MISSED LYRICS/ OPPORTUNITIES/ FAR SIDE

Missed – Significance of Resurrection

Tracking Significant “Becoming” moments in the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of John

Today? Tackle another oneOne of the most well-known stories – resurrection of Lazarus – missed the expansive

significance/ shrunk our experience of real LIFE

7th Miraculous “Sign” in the book of John - John favorite way of describing the miracles of Jesus

. Distinction: Miracles vs. signs

miracles - supernatural acts of God to intervene in the natural world of human beings

. Right thing to do – alleviate human suffering or discomfort

. Demonstration of Jesus’ supernatural power -

. Reinforce the authority of Jesus’ teaching – add credibility

. Also to point people to Jesus Himself - deeper meaning beyond the miracle or

event itself - to something bigger and deeper

. Because remember, John’s purpose in writing is to give us a window

into the inner soul of Jesus - reaffirm His essential identity

1st - Water to Wine at wedding in Cana - Jn. 2

2nd -Healing a Royal Official’s son - Jn. 4

3rd - Healing of Paralytic at the pool of Bethesda - Jn. 5

4th - Feeding of 5,000 - Jn. 6

5th - Walking on the Water - Jn. 6

6th - Healing of Man born Blind - Jn. 9

7th - Miraculous story we will look at today - Raising of Lazarus - combines the final “sign”

with one of Jesus’ most memorable self-identity claims

#7 – Hebrew Numerology – significant as the number of completion – very intentional

Catalytic event that seals Jesus’ fate - triggers the conspiracy to kill him - it is the final nail in the coffin

Event Surfaces 6 dimensions – SIX EXPANSIVE TRUTHS - Expand our Mental Space

FIRST - LET ME WALK US THROUGH THE STORY – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Other side of the Jordan river, some 50-60 miles away from Bethany

Gets the message that his close friend Lazarus is deathly ill

. Because Jesus is very close to them all (use of the word phileo

expectation is that He will rush to get there as soon as possible - come and cure him

Jesus drags His feet - waits 2 extra days - so uncharacteristic of Jesus and the disciples are perplexed

(I like to watch Jesus in these types of situations – so chill and unflappable) - setting up a

showdown with sin, evil, and especially death if we take v. 4 and v.11 & v. 14 at face value- Jesus is

very intentional here - in Lazarus being dead for 4 days, heavy decomposition of the body is already in

full swing – setting the table the glory of God to be revealed

Jesus arrives and is met by Martha outside of the village - fascinating one-on-one conversation with

her - (read Jn. 11:17-27) - One of Jesus’ self-identity claims - I am the resurrection and the Life

“do you believe THIS”

. Their view - all the dead went to a place called Sheol - where they lived vague,

shadowy, strengthless, vague, “meh” existence - awaiting the moment that

those who belong to God would be bodily resurrected on the last day – the

future day when the Messiah would come and usher in the new world. (– Believing

that the universe has been created by a great God and that he means to heal and redeem it.

When that happens, He will forgive his people their sin, establish justice, end suffering, heal a

creation, and bring the righteous dead back to life. This resurrection would be dramatic,

obvious, undeniable, and done on a mass scale. It would happen to all of God’s children, and it

would end human history… like war, square dancing, and football resurrection was not an

individual sport)

. Restricted, limited, narrow view

Jesus then has an emotionally draining interaction with Martha’s sister Mary - vv. 28-37

. She collapses in full, melt-down mode - at his feet (piptw, not proskuneo) . Devastated, broken - maybe even feeling angry/betrayed

. Placement of the word “mou” - different from Martha’s

. Here we see the sheer humanity of Jesus - moved/ Jesus wept (dakruo - to authentically enter

into the emotions - not clinical or distant (klaio) - professional mourners present

. See Something Else – visceral emotional stew brewing inside Jesus ...

