WEBVTT 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:02.240 Thank you guys. 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:03.919 Great to be here. 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:06.160 Who would have known that Matt was such a profit? 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:06.559 All right. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:08.800 Um, it's great to be back with you guys. 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:09.839 Um, my name is Joseph. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:16.000 We have a Matt, and um just celebrated 31 years of marriage last week, so I'm excited about that. 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:23.920 Since the last time I've been with you guys, my wife and I have entered into a new era called the grandparents' era. 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:29.120 This is our uh little grandson's Ezekiel James. 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:30.239 Uh we call him Zeke. 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:35.600 You might think I cut myself shaving, but Zeke got me yesterday morning before I flew out uh to Colorado. 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:37.039 Uh but we are obsessed with him. 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:44.960 We're having a great time uh just being grandparents and actually uh, you know, giving him back to my son and his wife uh when we're done. 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:46.240 So it's just been amazing. 00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:50.479 So well, hey, one thing you need to know about me before as we get started is I'm a fanboy. 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:55.439 Okay, I I I love famous people, love being around famous people, love putting myself in proximity to famous people. 00:00:55.679 --> 00:01:01.359 My family knows this about me, and I embarrass them a lot as I try to get close to famous people. 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:06.159 Now, this is a problem if you live in Nashville, Tennessee, like we did for six years. 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:14.400 Because longtime residents of Nashville will tell you when you move to their city how to react when you see someone famous in the wild. 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:16.959 Do not react. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:27.359 Do not ask for an autograph, do not make a spectacle, do not scream like a middle schooler, do not embarrass yourself, do not ask for a selfie, do not ask for an autograph, leave them alone. 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:31.760 That is the modus operandi of what you do when you see someone famous. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.400 Well, I'm we moved to Nashville in 2009. 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:37.920 I was going on staff at a church called Cross Point Church. 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:41.040 And at that time, it was a uh we had three campuses. 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:48.400 I was going on as a campus pastor and teaching pastor, and we would eventually launch uh three additional campuses, and our main campus was in the heart of the city. 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:59.599 It was a really influential church in Nashville, and guys, within my first couple of weeks being on staff there, I started seeing people that I'd only seen on TV coming to our church or heard on the radio. 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:01.200 It was unbelievable. 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:04.159 Now, as a pastor, you have to restrain yourself, okay? 00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:07.359 You can't go up to somebody, you know, in the lobby and say, Can I take a selfie? 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:07.680 Right? 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:09.360 You just gotta play it cool. 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:17.840 And so a few years after uh we moved to Nashville, um, our auditorium was packed, it was the middle service, much like this one. 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:23.840 And so the lights were off, and uh many of our staff were standing in the back of the doors trying to help people find seats. 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:28.159 It was the auditorium was dark, we had these little flashlights, and people were standing, so it was hard to find seats. 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:34.639 And so I go up to these four people and I say, Hey, as soon as this worship song is over, I can help you find your seat. 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:40.960 And I move my flashlight up to be able to see the person's face, and I realized within two seconds I'm talking to Taylor Swift. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:42.960 And I'm like, woo! I didn't say that. 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:44.800 I mean that's what I was feeling, right? 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:47.599 And uh, but that by that time I was a Nashville. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:49.439 I just played it cool, all right? 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:54.319 And so the worship song ends, and I usher Taylor and her three friends to a seat. 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:57.919 And uh at the end of the service, we had baptisms that were scheduled. 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:04.240 And so there were several people that were scheduled to be baptized, and our worship pastor comes out before the last worship song starts at the end of the message. 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:06.800 He says, Hey, it's gonna be an exciting time here today. 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:12.800 We're gonna stand, we're gonna sing, we have people that are, you know, plan to be baptized today, but here we're gonna open up to spontaneous baptisms. 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:19.360 So if you want to be baptized today, you you know, we have shirts, we have t-shirts, we have hairdryers, we have everything that you need to be baptized. 00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:21.919 I want to invite you to just come forward to be baptized. 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:25.520 So we stand, we start singing, and you guys, we thought it was a revival. 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:32.080 People start flooding the front, not to be baptized, to get Taylor Swift's autograph. 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:34.719 Is there anything more sacrilegious than that? 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:36.159 And so we realize it very quickly. 