        Jesus knew Martha’s heart and the reason behind why she was willing to serve, even at someone else’s home
        Her servant heart was one of her spiritual gifts and a beautiful character trait – it was a beautiful thing
        God knows our heart.
        He knows why we serve others
        He knows whether or not our intentions are genuine or self-seeking
        When we serve Jesus by serving others, with the right heart attitude, it’s a beautiful thing
        I really appreciate those of you who serve the Lord through serving Idaville Church as a volunteer, and our community through the Gettysburg Soup Kitchen, Upper Adams Food Pantry, New Hope Mobile Food Pantry, Operation Christmas Child, Ingathering, the Hallelujah Party, and many other opportunities
        You can also view your work as worship
        You can connect your faith and work
        We’re hosting the Work As Worship Retreat again for the third year in row
        This is a one-day retreat on Friday, May 15, 2020 that’s part of the RightNow Media ministry
        I appreciate the 8 tenets of Work As Worship
        Work is good
        Sin corrupted work
        Jesus makes it possible for work to be redeemed
        God gave us a mission
        We carry Christ into our work
        God grows us through our work
        God can do more with our work than we can imagine
        Work is worship
        I want to encourage you to continue to serve the Lord with the right heart attitude, whether it’s at work, at home, in your neighborhood, or at church
        Martha was doing what came natural to her, she served
      - Lazarus was reclining at the table with Jesus
        It’s a pretty good guess that Simon the Leper was also in attendance at the meal
        When we look at the account in Matthew’s Gospel, we know that Jesus’ disciples are there
        John names Judas Iscariot as being present
        We aren’t given any other names of potential attendees, but perhaps there were more from the village of Bethany
    - The first scene shows us that the Christian life should include work/service with the right heart attitude
    - As we continue with the meal scene, we’ll also see that worship, with the right heart attitude, is important to the Christian life
- Worship (vv. 3-8)
  - - Mary anoints Jesus’ body
      - The perfume
        We’re not told where she got it from – it may have been part of her dowry or a family heirloom
        Amount
        John says it was a pint
        In the Greek it is litra (probably about 0.5 liter)
        For us westerners it would about 11 to 12 ounces (about the amount of a can of soda – show picture)
        Matthew and Mark both mention that it was in an alabaster jar (show picture of an alabaster jar from Cyprus)
        Type
        Mark and John mention that the type of perfume was pure nard
        “Nard, also known as spikenard is a fragrant oil derived from the root and spike (hair stem) of the nard plant, which grows in the mountains of northern India (Harrison 1966: 48-49).” [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 360]
        The color of nard would have been a deep, rich red color, like a red rose
        It smelled like gladiola, a sweet scent [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 338]
        Some people diluted it or added other ingredients to it
        Notice, that the nard Mary had, was pure
        The rare Greek word for “pure” may mean “genuine”
        Hers was not diluted and did not have any additives
        That was probably why the cost of this jar of perfume was considered so much
        Cost
        John says it was expensive perfume
        Matthew and Mark mention that it was very expensive perfume
        Judas explains that the jar of nard was worth a year’s wages
        That would have been about 300 denarii
        A day’s wage was one denarii
        They did not work on the Sabbath (52 days) and on special feast and festival days (13 days)
        To relate that to today’s wages, we have to look at the minimum wage for Pennsylvania which is $7.25 an hour
        So, if someone earning minimum wage, worked 40 hours a week, their annual income would be $15,000
        Imagine pouring a $15,000 jar of perfume on someone
        That’s exactly what Mary did
      - The act
        Mary poured the pure nard on Jesus’ body
        We have to look at all three accounts again to understand what Mary did
        John tells us that Mary poured the pure nard on Jesus’ feet
        Matthew and Mark tell us that Mary poured the nard on Jesus’ head
        Some people want to use this discrepancy as a way to marginalize and minimize the inerrancy of Scripture
        The amount of the nard was nearly 12 ounces, which is a considerable amount to pour just on Jesus’ feet
        More than likely, Mary started with His head and then moved to His feet
        In Matthew and Mark’s accounts, when Jesus defends Mary’s action, He says that Mary poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial (Matt. 26:12; Mar. 14:8)
        “John emphasizes Jesus’ feet to show the sheer act of humble devotion on Mary’s part and to provide a contrast with the foot-washing of the next chapter.” [Burge, 339]
        So there’s not a contradiction in the three accounts, but rather John is focusing on just one part of the pouring out of the nard
        Mary pours it on Jesus’ body and then does something perhaps unexpected
        Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair
        The washing of feet was a task reserved for a servant within the household and not the members of the household, yet Mary is taking on the form of a servant as she worships Jesus
        Women in the 1st Century rarely if ever let their hair down in public
        Also, women would usually have their head covered
        Married women especially guarded their hair
        The only person who routinely saw a woman with her hair uncovered and let down would have been her husband and perhaps her father, if she was unmarried
        Women who walked around with their hair uncovered and let down would have been considered to have loose morals [Köstenberger, 362]
        Mary is again showing an incredible act of humility, devotion, and worship of Jesus
        In a spiritual sense she was already acting like the bride of Christ – she was letting her hair down
        Jesus knew her heart
        Her act of devotion and worship was a beautiful thing
        “She [Mary] brings out the best, most extravagant, most expensive ointment of the day, and she pours every ounce on him. Her gift is her way of yelling from the top of the mountain, ‘Jesus is worth it!’” [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John, 242]
      - Application
        PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when we give our best to Him in humility, devotion, and worship.
        We don’t have the luxury of Jesus being right in front of us in physical form, like Mary did
        Perhaps the first step in imitating Mary’s humility, devotion, and worship is to have a correct understanding of who Jesus is
        Jesus is God
        He is almighty, infinite, and Creator
        He came from heaven to earth to take our punishment for sin, by dying on a cross
        “. . . he is the all-satisfying, wondrous, joyful God who promises to give peace, blessing, and satisfaction in himself to those who come to him.” [Carter & Wredberg, 242]
        When we truly understand who Jesus is, then giving Him our best is the natural response
        Our best will be different than someone else’s best
        There’s not just one answer for everyone
        That would take away from us doing the hard work of thinking about what Jesus would love, and how we can demonstrate our love for Him [Carter & Wredberg, 242]
        What time, talent, or resource would you consider your best, and are you willing to give it to Jesus?
        If you already know what it is and you are already giving it to Jesus, then I want to encourage you to continue to do that
        Perhaps you’re like others who need to take time to really think about what Jesus would love, that you have or do, and then determine to demonstrate your love for Him by offering it to Him in humility, devotion, and worship
        What are you best at? (numbers, teaching, relationships, cooking, hunting, fishing, car repair, electrical, plumbing, shopping, hospitality, listening, etc.) [Are you willing to use it in a way that demonstrates humility, devotion, and worship for Jesus?]
        What do you have that is the best? [Are you willing to offer it to the Lord as a way of demonstrating humility, devotion, and worship of Jesus?]
        My Next Step Today Is To: Determine the best of my time, talents, and resources and offer them to Jesus as a demonstration of my humility, devotion, and worship of Him.
      - God knows our heart and when we offer our best to Him it’s a beautiful thing
      - God knew Judas Iscariot’s heart and eventually Jesus’ disciples also knew
    - Judas Iscariot and others objection
      - Who was objecting?
        John identifies just Judas Iscariot as objecting to Mary’s use of the pure nard
        Matthew says that the disciples were indignant (Matt. 26:8)
        Mark keeps us guessing by saying that some of those present were indignant (Mark 14:4)
        Perhaps Judas was the first one to speak up, but he said what the others were thinking and feeling
        When we look at Judas’ words, without having information that is revealed later, we may have agreed with him also, just like the disciples and some of those present did
        At this point, the other disciples did not know that Judas was plotting to betray Jesus
        John is writing after Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection
      - What were they objecting to?
        Judas wanted to know why this expensive jar of perfume, that was worth a year’s wages, wasn’t sold and the money given to the poor
        Matthew and Mark record the disciples and some of those present as stating that Mary’s act of humility, devotion, and worship, was a waste (Matt. 26:8; Mar. 14:4)
      - Judas’ motives were not pure
        Here we see a contrast between Mary and Judas
        Mary offered pure nard
        Judas makes a pious statement that shows concern for the poor, but with impure motives
        Judas was only concerned about his own selfish gain
        John tells us that Judas didn’t make this statement because he cared about the poor
        He made the statement because he was a thief
        He would help himself to the money in the box as the assigned keeper of the money box
        “Because I am my church’s financial secretary, my children are familiar with the weekly trip to the bank. But one day my 3-year-old opened the bank bag and looked in.
        
