Joy - Easter 2019
Sermon Audio
Sermon Notes
Intro:
Hey everybody Happy Easter! My name’s Louis I’m the lead teaching pastor here at City Awakening, it’s great to be with you this morning. If you’re a 1st time guest with us today I want to invite you to come back next week for a 4 wk series we’re starting called Unfollow. It’s called Unfollow, and it’s all about balancing life and technology. We’re not gonna hate on technology, because we’ve received many blessings from technology, but we do want to address some of the negative effects of technology. We want to address things like balancing all the distractions we have from the constant pings and notifications on our phones, or being physically present in a room with those you love, but being emotionally absent because your face is buried in a phone. We’ll even address our identity issues over using filters on photos, to cover up the blemished reality of life. We’ll discuss all this and more over the next 4 wks, and so take the invite cards on your seat, invite a few friends, and let’s grow together in balancing life and technology.
Now as for today, today we’re gonna talk about joy. Joy is one of those things everybody wants, yet so few of us seem to possess. I mean there’s moments where it feels like we possess it, moments like the joy you feel when you accomplish a big education or career goal. Moments like the joy you feel when you buy something new like a new car, new clothes, a new piece of technology, or one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity, a BBQ smoker...But the problem with all these moments of joy is they don’t last...None of these moments of joy ever last...So everybody wants joy, but so few of us seem to possess the type of joy that lasts. Instead we possess a seasonal joy, a situational joy that fluctuates with the different seasons and situations we face in life. But one of the great implications of Easter, one of the great implications of the resurrection of Jesus is joy. It’s not a seasonal or situational joy, it’s a lasting joy. So regardless of how you walked in here today, Jesus wants to meet you in your current season, in your current situation, in your present reality, to bring you that lasting joy. So let’s turn to John 11:17-27 and get into it. It’s John 11:17-27, located in the last quarter part of your bible. The title of today’s message is Joy, and here’s the big idea. Jesus offers us joy now, not just in the distant future...Jesus offers us joy now, in our present reality, not just in the distant future...You’ll see that in today’s text.
Context:
Here’s your context. The gospel of John records some of the historical events that took place during the life of Jesus, and the event we’re about to study is a time when a guy named Lazarus died. Jesus was close friends with Lazarus and his two sisters Martha and Mary, and what happens is Lazarus gets sick, he becomes deathly ill. Now Martha and Mary find out that Jesus is doing some ministry in a nearby countryside of Jerusalem, so they send somebody to get Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t come right away, he chooses to delay, and has a plan for why he delays. It’s so others will come to faith, but Lazarus dies in the delay, and we’ll pick it up from there.
The Word:
John 11:17-27 states this, “Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles 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.” Notice Martha’s grieving...She’s going through a joyless moment where she’s grieving the death of her brother. Her brother was sick, there wasn’t an ICU to take him too, there wasn’t any Hospice care to help ease his pain, it was just her and her sister trying to keep their dying brother alive until Jesus could come. But Jesus never comes, Lazarus dies, and Martha’s expressing frustration over Jesus not coming sooner. She’s like “Jesus where were you?..Where were you, why didn’t you come sooner? You should’ve been here Jesus, because if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” You ever felt like that before?..You ever been like “God where were you? Why weren’t you there for me, why did you let that happen to me?..If you truly loved me and cared for me, you would’ve been there for me...” Some of you are crying out to God like that now, in your present situation. It’s frustrating when God doesn’t do what we want, when we want, or how we want, and Martha’s expressing that frustration to Jesus.
Again vs. 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.’” There’s two things I want you to notice here, and the 1st is that she says on the last day, meaning she views her joy as something to be obtained in the distant future. We do this a lot as Christians, we speak about our joy as if it’s something to be obtained only in the way distant future, when we reach eternity. The 2nd thing to notice is Martha treats what Jesus is saying as a religious platitude. She’s like “Yeah yeah I know he’ll rise again, on the last day.” She believes the doctrinal truth of the resurrection, but she’s not allowing that truth to invade her present reality. Christians sometimes do this too, we’ll believe in a doctrinal truth, but not allow that truth to invade our present reality, to become a rock of stability in our moments of instability. Instead of allowing a doctrinal truth like the joy of the resurrection to invade our present reality and uphold our joy, we treat it like a platitude, allowing our present reality to rob us of joy. Bible Scholar Matthew Henry states, “The crosses and comforts of this present time, wouldn’t have such a deep impression upon us as they do, if we believed the things of eternity as we ought.” Religious platitudes can’t uphold our joy, we need the doctrinal truths and promises of those platitudes to invade our present reality. Martha’s acting like the only joy Jesus can offer her is a joy that’s available in the way distant future, on the last day. But Jesus is offering her and us joy now, in our present reality, not just in the distant future.