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:44.319 So we usher Taylor and her friends out through the side door into the staff offices, they hang out there until the the um you know the service ends and everybody goes home. 00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:50.479 We apologize, obviously, for looking like idiots, uh allowing people to come and ask for autographs during baptism. 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:59.280 Well, a few weeks later, I'm scheduled to speak and I get a text message that morning from our executive pastor letting me know that Taylor and some friends are coming back, but they have a plan in place. 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:05.919 Taylor's gonna come in a side door, she's gonna sit in the staff offices until the service starts, she's gonna sneak in to the side section. 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:13.199 As soon as I close in prayer, she's going to walk her way back into the staff offices and hang out there until the crowd leaves. 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:19.839 So we get through the service, I close in prayer, she's in the staff offices, everybody's left, and I walk back and I'm gonna walk her. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.879 Her friends have already left, so I'm gonna walk her to uh her car. 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:27.519 And I said to her, I said, Hey, thanks so much for being patient with us, thanks so much for you know going with this plan. 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:29.759 I'm sorry it's so difficult for you to go to church. 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:34.560 And I said, I only have one of my sons here today, my 12-year-old son Elijah's here. 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:36.399 Would you care if I introduce you to him? 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:40.000 Because I can't take a picture of you with me, but I can take a picture of you with Elijah. 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:41.600 I didn't say that, but that's what I was thinking. 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:42.720 She's like, No, no problem. 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:45.040 She said, Elijah, come over here and meet Taylor Swift. 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:46.319 So Elijah comes running up. 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:48.160 He's like, Hi Taylor, I'm Elijah. 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:50.079 And she said, Hi Elijah, I'm Taylor. 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:52.399 And he said, I don't listen to your music. 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:56.639 And then I said, He was joking. 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:59.360 He was joking, we listen to your music every morning on the way to school. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.040 Like what every day we listen to your music. 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:02.319 He was just joking. 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:03.680 He's adopted. 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:04.720 No, it isn't. 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:09.360 Coincidentally, that's the last time I talked to Taylor Swift. 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:11.120 Was not invited to the wedding a few weeks ago. 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:12.800 I don't understand why. 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:16.480 Over the last few weeks, we've been in this series called Red Letter. 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:19.920 We can look at these seven statements that Jesus makes in the book of John. 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:25.040 And one of the things that we realize as we look at these statements is Jesus is not joking. 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:27.920 Every single word that Jesus says, He means. 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:34.639 Every single statement that Jesus makes about himself carries weight, not just for eternity, but in our lives today. 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:45.199 And so we've been walking through these seven statements that Jesus makes about himself in the book of John, and we move to John chapter 11, verse 25 today, where Jesus makes this statement. 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:49.680 He says, I am the resurrection and the life. 00:05:51.600 --> 00:06:01.439 You see, every single I am statement that Jesus makes, it's grounded, it's it gets its origin in a human need. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:06.639 For people who are in darkness, Jesus says, I'm the light of the world. 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:10.639 For people who need guidance, Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:15.839 For people who feel disconnected, Jesus says, I am the vine. 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:22.480 For people who feel like they need protection, Jesus says, I am the gate. 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:29.839 And here we come to John chapter 11, verse 25, and Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:34.319 Like there's this human need that we all face death. 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:43.920 And what Jesus is talking about here is not just a physical death and not just a spiritual death, but maybe today you're here, maybe you're watching online, and there is a part of you that has died. 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:45.600 There's a dream in your life that's died. 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:49.600 You feel like your marriage has died, there's a relationship that's beyond repair. 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:52.000 Maybe for some of you, trust has died. 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:53.839 Maybe for some of you, hope has died. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:07:00.399 Maybe you have this belief that you are too far gone, that it's too late for you. 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:02.319 It's too late for you to have a new beginning. 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:03.600 It's too late for you to forgive. 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:05.199 It's too late for you to be forgiven. 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:06.959 It's too late for you to start over. 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:09.439 It's too late to have hope. 00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:15.279 And into our hearts and into our story, Jesus speaks this truth. 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:19.199 I am the resurrection and the life. 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:23.439 No matter what death you may be facing, eventually, you know, the death rate is 100%. 