The Raising of Lazarus, Traditions First B Jackson 2013-02-03 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- Amen. Good morning. We're glad that y'all are here this morning. As Jennifer makes her way over to the stand, would you stand with us and join and sing? That's nice. Would you stand and join and sing with us? He keeps me singing. Hymn number seven forty six. And sing out like you mean it. He keeps me singing. There's within my heart Jesus whispers sweet and low. Fear not, I am with thee. Peace be still in all of life's ebb and flow. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go all my life was wrecked by sin and strife discord filled my heart with pain Jesus swept across the broken strings, stirred the slumbering cords again. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go, Feasting on the riches of his grace, resting beneath his sheltering wing, always looking on his smiling face. That is why I shout and sing. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, fills my every longing keeps me singing as I go. Though sometimes he leads through waters deep Trials fall across the way. Prunic lemps and it seems rough and steep. See his footprints all the way. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go. On the last, soon he's coming back to welcome me far beyond the starry sky. I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown I shall reign with him on high if you know another part sing it Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus sweetest name, I name I know, fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go. Amen. Y'all are still standing. Let's keep on singing. I like that there are people behind me and I can hear the music coming this way too. We just started having a choir again last week, fellas and we have some visitors here from Denver that are with 180 Ministries. I'll get a chance to speak but this is a completely different experience, is it not? They came to the first service too but you know what? We're all worshiping God. God says both, sing unto the Lord a new song and do not remove that ancient boundary post. Make sure that you hold on to that which was good from before. So, we're going to sing Jesus paid it all. Hymn number three zero five, three zero five, Jesus paid it all. I hear the savior say thy strength indeed is small child of weakness watch and pray find in me thine all in all Jesus paid it all all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow. Lord, now indeed I find thy power and thine alone can change the leper spots and melt the heart of stone Jesus paid it all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. For nothing good have I whereby thy grace to claim I'll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary's lamb. Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. And on the last verse, and when before the throne, I stand in him complete. Jesus died my soul to save. My lives shall still repeat. Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. You may be seated. God, we give praise to you that you do make crimson stains white as snow and we thank you lord that we live and work and play in this beautiful valley where we get to see how white that snow is God. It is brilliant and it reflects your beauty. God, thank you for lives well lived that have been changed by the blood of Calvary. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Got a few announcements this morning that the bulletins, they're in the bulletins. If you need more information but the stepping up men's conference went so well yesterday. For those of you who are there, you know that. For those of you who weren't, we hope to be kinda continuing the education on that. It was really really good and there were several guys that signed up to have these kinda groups meet in their homes about men stepping up. One other men's deal is this men's snowmobile weekend. It's two weeks from, it's two weekends away. Fifteenth through the seventeenth. If you have any questions, you can call Steve Landis about that. It'll be up in Island Park, Idaho at the Old Faithful Christian Ranch and Dan Dugan who is a drug and alcohol addiction counselor for thirty years will be the primary speaker. Speaking about Jesus. So, that's good. We also have Monday nights at First B, meal, music, and a message. It is a very simple experience. It's very organic and please come be a part of it. You can drop the kids off. If you have kids, you can drop em off at Awana at 06:00 and then 06:15, we get started down there. We eat together. We sing together and then we'll have a message and I think these guys are going to come along be a part of that tomorrow night. So, if you'd like to hear more about the one hundred eighty minuteistries, you can do that and then, small groups, there are some sign ups out there in the foyer, papers to sign up on. Decentralized authority. Decentralized authority. That's what small groups are about. It's about getting people together in homes and if you read in Acts, Acts five forty two and Acts two forty two, it's an end daily and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. It's a great way to get to know one another and bring people who would never step put in a church. They'll step foot in your home if you ask em. So, you could sign up, see what's going on out there. It's life groups welcome. If y'all would stand up and welcome one another and we'll bring you back in with music. Alright. We're going to sing Amazing Grace. Hymn number three forty three but the words will be up on the wall. You can sing off the wall if you want to. Y'all know Amazing Grace. Don't pay any attention to the words up on the wall. