WEBVTT 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:13.800 Well, good morning. Hello, I am Michael Aubrey. 00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:15.560 I'm Leadership Development Director for the Illinois 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:17.600 Baptist State Association, and it's a privilege 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:21.059 to be with you here this morning. My role as 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:23.120 Leadership Development Director has me working 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:26.280 with churches and our association to help in 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:29.379 training and development of leaders, training 00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:33.119 and development of those who work in churches, 00:00:33.259 --> 00:00:36.939 volunteers as well, and it's my privilege. Today, 00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:39.259 here a little bit later, I'll be doing a training 00:00:39.259 --> 00:00:40.920 here after this service, and I hope you'll stick 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:43.380 around. Now, the title of the training is on 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:47.979 being able to lead a child to Christ. And you 00:00:47.979 --> 00:00:50.179 may be thinking, well, I don't work in the kids' 00:00:50.259 --> 00:00:53.280 ministry, and I don't feel God calls me into 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:55.600 that area. And I want to let you know, this training 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:58.880 is still for you, for a couple of reasons. One 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:02.810 of those reasons is because... you may have children 00:01:02.810 --> 00:01:05.670 in your life. Maybe it's grandchildren in your 00:01:05.670 --> 00:01:08.930 life that you may have the opportunity to share 00:01:08.930 --> 00:01:11.870 the good news of Jesus with. And this training 00:01:11.870 --> 00:01:14.590 will help equip you for that. The other reason 00:01:14.590 --> 00:01:18.390 is because the way that you lead a child to Christ 00:01:18.390 --> 00:01:22.750 is the same way you lead anyone to Christ. An 00:01:22.750 --> 00:01:25.329 adult, a senior adult, or everyone in between. 00:01:25.950 --> 00:01:27.870 So I hope you'll stick around for the training 00:01:27.870 --> 00:01:30.390 that we'll have. And really we're talking about 00:01:30.390 --> 00:01:33.930 how to lead someone else to Christ. I'll give 00:01:33.930 --> 00:01:36.909 you some practical tools, answer some questions, 00:01:37.090 --> 00:01:39.829 and I'll even give you some practice doing that 00:01:39.829 --> 00:01:43.109 very thing. I think we're having pizza today, 00:01:43.189 --> 00:01:45.650 so I hope you'll stick around for that. That's 00:01:45.650 --> 00:01:47.950 my sales pitch, okay? And we'll move on from 00:01:47.950 --> 00:01:50.469 the sales pitch after that. The other thing I 00:01:50.469 --> 00:01:52.310 get to work with with Illinois Baptist State 00:01:52.310 --> 00:01:55.590 Association is in the area of next gen, kids 00:01:55.590 --> 00:01:58.290 and students. And that's my heart. That's my 00:01:58.290 --> 00:02:01.049 passion. It's a wonderful privilege that I have. 00:02:01.290 --> 00:02:04.370 Right now, we're getting ready for a camp to 00:02:04.370 --> 00:02:07.390 kick off next week. We have nine weeks of camp 00:02:07.390 --> 00:02:10.370 that are associated with our association that 00:02:10.370 --> 00:02:13.069 I get to work with. And so we're on the backside, 00:02:13.169 --> 00:02:14.770 we're on the downhill slope of those nine weeks. 00:02:14.830 --> 00:02:16.370 Most of those happened in June. We only have 00:02:16.370 --> 00:02:19.310 three that happened in July. But we have seen 00:02:19.310 --> 00:02:22.810 boys and girls, over 35 boys and girls, trust 00:02:22.810 --> 00:02:26.210 in Jesus Christ at those camps. Many others have 00:02:26.210 --> 00:02:29.270 been led to realize that they've already trusted 00:02:29.270 --> 00:02:30.610 in Christ, but maybe they haven't been taking 00:02:30.610 --> 00:02:33.750 the step of baptism yet. Others still have been 00:02:33.750 --> 00:02:36.569 called out and feel like God is calling them 00:02:36.569 --> 00:02:39.110 to mission or ministry. And I want to let you 00:02:39.110 --> 00:02:41.069 know that through your partnership in the choir, 00:02:41.189 --> 00:02:44.250 program, your church is a part of what's happening 00:02:44.250 --> 00:02:46.729 at those camps here this week and throughout 00:02:46.729 --> 00:02:50.349 the weeks of this summer. Your partnership allows 00:02:50.349 --> 00:02:52.689 us to have two camp facilities, one in the north, 00:02:52.729 --> 00:02:54.789 Streeter Baptist Camp, and one in the south at 00:02:54.789 --> 00:02:57.430 Lake Salatiska Baptist Camp. But your partnership 00:02:57.430 --> 00:02:59.650 with the cooperative program allows you to do 00:02:59.650 --> 00:03:03.830 even more than just camps. You're a part of churches 00:03:03.830 --> 00:03:06.330 that are being planted and established in our 00:03:06.330 --> 00:03:11.539 state. Across our nation. Throughout North America. 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:14.159 And honestly throughout the world. Through your 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:18.620 partnership. We send over 3 ,000 missionaries 00:03:18.620 --> 00:03:21.919 to foreign fields internationally. And they go 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:25.379 not having to come back every other year to beg 00:03:25.379 --> 00:03:29.340 for funding. They go fully funded. They go fully 00:03:29.340 --> 00:03:33.219 supported. That is an incredible thing. No other 00:03:33.219 --> 00:03:37.939 agency. No other group. has that many missionaries 00:03:37.939 --> 00:03:41.740 fully funded on the field and you are a part 00:03:41.740 --> 00:03:44.740 of that work you get to be a part of disaster 00:03:44.740 --> 00:03:47.800 recovery when disaster strikes for example the 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:51.500 flooding that took place in texas this week Already 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:55.379 we have, through disaster relief, people on the 00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:58.520 ground in that area who are helping to minister 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:01.639 through chaplaincy, minister to those who are 00:04:01.639 --> 00:04:03.939 hurting and grieving. They're helping to provide 00:04:03.939 --> 00:04:06.699 meals. They're going to help on the backside 00:04:06.699 --> 00:04:09.560 after the floodwaters recede, help to clear out 00:04:09.560 --> 00:04:12.259 floodwater damage in buildings and those kinds 00:04:12.259 --> 00:04:14.039 of things. Your partnership in the cooperative 00:04:14.039 --> 00:04:17.459 program makes you a part of that. There's so 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:19.300 much else I could go on. I could talk to you 00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:22.259 about education, through our seminaries, and 00:04:22.259 --> 00:04:25.980 through public championing of things that are 00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:28.480 moral and good and righteous and holy in the 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:31.339 public sphere through the ERLC and so many other 00:04:31.339 --> 00:04:34.100 things. But I want to say thank you, thank you, 00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:36.889 thank you. It's because of churches like you 00:04:36.889 --> 00:04:40.649 that those things are able to happen and go forth. 