        ‘Where did all that money come from?’ he asked
        
        ‘From the collection plates at church.’
        
        David looked at me wide-eyed. ‘Does God know you did that?’”
        
        Linda J. Beck, Chicora, Penn. Christian Reader, “Kids of the Kingdom.”
        
        [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1997/september/2609.html]
        PRINCIPLE #2 – God knows our true motives
        We may object to how funds are being used, simply because we’re jealous that we don’t have the funds to do the same things
        It can happen in our family, at work, or at church
        We aren’t necessarily upset that funds are being spent a certain way, but we’re upset that they’re not being spent on things that we consider important
        We may find ourselves envying, what others have the financial resources to do, that we don’t have the financial resources to do
        I have to confess that there have been times in my life when I’ve felt that way in my own personal life and also as it relates to the church
        I don’t find it as much in my personal life anymore
        I see what other churches are doing, because they have the financial and personnel resources available, and wish that we could be doing those same things
        I believe that sometimes we’re not entrusted with the same financial and personnel resources as others, because God knows our true motives and that we would not use the resources as He designed or desires
        Luke 12:47-48, “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
        James 4:2b-3, You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
        My Next Step Today Is To: Make sure that my motives are pure before I object to someone else’s extravagant demonstration of humility, devotion, and worship of the Lord.
        God knows our heart.
      - Jesus knew what was in Judas and the other disciples’ hearts when they objected to Mary’s act of devotion and worship, so He defends her
    - Jesus defends Mary’s actions
      - Leave her alone and stop bothering her
        Jesus tells Judas and the others (Mark 14:6) to leave Mary alone
        Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus says, what Mary has done to Him is a beautiful thing (Matt. 26:10; Mark 14:6)
      - Foreshadowing of Jesus’ burial
        John mentions that the pure nard was intended to be saved for the day of His burial
        Matthew and Mark state that the act of pouring the perfume on His body, beforehand, was to prepare for His burial (Matt. 26:12; Mark 14:8)
        All three times that we see Mary in the Gospels she is at Jesus’ feet
        While Martha was busy with preparations Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to Him (Luke 10:38-42)
        When Jesus arrives after Lazarus has died, Mary goes out to meet Him and falls at His feet (John 11:32)
        She was at Jesus’ feet as He reclined at the dinner table and then poured the pure nard on His feet
        I believe she already understood what Jesus had said about His death and burial, even if His disciples did not yet understand
        While it certainly isn’t hard and fast proof, it’s interesting, as some commentators point out, that Mary of Bethany is not mentioned at Jesus’ cross or as one of the women that went to the tomb on the first day of the week
        Perhaps Mary understood that Jesus’ death was not the end for Him, but that He would rise again
        She anoints His body as an act of devotion and belief in Him as the Messiah and Son of God
        Jesus makes a pretty strong statement in Mary’s defense
        While John does not record His words, Matthew and Mark do
        “I tell you the truth, wherever this [the] gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Matt. 26:13; Mark 14:9)
        This is a significant endorsement for Mary’s act of humility, devotion, and worship
        We should strive to have the same endorsement from our Lord and Savior
        As part of Jesus’ defense of Mary, He mentions the issue of the poor that Judas brings up
      - Taking care of the poor
        I like Mark’s accounting of Jesus’ words
        The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. (Mark 14:7)
        The poor weren’t going anywhere; they would have plenty of time to help them, and God would provide the resources needed
        Jesus needed His followers to understand what was about to happen to Him
        Within a week He was going to give His life as a perfect sacrifice for humanity to take away their sin
        After that He would ascend into heaven and sit down at the right hand of the Father, where He would intercede for them
    - Mary’s act of humility, devotion, and worship is another important part of our Christian life, as is witnessing
- Witness (vv. 9-11)
  - - News of Jesus’ arrival in Bethany spread fast
    - It’s assumed that the large crowd of Jews came from Jerusalem
    - They not only came to see Jesus, but also to see Lazarus
      - Perhaps they were not close friends with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, so they didn’t come to His funeral or stay for the time of mourning following his death
      - Since they knew Jesus was going to be there, they thought they could also appease their curiosity about Lazarus
    - The chief priests aren’t happy about this turn of events
      - While John doesn’t record Lazarus saying anything, his life is a testimony and witness of the power of God through Jesus
      - This power of God is what was drawing people to Jesus and they were putting their faith in Him
      - This would never do for the chief priests
        They realized that just killing Jesus would not stop God’s redemptive plan
        When the Apostles were being persecuted and brought before the Sanhedrin, Gamaliel speaks an important word
        Read Acts 5:35-39
      - The chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well
        The Greek word for “made plans” is the exact same one that was used in John 11:53 and is translated as “plotted”
        Last week I mentioned that it should really be translated as “they resolved”
        They had made up their minds about the need to kill Lazarus, just like they had done concerning Jesus
        PRINCIPLE #3 – One sin leads to another.
        Last week Caiaphas had justified killing Jesus by using the idea of the sacrificial system, that had one lamb/goat sacrificed for the nation (Day of Atonement) or one family (Passover)
        Now the chief priests are justifying the killing of a second person
        We’ve heard the term “gateway drugs”
        Alcohol, cigarettes, and Marijuana are considered gateway drugs that open the door to stronger, more powerful and addictive drugs like meth, heroine, and cocaine
        When someone tries one drug, statistics show that they will try other drugs [https://addictioneducationsociety.org/gateway-drugs-fact-sheet/]
        That’s what justification of sin does for us also
        It’s like a gateway sin that opens the door to stronger, more powerful and addictive sin
        Think for a moment about a habitual sin that you may be struggling with and have begun to justify
        Perhaps you haven’t moved on to another sin yet, but are you being tempted to?
        Maybe you’ve already taken the step into stronger, more powerful and addictive sin
        Accountability is the key to overcoming habitual sin and stopping the progression from justifying our sin, which opens the door to greater sin
        My Next Step Today Is To: Confess my sin to the Lord and seek out another believer who will hold me accountable.

YOU
- Will you give your best to the Lord today?
- Are there some motives that you need to make sure are pure?
- Is there sin that needs to be confessed?

WE
- Perhaps someone will approach you this week about holding them accountable – will you respond positively to that request?

CONCLUSION

“In the Preaching Today illustration Mark Buchanan on Real Community, pastor and author Mark Buchanan shares the conversion story of an alcoholic named Wanda. In a 2008 article for Leadership journal, Mark was able to tell the rest of her story:

Wanda did well for about eight months—got into Alpha and a 12-step group, got her kids back. Then she didn't do well, in and out—mostly out—of rehab. Then she vanished.

Then one day she called again, sober, after a year in rehab in Vancouver. She was getting out the next week.

Could she come home?

Her first Sunday back, I initially didn't recognize her. She looked healthy. Dressed and in her right mind.

I was preaching on the ten lepers Jesus healed, and the one, a Samaritan, who returned to give thanks. I said that anyone who has been cleansed by Jesus, who wants to be made whole by him, worships at his feet in deep thankfulness, in utmost desperation. They have nowhere else they want to go. And then, to close, I reminded people we have a tradition at our church: anyone can come up to the front and pray with one of our prayer ministers.

Wanda came forward. But she didn't go to a prayer minister. She walked onto the platform, between the guitarist and the drummer, and stretched her hands heavenward. She worshiped like One Leper returning.

A woman who didn't know her, and who isn't on the prayer team, walked up, put her arm around her, and worshiped, too.

Then—you could hear it—all of us worshiped with deeper thankfulness, out of greater desperation. Out of the storeroom had come new treasures as well as old, and the Kingdom hovered very close.

Mark Buchanan, "Treasures Old and New," Leadership journal (Fall 2008), p. 114

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2008/november/2110308.html].

March 15, 2020/by Office

One For All

Believe John Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Gospel, Sacrifice

Believe

One For All

(John 11:45-57)

INTRODUCTION

“In November 2004, Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago joined 15 other hospitals around the country experimenting with the use of Polyheme, a synthetic blood substitute. According to medical center spokesman Stephen Davidow, Loyola would equip their medic transport helicopter and ambulances with Polyheme.

This is a historic change in policy since ambulances do not carry human blood due to its short shelf life. Ordinarily, patients transported by emergency vehicles get an intravenous saline solution to restore fluid volume and blood pressure. But unlike blood, the fluid does not contain tissue-nourishing oxygen, so patients risk organ damage.

