Monthly Archive for July, 2011

The Centrality of the Resurrection

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [31:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (152)

1 Corinthians #26. An exposition of 1 Corinthians 15:1-19. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, July 31, 2011.

Intro:
The heart.  That little mussel tucked away in your chest.  Without it - there is no life!  The heart pumps life-giving blood to every part of the body.  The heart of the Gospel is the resurrection.  The resurrection gives life to every other area of Gospel truth.  The resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns.  Without the resurrection the other “truths” of Christianity would not matter much.  Without the resurrection Christianity would just be so much wishful thinking.  The message of the New Testament is the message of the risen Christ and that message finds its greatest expression in the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians.  This is the earliest biblical account of the resurrection written less than three decades after the fact.  G. Campbell Morgan declared that, “In all literature there is no greater passage in diction, in dialect, or in dynamic.”  It is an extraordinary chapter.  As we near the end of our study of this book we are going to slow down and take a careful look at this chapter.  This evening we’ll consider the first 19 verses.

Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-19

In this chapter Paul gives the fullest and most important treatment in the Bible of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.  Let’s be clear, by resurrection we mean the creative act of God whereby the bodies of dead people are raised to life.  This is a distinctively biblical concept.  You’ll not find this in paganism.  There are allusions but little direct information in the Old Testament.  Resurrection hope can only come to full flower after Christ conquered death and the grave.

Understand this passage is about the resurrection of the body, not the immortality of the soul.
While related these are not the same, they are not interchangeable.
It is also important to note Paul is talking about the resurrection of believers in this text.
Unbelievers will be raised as well but that is not the focus of this passage.
We are not sure how or why questions concerning the resurrection have been raised.

It is clear there were those in Corinth who denied the resurrection (12) but what precipitated this discussion we do not know.

There are at least two contributing factors:

  1. Jewish converts and their perspective.
    Judaism did not put much stock in an after life.  There are a few passages in the OT which hint at an after life but not many.  Judaism looked for a Messiah to relieve their present suffering.  They expected Messiah to establish an earthly kingdom here and now.  Resurrection was a stumbling block for the Jews.
  2. Greek converts and their perspective.
    The Greeks believed in the immortality of the soul but they believed that the body was the prison of the soul.  This is the result of their dualistic way of thinking.  Within Greek philosophy the spirit was good while the body (material) was evil.  So they rejected as foolish the notion of a bodily resurrection.

The church at Corinth was made up of both Jewish and Greek converts.  For whatever reason there were those in the congregation who struggled with the whole concept of resurrection and thus Paul set out to explain why the resurrection matters.  Paul makes it clear that…

Thesis: The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead is essential to the Christian faith.

It is not an optional belief.
It is not a secondary concern.
It is essential, it is at the core of the faith.
Essential = absolutely necessary, that which is inherent.
Remove the resurrection and there is no Faith, no Christianity.

Paul sets forth four facts demonstrating the essential nature of the resurrection.

  1. The fact that the resurrection of Christ is essential to the Gospel.  (15:1-5)
  2. The historical testimony to the reality of the resurrection.  (15:5-10)
  3. This is the message universally preached by all the apostles and the one you believed.  (15:11)
  4. The resurrection is fundamental to salvation and tied to all the other doctrines of our faith.  (15:12-19)

Conclusion:
The doctrine of the resurrection is a precious doctrine, essential to our faith.  To deny it is to deny the faith.  My God grant us the faith to embrace it, glory in it, proclaim it and live in the blessed hope of it.

The Wonder, Glory & Urgency of the Gospel

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [35:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (153)

Gospel of John #32. An exposition of John 12:27-36. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning July 31, 2011.