00:04:40.829 --> 00:04:43.629 And by the way, because you partner with it, 00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:46.610 if you're a young person, you felt led toward 00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:52.009 mission and ministry or a calling toward a vocational 00:04:52.009 --> 00:04:54.529 role or other leadership role in the church, 00:04:54.689 --> 00:04:59.410 you have opportunities. We've planned for you. 00:04:59.470 --> 00:05:01.829 We've made things ready for you. And we're prepared 00:05:01.829 --> 00:05:05.949 to equip you and help you in that journey. I'm 00:05:05.949 --> 00:05:09.129 married. I have three children, Samuel, Rachel, 00:05:09.410 --> 00:05:13.089 and Anna. I'm married to Victoria. And we are 00:05:13.089 --> 00:05:18.089 very much in the preteen and teenage years of 00:05:18.089 --> 00:05:21.889 life, which is a whole new adventure for me. 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:27.519 because as the kids are little, it's fun to be 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:30.740 dad, and the kids are excited, and I get to be 00:05:30.740 --> 00:05:33.579 the fun and jovial one, and sometimes the disciplinarian, 00:05:33.620 --> 00:05:37.439 yes. But in the teenage years, I am an idiot. 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:43.139 And so it's a whole new way of relating, and 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:45.839 you have to use mental tricks sometimes to help 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:47.639 your kids get on the right path and that kind 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:52.829 of thing. But it's a fun time. I moved from Texas 00:05:52.829 --> 00:05:56.370 over 12 years ago. I grew up in Texas. That's 00:05:56.370 --> 00:06:00.689 my home state. And in 2011, I'm not a big sports 00:06:00.689 --> 00:06:03.949 fan, not a big baseball fan, but in 2011, everybody 00:06:03.949 --> 00:06:05.870 in Texas was a baseball fan because the Texas 00:06:05.870 --> 00:06:08.949 Rangers were in it to go in the World Series. 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:13.720 And they were doing really well. They were ahead 00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:16.139 against, and I'm sorry to admit it if you're 00:06:16.139 --> 00:06:17.600 a Cardinals fan, but they were playing the St. 00:06:17.699 --> 00:06:20.459 Louis Cardinals. And they were ahead, and it 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:23.459 looked like they were going to win. They were 00:06:23.459 --> 00:06:26.720 ahead in games, and they got to the point where 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:31.560 they were one strike away from winning it all. 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:38.259 One strike away. Man, I remember watching that 00:06:38.259 --> 00:06:40.379 game, and I'm just in my mind like, pitcher, 00:06:40.500 --> 00:06:43.360 throw your arm out, throw the fastest fastball 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:46.860 you've ever thrown right across the plate. If 00:06:46.860 --> 00:06:48.800 it's injured, it doesn't matter, but you win. 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:53.759 Glory and victory are yours. But as it was, the 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:57.360 Cardinals got the hit. They got on base. They 00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:00.079 were able to score. And from being two runs down, 00:07:00.259 --> 00:07:02.939 they were able to tie it up. And they had forced 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:06.300 to go into the 10th inning. And you know what 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:10.879 happened in the 10th inning? They were one strike 00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:16.079 away again. And the same thing happens. The Cardinals 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:18.500 get the hit. They get on base. They're able to 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:20.399 score. They're able to tie it up. Forced an 11th 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:22.019 inning. And in the 11th inning, the Cardinals 00:07:22.019 --> 00:07:24.639 win. But that was okay. We had another game. 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:29.339 We go to game seven. And in game seven, the Cardinals 00:07:29.339 --> 00:07:34.560 won. There were so many defeated and dejected 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:39.920 Texas Rangers fans that week who were disheartened. 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:45.139 And so many were asking, what if? What if things 00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:49.240 had been different? What if we had gotten that 00:07:49.240 --> 00:07:52.990 strike? What if we had... held a score later 00:07:52.990 --> 00:07:55.089 at another point in the game. Lots of people 00:07:55.089 --> 00:07:56.949 were doing Monday morning quarterbacking, and 00:07:56.949 --> 00:07:59.069 they were saying, what if we had put in a different 00:07:59.069 --> 00:08:01.290 relief pitcher? What if we had done this? What 00:08:01.290 --> 00:08:04.110 if we had done that? What if something had been 00:08:04.110 --> 00:08:07.149 different? The glory of the World Series could 00:08:07.149 --> 00:08:09.970 have been ours. They tasted it. They were so 00:08:09.970 --> 00:08:15.250 close. But it wasn't to be. And so many were 00:08:15.250 --> 00:08:19.129 left yearning and asking, what if it had been 00:08:19.129 --> 00:08:22.980 different? I want to let you know, you in your 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:25.560 life have probably asked that question many times 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:28.019 about a great number of matters, haven't you? 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:33.340 What if something had been different? You go 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:35.340 out to eat and you come home and you have a tummy 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:37.360 ache later and you ask, man, what if I had ordered 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:41.399 something different on the menu, right? Maybe 00:08:41.399 --> 00:08:44.460 you paint a room in your house and you come into 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:46.179 it and you look at it after it's painted and 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:48.919 you go, you know, what if I had picked a different 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:53.399 color? You ever done that? What if I had done 00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:55.779 something different? But it's not only simple 00:08:55.779 --> 00:08:58.539 things, the trivial things of life that we ask 00:08:58.539 --> 00:09:00.460 that question about. It's about weightier matters 00:09:00.460 --> 00:09:05.019 too, isn't it? What if I had chosen that different 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:10.179 career? What if I had gone after that different 00:09:10.179 --> 00:09:18.659 degree? What if I had married her? What if I 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:23.220 had been confident enough? To ask, to do, to 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:27.139 seek after that thing that I always dreamed of. 