While the benefits of Polyheme have been validated in hospital settings, the experimental mobile use of the fake blood (undertaken by Loyola and the other medical centers participating in the study) will attempt to save lives of trauma patients before they get to the hospital. It can be used in patients with any blood type and lasts longer than blood.

Whereas the synthetic blood product is capable of sustaining life (at least temporarily), when it comes to the blood of Christ there is no substitute. Even 2,000 years of animal sacrifices weren't capable of producing what the blood of Christ alone can accomplish.”

Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois; source: AllHeadlineNews.com (11-4-04)

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2005/february/15798.html]

BODY

ME
- Substitutions
  - - Baseball – another boy and I played first base when I was in the Major Leagues Division in Shippensburg (we would substitute in and out for each other
    - Basketball – when our boys played basketball, they wouldn’t play the whole game, because they needed a rest (a substitute would come in for them)
    - Teacher – when Judy isn’t able to go to school because of an illness or vacation, the school administrator has to find a substitute
    - Food – Judy has had to substitute other items in recipes when we didn’t have the original item or so we could use a healthier alternative (the boys will tell you that they don’t like her healthy substitute for sour cream, which is plain Greek yogurt)

WE
- Do you realize how many sugar substitutes there are today? Here’s a list of the ones that are approved by the FDA
  - - Acesulfame K (brand names: Sunett and Sweet One)
    - Advantame
    - Aspartame (two brand names: Equal and Nutrasweet)
    - Neotame (brand name: Newtame)
    - Saccharin (two brand names: Sweet ‘N Low and Sweet Twin)
    - Sucralose (brand name: Splenda)
- What kind of substitutes have you had to make, either with recipes, food, repairs, sports, etc.?
- Have they been successful?

We’ll see today that the high priest had a political plan, of Jesus being the substitute for the Jewish nation, while God had a spiritual plan, of Jesus being the substitute for humanity. So, our big idea today is that . . .

BIG IDEA – Jesus is God’s perfect substitute.