Intro:
We are a “gospel people.”  That is we are a people born out of the gospel, held together by the gospel and kept safe by the gospel of the Lord Jesus.  The gospel is something more than what we believe.  It is who we are.  Too often people think of the gospel as just the story about how we are saved.  The gospel is the good news that God is for us.  It is the message of all that God has done, is doing and will do for His beloved.  The gospel is the story of the plan, the will, and the program of God from before time began to all eternity.  This is why it is true to say, “We never outgrow the gospel.”  We never move beyond the gospel to the “deeper things” of God.  We grow into not out of the gospel.  One of the dangers of the Christian life is familiarity.  We become familiar with biblical truths and thus become comfortable.  We handle the sacred until it is “common.”  We know the story so well it loses its wonder.  Nowhere is that more true than the story of Christ’s Passion.  We’ve read about it, we’ve sung about it, we’ve seen it performed, we’ve rehearsed it again and again until it’s become just another story.  We no longer feel the pain.  We do not see the agony.  We hear the faint echo of His cries but we fail to sense the wonder of it all.  Its glory escapes us and we are unaware of the urgency of its message.  That’s too high a price to pay.  I encourage you, no I beg you, come this morning with a fresh perspective and experience the wonder, the glory and the urgency of the gospel.  Our text is found in the 12th chapter of John’s Gospel.

Text: John 12:27-36
It’s Passover.
Jerusalem is buzzing with excitement.
Our Lord enter the holy city making a bold, public announcement.
His entrance was a declaration, “I am Messiah.”
He used the inquiry of some Greeks as the occasion to announce His hour had come.

With one sentence He ignited the crowd, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

In the next breath he sent them reeling, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Glory and death?
How do these go together?
Lose your life and keep it - hold on to it and lose it?
What does all this mean?

It’s about to get more confusing for the followers of Jesus as He reveals His troubled soul in the shadow of the cross.

Thesis: The experience of Jesus as He approaches the cross reveals the wonder, the glory and the urgency of the gospel.

There are three things I want you to note.  Things that, when they get hold of you, will forever change your perspective on the gospel.

  1. The wonder of the gospel is found in Jesus’ persevering commitment to God’s eternal plan.  (12:27-28)
  2. The glory of the gospel is displayed in the certainty of God’s fierce judgment and the loving attraction of the cross.  (12:29-33)
  3. The urgency of the gospel is manifested by the impending darkness.  (12:34-36)

Orderly Worship

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [42:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (169)

1 Corinthians #25: an exposition of 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, July 24, 2011.

Intro:
Don’t you hate it when you get nailed by your own words?  What parent hasn’t found themselves in the position of wanting to say to a child, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say?”  I’ve long been an advocate of preaching through biblical books.  From my first days as a pastor I’ve preach through books of the Bible.  My reasoning was simple, if I preach through the books it forces me to deal with subjects I would never choose to deal with.  If I pick and choose I’m likely to ride my hobby horse and avoid subjects that make me uncomfortable or subjects I’m less sure about.  Enter tonight’s text.  I’ve dealt with the “big issue” in chapter 14 so I could just move on to chapter 15.  After all the end of 14 is just some “housekeeping” kinds of things about order in worship services.  Nothing too significant there.  But because I have had a habit of preaching through books and marching through section by section someone would ask why I skip the last 3rd of the chapter.  So I have to deal with it and in doing so I have to address the issue of women keeping silent in church.  Our text this evening is found in the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians.

Text: 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
Paul’s basic message to the Corinthian believers is “grow up!”
You are saints, set apart by the working of God’s grace, now act like it.
It is an admonition to live up to their calling.
In chapters 11-14 he deals with issues of public worship.
In chapter 11 the subjects are head coverings and the Lord’s Table.
Chapter 12 introduces the subject of spiritual gifts.
All are gifted and they are gifted for the good of the body.
He also deals with the nature of the church - a body with members in mutual dependence.
Chapter 13 makes it clear love is to be their guide.
Love is to animate, motivate and permeate all they say and do.

It is obvious that the Corinthians were enamored with the gift of tongues and thus blew the gift out of proportion.  Paul makes it clear that prophecy is superior to tongues in that it builds up the whole congregation because it can be understood by all and leads to conviction, confess and worship.  He did not say that tongues are of no value or not to be sought after but that it is better to speak 5 words that can be understood than an infinite number of words in an unknown tongue.

That brings us to our text.
Here we are going to find that…

Thesis:
Our worship is to be decent, orderly and according to scriptural principles.
We are not free to conduct worship anyway we please.
We cannot decide simply on the basis of what we like or dislike.
There are those who strictly follow the “regulative principle.”