. embriaomai - brewing anger and resolve - used of a bulls or horses snorting

- preparation to engage in aggressive behavior

. tarasso - to be tossed around – agitated

. Combined - ( - learning that a valued staff member’s husband was diagnosed with a

rare form of cancer - “I Hate This!”)

. Plus - edakruo - wept - not distant/clinical/ fabricated (professional mourners)

. authentic grief at the devastation sin, evil, death turned out on human race

. Put all three together - (Go Time!)

The Rest is Literally History - Jesus moves to the tomb - prays to the Father

. then with a loud shout (expressive of extreme authority – [only 4 places where Jesus

shouts – in the boat in the storm, here in Lazarus story, and on the cross])

and he commands Lazarus to come out of the tomb.

. At that moment – in the same way that the wind and waves immediately quieted in the storm

on the lake, the natural processes of death are instantaneously reversed - Lazarus comes

walking out of the tomb – is unwrapped and restored to his family

The Final Section of John 11 (11:45-57) records the polarizing effect of this miracle on the crowd

. also cements the resolve of the religious leaders to figure out a way to execute Jesus

SIGNPOSTS TO SIX EXPANSIVE TRUTHS - Extend and Enrich our Grasp = Expand Experience

1) Points Us To Jesus as the Source of Real Life

. Jesus IS the life - articular “the” - (zoe) - the one and only source and repository of the

kind of life that makes you fully alive in all facets and dimensions of life.

2) Points Us To Jesus’ Authority Over the Natural Laws of the Universe

. Jesus demonstrates His raw power to interrupt and alter natural processes

. miracles unearth God’s power and might

3) Points Us To Jesus’ Supernatural Power Over Physical Death

. Death is the ultimate obscenity - oppressive curse that dogs the human race

(Children’s prayer … bullies and intimidates us) (Woody Allen)

. Yet – Jesus’ command initiates a complete reversal of death’s effects on Lazarus

What kind of power??? Intercept and roll back the process of decomposition, make

dead cells come alive, arrest and override the onset of rigor mortis, reroute blood

pooling in the body, unclog arteries clotted with blood, restart dead organs, fill collapsed

lungs with air? What kind of power reconnect decayed synapses and regenerate/activate dead

brain cells? What kind of power does it take to shock a nervous system back into operation

without any kind of assistance from external stimulus or advanced medical technology?

(Medical profession would kill to develop this!)

Then Ask: How does this happen instantaneously/ just by speaking a word?

. A supernatural miracle of the highest order

4) Anticipates Jesus’ Own Bodily Resurrection from the Dead

. I myself am the resurrection

. One of the Unique Aspectsof Christianity – traces its origin to a single day in history. No other

religion does this. On a Saturday morning in early April in AD 30, there was no such thing as

Christian faith. One day later on Sunday – boom – there it was.

. matter of real historical record – evidence for the historicity of the NT and Jesus is

overwhelming

5) Points Us to the Reality of A Dimension of LIFE Beyond Mere Existence

FOMO - the real, deep reason that FOMO exists is the vague sense that we were made for more and we

are missing out - not $, success, accomplishments, more “likes’ or more clicks)

Something fundamental and grounding

(George Carlin – Difference between Baseball and Football – home – home, the deepest yearning of the

human heart – to belong, to be safe, to be prized, to be secure. Not home – homesickness -What Jesus

taught was that without God we have a cosmic homelessness)

Ps. 90 – You have been our dwelling place in all generations

Something beyond mere existence – level beyond – more alive

(Carter’s Death – more alive than I am)

6) Points Us to the Reality of Eternal Life

. Starting RIGHT NOW – for this life, in this world

. Jesus’ resurrection is the 8th great sign

. significance of numerology - “7” - complete - creation story takes 7 miraculous acts –

so this 8th sign signals a “new creation” 2 Cor. 5:17-18

. “I am the resurrection and the LIFE. whoever is believing in me will live, even if he dies and everyone who is alive and believes in me will never (ou me) die forever – .