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now I'm found was blind but now I see was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed and many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come disgrace hath brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home. Has that been your experience? When we've been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun Amen. If I could get the offering team to come down forward I'll actually, Daniel, would you mind saying the operatory prayer? This is Daniel Petrisca and he's going to talk to you in a minute about one hundred eighty Ministries after. Father, we just believe in your faithfulness, Lord God, that you have provided everything for us. Father, the food on our table, Lord God, the shelter, of our houses, father. Lord, if you care about the sparrows, Lord God, you know the number of hairs on our head, father God. You've been so faithful. You know us intimately and lord, I pray this morning as we take this, offering that it'd be an offering of worship, God, to continue the work of your kingdom, father, and as we, build your kingdom here on Earth, you will provide for us in a mighty way, Jesus. We love you, and we trust you with our finances, father. Amen. Blessed are they who are poor in spirit blessed lord our God bless us oh Lord make us poor in spirit bless us oh Lord our God we are the light of the world may our light shine before all that they may see the good that we do and give glory to God blessed are they who are meek and humble blessed they will inherit the earth bless us oh Lord make us meek and humble bless us oh Lord our God we are the light of the world may our light shine before all that they may see the good that we do and give glory to God blessed are they who will mourn and sorrow they will be comforted Bless us, oh Lord, when we share their sorrow, blessed, oh Lord, our God. We are the light of the world. May our light shine before all that they may see the good that we do and give glory to God bless those who hunger and thirst for justice they will be satisfied. Bless us, oh Lord, hear our cry for justice. Bless us, oh Lord, our God. Blessed are they who show others mercy. Blessed, oh Lord, our God. Bless us, oh Lord, let us show them mercy. Bless us, oh Lord, our God. Blessed are those who bring peace among us. They are the children of God bless us oh Lord may your peace be with us bless us oh Lord our God bless those who suffer from persecution theirs is the kingdom of God bless us oh Lord when they persecute us bless us oh Lord our God We are the light of the world. May our light shine before all. That they may see the good that we do and give glory to God. Amen. Daniel, would you come up? That song, it'll come back up in the sermon but blessed are they who are poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God. We know these are the beatitudes but the meek and humble, mourning, and sorrow, thirsting for justice, showing others mercy. The ones who are clean and holy, make us clean and holy. The ones who bring peace among us, let us carry that peace. That's what these guys are doing. So, I want to give Daniel a chance. Say what you need to say. Unmute it. There you go. Sweet. Cool. My name is Daniel and I am the director and one of the pastors over 180. It's a ministry of teen challenge. Anybody here ever hear a teen challenge? Couple people? Okay, cool. David Wilkerson, Cross the Switchblade. Anybody read it? Alright, sweet. If you get a chance, you should see the movie. Still hasn't been redone from the seventies. So, it's quite quite unique but that's basically us. We're just a little bit more of a modified version of Teen Challenge just because we tend to draw a certain kind of people to us and they tend to be, you know, into snowboarding and skiing and motorcross and so, we're located in Denver and you know, we are an intense, intense disciple ship program and so, what we do is we help get people off of the streets of, Denver. I mean, all over across the country, suburbs, know, people who are homeless, who are battling with hardcore, serious, life controlling problems, mainly heroin addiction, crystal meth addiction, marijuana addictions. I mean, we it is serious business. You know, our our program is there for people who sincerely are willing to do anything it takes to change their life. They spend a whole entire year saturated in the gospel. You know, reading the word of God, we create an environment for them to have an encounter with a living God that changes their lives forever. It's a it's a beautiful ministry and we have this amazing sanctuary where people are able to come into the program, spend a year there, and really truly find who they are inside of Christ and and realize what amazing grace is really all about and realize that they're forgiven under the cross of Calvary and through the blood of the lamb. And so some of the guys that I brought with us are gonna share a little bit. But we are just one extension of 300 other teen challenges across the country. So teen challenge is helping to to dominate and win the war on drug addiction and and and and save the brokenhearted people, of this country. And one of the one of the greatest things that we could ever ask of you in the back, we have a little information table. We just ask that you would take something, a sticker, a business card, and put it someplace on your refrigerator, you know, or in your house by your computer. Just that you would pray for us. We are in the trenches of a spiritual battle, not all, not only over people's spiritual lives, but over their physical lives. The guys who come into our front doors, they might not live another week, literally. And and so we covet you guys being there in the in the battle with us, because we can't do it alone. If it's not for our living savior and the Holy Spirit working through us, we as the staff of one hundred eighty have nothing to offer these young men, women, and all the other people that we help. Also have two other centers there in Colorado and Utah. So we're from the adult men's program. We also have, a program for juvenile girls who are 13 to 17 in Utah. And I thought things were bad when I was a kid. But man, the things that these 13 and 17 year olds are dealing with today, just some serious stuff. And then we have another program, on 7 Acres, and this is for adult women. They could bring their preschoolers there and spend two years learning how to be mamas again and getting out of abusive situations. I mean it is a beautiful program. For us in April, we're on the verge of opening a 40 acre ranch for more adult men because the need is so demanding throughout the country. So there'll be another 180 program on a 40 acre ranch right outside of DIA Airport. And again, we would just ask that you would pray because we've spent, I don't even know, the last three months probably turning away hundreds of people that are trying to get help in the city because we just don't have the capacity. And lives are