WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.259 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christchurch. 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:15.419 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christchurch. 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:24.219 --> 00:00:27.620 Good morning. I am Maddie Duhon and I'm part of Women Reading Women. 00:00:28.380 --> 00:00:36.619 Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel of John, chapter 11, verses 1-6 and 17-46 as printed in your liturgy. 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:39.679 A reading from the Gospel according to John. 00:00:40.579 --> 00:00:43.039 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:46.820 He was from Bethany, the village of Mary, and her sister Martha. 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:54.899 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. 00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:58.259 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:00.659 Lord, the one you love is sick. 00:01:01.519 --> 00:01:03.420 When he heard this, Jesus said, 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:05.659 This sickness will not end in death. 00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:10.739 No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it. 00:01:10.739 --> 00:01:15.319 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 00:01:15.919 --> 00:01:19.919 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 00:01:21.339 --> 00:01:25.839 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:29.359 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 00:01:30.019 --> 00:01:33.959 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:39.919 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 00:01:40.859 --> 00:01:42.280 Lord, Martha said to Jesus, 00:01:42.559 --> 00:01:45.159 If you had been here, my brother would not have died. 00:01:45.759 --> 00:01:49.039 But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask. 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:51.280 Jesus said to her, 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:52.560 Your brother will rise again. 00:01:53.919 --> 00:01:54.619 Martha answered, 00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:58.119 I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 00:01:59.339 --> 00:02:00.239 Jesus said to her, 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:02.099 I am the resurrection and the life. 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:05.699 The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. 00:02:06.500 --> 00:02:09.159 And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:10.620 Do you believe this? 00:02:11.579 --> 00:02:13.019 Yes, Lord, she replied. 00:02:13.379 --> 00:02:17.340 I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world. 00:02:19.959 --> 00:02:23.400 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:26.439 The teacher is here, she said, and is asking for you. 00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:30.180 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 00:02:31.500 --> 00:02:35.800 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:41.939 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house comforting her noticed how quickly she got up and went out, 00:02:42.359 --> 00:02:45.740 they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:51.460 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, 00:02:51.819 --> 00:02:54.419 Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 00:02:54.419 --> 00:02:59.459 When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, 00:02:59.819 --> 00:03:01.979 he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 00:03:02.979 --> 00:03:04.119 Where have you laid him? 00:03:04.339 --> 00:03:04.939 He asked. 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:06.759 Come and see, Lord, they replied. 00:03:07.739 --> 00:03:08.399 Jesus wept. 00:03:09.839 --> 00:03:11.959 Then the Jews said, see how he loved him. 00:03:12.619 --> 00:03:17.699 But some of them said, could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:21.599 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:24.519 It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:26.599 Take away the stone, he said. 00:03:27.539 --> 00:03:33.939 But Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days. 00:03:35.019 --> 00:03:39.039 Then Jesus said, did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God? 00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:40.759 So they took away the stone. 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:45.840 Then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 00:03:46.419 --> 00:03:52.739 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me. 00:03:53.959 --> 00:03:59.579 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:05.479 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:09.759 Jesus said to them, take off the grayed clothes and let him go. 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:15.859 Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:20.379 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:23.099 This is the gospel of the Lord. 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:25.300 Praise to you, Lord Christ. 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:26.860 Thanks, Maddie. 00:04:26.960 --> 00:04:27.460 Let's pray. 00:04:29.860 --> 00:04:39.379 We pray that your spirit would fall upon us and go forth in the preaching of your word to both confront us and to also comfort us. 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:41.460 We thank you that's what your word does. 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:43.259 We thank you that's what your son does. 00:04:43.900 --> 00:04:47.120 And we want to encounter him this morning in the preaching of your word. 00:04:47.860 --> 00:04:49.019 So be with us, oh God. 00:04:49.420 --> 00:04:50.300 In Jesus' name. 00:04:51.019 --> 00:04:51.300 Amen. 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:51.400 Amen. 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:51.839 Amen. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:53.099 All right. 00:04:53.139 --> 00:04:55.359 So I can't believe it's already mid-February. 00:04:55.919 --> 00:05:02.339 But in case any of you were wondering, one of my focuses in this new year has been on the concept of time. 00:05:02.439 --> 00:05:08.899 I've shared that with some of you, but for the rest of you, that's what I've been trying to work on, my understanding of time personally, theologically. 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:12.659 But more importantly, I'm trying to work out my relationship to time. 00:05:13.339 --> 00:05:19.679 You know, living in the bustle of the Bay Area, trying to keep up, you know, trying to grow, trying to hit my KPIs. 00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:26.860 And now in the age of AI, where I can get even more done and even less time, I'm thinking about time all the time. 00:05:27.780 --> 00:05:33.540 I feel its pressure throughout each day, the weight of my responsibility to manage and steward it well. 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:37.220 And candidly, this shows up in my relationships as well. 00:05:37.220 --> 00:05:52.880 Chelsea would tell you her most common criticism of me, and there are many, but her most common criticism of me is how stingy I am with my time and how I like, in her opinion, I pompously act like my time is more valuable than anyone else's. 00:05:52.879 --> 00:06:08.579 And then as a dad, too, I'm constantly conflicted about how much time to give to my girls, and especially, you know, in busy seasons, which is pretty much like every season, there are few things that trigger me more than when I feel like my time is being wasted. 00:06:09.719 --> 00:06:13.839 So all this is to say that time has been a huge theme for me this year. 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:18.919 I just finished this older book by this theologian, Kosuke Koyama, called The Three Mile-An-Hour God. 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:22.259 I'm also going through this book right now by Oliver Berkman. 00:06:22.339 --> 00:06:23.000 It's Wrecking Me. 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:24.479 It's called 4,000 Weeks. 00:06:24.479 --> 00:06:25.479 Highly recommend it. 00:06:26.259 --> 00:06:36.739 But basically, starting from January 1, I've really been trying to submit my sense of time to the Lord, to embrace my limits, to ask God what it means to be human, what it means to be me. 00:06:36.740 --> 00:06:50.540 And to seek the Holy Spirit's guidance on how to use my time, not just for the kingdom of God, but how to inhabit time as a beloved child of God in unhurried communion with my Father in heaven. 00:06:51.400 --> 00:06:59.900 And I share all of this, not to get overly autobiographical, but because when I came to John 11, I couldn't help but read it through the lens of time. 00:06:59.980 --> 00:07:00.579 Look at our passage. 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:03.000 Jesus gets an urgent message in verse 3. 00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:04.439 Lord, the one you love is sick. 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:06.779 But then John tells us something shocking in verse 6. 00:07:07.100 --> 00:07:13.639 So, or in the Greek, therefore, when he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 00:07:13.819 --> 00:07:16.199 Like, because he loved them, he delayed. 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:22.220 Then verse 17, when Jesus arrives, Lazarus has already been dead in the tomb four days. 