We'll turn together now to read in God's Word in the Gospel of John, reading in chapter 11.
John chapter 11, we're going to take up our reading at verse 17 and read down to verse 44.
The way we take up our reading here is Jesus has already been informed about Lazarus,
who was a good friend of his, along with Mary and Martha, his sisters, Lazarus' sisters,
that Lazarus was unwell and that they were calling for Jesus to come and to help.
And when we take up our reading at verse 17, Jesus has actually been told and is telling them,
as you see in verse 14, that Lazarus has died.
And for your sake, he says, I am glad that I was not there.
So that you may believe.
We take up our reading then in verse 17.
Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off,
and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.
So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him.
But Mary remained seated in the house.
Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.
Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again.
Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.
Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.
Do you believe this?
She said to him, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.
When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private,
the teacher is here and is calling for you.
And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.
Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him.
When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out,
they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him,
Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping,
he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
And he said, where have you laid him?
They said to him, Lord, come and see.
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, see how he loved him.
But some of them said, could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man
also have kept this man from dying?
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave and a stone lay against it.
Jesus said, take away the stone.
Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him,
Lord, by this time there will be an odour, for he has been dead four days.
Jesus said to her, did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?
So they took away the stone, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said,
Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on occasion,
on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.
When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice,
Lazarus, come out.
The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound in linen strips,
and his face wrapped with cloth.
Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go.
And so on.
And may God bless that reading from his word.
Before we turn back to look at this passage,
we're going to sing again to God's praise in Psalm 16.
In the Sing Psalms version, Psalm 16, we'll sing this psalm in two parts.
Our last singing will also be from this psalm,
but we're going to sing from verse 1 to 7 just now,
page 16 of the psalm books.
Protect me, O my God, you are my refuge through.
I said, you are my Lord, I have no good apart from you.
We'll sing from verse 1 to 7 on the tune of Selma.
We sing to God's praise.
Protect me, O my God, you are my refuge through.
I said, you are my Lord, I have no good apart from you.
The Godly in the land, for holiness renowned,
They are the glorious one in whom almighty light is found.
Their sorrows will increase, who on false gods rely.
I will not sacrifice to them, their worship I defy.
O Lord, you are my cup and portion sure.
The share that is aside to me, you guard and keep secure.
The land allotted me, is it a place inside?
And surely my inheritance to me is a delight.
I'll praise the Lord, my God, whose counsel guides my choice.
And even in the night, my heart recalls instructions voice.
Well, let's turn back to a reading in the Gospel of John, chapter 11.
We're reading here of Lazarus and Jesus coming to him.
As it would seem almost too late, Lazarus had died.
And yet we are reminded here of the great hope that there is in Christ.
A hope that we will in many ways remember in this coming week as our people,
as we think of Easter week.
And all that it means is a time for close reflection on these things.
It's always a time for it, but perhaps more so even in this week as we hear more of it.
And pray that others would hear of the wonderful message of the power of the resurrection.
And as we read here, the one who is the resurrection and the life.
We're going to read just a few verses from verse 25, where Jesus is speaking to Martha.
Martha.
Jesus said to her,
I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.
Do you believe this?
She said to him,
Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ,
the Son of God who is coming into the world.
Martha is asked a question.
And that's the question I want us to think about ourselves this evening.
In many ways, it's a simple question, but it's based on a very powerful fact.
The fact is that Jesus says,
I am the resurrection and the life.
He is the one who has power over death,
who is able to raise Lazarus from the grave,
who we remember as our risen Savior,
the one who died on the cross for our sins,
but who rose on the third day.
And the question that comes from that is this.
Do you believe this?
And it's a question for us to reflect on,
always at all times,
but especially in this week ahead.
Do you believe this?
All that you hear about Christ and his resurrection.
Emotions are always a big part of our lives.
We go through all kinds of different emotions and experiences in life.
There are times when we are happy and glad,
and there are times when we are sorrowful and sad.