. start a new life right now that will never end - Romans 6:4-11

. Activated by trusting faith - embracing Jesus with all you have and all you are for the

rest of your life (Hokey Pokey)

(Circles Diagram) (Our souls have been “dis-integrated” by sin)

. (mechanism) – the resurrection of Jesus

. (result) – release of Real LIFE

. (activation - “trusting faith”)

. Outcome - clean slate - total and complete forgiveness, A new power to overcome

residual sin and evil - new orientation to God, new motivation to change and live

for Him, new mind, heart, new hope, new perspective, community of people to

belong to – new life, not a retread of your tired, worn out, frayed past existence.

. Finally - Someday Completed - Our FUTURE bodily resurrection - when we pass from

this life - Life exponentially explodes into a level of life full-strength/

supercharged, beyond wildest imaginations - whole again (Circles Diagram)

Fill-In the Blank: Jesus’ Resurrected Life in us is stronger than death

WHAT’S DYING AROUND YOU?

marriage/ relationship/ dream/ project/ health/ pink slip/ divorce papers/ guilt, shame, woundedness, failures, -

Jesus resurrection means your sins are not fatal - your death is not final

ALWAYS FACE THE RISING SUN – (What if story of the world)

We can’t control how we die - but we can control how we live

. We talk about this world as the “land of the living” - No - this world is the land of the dying

. But those of us who embrace Jesus - we are not heading into the sunset - but to the sunrise

(Me - sitting in the morning - still, silent, think, pray - always face the rising sun)

Here’s the thing about death – we are not going to stay dead – when our last day on

this earth comes, He will say – COME FORTH

MISSED LYRICS – miss wd or two – kinda changes msg.

Missed – Significance of Resurrection (Dead people/ Randy Stonehill)

Alive… but not really ALIVE

Tracking Significant “Becoming” moments in the Life of Jesus thru John

Today - Tackle another -1 of most well-known – resurrection of L.

Sign Unwraps 6 expansive truths about resurrection

missed so much/ draw bead/ learn to live more deeply/ punch thru

7TH MIRACLE – In bk John - John favorite way describing miracles

Helpful Distinction: Miracles vs. signs

Signs:

1st - Water to Wine at wedding in Cana - Jn. 2

2nd -Healing a Royal Official’s son - Jn. 4

3rd - Healing of Paralytic at the pool of Bethesda - Jn. 5

4th - Feeding of 5,000 - Jn. 6

5th - Walking on the Water - Jn. 6

6th - Healing of Man born Blind - Jn. 9

7th - Miraculous story we will look at today - Raising of Lazarus –

combines the final “sign” + memorable self-identity claims

#7 – Hebrew Numerology – significant = completion – very intentional

Catalytic event – seals fate

EVENT SURFACES SIX EXPANSIVE TRUTHS

FIRST - LET ME WALK US THROUGH THE STORY – EXEC SUMMARY

Perea/ Batanea - 50-60 miles away from Bethany

Gets the message that his close friend Lazarus is deathly ill

. Because Jesus is very close to them all (use of the word phileo

expectation is : rush / come and cure

Inexplicably, Jesus drags His feet - waits 2 days –disciples perplexed

Chill and unflappable/ intentionality/ setting up a showdown

Lazarus dead 4 days/ heavy decomposition / setting table

Jesus arrives/ met by Martha outside village - fascinating 1-1 conv

Jn. 11:17-27 – Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb 4 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 tp 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, even though he dies, yet shall he live – and everyone who lives and believes in Me will 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.” – 1 Jesus’ self-identity claims –

I am the resurrection and the Life “do you believe THIS” . Their view - Sheol -vague, shadowy, strengthless, “meh” existence

(Ortberg Quote on resurrection)

. She makes an amazing confession (bad rap)

Jesus then has an emotionally draining exchange w/ Mary

. She collapses in full, melt-down mode - at his feet (piptw) . devastated, broken - maybe even feeling angry/betrayed

. placement my “mou” - different from Martha’s

. Sheer humanity of Jesus - Jn. 11:33-35 -Now 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”. Jesus wept. moved - (dakruo - authentically enter emotions) not clinical (klaio) . See Something Else – visceral emotional response brewing

. “moved” - embriaomai - snorting – mix of anger/resolve – prep

. “troubled” - tarasso - to be tossed around – agitated

. Combined - (“I Hate This!”)