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:28.180 And so the first words out of Martha and Mary's mouths in verses 21 and 32 are, 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:32.079 Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:35.439 It's almost like they're saying, Lord, if you had been on time. 00:07:36.339 --> 00:07:38.939 And the community shares the sentiment in verse 37. 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:44.459 Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? 00:07:45.459 --> 00:07:50.919 It's like there was faith in Jesus as a healer so long as he arrived on time. 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:54.040 But now, it's too late. 00:07:54.740 --> 00:07:57.560 Don't take away that stone, Lord, Martha says. 00:07:58.280 --> 00:07:59.620 It stinketh, right? 00:08:00.060 --> 00:08:01.120 It's been too long. 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:03.400 All that's left is the stench of death. 00:08:03.460 --> 00:08:05.379 It's too late. 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:09.399 Does that sentiment feel familiar to you? 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:16.339 That feeling that it's just too late, too late for the best case scenario, too late for a happy ending? 00:08:16.959 --> 00:08:24.959 Do you carry regret or maybe even resentment over missed chances, opportunities lost, doors that feel permanently closed? 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:32.860 Do you carry grief in your mind, your heart, even your body, grief over something precious that is gone and that cannot be brought back? 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:34.919 Maybe you feel this financially. 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:36.919 You feel behind, unsure how you're going to recover. 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:42.019 Maybe you feel like you chose the wrong career path, the wrong major, the wrong spouse, even. 00:08:42.580 --> 00:08:47.460 Maybe you feel like you've damaged a friendship, your marriage, some other relationship in your family. 00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:49.820 Maybe you were, you screwed up your kids forever. 00:08:50.940 --> 00:08:56.360 Or maybe you feel like you've been deprived of the resources and the love and the support and the opportunities. 00:08:56.580 --> 00:09:00.220 You feel you needed to get standing on your own two feet, but now it's too late to go back. 00:09:00.220 --> 00:09:03.519 And you resent that you cannot turn back the clock. 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:10.240 In one way or another, I think many of us live with this quiet narrative, it's just too late. 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:13.460 And this shapes how we live more than we realize. 00:09:13.560 --> 00:09:15.399 Like we stop expecting to thrive. 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:18.820 We lower our hopes for joy and beauty and glory. 00:09:18.920 --> 00:09:19.360 We settle. 00:09:19.940 --> 00:09:20.899 We self-protect. 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:24.100 We manage our expectations along with our resentments. 00:09:24.100 --> 00:09:28.680 And we medicate and therapize our guilt and regrets. 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:32.680 But what if there's a different way to live? 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:40.080 A way free from the bondage of guilt, regret, and despair over time that has run out? 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:44.420 Well, God's word from John 11 this morning invites us to consider this. 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:45.379 What if? 00:09:46.120 --> 00:09:50.060 What if Jesus is Lord even when time runs out? 00:09:51.020 --> 00:09:55.100 What if Jesus is Lord even when time seems to have run out? 00:09:56.040 --> 00:10:04.620 And more specifically, what if Jesus' delay is not at odds with His love, but actually a surprising, powerful expression of His love? 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:08.940 Because that's another theme in this passage, not just time, but love. 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:11.779 Verse 3, Lord, the one you love is sick. 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:15.940 Verse 5, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:20.399 Verses 35 to 36, Jesus wept and they said, see how He loved Him. 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:24.139 John is underlining Jesus' love. 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:28.360 And yet we are hit by this confusing turn between verse 5 and verse 6. 00:10:28.560 --> 00:10:32.500 Jesus loved them, so therefore He stayed. 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:35.580 That therefore should bother us. 00:10:36.100 --> 00:10:37.759 It certainly bothered Martha and Mary. 00:10:37.860 --> 00:10:48.019 It probably bothered the mourners because John is intentionally presenting Jesus as the one who loved them and therefore delayed. 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:49.860 But how are we supposed to make sense of that? 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:52.220 How can both be true? 00:10:53.379 --> 00:10:55.860 That Jesus loved them and therefore delayed. 00:10:55.980 --> 00:10:57.580 Isn't love quick to respond? 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:01.799 Wouldn't love mean relief, rescue, immediate intervention? 00:11:01.799 --> 00:11:05.299 Isn't that how most of us intuitively envision love? 00:11:05.359 --> 00:11:07.379 If you love me and you can fix it, fix it now. 00:11:07.579 --> 00:11:09.839 If you care, show up ASAP. 00:11:10.979 --> 00:11:14.079 And you can sense that expectation in Martha, Mary, and the others here. 00:11:14.299 --> 00:11:15.740 Lord, the one you love is sick. 00:11:15.979 --> 00:11:19.099 Lord, if you had been here, you could even call this a kind of faith. 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:20.699 They believed Jesus loved them. 00:11:20.899 --> 00:11:22.299 They believed He could heal. 00:11:22.299 --> 00:11:28.979 But they also believed that His love and His healing should fit in their own preferred timelines. 00:11:29.219 --> 00:11:32.059 They assumed that His love would look like urgency. 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:39.240 But see, it's one thing to believe someone is powerful, even all powerful. 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:47.179 And yet it's another thing to trust that person, to use that power wisely and lovingly and at just the right time. 00:11:47.179 --> 00:11:49.299 Any parent knows this tension, right? 00:11:49.359 --> 00:11:54.679 There are moments when rushing in to fix everything actually keeps a child from seeing something bigger. 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:58.759 Love is not always the fastest, most immediate response. 00:11:59.500 --> 00:12:04.519 Sometimes love requires the wiser, slower, more big picture response, right? 00:12:05.239 --> 00:12:10.679 And what John begins to show us here is that Jesus is not only the Lord of love, not only the Lord of healing, 00:12:10.679 --> 00:12:13.799 but He's also the Lord of time. 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:18.239 And the clue to all of this is something He says here in verse 4. 00:12:18.339 --> 00:12:22.099 Look at what He says when He heard the news of Lazarus' sickness. 00:12:23.339 --> 00:12:23.679 He says, 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:26.439 This sickness will not end in death, no. 00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:33.699 It is for God's glory, so that God's Son may be glorified through it. 00:12:34.359 --> 00:12:37.379 Also in verse 15, which it hasn't been printed, He says to His disciples, 00:12:37.379 --> 00:12:42.100 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:43.240 And this is so key. 00:12:43.939 --> 00:12:49.679 Because see, what this means is that Jesus' primary purpose is not preventing pain, 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:52.580 but revealing the glory of God. 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:57.259 The whole point of God coming in the flesh is not to comfort us with, 00:12:57.559 --> 00:13:02.639 Your wish is my command, but to convince us that my glory is for your good. 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:07.779 And this stretches us because many of us quietly believe, right? 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:11.019 If Jesus loved me, this or that would be fixed now. 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:13.460 If Jesus cared, I wouldn't still be waiting. 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:16.080 If Jesus were good, this wouldn't take so long. 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:20.600 Maybe you're here this morning and this is precisely why you don't believe in God. 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:24.759 Because you feel like the good story that you would have written for your life 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:27.120 or for the history of the world is so different 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:29.919 than the story that you see being written out around you. 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:34.459 And surely if there was a God, He would have written the story of your life 00:13:34.459 --> 00:13:37.059 and of the world the way you would have written it. 00:13:38.299 --> 00:13:40.120 But John 11 invites us to consider, 00:13:40.439 --> 00:13:44.000 what if Jesus is doing something bigger than immediate relief? 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:48.799 What if His love is aiming not just at comfort, but at glory 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:53.279 and a deeper faith and at showing us who He really is? 