The regulative principle says that you are only to include that which the Scripture commands or prescribes for worship.

Others follow Luther’s model which says, if it is not forbidden by Scripture it is acceptable.

In both cases we must apply reason.
It is not simply a matter if something is spoken of specifically but also in principle.

I personally don’t ascribe to either of these 100%.
I’m somewhere in between.
I do believe there are those things that a just not appropriate for worship.
Not that they are wrong or Christians shouldn’t participate but they are not appropriate for worship.

At the same time I don’t think it has to be specifically commanded or prescribed in Scripture.

Our text naturally divides into three parts.

  • Worship is to proceed in an orderly manner with the intent of building up the body of Christ.  (14:26-33a)
  • Worship must proceed according to scriptural principles.  (14:33b-35)
  • All things must be done in submission the the authority of Scripture.  (14:36-40)

Life Through Death

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [35:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (148)

Gospel of John #31: an exposition John 12:20-26. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, July 24, 2011.

Intro:
I’ve always like the short stories of O’Henry.  I love the surprise ending.  You’re reading along, convinced that you have it all figured out.  You know exactly where this story is heading.  You saw it coming from a mile away and as you are patting yourself on the back you turn the page and…wait a minute!  How did that happen?  You couldn’t have been wrong.  After experiencing the ending you look back and wonder how you could have missed it.  The ending did not “come out of nowhere.”  This is where the story was heading all along.  The problem was your reading into the story elements that weren’t there.  The author had not miss led you.  Your conclusions, your bias, your speculations miss led you.  That’s how it was for the followers of Jesus as they sat dumbfounded by Jesus’ grand announcement during the last week of his earthly life and ministry.  They were so certain they knew were all this was heading.  They were certain they knew the end of the story.  Boy, were they ever surprised.  Our text this morning is found in the 12th chapter of John’s Gospel.

Text: John 12:20-26
John tells us that there are many other things he could have told us.  There were other things that Jesus said and did that could have been written but these things are written that you might know that Jesus is the Christ and that you might have life by believing in His name.  His purpose is to bring you to saving faith.  He wants you to know who Jesus is and he wants you to put your faith and trust in Him.

47% of his Gospel is taken up with the events of the last week, the week of Passion.
John began this section with the “Triumphal Entry.”
That bold, dramatic, deliberate statement that He is the Messiah.
The religious establishment is determined to kill Him.
They’ve made it clear, they are not hiding anything.
Why such a public spectacle?
Why such an antagonistic move?
His time had come.
The time set by His Father in eternity past.
The time of redemption.
He entered Jerusalem at Passover as the Lamb of God on His way to the altar.

John tells us about an event that signaled the time had come.
As the story unfolds I want you to understand that…

Thesis: God’s eternal plan and program shatters the preconceived notions of man-centered religion.
His ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts.  You cannot put God in a box.  He just will not fit.  I don’t care what size box or what shape.  He will not conform to your way of thinking.

I want you to see three shocking revelations about God’s economy, God’s way of doing things.

  • In God’s economy death produces life.  (12:20-24)
  • In God’s economy losing your life enables you to keep it.  (12:25)
  • In God’s economy service is the path to greatness.  (12:26)

Our Substitute

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [33:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (118)

The Cross #5. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, July 20, 2011.

Prophecy or Tongues?

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [36:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (127)

1 Corinthians #24: an exposition of 1 Corinthians 14:1-25. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, July 17, 2011.

Intro:
I was sitting in a crowded room.  Surrounded by people of all shapes, color and sizes.  I was a bit nervous and a little uncomfortable because it was hard to hear and difficult to see the platform.  I had heard that there were some of “them” present.  It could be though I was not certain.  A room this size with a crowd this large…yes it is reasonable that there would be at least one.  I wondered what he looked like.  He?  Maybe it is a she?  I’ve never heard one though I knew they existed.  Then it happened, “Let us pray.”  Suddenly people all around me were babbling in some sort of strange language and I had my first encounter with the gift of tongues.  You may have a story similar to mine.  What was uncommon in my world as a high school student is now common place in many churches.  Tongues had long been a practice in Pentecostal circles but in the mid to late 60s it moved into the mainstream in the form of the Charismatic Movement.  It caused quite a furor any Baptist circles as well as Methodist, Episcopal and even Catholic congregations.  Of course with the rise of the nondenominational churches and the Word of Faith movement it began to dominate the Evangelical landscape.  While not the hotbed today that it was in the 70s and 80s there still is a wide rage of opinion on the matter.

