Talking To The Grieving Believer, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live in even if you guys, and everyone who lives and believes in network joining us today on this additional fellowship in the work pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana doing pastoral Gebhart now is once again he shows up how God's word meets our world never know what the Savior and this one is no exception, is a short time ago you had lunch with Lazarus you seem to use the picture of health. Now you're at his funeral.

People everywhere. It's a week long time of morning you recognize many of them because Bethany is a small town with a lot of other people there as well. A lot of the Jews, the leaders from Jerusalem. And of course the professional whalers are here and you're amazed that their endurance their cries of not subsided since you arrived. It's been four days, but out of respect for your friend Lazarus you stayed a console his sisters, Martha and Mary as your in their home and listening to the crying someone comes into the house and in whispers to Martha and immediately she gets up and leaves the house and then someone else's.

Jesus is coming, and follow Martha.

She is moving with the determined walk and they meet in Jesus embraces her and you wonder what is Jesus doing you wonder what is Jesus going to say. I mean you've heard him speak about life in the living, but what does he say about death. Open your Bibles to John chapter 11 in verse 21 will pick up the story. There verse 21. John writes Martha therefore when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet him. But Mary stayed at the house and mother then said the Jesus Lord, if you had been here, my brother would've not died. Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. You can blame or frustration UCLA had sent word. If you look back to verse three of chapter 11.

The sister sent word to Jesus and said, Lord, behold him whom you love sick.

The two words for sick and Greg the one word means the disease. The illness, the other word means the effects of the disease. That's the word it's used here Lord the one you love is sinking fast would be a good way to put it. See that's why Martha said, Lord, if you had been there. We sent word you didn't come almost every funeral has its Martha's sprinkled among the bereaved are the bewildered language gives them away too soon to young so much to live for such a servant of the Lord, does Jesus say to those of us who were bewildered at a funeral.

We have talked about Jesus talking his talk to a skeptic name Nathaniel and Ms. talk to a religious insider named Nicodemus in a more outsider the woman at the well. His talk the legalistic Pharisees and last time he was talking to the devil. But what does Jesus say when he is talking to a grieving believer. Verse 23 Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Even now those words seem like a platitude onto. Have you ever say that if you have ever walked up to those who are grieving and said don't worry, your level will rise again. You see, it doesn't quite sound right, does it mother shown great faith. She had thought sound theology and or worse, the Jesus but his words have that sort of someday far off sound that we often use funerals.

Someday way out there mother said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day is a woman of substance this a woman of great faith and sound theology. In fact, many of the liberal commentators when they come her safe.

She could've said that that had to be said much later, hundreds of years later by the church because a Jewish woman would know that many of the Jews that even believe in the resurrection of the dead physically.

I would disagree.

I think Martha was very keenly aware of some passages in the Old Testament.

I want to look at just to hold you place and John go with me to the book of Psalms Psalm 16 in verse 10 David speaking, David said, for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol or the grave.

Neither will you allow your holy one to undergo decay you will make known to me the path of life and in your presence is the fullness of joy in your right hand there are pleasures for ever.

David had an assurance of his eternal life and resurrection go back a few more pages to Job, chapter 19, Job, chapter 19, the words of Job in verse 25. As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will take his stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed yet from my flesh I shall see God. Job believed in his resurrection. David believed in his resurrection and Martha believe that as well, back to John. But there's a problem in her thinking she's not comforted by his words. She knows the truth, but the someday truth is difficult for the painful hard today she Martha makes a mistake. We often make. She said Sunday. Yes yes today never. Someday Lazarus will rise. But today never. That's the way she thought. Who can blame her. God can do anything in the future. It's the present that he struggles with. But if you can trust God, then you can trust God now in Jesus now orders to her the grieving believer.

Some of the most incredible words ever spoken words that were almost too familiar with. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. And he who believes in me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this, I am John's favorite expression when Jesus spoke this even though they spoken Aramaic in a text is written in Greek. I'm certain that Jesus spoke those words in Hebrew, Yahweh, Moses, tell them that Yahweh I am that I am sent you, that's God's great covenant name Yahweh and all the way through John over and over again. Jesus Christ says Yahweh I am the light of the world. I am the good Shepherd.

I am the way the truth and the life before Abraham was Yahweh. I am I am the resurrection and the life. It's almost like you to see Clark Kent unbuttoning his shirt revealing the S that's what he is doing. I am the resurrection and the life.

Some of the most important words ever spoken Thomas Hardy in his little book called countdown has some incredible things to say but listen to what he says here he said the two ultimate questions of existence are these one. Has anyone ever cheated death in two did he make a way for me. Wow. Think about that.

Has anyone ever cheated death and has that person made a way for me. I am the resurrection and the life.

If you go ahead. Three chapters of John 14. He says because I live usually balls.

He not only cheated it. He made a way for us.