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:55.620 And this is exactly what He does next, right? 00:13:55.620 --> 00:13:57.639 When Jesus finally arrives in verse 17. 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:01.000 And it's been four days since Lazarus was buried. 00:14:01.580 --> 00:14:04.679 And when Martha comes out to meet Jesus and says to Him in verse 21, 00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:07.799 Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died, 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:11.100 but I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:16.200 You can hear both the faith and the frustration in her greeting. 00:14:17.340 --> 00:14:21.379 Faith that if Jesus was here earlier, Lazarus wouldn't have died. 00:14:21.379 --> 00:14:24.620 And then in verse 22, scholars debate whether she was expecting 00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:26.860 that Jesus might raise Lazarus again. 00:14:26.980 --> 00:14:30.799 Surely she had faith, just like every other Orthodox Jewish person, 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:34.039 that at the last day, faithful Lazarus would be raised again. 00:14:34.100 --> 00:14:36.039 And you can sense a little bit of curiosity, 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:40.779 a little bit of relief about what Jesus might do here in verse 22. 00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:44.879 But you also hear her say later, that it's basically too late. 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:46.639 Don't remove the stone. 00:14:47.259 --> 00:14:49.399 We cannot escape the stench of death. 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:54.419 So there's some kind of faith here, but it's a frustrated and a conflicted one. 00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:57.519 Like, I still trust you, Lord, but I don't get what you're doing. 00:14:58.319 --> 00:15:02.720 Maybe also, I don't understand why you didn't ask God to heal Lazarus from afar. 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:04.199 You've done that before. 00:15:04.959 --> 00:15:07.319 And our Father, He gives you whatever you ask. 00:15:08.439 --> 00:15:10.919 You can tell that Martha is trying her best 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:14.740 to make sense of all the truths that she believes. 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:16.559 Yes, Jesus loves me. 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:18.399 Yes, Jesus loves Lazarus. 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:19.639 Yes, Jesus is able to heal. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:21.539 Yes, He is here now, and that's good. 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:24.199 And this is the one whose prayers God always answers. 00:15:24.459 --> 00:15:27.620 And yes, I believe that my brother will be raised on the last day. 00:15:27.699 --> 00:15:30.519 She's trying to figure out how to hold all these doctrines 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:33.459 in this moment of grief and sorrow. 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:36.199 And so Jesus helps her out, 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:40.039 but not by rationally explaining why He didn't come earlier, 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:42.240 nor by making an excuse like, 00:15:42.319 --> 00:15:44.579 hey, look, He's been in the tomb four days now, 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:46.280 and I only lingered for two days, 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:47.720 which means that even if I left right away, 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:48.920 I would have made it on time. 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:51.580 Nor does Jesus feel the need to explain 00:15:51.580 --> 00:15:53.580 why He didn't just heal Lazarus from afar 00:15:53.580 --> 00:15:55.360 like we've seen Him do in other Gospels. 00:15:55.900 --> 00:15:57.379 No, He doesn't explain Himself 00:15:57.379 --> 00:16:00.000 so much as He reveals Himself. 00:16:01.340 --> 00:16:02.160 Look at what He says. 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:16.839 Now notice what Jesus didn't say. 00:16:17.259 --> 00:16:19.419 He didn't say, I can give resurrection. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:21.179 He says, I am the resurrection. 00:16:21.500 --> 00:16:23.299 He doesn't say, I can provide life. 00:16:23.379 --> 00:16:25.699 He says, I am the life. 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:28.439 See, Martha was looking for a solution, 00:16:28.579 --> 00:16:30.159 but Jesus offers Himself. 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:33.059 She was hoping for a future event, 00:16:33.199 --> 00:16:35.120 but Jesus points to a present person. 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:37.159 And while she believed in resurrection someday, 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:39.539 eternal life later, 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:44.439 Jesus says, resurrection is standing right in front of you. 00:16:44.539 --> 00:16:47.000 I am the resurrection and the life. 00:16:47.079 --> 00:16:49.100 And by the way, these are two related yet distinct things. 00:16:49.219 --> 00:16:50.740 Resurrection speaks to the future. 00:16:51.219 --> 00:16:53.120 Victory over death at the last day, 00:16:53.199 --> 00:16:54.419 and Martha already believed this, 00:16:54.500 --> 00:16:57.720 but life, life speaks to a present, 00:16:57.720 --> 00:17:00.980 forever and ongoing communion with the living God. 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:03.800 Life now and always with God. 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:06.259 Life that begins from the moment you know Him, 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:08.660 and life that cannot be taken away from you. 00:17:09.539 --> 00:17:11.680 I love how this 19th century theologian put it. 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:12.700 He wrote, 00:17:12.700 --> 00:17:34.640 See, Jesus isn't comforting her with later life, 00:17:34.860 --> 00:17:35.600 someday life. 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:38.620 He's comforting her with abundant life, 00:17:38.619 --> 00:17:40.099 today and every day, 00:17:40.179 --> 00:17:41.359 not just bios life, 00:17:41.659 --> 00:17:42.579 zoe life. 00:17:43.679 --> 00:17:45.959 Because see, eternal life is not so much about the quantity, 00:17:46.379 --> 00:17:47.279 but it's about quality. 00:17:47.419 --> 00:17:48.479 It's less about length of time, 00:17:48.579 --> 00:17:49.779 more about relationship, 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:51.119 knowing God. 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:53.759 This is what Jesus says to Mary. 00:17:53.919 --> 00:17:55.079 He's revealing Himself to her. 00:17:55.159 --> 00:17:57.159 I am the resurrection and the life. 00:17:57.239 --> 00:17:57.719 By saying this, 00:17:57.739 --> 00:18:00.500 He's reframing so much of how Martha 00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:02.679 and so much of how most of us think about time 00:18:02.679 --> 00:18:04.099 and the fullness of life. 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:07.319 See, Martha and Mary and everyone else assumed 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:10.719 what Lazarus needed was more time, right? 00:18:10.939 --> 00:18:12.259 More time for Jesus to arrive, 00:18:12.359 --> 00:18:13.719 more time for healing. 00:18:14.679 --> 00:18:15.719 And if we're honest, 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:16.980 we often think the same. 00:18:17.399 --> 00:18:19.199 We often think that our biggest problem 00:18:19.199 --> 00:18:20.240 is not enough time. 00:18:20.679 --> 00:18:22.419 We just need more time to fix things, 00:18:22.619 --> 00:18:24.240 more time to get our lives together. 00:18:25.259 --> 00:18:26.799 But if we're really honest, 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:30.459 that assumption itself is a kind of privilege. 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:33.240 It assumes time can save us. 00:18:34.099 --> 00:18:35.899 But think about how arrogant 00:18:35.899 --> 00:18:37.419 and how naive we've become 00:18:37.419 --> 00:18:38.719 to get to this point in history 00:18:38.719 --> 00:18:40.719 as comfortable, productive, 00:18:40.959 --> 00:18:41.579 high-achieving, 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:43.480 technologically advanced, 00:18:43.819 --> 00:18:45.099 modern Westerners 00:18:45.099 --> 00:18:46.279 for whom time is really 00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:48.359 our only limiting factor, right? 00:18:48.419 --> 00:18:49.659 Just give AI enough time. 00:18:49.719 --> 00:18:50.299 It's going to solve 00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:52.879 all of our biotech issues and problems, 00:18:53.259 --> 00:18:54.740 cure cancer, right? 00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:56.159 Just Brian Johnson, 00:18:56.259 --> 00:18:56.919 he's going to figure out 00:18:56.919 --> 00:18:57.679 how to live forever. 00:18:57.819 --> 00:18:59.259 Just follow his routine, right? 00:18:59.939 --> 00:19:01.399 Elon's going to get us, right, 00:19:01.399 --> 00:19:03.519 to become an interplanetary species. 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:05.059 So we can consume more 00:19:05.059 --> 00:19:06.839 even outside of planet Earth. 00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:09.700 But Jesus is saying here, 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:12.099 time is not your Savior. 