at stake. And these aren't just nomads or people that you pass on the street corner begging for money. These are people's brothers and sisters. These are people's moms and dads. How many of you, by a show of hands, know somebody that is trapped in addiction or battling with addiction? Mean, that's the way it is everywhere that we go. And I guess the biggest thing that we can encourage you is don't give up on those people. Don't lose hope. Don't feel like your words are empty and void because you may be the single sole person whose prayers are ants are rescuing that individual. If it wasn't for a praying mama, I wouldn't even be standing on stage today. You know, I'm pushing my fifteenth year of being clean off of heroin. And that in itself is just a miracle, and that would have never happened without a mom and friends who didn't give up on me. So if I could just encourage you guys, you're that angel. You're that light in the darkness. And and your frustration, your anxiety in those situations, they're gonna pay off if you stay persistent. One of the guys that I brought with me today, I'm gonna have him share a little bit about his life. He will he will downplay some things, that happened in his life, but Mark, was a guy who who was, you know, trying out to be on the Olympic swim team for a while in his life, raced against Michael Phelps. I believe he beat him, at least in some trials is what he lays claim to. We'll have to ask Michael Phelps next time we see him. But we saw him in the swimming pool at the hotel last night and, he's pretty fast. The other pastor Dave, not so fast, kind of sank to the bottom of the pool real quick. But, Mark, if you'll come and just share what the Lord's doing in your life. Let's hear it from Mark. I said I had about a hundred eighty seconds to tell you about twenty eight years, so, could be a little difficult racing some longer swim races, but some gray areas I'd probably like to forget. So you can skim past those. But anyway, I'll pick up my story. About 18, like Daniel said, I was headed off to Louisiana State University on a full swimming scholarship. If you know Ryan Lockhe, he was at Florida. And of course, there was old Michael Phelps. But, you know, I was my story is about two lives, two separate lives. And I was on one life, I was just filled with pride. And, you know, having these two guys that were better than me, I'd never thought I could really be better than them. So that's kind of just destroyed me inside and led me kind of to a broken place and just my pride brought me down. And but I never really want to show that to the world. I didn't want to be this broken guy. I just I tried to hold myself up on my own strength. And, it's a very dangerous place for someone that, you know, has addiction in their family. And, I kind of turned to drinking and partying. And I found, just instant gratification in that. And I tried to use that instant gratification to fill my purpose. And, after a while, swimming wasn't enough, and I decided that I was a really good partier. So I decided to head up to CU Boulder where they're just they're excellent partiers, and I could be an incredible ski bum. And it turned out that I was really good at just kind of being a ski bum and drinking, which is not too hard to do. So I did that for, you know, a couple years and ended up in Vail, Colorado, jumping off water towers and large cliffs. And one day, I was probably a little too inebriated and jumped off a 40 foot water tower and broke my back and, led me down to an addiction to OxyContin, just a downward spiral. And, I started distributing it and just getting over the course of a year, got about seven driving under the influences. And I got caught for distribution of oxycotton twice. One time, it was pretty heinous. So about a year and four months ago, I ended up in jail. And, you know, I thought my only problem was I just need to stop doing these OxyContin, and I'll be just a great person. And by the grace of God, I met Daniel, January fourth of last year. And, in between transporting me to two different jails, I got to talk to him with two hours and he just spoke life into my into me. And, it was just so powerful to see somebody that kinda knew my same struggle, the the dealing, the you know, just being chained, and just the freedom that I saw in his life and just how happy he was. And, I just never really experienced true joy like that. And so it took me about four months to really surrender my selfish tendencies, my egotistical self to the Lord. But it was just it was a breakthrough one afternoon on May 20. You know, I couldn't figure out how to stop doing or stop craving this OxyContin even though I was just in this facility. I craved it every day, and I couldn't take it away myself. And so one day, I was like, well, lord, I mean, yeah, I I can't do this. You know? I can swim with the best, but I I can't figure out how to stop just thinking about this one pill. And finally, I surrendered to Lord them that day, and, you know, the desire has, you know, been slowly taken away from me. And I just experienced true freedom and happiness for the first time in my life, And it was just so powerful. And let me back up. Before I came into the center, I had broken my back. I had a missing bone in my spine. I was looking at a mandatory minimum of eight years in prison. And, know, today, I stand before you. My back I skied Jackson Hole as hard as anyone could ski it on Friday, and my charges have been dismissed. And just by, you know, healing by the grace of God and just giving me a new lease on life. And so I stand here today, you know, just free and just happy to be alive and just happy to be in front of you guys, telling you about Christ's love. Praise God. So that's why we need your prayers. My forgot your name after a whole year. Mark comes from this awesome family, big, loving Christian family out in Virginia. And to see him go down that road, I can't imagine what that does to a parent. But to see him now today, and again, we bring our students on these trips with us. Because it's kind of like building the dream that he already has in place. So we were kind of talking to him before. So pastor, you got to watch out for your job. But we were like, dude, could you imagine, bro, finding yourself a cute little ski bunny and having a couple kids and like