Let’s pray

GOD (John 11:45-57)
- Political Substitute (vv. 45-50)
  - - PRINCIPLE #1 – Faith comes from witnessing the power of God.
      - This was our big idea last week
      - I mentioned that we would see the power of God last week, but that the faith of the Jews would be seen this week
      - The Jews were those who had come to comfort Mary and Martha
      - When they saw what Jesus did, in raising Lazarus, they put their faith in Jesus
      - They could not deny or dispute what had just happened
      - The power of God is what transformed them into disciples of Jesus Christ
      - Burge explains that the phrase “put their faith in him” was one of John’s favorite ways to express true belief in Jesus [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 320]
      - Other scholars question whether or not there was a true transformation that took place in the lives of the Jews, but that’s hard for us to determine since we can’t talk with those Jews or watch their lives following their transformation
      - This principle was true for some of the Jews, but not all of them
        The same is true for us
        There are individuals who see and experience the supernatural, but refuse to believe in God
        They try to explain it away as something other than the hand of God
        Even though they see it first-hand, the power of God doesn’t bring about faith in God
        It may bring recognition that God is real and was in control of that situation, but it never goes beyond that
        It doesn’t transform every area of their lives
        As disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to be praying for those individuals, that they will recognize the power of God and put their faith in Jesus
      - Some of the Jews saw the miracle at Bethany, but it didn’t transform them
    - Reporting to the Pharisees
      - They simply went to the Pharisees and reported what Jesus had done
      - It’s assumed that these Jews did not put their faith in Jesus
    - Meeting of the Sanhedrin
      - The report from the Jews prompted a meeting of the Sanhedrin
        The chief priests and the Pharisees are the ones who called for the meeting
        The Sanhedrin was a seventy-member body made up of priests (Sadducees) and scribes (Pharisees) that oversaw the judicial, legislative, and executive duties for the Jewish nation [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 348 and Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 364]
        The current high priest was the seventy-first member of the Sanhedrin and would be the tie-breaking vote in any matters [Borchert, 364]
        They did this under the direction and watchful eye of the Roman Empire
        Michaels believes the meeting of the Sanhedrin was not an official meeting of the full seventy members, but rather a preliminary meeting of a smaller group, because the definite article is missing in the original Greek [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 648]
      - Discussion points
        “What are we accomplishing?”
        What’s really being said here is, “What are we going to do?”
        I think that part of their concern comes from the fact that they have tried to arrest and or stone Him on multiple occasions and have been unsuccessful
        What is our next step?
        How can we stop Him from having such incredible influence on the people?
        Jesus is performing many miraculous signs and people are turning to Him and putting their faith in Him
        Their greatest fear is losing their status and position
        Rome will come and strip us our status and position
        There was a very tenuous relationship between the Jews and the Romans
        “Rome gave partial freedom to the Jews as long as they were quiet and obedient.” [The NIV Life Application Bible, footnote on verse 48]
        The Jews were concerned on two levels
        Nationally
        There was the obvious concern that Rome would step in and remove their temple, if there was an uproar concerning the raising of Lazarus, or any other miraculous signs, that Jesus would perform
        Rome could also remove the partial freedom that the Jews had as a nation and require them to begin following Roman law and abandon Jewish law
        Personally
        “. . . the position of hēmōn (“our”) in the Greek suggests that it was not the temple and nation about which the Council was most worried. It was their role as leaders (i.e., “our place,” cf. NIV) and the nation as they knew it that would therefore be at stake if, as they thought, this Jesus fellow were permitted to continue his activity.” [Borchert, 365]
        The Jewish religious leaders liked their position of power and influence and didn’t want the Jews putting their faith in Jesus and following Him
        Obedience to God’s Word was of less importance to them than their own selfishness and pride
        Their refusal to believe is shocking
        These were the leading religious’ leaders of the day – presumably the most spiritual men in Judaism
        They looked religious and pious from the outside, but they were full of pride and selfishness on the inside
        “Their primary concern was maintaining control.” [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John, 234]
        They didn’t want anything to change, even though the Son of God was standing right in front of them
        Application
        PRINCIPLE #2 – Our selfishness and pride can blind us to the truth.
        “You can be religious but lost. You can memorize Scripture and still be ignorant of its truth. You can say all the right things but have a heart that has not been transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.” [Carter & Wredberg, 234]
        We can think we’re Christians, and yet, not really be Christians
        We may be more concerned with maintaining control at church
        We don’t want to submit to God and His vision for our church, because it may require us to change, and frankly we don’t like change
        We want to tell others how we want church to be, but are unwilling to get involved in leadership
        We want to maintain authority, but put the responsibility on someone else (authority and responsibility can never be separated)
        My Next Step Today Is To: Confess my selfishness, pride, and desire to maintain control and ask the Lord to help me see His vision for His church.
        The Jewish religious leaders were struggling with selfishness, pride, and a desire to maintain control, which caused them to not see that Jesus was the Messiah
        As the storyline continues we see that one of their members shares a plan
      - Caiaphas’ plan
        The way that this member is introduced is probably another indication that this was not an official gathering of the Sanhedrin
        Caiaphas was the high priest during the year that all of this is taking place
        He was not the high priest for just one year, in fact, he was the high priest for about 18 years (A.D. 18 to A. D. 36)
        As high priest, Caiaphas would have been the one to call an official meeting of the Sanhedrin, and he would have presided over the meeting
        We get the sense here that he was part of the meeting, but not necessarily in charge of it
        Caiaphas speaks down to the other members that are gathered
        He tells them that they don’t know what they’re talking about
        They aren’t going to lose their positions of power or influence, because they’re going to sacrifice Jesus to protect themselves and the nation
        You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.
        The concept that Caiaphas presents is Biblical in the sense that God had provided the sacrificial system for the Jews, so they could have their sins covered over until the Messiah came
        Passover was the beginning of this sacrificial system
        The final plague in Egypt was the death of all first-born sons both of humans and animals
        The Israelites could avoid this plague if they sacrificed a perfect lamb for the entire household and placed the blood from the lamb on the doorposts of the house
        The remembrance of this miraculous event was to be celebrated every year through Passover
        The Day of Atonement was another important sacrificial day for Jews (Leviticus 16:1-34)
        Two goats were brought to the priest
        One was sacrificed to the Lord as a sin offering for the nation
        The other one was set free in the wilderness, as a scapegoat, after the high priest laid his hands on its head and confessed all the sins of the nation, thus placing their sins on the goat
        “The goat that was released pictured expiation: the removing or covering of sin. The goat that was slaughtered pictured propitiation: pacifying the just wrath of God.” [Carter & Wredberg, 237]
        So, we see that Caiaphas’ idea, to sacrifice Jesus for the nation, comes from God’s sacrificial system
        Unfortunately, he’s using this Biblical concept as justification to do something wrong
        “He declared his perspective in one of those time-honored arguments concerning ‘the end justifying the means.’” [Borchert, 365]
        I’ve never been a fan of the saying, “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.”
        PRINCIPLE #3 – Justification of our sin is sin.
        If we are consumed with religion instead of a personal relationship with Jesus, it will lead to spiritual rationalization
        “So we begin to play this game: we look at an action that is wrong, and we begin to justify why it’s really not that bad. What we’re doing is coming up with a defense for our actions; we’re justifying ourselves.” [Carter & Wredberg, 235]
        I see this all the time when it comes to lying, swearing, gossiping, hatred, what we’re willing to watch online, on TV, or at the movies, how far we’re willing to go with our boyfriend or girlfriend before marriage, whether or not cheating is ok, and on-and-on the list goes
        We know what God’s Word says, and yet, we try to justify doing what is wrong
        When we do that we create a God in our own image
        We’re not really concerned with pursuing holiness and being obedient to God’s Word
        My Next Step Today Is To: Confess to the Lord that I’ve been justifying a sin(s) in my life and ask Him to help me pursue holiness.
        Caiaphas was simply justifying the killing of an innocent man in order to benefit himself and the other religious leaders
        They don’t have to worry about Rome coming to strip them of their power and authority, because His plan will eliminate the “problem” (one for all)
        Caiaphas has the perfect substitute to ensure their political position with Rome
    - What Caiaphas doesn’t realize is that he is not really in control, and that his plan is really God’s plan
    - John explains this in verses 51-52
- Spiritual Substitute (vv. 51-52)
  - - PRINCIPLE #4 – God is sovereign! (He has the right to rule and He rules rightly)
      - God is in control of everything that’s happening with Jesus and the chief priests and Pharisees
      - His plan will be executed at just the right time
      - God can and does use sinners to speak for Him and that’s what we see here with Caiaphas
      - John tells us that Caiaphas’ plan had a spiritual side to it that he wasn’t even aware of (although he should have known)
      - Caiaphas was simply sharing God’s plan of redemption, but that wasn’t his intent
      - John tells us that Caiaphas’ words were really a prophesy about God’s plan to deal with sin in the world and it would encompass both Jews and Gentiles
    - God’s plan of redemption
      - Gospel
        Romans 5:12, Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. (we have all sinned)
        I’ve never sinned! (lied, stolen, used God’s name as a curse word, hated, lusted, etc.)
        James 2:10, For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
        God doesn’t grade on a curve – He doesn’t say, “Well, since you’ve kept 8 of the 10 Commandments, I’ll let you into heaven. I guess 80% is good enough.”
        The grade to enter heaven is 100%
        If you’ve broken one commandment, you’ve broken them all, which is 0%
        We can’t reach heaven on our own
        God knew that, so He provided a perfect substitute in His Son Jesus Christ
        1 Corinthians 15:3-5, For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
        God sent His Son, Jesus, from heaven to earth
        He was born as a baby and grew up to be a man
        He ministered on earth for three years and then willingly died on a cross to take our punishment for sin
        He is our substitute
        Jesus took the “Wrath of God” test and passed it with a perfect 100%
        He lived on earth and was tempted in the same ways you and I are, but He never gave in, He never sinned
        Jesus is God’s perfect substitute.
        Romans 10:8-10, 13, But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the world of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that you confess and are saved . . . “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, so I can be saved!
    - God’s plan was for all of humanity
      - God’s plan was “One For All”
      - Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, but not just for them but also for the children of God who were scattered throughout the world
        The Jews who were reading this would have naturally thought about other Jews who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire (Diaspora)
        But John is expressing the fact that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection would also open the way for Gentiles to become part of God’s family
        Jesus’ perfect sacrifice would bring Jews and Gentiles together as one – as Christians (Christ followers)
    - God’s plan of redemption is AWESOME!
    - Because God is sovereign, He used Caiaphas’ words, in spite of his heart, which was in opposition to Him, to show that Jesus was the perfect spiritual substitute
    - John concludes this section with some important details for the storyline
- Storyline (vv. 53-57)
  - - The Jews plotted to kill Jesus
      - The Greek word for “plotted” is really “they resolved”
      - Their minds were made up
      - “In short, Jesus is not to be arrested in order to be tried; he is to be tried because he has already been found guilty (as Mk. 14:1-2 presupposes).” [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 423]
    - Jesus went north to get out of Jerusalem
      - God’s timing for Jesus’ arrest and death had not yet come
      - Jesus was safe under God’s protection until the right time
      - Jesus took His disciples and headed north toward the desert to a village called Ephraim
    - Movement to Jerusalem
      - Those in the region where Jesus was, began to move up to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing in preparation for Passover
        Passover was perhaps the most significant celebration of the year, for all Jews
        No one wanted to miss out
        They didn’t want to be excluded because they were ceremonially unclean
        So, they went up early to Jerusalem, went through the prescribed number of days for cleansing, depending on how they had become unclean, and then waited for the Passover festivities to begin
        There was obviously excitement in the air
      - Looking for Jesus
        Perhaps every day they go to the temple courts
        While they’re there they go to the places where they’ve seen Jesus teaching in the past
        There’s excitement and anticipation for Jesus’ arrival
        Do you have the same excitement and anticipation about coming to church each week to meet with Jesus?
        PRINCIPLE #5 – God is pleased when His people seek Jesus.
        What’s your reason for coming to church?
        Is it to hang out with friends?
        Is it to appease a spouse, parent, or other family member?
        Is it to check off a box for the week?
        Or is to meet with Jesus, to be encouraged and strengthened through the fellowship of other believers, and to be challenged to grow in your walk with God?
        My prayer has always been that you come to church, because you want to become more like Jesus
        My Next Step Today Is To: Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare me on Saturday evening to come to church on Sunday morning, excited and anticipating an encounter with Jesus.
        The crowd also had questions about whether or not Jesus would even come
        This is a result of the orders given by the chief priests and Pharisees concerning Jesus
        They wanted everyone in the crowd to keep an eye out for Jesus, so they could arrest Him
    - Jesus wasn’t in Jerusalem yet, because He needed to stop in Bethany one more time
    - But, that encounter is for next week

YOU
- Is there some selfishness, pride, and desire to maintain control that you need to confess to the Lord today?
- Is there a sin(s) that you’ve been justifying that you need to confess to God today, so you can begin to pursue holiness?
- Do you need to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead?
- Do you need to ask the Lord to help you prepare to meet with Jesus each Sunday?

CONCLUSION

“A story coming from the Kejave Medical Center in Kenya tells about a case involving an eight-year-old named Monica who broke her leg when falling into a pit. An older woman, Mama Njeri, happened along and climbed into the pit to help get Monica out. In the process, a dangerous black Mamba snake bit both Mama Njeri and Monica. Monica was taken to Kejave Medical Center and admitted. Mama Njeri went home, but never awoke from sleep.

The next day a perceptive missionary nurse explained Mama Njeri’s death to Monica, telling her that the snake had bitten both of them, but all the snake’s poison was expended on Mama Njeri; none was given to Monica. The nurse then explained that Jesus had taken the poison of Monica’s sin so that she could have a new life. It was an easy choice for Monica. She then received Jesus as Savior and Lord on the spot (Swindoll, p. 541).

Jesus has taken all our poison. The poison of confusion which so clearly marked the disciples; the poison of sadness and hopelessness experienced by Mary and Martha; and the poison of the chief priests and Pharisees, who directed their murderous intent at Jesus.”

[Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 223].

March 8, 2020/by Office

The Seventh Sign

Believe John Sunday Morning Stuart Johns Beliefs, God's glory, Power

Believe

The Seventh Sign

(John 11:38-44)

INTRODUCTION

Jesus Speaking Scripture

A friend of mine tells of a Persian migrant who arrived at a refugee center at 6 a.m., visibly upset. He told his story to a Persian pastor: During the night he saw someone dressed in white raise his hand and say, “Stand up and follow me.” The Persian man said, “Who are you?” The man in white replied, “I am the Alpha and the Omega. I’m the way to heaven. No one can go to the Father, except through me.”