00:19:13.139 --> 00:19:14.319 I am. 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:17.319 Because resurrection is not about 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:18.319 having more time. 00:19:18.660 --> 00:19:20.460 Resurrection is about having Jesus. 00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:24.799 Eternal life isn't about 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:25.980 stretching your timeline. 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:28.039 Eternal and abundant life 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:29.559 is about knowing God. 00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:31.399 So Jesus says, 00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:32.879 John 17, 3, 00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:35.139 eternal life is knowing 00:19:35.139 --> 00:19:36.639 the life-giving God. 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:39.079 So what Jesus does next 00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:40.259 is he asks Martha, 00:19:40.700 --> 00:19:42.159 do you believe this? 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:43.359 Verse 25, 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:44.500 I am the resurrection 00:19:44.500 --> 00:19:46.700 and the life. 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:47.839 The one who believes in me 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:49.399 will live even though they die. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:51.220 And whoever lives by believing in me 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:52.039 will never die. 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:53.659 Do you believe this? 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:55.000 Not do you understand this? 00:19:55.079 --> 00:19:56.180 Not can you explain this? 00:19:56.180 --> 00:19:57.880 But do you trust me? 00:19:58.720 --> 00:20:00.240 That I am who I am, 00:20:00.340 --> 00:20:01.920 the resurrection and the life. 00:20:02.620 --> 00:20:03.600 And this question, 00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:04.720 do you trust me, 00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:05.720 is not just for Martha, 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:07.000 it's for all of us. 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:08.560 Remember earlier, 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:09.660 we saw that it's one thing 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:10.920 to believe in Jesus' power, 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:11.980 but another to trust 00:20:11.980 --> 00:20:12.779 his timing. 00:20:13.060 --> 00:20:14.200 Well, now Jesus brings it 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:14.660 even closer. 00:20:14.660 --> 00:20:15.820 Like, it's one thing 00:20:15.820 --> 00:20:16.940 to believe he can do things 00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:17.560 for you, 00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:19.240 but it's another thing 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:20.259 to entrust yourself 00:20:20.259 --> 00:20:21.180 to him. 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:23.320 Martha believed 00:20:23.320 --> 00:20:24.040 the right doctrine, 00:20:24.180 --> 00:20:25.180 but now Jesus is drawing 00:20:25.180 --> 00:20:26.000 something deeper 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:26.880 out of her. 00:20:27.300 --> 00:20:28.400 Do you trust me 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:29.860 when you don't understand me? 00:20:29.960 --> 00:20:30.680 When my timing 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:31.640 confuses you? 00:20:31.720 --> 00:20:32.880 When it feels too late 00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:34.400 for a happy ending? 00:20:35.800 --> 00:20:36.900 And I want you to notice 00:20:36.900 --> 00:20:37.880 Martha's answer here. 00:20:38.100 --> 00:20:38.460 It's not, 00:20:38.580 --> 00:20:39.259 yes, I believe, 00:20:39.360 --> 00:20:40.600 because I get it now. 00:20:40.840 --> 00:20:41.900 Thanks for explaining it 00:20:41.900 --> 00:20:42.440 to me, Lord. 00:20:42.600 --> 00:20:43.960 No, it's verse 27. 00:20:44.120 --> 00:20:44.660 Yes, Lord, 00:20:45.420 --> 00:20:47.380 I believe you are 00:20:47.380 --> 00:20:48.360 the Messiah, 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:49.580 the Son of God 00:20:49.580 --> 00:20:50.180 who has come 00:20:50.180 --> 00:20:50.880 into the world. 00:20:50.940 --> 00:20:51.600 She's not saying, 00:20:51.820 --> 00:20:53.720 I believe you'll fix this, 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:54.980 but simply, 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:56.680 I believe in you. 00:20:56.779 --> 00:20:57.980 I trust in you. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:20:59.140 And that's real faith 00:20:59.140 --> 00:20:59.620 right there. 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:00.539 So much more 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:01.360 than right doctrine, 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:02.440 it's right dependence. 00:21:03.840 --> 00:21:04.940 See, faith isn't having 00:21:04.940 --> 00:21:05.640 every answer, 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:06.980 it's trusting a person. 00:21:07.940 --> 00:21:08.559 And if you're here 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:08.980 this morning 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:10.140 exploring Christianity, 00:21:10.620 --> 00:21:11.740 honestly seeking, 00:21:11.980 --> 00:21:12.279 hear this, 00:21:12.279 --> 00:21:13.359 Jesus is not asking you 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:14.399 to turn your brain off. 00:21:14.680 --> 00:21:15.639 No, bring your questions, 00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:16.799 bring your doubts, 00:21:16.940 --> 00:21:17.700 bring your objections, 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:18.619 bring them to Alpha, 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:19.319 Thursday night, 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:20.579 6.30, free dinner, 00:21:20.879 --> 00:21:21.980 fun discussion, all right? 00:21:22.940 --> 00:21:23.440 But please, 00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:24.259 if you really want 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:25.319 to explore Christianity, 00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:26.599 if you really want 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:27.720 to engage with Jesus 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:29.440 on His terms 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:30.139 and not simply 00:21:30.139 --> 00:21:30.920 on your own, 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:32.259 as if He really 00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:33.539 might be the Lord, 00:21:34.839 --> 00:21:36.000 don't relate to Jesus 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:36.980 only as an idea 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:37.500 to critique. 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:39.259 Relate to Him 00:21:39.259 --> 00:21:40.000 as a person 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:41.079 to encounter 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:42.179 and embrace. 00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:44.179 And if not 00:21:44.179 --> 00:21:45.119 for any other reason, 00:21:45.240 --> 00:21:46.899 then to whom else 00:21:46.899 --> 00:21:47.659 will you go? 00:21:48.899 --> 00:21:49.639 What else 00:21:49.639 --> 00:21:50.299 or who else 00:21:50.299 --> 00:21:51.279 would claim to be 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:51.939 the resurrection 00:21:51.939 --> 00:21:52.939 and the life? 00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:54.000 And who else 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:54.899 has done that 00:21:54.899 --> 00:21:56.079 and also changed 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:56.599 the world 00:21:56.599 --> 00:21:57.980 with the story 00:21:57.980 --> 00:21:59.240 of Him raising Lazarus 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:00.619 and with the story 00:22:00.619 --> 00:22:01.099 of Him 00:22:01.099 --> 00:22:02.500 and His own empty tomb? 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:04.399 This is the truth 00:22:04.399 --> 00:22:05.299 He calls us 00:22:05.299 --> 00:22:06.059 to trust. 00:22:07.539 --> 00:22:08.299 But get this, 00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:09.779 He isn't just 00:22:09.779 --> 00:22:10.700 coming toward us 00:22:10.700 --> 00:22:11.220 with truth 00:22:11.220 --> 00:22:11.839 as He did 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:12.579 with Martha. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:13.460 This isn't a God 00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:14.259 who just commands us 00:22:14.259 --> 00:22:14.940 to trust Him 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:15.899 and His power. 00:22:16.419 --> 00:22:17.659 No, He is at the same time 00:22:17.659 --> 00:22:19.440 a God who comes toward us 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:20.500 with tears 00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:21.539 and tenderness. 