There are those who say that speaking in tongues is the sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit while others claim the gift died out with the last of the apostles and any experience or expression of the gift today is Satan’s counterfeit.  The truth is there are good and godly men on both ends and at all points in between.  Men who love God, who love His Word and His church.  I remember having to go toe to toe with my director of missions when I was 25 years old, in my first church during my ordination service!  He wanted me to say that tongues are not for today and that it is an unbiblical practice and I refused.  It is not an easy question.  I’m convinced it is not as cut and dried as most would have us believe.  It is easy to say, “I’ve had this wonderful experience and I know it has to be true.”  it is just as easy to say, “It’s not rational.  I’ve never had such and experience therefore it cannot be true.”  Both judge right and wrong, truth and error by personal experience.  The only approach I know to take is to let God’s Word speak for itself.

I have a little plaque on my desk.  It is there to remind me as I study, “You are responsible to believe and teach what the Bible teaches, not what you would like for it to teach.”  That’s it.  As with all questions we must be willing to come to the Scriptures and ask, “What does God say about this?”  Sometimes what He says makes us uneasy.  Sometimes what He reveals is uncomfortable.  But then truth doesn’t have to be comfortable or put us at ease.  Truth just has to be true!

Paul writes to the church at Corinth in an effort to encourage them to live godly lives.  Lives that live up to their calling as the people of God.  Along the way he answers some of the questions that have come to him.  He addresses some of the problems that plague the Corinthians church.  In chapters 11-14 he deals with matters of public worship.

In chapters 12-14 he focuses on the subject of spiritual gifting.
In chapter 12 he reminds them that, as believers, they have all been gifted by God as He saw fit.
The purpose of their gifting is the building up or edification of the church as a whole.
After all they are all members of one body.
Each member is essential to the life of the others.
In chapter 13 he demonstrates that love is to animate, motivate and permeate all they say and do.
In chapter 14 he deals specifically with the gift of tongues.

Text: 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
It is clear throughout 12-14 that the Corinthian believers prized the gift of tongues.
Ecstatic utterance had been a part of their worship in their pagan days.

Their worship, in their pre-Christian days centered on ecstasy and enthusiasm thus they were drawn in the direction out of familiarity.

Thesis: Paul, in this passage, clearly demonstrates the value of the simple, direct speaking forth the truth of God over the value of ecstatic utterance.

Put simply - prophecy is superior to tongues.

As the passage unfolds Paul gives three reasons for the superiority of prophecy.

  • Prophecy is superior because it edifies the whole congregation.  (14:1-12)
  • Prophecy is superior because it can be understood by all.  (12:13-19)
  • Prophecy is superior because it inspires conviction, confession and worship.  (14:20-25)

Behold Your King

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [30:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (122)

Gospel of John #30: An exposition of John 12:12-19. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, July 17, 2011.

Intro:
The date was December 4, 1977.  The place, Bangui, the capital of the Central African Empire.  The occasion, the coronation of his Imperial Majesty, Bokassa I.  It was an impressive affair.  The ceremony began with the blare of trumpets and roll of drums.  Bokassa’s twenty nine official children paraded down the royal carpet to their seats.  They were followed by Jean Bedel Bokassa II, heir to the throne, dressed in a white admiral’s uniform with gold braid.  He was followed by Catherine, the favorite of Bokassa’s nine wives.  She worn a $73,000 white gown.  Finally the emperor arrived in a gold eagle-bedecked imperial coach drawn by six matched Anglo-Norman horses.  He wore a thirty-two-pound robe decorated with 785,000 strewn pearls and gold embroidery.  On his brow he wore a gold crown of laurel wreaths, symbolic of the favor of the gods.  He took his seat on his $2.5 million eagle throne, took off his gold laurel wreath and, as Napoleon 173 years before had done, took his $2.5 million dollar crown, topped with an 80-caret diamond, and placed it on his own head declaring himself emperor.1  That little affair cost $25 million dollars.  His kingdom lasted 2 years.  Now contrast that spectacle in the praise of a petty tyrant with the entrance of the eternal king of the universe into the Holy City on what we call Palm Sunday.  Our text this morning is found in John’s Gospel, chapter 12.