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:35.000 What if? What if things were different? That 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:37.320 question also comes up in the hardest moments 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:42.519 of life. The tragedies of life, doesn't it? If 00:09:42.519 --> 00:09:47.279 you've ever known someone who died in an accident, 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:50.879 you know that question. is right at the front 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:55.240 of your mind. What if they had not gotten in 00:09:55.240 --> 00:10:00.759 the car at that day at that time? What if we 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:05.059 had done something different that day? So they 00:10:05.059 --> 00:10:07.879 weren't at that place at that time, at that moment 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:12.580 that tragedy struck. What if I had said something 00:10:12.580 --> 00:10:16.980 different? What if I had been... bold enough 00:10:16.980 --> 00:10:22.840 to speak up that one time to say and to do. The 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:25.299 what ifs of life, what if it were different, 00:10:25.379 --> 00:10:30.360 are a powerful question that looms over so many 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:33.580 situations of our life. I want to look today 00:10:33.580 --> 00:10:37.480 with you at a passage in John 11 in which we 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:42.440 see people coming to Jesus saying, if only this 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:46.799 Jesus, it would have been all different. tragedy 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:50.399 has struck and they cry out to jesus if only 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:54.019 it had been different and here's the reality 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:59.159 jesus himself will show us if only it had been 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:02.860 different here's the wonderful glorious news 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:06.200 though jesus has the power to make it different 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:10.679 and this story he does and he does it as a signpost 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:13.840 to point to glorious things for our lives today 00:11:14.570 --> 00:11:17.730 Okay, so I hope you're hungry to hear God's word 00:11:17.730 --> 00:11:20.309 today. I want to jump into it with you. We're 00:11:20.309 --> 00:11:22.690 going to be looking in John chapter 11. It's 00:11:22.690 --> 00:11:24.669 going to be a little bit of a more lengthy reading, 00:11:24.850 --> 00:11:27.429 but let me tell you, it is worth it. It is a 00:11:27.429 --> 00:11:29.830 marvelous story, and it's a story you've probably 00:11:29.830 --> 00:11:32.370 heard many times, but as we read through the 00:11:32.370 --> 00:11:35.470 story, I want you to listen for the moments where 00:11:35.470 --> 00:11:39.909 two ladies cry out to Jesus, if only this Jesus, 00:11:40.029 --> 00:11:43.309 it would have been different. Watch out for those 00:11:43.309 --> 00:11:45.799 moments, okay? As we read through God's scripture. 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:51.240 The grass withers. The flowers fall. But the 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:55.299 word of our God stands forever. This is the word 00:11:55.299 --> 00:12:01.200 of the Lord. Now a man was sick. Lazarus from 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:04.399 Bethany. The village of Mary and her sister Martha. 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:08.240 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume. 00:12:08.340 --> 00:12:11.200 And wiped his feet with her hair. And it was 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:14.039 her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sister 00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:18.279 sent a message to him, Lord, the one you love 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:22.639 is sick. When Jesus heard it, he said, this sickness 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:24.960 will not end in death, but it is for the glory 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:28.039 of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:32.500 through it. Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:36.279 and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was sick, 00:12:36.419 --> 00:12:40.940 he stayed two more days in the place where he 00:12:40.940 --> 00:12:44.350 was. Then after that, he said to his disciples, 00:12:44.590 --> 00:12:49.509 let's go to Judea again. Rabbi, the disciples 00:12:49.509 --> 00:12:52.129 told him, just now the Jews tried to stone you 00:12:52.129 --> 00:12:55.710 and you're going there again? Aren't there 12 00:12:55.710 --> 00:12:58.690 hours in a day, Jesus answered. If anyone walks 00:12:58.690 --> 00:13:01.149 during the day, he doesn't stumble because he 00:13:01.149 --> 00:13:04.389 sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks 00:13:04.389 --> 00:13:06.970 during the night, he does stumble because the 00:13:06.970 --> 00:13:11.919 light is not in him. He said this. And then he 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:14.320 told them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:19.379 but I'm on my way to wake him up. Then the disciples 00:13:19.379 --> 00:13:21.720 said to him, Lord, if he's fallen asleep, he 00:13:21.720 --> 00:13:25.679 will get well. Jesus, however, was speaking about 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:30.000 his death. And they thought he was speaking about 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:33.419 natural sleep. So Jesus then told them plainly, 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:38.539 Lazarus has died. I'm glad for you that I wasn't 00:13:38.539 --> 00:13:42.639 there. so that you may believe. But let's go 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:45.919 to him. Then Thomas, called twins, said to his 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:48.200 fellow disciples, let's go too, so that we may 00:13:48.200 --> 00:13:51.860 die with him. When Jesus arrived, he found that 00:13:51.860 --> 00:13:55.080 Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:59.220 Bethany was near Jerusalem, less than two miles 00:13:59.220 --> 00:14:03.179 away. Many of the Jews had come to Martha and 00:14:03.179 --> 00:14:06.820 Mary to comfort them about their brother. As 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:09.820 soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she 00:14:09.820 --> 00:14:12.759 went to meet him. But Mary remained seated in 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:18.000 the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:21.899 you had been here, my brother would not have 00:14:21.899 --> 00:14:26.580 died. Yet even now I know that whatever you ask 00:14:26.580 --> 00:14:31.259 from God, God will give you. Your brother will 00:14:31.259 --> 00:14:35.679 rise again, Jesus told her. Martha said to him, 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.419 I know that he will rise again in the resurrection 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:43.580 at the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the 00:14:43.580 --> 00:14:47.059 resurrection and the life. The one who believes 00:14:47.059 --> 00:14:51.440 in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:56.259 lives and believes in me will never die. Do you 00:14:56.259 --> 00:15:01.840 believe this? Yes, Lord, she told him. I believe 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:05.350 you are the Messiah, the Son of God. who comes 00:15:05.350 --> 00:15:09.610 into the world. Having said this, she went back 00:15:09.610 --> 00:15:12.070 and called her sister, saying in