Source SM Recap: Volume #18
Current Series: “I AM: changes who I am”Title: Week 3 – “The Resurrection and Life”
Main Thought: Jesus’ resurrection reveals hope eternally and in everyday pain.
Scripture: John 11:17-24, John 11:25-33, 28-35, 41-44.
Message explanation: Up to this point in the book of John we have seen Jesus walk on water, heal the blind, heal the cripple, feed the 5,000 and more. Jesus has performed many miracles and now He is about to set up the pinnacle miracle! We are going to look at a family that Jesus loved.
I. The Death of Lazarus (vv. 1-16)
Jesus waits. Although Jesus cares for Lazarus, Jesus waits and doesn’t make it in time to heal him. Why doesn’t Jesus do what we expect and hope for Him to do?
II. Jesus meets Martha – Read John 11:17-27
John 11:17-24 “When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.
Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
In a hopeless situation, Martha runs towards Jesus. She had learned to be dependent upon Him. Weeping at His feet, she looks at Him in brokenness.
John 11:25-27, Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”
III. Jesus meets with Mary – Read John 11:27-35
Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” So Mary immediately went to him. Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him,[f] and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept."
Jesus is 100% God and 100% man - Jesus Wept. In John 11:33 it says Jesus was, “deeply moved. (anger, outrage, emotional indignation). It means in the Greek to silently bursting into tears in contrast to a loud cry. Jesus was not broken over the death of Lazarus, but the cause of sin is death. Jesus was broken over the effects of sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. It also says in Isaiah 53:3 says Jesus was a, “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Sin brings death.
IV. Lazarus and Jesus – John 11:41-44.
Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
Jesus has come and death has lost its grip. Jesus never attended a funeral. Jesus and death are in opposition, and Jesus always wins!
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Grieve toward God. Embrace the pain so God can heal you. Stop running and listen to God’s heart. Many find relief in working, school, drinking, depression, or just giving up. Our culture tells us to push away pain. Instead of moving towards the healing of God, we are drifting backwards away from healing. May and Martha were grieving towards God.
Testing our faith through pain: - Bitterness (I can’t believe you allowed this God). - Bargaining (Ok God…If you heal my friend/family I will…). - Brokenness (Hitting your knees before God in surrender to His Will. It is resting our inability to handle the situation. In brokenness, God does not cast us out but carries us with His strength. Never measure God’s love for you based upon your health, circumstances or comfort. His love is constant and unending.
Connect in community. God never intended for us to walk through life alone. Community is about being present. Jesus’ words to Martha “I AM the resurrection and the lift’ changed everything! On this statement stands the entire foundation of the faith in Christ.
Forget the grave clothes. A relationship with Jesus offers life instead of death. Jesus, THE resurrection and the life conquered death completely for all time on the cross!
Have you found life in Jesus? If so, are you living with hope towards life’s situation and pain? Lazarus took off the grave clothes. What are some of the “grave clothes” you still have on?
Element of Fun: We played a "minute to win it" game with the Middle school students called, "This Blows." It was a fun game!
Music: We Unite, Your Love Never Fails, How He Loves, Your Presence is Heaven to Me (closing).
Favorite Moment: Watching students worship and be teachable in big group time and breakout groups.
What’s Next: We continue the “I AM” series into John 14. We will discover the next statement of Jesus’ identity as the way, the truth and life!
Delegation vs. Dumping in Student Ministry
Have you ever been asked to do something without understanding how or why it was important? Have you ever ran out of help and frantically ran around looking for the nearest person to fill a spot?
I think for leaders we have all faced this situation. It happens. We need help in many areas of student ministry (small group leader, co-leaders, host team, check-in, café, special events and so on). My heart is to help leaders develop their full potential in what God has called them to become. In student ministry, it is amazing to see a leader disciple a student and come back to me with tears in their eyes and heart bursting for God's glory being shown in their lives. It pumps me up every time.
On the flip side, I've had conversations with leaders (in my past 8 years of ministry) where they felt inadequate and overwhelmed.
At times I delegated and other times I dumped.
Let's define it: Delegation: Empowering people to fulfill their passion in the ministry with coaching, teamwork and encouragement. Delegation builds a team of leaders who are owners of the ministry.
Dumping: Pouring tasks upon people without vision, direction or encouragement. Dumping breeds the pied-piper student ministry where there is only one or two experts and people feel useless and eventually quit serving.
Our student ministry staff had a meeting today and went over the process of delegating vs. dumping.
We shared the implications of delegation vs. dumping:
We try to follow 3 main steps of delegation:
1. Watch me do it. Give the leader a chance to watch you practically show them how by shadowing you. Help them understand the vision of why they are a small group volunteer. Help them see the 30,000 foot view. They have an impact on this generation! People are hungry to see how we lead, so give them opportunities to learn.
2. Now I'll watch you do it. Give them the opportunity to lead the small group session or share their story. Let them know they are capable and encourage them along the way. Ask questions that lead the students to see this person as a leader ("John, what are your thoughts on it?"). Practically give them small steps to grow as a leader. Encourage them and ask questions. One of the best questions to ask is, "how can I help you?"
3. Now you do it. Give away the ministry! Always be there to coach leaders and redirect if needed. It is a hard process to give ownership to others. Giving away ministry helps leaders develop the ministry more than we ever could have imagined.
Dumping is easier but in the long run you spend more time cleaning it up. Dumping = addition.
Delegation empowers people to become leaders. Delegation = multiplication. Delegating helps people find their sweet spot. As leaders our main job is to equip people to become all that God wants them to become!
Dumping creates youth chaperones. Delegation creates youth ministers.
"Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ." Ephesians 4:12-13