. Add – “wept” edakruo - manufactured/fabricated (pro mourners)

. authentic grief at the devastation/ havoc

. Put all three together - (Its Go Time!)

The Rest is Literally History - Jesus moves to the tomb –

Prays to the Father/ Shout/ natural processes instantly reversed

Lazarus comes out – is unwrapped & restored to fam

The Final Section of John 11 (11:45-57) records the polarizing effect

SIGNPOST TO SIX EXPANSIVE TRUTHS

Extend and Enrich our Grasp Expand Experience

1) Points Us To Jesus as the Source of Real Life

. Jesus IS the life - articular “the” - (zoe) - the one and only

2) Points Us To Jesus’ Authority Over Natural Laws of the Universe

. demonstrates His raw power to interrupt/ alter nat. processes

. miracles display God’s power and might

3) Points Us To Jesus’ Supernatural Power Over Physical Death

. Death - ultimate obscenity - oppressive curse that dogs human race

(Children’s prayer … bullies and intimidates us) (Woody Allen)

. Yet – J’s command initiates a complete reversal of death’s effects

What kind of power??? (This wk – sat down and wrote)

4) Anticipates Jesus’ Own Bodily Resurrection from the Dead

. I myself am the resurrection

. 1 of the Unique Aspects – traces its origin to a single day in history

. matter of real historical record – empirical evidence overwhelming

5) Points Us to the Reality of LIFE Beyond Mere Existence

FOMO - the real, deep reason that FOMO exists is the

vague sense that we were made for more and we are missing out

not on $, success, accomplishments, more “likes’ or more clicks)

missing out on Something fundamental and grounding

(Difference between Baseball and Football) – home

home, the deepest yearning of the human heart – to belong, to be

safe, to be prized, to be secure.

Conversely - Not home – homesickness

Jesus taught was that w/o God we suffer cosmic homelessness)

Ps. 90 – O Lord, You have been our dwelling place …

Something beyond mere existence – level beyond – more alive

6) Points Us to the Reality of Eternal Life

. Starting RIGHT NOW – for this life in this world

. Jesus’ resurrection - 8th sign- “7” – creation/ new-create

2 Cor. 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold – the new has come

This is what Jesus means - “I am the resurrection and the LIFE. whoever is believing in me will live, even if he dies … . start a new life right now that will never end - Romans 6:4 – We have been buried with Him through baptism into His death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too might walk in newness of life!

. Flesh Out (Circles Diagram)

(Our souls have been “dis-integrated” by sin)

. (mechanism) – the resurrection of Jesus

. (result) – release of Real LIFE

. (activation - “trusting faith”) (Hokey Pokey – Whole self in)

. Outcome - clean slate (other effects ….)

. Finally - Someday Completed - Our FUTURE bodily resurrection

. when we pass - exponentially expands (End Circles Diagram)

(2011- Carter’s Death – more alive than I am)

Fill-In Blank: Js’ Resurrected Life in us is stronger than death

In Jesus, we are becoming more and more and more alive

WHAT’S DYING AROUND YOU?

marriage/ relationship/ dream/ project/ health/ pink slip/

divorce papers/ guilt, shame, woundedness, business failures, -

Jesus resurrection means your sins are not fatal - your death is not final

“WHAT IF STORY OF THE WORLD”

We can’t control how we die - but we can control how we live

. “land of the living” - No - this world is the land of the dying

. But those who embrace Jesus - not heading into the sunset

but to the sunrise. (Me - sitting in the morning) (Rising sun)

Here’s the thing about death – we are not going to stay dead –

when our last day comes, He will say – COME FORTH

And then, we shall be more alive than we have ever!