working here for the rest of your life? But it is. It's it's about selling that dream that he's looking for something more. He's looking to give his life back. I mean, because he holds the answer for all drug addicts on the face of the planet right now and that's Jesus Christ. And so just awesome that you guys would let us come to your church. And again, I say over and over and over, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray. It's that grace that's going to lead us home. Mhmm. One day. And we want to be about our daddy's business doing what we gotta do. And our mission is to make heaven more crowded. Yep. Right? We want to rescue all the people that we can. So bless you guys. We love you. Thank you so much for letting us come out today. Thanks, pastor. You're welcome. Thank you. Making heaven more crowded than the gates of hell is a defensive weapon and they're crashing the gates of hell. What Jude would say, snatching souls from the fire. Praise God that you're doing it. Would y'all, let's sing all in all. Can we get back to that one, Judy? We're gonna sing that and then I'll go into the time of preaching. I'm I'm gonna talk about Lazarus today, the raising of Lazarus. Actually, it's one verse, two words and I have three points and that's all. It's kind of a but I wanna walk through that story but let's sing You Are My My All in All. Stand with me. You are my strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek. You are my all in all. Seeking you as a precious jewel lord to give up I'd be a fool you are my lamb of God worthy is your name Jesus lamb of God worthy is your name name taking my sin my cross my shame rising again I bless your name you are my when I fall down you pick me up when I am dry you fill my cup you are my precious lamb of God worthy is your name Amen. You may be seated. Well, I hope that y'all didn't think that too much of a commercial for one hundred eighty Ministries. This is a commercial though. Would you turn the sound, Judy? It's coming. It's coming. Some people have a deep abiding respect for the natural beauty that was once this country, and some people don't. People start pollution. People can stop it. Y'all see that one single tear. That guy's name is Iron Eyes Cody. Iron Eyes Cody. That commercial started running about the month before I was born and it ran all throughout my childhood and when I read this passage, I thought of that. Why in the world would I think of that? This in the raising of Lazarus. There's a two word verse in the middle of what we're gonna read right now and it's it's that's what it says in Greek. It's a three word in Greek. Jesus wept. That one tear on that one man's face made a huge difference with the the movement for pollution control in America. Keep America Beautiful Program. Don't mess with Texas. Idaho too is too great to litter. Whatever that one says over there, there are a bunch of those that have kind of grown up but this was one of the first kind of public service announcements and that one tier coming down. Why? Because we with it. We identify with him. He's supposed to be because he's an Indian. The super spiritual guy. He's really in touch with the Earth and he appreciates it. William Conrad is the voice and he's telling us how much we should appreciate this, the dramatic music and everything but that one tier, we identify with that. We say, you know, there's no excuse for littering and so it changed kind of a generation of kids. That was my generation. It you think twice about throwing the McDonald's bag out the window. You don't see that like you used to. You used see it all the time. It made a huge difference. Why? Because we identify with him. Today, this sermon hopefully is gonna be about how Jesus identifies with us and how we can identify with him through three primarily three Christian aspects. Humility, humanity, and holiness. He shows his humility. He shows his humanity and he shows his holiness in that two word verse and I'll go in. You know how I'm I'm about grammar. Every time I do a sermon up here, I go through the grammar. If it's 71 verses, it takes me forever to get through it but this is the shortest verse in the Bible and diagramming it and dwelling on it and thinking about it and meditating on it this week just going over Jesus wept. All that Jesus is and that I know him to be and then this, he wept. It's powerful. If you think about that this week, don't think of it like I wanna. At I wanna, this is the verse that anybody know a verse you can do such and such. You'll get to the front of the line or you do whatever. So, oh Jesus wept. John eleven thirty five. Because it's the shortest verse in the Bible. If you wanted to be at the front of the line at camp when you're little, it's probably the one you thought of. Oh, Jesus wept. John eleven thirty five. But if you really slow down and think about it, I took all week just to think about these two words. Now, I am gonna read it in context. I liked last week how the flow of the story I wanna keep going but I also wanna interject the little pertinent things that you might just skip over. So, I'll read the whole story first and then I'll come back and we'll talk about those three aspects of Christ that we he expects for his Christian brothers and sisters in Christ to demonstrate. So, Let's do that. Going back to this is John 11. We'll start in verse one. I'm gonna go rather quickly through the first part and then I'm gonna start stopping and interjecting. Shouldn't take but just a minute to do that though. Now, a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Remember Mary and Martha? We've met Mary Martha before. Martha's all about business. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. Last time we saw her in the other gospels and it was the Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair whose brother, Lazarus, was sick. The sisters therefore, Mary and Martha, sent to him saying, lord, behold, he whom you love is sick but when Jesus heard it, he said, this sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God. Often in scripture, if you have a not but it says not this but that. Often in scripture, it's a not only but this. There are, there's ample evidence we can go through it. If anybody wants to, we'll arm wrestle in the in the pastor's office later but it it it probably in this case, it's not because it seems deceptive to say it's not unto death and then he dies. It's not only unto death but also for the glory of God. That the son of God, Jesus himself, may be glorified in it. Another thing, timeline wise, I have a little bit more time in the service to discuss this. The timeline on Lazarus depending on where it depends on your thinking. I have a professor who's 89 years old who is convinced that this was eight days before the crucifixion. As John records it, it looks like it's eight days. It is in, it's the last week of Jesus' life and if you think about that, we'll get to this in a minute but if you think about why, this is in John at least while you're reading it, you can see this as the catalyst. This is the last straw. I've told you before about the sadducees being to the left, The Pharisees being to the right. They had political differences. They didn't get along. Well, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection and they did just like we do. They believe in the resurrection and the judgment one day but they didn't understand quite how that whole Christ part worked out but redemption and resurrection they believed in. The sadducees were more liberal in their thinking and not as likely to think that there was an actual resurrection. No, that's just hyperbole. That's not real. So, they disagreed about it. Well, the resurrection of Lazarus makes the sadducees look bad. The Pharisees already hated his guts. This is where the two of em get together. So, let's keep on going in the story. So, eight days before the crucifixion, some people stretched out to be as much as a month, maybe two but almost everybody says, this is the one that started the started the snowball heading down the hill. So, now, Jesus loved Mary and her sister and Lazarus. I'm not love Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When therefore, he had heard that he was sick. What what do you expect when he heard that he was sick? What do you expect him to do? Go to him. But it says, when he therefore heard that he was sick, he stayed then two days longer in the place where he was. Just hanging out. Then, after he said, then after this, after those two days, he said to the disciples, let us go to Judea again. Now, The disciples said to him, Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you. Are you going there again? And Jesus answered, are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world but if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not on him, not in him. What did Jesus just say in our last sermon? The last week, we talked about Jesus saying, while I'm in this world, I am the. Light. Light of this world and I said in Matthew, he says, you are the light of the world. So, Jesus, when he was in the world, bodily, physically, he was the light of this world but when he left and left the Holy Spirit, the comforter, we are the light of the world. That's what the song. That's why I sang that we are the light of the world song today. It goes along with what these are guys are saying. It goes along with what this is saying. Think about that. If anybody walks, are they not twelve hours in a day? He's saying, do something while you can, people. Do it while you can. While there is still light in this world, be about God's business. Be about doing his work That others may see the good that you do and give glory to God. The song said. Alright, back to verse 10 or or verse 11. This he said and after that, he said to them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep but I go that I may awaken him out of sleep and the disciples therefore said to him in their limited limited medical understanding. They figured that lord, if he's fallen asleep, he will recover. Sleep's good for somebody who's sick. Now, Jesus had spoken of his death, John tells us, but they thought that he was speaking of literal sleep. This is great. This is one of my favorite verses in this passage too. Then, Jesus therefore said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead. He didn't wanna make any mistake about it. He wasn't swooning. He wasn't sleeping. Lazarus is dead but then he follows it up with and I'm glad for your sakes. I'm glad Lazarus is dead. For your sakes, that I was not there. So that you may believe. A deepening belief. We have seen his disciples coming in deeper and deeper belief in him and this is the pinnacle, the climax, the ultimate. He has done so many different miracles but this is raising someone that has been dead, shown up, dead. Shown up, sorry. Thomas, therefore, who is called Bitamus or the twins said to his fellow disciples, let us also go that we may die with him. Thomas gets kind of a bad rap sometimes. We call him doubting Thomas because he wanted to see the wounds but he was willing to follow him. He might have been a smarty pants but he was willing to follow him. Let us go too. You know, I'm with him. I'm linked to that guy. Like Peter says, where are we gonna go? You have the words of life. We're going with you. Verse 17. So, when Jesus came, he found that he had already been in the tomb four days. The Jewish tradition at the time and even still to today says that in the three days following a death, the spirit or the soul of the person would hover above them. Sometimes in the room and that they would occasionally descend. That within three days, they kept them out of the grave for three days because the soul might decide to return and they might be swooning and not dead. So, they would three days but the fourth day, there's no doubt about it. That joker's dead. Show enough, Death. That's right. Now, Bethany was near Jerusalem about two miles off. What's two miles off from here? Smiths? Yep. Maybe the bar why? Some something that direction. Two miles away from the Sanhedrin where the sadducees and the Pharisees and the temple all are right there. Two miles. Mile and three quarters really. So, this is in the hotbed. This is the place and many of the Jews from there, the Judeans is what it actually says. The Judeans had come from Jerusalem to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. That was good. That's the casserole brigade in the South. That's what we call it. People come after a funeral. The casseroles show up. They came to console their console them concerning their brother. In this time, whalers or mourners