But what makes a difference to us when we ask,
well, what makes you happy?
What makes you glad?
Or what makes you sorrowful?
What makes you sad?
There'll be times when we maybe have different answers
from one another to what makes us happy
and also what makes us sad.
But there are certain events in our lives
that will be the same for us all.
events that fill us with great joy
and events that fill us with great sorrow.
And as you read through this passage in John 11,
what emotion does it bring to you, if any?
Does it bring any emotion to your heart
as you read through these words?
It may be that as you read through this passage,
you enter into the experience of sorrow and sadness
as you read about Lazarus and his death
and the impact this has on Mary and Martha
and also the Lord himself
and the many friends that gathered around
and wept with them.
It's a passage that can make you sad.
That's one perspective on it.
If we look at it from a human perspective, that is.
But we can also look at it from another perspective.
And that is as we read these words of Jesus
when he says, I am the resurrection and the life.
Jesus has these I am sayings in the Gospel of John.
And they explain to us things that he is
and that we cannot be.
Things that he is for us
and that if we put our trust in him,
he gives us this hope.
And this is one of these powerful I am sayings.
I am the resurrection and the life.
And it speaks into the midst of this time of sorrow
for our grieving family.
It speaks to them in a powerful way,
but they don't even realize immediately
just how powerfully Jesus is going to minister to them.
But they come to believe.
Even before they see the power of what Jesus does,
they believe.
That's the reply of Martha in verse 27.
Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ.
And they have this hope,
both Mary and Martha have this hope
that the Lord can make a difference for them
in the midst of their sorrow.
And so what perspective do we have
on these events here?
And do they affect us?
Or how do they affect us?
There are many events that happen in this world.
Events that when they happen,
we can maybe think,
it's really got nothing to do with me.
It's got no impact on me personally.
That is at first.
You think even of events in our world
that go on almost week by week at the moment.
You think of what happened in Moscow just now,
the great tragedy that unfolded there
with so much loss of life.
You think of the conflicts going on
between the Ukraine and Russia
in the Middle East
and in other parts of the world as well.
You think of little things
like you hear in the news
that ships cannot really get safely through
the Red Sea just now
because of fear of being attacked.
So they've got to sail around South Africa,
a much longer journey.
You think of times
when you hear of hurricanes
affecting the east coast of America.
And all of these events
are events that we're hearing regularly at times
and we see happening in our world,
but our attitude can be one of,
well, it doesn't really impact me.
That's all happening at a distance
in other parts of the world,
far away from me and my situation
here in Stornoway.
But that's if you look at it
just from a close perspective to ourselves.
Because if you look at it
from another perspective,
a bigger perspective,
you see that all these things
actually do impact our lives.
What's happening in the conflicts,
the wars that are taking place just now,
the fact that ships cannot sail
through the Red Sea.
No impact on us?
Well, if you look at your shelves
in the supermarkets,
you look at the prices of food
and other supplies,
you see maybe foods
that you used to be able to get,
you can't.
Or the prices have risen significantly.
We've all seen these impacts.
You think of a hurricane
that hits the east coast of America.
America.
How often do we start wondering,
will we get the tail end of it?
Will it come our direction?
At the time, we can think
it's far away from us.
It doesn't impact us.
But actually, it does.
And so as you read through
this passage here in John,
you can think of it
in these two different ways as well.
You can think of it,
well, this is just something
that doesn't really impact me.
This is something that only impacted
Mary and Martha and Lazarus.
Or it was only for Jesus' day.
You can think of it in that way.
Or you can think of it
in what it's actually saying to us.
That is continuing to speak
to generation after generation.
And to ourselves this evening,
it continues to speak to us.
In a week when we approach Easter,
when our thoughts are turned,
directed towards events in Jerusalem
on the cross at Calvary
and at the empty tomb
2,000 years ago
in a far-off land,
does that not impact us?
You can think,
well, it's got nothing to do with me.
But it does.