He began to ask the Persian pastor: “Who is he? What am I going to do? Why did he ask me to follow him? How shall I go? Tell me.”

In response, the pastor held out his Bible and asked, “Have you seen this before?”

“No,” he replied.

“Do you know what it is?”

“No.”

The pastor then opened to the Book of Revelation: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” The man started crying and said, “How can I accept him? How can I follow him?” So the pastor led him in prayer and peace came over him. The pastor then gave the man a Bible and told him to hide it, since the Muslims in the camps could cause him trouble.

But the man replied, “The Jesus that I met today, he’s more powerful than the Muslims in the camp.” He left and an hour later returned with 10 more Persians and told the pastor, “These people want a Bible.” No one had to teach him an evangelistic strategy.

Man in White

Another friend of mine had heard the gospel in Athens, but she struggled to believe. One day she went home despondent, and hid behind the couch in her family’s apartment. She began to pray:

You know what, God? Since I have absolutely no excuse, absolutely none, I have run out of excuses. I don’t know what to do, but following you means I have to deny everything I have believed and everything all of my family, generation after generation, believed. I can’t be in the middle. I have to either follow you or not. I can’t do it myself. It’s just hard to make that step. I need you to help me.

After she prayed, she did not know whether she was awake or asleep, but a man in white walked into the room. Her reaction was to blurt out, “Don’t come close to me. You are holy, and I am a sinner. Do not get close to me.” The man replied, “[Name], I told you, and I tell you again, I am the way and the truth. No one comes to the Father except through me.” That day she believed the gospel and was saved.

Walked on Water

There was a family on a boat with other migrants traveling from Turkey to Athens. On the way they lost their 7-year-old daughter into the water. Everyone in the crowded boat was looking for her but couldn’t find her. Suddenly, she appeared on the other side of the boat, saying over and over, “A man who walked on the water took me and brought me to the other side of the boat.” The parents dismissed her words as silly.

Upon arriving on the island of Lesbos, they met a Christian who made a fire and offered to talk to them. That day, without knowing what happened, he asked if they would like to know about a God who walked on water. They started crying.

The man had never used that illustration in evangelism, but that morning he felt like he had to. They asked him, “Who are you?” to which he replied, “I’m a Christian.” They said, “What do you mean ‘walk on the water’?” He opened the Bible and read the story of Jesus walking on the water. They continued crying. “Our daughter fell off the boat,” they explained. “We thought she was crazy because she was dry on the other side. We didn’t understand it. But she kept saying, ‘It was a man who walked on the water that took me to the other side.’”

[https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/muslims-dream-jesus/]

BODY

ME
- Call to enter Pastoral ministry
  - - Praying on the way to work one day, asking the Lord what He wanted me to be doing
    - He answered, “I already told you.” (I knew it was pastoral ministry)
    - A week later, the assistant to the President of Every Generation Ministries (EGM) told me she was having a time of prayer with the Lord and the Lord asked her to ask me if I had ever considered being a Pastor
    - I shared this calling with my pastor at the time and he encouraged me to start leading a discipleship group, which I did
    - The President of EGM held me accountable each week to sending out resumes and applying for pastoral positions

WE
- Perhaps most of us can recall a time when we heard the voice of God or had a vivid dream about God or Jesus
- Some of us can point to a time when we’ve experienced the supernatural power of God
- Both of those experiences probably strengthened the faith of those who went through it

While we are very familiar with John 11:38-44, which is the raising of Lazarus from the dead, sometimes we focus more on Lazarus and what he might have been thinking and feeling. But the true focus of text is on Jesus. In fact, the word believe is used twice, once in verse 40 and a second time in verse 42. The purpose behind the raising of Lazarus is really the focal point of the passage. God allowed Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead, so that the Jews would believe in Him. This takes us back to the theme verses for the book of John, Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31). Our big idea today is that . . .

BIG IDEA – Belief comes from witnessing the power of God.

While we won’t see the belief of the Jews until next week, we’ll see the power of God through the raising of Lazarus this week.

We’re going to look at the three commands that Jesus gives in verses 38-44

Let’s pray

GOD (John 11:38-44)
- Command #1 (vv. 38-42)
  - - Jesus’ emotional state
      - The same Greek word is used here as in verse 33
      - Jesus isn’t just deeply moved, but rather He is angry, outraged, and disgusted by the events that have unfolded
      - He is angry about the effects of death on His close friends
      - Jesus comes to the tomb where Lazarus had been laid
      - John then gives us a description of the tomb
    - Description of the tomb
      - This is helpful for us from a modern western culture, because this is not what we would naturally think of as a burial place
        We’re used to cemeteries with row after row of headstones and burial plots
        In some cemeteries there are Mausoleums that stand as a memorial to an individual or a family and can house one or more individuals
        This is perhaps the closest thing, in our culture, to the 1st Century tomb
      - The description is simple, but adequate
        It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance
        These tombs would have been “formed from hollowed out caves” [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 361]
        There would have been multiple vaults on multiple levels, meaning that more than one person (family member) would have been buried in each tomb
        There was perhaps a main horizontal vault where the recently deceased person would be laid
        Eventually, the bones of the deceased person would be piled up in another vault
        The stone that covered the entrance could be “four or five feet in diameter and several inches thick” [Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 219]. It would roll back and forth in a stone trough
        VIDEO – “Experience Bethany” (rightnow Media) [https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/VideoElement/231088]
      - This sets the stage for Jesus’ first command
    - Command – “Take away the stone”
      - It’s unlikely that Jesus is talking to Martha and Mary at this point
      - Jesus is probably asking some of the Jews, probably the men, to go up to the tomb and roll the stone in the trough so the tomb will be opened
      - Before the men have a chance to obey Jesus’ command we see Martha objecting to the command
    - Martha’s objection
      - She is simple stating the obvious
        Decomposition would have started after four days, which means that Lazarus’s body would be stinking
        Opening the tomb now would expose everyone to the intense smell of death and decomposition
      - Illustration of stray cat trapped under the enclosed porch
        We have a stray cat hanging around our house that was living under the crawl space below the enclosed porch
        The foam insulation board had fallen down on one side making a perfect ramp for the cat to climb up into the batt insulation
        I bought new batt insulation and some plywood to repair the entire section under the enclosed porch
        We made sure to fill in the holes where the cat was getting into the crawl space
        The day that Alger and I finished closing up the underside with plywood, I was certain that the cat was not up in the floor joists
        I was wrong, because Judy heard the cat meowing a couple of days later, but couldn’t find where it was at
        A week later, I was cleaning up where we had been working, and I heard the cat meowing – sure enough I saw a little face peeking out from a crack between the repaired section and another section that I hadn’t replaced yet
        I knew I had to open up the next section and let the cat out or otherwise we would eventually smell the awful smell of a dead animal
        Now both sections, under the enclosed porch, have new batt insulation and plywood, and everything is sealed up
        The cat now lives under the neighbors shed, but still comes over to share breakfast, lunch, and dinner with our two cats
      - While Martha is objecting to opening up the tomb, Jesus reminds her of something He had told her earlier
    - Jesus’ response and prayer
      - Jesus asks Martha a question
        “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
        This takes us back to John 11:4, When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” (this was the message that Jesus sent back to Martha and Mary)
        Read John 11:25-27
        Martha had already expressed her belief in Jesus as the resurrection and life
        She is about to see the glory of God revealed, right in front of her
        Application
        PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s desire is that His people see His glory.
        “We do not simply want to see glory; we want to be a part of it. When we lived in Chicago, a friend of ours regularly gave us Bulls tickets. Every year I would take my son, Johnny, to a game. The seats were located alongside the tunnel at the United Center, so when the Bulls ran out on to the floor, when Michael Jordan would run through the tunnel, everybody nearby wanted to give him a high five. They wanted to share his glory.
        
        We all want to touch glory. We want to connect with it. We want to be a part of it, even though we know we are not worthy.
        
        The Bulls had a reserve player named Stacey King. During the 1990 season King only started six games and averaged 15 minutes per game. But one night, during an overtime game against Cleveland, he contributed to an important victory. He said it would always be the greatest memory of his life: the night he and Michael Jordan scored a combined total of 70 points in a NBA playoff game. Michael Jordan scored his career-high 69 points, but King shared in the glory.”
        