Text: John 12:12-19
Imagine yourself in Jerusalem in the year 30 AD.  It’s Passover season.  The streets are crowded with pilgrims.  The air is filled with joy and excitement.  It is conservatively estimated the population of Jerusalem would swell to over 2.5 million during Passover.  There is singing, dancing and laughter throughout the city.  Off in the distance you hear the faint echoes of a shouting mob.  The shouts grow louder and louder until you finally spot this strange parade making its way down from the Mount of Olives.  But what kind of parade is this?  Old clothes.  Broken branches.  The peasants are shouting about a king but what kind of king enters triumphantly on a donkey?

And how does such a one inspire people to cry, “Save us!  Save us now?”

Our Lord entered the city in a precise and calculated manner.
The citizens of Jerusalem had been debating for days about whether he would even show.
It is well known the religious establishment was determined to kill him.
So why enter in such a public way?
Why such a conspicuous display?
His time had come.
That time determined by His Father in eternity past.
It’s Passover and the Lamb of God must be offered in payment for sin.

As we survey the chaos of this moment.  We note the presence of impassioned believers.  There are those who have heard His teaching and know that no one teaches like this man.  They’ve watched as the eyes of the blind have been opened and they’ve seen the lame walk.  Many have been in the presence of Lazarus, the once decaying corpse, and they believe this is the Christ!  Others are just curious.  They have heard the stories and they’re not sure what to believe.  Still others are filled with rage and long for the destruction of this trouble-making Galilean.  One thing is certain…

Thesis: The revelation of Jesus Christ demands a response.
He cannot be ignored.  You cannot remain neutral.  That option is not available to you.  Once He is revealed you must believe in Him or you must reject Him.  John tells us the purpose of his writing is to present Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God that you might believe in Him.  That you might trust in Him.  That you would surrender to Him as Lord and Savior.  He says, “I’ve written this that you might know that He is the Christ and that you might have life by believing in His name.

In our study of John we are entering the holy place.  We have come to the last week of His earthly life and ministry.  From chapter 12 through the end of the book John is dealing with the events of those last seven days.  47% of John’s Gospel is taken up by the last week.  We begin with this powerful, deliberate revelation.

There are three things I want us to note.

  • Our Lord purposefully and deliberately reveals himself as the promised Messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy.  (12:12-14)
  • Our Lord graciously and deliberately reveals himself as the servant king and the Lamb of God.  (12:15)
  • Once revealed, He cannot be ignored.  (12:16-19)

The More Excellent Way

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [32:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (107)

1 Corinthians #23: An exposition of 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, July 10, 2011.

Intro:
The simplest and most profound description of God found in the Scripture is that, “God is love.”  1 John 4:16 states, So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  John states plainly that God is love and that those who know Him demonstrate that same characteristic.  So we could say that the simplest and most profound statement concerning the people of God is that they are loving.  Yet in many churches love does not describe their membership or their ministry.  How can that be?  It may be because it is easier to be orthodox than it is to be loving.  It is easier to define truth and catalogue doctrine than it is to show kindness to a stranger, offer warmth and compassion to the hurting, reach out and embrace the outcast.  It is easier to be active in “church work” than it is to be loving.  Yet we are to be marked by love.  It is essential to all that we do.  It is to temper every sermon, it is to guide every discussion, it is to permeate every program and drive every ministry.  Our text this evening is found in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians.

Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

This is one of those “Hallmark” texts.
You get a warm glow when you read it or hear it.
It has been called a “Lyrical interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount.”
Others have said it is the beatitudes set to music.
McArthur describes it as a breathe of fresh air, an oasis in a desert of problems.