Because the impact of these events
comes to us all.
They speak to us,
not just to Mary and Martha
and the loss of their brother.
It speaks to us
about the reality of death.
But it speaks to us
of the reality of Jesus.
And it speaks to us
of Jesus as He says,
I am the resurrection
and the life.
Whoever believes in Me,
though he die,
yet shall he live.
And everyone who lives
and believes in Me
shall never die.
speaks to us
about death.
It's more than a question
to Martha.
Jesus is saying,
do you believe this?
He's not just saying it to Martha.
He's saying it to you.
He's saying it to me.
He's asking that question
of us all.
Do you see
the impact
of this event?
The death
of Lazarus
and Jesus
calling him
out of the tomb.
And how it relates
to Easter,
to Jesus Himself
giving His life
for us,
dying on the cross
at Calvary,
being placed
in a tomb Himself,
but coming out
of that tomb,
rising from the grave.
Do you believe
this?
Do you believe
that this is for
life,
for you?
So when it comes
to our time
when we die,
these words,
as we so often
quote them
at funerals,
these words
will reflect
our life,
your life
and mine,
that it will be said
of us,
though he die,
though she die,
yet shall he live,
yet shall she live
through Christ.
Why?
Because He is
the resurrection
and the life.
There is sorrow
in this passage.
But there is also
hope,
hope of glory
in Christ,
because He is
the resurrection
and the life.
So it speaks
to us
of our life
and our eternity.
And it reminds us,
too,
of our responsibility
to all around us
to make this message
known,
even as we think
of these invitations,
to think even
in light
of this passage
as Jesus says.
I am the resurrection
and the life.
Do you believe this?
Well,
come and hear
about it.
Come and see this
for yourself.
Come and hear
this glorious message
of hope,
even for the darkest
of times.
And so there's three points
in this passage
for us this evening
I want to take.
We have first
the pain,
the pain that is evident
here in this passage.
Then we have
the power
and then we have
the plea.
The pain,
the power,
and the plea.
There are many kinds
of pain
that we suffer
in life.
There are many kinds
of physical pains
that we suffer.
maybe if you're
into DIY,
you've hit your thumb
with a hammer
at some point
and you know
the pain
that that brings.
Maybe you're suffering
different kinds
of pains
yourself just now.
Joint pains,
stabbing pains,
sore heads.
We go through
all kinds
of physical pain.
And when we have
these kinds of pain,
we want to either
take something
to help that pain
or to do something
about that pain
being eased
for us.
But there are
other pains
that we suffer
as well.
Pains that maybe
aren't as obvious
or even as clear
to those
around us.
The pain
of anxiety,
the pain
of illness,
the pain
of grief
and sorrow.
The pain
that the psalm
that we sang,
Psalm 116,
spoke about.
The pains
of hell
took hold
of me.
I grief
and trouble
found.
These pains
that come our way.
But in the psalm
as we sang,
we saw the psalmist
was able to cry out
to the Lord
in the midst
of this.
And there is pain
in this passage
for us.
There is the pain
that Mary
and Martha
were experiencing
at this time.
The pain
of their brother,
the one they loved,
who was ill,
and ultimately
who we see
Jesus reminding us
who had died.
There is the pain
of grief.
There is the pain
of their weeping
as they would go
to the tomb.
He had been in the tomb
for four days
before Jesus
arrived there.
There was this pain.
There was this heartache.
There was this sorrow.
They loved him.
And we are reminded
as we read of earlier
on in the passage,
we didn't read it,
that Jesus loved him
as well.
In verse 3,
so the sisters
sent to him
saying,
Lord,
he whom you love
is ill.
Jesus had a love
not just for Mary
and Martha
but Lazarus too.
They were obviously
close.
And we read
that later on
that Jesus himself
wept here.
So there was this love
and what you expect
was that maybe
Jesus would come running
but instead
he delayed,
he stayed.