Again vs. 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.’” Jesus says “I am the resurrection and the life,” meaning he’s claiming to be God. He’s not claiming to be a good moral teacher like society teaches, he’s claiming to be God and to have the very power to raise people from the dead. He’s inviting Martha into a personal belief in him as her God and Savior. He’s inviting her into a personal belief in him, not a platitude belief in him, which is an important message for us in Orlando. It’s important because a lot of people in Orlando have a nominal, platitude belief in Jesus. They treat Jesus like a fan treats Justin Bieber. They might be a fan of Bieber, but they don’t really know Bieber personally, they’re not a true belieber. Ha! In a similar way Orlando has a lot of fans of Jesus, but they don’t really know Jesus personally, they have a nominal platitude belief in Jesus. But Jesus is inviting Martha and us into a personal belief in him as our God and Savior who is the resurrection and the life. It’s that personal belief that’ll allow us to have lasting joy both in the present and in the future, on the last day. Martha thinks her joy will come in the future, but Jesus is offering her joy now, in the present, through a personal belief in him.
Now the fact Jesus is both the resurrection and the LIFE, means we’ll never experience the fullness of joy apart from him. Jesus says in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” So the way to enjoy an abundantly full life, is to enjoy it in Jesus. I'm not saying non-Christians can’t enjoy things in life, because they can. God gives everybody common grace which is the grace He allows all of humanity to enjoy. It’s things like the air we breathe, the food we eat, even the very taste buds on our tongues to enjoy the food we eat. God gives common grace for everyone to enjoy, but there’s a special grace, a saving grace, an eternal grace and joy that only comes through faith in Jesus. I never realized this when I was an atheist, but I realize it now that I’m a Christian. I realize just how much joy I was missing out on when I was living my life apart from Jesus. But trying to get a non-Christian to see this is like trying to tell a blind person to see flowers blooming in the Spring. It can’t happen unless his eyes are opened to see it. In a similar way non-Christians can’t see the joys they’re missing out on unless their eyes are opened to Jesus. Jesus is opening Martha’s eyes and heart to personally believing in him, and finding her greatest joys in him. Jesus offers us joy now, in our present reality, not just in the distant future. Let’s skip down to vs. 38-44, because I want to show you Jesus backs his claims.
Vs. 38-34 states, “Then Jesus, deeply moved again...” Okay so one of the things that happens in vs. 28-37 is Mary ends up leaving her house to find Martha and Jesus, and when she finds them she starts weeping at Jesus’ feet. Then in vs. 33 it says Jesus is deeply moved, but a better translation of the Greek is he became angry or outraged. He’s not angry and outraged at Mary, he’s angry and outraged over sin and death. It’s that angry feeling you get when you lose someone you love to something like cancer and you say “I hate cancer! I hate death!” Jesus is angry like that. He’s angry over the painful effects sin and death has had on our world, and the grief it causes us. Then in vs. 35 we have the shortest verse in the bible Jesus wept...That’s the shortest verse in the entire bible, it’s two words, Jesus wept. Even though he’s the resurrection and the life, even though he’s the God who has the power to raise the dead, he still weeps with us over the grave. Now did Jesus have joy?..Did Jesus have joy?..Yeah, he did. Jesus was the most joyful person there was, but he still wept. He wept, and so joy doesn’t mean you won’t weep, it means you still have hope even as you weep. Joy is more than an emotion you feel, it’s a state of contentment regardless of how you feel. Jesus had joy, but he wept. He’s a loving, caring, empathetic God who weeps with us over the grave, and the painful effects sin causes our lives.
Again vs. 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.’” So clearly Lazarus isn’t in a coma, he’s dead. He’s been dead for 4 days. Martha even says there’s an odor, and I love the King James version because it says the word stinketh. I didn’t even know stinketh was a word until this past week, but now I know, and I’m gonna use it. Martha says it’ll stinketh.
Vs. 40, “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’” This is the 5th time the word “believe” is used. It’s because Jesus is repeatedly telling Martha to move from a platitude belief, to a real personal belief in him. Earlier Martha said she believed, but when Jesus asks for the stone to be moved her platitude belief is revealed. She’s like “Yeah, but it’ll stinketh. If you had been here sooner it would’ve been fine, but now it’ll stinketh.” Martha’s still not getting it, she still has a platitude belief, but Jesus is patient with her in her doubt. He doesn’t say “You know what? You blew it. I’m trying to do something nice, and you just keep blowing it. Idiot!” He doesn’t do that, instead he keeps being patient with her.
Vs. 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.’” Lazarus rises again, proving Jesus really is the resurrection and the life. He really is the God who has the power to raise us from the dead and give us eternal life, eternal joy. All he had to do was call Lazarus by name, and his life was restored...Okay so let me give you 2 takeaways from this story. It’s 2 things you can take with you from this 2019 Easter service, and you can either treat these things as a platitude, or you can personally believe them and allow them to invade your present reality, so your joy will be restored and upheld.
