Easter 2021

EASTER 2021

Gamechanger – An event, an idea, person or protocol that dramatically alters the course, strategy or plans of something.

COMMON ASSUMPTIONS

• Life should be easy and prosperous, God should help.
• When life is not…God should help.
• When God doesn’t, then maybe he is not real, not loving or mad at us.

John 11:1-3 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. ² This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair.^[a] Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. ³ So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

John 11:4-6  But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” ⁵ So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, ⁶ he stayed where he was for the next two days.

Our expectations of God and his love vs. God’s process of showing himself and showing his love.

God’s process is tough, but His purpose is love and glory.

John 11:11-15 Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

¹² The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” ¹³ They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

¹⁴ So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

God takes us places we do not want to go to teach and show us things we would never understand otherwise.

John 11:17-21 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was only a few miles^[d] down the road from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. ²⁰ When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.

God is inviting us to have faith, but not in our expectations.

John 11:22-27 ²² But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴ “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.^[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.

What God does or does not do and when God does or does not do it, are eclipsed by who God is.

It is not enough to believe in the event of the resurrection, we have to believe in the person who is the resurrection.

John 11:32-37  When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

³³ When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him,^[f] and he was deeply troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Then Jesus wept. ³⁶ The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” ³⁷ But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

God is not just over the process; He’s in it with you.

John 11:38-44 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. ³⁹ “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

⁴⁰ Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” ⁴¹ So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. ⁴² You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” ⁴³ Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

God became our sin, died our death, to show us His love and give us His life.

ANCHORED #4

A Study through the Book of Titus

Anchoring ourselves to the gospel will be the only way we experience real-life transformation.

Titus 3:1-3 Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. ² They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.

³ Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.

• What should the church be known for?

Titus 3:8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

Titus 3:9-11 Do not get involved in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees^[b] or in quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. These things are useless and a waste of time. ¹⁰ If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them. ¹¹ For people like that have turned away from the truth, and their own sins condemn them.

Titus 3:14 Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.

• Good deeds or good works are threaded throughout all of Titus chapter 3.

Titus 3:4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love,

My But God statement: I WAS _________ BUT GOD NOW I AM ___________.

• Who you were before the gospel and what happened because of the gospel.

Eph 2:9-10 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

A GREAT FILTER: Are my actions and attitude attracting people toward or repelling people away from the gospel?

Our good works can put the gospel on display to a watching world.

When was the last time the gospel moved you to tears?

What did you do about it?