What words look at that statement. I am the resurrection she was saying. I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day Jesus taught that. Don't talk about event in the future. It's immaterial whether you're talking about the past, the present or future because I am the resurrection and the life. It's not a future event. It's a present person me and then he connects us to whom he who believes in me will live, even if he dies, how clear could he be notice he doesn't talk about if you want eternal life be religiously active show up on a weekly basis be relatively moral. Be what we like to call. I like to be a good person doesn't talk about that at all. He says something else. You see, that's his promise.

I am the resurrection life you believes in me will live, even if he dies, I will cheat death, I will be victorious over death. I will make a way for you that's what you say. What does he mean never die.

What does he mean never die, he means where life really is. You will never spiritually die never. That's what you're saying you will never spiritually die is an ironic, it always in Scripture it says believers sleep. You see there's no death. Death means separation topics up in a different way to be absent from the body to be present with the Lord spirit lives you will never die. One commentator wrote this he said for the believer. Physical death is nothing. It's simply an escape hatch in the glory everything about it that way and escape hatch in the glory. You see, how can I know for sure we always that's how can I know for sure these are the words I am the resurrection and the life. By the way he did say this before. He was mean after he was crucified and resurrected.

He said this before he was crucified and resurrected.

You see, Jesus was a thinking boy I really hope that after him crucified and resurrected.

That's an event. I hope that happens is that I am the resurrection, she that's why said no one can take my life. I lay it down. I bring it back. I am the resurrection and the life.

That's why the apostle Paul wrote. Oh death where is your sting point testing system were never sure what to say to funeral but death cannot break the promise and the reality of your spiritual life. It can, not that's what Jesus saying he who believes in me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. That's his words and then he asked the question, do you believe this. While that's profound question, but apparently it's the key to everything. He is the resurrection life no matter what you believe. But whether or not the fact that you can cheat death and have victory over as he did is entirely dependent on whether or not you do believe that's what he is saying. Do you believe this and she said him yes Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, the son of God, and he who comes into the world crate statement again and a little bit strange when it's written in English, in the sense of the tents in English it says I have believed, is always a past event the present tense. I continue to believe that Lord, I believe that I believe that while by the whether something else here though even a woman of great faith and a woman who northern knew the Lord personally can only be believed at a funeral of a loved one, but be bewildered.

It's hard for us in, why, why him. Why her.

Why now, why she we believe like that, we would say if you would be here because we know he is here but what we say Lord you can do anything you could do this now we move from scene one to seem to.

And Jesus is again talking to a grieving believer when she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister sing secretly. The teacher is here is calling for you. I love it is you something a movement here this just a wonderful thing to see.

He says to Martha, please bring Mary to me calling. I am the resurrection and the life I have the power I am God incarnate. This is my deity. Now what we get to see his humanity were not going to see his power will go to see his heart and when she heard it she got up quickly and was coming to him that Jesus had not yet coming to the village but was still in the place where Martha met him and then the Jews who were with her in the house. Though some Jerusalem. Whenever John uses those term Jews. They were there consoling her. And when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there periodically over this period of time which could last up to seven days they would go to the tomb and cry redundant even much longer seven days you can go to a gravesite looked on recent letters on a tombstone crime. The grief they think this is what she's doing. This is what's happening. Notice the same questions. She's more pessimistic than her sister don't miss that. Therefore, Mary. When Mary came where Jesus was.

She saw and she fell at his feet and worshiped him, she said, Lord, if you would been hit my brother would not dine.

By the way she's not angry at him and think that's a slow she's brokenhearted she's not accusatory she's morning when Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews came with her also weeping. He was deeply moved in a spirit was troubled. The word was troubled is a reflexive verb, it means he troubled himself fit in trouble him. He troubled himself on the basis of what he saw it selected. Use the word verb perjure you perjure yourself. It's reflexive. That's what happens here Jesus is troubled himself and it says here that he was deeply moved in the spirit. The word has a lot to do with the idea being indignant in their weeping. The word is Cleo. It's the word for whaling. It's really crying out loud loudly as a group. She's sobbing she's heaving. It happens when love and in Jesus is watching the scene and it says here that he is troubled and that he is deeply moved CDCs what death does to us and he sees what sin has done to us brings about death. The wages of sin is death by the way, that's not the way we were created. We were created to live.

We were created to have an unbroken relationship with God forever.

We were created to have an unbroken relationship with each other forever. That's what we were created for sin change that we die. He is troubled and deeply moved. He feels will we feel that something he feels what we feel and said to them, where have you laid him and they said him, Lord, come and see Jesus wept, but not Cleo Eddie Cruz say is the word it's completely different.

It means the cry profusely, but silently is not saying anything to just running down his cheek. When you cry out to the Lord because of the hole in your heart because someone you love has died.

It's as though he grabbed you and whispers in your year. I know I know how you feel Scott include and he feels what we feel and he weeps. No wonder the Scripture says he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief understands pastoral giver on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike of a smoother message one more time.

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