Misunderstood Lyrics

Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze

Correct Lyric: ‘scuse me while I kiss the sky

What People Hear:’scuse me while I kiss this guy”

Hot Chocolate’s YouSexy Thing

Correct Lyric: I believe in miracles

What People Hear: I remove umbilicals

Beatles: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Correct Lyric: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

What People Hear: blue seal in the sky with diamonds

The Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams

Correct Lyric: Sweet dreams are made of these

What People Hear: Sweet dreams are made of cheese

Uncle Kracker’s Drift Away

Correct Lyric: give me the beat boys, and free my soul

What People Hear: give me the Beach Boys and free my soul

Queen’s We Will Rock You

Correct:”kickin’ your can all over the place”

What People Hear: “kicking your cat all over the place

Resurrection (Ortberg) Believing that the universe has been created by a

great God and that he means to heal and redeem it.

When that happens, He will forgive his people their

sin, establish justice, end suffering, heal a creation,

and bring the righteous dead back to life. This

resurrection would be dramatic, obvious, undeniable,

and done on a mass scale. It would happen to all of

God’s children, and it would end human history…

like war, square dancing, and football resurrection was

not an individual sport)

. Restricted, limited, narrow view

Difference Between Football and Baseball

Football is played on a gridiron, Baseball in a park

Football players wear helmets, Baseball wear a cap

Baseball – 7th inning stretch, Football – 2 min warning

Baseball gets extra innings, Football has sudden death

Biggest: FB, main objective is military – battle fought in

Trenches, the general (QB) seeks to evade blitz, soften

up the enemy with a pounding ground attack and

aerial bombardment – uses bullet passes and sometimes

a long bomb in order to take real estate

In Baseball, the object is to go home

Home One spot on field different from the others – where

you start, but you can’t stay there, you have to leave to

get to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, - think the next one would be 4th base – no,

called home. Once there, no one can bother you. It’s where

you’re safe, where your story begins. You can walk around

in your underwear, let the dog kiss your lips, eat a Tweenkie

for Bfast. You are protected – police need a permission to

enter.

This Wk – sat down and wrote: Intercept and roll back the process of decomposition,

make dead cells come alive, arrest and override the

onset of rigor mortis, reroute blood pooling in the body,

unclog arteries clotted with blood, restart dead organs,

fill collapsed lungs with air? What kind of power

restore decayed neurons and reconnect broken synapses

and regenerate/activate dead brain cells? What kind of

power does it take to shock a nervous system back into

operation without any kind of assistance from external

stimuli or advanced medical technology?

(Medical profession would kill to develop this!)

Then Ask: How does this happen instantaneously

How does this happen just by speaking a word?

. A supernatural miracle of the highest order

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep …

Actually another verse children used to recite:

Our days begin with trouble here, Our life is but a span

And cruel death is always near, so frail a thing is man

Sweet Dreams honey …. Well that’s comforting

Death Bullies/ Intimidates/ Pushes us Around

(Woody Allen)

“What If” Story of the World

In the beginning God says

What if I make a universe?

What if I make people in my own image, on whom I can

pour out all my love and the richness of all my

goodness, who will love and treasure me back?

What if when they sin and reject me and turn away from

me – what if I don’t give up on them?

Instead, what if I die on a cross for them – take all of their

suffering and shame – what if I take on all of

their guilt, and pain, and the heartache that

crushes the human spirit?

What if God did exactly this – in His own Son Jesus?

And what if, 3 days later, I say to Him – now, what if you

get up?

And He did

And what if when Jesus came alive, never to die again, it

changed everything for us?

And here we are …

Now when life wants to crush me, steal my dreams, tank

my spirit – when it wants to keep me stuck and make me

want to curl up into a fetal position – what if because of

Jesus, I get up again.

Someone once told me: you don’t get to choose how or if

or when you will die – but you do get to choose how

you will live.