is Jesus only future?

Series: Conversations with Jesus
John 11:17-27
“Is Jesus Only Future?”
DiagnosisA woman went to a walk-in clinic, where she was seen by a young, new doctor. After about three minutes in the examination room, the doctor told her she was pregnant. She burst out, screaming as she ran down the hall.An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him what had happened. After listening, he had her sit down and relax in another exam room. The doctor marched down the hallway back to where the first doctor was and demanded, ‘What’s the matter with you? Mrs. Terry is 59 years old, has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was PREGNANT?!’The young doctor continued to write on his clipboard, and without looking up, asked, ‘Does she still have the hiccups?’ You have power as well!

Jesus is in a conversation with Martha concerning the death of her brother Lazarus and the fact that she thought Jesus should have come sooner to help him, so perhaps he wouldn’t have died.
Jesus is saddened by the lack of understanding of who really gives life and when he gives it. By his words, he emphasizes the thought that resurrection is not just a future hope but also a present reality.
How often we live knowing the power of God to save us in the future but denying the power of God to carry us today. Paul emphasized this to the churches he visited, too:
Ephesians 1:19-20 “incomparable power working within you”
Colossians 2:13 “God has raised us to live an empowered, transformed life”
Romans 5:17 “raised up in Christ, he has given us the same authority, power”
We have a tendency to act like Martha, seeing resurrection life as only something future. Our faith is attacked on a regular basis to keep us in a fog about living the resurrection life now.
Lazarus came out as Jesus’ proof that he was the present day resurrection.