        John Ortberg, from the sermon "For the Glory of God Alone"
        
        [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2012/august/7080612.html]
        We can see the glory of God, since we have believed in Jesus
        Perhaps we miss it sometimes, because we aren’t focusing on Jesus or on what God is doing
        We can so easily focus on all the things that we think are going wrong or are bad
        It’s in our human nature to focus on the bad instead of the good – to allow the bad to consume our thoughts
        It’s in those times that we need to begin listing everything good that God has done recently and in the past
        That will help to change our focus and perspective
        While we’re facing the payroll tax debt, God is doing so much good
        We are doing well as a church right now (in 2019 to present, we have paid all of obligations including payroll taxes and have some money in the bank – we have plans to begin again some other financial things we used to do in the past)
        We served 15 families through the New Hope Mobile Food Pantry on Feb. 20, which was up 11 families from January
        The Thursday evening discipleship gathering is growing
        Attendance on Sunday mornings has been improving
        We’ve had some guests on Sunday morning in the last month
        Giving has been strong
        Individuals are asking about baptism
        We are seeing answered prayer
        We have much to praise the Lord for and we are seeing His glory revealed through each of these things and many other things
        Perhaps we all need to change our focus and perspective away from the negative to the positive
        My Next Step Today Is To: Change my perspective and focus on the glory of God.
        This is God’s desire for His people
        As believers, we can see the glory of God, and that’s what Martha was about to see
      - Jesus had dealt with Martha’s objection, so the men rolled the stone away
      - Jesus looks up and begins to pray out loud
        I’ve always taught children that the position of prayer is to have their eyes closed, head bowed, and hands together
        I do that to help children focus in prayer
        Here, Jesus looks up, presumably with His eyes open
        It was not uncommon for Jews to stand and lift their eyes and hands up when they prayed
      - Jesus’ prayer has three important aspects [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 319 and Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 418]
        Jesus uses the direct reference to God as Father, which shows the intimate relationship He had with Him – Jesus isn’t doing this by Himself, but through the power of God
        Jesus is thanking the Father for already hearing His prayer for Lazarus’s life – it wasn’t a last minute request, but something that was planned, for God’s glory
        Jesus’ prayer is audible and out loud so that the people standing by the tomb would believe that Jesus was sent by God – He is the Messiah! (Jesus wouldn’t have needed to pray out loud for the miracle to happen)
        Belief comes from witnessing the power of God.
      - PRINCIPLE #2 – God is pleased when His people recognize His power and authority through prayer.
        Jesus knew that His power came from God and He recognized that by communicating with Him continually
        The memory verse for February is an incredible reminder of God’s desire for His people to communicate with Him
        2 Chronicles 7:14, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
        Philippians 4:6-7, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
        Power comes from God
        We do not have any power of our own
        We have to turn to God in prayer, if we want to see the glory and experience the power of God in our lives and the lives of those around us
        Perhaps we’ve been trying to accomplish things in our own power and for our own glory?
        We have to submit to God and call out to Him, recognizing His power and authority
        My Next Step Today Is To: Recognize God’s power and authority in my life by turning to Him in prayer.
    - We see the power and glory of God displayed through Jesus’ second command
- Command #2 (vv. 43-44a)
  - - After Jesus had prayed, thanking the Father for hearing His prayer, He calls out in a loud voice
      - Jesus didn’t whisper this command or even give a firm request, but rather He shouts it with raw authority [Burge, 320 and Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 345]
      - The authority with which Jesus makes this command perhaps comes as a result of His anger at the effects of sin and death
      - He shouts with an authority that proves He has “supreme power over death” [Borchert, 362]
      - PRINCIPLE #3 – Jesus has power over death, through God.
    - Command – “Lazarus, come out!”
      - Köstenberger cites Morris when he says “The command is ‘wonderfully succinct: ‘Here! Outside!’’” [Köstenberger, 345]
      - The power of God is revealed, because Lazarus comes out of the tomb with his hands and feet wrapped with the burial linens and the burial cloth around his face
        “A long, narrow sheet was folded in half, and the body was inserted between the folded halves. Then the wrap was bound together, and the body was thus secured. The head was wrapped separately, which explains the note both in the Lazarus situation (11:44) and the separate head wrapping in the case of Jesus’ grave clothes (20:6).” [Borchert, 362]
        The cloth around the face was intended to keep the deceased’s mouth closed
    - Jesus has one more command for the people gathered there
- Command #3 (v. 44b)
  - - Command – “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
      - “This practical command brings to mind Jesus’ promise to ‘the Jews who had believed him’ at the Tent festival that ‘you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (8:32), free from the prospect of dying in their sins (see 8:21, 24). ‘So if the Son sets you free,’ he had added, ‘you will really be free’ (8:36).” [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 646]
      - Lazarus was set free from sin and death and was guaranteed eternal life
    - PRINCIPLE #4 – Jesus sets us free from the bondage to sin and death.
      - Paul explains this when he writes to the Ephesian believers
      - Read Ephesians 2:1-10
      - “Lazarus was dead, and all sinners are dead. He was decayed, because death and decay go together. All lost people are spiritually dead, but some are more ‘decayed’ than others. No one can be ‘more dead’ than another. Lazarus was raised from the dead by the power of God, and all who trust Christ have been given new life and lifted out of the graveyard of sin (see John 5:24).” [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Volume 1, 337]
      - My Next Step Today Is To: Ask God to set me free from the bondage to sin and death by trusting in Jesus by faith.
    - We’ll see next week that belief comes from witnessing the power of God. (the Jews witnessed the power of God)

YOU
- Do you need to change your perspective so you are focusing on the glory of God?
- Do you need to recognize God’s power and authority in your life by turning to Him in prayer?
- Do you need to be set free from the bondage to sin and death by trusting in Jesus by faith?

WE
- We have a responsibility as disciples of Jesus Christ to tell those who don’t believe about Jesus and teach those who have recently believed
- “Although it was Jesus alone who could bring the dead to life, he delighted to involve the bystanders in the miracle. First, they were told to move the stone. Then, after the miracle, they were told to unbind Lazarus. True, we cannot bring the dead to life. But we can bring the word of Christ to them. We can do preparatory work, and we can do work afterward. We can help to remove stones – stones of ignorance, error, prejudice and despair. After the miracle we can help the new Christian by unwinding the grave clothes of doubt, fear, introspection, and discouragement (Boice, p. 278).” [Gangel, 220]

CONCLUSION

During his pastoral ministry, Augustine came to know a woman in Carthage named Innocentia. A devout woman and highly regarded, she tragically discovered that she had breast cancer.

A physician told her the disease was incurable. She could opt for amputation and possibly prolong her life a little, or she could follow the advice of Hippocrates and do nothing. Either way, death would not be put off for long.

Augustine reports: Dismayed by this diagnosis, "She turned for help to God alone, in prayer." In a dream, Innocentia was told to wait at the baptistry for the first woman who came out after being baptized, and to ask this woman to make the sign of the cross over the cancerous breast.

Innocentia did as she was told, and she was completely cured. When she told her doctor what had happened, he responded with a contemptuous tone, "I thought you would reveal some great discovery to me!" Then, seeing her horrified look, he backpedaled, saying, "What great thing was it for Christ to heal a cancer? He raised a man who had been dead for four days."

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/february/12908.html]

March 1, 2020/by Office

Hope Beyond The Grave

Believe John Sunday Morning Stuart Johns All-Powerful (Omnipotent), Hope

Believe

Hope Beyond The Grave

(John 11:17-37)

INTRODUCTION

“Author Edgar Jackson poignantly describes grief:

Grief is a young widow trying to raise her three children, alone. Grief is the man so filled with shocked uncertainty and confusion that he strikes out at the nearest person. Grief is a mother walking daily to a nearby cemetery to stand quietly and alone a few minutes before going about the tasks of the day. She knows that a part of her is in the cemetery, just as part of her is in her daily work. Grief is silent, knife-like terror and sadness that comes a hundred times a day, when you start to speak to someone who is no longer there. Grief is the emptiness that comes when you eat alone after eating with another for many years. Grief is teaching yourself to go to bed without saying good night to the one who has died. Grief is the helpless wishing that things were different when you know they are not and never will be again. Grief is a whole cluster of adjustments, apprehensions, and uncertainties that strike life in its forward progress and make it difficult to redirect the energies of life.”

Robert Slater, Moscow, Idaho. Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 1.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1997/may/665.html]

BODY

ME
- I’ve lost three of my four grandparents
- I’ve lost acquaintances that I knew through work, our neighborhood, and church
- I’ve lost pets
- But, I’d have to say that Edgar Jackson’s description of grief is something I’ve not really experienced

WE
- His description seems to be for those who have lost a parent, spouse, child, or a very close friend – someone who is with us on a daily basis
- How many of us can connect with this description of grief?