private, the 00:15:12.070 --> 00:15:15.490 teacher is here and is calling for you. As soon 00:15:15.490 --> 00:15:17.690 as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went 00:15:17.690 --> 00:15:20.529 to him. Jesus had not yet come into the village, 00:15:20.570 --> 00:15:23.269 but was still in the place where Martha had met 00:15:23.269 --> 00:15:27.009 him. The Jews who were with her in the house, 00:15:27.110 --> 00:15:29.610 consoling her, saw that Mary got up quickly and 00:15:29.610 --> 00:15:31.950 went out. They followed her, supposing that she 00:15:31.950 --> 00:15:34.899 was going to the tomb to cry there. As soon as 00:15:34.899 --> 00:15:37.539 Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she 00:15:37.539 --> 00:15:40.460 fell down at his feet and told him, Lord, if 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:43.759 you had been here, my brother would not have 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:47.940 died. And Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews 00:15:47.940 --> 00:15:51.779 had come with her crying. He was deeply moved 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:54.960 in his spirit and troubled. Where have you put 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.759 him, he asked. Lord, they told him, come and 00:15:57.759 --> 00:16:03.139 see. Jesus wept. So the Jews said, see how you 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:06.809 loved him. But some of them said, Couldn't he 00:16:06.809 --> 00:16:09.470 who opened the blind man's eyes also have kept 00:16:09.470 --> 00:16:14.149 this man from dying? Then Jesus, deeply moved 00:16:14.149 --> 00:16:18.169 again, came to the tomb. It was a cave and a 00:16:18.169 --> 00:16:21.409 stone was lying against it. Remove the stone, 00:16:21.570 --> 00:16:25.250 Jesus said. Martha, the dead man's sister, told 00:16:25.250 --> 00:16:28.450 him, Lord, there is already a stench because 00:16:28.450 --> 00:16:33.190 he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, 00:16:34.029 --> 00:16:37.049 Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would 00:16:37.049 --> 00:16:40.470 see the glory of God? So they removed the stone. 00:16:41.309 --> 00:16:44.769 Then Jesus raised his eyes and said, Father, 00:16:44.970 --> 00:16:48.549 I thank you that you heard me. I know that you 00:16:48.549 --> 00:16:51.210 always hear me. But because of the crowd standing 00:16:51.210 --> 00:16:55.090 here, I said this, so that they may believe you 00:16:55.090 --> 00:16:59.049 sent me. After he said this, he shouted with 00:16:59.049 --> 00:17:05.940 a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. The dead man 00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:11.259 came out bound hand and foot with linen strips 00:17:11.259 --> 00:17:15.339 and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said 00:17:15.339 --> 00:17:20.259 to them, unwrap him and let him go. Let's pray. 00:17:23.059 --> 00:17:28.640 Lord, what a glorious miracle your son worked 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:32.000 in the life of Lazarus and the lives of those 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:37.019 around him. Lord, speak to us today the truths 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:42.180 of your word. Convict us of sin and our own heart 00:17:42.180 --> 00:17:45.839 and life. Show us the way in which we ought to 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:50.480 go and help us to walk in it. Give us clarity 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:54.099 of mind today to evaluate ourselves in light 00:17:54.099 --> 00:17:59.880 of your word. And Lord, today, may the proclamation 00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:05.119 of your word help us to believe. Help us to trust, 00:18:05.180 --> 00:18:12.519 to hold fast to who you are. Lord, I pray that 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:15.099 you help me to speak plainly and clearly today, 00:18:15.220 --> 00:18:19.099 to make your truths known for your name's sake 00:18:19.099 --> 00:18:22.619 and for your glory. It's in Christ's name. Amen. 00:18:24.220 --> 00:18:30.140 So tragedy had struck. Lazarus would stand. Mary 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:33.480 and Martha, his sisters. were brokenhearted. 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:38.900 They were crushed and grieving. Jesus comes to 00:18:38.900 --> 00:18:42.200 them. We hear that refrain from them, didn't 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.819 we? In verse 21, we hear it from Martha. Lord, 00:18:45.980 --> 00:18:49.339 if you had been here, my brother would not have 00:18:49.339 --> 00:18:52.900 died. And then from Mary's lips in verse 32, 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:56.660 we hear, Lord, if you had been here, my brother 00:18:56.660 --> 00:18:59.279 would not have died. Hey, by the way, in scripture, 00:18:59.420 --> 00:19:02.049 when you hear things repeated, God's trying to 00:19:02.049 --> 00:19:04.130 get your attention about a truth that's there. 00:19:04.410 --> 00:19:07.170 And so we have both Mary and Martha repeating 00:19:07.170 --> 00:19:10.509 this refrain. Lord, if only things had been different. 00:19:10.589 --> 00:19:14.230 If only you had not been detained and not able 00:19:14.230 --> 00:19:16.190 to get here sooner. Because in their minds, they're 00:19:16.190 --> 00:19:18.630 thinking of Jesus and they know the miracles 00:19:18.630 --> 00:19:21.289 he's worked previously. We heard the reference 00:19:21.289 --> 00:19:24.769 to opening the eyes of the blind. We've heard 00:19:24.769 --> 00:19:27.829 and know how Jesus healed the mother -in -law 00:19:27.829 --> 00:19:30.529 of Peter who was on her sickbed with a fever. 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:33.940 We know of those who are lame and unable to walk. 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:37.259 And they had seen Jesus make those people be 00:19:37.259 --> 00:19:39.859 able who have never had to strengthen their legs 00:19:39.859 --> 00:19:42.700 to stand up. And completely without rehab or 00:19:42.700 --> 00:19:45.339 someone to help hold them, they're able to stand 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:47.880 on their two legs and able to go away walking 00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:51.700 and leaping and praising God. Jesus had done 00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:53.640 those things. And so in their mind, they know 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:58.519 Jesus has the power to heal. And so as Mary and 00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:01.500 Martha consider the sickness of their friend, 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:05.019 their brother Lazarus, they long and wish that 00:20:05.019 --> 00:20:06.740 something had been different, that Jesus had 00:20:06.740 --> 00:20:09.599 been able to get there sooner, to be able to 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:14.579 heal him, to prevent him from dying. Here's the 00:20:14.579 --> 00:20:18.319 stunning thing we find out, though. Jesus could 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:22.160 have been there sooner, couldn't he? We hear 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:24.940 that when Jesus hears word of Lazarus' condition, 00:20:27.180 --> 00:20:33.779 That Jesus chooses to stay where he was. He stays 00:20:33.779 --> 00:20:40.339 two additional days. And so, as we hear that 00:20:40.339 --> 00:20:43.480 truth, we go, why couldn't things not have been 00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:47.500 different? Why did Jesus choose to stay those 00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:51.579 additional days? Why did Jesus not go sooner? 