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| Pastor Raymond Fong in the pulpit |
Lazarus was dead 4 days
Jewish belief: soul remains for three days then departs.
By fourth day Lazarus soul had departed
His body decomposed.
Lazarus was truely dead:
This was no mere resusitation
This was genuine resurrection;
This was a foreshadow of Jesus own resurrection.
Lazarus was dead
We can nottrivialize death.
We can empathize with those who mourn.
Martha mourned the death of her brother Lazaus yet she had a posture of faith.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
(John 11: 21)
Jesus invites Martha to trust him.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
Pastor Raymond remembers his own grandfather on his deathbed,
sickly yet fondly remembering "grandma" his wife who had already passed on:,
with the confident hope and reassurance of seeing her once again in the future.
Pastor Raymond shares that hope: that he will see grandpa and grandma one day again.
1 Cor 15: 55 O death where is thy sting?...
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| Here and Now |
"I am the resurrection and the life"
When Jesus talks about being the resurrection and the life,
he is not only talking about some distant heavenly future.
Our faith is about here and now.
We are raised to life now.
(Phil 3: 10-11)
Are you in a situation of dead and gone?
Dead marriage?
Dead relationship?
Dead job?
Jesus can raise you!
Testimony:
Pastor Raymond was caught in traffic jam
praying
not wanting to be late for meeting.
sense of reassurance
God's peace
God did not change the situation
did not relieve the traffic jam
But God changed Pastor Raymond.
Allowed him to cope with the situation.
Finallay got to the meeting.
Great ministry took place.
So in times of distress ask God not to change the circumstance but to change you.
Mary had a posture of grief:
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32)
Mary utters the same words as Martha had, but Mary is wrought with grief at this point.
Mary had a different attitude:
From the Greek text we learn that Mary was distraught with grief, wailing, weeping.
And we learn that Jesus was deeply agitated, angry, shake, moved in the spirit:
Why?
Perhaps angry with death and the devastation it brings.
And in the shortest verse in the bible: Jesus wept. (John 11:35)
(Edakrusen Iesous in Greek
et lacrimatus est Iesus : <Vulgate>
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| TAKE HOME MESSAGE |
DECISIVE ACTION
Jesus unfolds his plan of action in our life
Brings us comfort in ways we may not understand.
Martha was asked
"Do you believe I am the resurrection and the life?"
Today Jesus asks you the same question:
You, who may feel down and out
You, who may be buried in a pile of trouble
You, who may be in dead relationships
dead situations...
Jesus says to you "Do you believe I am the resurrection and the life?"
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| LORD's SUPPER |
may thsi be a means of grace to you.
Allow God to breath his GRACE into your broken life to change you
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| HYMN OF DEDICATION |
Because He Lives Lyrics
God sent His Son
They called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal and forgive
He lived and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives
Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives
And then one day
I'll cross that river
I'll fight life's final war with pain
And then as death gives way to vict'ry
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know he lives
Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives
Songwriter(s): Gloria Gaither, Bill Gaither, Patrick Standfast, Arnthor Birgisson, Christian Karlsson, Alceu Alvez Damico
Sketchnote was recorded live on iPad using SketchbookPro:
Grid template was used to devide page into 6 subpages.
Pastor's sketch, Lazarus and Jesus and the communion elements were in my original sketch.
Mary and Martha added post production.
Post production I tidied up my handwriting.
I did the cluster balloons .
I added a rectangle for each subpage.
I did fill-in paint job for balloons and sub-pages
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