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(John 12:9-11)
I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.
This morning,
We saw the love Jesus has for His own:
When His suffering and death
Was only a few days away,
Jesus focused on spending time with His people,
To strengthen them for what they would inevitably face
Especially as we see in our passage
The attitude of the Jews both towards Jesus and Lazarus.
As we think about what the Lord has called us to do
In bringing the Gospel to a world that is hostile to Him
We need to remember His promise
That He would be with us
He will draw near to us in blessing,
To strengthen and encourage us in this work,
Because He loves us.
We also saw the love that Jesus own have for Him.
Those who had received His love
Showed they had by ministering to Him.
Mary in particular
B. Preview.
This evening,
Lets consider something of what Jesus calls us to face:
If our lives have been changed by Him,
We will be treated in the same way He was.
II. Sermon.
A. Lets think first, about how Jesus changes us:
That having His life in our souls,
We become new creatures.
Paul continues, In which you formerly walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now
working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the
lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, even as the rest (Eph. 2:1-3).
But thankfully, the Lord didnt leave us in that condition
He raised us to life:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (vv. 4-6).
This is something Jesus did, because the Father has given Him this honor:
Remember what He said earlier in Johns Gospel,
Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear
the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father
has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself (John
5:25-26).
He is the One who spoke to us through the Gospel and raised us up:
He says, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who
sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of
death into life (v. 24).
8
John writes, The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they
came, not for Jesus sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He
raised from the dead (v. 9).
9
And will hate us because were like Jesus.
10
And , For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the
glory of His Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
Mary, Martha and Lazarus knew that Jesus was a marked man.
They knew the Jews wanted to kill Him
And that showing hospitality to Him
Would only further single them out,
Especially when Lazarus was such a powerful testimony to the truth of Jesus
claims,
But they did it anyway.
11
When they received power from above
They boldly stood their ground
And publicly proclaimed the Gospel
In the face of that same persecution.
In many ways, it made their enemies
Back down for a time.
12
To give to His Son as a reward.
There are many of these that need to be gathered in.
The question we need to ask ourselves is:
Do we want to be part of this work?
Do we want to be the Lords agents of salvation?
This is what He calls us to do.
If we would find the power to do it,
We must be filled with the Spirit,
And yield to the Spirit
As He empowers and leads us into this work.
May He grant to us
That fullness
And that willingness
To do His work
Regardless of the consequences,
Knowing He will be with us to bless us here
And to bless us forever in His presence in Heaven. Amen.
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