00:20:54.539 --> 00:20:57.279 You see, Jesus had something greater in store 00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:01.339 for Lazarus and for Mary and Martha and for everyone 00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:05.740 around them. Jesus had something more grand and 00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:09.539 more glorious than some other sick person healed. 00:21:11.140 --> 00:21:14.539 Jesus wanted to point a signpost to the reality 00:21:14.539 --> 00:21:17.819 of the power that he had to change the circumstances 00:21:17.819 --> 00:21:21.500 that Lazarus and Mary and Martha were in. He 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:23.799 wanted to point to the truth that he could, in 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:30.059 fact, Make things different. My friends, sometimes 00:21:30.059 --> 00:21:33.099 in life, when you are asking those questions, 00:21:33.259 --> 00:21:37.140 what if something had been different? You're 00:21:37.140 --> 00:21:40.299 going to feel the tug in your heart to say, God, 00:21:40.359 --> 00:21:42.940 you could have made this situation different. 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:46.859 You could have done something and you could have 00:21:46.859 --> 00:21:55.339 intervened. But here's the profound truth. Sometimes 00:21:55.339 --> 00:21:59.660 God does not intervene because he wants to draw 00:21:59.660 --> 00:22:03.579 us closer to him. He wants us to believe and 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:07.539 trust him. That's what Jesus was about here with 00:22:07.539 --> 00:22:10.420 the disciples. The reason he delayed was so that 00:22:10.420 --> 00:22:16.220 they would believe. And as painful and as hard 00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:18.680 as the circumstances that lie ahead of them were 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:23.460 going to be, Jesus in his infinite wisdom allowed 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:27.339 them to endure the hard things of life, the pain 00:22:27.339 --> 00:22:30.160 and the suffering, the loss and the grief of 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:33.680 Lazarus' death, but he had something more glorious 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:37.019 on the backside to work. Here's what we need 00:22:37.019 --> 00:22:40.099 to hear. In our moments where we're asking those 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:42.319 questions, God, what if something had been different? 00:22:42.380 --> 00:22:43.859 What if I'd done something different? What if 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:45.359 they had done something? What if I said something 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:47.220 different? What if things had been different? 00:22:52.359 --> 00:22:56.259 We have to trust him through whatever the circumstances 00:22:56.259 --> 00:23:00.140 is. Whatever he brings and his good providence 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:04.380 and gives over to us, we must trust him. Knowing 00:23:04.380 --> 00:23:07.480 that he is working for our eternal good. You 00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:10.519 see, God doesn't work for our comfort. He doesn't 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:14.019 work so that we can have an easy life. He's not 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:18.180 working so that we can have the situations turn 00:23:18.180 --> 00:23:22.339 out always how we hope they would. God is at 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:29.359 work in your life to make you like Jesus. And 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:30.779 here's the thing. If you're going to be like 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:34.380 Jesus, you're going to have to endure some of 00:23:34.380 --> 00:23:37.059 the hardship like Jesus endured. My friends, 00:23:37.140 --> 00:23:39.740 we're not very good at growing when things are 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:43.619 easy and comfortable, are we? In fact, the truth 00:23:43.619 --> 00:23:45.539 is we're not really good at depending on the 00:23:45.539 --> 00:23:47.599 Father when things are good and easy and comfortable. 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:52.319 We can easily become distracted. We can easily 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:57.359 become complacent. Sometimes God uses those holy 00:23:57.359 --> 00:24:02.339 and wonderful hardships in our life to draw us 00:24:02.339 --> 00:24:07.779 to Him. To sift away from us the things in our 00:24:07.779 --> 00:24:10.720 life and in our heart that are more of this world 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:15.099 and less like Him. As hard and as painful as 00:24:15.099 --> 00:24:18.390 those moments are. God desires our greater good. 00:24:18.890 --> 00:24:21.950 We hear that passage that says, God works all 00:24:21.950 --> 00:24:24.930 things together for good for those who are in 00:24:24.930 --> 00:24:27.490 him. That's what that passage is talking about. 00:24:27.549 --> 00:24:29.609 It's not saying he works it together for good 00:24:29.609 --> 00:24:32.150 in the sense of my enjoyment and pleasure and 00:24:32.150 --> 00:24:34.470 happiness and ease and comfort. No, he works 00:24:34.470 --> 00:24:38.109 it together for our greater glorious good, our 00:24:38.109 --> 00:24:44.769 eternal good. And so in this moment, Jesus waits. 00:24:46.410 --> 00:24:50.890 He lingers two days so that by the time he arrives, 00:24:51.269 --> 00:24:53.950 Lazarus has been good and dead for four days. 00:24:54.869 --> 00:24:58.190 He's in the tomb and when he asked to open the 00:24:58.190 --> 00:25:02.190 tomb up, they protest and go, hey, it's been 00:25:02.190 --> 00:25:04.569 a while. It's going to be rough when we open 00:25:04.569 --> 00:25:09.309 that up. Maybe we don't do that. Because Jesus 00:25:09.309 --> 00:25:11.829 wanted to show them something more profound, 00:25:12.029 --> 00:25:15.609 something more glorious. Martha and Mary longed 00:25:15.609 --> 00:25:17.809 for something to be different. But here's the 00:25:17.809 --> 00:25:24.250 truth you need to see. Jesus, too, longed for 00:25:24.250 --> 00:25:29.089 something to be different in this moment. Jesus 00:25:29.089 --> 00:25:33.089 also longed for something to be different. How 00:25:33.089 --> 00:25:35.329 do we know this? We know this because of what 00:25:35.329 --> 00:25:38.849 we see in verses 33, 35, and 38. If you look 00:25:38.849 --> 00:25:41.589 there in verse 33, we see that when Jesus saw 00:25:41.589 --> 00:25:43.849 her crying and the Jews who had come with her 00:25:43.849 --> 00:25:48.109 crying, he was deeply moved in his spirit and 00:25:48.109 --> 00:25:51.990 troubled. That same phrase shows up in verse 00:25:51.990 --> 00:25:54.990 38. Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the 00:25:54.990 --> 00:25:58.059 tomb. And in fact... Depending on the translation 00:25:58.059 --> 00:26:00.420 you have, I'm preaching from the CSB this morning, 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:02.579 but if you have an NIV or some other translation, 00:26:02.859 --> 00:26:05.099 you may be looking at that verse and noticing 00:26:05.099 --> 00:26:09.359 something odd because it says he was angry. And 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:11.299 you're going, why is Jesus angry? I was reading 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:14.759 this passage with my middle daughter a couple 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:16.480 of months ago, and we were reading a translation 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:19.099 that uses that word angry. And she goes, Dad, 00:26:19.180 --> 00:26:21.420 why was Jesus angry at them for crying about 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:24.750 Lazarus dying? And I'm like, oh, no, no. He's 00:26:24.750 --> 00:26:26.829 not angry about them crying for Lazarus dying. 