Revision as of 21:56, 23 March 2023

Theological Proposition/Focus: Jesus is the resurrection!

Homiletical Proposition/Application: We need to recognize the significance of Jesus being the resurrection!

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Setting the Stage:

Before we dig into our focus let's read John 11:1-44

Body

Every single one of us has a big looming problem, one day we expect to die (11:17-22).

Before digging into the text, I want to take a moment in order to talk about the reality of death. If we move all the way back to Genesis we see the reality of death.

In Genesis 2:15-17 God warned Adam that disobedience would bring death.

Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death.

Death entered the world because of sin and since each of us are sinners we each face death looming in our future.

Romans 5:12 tells us that "sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned"

We hope that Christ comes to rapture his church before we personally face death but the odds are not in our favor, Christians have hoped for the Rapture for nearly 2000 years. Yes, the Rapture is coming but in reality, each of us needs to realize that the likely outcome for each of us is death.

Denial, a typical response, does not change the reality of death (17).

We set the stage for the death of Lazarus by reading a large section of Scripture. Now we are going to zoom way in. Look at verse 17. Upon arriving on the scene we learn that Lazarus has been dead for four days! Of all the things that John might have written about, why did he choose to tell us that it had been four days? Simple John wants us to know Lazarus really was dead. this is not a situation where Lazarus is just very sick, or near death. It is not the case that a bad doctor has miss-diagnosed Lazarus and he actually is alive but just has very faint life signs. No, Lazarus is dead, entombed, gone! In the ancient world there was a belief that someone might be revived within a couple of days of death

The general belief was that the spirit of the deceased hovered around the body for three days in anticipation of some possible means of reentry into the body. But on the third day it was believed that the body lost its color and the spirit was locked out. Therefore the spirit was obliged to enter the chambers of Sheol (the place of the dead). The passing of the third day, therefore, signaled the conclusion of the last modicum of hope for the mourners. ^[1]

Image: Denial and death

If you have ever had someone close to you die you know the feeling of denial. After my dad died I began running through my head all the situations where maybe he wasn't really dead. Maybe by chance God would bring him through the door. The night my dad died I spent time praying that God would bring him back. I knew the reality but I didn't want to accept it yet and so I prayed. Denial in death is real.

But let me take this a step further. It is not just denial that we all face when someone close to us dies. Most of us at some point or another, maybe right now, are in denial about the reality of our own looming death. You need to know, and you need to reflect on the simple fact that death is a reality. One day you will be face-to-face with the end of life on this earth.

As we move forward in the passage I want to point out to you that

Sorrow, because things are not the way they are supposed to be, is natural (18-19).

John again provides us with some simple details that help us really understand. Bethany was really close to the big city of Jerusalem. John paints a picture of traditional Jewish mourning. In first century Judaism rules stipulated that a deceased person be buried on the same day they died. After burial, there were 6 more days of mourning for a total of seven days. During this period of mourning the family would remain in their home while the community came by to offer sympathy, provide food, and care for those left behind.

Regret, over what could have been, often accompanies realization (20-22).

Image: The typical mid-life crisis.

MTR: Ask yourself, "have I properly acknowledged the reality of death?"

Optimism and even general hope hardly solve our looming problem (11:23-24).

There is more to life than this present age (23).

We want more assurance than a mere general hope for the future provides (24).

===MTR: Evaluate your future hope. Do you have something specific to which you can look forward?

The real solution is specific knowledge of the one who has defeated death (11:25-26).

The twofold claim of Jesus promises not just resurrection, but life (25a).

The conditions laid out by Jesus are measurable and specific (25b).

The result laid out by Jesus is the solution to our problem (26).

MTR: Place your complete hope and confidence in Jesus.

Conclusion:

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1. ↑ Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 354.