Pastor Marc spoke last week about hope, hope beyond hope, and hopelessness as Martha and Mary were wrestling with Lazarus’s sickness. We already know from Jesus that Lazarus is dead. As the story continues we’ll see that Jesus arrives in Bethany and He comforts Martha and Mary in their grief. He speaks to them of hope beyond the grave. They understood His words from an eschatological (future) perspective. Little did they know that He was not only speaking from a future perspective, but also a present perspective. But, we’ll have to wait until next week for that present perspective. Jesus is able to bring hope beyond the grave, because He is divine – from God. He is able to comfort Martha and Mary, perfectly, because He is fully God and fully man. That is our big idea for today . . .

BIG IDEA – Jesus is fully God and fully man.

Let’s pray

GOD (John 11:17-37)
- Introduction (vv. 17-20)
  - - The reference to Lazarus’s body being in the grave for four days is significant
      - There was a Jewish tradition, that is mentioned much later, that many commentators refer to as the reason why John mentions four days (here and in verse 39)
      - “Until three days [after death] the soul keeps on returning to the grave, thinking that it will go back [into the body]; but when it sees that the facial features have become disfigured, it departs and abandons it [the body].” [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 628, footnote 5]
      - It was certainly evidence that Lazarus was dead
      - Martha makes mention in verse 39 that after four days, Lazarus’s body would be stinking – decomposition would have started
      - No one would mistake Jesus’ miracle as Lazarus simply being resuscitated – he was dead
    - Distance from Jerusalem
      - John tells us that Bethany was about 1.72 miles from Jerusalem
      - John’s note about the distance is to help us understand that perhaps many of the Jews who were there, to mourn with and comfort the sisters, lived in Jerusalem
      - Most scholars agree that the reference to “many” Jews coming to comfort the sisters was an indication that this “family enjoyed considerable social standing” [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 333] – they were a prominent family in Bethany and were well known in Jerusalem
      - The reference to “many” Jews being in attendance at Lazarus’s funeral may also be setting the stage for Jesus’ miracle – He didn’t do this miracle in a void or out of sight of the religious leaders
    - Jesus was near
      - We’re not told how Martha found out that Jesus was near, but we can probably assume that people were coming and going and at least one person recognized Jesus and told Martha
      - Customs of the day
        The custom was for the bereaved to remain seated in the house and for the guests to come and sit in silence and periodically support the grieving parties with sympathetic tears and moans.” [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 355]
        We have to be careful that we don’t read into this text something that isn’t there, concerning the actions of the two sisters
        Both, here and in Luke 10, we see Martha up and moving around and Mary sitting
        Some people praise Mary and perhaps elevate her spirituality beyond what it actually was, while marginalizing Martha’s spirituality and commitment to the Messiah (Martha has incredible faith, as we’ll see in verse 27)
        “In both narratives the key is that Martha is the oldest and so has the responsibility of hospitality and food preparation (cf. Luke 10) as well as overseeing the activities of this day and greeting Jesus (John 11).” [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 316]
        Martha getting up and going out to greet Jesus is simply her fulfilling her role as the oldest – nothing more and nothing less
        We see that Mary remains in the house
        Application
        Neither are wrong
        Both are needed
        It takes discernment to know when to act/serve and when to quietly sit at Jesus feet and listen and learn
    - This sets the stage for Jesus’ comfort of the two sisters
- Comfort of Martha (vv. 21-27)
  - - Martha expresses her belief in Jesus’ power
      - PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is all-powerful (omnipotent).
      - What incredible faith Martha has!
      - There is no doubt in her mind who Jesus is and what power God has given Him
      - She knows that if Jesus had been there, when Lazarus got sick, that He had the power to heal him
      - Martha also expresses her belief concerning where Jesus’ power comes from
        It comes from God
        She confirms her trust in God’s power through Jesus
        She recognizes that Jesus’ power comes from communicating with God, through prayer
      - Some people look at Martha’s words here and say that she is rebuking Jesus for not coming when they first summoned Him
        That’s not the case here
        She probably wasn’t aware that Jesus waited a couple of days before leaving for Bethany
        We’re aware of that because of John’s record, so we have to be careful that we don’t read our feelings and emotions into the story, because of knowing this bit of information
        “Those words were hardly a condemnation of Jesus for not being present when Lazarus was ill . . . Instead, her statement should be understood as indicating a strong confidence in Jesus’ relationship with the Father and that in spite of her resignation to Lazarus’s death, somehow Jesus would understand the plight of the mourning sisters as well as the general nature of Lazarus’s future hope.” [Borchert, 355]
      - Martha’s not angry or upset
        Her faith has not wavered in the death of her brother
        Her faith remains strong through hardship, through grief
      - Application
        How is your faith in Jesus today?
        Everyone one of us is either going into a trial, in the middle of a trial, or just coming out of a trial
        Is your faith in Jesus and His ability to do anything, wavering?
        Do you really believe, like Martha, that Jesus is all-powerful?
        Do you believe that God will give Jesus anything that He asks for?
        My Next Step Today Is To: Confess that my faith is wavering, right now, as I’m going through a difficult time.
        My Next Step Today Is To: Proclaim and truly believe, like Martha, that Jesus is all-powerful!
    - Veiled reference
      - In response to Martha’s expression of faith, Jesus tells her that her brother will rise again
        The word “again” is not in the original Greek – “Your brother will rise.”
        This is a veiled reference to the miracle He is about to do, but Martha isn’t aware of it
        Jesus had used the metaphor of sleep with His disciples in verses 11-13, as Pastor Marc shared last week
        They took His metaphor literally and said that if Lazarus was sleeping, he would get better
        How many of us have experienced this truth recently?
        I’ve heard about several of you who spent last weekend in bed with the flu
        We all know how important rest is for our bodies when we’re sick
        Jesus then told them plainly that Lazarus was dead
        Hopefully, His disciples then transferred the rest of the metaphor, in their head, to understand that waking Lazarus up, meant that Jesus would raise him from the dead
        Martha was not privy to this conversation, so she immediately shares her theological beliefs about rising again
      - Martha’s response
        She understood Jesus’ teaching on resurrection at the last day (cf. 5:21, 25-29; 6:39-44, 54), which the Pharisees also believed
        She believed that Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection at the last day
        Her belief was eschatological (future/end times)
        Not all the Jews believed that way, because the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the body on the last day, that’s why they were sad you see – there was no resurrection in their theological beliefs at all
        Jesus moves the conversation from the physical to the spiritual
        “Jesus seeks to shift Martha’s focus from an abstract belief in resurrection on the last day to personal trust in the one who provides it in the here and now.” [Köstenberger, 335]
      - Jesus is the resurrection and the life
        The resurrection
        Jesus’ reference here is certainly about the resurrection on the last day
        He fleshes this out in the first part of His next statement, when He says, He who believes in me will live, even though he dies
        We know that many people from the Old Testament days believed in God, prior to Jesus’ arrival on earth
        Genesis 15:6, Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness
        Hebrews 11:1-40 highlights many who trusted God by faith
        That’s our future hope for those who have passed on and for us if we pass on before Jesus returns again
        There is also a present hope
        The life
        Jesus wants Martha and us to understand that we can experience eternal life now
        That’s the second part of His statement, which fleshes out what He meant by being the life
        Whoever lives and believes in me will never die
        This is for us right now
        It’s also for those who will be alive when Jesus returns again
        Most likely, we will all experience physical death, but none of us have to experience spiritual death
        PRINCIPLE #2 – God promises resurrection life and eternal life to His people.
        Perhaps you don’t see the importance of resurrection life and eternal life
        You may be thinking; “My life is just fine – I’m living my best life now.”
        But Jesus tells us here that we can only have resurrection life and eternal life through Him
        This is the result because, Jesus is fully God and fully man.
        We can only live our life to the fullest when we’re in a relationship with Jesus
        As human beings, we’re all born in sin
        Paul says that with sin in our lives we’re not actually living at all
        Ephesians 2:1-2, As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
        Paul tells us that we’re all sinners (Rom. 3:23) and that the punishment for sin is spiritual death, separation from God forever (Rom. 6:23)
        Perhaps you don’t think you’re dead in your transgressions and sins, but there is a simple test
        Good person test (have you ever lied, stolen, used God’s name as a curse word, lusted, hated)
        We’re all dead in our transgressions and sins
        The good news is that we don’t have to remain dead in our transgressions and sins
        We can be made alive
        Colossians 2:13, When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive in Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
        We can move from death to life
        John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
        Jesus Christ made this possible through His death, burial, and resurrection – He took our punishment on the cross
        Jesus is asking you the same question that He asked Martha, “Do you believe this?”
        Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?
        Do you believe in Jesus as your Savior?
        If you’ve never done that I encourage you to take that step today – cross over from death to life
        My Next Step Today Is To: Believe in Jesus as my Savior and cross over from death to life.
        Martha answers Jesus’ question definitively, without hesitation
      - Martha’s statement of faith
        Martha expresses her belief in Jesus in two ways
        She believes that Jesus is the Christ
        She is saying that she believes that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah, foretold in their Scriptures
        Most of the religious leaders in Jerusalem did not believe this about Jesus
        That’s why they were watching for Him at the various feasts and festivals
        They were trying to trip Him up and find reasons to have Him arrested and killed
        They called Him a blasphemer for claiming to be God or equal with God
        Yet, that is Martha’s next statement of belief about Jesus
        She believes that Jesus is the Son of God
        She doesn’t question His divinity
        She isn’t put off by His claims to be equal with God
        She recognizes that He is God
        She also expresses her understanding of His purpose – as the Messiah, He had to come into the world to take our punishment for sin (He was the perfect sacrifice)
        Jesus is fully God and fully man.
    - John gives us some storyline to help us transition between Martha and Mary’s encounter with Jesus
- Transition (vv. 28-31)
  - - Martha shares her statement of belief in Jesus and then goes back to the house to find Mary
    - They have a private conversation about Jesus arriving and that He is asking to see Mary
    - Mary’s response is immediate and abrupt, which draws the attention of the other mourners
      - In an emotionally charged state, most people may act quickly
      - The mourners just think that Mary is going to the tomb to mourn there
      - Perhaps they thought that she had memory of Lazarus and just wanted to be close to him
      - So, the mourners follow her
    - Mary isn’t going to the tomb, but rather she is hurrying to be with Jesus
      - John tells us that Jesus hasn’t moved from the spot where He and Martha had met
      - He was still outside the village at this point
      - Perhaps meeting outside the village allowed Jesus to speak with, and comfort, the sisters privately
      - We know Martha was able to experience that, but Mary didn’t, which is perhaps why Mary’s conversation is shorter with Jesus
    - While Martha’s worship of Jesus was verbal, we’ll see that Mary’s worship of Jesus was physical
- Comfort of Mary (vv. 32-37)
  - - When Mary reaches the place where Jesus is, she falls at His feet and says the same thing that Martha had said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
      - Just as Martha’s words showed her faith in Jesus’ omnipotence, so Mary’s words express the same faith
      - Her faith wasn’t wavering in the death of Lazarus
      - Rather, she is confident, that, had Jesus been there during Lazarus’s illness, He had the power to heal him
      - Lazarus would not have died
      - PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is all-powerful (omnipotent).
    - Jesus’ anger (vv. 33-34)
      - Jesus sees the weeping of Mary and the Jews that are with her
      - Most modern translations soften Jesus’ reaction here
        He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled
        When we read those words we think of Jesus empathizing with Mary and the other mourners, but that’s not the case
        The original Greek is much stronger than simple empathy
        The NLT does a good job of capturing the intent of the original Greek, When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.
        The idea here is that Jesus is angry and is physically shaking
        Why is Jesus angry?
        Some believe that He is angry at the lack of faith and unbelief that Mary and the mourners have
        Others believe He’s angry at the “professional mourners” who are wailing at the top of their lungs, perhaps ruining His private time with Mary
        Most likely, Jesus is probably angry at the effects of sin and death on those He loves
        “Rather, he is overcome by the futility of this sorrowful scene in light of the reality of the resurrection. God’s people possess knowledge of life; they should possess faith that claims victory at the grave.” [Burge, 318]
        There is hope beyond the grave!
        How many of us have that hope for a loved one who has passed away?
        We have victory over the grave, because Jesus is the resurrection and the life!
        We know that someday we will see our grandparents, parents, siblings, spouse, child, other relatives, and friends, again, if they have believed in Jesus and crossed over from death to life
      - Jesus asks to see where Lazarus is buried
        Their response is, “follow us to the tomb, we’ll show you.”
        It’s believed that Martha probably came with Mary to see Jesus, and it’s the two sisters who are responding to His request to see the tomb
      - It’s probably after Jesus arrives at the tomb that we see the shortest verse in the Bible
    - Jesus’ compassion (v. 35)
      - While it’s the shortest verse in the Bible, it’s filled with deep meaning
      - John uses a different Greek word for wept than the one he used for the weeping and wailing that Mary and the mourners were expressing
        This is the only place in the New Testament where this Greek word is used [Borchert, 360]
        It’s not the loud wailing of the mourners, but rather a quiet shedding of tears
        John probably used a different Greek word to differentiate between the reason for Jesus’ tears and the tears of Mary and the mourners
        He already knew what He was going to do about Lazarus, so He wouldn’t be grieving his death
        Rather, His tears should probably be connected to His anger over the effects of sin and death on His loved ones
      - This is not to say that Jesus isn’t empathetic or compassionate
        Jesus’ tears reveal His humanity
        Jesus is fully God and fully man.
        Isaiah 53:3, He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering (grief).
        Jesus’ humanity helps us to know that He can and does sympathize and empathize with us
        Paul encourages us to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn (Rom. 12:15)
        Paul would have received this nugget of truth and wisdom from God
        Jesus was doing that with Mary and Martha and does that with us also
        Application
        You can trust and find comfort in the fact that Jesus knows the pain and grief you are experiencing
        He can and does sympathize with you
        You can turn to Him for comfort and strength as you go through the stages of grief
        He is weeping with you right now
        My Next Step Today Is To: Trust that Jesus is with me and will comfort me through my grief.
    - The Jews response (vv. 36-37)
      - The Jews recognized Jesus’ humanity
        They knew that Jesus loved Lazarus, Martha, and Mary
        It was evident through His quiet tears
      - They missed His omnipotence
        It seems like they believed His power was limited to healing the sick
        Once someone died, Jesus’ power stopped
        PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is all-powerful (omnipotent)
        They were in for a big surprise!
      - That part of the story is for next week