00:26:26.890 --> 00:26:29.470 You know how I know that? Because of verse 35. 00:26:29.829 --> 00:26:32.630 The first verse that every kid learns when they're 00:26:32.630 --> 00:26:34.950 memorizing verses to get a piece of candy, right? 00:26:35.390 --> 00:26:40.930 Say it with me. Jesus wept. There's a good reason 00:26:40.930 --> 00:26:43.130 you should memorize that. Because in those moments 00:26:43.130 --> 00:26:46.470 of grief, that will give you comfort. Because 00:26:46.470 --> 00:26:49.650 Jesus, too, was moved to weeping and grieving. 00:26:50.450 --> 00:26:53.690 That word is sometimes translated angry there. 00:26:54.089 --> 00:26:57.690 Because it shows the deep tension that is going 00:26:57.690 --> 00:27:06.430 on in Jesus' soul. He's not just sad. He's conflicted 00:27:06.430 --> 00:27:11.089 in his soul. He's wrought around. If you've ever 00:27:11.089 --> 00:27:14.730 lost a loved one, you know some of that angst 00:27:14.730 --> 00:27:18.849 you feel in your deepest, innermost being. Yes, 00:27:18.849 --> 00:27:23.740 you're profoundly grieving and sorrowful. But 00:27:23.740 --> 00:27:26.200 if you're honest and you take a self -assessment 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:29.299 and you realize it, you'll find there's a portion 00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:33.380 of you that's a little bit angry too. There's 00:27:33.380 --> 00:27:36.799 a portion inside of you going, this is not how 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:42.940 it's supposed to be. My mother, my friend, my 00:27:42.940 --> 00:27:49.420 sister, they're not supposed to die. And in this 00:27:49.420 --> 00:27:51.779 moment, this is the exact feeling that Jesus 00:27:51.779 --> 00:27:59.829 feels. This is not how it's supposed to be. Jesus 00:27:59.829 --> 00:28:02.970 knows. Because it was not how it was supposed 00:28:02.970 --> 00:28:06.990 to be. In the paradise that God had made, there 00:28:06.990 --> 00:28:10.829 was no death. There was no loss. There was no 00:28:10.829 --> 00:28:19.130 grieving. But death came through sin. When we, 00:28:19.150 --> 00:28:22.160 mankind, rebelled. against God and said, God, 00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:24.099 we got this. We're going to go life in our own 00:28:24.099 --> 00:28:26.319 way. We're going to do our own thing and work 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:27.940 to our own ends because we feel like you're holding 00:28:27.940 --> 00:28:29.539 out on us. There's something we're missing out 00:28:29.539 --> 00:28:32.559 on. And so we're going to do it ourselves, God. 00:28:32.839 --> 00:28:35.400 And we each individually have made that very 00:28:35.400 --> 00:28:39.319 self -same choice to live life on our own apart 00:28:39.319 --> 00:28:42.440 from God. The scriptural word for it is sin. 00:28:43.539 --> 00:28:48.380 When we sin against God, we bring about the natural 00:28:48.380 --> 00:28:54.690 fruit. consequences of sin, which is death. And 00:28:54.690 --> 00:28:58.369 mankind throughout all of its history has been 00:28:58.369 --> 00:29:04.549 plagued by death. Jesus loved Lazarus. Jesus 00:29:04.549 --> 00:29:07.450 loved Martha and Mary. He was very close to them. 00:29:07.710 --> 00:29:10.549 And so when his good friend Lazarus dies, Jesus 00:29:10.549 --> 00:29:15.269 feels that pain, that sorrow of this is not the 00:29:15.269 --> 00:29:19.769 way. God intended this world to be in the beginning. 00:29:21.250 --> 00:29:25.369 God intended us to live with him forever. And 00:29:25.369 --> 00:29:33.970 death is a breaking of that. Jesus desired something 00:29:33.970 --> 00:29:36.609 different. But I told you at the beginning, Jesus 00:29:36.609 --> 00:29:39.329 is the one who has the power to make something 00:29:39.329 --> 00:29:42.150 different, doesn't he? And that's what he does 00:29:42.150 --> 00:29:45.250 at the grave of Lazarus, at the tomb of Lazarus. 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:48.640 He goes there and he does something different. 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:51.559 He works a miracle, a miracle like no other. 00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:54.799 They go to the tomb, they roll the stone away, 00:29:54.900 --> 00:29:58.279 and Jesus prays to the Father. And he even tells 00:29:58.279 --> 00:30:01.759 us in the prayer, God, I know you always hear 00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:05.940 me, but I am praying out loud so that these people 00:30:05.940 --> 00:30:10.660 standing around would what? They believe. So 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:14.559 that they would know what's going on. Jesus speaks 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:20.740 into the tomb to a dead, rotting corpse. Lazarus, 00:30:20.740 --> 00:30:28.500 come out. Something has never happened. Lazarus 00:30:28.500 --> 00:30:33.839 comes out. People are stunned and amazed. And 00:30:33.839 --> 00:30:35.640 it's really funny, if you keep on reading, the 00:30:35.640 --> 00:30:37.799 best thing that the people who opposed Jesus 00:30:37.799 --> 00:30:40.000 could figure to do was to like, maybe we should 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:43.130 kill Lazarus again to stop him. That was the 00:30:43.130 --> 00:30:44.730 best thing that they could come up with. Do you 00:30:44.730 --> 00:30:48.869 realize how silly and crazy that is? If the man 00:30:48.869 --> 00:30:50.789 has the power to raise the dead, killing him 00:30:50.789 --> 00:30:55.109 again won't stop him. That's crazy. Jesus raised 00:30:55.109 --> 00:30:58.849 the dead. What a glorious miracle. Can you imagine 00:30:58.849 --> 00:31:01.329 being Mary and Martha in that moment, seeing 00:31:01.329 --> 00:31:05.349 the glory of Jesus raised from the tomb? What 00:31:05.349 --> 00:31:10.089 a profound miracle. Well, my friends, I want 00:31:10.089 --> 00:31:13.099 you to know that miracle was a signpost that 00:31:13.099 --> 00:31:15.920 was meant to point us forward to a far greater 00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:20.640 miracle. For something far more glorious, far 00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:24.500 more wonderful than just one man being raised. 