#1 Jesus has a future plan to restore our joy = Jesus has a future plan to restore our joy, and his delay doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. Remember he’s angry over the pain sin and death has caused us to the point where he weeps over our pains. He cares very much about your pain, and his plan is to restore your joy from all the pain sin and death has caused you. But we do what Martha did in the delay, we doubt and get angry at Jesus when we don’t see his future plans for our life. Yet Jesus was still working in the delay to restore her joy and build her faith beyond a platitude faith. Just like Jesus had a future plan to restore her joy, he has a plan to restore your joy. Just like Jesus had a future plan to build her faith beyond a platitude faith, he has a plan to build your faith beyond a platitude faith. He’s working that plan out right now, even in the delay.
#2 Jesus offers us joy NOW, in the present = Jesus offers us joy NOW, in the present, even as we’re waiting for his future plan of restoration to unfold. See what we’re celebrating on Easter isn’t the resurrection of Lazarus who’d eventually die again and have to be raised one last time. Instead we’re celebrating the resurrection of Jesus who only had to die once on the cross for our sins, and who rose again never to have to rise again. We’re celebrating the fact that Jesus really is the resurrection and the life, he proved it when he raised Lazarus and himself from the dead, and if he has the power to raise the dead, then he has the power to restore your joy both in the present and the future! When he said he’s the resurrection and the life, he was offering to restore Martha’s joy both in the present and the future. He was saying, “Martha you think all hope is lost, you think all joy is lost, but your hope and joy is right here! It’s standing right in front of you! It’s me! I’m your hope and joy, I’m the one who has the power to restore your joy, restore your life, restore even death itself! You can find your joy in me!”
But see Martha’s problem is our problem. She’s overlooking Jesus as her primary source of joy, just like we overlook Jesus as our primary source of joy. I mean we spend our entire lives trying to find our joy in things other than Jesus. It’s like we have these little baby T-rex arms that keep reaching for a joy that’s beyond our grasp. We’re like “If I can just get that promotion...just get that money...just fix this part of my life, I’ll finally have joy.” But it’s always just beyond your reach, or if you do reach it, you realize it didn’t satisfy you like you thought it would. So the T-rex arms go out again, start grasping for joy again, and the cycle never ends. It never ends because we keep trying to fill our hearts with things only Jesus is meant to fill. St. Augustine once said, “You’ve made us for yourself O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” C.S. Lewis likewise said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is, I was made for another world.” Their point is nothing in this world can ever satisfy, can ever do what only Jesus is meant to do. Nothing in this world can ever be our savior, raise our joyless lives from the dead, and give us eternal life, eternal joy. But Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life, and the less we treat that as a platitude...the more that truth will invade our present reality, thus restoring and upholding our joy in him.
The Big Idea:
Let’s have the worship team come up and get to the big idea. Here’s the big idea. Jesus offers us joy now, not just in the distant future...Jesus offers us joy now, in our present reality, not just in the distant future...How platitude it is for Christians to say we can trust Jesus for our joy in salvation, but we can’t trust him in our present situation...It’s platitude for us to say we can trust Jesus for our joy in salvation, but we can’t trust him to provide us with joy in our present situation. City Awakening if Jesus has the power to provide for your joy in salvation, he has the power to provide for your joy in your present situation, and in every situation.
But we need to expose the lies...Regardless of who you are or how you walked in here today, all of us need to expose the lies in our hearts this morning. It’s the lies that you can find your joy in the things of this world rather than in Jesus. It’s the lies that having a spouse, having children, having more money, more vacation time, more material possessions can fill the joy void in your heart. Expose those lies in your heart and turn to Jesus who can provide you with joy not just in your salvation, but in every situation. Turn to Jesus believing he really can forgive you of all your sins through his death on the cross, he really can raise you from the dead, he really can give you an abundantly full, joyful, eternal life in him. It’s not a pain free life, but it is a joyful life, when you walk with the God who’s the resurrection and the life. It’s a joyful life, because you know Jesus has a plan, even in the delay...For those of you who are struggling in the delay, if you want somebody to pray for you, or if you want to know how to have a relationship with Jesus. Some of our leaders will be standing in the back left corner of the room to pray for you. You can go back there anytime during the worship. City Awakening let’s stand and worship Jesus in the delay, trusting in him alone, to be the cornerstone of all our hope and joy.
Bible Scholar Matthew Henry states, “The crosses and comforts of this present time, wouldn’t have such a deep impression upon us as they do, if we believed the things of eternity as we ought.”
#1 Jesus has a future plan to restore our joy
#2 Jesus offers us joy NOW, in the present
St. Augustine once said, “You’ve made us for yourself O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
C.S. Lewis likewise said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is, I was made for another world.”