When Faith Falls Short
John 11:1-44
Introduction: A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued:
"Is anyone up there?"
"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can’t hang on much longer."
"That’s all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch."
A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"
There was a tightrope walker, who did incredible aerial feats. All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary heights. Then he had succeeding acts; he would do it blindfolded, then he would go across the tightrope, blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow. An American promoter read about this in the papers and wrote a letter to the tightrope walker, saying, "Tightrope, I don’t believe you can do it, but I’m willing to make you an offer. For a very substantial sum of money, besides all your transportation fees, I would like to challenge you to do your act over Niagara Falls." Now, Tightrope wrote back, "Sir, although I’ve never been to America and seen the Falls, I’d love to come." Well, after a lot of promotion and setting the whole thing up, many people came to see the event. Tightrope was to start on the Canadian side and come to the American side. Drums roll, and he comes across the rope which is suspended over the treacherous part of the falls -- blindfolded!! And he makes it across easily. The crowds go wild, and he comes to the promoter and says, "Well, Mr. Promoter, now do you believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do. I mean, I just saw you do it." "No," said Tightrope, "do you really believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do, you just did it." "No, no, no," said Tightrope, "do you believe I can do it?" "Yes," said Mr. Promoter, "I believe you can do it." "Good," said Tightrope, "then you get in the wheel barrow."
How far will your faith take you?
Text & Overview
Sick man dying/ dead (vss 1-4)
Hesitant savior (Why does he linger?)
Martha (vss 17-27)
If you had been there
Martha knew, see, experienced
Yet I know
But, I question, what does Martha really believe
Jesus responds
Martha responds
*TRUST- How far do you trust God
Martha-as far as what I know/ only what I can perceive by 5 senses
Greatest problem in churches today
Not sinners in church -we could use more of them, then we would have evidence
of fulfilling our Great Commission
*But, lack of trust
We trust God only as far as we can throw Him
Trust God for salvation, but not for transformation
Ill-We can accept that we are forgiven for sexual sins/ improprieties, but fail to accept transformation change. New heart, new mind -becoming the New Man. Fail to receive the New Mind in Christ = deliverance
Drinking = sobriety only God can bring
Tobacco addiction = freedom
Not just overt sins/ vices, but..
Tithes- We fail to fully believe the promises of God. It’s like never mind the pressed down, shaken together, pouring into your lap thing.
[taking on the mind of Christ as concerns love, to neighbors, to enemies]
What would happen if the church would let go of its doubts and step out in full faith and assurance in God’s word?
Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you."
[expound]
But, like Martha, we are unwilling and unable to believe beyond our 5 senses. We are only able to accept what we have been shown, [seen, touched, heard...]
VSS 21-25
Most well known verse behind John 3:16
Power of Resurrection
[expound on death]
Our spirit comes from God; Goes to God, we are dust again (Psalm 104:29) Genesis-Man is dust, has no life in himself. All life comes from God; except Christ. Jesus is God and thus has life in Himself. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.
Resurrection- power of creation/ recreation
Mary is sought & seeks Jesus
Says same exact thing as Martha
Tomb-Test of Faith
How far will your faith go?
"Open the door"
"It stinks"
Martha-even after declaring Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of God. The one who ushers in the day of resurrection
[comparison of decomposition today/ then]
VS 40- Did I not tell you...
Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life
who was and is and is to come
the one through whom creation came to be
His Spirit, hovered over the waters, waiting to strike; waiting for the word
LAZARUS!!!, COME FORTH!!!
Miracle is made manifest
Jesus said it was for the glory of God so that they might believe.
God is a God of transformational power. And it is evident in the person of Jesus Christ.
"For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:5-11 (RSV)
Conclusion: We come this Easter to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but unfortunately, for too many of us, our problem is that we’re unwilling to enter the tomb. We live at the cross. We have no problem accepting that Christ died for our sins, but we have yet to accept the power of the resurrected Christ who is able to stamp out evil from the very depths of our heart and mind.
The Angels are inviting, "Come and see the place where He laid. He is not here. HE IS RISEN!". The Angels are inviting, but we are unwilling...
[communion]