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:29.359 And that truth, that profound truth, shows up 00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:33.319 in verse 25. Verse 25 is the heart of this entire 00:31:33.319 --> 00:31:41.200 passage. In verse 25, Jesus says, I... and the 00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:45.960 resurrection, and the life. The one who believes 00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:51.299 in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who 00:31:51.299 --> 00:31:56.200 lives and believes in me will never die. And 00:31:56.200 --> 00:32:02.359 then he asks, do you believe this? You see, the 00:32:02.359 --> 00:32:04.460 one thing that Jesus wanted different was the 00:32:04.460 --> 00:32:12.140 reality and the finality of death. And Jesus 00:32:12.140 --> 00:32:20.039 did it. He put an end to death. He pointed through 00:32:20.039 --> 00:32:23.339 the resurrection of Lazarus to the reality of 00:32:23.339 --> 00:32:26.299 what Jesus would do on the cross, the reality 00:32:26.299 --> 00:32:29.680 of his coming resurrection, and the reality of 00:32:29.680 --> 00:32:33.799 our future resurrection. You see, Jesus was pointing 00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:38.279 to the truth that one day death will no more 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:44.970 be real. Death itself will be undone. Death itself 00:32:44.970 --> 00:32:48.650 is not the final word. We see that in Jesus, 00:32:48.710 --> 00:32:52.049 don't we? Jesus is nailed to the cross and laid 00:32:52.049 --> 00:32:54.990 in the tomb. And three days later on that Sunday 00:32:54.990 --> 00:32:58.730 morning, he is resurrected. He walks out of the 00:32:58.730 --> 00:33:01.509 tomb like Lazarus, but he's resurrected with 00:33:01.509 --> 00:33:04.289 a new and glorified body. You see, the fact of 00:33:04.289 --> 00:33:08.799 the matter is Lazarus was resuscitated. He was 00:33:08.799 --> 00:33:12.500 brought back to this type of physical life. Jesus 00:33:12.500 --> 00:33:14.880 was resurrected with a new and glorified, yes, 00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:18.740 physical body, but a glorified body. The body 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:23.000 who is now in heaven, ruling and reigning. Jesus, 00:33:23.019 --> 00:33:26.039 our Lord, has been resurrected. And in the picture 00:33:26.039 --> 00:33:28.160 of Lazarus, he points to what's going to happen 00:33:28.160 --> 00:33:32.180 in a short time later with him. And he's saying 00:33:32.180 --> 00:33:34.380 to his disciples, to Mary and to Martha and to 00:33:34.380 --> 00:33:39.940 us today, Jesus has power over death. And he's 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:42.059 pointing to the fact of the reality of our own 00:33:42.059 --> 00:33:45.680 resurrection as well. Our resurrection has two 00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:49.480 parts. We have a spiritual resurrection and a 00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:52.339 physical resurrection. Spiritual resurrection 00:33:52.339 --> 00:33:55.859 happens at the moment when we trust in Jesus 00:33:55.859 --> 00:34:00.440 Christ. Our eyes are opened and we have new birth, 00:34:00.720 --> 00:34:04.039 new life within us. The Spirit indwells us and 00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:08.460 we go from being dead in our sins to alive in 00:34:08.460 --> 00:34:12.460 Jesus Christ. We are resurrected spiritually. 00:34:13.300 --> 00:34:17.320 We're given new life. In that moment, God goes 00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:19.579 to work in us, changing us and making us new 00:34:19.579 --> 00:34:22.360 through His Spirit, drawing us close to Him, 00:34:22.460 --> 00:34:24.519 making us like Jesus like we talked about a moment 00:34:24.519 --> 00:34:30.260 ago. But there's a second resurrection. Physical 00:34:30.260 --> 00:34:33.260 resurrection. Because I told you a moment ago, 00:34:33.340 --> 00:34:36.440 the mortality rate among human beings stands 00:34:36.440 --> 00:34:45.679 at 100%. And one day, each one of us will die. 00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:51.000 But did you hear what Jesus said about those 00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:55.340 who die in him? It's profound. Read it again. 00:34:55.480 --> 00:35:00.280 Look at the verse again, verse 25. The one who 00:35:00.280 --> 00:35:08.480 believes in me, even if he dies, will live. And 00:35:08.480 --> 00:35:11.059 then he says it even more profoundly, everyone 00:35:11.059 --> 00:35:15.639 who lives and believes in me will never die. 00:35:17.500 --> 00:35:19.719 And you go, well, I know a lot of Christians 00:35:19.719 --> 00:35:25.039 who've died. There's another man named Lazarus, 00:35:25.039 --> 00:35:27.599 interestingly enough, that shows up in the book 00:35:27.599 --> 00:35:30.920 of Luke. It helps us to see this truth. You see, 00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:34.079 Lazarus was a poor man, and he died outside of 00:35:34.079 --> 00:35:37.650 a rich man's home. And we're told, Jesus gives 00:35:37.650 --> 00:35:40.429 us a glimpse behind the curtain of what happens 00:35:40.429 --> 00:35:43.750 at the moment of Lazarus' death. Not this Lazarus 00:35:43.750 --> 00:35:46.550 that we're dealing here, but the poor man Lazarus. 00:35:47.650 --> 00:35:50.110 He peeks the curtain back and he shows us that 00:35:50.110 --> 00:35:54.550 the moment of his death, the angels came and 00:35:54.550 --> 00:35:59.550 carried him to the glory of the Father. You see, 00:35:59.570 --> 00:36:03.579 at that moment, at that last breath, He didn't 00:36:03.579 --> 00:36:06.639 experience death as we perceive it. He didn't 00:36:06.639 --> 00:36:09.860 experience an endless void of nothingness for 00:36:09.860 --> 00:36:13.659 all of eternity. He didn't experience an eternal 00:36:13.659 --> 00:36:16.860 separation from the Father in agony and suffering. 00:36:18.579 --> 00:36:21.340 He experienced the trip of a lifetime with the 00:36:21.340 --> 00:36:28.219 angels to God. That is awesome. That's why Paul 00:36:28.219 --> 00:36:33.460 would say, for the believer, absent from the 00:36:33.460 --> 00:36:39.900 body when we die and our body is no longer functioning 00:36:39.900 --> 00:36:43.579 and is dead and deceased and everyone around 00:36:43.579 --> 00:36:48.500 thinks our life is wholly gone, our spirit is 00:36:48.500 --> 00:36:51.179 with the Father. To be absent from the body is 00:36:51.179 --> 00:36:54.559 to be at home with the Lord, for the believer. 00:36:56.639 --> 00:36:58.860 That's what Jesus is speaking of in this verse. 00:37:00.460 --> 00:37:03.239 That's why he's able to say, whoever believes 00:37:03.239 --> 00:37:08.440 in me, even though he dies, will live. Even though 00:37:08.440 --> 00:37:11.800 that poor man Lazarus died, he immediately lived 00:37:11.800 --> 00:37:15.300 at his final breath. My friends, take comfort 00:37:15.300 --> 00:37:18.079 for your loved ones who have died in the Lord, 00:37:18.219 --> 00:37:22.079 who may have gone through agony and pain and 00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:25.340 suffering in those last days or weeks or months 00:37:25.340 --> 00:37:29.800 or just agonizingly hard. You can take hope in 00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:34.900 the moment of their death. That pain, those labored 00:37:34.900 --> 00:37:39.480 breaths, the difficulty, the cancer, the disease, 00:37:39.880 --> 00:37:46.320 the immobility was gone. And they were with the 00:37:46.320 --> 00:37:52.000 Father. What a glorious and profound truth Jesus 00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:55.659 points us to today. To be absent from the body 00:37:55.659 --> 00:37:58.900 is to be at home with the Lord. But here's what 00:37:58.900 --> 00:38:08.059 Jesus asks. Do you believe this? He asks it of 00:38:08.059 --> 00:38:12.559 Mary and Martha, but he asks it of us today as 00:38:12.559 --> 00:38:18.599 well. And I ask it of you. Do you believe this? 00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:22.679 Do you believe in the hope of the gospel, the 00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:26.400 profound reality of Christ's resurrection? And 00:38:26.400 --> 00:38:29.420 of your sure resurrection. If your hope is in 00:38:29.420 --> 00:38:33.360 him. Oh my friends. I forgot to tell you. Our 00:38:33.360 --> 00:38:35.239 second resurrection. I told you of our first 00:38:35.239 --> 00:38:37.800 resurrection. Of our spirit being raised. Of 00:38:37.800 --> 00:38:40.980 us being trained and transformed. But our second 00:38:40.980 --> 00:38:43.780 resurrection is when. One day when Christ returns. 