In verse 6,
you read there
when he heard
that Lazarus
was ill,
he stayed
two days longer
in the place
where he was.
How strange.
Why didn't he just come
immediately
knowing Lazarus,
his friend,
was ill?
We are told
a little of why
in verse 4.
But when Jesus heard it,
he said,
this illness
does not lead to death
for it is for the glory
of God
so that the Son of God
may be glorified
through it.
Something powerful
was going to come
from this.
But yet it's in the midst
of pain.
For in the midst
of Lazarus' illness,
Jesus speaks
and says
he has died.
He is dead.
But he hadn't come.
He hadn't come.
And this obviously
grieves both
Martha and Mary
when they say to him,
Lord,
if you had been here,
my brother
would not have died.
does he not care?
Has he no compassion
in the midst of this?
Why is he not rushing
to their aid?
Pain brings questions.
And the question here is,
why, Lord?
Why, Lord,
didn't you come?
Why didn't you help?
Even the people
around them
were saying,
could not he
who opened the eyes
of the blind man
also have kept
this man from dying?
Even the crowd
that was aware
of this
in verse 36.
Why?
Does he not care?
Well,
we're looking at it
from a human
perspective here.
When we think,
why?
Why didn't he come?
It's a very personal
and individual experience,
pain and sorrow
and grief.
But Jesus is seeing this
from a much greater perspective.
The perspective of verse 4,
that this would work
for glory.
This is why he came.
This is why he came
into this world,
that people in the midst
of grief and sorrow
and pain and sin
might know
that he is one
who is able to deal
with all of these things.
That's why,
as we read through
this passage,
the cross
is looming large
in the background
here as well.
When you think of
Jesus' own suffering
and death
being laid
in the grave
and rising again
from the dead,
it's so much clearer
for us
when we look ahead
and see that.
But in the midst
of this,
this time,
it's sorrow
and pain.
One commentator
puts it like this.
He says,
He, Jesus,
knew that only
when it was darkest
does the light
shine most brightly
against the backdrop
of oppressive
darkness of death.
Christ would shine
the light of his power
on his friend.
into this darkness
that Jesus seemingly
was keeping himself
away from,
there is a light
going to come
as Jesus shows
what he can do.
And it's a reminder
to us
that Jesus knows
your pain
and mine
because there is
no one of us
who can avoid
this pain,
this pain
of grief
at some point,
maybe even now
you know it
and know its pain,
know the hurt
that grief brings.
Either recently,
in the last few weeks,
even years gone by,
we've experienced it
or we will experience it.
And you know
how that pain rises
and the grief
it brings,
the tears
it brings.
And you can maybe
even cry out,
God,
do you not care?
God,
do you not know
what I am going through?
But this reminds us
he does.
He does.
Because when Jesus says,
I am,
he is reminding us
of the one
who knows.
When God spoke
to Moses,
as Moses was called
to lead the Exodus,
Moses,
Moses asked him
a question,
who will I say
that sent me?
God's response is,
I am
has sent you.
The great
I am,
the one who knows
the suffering
of his people.
The one who we see
in the Gospel of John
earlier in chapter 3,
speak of
the God who knows
the pain
and consequences
of death.
death.
And yet says,
for God so loved
the world
that he gave
his only son,
that whoever
believes in him
should not perish,
but have
eternal life.
Pain
is real.
Grief
is real.
But how do we
respond?
Where do we
turn?
Well,
here we see
the one who has
the power
over this pain.
And that's the
second thing
we see here.
We still have
that question,
why he delayed,
why he put
Mary and Martha
through this pain,
maybe even as
Lazarus was ill
and he still
had his senses.
He was wondering,
where is Jesus?
He could help.
And in these
circumstances,
it could be
difficult to believe
that in the
goodness of God,
in the goodness
of this Christ
who came into
the world,
but who seemed
to be turning
his back
in their greatest
time of need.
But there was
a purpose
here.