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:25.360 One out of one people die. 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:32.240 But beyond our physical death, Jesus wants to bring life not just to your eternity, but to your life today. 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:38.720 He wants to bring resurrection, not just to your eternity at the second coming, but to your life today. 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:42.079 Jesus wants to resurrect some things that may have died. 00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:49.920 So what I want to do today is I want to go back to the beginning of John chapter 11 and work our way to verse 25. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:08:02.879 Because the context of what Jesus is talking about in John chapter 11 is as important as the statement he makes, because as we see the context, we understand why he says, I am the resurrection and the life. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:05.759 Well, let's start in John chapter 11, verse 1. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:08.160 Now, a man named Lazarus was sick. 00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:11.519 He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:19.600 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:24.399 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:30.800 Now, I want to stop there because John wants to give us context for who this family is. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:36.000 This is the first time in John's Gospel that the name Lazarus appears. 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:44.000 So Jesus has this very close relationship with Lazarus, but John assumes that his readers are not going to know who Lazarus is. 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:52.960 And so he connects Lazarus to Mary and her sister Martha because the readers, John assumes, are going to know exactly who Mary and Martha are. 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:56.960 We see Mary and Martha pop up all over the public ministry of Jesus. 00:08:57.039 --> 00:09:06.559 And a lot of scholars believe that Lazarus probably had some type of job, some type of thing that kept him from traveling with Jesus, but it did not keep Mary and Martha from traveling with Jesus. 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:11.600 And so we see him in different environments, in different teachings, at different miracles, at different people's houses. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:14.559 Mary and Martha are all throughout the Gospels. 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:17.039 They're a part of the traveling ministry of Jesus. 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:22.559 And so John says, hey, if you don't know who Lazarus is, he's the brother of Mary and Martha. 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:32.080 And so the readers would have known exactly who Lazarus is, and that Jesus, this was not a random guy, this was not an acquaintance, this was not just a high bye friend. 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:35.039 This was not just somebody that, you know, they were friends on social media. 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:37.039 This was somebody that Jesus did life with. 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:38.799 He loved Lazarus. 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:42.399 There was a high affection there. 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:49.679 And so Lazarus gets sick, and Mary and Martha, they send word to Jesus. 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:53.200 See, death reminds us that we need Jesus. 00:09:54.960 --> 00:10:02.240 When we're facing death, it reminds us that Jesus is our only hope. 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:04.559 And for Lazarus, the medicine wasn't working. 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:06.159 The doctors had done all that they could do. 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:13.120 Lazarus appears to not be getting better, only to be getting worse, and Mary and Martha begin to freak out. 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:22.559 And they've gone through all the physical remedies they possibly can, they've uh consulted all the doctors they possibly can, they've given Lazarus all of the chances they possibly can. 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:27.440 And so they pray a prayer of desperation. 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:31.279 They send word to Jesus that they need he needs to come back and heal Lazarus. 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:33.600 Have you ever prayed a prayer of desperation? 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:37.279 Lord, my marriage is ending. 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:39.039 I need a miracle. 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:42.480 God, I'm being downsized. 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:44.320 We're financially strapped. 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:46.080 I need a miracle. 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:49.200 God, the cancer is back. 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:51.519 We're out of options. 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:53.679 I need a miracle. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:11:01.759 Mary and Martha get to this place where they realize that Jesus is all they have. 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:07.919 Have you ever noticed how quickly we we pray when everything falls apart? 00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:18.399 When our marriage is good and the kids are good and the bank account's full and the job is going well, the prayer's optional. 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:23.840 When the doctor comes and says, I'm sorry, I have some bad news for you. 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:27.360 When the boss comes and says, hey, we're downsizing. 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:31.759 When your spouse comes and says, hey, I'm filing for a divorce. 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:35.759 When your girlfriend comes and says, hey, it's not you, it's me. 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:41.360 Our first response out of desperation is prayer. 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:43.840 We don't need another podcast. 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.000 We don't need another social media influencer. 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:48.240 We don't need a self-help book. 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:51.200 We know we need Jesus. 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:53.919 So we don't know how long Lazarus is sick. