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Canoeing the Mountains Week 2: John 11:1-44

Review: Canoeing Mountains book, Lewis and Clark, we learned “When everything else is changing, the call of Jesus remains the same “Follow Me”

INTRO> Today we continue on the journey but I know what we need to do, we need to talk about motivation: What compels us to follow Jesus into the unknown? 1) Fear? 2) Force? 3) Facts? None of those are a sustainable reason and motivation to follow Jesus. But we can learn from Lewis and Clark how we can go into the unknown (PIC) We actually have insight into that. On July 24th, 1803 William Clark wrote a letter to Meriwether Lewis officially accepting the mission, “This is an undertaking freighted with difficulties, but my friend I do assure you that no man lives with whom I would prefer to undertake such a trip as yourself… My friend, I join you with hand and heart.”

• • We will only go into the unknown with someone we know.
  • The only thing that will produce lasting change is a loving relationship.

CONTEXT> Which leads us to our text today. We see in this famous story about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead not just Jesus Power not just the ultimate sign that he is the Savior but we see the very thing that compels us to follow him into the unknown… we see his love. The phrase is used 3x v3 “he whom you love v5 “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus v36 “ See how he loved him”

Big Idea > The love of Jesus leads me to follow Jesus.

1. Jesus’ love is not a pampering love but a perfecting love. v1-16

“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

• • • • Jesus’ love for Lazuras doesn’t mean Lazuras doesn’t get sick.

1. Suffering provides a unique platform for God’s glory to be displayed.

• • • • Joni Eareckson Tada , “Sometime God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves.”

B.  God’s delay is not his denial.

2) Jesus’ love is not for “someday” but is for today. v17-24

“17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles[c] off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

• • • • • • Martha gives a Sunday school answer and Jesus Challenges it
          • “Spiritual Bypassing” is using spiritual truths to bypass the hard work of emotional work. (PIC)

1. If we use the love of Jesus to avoid following Jesus into the hard places of our lives then we are abusing the love of Jesus.

3) Jesus’ love hates death. v28-37

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 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. 32 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.” 33 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. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

• • • • • “deeply moved” actually translates to anger

1. Jesus is more passionate about your well being than you are.

4) Jesus love resurrects dead things. 38-44

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Big Idea > The love of Jesus leads me to follow Jesus.