were almost professionals. They would go to every visitation and they would make a show of it. That kind of thing. The next verse says, Martha, therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet him. She's all about the business but Mary still sat in the house. That doesn't surprise us either. Martha therefore said to Jesus, lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now, listen to that call of faith. She says, if you had been here, he would not have died. She believed that Jesus could have saved him and then she follows it up with even deeper confession of faith that says, even now, I know that whatever you ask, of God, God will give you. That's a pretty open ended, faithful prayer. Just like Daniel was saying a minute ago, if you're praying for somebody, don't give up. It might be past the point but even now, this would have been a really good sermon too. This is a freebie. Even now, whatever you ask. In God's name. In Jesus name. God will give you. Jesus said to her, your brother shall rise again and then she answers it with a wonderful theological call of faith. Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day and Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall live even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She he gives her a chance flat out to say it and she said to him, yes lord, I have believed. She's already get, she's already there. I have believed that you are the Christ, the son of God. Even he who comes into the world. That's another messianic term. And when she had said this, she went away and called Mary, her sister, saying secretly, secretly, the teacher is here and he's calling for you. And when she heard it, she arose quickly and was coming out to him. Now, Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. It's privately. This was without mourners. This is for the close family. This is not in the midst of a big company. And 31 is funny to me too. After having read this so many times, things start to emerge that you might just skip past. The Jews then, who are with her in the house and consoling her, when they saw Mary rose up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. And Mary and Martha were Christ's followers. They probably had suffered some of that dissension with the Jews that were would be coming out. They they were like, ugh, yeah, they're here. We gotta deal with it. It's our culture. But they were trying to secretly get away without causing a big ruckus, without causing a big fuss. Therefore, when Mary came to where Jesus was and she saw him, she fell at his feet saying to him, lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Where we hear that? Martha's all business but that's exactly what she said. Mary falls at Jesus' feet. Every time we see Mary, every time that we see Mary in the gospels, she's at the feet of Jesus, worshiping him, breaking out, anointing his feet with oil, and right here, she's grieving at his feet. Not angry but grieving. When Jesus saw, therefore, saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled. The troubled, that word is like waves on the ocean like he was shuttering. Deeply moved in the spirit here and a few verses later is actually a word that historians and theologians have been trying to figure out exactly how it could mean, what it means because it's the word that they use for an angry horse, the I can't do it. The, I have to get Danny do it. That kind of, it's a snort, an almost angry snort but it it is a deep, deep emotion, no doubt that's causing this to well up within him and then, we get to the part. He says, he was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled and said, where have you laid him? And they said to him, lord, come and see. And then our verse, Jesus wept. Jesus wept. And so, the Jews were saying, behold how he loved him but some of them said, could not this man who open the eyes of him who was blind have kept this man also from dying. That blind man was just a month or so before and still a hot topic of conversation Jesus therefore, again, being deeply moved within. Came to the tomb. Now, it was a cave and there was a stone lying against it and Jesus said, remove the stone. It's It's interesting. We know he's going raise Lazarus. We've all read the story but he tells them to remove the stone. He gives a direct command. You remember last week's lesson? Simple what? Obedience was followed by a miracle. Simple testimony is what followed the miracle. He said to them, remove the stone. It's funny that Martha, the sister of the sea, said to him, lord, by this time, there will be a stench for he has been dead four days. In the old King James, it says, lord, he stinketh. Jesus said to her, did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God. Now, did he ask her just before that? Did she believe? Did she answer yes? That was her simple testimony. Yes and then he said, didn't I say to you? Probably sometime in the past that if you believe, you'll see the glory of God. And and so, they removed the stone. So, he gave a simple command. They simply obeyed the command. So, they removed the stone and Jesus raised his eyes and said, father, I thank thee. Thank you that you heard me. And I know that you I know that you hear me always but because of the people standing around, I said it, that they may believe that you sent me. And when he had said all these things and gave them war, gave them warning basically that this was God's power that was gonna be revealed. He cried out with a loud voice. Lazarus, come forth. I've heard it said before about several different preachers that the reason he said, Lazarus, come forth is because if he had just said, come forth, everybody in every grave everywhere would have come forth. He has that kind of authority. He has that kind of power and that will happen one day. That's good teaching, good preaching that Jesus will be the one who calls forth all of the dead from the graves and meets those of us who are believers in the air. Good, good. I think that's good preaching. Lazarus, come forth and he who had died came forth. What authority that is. He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings and his face was wrapped around with a cloth and Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go. I'm gonna stop right there. I mean, there's, you know, there's always