YOU
- Is your faith wavering in the middle of grief and difficulty? (Claim the promise and truly believe that Jesus is all-powerful)
- Trust that Jesus is with you and will comfort you through your grief

WE
- God uses us, as His followers, to help others through their difficulties and grief
- Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

CONCLUSION

“In his book Unspeakable, Os Guinness tells the story about a well-known Christian leader whose son had been killed in a cycling accident. Although the leader was devastated, somehow he managed to suppress his grief, even preaching eloquently at his son's funeral. His display of hope in the midst of tragedy earned him the admiration of many.

But a few weeks after the funeral, the man invited Guinness and a few friends to his home. According to Guinness, this man spoke and even screamed ‘not with the hope of a preacher but with the hurt of the father—pained and furious at God, dark and bilious in his blasphemy.’ In his agony, he blamed God for his son's death.

Rather than rebuke him, one of Guinness's friends gently reminded the enraged father of the story of Jesus at Lazarus' tomb. On three occasions in that story, Jesus expressed anger, and even furious indignation, in the presence of death. When Jesus came to earth, he became a human being just like us, feeling the abnormality of our suffering. In Jesus' humanity we see God's perspective of our pain: the beautiful world God created is now broken and in ruins. Jesus will heal this broken world and our broken lives, but first, he came to earth in order to identify with our anguish.

Guinness concludes that when we understand Jesus' humanity, it frees us to face the world's brokenness just as Jesus did. Like Jesus, we must never accuse God of wrongdoing or blaspheme God, but like Jesus, we are ‘free to feel what it is human to feel: sorrow at what is heartbreaking, shock at what is shattering, and outrage at what is flagrantly out of joint …. To pretend otherwise is to be too pious by half, and harder on ourselves than Jesus himself was.’”

Os Guinness, Unspeakable (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005), pp. 144-145.

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2010/november/3112910.html]

February 23, 2020/by Office

Life’s Goal

Bread Appeal

Bundle To Be Saved

From Seeing To Believing

The God Who Heals

Role Reversal

A Beautiful Thing

One For All

The Seventh Sign

Hope Beyond The Grave

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