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:55.440 John doesn't tell us. 00:11:55.679 --> 00:12:00.559 But at some point they realize that the only hope that Lazarus has is a miracle. 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:04.399 And the only person they know that can perform a miracle is Jesus. 00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:10.240 And so they send word to Jesus and they don't say, Lord, Lazarus is sick. 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:13.679 They say, Lord, the one you love is sick. 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:22.799 See, if they couldn't control the illness, they wanted to control Jesus' emotions to inspire him or manipulate him to come and heal Lazarus. 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:27.840 And I think for many of us, we equate God's love with God's blessing. 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:29.840 Just like Mary and Martha. 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:36.080 If we tell Jesus, lead Jesus the one you love is sick, he's going to drop everything and he's going to answer our prayer. 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:37.120 He's going to fulfill our need. 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:42.080 He's going to come and heal his friend because his love equates to his blessing. 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:48.000 And so we pray prayers like, God, if you really loved me, she wouldn't have broke up with me. 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:50.559 God, if you really love me, he wouldn't have left. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:52.639 God, if you really loved me, I wouldn't have been abused. 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:55.440 God, if you really love me, I wouldn't have lost my job. 00:12:55.759 --> 00:13:02.080 Like there's this calculus that we do in our mind, and we say, Man, if God really loves me, he would be blessing me more. 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:06.159 If God really loves me, he would be answering the prayers that I'm praying quicker than he's answering. 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:09.279 He would give me what I want when I want it. 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:15.360 Because we equate God's love with his blessing in Mary and Martha. 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:21.039 They wanted Jesus to know, hey, the one you love is sick. 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:25.600 Verse 4, when he heard this, Jesus said, This sickness will not end in death. 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:29.039 No, it's for God's glory so that the Son may be glorified. 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:42.000 We don't have time to jump into it, but if you want to do just an amazing journey this week, go and read John 11 and look at how many times the word glory, glory or glorified works its way into John 11. 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:44.799 There's a bigger narrative going on here. 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:48.240 Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:50.879 So John acknowledges there is a relationship there. 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:53.120 This wasn't just a one-sided relationship. 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:57.440 Mary and Martha just didn't perceive that Lazarus was important to Jesus. 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:00.879 John acknowledges there is a deep affection there. 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:06.559 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:13.200 That three-letter word at the beginning of verse six is one of the biggest words in this passage. 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:15.200 Yet. 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:20.960 Jesus loved Lazarus, he loved Mary, he loved her sister Martha. 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:25.759 Yet, when he heard Lazarus was sick, he didn't drop everything. 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:28.000 He didn't come at once. 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.519 He stayed where he was two more days. 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:34.639 Have you ever had a yet moment with God? 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:40.080 You prayed for God to heal a loved one, yet they passed away anyway. 00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:44.799 You prayed for God to heal your marriage, yet it still ended. 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:50.879 You started to give back to God and honor God with your finances, yet you still struggle financially. 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:55.679 You've prayed to find a spouse, yet you remain single. 00:14:56.159 --> 00:15:01.200 You prayed to God that he would save your pregnancy, yet you still had a miscarriage. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:09.840 So often we have these yet moments with God, and we think that the yet moment with God is an indication of his love. 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:15.039 But God is more concerned with his glory than he is our calendar. 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:26.399 And so there's this bigger narrative going on in our life and in Mary and Martha's life that has less to do with their circumstances and less to do with your circumstances and more to do with God's glory. 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:33.440 That word yet is more about God's glory than it is his love for us. 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:43.919 And just because God doesn't show up when we think he should does not mean he's distant, does not mean he's uninterested, and it does not mean he's unloving. 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:52.879 The trials and the wounds that you've experienced or that you're going through right now, they're not a reflection of God's love for you. 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:56.720 But they can reflect God's glory through you. 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:00.879 Verse 11. 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:05.759 After he said this, he went on to tell them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:07.679 But I'm gonna go there and wake him up. 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:10.399 His disciples replied, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better. 00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:13.919 Jesus has been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:16.159 So he told them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:17.840 This gives me hope as a follower of Jesus. 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:21.200 Like they're in the presence of Jesus, they travel with him every day, they don't understand what he's saying. 