Jesus had
his purposes
here that we
only begin to see
as he comes
into their midst.
many of you
will be familiar
with the poem,
The Weaver's Shuttle.
Part of it
says this,
Not till the
loom is silent
and the shuttle
cease to fly,
will God
unroll the canvas
and reveal
the reason why.
The dark threads
are as needful
in the weaver's
skillful hand
as the threads
of gold and silver
in the pattern
he has planned.
And that's the
threads that you
see here.
There's the
dark threads,
the sorrow
and the grief
that Mary and
Martha are
suffering.
But then you
have these threads
of gold and
silver,
of Jesus
coming and
showing the
power that
he has.
The one who
comes and
says,
I am the
resurrection
and the
life.
the one who
shows the
power that
he has.
Again,
one commentator
puts it like
this,
Christ delayed
coming to
his faithful,
loving followers
in Bethany
in order to
strengthen their
love and
their faith.
And God
can put us
through things,
things that we
don't understand
even for a
long time after
we don't
understand,
but they
are there to
strengthen our
love and
our faith for
him.
In John's
Gospel, as
we're reading
through here,
this is the
last and the
ultimate miracle
that Jesus
performs.
And isn't it
amazing just
how it shows
us what
Christ himself
had come
to do.
It's more
than just
words.
words that
say he
is able
to give
life.
Here we
see the
power of
these words.
How does
he show
this power?
Well, he
tells us
again and
again through
this passage,
you have it
just to select
a few verses,
15, 26,
42.
They all
speak about
the purpose
that the
people might
believe.
Believe that
God has
sent his
son to
give us
life.
And he
shows this
power in
verse 33.
He says,
when Jesus
saw their
weeping and
the Jews
who had
come with
are also
weeping,
he was
deeply moved
and greatly
troubled.
We see
power initially
is fixed in
this emotion,
this weeping,
this sorrow.
But then
it comes
to the
point where
he asks,
where have
you laid
him?
In verse
34.
He said to
him,
Lord,
come and
see.
And Jesus
wept.
And he's in
the midst of
this, you've
got this
voice behind
him saying,
could not
he who
opened the
eyes of the
blind have
kept this
man from
dying?
the sisters
who are
saying,
if you
had been
here,
he would
not have
died.
There's so
much doubt,
there's so
much fear
in this
passage.
And yet
Jesus reminds
them of
his power.
And he
says,
take away
the stone.
Take away
the stone.
And they
said,
well,
he's been
dead four
days,
there's going
to be a
stench.
But Jesus
says,
did you not
believe that
you would
see the
glory of
God?
And how
he lifts
his eyes
in verse
41,
Father,
I thank
you that
you have
heard me.
There is
a power
of God
present
here.
And then
at the
end of
verse 43,
he cried
out with
a loud
voice,
Lazarus,
come
out.
Lazarus,
come
out.
You can
imagine,
or even
try to
imagine,
the people
around about
him.
What is
he doing?
He's been
dead for
four days.
Lazarus,
come
out.
Matthew
Henry,
who wrote
a commentary
on the
whole
Bible,
he says
when he's
writing about
John's
gospel on
this occasion
of Lazarus'
death,
he says
Jesus had
to say,
Lazarus,
come forth.
Because if
he had
just said,
come forth,
then all
the dead
would have
come out
of their
grave.
Because that
is the
power that
Jesus has.
He had
to be
specific
to
Lazarus.
But that
reminds us
that a day
is coming
when the
Lord will
say,
come out,
and all
the graves,
all the
dead
will rise.
Because that
is his
power.
That is
the power
that Jesus
Christ has.
The power
that was
shown here
is a power
that we
will see
one day
when he
calls every
one of us
to account
before him.
Come
out.
He'll be
calling us
out to
face the
judgment.
Do you
believe this?
Because that
is what
the
scriptures
say.
And the
power
that Jesus
had and
cried out
come out
and says
in verse
44,
the man
who had
died
came out.
He walked
out of
the grave.