INTRO
My bottle goes when under pressure,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
-But as one writer put it—he collapsed like a cardboard wind tunnel
I would have wondered:
-God, where were you when I needed you?
All of us ask this question from time to time
Where were you? When my car decided to die?
-When my faith was put on the line, and I didn’t know what to say?
-When the world seemed to turn against me—and I needed to know you cared?
-When I lost my job, when depression struck
-When my loved one died
-In the story of John 11—Martha wondered, “Where were you?”
-Her brother Lazarus was dying
-They assumed Jesus would come immediately
-After all—Mary and Martha and Lazarus were like Jesus’ extended family
· -But Jesus did not come-read (verse 4-6) Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days
-The text could better read—
-Jesus loved Lazarus and Mary and Martha—“so then”—He stayed
-Makes you wonder if He did not like them what He would have done
-This is not making sense
-God is never late for appointments
But then—as in every story of Jesus
-Something is going on that goes beyond the layer of human comprehension
-Something bigger than our wants—something bigger than Lazarus
-Something even beyond the intellectual capacity of His disciples (verses 7-8)
-For them—it was—WHY WOULD YOU GO?
-But for Martha—it would soon be—WHY DID YOU STAY? (verses 17-21)
-You remember Martha—Mary is the stay at home type -the one in the living room, ministering to people-available when Jesus comes in to sit at His feet
-Martha is the one in the kitchen -preparing the food -Mashing the tatties
-Taking particular note of who has come—and Who has not
-And while she expressed faith in Jesus-one can hear a tone of slight disappointment-even accusation-at Jesus’ delay (verse 21)
-The language could fairly be translated this way—
-Lord-if you had been here (which you weren’t), my brother would not have died (which he did)
-This is a grieving person desperately wishing it could have been different
-Who in effect said-“Lord, you could have been here--should have been here”
-Because she knew Jesus could have healed her brother
But she did not give up on Jesus (verse 22)
-She knew that Jesus was intimately connected with the Father
-Jesus can do something—what it is—she is not sure
-Say a little prayer—“Father-receive Lazarus into Your care”
-Comfort hearts—Jesus was good at this
Jesus’ response offered no explanation for His delay
-Just a simple statement (verse 23) Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
-On the surface, these must have appeared as nice words
-Jesus does not tell Martha anything she did not know
-For most Jews believed in a future resurrection
-Your brother will rise again was like saying—we will see him in heaven
-It’s all “religiously correct” small talk
-We know what it sounds like—we’ve heard it often
-Words meant to fill the vacant space
-Comfort words
Martha was good at small talk as well (verse 24) Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
But none of this probably addressed the profound disappointment Martha was feeling:
-In her mind—Jesus had missed a pastoral moment
Pastors are notorious for doing this
-Illustration-missed someone—I was there—but I wasn’t weeks later
-I would call—send cards—but she needed more than words—she needed my presence
-Grief had turned to anger—and I wasn’t there to listen
-I missed a pastoral moment
But this is not about Jesus failing at pastoral care
-Rather—it was all leading up to the pastoral moment Jesus had determined in eternity past for Martha (verses 25-26) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
-Suddenly, Martha was pressed to a deeper level of discussion
-Martha—healing people is not My highest objective
-It’s not about your well being—but My glory
-Teaching you who I am is far more important
-And this is who I am—I am the resurrection and the life
-Jesus was shifting Martha from abstract belief to personal trust
-From doctrine to a Person
-Martha was suddenly confronted with how she perceived Jesus
And on the surface—it would appear Martha got it (verse 27) "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world
-She declared this creed like confession
-End of story—end of conversation—THE END!
But in truth—the conversation was not over
-Martha’s statement came up short--she didn’t really get it
-But then—neither did others (verse 32)
All of this moved Jesus (verses 33, 35, 38)
-A God who weeps when we weep
- God is not remote from our sufferings
-He is nearer than we are to ourselves
But that is not just what these words are saying
-These are words that mix grief with anger—outrage even
-Words that picture a soul in turmoil—gut wrenching emotion
-All chiseled down to two words—the shortest verse in the Bible—Jesus
WEPT
-The same language used when Jesus wept over Jerusalem
But what is Jesus grieving over—outraged over?
1) In part, this is Jesus standing before the door of death—grieving over the human condition
-And the devastation death brings
-Viewing it like a playground bully—interfering with the world as it should be
2) But more-this was Jesus grieving over a people who chose to be overcome by defeat rather than overwhelmed by His power
-Saddened, angered over those who refused to see Him for who He really was—and what He can really do
-That what He provides in the future—He can do in the present
-He could see in Martha—that despite this great confession of faith (verse 27)
-Still did not get it
-In fact—she is the first one to object over moving the stone
She believed in Jesus’ future work—but was not expecting anything in the present
APPLICATION
Could that be us?
-Like Martha—we too can declare our creed—but miss this—
-That the resurrection isn’t some distant truth—it is a present experience for every person in Christ
-With powerful implications
This seems to be the truth Paul wanted the church to get as much as any—
1) To the Ephesians:
-Eph 1:19-20-I pray that you might know the incomparable power working within you
-That experiencing His power and presence and wisdom be a daily reality—and not some mere future hope
2) To the Colossians:
-Col 2:13-God has raised us (now!)—that we might live an empowered, transformed life
-A life in which the Christlike life will eventually become more natural than an un-Christlike life
3) To the Romans
-Romans 5:17-because we are raised up in Christ (who has placed all things under His feet), He has given us the same authority, power to reign with Him
-He sits at the right hand of the father-transfusing us with His Spirit, adorning the church with gifts, restraining sin, holding all power in heaven and earth
-So that we might do even greater things because He has gone to the Father and sent His Spirit
So why is this missing so often in us?
1) In part because we make the same mistake of Martha—of seeing resurrection as something only future—when it is present
But living that way is like saying getting married means—
“Because I’ve given you this ring, you will be taken care of in retirement”
-No, there’s something to be experienced in the present
2) In part because we are in a war that chips away at our convictions, undermining our belief that God intends for us to live at this level
-A fog that keeps us from seeing who we really are—what we could really be—as people of the resurrection
Satan and his emissaries bank an awful lot of their work on the fact that Christians don’t know the power and authority we now have in Christ
-And keep them in the dark
-Deceiving them into seeing the spiritual life as all about forgiveness and grace—and not so much about empowered, Christlike living
SO WHAT’S NEEDED?
-Take Jesus’ resurrection power, authority seriously
-Quit settling for A LIFE OF RESIGNATION
-Assuming so little—domesticated faith, some ritual—
-Quit accepting life at ground level
live in the power!! We are to live the normal Christian life, you know what that is? To have an appetite for the impossible, In Redding California, a couple were having a wedding, they sent out buses to the neediest and poorest part of the city and invited the homeless and the poor to their wedding meal, on their gift list was not the usual, but coats, hats, gloves, sleeping bags for those in need, his name was Luke, he walked with difficulty, he wore braces on his arms, a brace around his neck, he had carpal tunnel syndrome, some people prayed for him, he felt the numbness and pain go, one leg was shorter than the other due to an accident and the surgeon repairing a break, they prayed the leg would grow and it did, as he stood he said “yes that is about right as if he was trying on a new pair of shoes, his limp was gone, he also had cancer, the muscles in his neck had gone, they prayed for his neck, commanding muscles to grow, when they finished he removed his brace, the lumps in his neck were gone, his doctor gave him a clean bill of health, the healings continued after the physical, he got a job for the first time in 17 years, Jesus heals the whole person.
-You know our problem? We do not expect, we assume little and receive little, the problem exists between our ears! A renewing of our mind is needed.
-God does not heal always he is sovereign, we do not know his plans, but you know what if we do not ask for the power of God to move in our lives, we will not receive any, neither will anyone else, but if we ask, if we pray God will not ignore our pleas, God will move! Lives change
-What is God’s will? Jesus told us quite simply, “may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, God wants the things of heaven here on earth, love joy peace, wholeness, wisdom, health and all the other good promises we read of in the bible, these should be free to operate on earth, in your home, in Church, in your work, in your school.
That is our job here on earth, defeat the devil, live for God, this is normal for Christians, it is in our DNA, we have it from Jesus, He has defeated sin for us, so it is not a barrier, but he was completely dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit working through him, How dependent are we upon him for life? Trust in him, seek him, delight in him and discover what Jesus has in store for you!