John's Story

• Today’s Gospel lesson tells us the story of Death, Resurrection, and Belief it the story of Jesus, It the Story of John’s Gospel

1. The Story of Death

• John tells us that “a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha”

• Yes this is what we do when someone is ill we send word: a message was sent to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill” (v. 3). Jesus loved Lazarus, they assumed he would rush to his side.

• Jesus said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory” (v. 4).

• Martha left her house to meet Jesus Did she have her hands on her hips when she said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”? (v. 21).

2. The story of Resurrection

• The Resurrection (Jesus) says, to Martha “Your brother will rise again” (v. 23).

• Martha or Doubt says, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (v. 24).

• The Resurrection offers new idea about Life He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (vv. 25-26).

• Martha saw the facts around her: Lazarus was dead, his body rotting in the tomb, and he wasn’t scheduled to rise until the resurrection on the last day. But now Jesus was saying, “I am the resurrection and the life. Do you believe this? Let Hope Arise, Let Prayers Arise, Let God Arise in us.

3. The Story of Belief

• Martha may have thought, I think I believe, but instead she believed somewhat she said, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world” (v. 27).

• Martha also had strong faith in Jesus, she went on to say, “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him” (v. 22).

• Mary may of thought, I think I beleive, “Lord, it is hard to have faith don’t you understand if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (v. 32).

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4. This also the Story of Jesus

• Jesus has compassion The Savior of the world, is crying. Jesus was moved, he was disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He’s touched. And suddenly, Jesus is crying.

• Jesus wants folks to have Faith He said, “Take away the stone,” someone commented, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days” (v. 39). “It’ll never work .

• Jesus wants folks to grasp the power of their God Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (v. 40). For Jesus, the key is believing — faith is the attitude that changes your life. Jesus want faith to change life

• Jesus wants belief that cause one to pass from death to life “Very truly, I tell you,” said Jesus, “anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life” (5:24).

5. This is the story of the book of John

• The Book of John changes our lives by inviting us to is to live full, full of love live full of grace

• The Story of John Teaches us about Death as reality, but death is not the end

• The Story of John teaches us about Resurrection as Hope, that Life doesn’t end at death, but continues into eternal life.

• The Story of John teaches us about Belief The book was written “so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).

• The gospel of John is a book that can change your life, because it tells the story of Jesus overcoming death. Do you believe it? Do you believe the Story of death, the story of Resurrection, The story Belief, The story of Jesus, The story of John?