He slit
the strips
on his
body,
his face
wrapped
with cloth,
and yet he
walked out
alive.
That is
the power
that Christ
has.
Joni
Erickson
Tadda,
a Christian
lady,
an author
of many
books,
she was
paralyzed
in a
diving
accident.
And when
asked what
her favorite
verse is,
she often
always replies,
Philippians 3,
verse 10.
What does
that verse
say?
I want
to know
Christ
and the
power
of his
resurrection.
I want
to know
Christ
and the
power
of his
resurrection.
To you,
the reason
why Joni
Erickson
Tadda
wants to
know it
is so
much.
It's not
for selfish
reasons,
but for the
glory of
Christ.
because she
is paralyzed.
She knows
that the
power of
his
resurrection
is what
will give
her new
life,
new hope.
She said,
in suffering,
we also
die to
worry.
We die
to fear.
We die
to grumbling
about the
inconvenience
of the
weight of
our cross.
We die
to thinking
that Jesus
doesn't
care.
What's
suffering?
Is she
talking
about
there?
Not
her own,
but the
sufferings
of Christ
and sharing
in his
sufferings.
She wants
to know
the power
of his
resurrection,
the power
that we
see here,
the power
that says,
Lazarus,
come out.
Come out
and live
because I
am the
resurrection
and the
life,
Jesus
sees.
He has
the power.
The final
thing I want
us to
think about
is the
plea.
As we
come to
the conclusion
here,
we think of
the plea
that Jesus
gives.
We know
the pain
of this
situation.
We see
the power
of Christ
in calling
him out,
but we
come back
to the
question.
When
Jesus
says,
I am
the
resurrection
and the
life,
whoever
believes in
me,
though he
die,
yet shall
he live.
And everyone
who lives
and believes
in me
shall never
die.
What is
the question?
Do you
believe
this?
Martha's
reply is,
yes,
Lord.
I believe
that you
are the
Christ,
the Son
of God
who is
coming into
the world.
What's
your
response
to that
question
tonight?
To the
resurrection?
To the
thought of
eternal
life?
What do
all these
things mean?
What does
Easter mean?
what is
the purpose
in it?
Is it
just a
holiday?
Is it
a time
for us
to have
events
in our
communities
that
many few
tie into
the real
meaning
of Easter?
Or is
it to
remember
the one
who is
the
resurrection
and the
life?
The only
one who
is our
hope
in death
and life.
do we
believe
in him?
Someone
once
illustrated
our lives
as a
24-hour
period
we live,
saying it
will take
us
78.4
years
to live
that 24
hours.
If we're
lucky enough
to live
that long,
each hour
represents
3.267
years
of life
lived.
So you're
looking at
your life
as a
24-hour
clock.
By 3
a.m.,
you've
lived
almost
10
years.
When
you reach
the age
of 20
years old,
you're at
624 in
the morning.
The age
of 30,
you're just
after 9
a.m.
in the
morning.
You seem
to have
almost the
whole day
ahead of
you.
So much
time to
go.
At the
age of
40,
it's just
past
midday.
When you
reach the
age of
50,
you're
looking at
the clock
and it
shows the
time of
20 past
3 in
the afternoon.
You're
approaching
dinner time
in your
life.
Less than
9 hours
remaining in
your life
on the
24-hour
clock.
A person
of 60
years old
is looking
at the
clock and
it shows
622
p.m.,
less than
6 hours
remaining on
the 24-hour
clock.
It's a
striking thought
when you
think of
your life
in that
way.
But it's
a reminder
how quickly
our lives
will pass
us by.
And where
are you
on that
clock?
Because the
clock is
always
ticking.
But there's
something
missing
from that
illustration.
When you
think of
our lives
78 years,
you're
thinking,
we've got
plenty
time.
Time to
live.
Plenty
time to
go.
What's
missing is
the fact
that at
any moment
clock,
that clock
could stop.