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:24.000 So he tells them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:25.600 But then look at this. 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:30.879 And for your sake, I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. 00:16:31.200 --> 00:16:32.399 But let us go to him. 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:39.919 There's this huge presence of God's glory and our belief all throughout this passage. 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:42.639 God's glory, our belief. 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:44.639 That's why everything is taking place. 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:51.279 And what we see here is that maybe Jesus has delayed his arrival to deepen your dependence on him. 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:57.759 Maybe Jesus isn't answering your prayer, not because he's punishing you, but because he's preparing you. 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:13.440 Maybe Jesus isn't coming through when you think he should because he's trying to strip away the hope that you've placed on a relationship, the hope that you've placed on your bank account, the hope that you've placed on your spouse, the hope that you've placed on a boss, the hope that you've placed on your circumstances. 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:20.799 He's trying to strip that hope away from those things that don't bring you life or resurrection and reattach it to him. 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:28.160 Jesus and the disciples, they they make the two-day journey back to Bethany. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:32.480 And it was a Jewish custom at that time to have 30 days of mourning. 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:41.200 For us, we have the visitation, then we, you know, have the funeral, and then we typically, you know, sometimes have like a lunch or a dinner afterwards to celebrate the person's life. 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:43.599 For the Jewish people, this was a 30-day process. 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:48.640 And so there would have been people in mourning at Mary and Martha's house for days. 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:56.319 It's been four days since Lazarus has passed away, and so the assumption is there's a lot of people around Mary and Martha. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:59.279 They're comforting them in their mourning. 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:05.200 And Jesus begins to make his way back to Bethany. 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:10.079 Now we all respond to trauma differently, we all respond to grief differently. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:16.720 And so word gets out that Jesus is on his way back, and that takes us to verse 20. 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:22.000 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:26.559 Lord, Martha said to Jesus, If you'd have been here, my brother would not have died. 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:33.519 Now, how does Martha respond to Jesus coming back to Bethany four days after her brother passed away? 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:35.920 She runs to Jesus. 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:37.039 Is she hurt? 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:37.519 Absolutely. 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:38.079 Is she sad? 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:38.480 Absolutely. 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:39.279 Is she in mourning? 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:39.599 Absolutely. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:40.480 Is she disappointed? 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:41.279 Absolutely. 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:43.759 She verbalizes her disappointment. 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:46.319 But she runs to him. 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:49.519 But you see how Mary responds? 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:52.240 Mary stayed at home. 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:56.319 She wasn't ready to run to Jesus. 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:58.880 She had more questions than answers. 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:00.160 She had more doubt than faith. 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:02.240 She had more sadness than joy. 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:07.119 She wasn't ready to run into the presence of Jesus. 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:08.880 Mary stayed at home. 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:10.319 She needed space. 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:13.599 She was hurt and frustrated and disappointed. 00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:17.279 And it wasn't that she didn't believe that Jesus could heal her brother. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:19.519 She did believe that Jesus could heal her brother. 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:24.799 She knew that he could heal her, heal him, and yet he chose not to, and that was her hurt. 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:32.880 I think we see an important truth in our relationship with Jesus in this passage, and that's be where you are, not where you think you should be. 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:48.640 If Jesus really is the resurrection in the life, he has the power to take on your frustration. 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:52.240 He doesn't dismiss your doubts. 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:54.160 It doesn't put them off. 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:56.960 Pray what you feel, not what you think you should pray. 00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:01.759 You don't have to pretend or posture or make believe in your relationship with Jesus. 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:03.680 He wants you as you are. 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:07.440 Why is this important? 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:08.880 Look at verse 33. 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:17.839 When Jesus saw her weeping, talking about Mary now, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:18.799 Where have you laid him? 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:19.599 He asked. 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:21.599 Come and see, Lord, they replied. 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:26.240 And verse 35, many of you know is the shortest verse in the Bible. 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:29.119 It's not written like this in Greek. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:43.279 We add the verse numbers, but the people who translated the Bible initially and started adding verse numbers to organize the New Testament, must have felt like this verse carried enough weight to have two words carried on its own. 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:45.839 And the two words are Jesus wept. 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:49.279 And then the people said, Look how much he loved him. 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:51.359 Now let me ask you this. 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:58.319 Why would Jesus, knowing what's getting ready to happen, he knows the end of the story? 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:01.039 He knows he's getting ready to resurrect Lazarus. 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:02.559 Why would he cry? 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:03.759 Why would he be sad? 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:05.599 Why wouldn't he go, hey guys, just chill? 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:07.440 Well, I'm getting ready to do my best work. 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:14.720 Like, why wouldn't he just like, why wouldn't he basically not affirm their grief? 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:16.480 Why would he say, you guys are crying about nothing? 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:17.920 He's just asleep. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:24.720 Because Jesus doesn't just see our pain, he enters it. 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:34.799 Jesus doesn't always heal your pain or prevent your pain, but he will always enter it with you. 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:41.680 Jesus doesn't always prevent your wounds, but he will always enter them with you. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:47.359 The book of Hebrews says we don't have a high priest, Jesus, who sits on a throne that's disconnected from us. 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:51.519 We have a high priest that has felt everything that we felt and yet didn't sin. 00:21:52.720 --> 00:22:00.799 Jesus weeps here because he is not a God who is distant or set apart from us, but he is With us. 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:02.960 He empathizes with us. 00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:10.160 So as we close today, I want to give you four points of application as it relates to this passage. 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:15.200 And the first is this resurrection changes us before it changes our circumstances. 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:21.599 Resurrection, if Jesus is the resurrection, he's going to change us before our circumstances. 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:22.400 Look at verse 2. 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:24.640 We're going to go back all the way to the beginning of the passage. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:31.519 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:43.680 John is referencing something that comes up in John chapter 12, where Mary pours out an expensive bottle of perfume at Jesus' feet and begins to take down her hair and wipe Jesus' feet with her hair. 00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:49.279 Luke chapter 10 talks about Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to him teach. 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:58.240 Another instance in another gospel, Martha is running around the house trying to get everything set up for the party they're getting ready to host, and Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:01.279 So she has proximity at Jesus' feet. 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:04.880 She has consistently sat at the feet of Jesus. 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:07.279 She has been in close proximity to him. 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:12.480 And yet, in this moment, when her brother died, something inside of her died. 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:16.960 She did not want to be in Jesus' presence, much less at his feet. 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:20.319 And so she stays at home. 00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:22.400 She needed distance. 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:23.920 But then something amazing happens. 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:25.279 Look at verse 32. 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:32.480 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died. 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:33.599 This verse is incredible. 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:40.240 One, because she's honest with him, but two, look where she goes to his feet. 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:55.200 In that moment, despite her sadness, despite her grief, despite her disappointment, despite Jesus not coming through how she thought he should, despite her blaming Jesus for her brother's death, she falls at his feet. 00:23:57.680 --> 00:23:59.920 She's back in close proximity to Jesus. 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:02.079 Here's what I want you to see. 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:05.519 Lazarus is not alive yet. 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:09.200 The resurrection of Lazarus hasn't happened yet. 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:12.799 Her circumstances haven't changed yet. 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:23.440 God was not resurrecting her brother yet, but something inside of Mary's heart was resurrecting to the point where she falls at Jesus' feet. 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:28.400 And God may want to resurrect something in you before he resurrects your circumstances. 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:31.519 God may want to resurrect something in you before he resurrects your career. 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:35.359 God may want to resurrect something in you before he resurrects your dating life. 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:39.519 God may want to resurrect something in you before he resurrects your marriage. 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:44.960 Like if we look at our circumstances and God says, Hey, I want to bring you back to life. 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:46.960 I want you to be a new person. 00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:51.359 The next thing we see here is resurrection always requires a response. 00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:53.200 Look at verse 22. 00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:56.960 This is Martha talking now, but I know even now God will give you whatever you ask. 00:24:57.200 --> 00:24:59.519 Well, Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:03.440 Martha answered, I know he will rise again at the resurrection at the last day. 