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:22.599 After Martha 00:22:22.599 --> 00:22:23.740 and Jesus' exchange, 00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:24.220 she goes, 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:25.200 she gets her sister Mary, 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:26.159 the teacher is here, 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:27.240 He is asking for you, 00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:28.240 and whereas Martha 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:29.000 went out to Jesus, 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:30.299 Jesus asks for Mary, 00:22:30.399 --> 00:22:31.379 He invites her to Himself. 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:32.700 And then when she comes to Him, 00:22:32.740 --> 00:22:33.879 she says the exact same words 00:22:33.879 --> 00:22:34.399 as her sister, 00:22:34.639 --> 00:22:35.460 Lord, if you had been here, 00:22:35.460 --> 00:22:36.539 my brother would not have died. 00:22:36.740 --> 00:22:38.299 But whereas Martha said this 00:22:38.299 --> 00:22:39.860 trying to piece various truths 00:22:39.860 --> 00:22:40.779 together in her head, 00:22:41.019 --> 00:22:41.880 Mary says this, 00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:43.480 not so much with truths 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:44.100 on her mind, 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:45.360 but with tears 00:22:45.360 --> 00:22:46.299 in her eyes. 00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:48.420 And verse 32 says 00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:49.980 that when she saw Him, 00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:51.579 she fell at His feet 00:22:51.579 --> 00:22:52.200 and wept, 00:22:52.279 --> 00:22:52.940 these same feet 00:22:52.940 --> 00:22:54.079 that she will later anoint 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:55.079 with the pure nard 00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:55.819 of her dowry. 00:22:55.880 --> 00:22:56.880 She covers these feet 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:58.259 first in tears. 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:00.620 But now notice 00:23:00.620 --> 00:23:01.680 how Jesus responds. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:02.980 To Martha, 00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:04.920 He dispensed teaching 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:05.460 and truth, 00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:06.340 but for Mary, 00:23:06.680 --> 00:23:08.080 it's tenderness and tears. 00:23:08.320 --> 00:23:08.880 Verse 33, 00:23:09.140 --> 00:23:10.259 when Jesus saw her weeping 00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:11.380 and the Jews 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:12.019 who had come along 00:23:12.019 --> 00:23:13.140 with her also weeping, 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:14.759 He was deeply moved 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:16.300 in spirit and troubled. 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:16.920 The word here 00:23:16.920 --> 00:23:17.779 for deeply moved 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:19.600 has a sense of outrage 00:23:19.600 --> 00:23:21.039 and indignation, 00:23:21.220 --> 00:23:22.779 anger at the curse of death 00:23:22.779 --> 00:23:23.360 and all the pain 00:23:23.360 --> 00:23:24.480 it inflicts upon 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:25.820 the creation of God, 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:26.980 this creation that God loves. 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:27.700 It's this image 00:23:27.700 --> 00:23:29.779 of a snorting stallion 00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:31.039 flaring its nostrils 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:31.940 in fury. 00:23:32.500 --> 00:23:33.759 It's probably what God felt 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:34.700 in the Garden of Eden. 00:23:34.920 --> 00:23:36.320 When after Adam and Eve 00:23:36.320 --> 00:23:37.940 first succumbed to temptation 00:23:37.940 --> 00:23:39.140 and plunged the human race 00:23:39.140 --> 00:23:40.259 into sin and death, 00:23:40.340 --> 00:23:41.160 God was furious, 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:42.900 but not first and foremost 00:23:42.900 --> 00:23:43.300 at them. 00:23:43.380 --> 00:23:44.440 No, He cursed the serpent 00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:45.220 first, 00:23:45.960 --> 00:23:47.000 with the very first, 00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:47.700 with the greatest, 00:23:47.820 --> 00:23:49.000 with the most irreversible, 00:23:49.140 --> 00:23:50.680 unredeemable curse. 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:52.460 Because our God 00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:54.560 hates that which harms 00:23:54.560 --> 00:23:56.000 the ones He loves. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:58.120 This is what Jesus feels 00:23:58.120 --> 00:23:58.800 about death. 00:23:58.880 --> 00:23:59.779 He hates it 00:23:59.779 --> 00:24:01.300 with deep emotion. 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:02.919 And He has come 00:24:02.919 --> 00:24:03.819 to make war 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:05.139 against death. 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:07.539 But not only does He come 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:08.359 with indignation 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:10.759 and fury at death, 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:12.399 but also with empathy 00:24:12.399 --> 00:24:13.399 and grief. 00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:14.220 Verse 34, 00:24:15.099 --> 00:24:15.980 where have you laid Him? 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:17.759 His first words to Mary 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:18.419 and the mourners. 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:19.220 In the Greek, 00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:20.220 it's only three words. 00:24:20.359 --> 00:24:20.539 Like, 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:22.039 only three words He could utter. 00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:23.419 Where lay Him? 00:24:23.420 --> 00:24:26.440 So they say, 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:28.060 come and see, Lord. 00:24:29.060 --> 00:24:29.820 Come and see. 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:31.539 Whereas Jesus' come and see 00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:32.460 is always an invitation 00:24:32.460 --> 00:24:33.940 to come and see abundant life. 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:35.240 Theirs is an invitation 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:36.560 to come and see death. 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:37.779 Come and see the end. 00:24:38.019 --> 00:24:39.220 Come and see what can't be fixed. 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:40.880 Come and see what's too late. 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:43.259 And as Jesus takes up 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:44.380 this invitation to come 00:24:44.380 --> 00:24:46.140 and see death and despair, 00:24:46.420 --> 00:24:47.460 He not only snorts 00:24:47.460 --> 00:24:49.240 at their great and powerful enemy, 00:24:49.900 --> 00:24:51.560 but He enters their grief. 00:24:51.559 --> 00:24:52.819 This is the shortest 00:24:52.819 --> 00:24:55.079 and possibly the most poignant verse 00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:56.159 in all of the Scriptures. 00:24:56.299 --> 00:24:56.980 Verse 35, 00:24:57.539 --> 00:24:59.139 Jesus wept. 00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:02.279 And this is not just crying, 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:03.599 not just sobbing. 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:04.119 In the Greek, 00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:06.119 the emphasis is on His tears. 00:25:07.539 --> 00:25:08.480 So even while knowing 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:09.440 what He was about to do, 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:10.899 even while having all the power 00:25:10.899 --> 00:25:12.259 in His pinky finger 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:13.480 to change all these 00:25:13.480 --> 00:25:14.960 miserable circumstances, 00:25:15.139 --> 00:25:16.200 He doesn't strut in here 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:16.859 like a gangster 00:25:16.859 --> 00:25:17.879 with swagger, 00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:19.039 with a smirk on His face. 00:25:19.099 --> 00:25:19.839 Like, relax guys, 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:20.379 I got this. 00:25:20.419 --> 00:25:21.139 It's all good. 00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:23.579 No, the one who said, 00:25:23.700 --> 00:25:24.379 I am the resurrection 00:25:24.379 --> 00:25:25.099 and the life 00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:27.659 is also the one who wept. 00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:30.039 Truth for Martha, 00:25:30.659 --> 00:25:31.799 tears for Mary. 00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:33.799 And do you realize 00:25:33.799 --> 00:25:34.519 what this means? 