Because we're
reminded so
often in
this life
that life
is never
certain,
that life
is short.
we read
in the
scriptures so
often,
our life
is but
a vapor.
Our life
is like
the grass.
Springs up
in the
morning,
gone in
the evening.
Our life
is very
much like
that 24
hour clock,
always
ticking on.
Where are
we in
that time?
our life
is but
a weaving.
The
events
of this
world
can seem
of little
significance
to us
at times
because we
seem so
far removed
from them.
And yet
when we
look at it
in the
bigger picture,
we see
everything that
happens in
this world
as
consequences
for us.
And perhaps
we come
to the
resurrection
of Jesus.
Perhaps
we come
to Easter
time in
the thought
that Christ
died on
the cross.
And it
seems just
insignificant
to us.
It means
nothing for
us,
it means
nothing to
many around
us.
But when
we look at
the bigger
picture,
when we
are reminded
of Lazarus
and Mary
and Martha
and the
pain and
sorrow,
they found
themselves
in,
we are
reminded
that that
is our
lives too.
The time
comes when
the clock
will stop
for us.
And what
then?
Is Jesus
for you
the resurrection
and the life,
the hope
for now
and the hope
for eternity?
Because that
is the only
way to live.
death.
What happened
in Bethany
2,000 years
ago is not
insignificant.
Just like
what happened
at Calvary
2,000 years
ago is not
insignificant.
It's the
most important
events in
this world's
history that
Jesus showed
and reminded
us that he
has power
over our
greatest pain,
the pain
of death,
and the
consequences
of sin.
He has power
that we
might live.
I am
the resurrection
and the life.
there are the
facts.
And the
question is,
do you
believe this?
Let us
pray.
Our
Father in
heaven,
we give you
thanks for
your word
that reminds
us of your
wonderful love
towards us,
reminds us
how our
lives are not
insignificant in
your eyes,
that you
know our
every hurt
and pain
in us,
you knew
Mary and
Martha's.
And when it
seemed like
you were so
far away
from them,
Lord, you
were preparing
things for
your glory,
that these
events would
have their
effects for
many generations
and even for
our eternity.
We thank you
that it was to
show your
power, the
power over
death, to
call out
Lazarus from
the grave,
to remind us
that you are
the resurrection
and the life.
We pray,
Lord, that you
will help us
even in these
days ahead,
we may hear
so much of
Easter and
what it
entails,
that we
would remember
the greatest
and most
powerful message
behind it
all, that
you gave
your son
for this
world to
give his
life.
On the
third day
he rose
again.
He is
victorious
and help
us to find
our victory
in him.
So hear us,
Lord, we pray,
and go before
us now as we
ask it all in
Jesus' name.
Amen.
We're going to
conclude by
singing in
Psalm 16
again in the
Sing Psalms,
page 17 of
the Psalm
books.
Psalm 16
on verse
8 down to
the end of
the Psalm.
The tune is
Golden Hill,
and these
wonderful words
remind us that
Jesus is the
resurrection and
the life, and
that we would
set him
before us.
Before me
constantly I
set the Lord
alone, because
he is at my
right hand.
I'll not be
overthrown.
Sing these
four verses to
God's praise.
before me
constantly
I
set the
Lord
alone,
because
he is
at my
right hand.
I'll not be
overthrown.
Therefore
my heart
is glad
my tongue
with joy
will sing
my body
too
will
rest
secure
in hope
and we
will
reign
for
you
will
not
allow
my soul
in death
to stay
nor
will
you
leave
your
holy
one
to see
the
tombs
decay
you
have
made
Lord
to me
the
power
of life
divine
the
path
of life
divine
blessed
shall
I
know
at
your
right
hand
joy
from
your
face
will
shine
after
the
benediction
i'll go to the door to my right
now may grace mercy and peace
God
Father Son and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore
amen
2020
that
moon
will
doing
you
the
energy
the
waters
the
moon
to
use
to
passion
bug
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Built
良
des
運
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