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:06.240 And Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:09.359 The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:12.400 And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:16.480 And then he ends with this question: Do you believe this? 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:19.359 What's he requiring? 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:20.319 A response. 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:22.720 You either believe it or you don't. 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:24.559 There's no halfway. 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:29.279 Resurrection always requires a response. 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:36.880 And Martha believed in the resurrection someday, and Jesus says, Hey, resurrection is coming now, not just to Lazarus, but to you. 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:47.359 Martha believed that the resurrection was an event, and Jesus says, No, the resurrection is a person that you get to have a relationship with and you get to have new life every single day. 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:50.319 Jesus was the fulfillment of my mercies are new every morning. 00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:55.440 God brings resurrection to our life every single day, new life to our hearts every single day. 00:25:57.599 --> 00:25:59.039 But do you believe it? 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:02.079 Because no response is a response. 00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:07.279 Look at verse 38. 00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:10.240 Jesus once more, deeply moved, came to the tomb. 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:13.119 It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:14.559 Take away the stone, he said. 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:21.359 But Lord, Martha said, the sister of the dead man, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days. 00:26:21.599 --> 00:26:27.279 Then Jesus said, Didn't I tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God, there is glory again, and belief? 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:29.119 So they took away the stone. 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:35.119 Then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me, for I knew that you I know that you always hear me. 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:38.799 But I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe. 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:41.920 There's the word believe that you sent me. 00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:44.880 When he said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:50.640 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:53.200 And Jesus said to them, Take off the grave clothes. 00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:58.240 Why would Jesus tell them to take off the grave clothes? 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:02.400 Because living people don't wear grave clothes. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:06.960 And for some of us here today, we've come into a relationship with Jesus. 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:15.440 We say that we follow Jesus, we we call ourselves Christians, and we come to church and we pray the prayers and we sing the songs and we serve in the kids' ministry because that's extra credit in heaven. 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:22.480 Like we do all of the religious things, and we wear church clothes on Sunday and grave clothes on Monday. 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:28.960 We've been saved and brought back to life from all of these things, and yet we put them back on all the time. 00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:33.519 So, what are the grave clothes that God is asking you to take off as you come out of the tomb? 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:54.319 Bitterness, resentment, gossip, insecurity, fear, shame, pornography, addiction, envy, sexual brokenness. 00:27:55.200 --> 00:28:01.359 What are the things that you have an opportunity to live a new life and you keep putting back on? 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:08.880 See, Jesus doesn't only give us life after death, he gives life wherever death has taken hold. 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:10.559 That's what he does. 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:20.720 Mother's Day of 2025, my wife was asked to speak at a church in Indianapolis called Trader's Point. 00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:22.240 You may have heard of it. 00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:24.559 Matt used to be on staff there. 00:28:25.839 --> 00:28:32.079 At the end of her message, she was closing with a story about her father passing away in January of 2025. 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:38.640 And for much of her adult life, my wife and her father had a broken relationship because of alcoholism. 00:28:39.680 --> 00:28:43.359 Alcoholism robbed him of being the dad that he should have been. 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:45.279 And it robbed him of a relationship. 00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:57.920 And my wife kept her heart soft and kept her spirit willing to come back to life to her dad if he would recognize the hurt and damage that he caused. 00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:04.079 And a few years before he passed away, she and her father had a reconciliation in their relationship. 00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:06.000 And so she's telling this story. 00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:13.200 And a few hours before her dad died, he pulled my wife close and he said to her, I'm sorry for being such a bad dad. 00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:16.559 And she said, Dad, we're good. 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:20.240 You've forgiven me, I've forgiven you, we're good. 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:26.559 She shares that story, and obviously it was a really emotional moment in the message. 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:36.240 And the next day I get an email from a guy who was at that service, and he had just gone through a divorce after 30 years of marriage. 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:48.000 The divorce was finalized in March, and he shows up to Trader's Point, Mother's Day weekend, by himself because his kids had gone to church with his ex-wife. 00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:51.119 And something in his heart broke. 00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:56.880