00:25:35.379 --> 00:25:36.059 Well, first of all, 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:37.119 it means that Jesus truly 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:38.440 is the wonderful counselor, 00:25:38.579 --> 00:25:39.500 the Spirit-led counselor 00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:40.319 who knows exactly 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:41.220 what we need 00:25:41.220 --> 00:25:42.119 and when we need it 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:42.960 and who meets us 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:43.679 where we are 00:25:43.679 --> 00:25:44.559 in all the diversity 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:45.579 of our circumstances 00:25:45.579 --> 00:25:46.700 and our personalities 00:25:46.700 --> 00:25:47.819 and our needs. 00:25:47.819 --> 00:25:48.460 But secondly, 00:25:48.659 --> 00:25:49.339 and more importantly, 00:25:49.460 --> 00:25:49.960 right here, 00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:51.079 when it tells us 00:25:51.079 --> 00:25:51.860 that the Son of God, 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:52.759 even knowing what He 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:53.660 was about to do, 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:55.000 He still, 00:25:55.559 --> 00:25:56.600 with Mary and the others, 00:25:56.779 --> 00:25:58.360 wept like real, 00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:00.160 non-performative tears. 00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:03.059 This means that God 00:26:03.059 --> 00:26:03.880 is not indifferent 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:04.920 to our grief. 00:26:06.620 --> 00:26:06.960 And man, 00:26:07.019 --> 00:26:08.500 this should blow our minds 00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:11.059 that the immovable, 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:12.700 unchangeable, 00:26:12.860 --> 00:26:14.019 invulnerable God 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:14.920 in Christ 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:16.500 became vulnerable 00:26:16.500 --> 00:26:18.500 and even shed tears. 00:26:18.619 --> 00:26:19.319 Reflect on that 00:26:19.319 --> 00:26:19.920 for a second, 00:26:20.680 --> 00:26:21.920 that God Himself 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:23.119 shed tears 00:26:23.119 --> 00:26:24.180 and not just over 00:26:24.180 --> 00:26:24.960 His own wounds 00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:25.500 and pains 00:26:25.500 --> 00:26:27.099 but over others. 00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:28.880 Think about that 00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:29.400 for a second. 00:26:29.559 --> 00:26:30.019 God, 00:26:31.059 --> 00:26:31.799 like imagine 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:32.660 if you were God, 00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:33.640 if you were the Almighty, 00:26:33.779 --> 00:26:34.480 if you could choose 00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:35.799 never to cry 00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:36.619 or grieve 00:26:36.619 --> 00:26:37.720 or experience pain 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:38.599 or suffering 00:26:38.599 --> 00:26:39.299 ever 00:26:39.299 --> 00:26:40.380 in the whole history 00:26:40.380 --> 00:26:41.799 of your existence, 00:26:42.339 --> 00:26:42.920 wouldn't you? 00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:46.220 And yet here in Christ, 00:26:46.800 --> 00:26:47.480 when the Bible 00:26:47.480 --> 00:26:49.360 says that Jesus wept, 00:26:50.300 --> 00:26:51.240 what this is saying 00:26:51.240 --> 00:26:52.759 is that while God 00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:53.820 did have that choice 00:26:53.820 --> 00:26:54.420 for Himself, 00:26:54.539 --> 00:26:56.120 the choice to never cry, 00:26:56.380 --> 00:26:57.080 to never hurt, 00:26:57.160 --> 00:26:58.200 to never shed a tear, 00:26:59.320 --> 00:27:00.759 He did not take that choice 00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:01.860 for Himself. 00:27:03.080 --> 00:27:04.140 He came to be God 00:27:04.140 --> 00:27:05.880 with us 00:27:05.880 --> 00:27:07.700 in every way, 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:09.460 including with us 00:27:09.460 --> 00:27:10.340 in our sorrows. 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:11.600 This isn't some far-off, 00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:12.440 detached deity. 00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:13.880 He is the God-man, 00:27:14.400 --> 00:27:14.740 Jesus, 00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:15.720 who wept 00:27:15.720 --> 00:27:16.820 with us 00:27:16.820 --> 00:27:18.100 and for us. 00:27:19.120 --> 00:27:20.080 And this tells us 00:27:20.080 --> 00:27:21.400 something we dare not miss, 00:27:21.900 --> 00:27:23.720 that even if we don't have 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:25.180 answers for all the pain 00:27:25.180 --> 00:27:26.120 and suffering 00:27:26.120 --> 00:27:26.860 in this world, 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:28.400 the answer cannot be 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:30.039 that He is far away 00:27:30.039 --> 00:27:30.680 and out of touch. 00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:32.279 The answer cannot be 00:27:32.279 --> 00:27:33.660 that He is not with us 00:27:33.660 --> 00:27:34.380 and for us. 00:27:34.420 --> 00:27:35.500 The answer cannot be 00:27:35.500 --> 00:27:37.320 that He does not love us. 00:27:38.840 --> 00:27:39.279 No. 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:41.240 Jesus wept. 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:43.420 truth for Martha, 00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:44.940 tears for Mary. 00:27:46.180 --> 00:27:47.099 But here's the thing. 00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:49.059 If all Jesus brought 00:27:49.059 --> 00:27:49.720 were teachings 00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:51.099 about some supposedly 00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:52.259 future resurrection 00:27:52.259 --> 00:27:53.140 and life, 00:27:53.640 --> 00:27:55.579 and or if all Jesus came with 00:27:55.579 --> 00:27:56.519 were tears 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:57.440 for our pain 00:27:57.440 --> 00:27:58.559 and love in His heart, 00:27:59.180 --> 00:28:00.620 what real comfort 00:28:00.620 --> 00:28:01.259 and hope 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:02.779 would that actually bring? 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:04.120 See, 00:28:04.140 --> 00:28:04.799 we don't just need 00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:05.839 a God who teaches us 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:06.700 about some future 00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:08.519 or merely spiritual hope, 00:28:08.519 --> 00:28:10.240 and we don't just need 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:11.519 a God who empathizes 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:12.660 with us in tears. 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:12.859 No, 00:28:12.940 --> 00:28:13.819 we need a God 00:28:13.819 --> 00:28:14.900 who is strong enough 00:28:14.900 --> 00:28:15.680 to save us 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:17.019 now and forever 00:28:17.019 --> 00:28:17.900 and who can defeat 00:28:17.900 --> 00:28:18.559 our great enemy, 00:28:18.660 --> 00:28:19.500 the final boss, 00:28:19.940 --> 00:28:20.299 death. 00:28:21.259 --> 00:28:22.059 And this is where 00:28:22.059 --> 00:28:22.920 things begin to turn 00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:23.319 because see, 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:24.180 Jesus didn't come 00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:24.839 all this way 00:28:24.839 --> 00:28:25.619 just to talk about 00:28:25.619 --> 00:28:26.059 resurrection 00:28:26.059 --> 00:28:27.299 and cry about death. 00:28:27.379 --> 00:28:27.500 No, 00:28:27.539 --> 00:28:28.759 He came to confront death 00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:29.759 as the resurrection 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:30.900 and the life. 00:28:31.539 --> 00:28:32.720 Whereas most of us 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:33.639 try not to think 00:28:33.639 --> 00:28:34.139 about death, 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:34.420 right? 00:28:34.759 --> 00:28:36.059 And rather successfully, 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:37.259 thanks to all of our 00:28:37.259 --> 00:28:37.740 distractions, 00:28:38.039 --> 00:28:39.140 all of our technology, 00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:40.279 all of our preoccupations, 00:28:40.339 --> 00:28:41.240 we distract ourselves, 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:42.140 we stay busy, 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:43.160 we optimize our time, 00:28:43.220 --> 00:28:43.839 we build careers 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:44.579 and portfolios 00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:45.359 and bucket lists. 00:28:45.819 --> 00:28:47.039 As Ernest Becker wrote 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:48.680 and argued in his 1973 00:28:48.680 --> 00:28:49.619 Pulitzer Prize winner, 00:28:49.700 --> 00:28:50.640 The Denial of Death, 00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:51.440 we, 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:51.900 you know, 00:28:51.980 --> 00:28:52.319 privileged, 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:52.819 modern, 00:28:53.099 --> 00:28:54.379 Bay Area folks like us 00:28:54.379 --> 00:28:55.599 have really become 00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:56.160 masters 00:28:56.160 --> 00:28:57.559 at distracting 00:28:57.559 --> 00:28:58.759 ourselves from death. 