It is commonly used in wedding ceremonies to describe and define love which is appropriate but I think it is crucial to note the context of this beloved chapter.  Paul is talking about issues of public worship.  He talked in chapter 12 about the nature of the church as a body and how that is tied directly to the way God gifts His church.  In chapter 14 he is going to deal with the abuse of the gifts.  In between he speaks to them about how they ought to conduct themselves.  This is to be your guiding principle.  The key is found in the last half of 12:31.

…And I will show you a still more excellent way.

In light of the fact that you are a body and that you’ve all been gifted for the sake of the body and that all members are necessary let me show you how you ought to proceed in this matter.

Paul is clear….

Thesis: Love is to animate, motivate and permeate all that we say and do.

This chapter is a 3 stanza hymn celebrating the wonders of biblical love.
There are three Greek words for love.

Eros = which denotes sexual desire.  It is the passionate, lustful kind of love.
Philia = affection or friendship between kindred spirits.
Agape = self-giving, sacrificial kind of love.

  • Stanza 1 - The Priority of Love.  (13:1-3)
  • Stanza 2 - The Personality of Love.  (13:4-7)
  • Stanza 3 - The Permanence of Love.  (13:8-13)

Death, Duty & Devotion

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [39:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (110)

Gospel of John #29: An exposition of John 11:45-12:8. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, July 10, 2011.

Intro:
It must have been quite an evening.  One of those I would give anything to have been a part of.  There was laughter, joy and celebration as Jesus was guest at a dinner in his honor.  This was no ordinary gathering.  The dinner conversation was extraordinary.  Simon the leper (make that the “former leper”) told of the unbelief that overwhelmed him when he realized he had been healed.  I can see the unbridled joy accompanied by tear-filled eyes as he described the scene.  The crowd thrilled at his story was sure it just didn’t get any better.  That’s when Lazarus spoke up.  “That is amazing Simon but I had been dead for four days!  I saw the glories of Paradise.  It seemed like only a moment when I heard the voice of Jesus call my name.  I will never forget the look on Peter’s face when I came shuffling out of that tomb.”  You would never have known that evening that a murderous plot was underway.  It never would have occurred to you that within one week the world would change.  Our text this morning is found in John chapters 11 and 12.

Text: John 11:45-12:8

It is important to set the context:
Ever since that day in Capernaum when Jesus first told the cripple man his sins were forgiven and then healed his lifeless legs the religious establishment had been determined to be rid of the trouble making rabbi from Galilee.  Through the years that animosity only increased.  Repeatedly they sought to trap him in some ethical dilemma or some theological heresy all to no avail.  Things grew more intense with the healing of the man born blind and the subsequent embarrassment for the establishment.  The final straw was the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

Lazarus’ raising made the establishment a little uneasy.  When you have a formerly decomposing corpse walking around it is difficult to persuade people to overlook that fact.

In our text this morning we find John’s account of events following the resurrection of Lazarus.  First in an emergency meeting of the Jewish high court and second at a dinner party in Bethany.  As we make our way through this account I want you to notice the difference in response.  It is here we are reminded that…

Thesis: The revelation of Jesus provokes anger and murderous hate in some while igniting loving service and devotion in others.

I want us to note three portraits from our text.

  • Ciaphas: a portrait of self-centered expediency and unbridled hostility.  (11:45-54)
  • Martha: a portrait of energetic, efficient, loving service.  (12:1-2)
  • Mary: a portrait of extravagant devotion.  (12:3-8)

Conclusion:
Jesus has been revealed over a three year public ministry.
Revealed as a profound teacher - no man teaches like this man.
A prophet - he speaks with authority.
A worker of miracles - opens the eyes of the blind, causes the lame to walk, raises the dead.

Some are provoked to anger and murderous hate while others are driven to loving service and passionate devotion.

Where do you fit in?
Ciaphas?
Martha?
Mary?
Which best describes your response to the revelation of Jesus?

Slaves, Brides & a Price

 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [29:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (98)

The Cross #4: This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, July 6, 2011.