after Jesus does a miracle, does something fantastic. There's always arguing that follows that about what what it means and how and who believes it and who doesn't but I wanna get back to Jesus wept. Jesus wept. The humility part of this and these are so closely entwined that they kinda overlap each other. Humility, humanity, and holiness of Christ. At a cruisin is a simple past tense of the crew. He wept. It means to silently shed tears. Remember the professional mourners I was talking about a little while ago, the wailers? It's they're called in the script. It is somebody who will bellow for you. It's somebody who will just It was such a great guy. That's that and that it may be accompanied by tears but it can be just a show. Jesus never did anything showy. When he raised the widow of Nain's daughter, he just said, she was just asleep. When he did the miracle at the wedding in Cana, he was a sneaky little miracle. The the the people that were enjoying it didn't even know where the wine came from. He never did anything showy. There's a humility about our savior. A calm and gentle sorrow is one of the definitions. It's the only time this word is used in the New Testament which is always interesting because usually you judge scripture with scripture and you move around, you look for every time we use this, you get a better idea. You have to look outside of the New Testament for this and it is a bursting forth with tears that it wells up from within, a shedding of tears. It's contrasted with that verb used for the sisters and the wailers. So, that's the humility. That's part of the humility of the situation. Humanity, I love this quote by Godet. It says that the very gospel in which the deity of Jesus is most clearly asserted is also that which makes us best acquainted with the profoundly human side of his life. It was when he's restoring Peter on the beach after the Ascension. He cooked broiled fish for him. He's just hanging out with his guys and he's feeding them. He is 100% God. John establishes that from the first verse of his book of this gospel but he's also 100% human and he shows us that in places like this, Jesus wept. It reminds me, I lost the last line of this quote from Hebrews but for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but one who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet he was without sin. It's a beautiful thing to have a savior who knows how we feel. He can identify with us. He cried. He wept. He grieved the loss of his friend. Now, here's another place where he cries. Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. When he draw near and saw the city, he wept over it saying, would that you, even you had known on this day the things that make for peace but they are hidden from your eyes. I think that Jesus was crying for his friend, Lazarus, in a way. I think that he was crying in solidarity with those who were crying, Martha and Mary. I think that that's probably true and good but I think that there was more to it than this. We see him weeping over Jerusalem because they just don't see what's going on. They don't see God's redemptive plan. Since they can't see that, that causes him great sorrow, anxiety. If you remember Isaiah describes the suffering servant as a man acquainted with sorrow or full of sorrow and a a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. The holiness aspect of it. The holiness is defined as the complete otherness that belongs to God. He's set apart from all other things. If there's a holy Bible, that means this Bible is set apart from all others. This is sacred. This is holy. God is the one true God and he is holy and he's commanded us. Leviticus nineteen two and then restated often in the New Testament that we are to be holy as the Lord our God is holy. Holiness is a complete otherness. We are not to be like everyone else. We are to be set apart, sacred, consecrated, set apart for the use of God. So, that's the holiness. One aspect that's our human side of holiness. Like I said, they overlap. This quote, I looked through a bunch of different places this week to see if I could find anywhere in classical Greek literature where the gods wept. Came close. Diana said, to Hippolytus, I think it was. Diana said, oh I would that I were able to sympathize with you. I would cry for you but I can't. She was like, it's not gonna happen too bad and Homer from the Iliad, Homer says, the gods, little G, ordained the lot of man to suffer while themselves are free from care. How many people do you know that think God does not care? How many people that you know think that God is a cosmic killjoy that just wants me not to have fun? He just is interested in rules. He's just interested in me doing a certain thing. Is is this making sense? How many people do you know they're like that? They just feel like they don't understand that God loves them and that he's out for their best interest, that he's out for their freedom, that that's what he's interested in. Most people think of our capital G God like this little G up here that God has ordained the lot of man to suffer but he himself sits above it all and does not care and that's just not true and the reason we know it's not true is because we see the deity of Jesus throughout and we see him in a human fashion empathizing with us and crying alongside Mary, Martha. Why did he weep? Paul tells us, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Where do you think he got that from? All Pauline theology is grounded in dominical tradition. That was one of my professor in seminary's favorite sentences. This is not a macro leap. Jesus taught it by the way he lived his life, by the way he taught his lessons, and then Paul codified it for those of us to make it easier to understand. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We see that at the wedding in Cana. We see that here. We see it throughout his life. He was mourning with the family but the holiness aspect, he had the bigger picture in mind because Jesus is fully human and fully divine. He could see the whole picture. When he looked down on Jerusalem in Luke 19 and he saw that, he saw they just don't get it and I'm doing everything that's necessary to redeem Israel. I'm doing everything that's necessary to redeem man and living this perfect life of obedience, active obedience, passive obedience. Everything that he did in obedience was for their good but they just couldn't see it and that caused him to cry. It causes us to cry. Do you know anybody that you just can't force it on? You can't make em get it? He knew what it was like in the garden before the fall of man. Can you imagine Jesus? Walking without him? He didn't have to. He was under probation. He didn't have to. It was unbroken communion until that time where he chose to believe the lie of the devil and ignore the truth of God. When he did that, all of us have suffered since by nature and by choice. That would make the savior cry. Jesus wept. Can you imagine the overwhelming suffering that mankind has gone through because of that original distrust? Don't that make you want to cry? Makes me want to cry and to know that Jesus wept makes me feel better about it. Philippians two three through 11, if y'all will excuse my looking this up on my phone. I want to read the whole thing. I just I just gave the reference in the last service but Philippians two three through 11 gives us a picture of Christ. Actually, I'm just going to read one through 11. Since we're talking about consolation and consoling and grieving in a way too, I want to start off with the first verse of Philippians two. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, is there any consolation in Christ? Absolutely. That's the only consolation. If any comfort of love, is there comfort in love? Yes. If any fellowship of the spirit, we just met these guys this morning. Do you feel a fellowship in the spirit? Yes. If any bowels and mercies in this version, fulfill you my joy that you be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, selfishness, but in loneliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves. Let not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Can we rejoice and can we with those who rejoice and can we weep with those who weep? If we have the mind of Christ. Yes. He is not a god that is above it all. In a way, he's transcendent and above it all but in Jesus, he is imminent and he is available and through his spirit, he extends that other people through his church. Let this man be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal to God but made himself of no reputation, took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of a cross. Realize now, he didn't deserve to die. He did not have to die. He never sinned. He did not have the penalty of death upon himself. He didn't have to. He had to for us. He's the only way that we have a chance. All of us have sinned. You can listen to stories like this and think, I've never done that but have you ever gossiped? Have you ever slandered? Have you ever done anything? We all need the gospel and we need to all be gospel in each other. How did I get this from Jesus wept? Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him. Oh, let me go to back to verse eight and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. Things in heaven, things in earth, and things under the earth that every tongue should confess that Jesus is lord. For what? For the glory of God. He said that he came to reveal the glory of God and he gave them a direct command to obey. He has given us direct commands to obey. One of them being the great commission. Go, tell, go, teach, baptize In the name of the father, son, and the holy ghost. He doesn't just say go and teach. He says, go and teach them to obey, to do all the things that I've commanded you. Do you get how practical his application is? He's asking for us to have the same mind of Christ. He's asking us to have the humility and the humanity and the holiness and we might listen to that humanity part and go, no, I don't want to do that. Humanitarian is a dirty word a lot of times in church. You say, well, they're just over there feeding em. They're just feeding those people but they don't, they're not sharing the gospel but they're feeding people that are hungry. Jesus was here and he was meeting the needs of this family. He was consoling with him. He was doing that. I think we should do both but at the same time, let's don't forget our humanity. Let's don't rush someone through the grief process by saying, well, Jesus died. The sting of victory is gone. You don't have to worry about that anymore and it's sinful if you do. No. Jesus wept. He wept. I think it was more than just weeping for the family. I think it was weeping for the sins of the world and taking those upon him and knowing what was coming eight days later. Seeing that down the road. Jennifer, would you come on back up? The humility, the humanity, and the holiness that Christ showed there is available only in one place through him and through his spirit. He's promised to give that. If there's anybody here today who's never trusted as Christ and their savior before but sees in him in this story especially a particularly attractive God. I want you to separate him from all of the rest of the little G gods and the little idols around and see that he is the man of sorrows acquainted with grief and he cares. The Bible says, cast all of your anxiety upon him because he cares for you. I'm gonna be waiting down front right here and we're gonna sing Jesus is calling. Jesus is calling. Would you please stand as we sing? It is a hymn of invitation. If you'd like to come forward and pray, please feel free to do that. If you'd like to talk, feel free to do that. Jesus is tenderly calling me home calling today calling today father and father calling today calling today Jesus is calling is tenderly calling today on the second Jesus is calling the weary to rest, calling today, calling today, bring him your burden and you shall be blessed. He will not turn you away calling today calling today Jesus is calling is tenderly calling today fourth verse Jesus is pleading oh let's do his voice hear him today hear him today they who believeth his name shall rejoice quickly arise and away calling today calling today Jesus is calling his tender tenderly calling today Amen. The benediction today, I'm going to bless us, oh Lord, our God. We are the light of the world. May our light shine before all that they may see the good that we do and give glory to you, God. Our savior, our redeemer. Amen. Amen. Go and be blessed. And if y'all want to talk to these guys, they'll be hanging around afterwards.