00:28:59.799 --> 00:29:00.819 But underneath it all, 00:29:00.900 --> 00:29:01.619 we all know 00:29:01.619 --> 00:29:02.259 what's there, 00:29:02.940 --> 00:29:03.859 the quiet fear 00:29:03.859 --> 00:29:04.480 that time 00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:05.539 is running out. 00:29:07.259 --> 00:29:08.400 But whereas most of us 00:29:08.400 --> 00:29:09.359 prefer to avoid death, 00:29:09.480 --> 00:29:10.079 Jesus here, 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:11.180 He walks straight toward 00:29:11.180 --> 00:29:11.960 the one thing 00:29:11.960 --> 00:29:13.099 we spend most of our lives 00:29:13.099 --> 00:29:13.960 trying to avoid. 00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:15.220 He walks toward that tomb. 00:29:15.539 --> 00:29:16.519 And verse 38 says, 00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:17.480 Jesus once more 00:29:17.480 --> 00:29:18.200 deeply moved, 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:19.059 He came to the tomb, 00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:19.839 He doesn't avoid it, 00:29:20.200 --> 00:29:21.039 He doesn't soften it, 00:29:21.059 --> 00:29:22.099 He doesn't spiritualize it, 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:23.079 He stands in front 00:29:23.079 --> 00:29:23.839 of death itself. 00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:24.779 And then, 00:29:24.900 --> 00:29:25.940 He says something shocking, 00:29:27.220 --> 00:29:28.420 take away that stone. 00:29:29.940 --> 00:29:30.980 And Martha protests, 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:31.359 Lord, 00:29:31.839 --> 00:29:32.559 by this time 00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:33.420 there is a bad odor. 00:29:33.539 --> 00:29:33.980 Translation, 00:29:34.339 --> 00:29:35.240 this is too far gone, 00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:36.400 this is irreversible, 00:29:36.400 --> 00:29:37.840 this is beyond fixing. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:38.200 Again, 00:29:38.460 --> 00:29:40.140 it's too late. 00:29:41.300 --> 00:29:42.180 What does Jesus say 00:29:42.180 --> 00:29:42.800 in verse 40? 00:29:43.600 --> 00:29:44.600 Did I not tell you 00:29:44.600 --> 00:29:46.120 that if you believe, 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:47.240 you will see 00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:49.180 the glory of God? 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:50.360 Like Martha, 00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:51.880 this was never about you, 00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:52.740 or Mary, 00:29:52.800 --> 00:29:53.780 or even Lazarus. 00:29:54.340 --> 00:29:55.140 And there was never 00:29:55.140 --> 00:29:55.880 a second in which 00:29:55.880 --> 00:29:56.400 I, 00:29:56.560 --> 00:29:57.360 even with my tears, 00:29:57.420 --> 00:29:58.340 was not in control 00:29:58.340 --> 00:29:59.180 of the situation. 00:29:59.180 --> 00:30:00.220 It's always ever been 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:01.300 about the glory of God. 00:30:01.880 --> 00:30:02.440 And now, 00:30:02.920 --> 00:30:03.960 let me show you. 00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:06.740 Verse 41 says, 00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:08.319 that just like He did 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:09.579 at the feeding of the 5,000, 00:30:10.140 --> 00:30:10.940 He looked up. 00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:12.440 He gave thanks. 00:30:12.600 --> 00:30:12.819 Father, 00:30:12.940 --> 00:30:13.740 I thank You 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:15.000 that You have heard me. 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:15.920 Apparently, 00:30:16.059 --> 00:30:16.600 He'd been talking 00:30:16.600 --> 00:30:17.100 to His Father 00:30:17.100 --> 00:30:18.220 about this already 00:30:18.220 --> 00:30:19.240 the whole time. 00:30:19.620 --> 00:30:21.539 I knew You always hear me, 00:30:22.180 --> 00:30:22.960 but I said this 00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:23.539 for the benefit 00:30:23.539 --> 00:30:24.680 of the people standing here 00:30:24.680 --> 00:30:25.680 that they may believe 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:27.039 that You sent me. 00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:28.120 This is the whole purpose. 00:30:28.240 --> 00:30:28.480 Again, 00:30:28.600 --> 00:30:29.880 to reveal who He is 00:30:29.880 --> 00:30:31.420 and who sent Him. 00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:32.560 See, 00:30:32.580 --> 00:30:33.400 He's the main event. 00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:35.180 And it's all about His glory. 00:30:36.220 --> 00:30:36.500 And so, 00:30:36.539 --> 00:30:37.259 what He's about to do, 00:30:37.320 --> 00:30:38.180 this is just a sign. 00:30:39.620 --> 00:30:39.860 And so, 00:30:39.960 --> 00:30:40.580 with a loud voice, 00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:41.180 He cries out, 00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:41.880 Lazarus, 00:30:42.200 --> 00:30:43.279 come out! 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:45.000 And He did, 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:46.779 by the word of His power 00:30:46.779 --> 00:30:47.940 and in collaboration 00:30:47.940 --> 00:30:49.240 with His Father in heaven. 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:50.580 And thus, 00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:51.960 the story has gone 00:30:51.960 --> 00:30:52.980 from truth for Martha 00:30:52.980 --> 00:30:54.400 to tears for Mary 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:55.360 to now triumph 00:30:55.360 --> 00:30:56.660 for Lazarus. 00:30:56.860 --> 00:30:58.060 And not just for Lazarus, 00:30:58.100 --> 00:30:58.720 but for everyone 00:30:58.720 --> 00:30:59.420 who is in Christ. 00:30:59.500 --> 00:30:59.840 Because see, 00:31:00.140 --> 00:31:00.940 when Jesus says, 00:31:00.940 --> 00:31:01.759 I am the resurrection 00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:02.640 and the life, 00:31:02.700 --> 00:31:03.960 and then raises Lazarus here, 00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:04.660 He's not giving 00:31:04.660 --> 00:31:05.860 just a spiritual metaphor, 00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:07.480 He's issuing a preview. 00:31:07.799 --> 00:31:09.059 A preview of what happens 00:31:09.059 --> 00:31:10.080 when resurrection Himself 00:31:10.080 --> 00:31:11.279 comes face to face 00:31:11.279 --> 00:31:11.720 with death. 00:31:11.960 --> 00:31:12.860 Jesus is saying, 00:31:13.400 --> 00:31:14.140 death does not get 00:31:14.140 --> 00:31:14.880 the final word. 00:31:15.279 --> 00:31:16.240 The tomb does not get 00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:17.019 the final word. 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:18.340 Time does not get 00:31:18.340 --> 00:31:19.019 the final word. 00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:19.799 I do. 00:31:19.980 --> 00:31:20.799 I am the Lord. 00:31:21.720 --> 00:31:22.140 Because see, 00:31:22.180 --> 00:31:23.220 if Jesus is the resurrection 00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:23.940 and the life, 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:26.259 then there is no such thing 00:31:26.259 --> 00:31:28.000 as too late for Him. 00:31:29.380 --> 00:31:30.320 It's like when Gandalf 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:31.000 says to Frodo 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:31.599 that a wizard 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:32.379 is never late 00:31:32.379 --> 00:31:33.379 nor early, 00:31:33.379 --> 00:31:34.960 but always arrives 00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:36.899 precisely when he means to. 00:31:38.419 --> 00:31:39.220 Because Jesus 00:31:39.220 --> 00:31:39.980 is the resurrection 00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:40.679 and the life, 00:31:41.419 --> 00:31:42.220 it's never too late 00:31:42.220 --> 00:31:42.679 for Him 00:31:42.679 --> 00:31:43.819 to be the Lord 00:31:43.819 --> 00:31:45.000 of our dreams. 00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:47.700 Lazarus was four days dead, 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:48.359 buried, 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:49.019 mourned, 00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:49.619 stinking, 00:31:49.740 --> 00:31:50.700 and yet Jesus still says 00:31:50.700 --> 00:31:51.059 to him, 00:31:51.500 --> 00:31:52.000 come out. 00:31:52.819 --> 00:31:53.539 And His invitation 00:31:53.539 --> 00:31:54.519 is to all of us 00:31:54.519 --> 00:31:55.579 to remove the stone, 00:31:56.139 --> 00:31:57.439 to open ourselves up 00:31:57.440 --> 00:31:58.259 to the possibility, 00:31:58.420 --> 00:31:59.039 the reality 00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:00.700 of real resurrection power 00:32:00.700 --> 00:32:02.220 in our lives now 00:32:02.220 --> 00:32:03.180 over all the things 00:32:03.180 --> 00:32:04.460 we feel are too late 00:32:04.460 --> 00:32:05.039 to fix. 00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:07.180 Do you hear God's word 00:32:07.180 --> 00:32:07.860 to you this morning 00:32:07.860 --> 00:32:09.160 that it is not too late 00:32:09.160 --> 00:32:09.799 for your story, 00:32:09.880 --> 00:32:10.900 it is not too late 00:32:10.900 --> 00:32:11.480 for your soul, 00:32:11.580 --> 00:32:12.240 it is not too late 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:12.840 for your family, 00:32:13.100 --> 00:32:13.980 it is not too late 00:32:13.980 --> 00:32:14.920 for God to work 00:32:14.920 --> 00:32:15.700 in your life? 00:32:16.620 --> 00:32:17.180 No, resurrection 00:32:17.180 --> 00:32:18.279 means God does 00:32:18.279 --> 00:32:19.480 some of His best work 00:32:19.480 --> 00:32:20.420 when we think 00:32:20.420 --> 00:32:21.820 our story is over. 00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:24.320 But do you believe this? 00:32:25.139 --> 00:32:26.079 Will you trust Him 00:32:26.079 --> 00:32:27.599 as your resurrection, 00:32:28.119 --> 00:32:29.799 as your eternal 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:30.980 and abundant life? 00:32:31.939 --> 00:32:32.819 It's yours 00:32:32.819 --> 00:32:34.419 if you will have it. 00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:35.700 He's yours 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:36.919 if you will have Him. 00:32:37.919 --> 00:32:39.139 And it's completely free. 00:32:39.779 --> 00:32:40.899 It's completely free. 00:32:41.899 --> 00:32:42.619 Well, at least free 00:32:42.619 --> 00:32:44.059 for you and for me, 00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:45.500 not for Him. 00:32:46.779 --> 00:32:47.299 Let me close 00:32:47.299 --> 00:32:48.619 with one last reason 00:32:48.619 --> 00:32:49.519 why you can trust 00:32:49.519 --> 00:32:50.799 and why you should trust 00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:52.279 Jesus as your resurrection 00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:53.319 and as your life, 00:32:53.379 --> 00:32:53.960 and it's this. 00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:55.819 What does resurrection 00:32:55.819 --> 00:32:57.340 presuppose? 00:32:59.120 --> 00:32:59.519 Death. 00:33:00.660 --> 00:33:01.640 Not just Lazarus. 00:33:03.380 --> 00:33:04.319 Because John wants you 00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:04.920 to see something 00:33:04.920 --> 00:33:05.680 sobering here, 00:33:06.299 --> 00:33:07.160 the moment Lazarus 00:33:07.160 --> 00:33:08.240 comes out of the tomb, 00:33:08.980 --> 00:33:10.200 Jesus starts marching 00:33:10.200 --> 00:33:11.180 toward His own. 00:33:12.559 --> 00:33:13.420 Look at verse 45. 00:33:13.519 --> 00:33:13.660 Therefore, 00:33:13.819 --> 00:33:14.559 many of the Jews 00:33:14.559 --> 00:33:15.620 who had come to visit Mary 00:33:15.620 --> 00:33:16.759 and had seen what Jesus did 00:33:16.759 --> 00:33:17.500 believed in Him. 00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:18.980 And wouldn't it be awesome 00:33:18.980 --> 00:33:20.240 if the story just ended there? 00:33:21.059 --> 00:33:21.819 But it doesn't. 00:33:21.819 --> 00:33:22.980 Verse 46 says, 00:33:22.980 --> 00:33:24.000 But some of them 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:25.220 went to the Pharisees 00:33:25.220 --> 00:33:25.720 and told them 00:33:25.720 --> 00:33:26.599 what Jesus had done. 00:33:27.019 --> 00:33:27.799 Then verse 53, 00:33:27.960 --> 00:33:28.920 which is not printed for you, 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:29.759 John says it plainly, 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:30.960 So from that day on, 00:33:31.019 --> 00:33:31.980 they plotted to take 00:33:31.980 --> 00:33:32.839 His life. 00:33:33.079 --> 00:33:33.640 Do you realize 00:33:33.640 --> 00:33:34.319 what this means? 00:33:35.720 --> 00:33:37.240 The price of Lazarus' 00:33:37.500 --> 00:33:38.200 resurrection 00:33:38.200 --> 00:33:40.380 was the cost 00:33:40.380 --> 00:33:42.000 of Jesus' death. 00:33:43.079 --> 00:33:43.660 This sign 00:33:43.660 --> 00:33:44.799 doesn't just create faith, 00:33:44.860 --> 00:33:46.200 it also creates fury. 00:33:46.339 --> 00:33:47.420 It forces a decision. 00:33:47.420 --> 00:33:48.860 Because once you see 00:33:48.860 --> 00:33:50.220 a man walk out of a tomb 00:33:50.220 --> 00:33:51.200 at the command of Jesus, 00:33:51.300 --> 00:33:52.539 you can't keep Jesus 00:33:52.539 --> 00:33:53.740 as just a nice teacher. 00:33:54.800 --> 00:33:55.800 You either fall down 00:33:55.800 --> 00:33:56.779 and worship Him 00:33:56.779 --> 00:33:59.160 or you try to get rid of Him. 00:34:00.120 --> 00:34:00.980 And Jesus knows it. 00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:01.800 He knows exactly 00:34:01.800 --> 00:34:02.500 what He's doing here. 00:34:02.539 --> 00:34:04.000 He knows that calling Lazarus out 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:05.000 is like signing 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:06.200 His own death warrant. 00:34:06.320 --> 00:34:06.740 He knows 00:34:06.740 --> 00:34:07.700 He's only two miles 00:34:07.700 --> 00:34:08.840 from Jerusalem, right? 00:34:09.260 --> 00:34:10.099 Two miles closer 00:34:10.099 --> 00:34:10.780 to the cross. 00:34:11.139 --> 00:34:12.039 That's what it says here. 00:34:12.619 --> 00:34:13.380 And still He says, 00:34:13.700 --> 00:34:14.559 Take away the stone. 00:34:15.059 --> 00:34:15.680 Still He says, 00:34:15.919 --> 00:34:17.079 Lazarus, come out. 00:34:17.779 --> 00:34:18.500 Which means 00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:20.099 the tenderness of Jesus 00:34:20.099 --> 00:34:20.879 is not sentimental, 00:34:21.079 --> 00:34:21.759 it's costly. 00:34:22.480 --> 00:34:23.599 His tears are not the tears 00:34:23.599 --> 00:34:24.519 of someone who means well 00:34:24.519 --> 00:34:25.039 but can't help. 00:34:25.059 --> 00:34:25.879 His tears are the tears 00:34:25.879 --> 00:34:26.379 of a Savior 00:34:26.379 --> 00:34:27.480 who is about to step 00:34:27.480 --> 00:34:29.139 into the line of fire. 00:34:29.940 --> 00:34:31.000 Because here's the deeper 00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:32.079 pattern of the gospel. 00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:33.579 Lazarus gets to come out 00:34:33.579 --> 00:34:34.779 because Jesus is willing 00:34:34.779 --> 00:34:35.599 to go in. 00:34:36.739 --> 00:34:37.839 Lazarus is unbound 00:34:37.839 --> 00:34:39.259 because Jesus will be bound. 00:34:39.599 --> 00:34:40.940 Lazarus gets his life back 00:34:40.940 --> 00:34:42.159 because Jesus will lay 00:34:42.159 --> 00:34:43.000 his life down. 00:34:43.199 --> 00:34:43.940 And on the cross, 00:34:44.199 --> 00:34:45.019 Jesus doesn't merely 00:34:45.019 --> 00:34:46.480 sympathize with our grief. 00:34:46.679 --> 00:34:47.679 He enters the very thing 00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:48.400 that causes it. 00:34:48.639 --> 00:34:50.079 Sin, curse, death. 00:34:50.420 --> 00:34:51.579 The wages of sin is death 00:34:51.579 --> 00:34:53.219 and Jesus pays those wages 00:34:53.219 --> 00:34:54.539 for us with His blood. 00:34:55.480 --> 00:34:56.599 He doesn't just stand 00:34:56.599 --> 00:34:57.179 outside the tomb 00:34:57.179 --> 00:34:57.900 and shout resurrection. 00:34:58.099 --> 00:34:59.400 He goes through death itself 00:34:59.400 --> 00:35:00.920 so that resurrection 00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:02.380 can become ours. 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:04.079 So that He can truly say, 00:35:04.239 --> 00:35:05.519 I am the resurrection 00:35:05.519 --> 00:35:06.599 and the life. 00:35:08.199 --> 00:35:09.500 He doesn't just claim it 00:35:09.500 --> 00:35:10.179 with His lips. 00:35:11.139 --> 00:35:12.280 He proves it with His blood. 00:35:12.280 --> 00:35:14.320 He seals it with His empty tomb. 00:35:15.680 --> 00:35:16.680 So will we trust Him? 00:35:17.240 --> 00:35:18.220 Will you trust Him? 00:35:18.860 --> 00:35:20.340 Will you take away that stone? 00:35:20.760 --> 00:35:21.900 Open yourself up to Him? 00:35:22.740 --> 00:35:23.900 Because the one who weeps 00:35:23.900 --> 00:35:25.080 with you is the one 00:35:25.080 --> 00:35:25.980 who walked into death 00:35:25.980 --> 00:35:26.860 for you 00:35:26.860 --> 00:35:28.519 and who walked out again 00:35:28.519 --> 00:35:30.720 with all who will hope in Him. 00:35:31.540 --> 00:35:32.460 And that means 00:35:32.460 --> 00:35:34.200 it is never too late 00:35:34.200 --> 00:35:35.940 for Jesus to be Lord. 00:35:36.200 --> 00:35:37.000 And in particular, 00:35:37.460 --> 00:35:38.740 the Lord of your story, 00:35:38.739 --> 00:35:40.419 which He promises 00:35:40.419 --> 00:35:41.519 will end 00:35:41.519 --> 00:35:42.799 in His glory 00:35:42.799 --> 00:35:44.199 and our good 00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:45.819 if we will trust Him. 00:35:46.779 --> 00:35:47.559 Let's pray. 00:35:53.559 --> 00:35:54.859 Lord, we thank You. 00:35:56.139 --> 00:35:57.679 There is no other God like You. 00:35:58.279 --> 00:35:59.639 There is no God like our God. 00:35:59.719 --> 00:36:01.179 There is no rock like our rock. 00:36:01.259 --> 00:36:02.059 There is no Savior 00:36:02.059 --> 00:36:04.219 like our Lord and Savior 00:36:04.219 --> 00:36:05.559 who is the resurrection 00:36:05.559 --> 00:36:06.899 and the life. 00:36:06.900 --> 00:36:08.619 And who is the resurrection 00:36:08.619 --> 00:36:09.220 and the life 00:36:09.220 --> 00:36:10.760 because He went to death 00:36:10.760 --> 00:36:12.639 on a cross for us. 00:36:15.400 --> 00:36:17.340 God, if we do not already trust Him, 00:36:19.160 --> 00:36:19.780 would You fill us 00:36:19.780 --> 00:36:20.760 with that kind of faith? 00:36:22.119 --> 00:36:23.300 Help us to make that comparison. 00:36:23.440 --> 00:36:24.099 What could be better? 00:36:25.039 --> 00:36:25.800 Who could be better? 00:36:26.700 --> 00:36:27.460 What other Savior 00:36:27.460 --> 00:36:28.360 is there out there? 00:36:29.099 --> 00:36:29.980 What other life 00:36:29.980 --> 00:36:31.680 is out there on offer 00:36:31.680 --> 00:36:32.800 that is better than the life 00:36:32.800 --> 00:36:33.880 that He offers us? 00:36:35.320 --> 00:36:36.700 Lord, turn our eyes to Him. 00:36:36.900 --> 00:36:38.440 Turn our hearts toward Him. 00:36:38.440 --> 00:36:38.440