00:38:45.539 --> 00:38:50.440 Our bodies will be raised. We will be given new 00:38:50.440 --> 00:38:52.940 and glorified bodies. No longer with pain and 00:38:52.940 --> 00:38:55.480 suffering. We will live forever in the new heavens. 00:38:55.820 --> 00:39:00.059 and the new earth with God. And friends, that's 00:39:00.059 --> 00:39:04.139 a glorious, glorious truth. Jesus asked, do we 00:39:04.139 --> 00:39:09.199 believe this? Mary and Martha were asking, Lord, 00:39:09.239 --> 00:39:10.619 if only you'd been here, something could have 00:39:10.619 --> 00:39:13.500 been different. And Jesus himself grieved the 00:39:13.500 --> 00:39:18.199 moment of Lazarus dead. He felt the wrenching 00:39:18.199 --> 00:39:21.460 of the sorrow and suffering of death itself. 00:39:22.699 --> 00:39:25.119 He desired something to be different. He did 00:39:25.119 --> 00:39:26.679 something different. And that's all I want you 00:39:26.679 --> 00:39:29.420 to know today. Your future is made different 00:39:29.420 --> 00:39:34.099 if your hope is in Jesus. Your future is made 00:39:34.099 --> 00:39:38.199 different if your hope is in Jesus Christ. Your 00:39:38.199 --> 00:39:41.239 eternal future is made different. You have the 00:39:41.239 --> 00:39:44.300 hope of eternity with our Lord. You have the 00:39:44.300 --> 00:39:47.760 hope that death does not get its final say over 00:39:47.760 --> 00:39:52.500 you. Your future is made different. if your hope 00:39:52.500 --> 00:39:55.940 is in Jesus. But your future in this life is 00:39:55.940 --> 00:39:58.480 made different as well because the things of 00:39:58.480 --> 00:40:01.860 death, the things that lead to death, that sin 00:40:01.860 --> 00:40:08.420 that holds us, if the power of sin is death and 00:40:08.420 --> 00:40:12.619 death has been undone, the power of sin is no 00:40:12.619 --> 00:40:18.940 more. Sin no longer has power over you. My friends, 00:40:18.960 --> 00:40:22.199 this is why we can hear testimonies of those 00:40:22.199 --> 00:40:26.619 who have been caught in years of addiction, being 00:40:26.619 --> 00:40:29.679 set free when their hope turns to Jesus Christ. 00:40:30.320 --> 00:40:33.300 This is why we can hear of those who have been 00:40:33.300 --> 00:40:38.980 captured by anger, being set free to joy when 00:40:38.980 --> 00:40:42.000 their hope is in Jesus Christ. And the truth 00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:44.699 is, every one of us is held captive by sin. It 00:40:44.699 --> 00:40:47.619 takes on myriad forms. It's unique and customized. 00:40:47.820 --> 00:40:50.659 Satan likes to customize the sin in your life 00:40:50.659 --> 00:40:53.380 to fit you and your personality. And he's really, 00:40:53.420 --> 00:40:56.380 really good at it. And he's customized it for 00:40:56.380 --> 00:41:00.539 each of us. And sin would hold us tight, whether 00:41:00.539 --> 00:41:04.900 it's anger or bitterness, envy and jealousy, 00:41:05.099 --> 00:41:09.750 whether it's lust or greed. Whether it's a vice, 00:41:09.750 --> 00:41:13.230 an addiction that holds us. So many other things. 00:41:13.670 --> 00:41:16.829 Whatever it is, that is made different because 00:41:16.829 --> 00:41:19.710 of the power of Jesus Christ. If your hope is 00:41:19.710 --> 00:41:22.909 in Jesus Christ, that power of sin no longer 00:41:22.909 --> 00:41:24.750 has its hold on you. And yes, we've got to work 00:41:24.750 --> 00:41:28.349 it out. Yes, we've got to do the hard work of 00:41:28.349 --> 00:41:31.730 turning back to God, to Christ, time and time 00:41:31.730 --> 00:41:35.030 again. As the Holy Spirit does its work of pulling 00:41:35.030 --> 00:41:38.010 apart that cancerous sin in our heart and life. 00:41:38.269 --> 00:41:40.869 And helping us to desire the superior glories 00:41:40.869 --> 00:41:45.210 of Jesus Christ in our life. But he does it. 00:41:45.510 --> 00:41:49.309 And your future, even in this life, is made different 00:41:49.309 --> 00:41:53.110 because of your hope in Jesus Christ. My friends, 00:41:53.130 --> 00:41:58.130 today I ask, as Jesus asked, do you believe this? 00:41:59.110 --> 00:42:02.579 I want you to know a church... filled with people 00:42:02.579 --> 00:42:04.960 whose hope is in Jesus Christ, and they know 00:42:04.960 --> 00:42:07.599 the power of how Jesus can make things different. 00:42:07.679 --> 00:42:12.199 That is a powerful force in a community. A force 00:42:12.199 --> 00:42:14.780 that looks out at the community around them and 00:42:14.780 --> 00:42:18.239 doesn't see those sinners stuck out there making 00:42:18.239 --> 00:42:21.119 bad decisions. We might not want to let them 00:42:21.119 --> 00:42:24.079 get too close to them, but instead says, our 00:42:24.079 --> 00:42:28.659 Father can change them. Let us go to them. If 00:42:28.659 --> 00:42:31.380 God can change me, He can change the worst of 00:42:31.380 --> 00:42:34.960 sinners. So let us go. Let us proclaim the profound 00:42:34.960 --> 00:42:38.840 truth of Christ resurrected. Let us share with 00:42:38.840 --> 00:42:42.139 them the wondrous truths that we have found and 00:42:42.139 --> 00:42:45.119 has been shared with us. Let us go and tell the 00:42:45.119 --> 00:42:49.079 great story of Christ to a lost and dying world. 00:42:50.179 --> 00:42:53.699 My friends, a church that takes hold of that 00:42:53.699 --> 00:42:58.050 will transform the community around them. So 00:42:58.050 --> 00:43:00.650 my heart's longing and prayer for you today is, 00:43:00.690 --> 00:43:02.889 first of all, if you don't believe these things, 00:43:02.909 --> 00:43:04.210 that you would come to believe these things. 00:43:04.329 --> 00:43:06.769 You could cry out to God right now and say, Lord, 00:43:06.869 --> 00:43:11.570 I want to believe. Help my unbelief. That's a 00:43:11.570 --> 00:43:15.389 Bible prayer, by the way. Lord, I believe. Help 00:43:15.389 --> 00:43:21.929 my unbelief. Number two, I pray over you. The 00:43:21.929 --> 00:43:24.630 cornerstone would be that community of believers. 00:43:25.340 --> 00:43:29.039 transformed by the hope of the gospel, who goes 00:43:29.039 --> 00:43:32.260 out into the community around here in Savoy and 00:43:32.260 --> 00:43:34.699 Champaign and beyond, wherever you find yourself, 00:43:35.219 --> 00:43:38.519 and proclaims the profound truth, hope in Jesus 00:43:38.519 --> 00:43:43.119 Christ, to set free the captives, to bring the 00:43:43.119 --> 00:43:48.579 lost to our Lord. Let me pray over you now. Holy 00:43:48.579 --> 00:43:52.960 Father, I pray for this church. I pray for each 00:43:52.960 --> 00:43:57.239 person here. I ask of you that their hope would 00:43:57.239 --> 00:43:59.300 be in Jesus Christ, that they would hear the 00:43:59.300 --> 00:44:01.739 glorious truths of the hope of the resurrection, 00:44:02.059 --> 00:44:08.000 of what Lazarus saw only in a small foretaste, 00:44:08.159 --> 00:44:14.659 we one day will taste fully. And so, Lord, I 00:44:14.659 --> 00:44:17.820 pray that our hope would no longer be held captive 00:44:17.820 --> 00:44:21.840 to the feebleness of this world, but would exceed 00:44:21.840 --> 00:44:26.429 beyond our capacities. It would fill us to overflowing 00:44:26.429 --> 00:44:28.849 and that this church would be a church that is 00:44:28.849 --> 00:44:32.869 overjoyed with excitement to share with its community 00:44:32.869 --> 00:44:37.130 the hope of Jesus Christ. Give them opportunities. 00:44:37.190 --> 00:44:42.869 Give them boldness. This church would be a lighthouse 00:44:42.869 --> 00:44:50.710 of change here and beyond. Lord, thank you for 00:44:50.710 --> 00:44:55.420 the hope of the resurrection. Thank you for your 00:44:55.420 --> 00:44:57.900 word today. It's in Christ's name we pray.