Why Kill him? John 12:9-11;17-26

I'm here with my wife

And I'll worship you in all of the wild

And I'll worship you in all of the night

And I'll worship you in all of the shade

And I'll worship you in all of the night

How was y'all's weekend? I hope it was good

It was good

I had to wash my truck

But you're here now

I got a slide for you

Pastor Dan gave me something to read

Luke 13, 19

It's like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden

Which means even with a little bit of faith you can still go a long way

Amen

Deacon Tony, lead us in prayer

The Lord thank you for another day of giving us thanks for this place

And the people that gathered today

And we are one of many churches that are being together across the nation

We ask the Lord to come here with us

Be with us

We worship you

And ask the Lord to shower your promise and your gift upon us

We give the passers-by a great service

The message to the Lord

We thank him for all he's done for us

We ask the Lord to be with those that maybe wanted to be here

Or couldn't be here for whatever reason

Sickness or just a cold or whatever

We speak to him and help him move more toward his goodness

Again, thank you for what you've been doing

We're going to be with you from the first minute

How we love, how wide is the love of Christ, how deep

How deep, how high is the love of Christ, how deep, how high is the love of Christ

In the tick-to-nall of my tongue to come for your friend

A love with no beginning, a love that knows no end

How wide is the love of Christ, how deep, how high is the love of Christ

In the morning's early morning, forever more

He's not going to fill the ocean, fill the overflow

Jesus, the angel of my heart, the power of my will and my life

Jesus, the angel of my soul, you are my true and true happiness

Jesus, you do not compare, the power I am to your will

I'm feeling the hope of my heart, you are

The heavens, be glad you are God, and the mountains rejoice

The ocean, cry hallelujah, as we worship the Lord

For this is our song of love

Jesus, you save my soul, I thank you forever more

Jesus, forever my life, you are

The heavens, be glad you are God, and the mountains rejoice

The ocean, cry hallelujah, as we worship the Lord

For this is our song of love

Jesus, I am in awe of the love that you have shown

Jesus, how precious you are to me

The heavens, be glad you are God, and the mountains rejoice

The ocean, cry hallelujah, as we worship the Lord

The heavens, be glad you are God, and the mountains rejoice

The ocean, cry hallelujah, as we worship the Lord

As we worship the Lord

I'm forgiven because you are forgiven

I'm forgiven because you are forgiven

I'm forgiven because your spirit is with me

Because you are forgiven

I'm forgiven because you have to say again

I'm forgiven because you are forgiven

God, I'm forgiven because your spirit is with me

Because you are forgiven

I'm forgiven because you are forgiven

I'm forgiven because you have to say again

I'm forgiven because you have to say again

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Before I do your name

You're my every breath

Before I found my way

You're my every step

Before I knew everything that I need

You gave it all to me

No greater love than this, that if you should lay down your life

For someone such as me

I'd spend a lifetime wondering why

The beauty of everyone is here in my heart

And I know there can be no greater love than this

I've never understood

How merciful love could be

Until I felt his way

Let every part of me

And I will give everything that I am

Yes, I have been saved

No greater love than this

That you should lay down your life

For someone such as me

I'd spend a lifetime wondering why

The beauty of everyone is here in my heart

The beauty of everyone is here in my heart

And I know there can be no greater love

Oh, love, oh, love, oh, love

The beauty of everyone is here in my heart

And I know there can be no greater love

For someone such as me

No greater love

Than this

Can you do me a huge favor?

Can you go back there on that PowerPoint

And change that capital H on him to a little h?

Okay, it's coming.

All right, the title of the sermon is Why Kill Him.

Now I know titles are normally all capitalized,

but that one's not capitalized for a very specific reason.

Anyone want to take a stab at the end of the sermon?

No, you can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

You can't.

Okay, it's not as important as a capital H.

So whenever I write He or Him in reference to a certain being,

I always capitalize it and that would be God.

And so if you normally if you saw that title,

and it said Why Kill Him, who would you be expecting it to be?

Jesus, right?

Except we're not talking about Jesus.

All right, so that little h is there to remind you that what we're going to read about is not Jesus

Anyone who would take a stab at who we might be talking about

No, that's good though. That would be a good story and you know, that's really neat too because John the baptist said

Uh that I must decrease and he must increase and so it does tie in with what we're going to talk about

But not john the baptist and we'll take a stab at it

The old self yeah, it is the old self but that not that that's not him

In this title. Okay, you know why you're not getting it

Because we don't think about it. I didn't think about it until the lord brought this to mind

And so when you see it, you're going to be a little surprised. It's

lazarus

Was it really well you're too slow too slow

All right, so grab your bibles if you would and go with me to john chapter 12

John 12 · chapter mention

No, amen. This is god's word

All right, we're going to read 9 to 11

And then we're going to read 17 to 26 now. We're not skipping 12 to 16 because they don't matter. Of course

we're skipping them because

9 to 11 and a 17 to 26 point very pointedly at what we're talking about. Okay, so it's john chapter 12 verse 9

John 12:9

I just realized I forgot to push the button. Sorry tommy. Okay

The great multitude therefore of the jews learned that he was there

And they came not for jesus's sake only but that they might also see lazarus whom he raised from the dead

But the chief priests took counsel that they might put lazarus

to death also

Because on account of him, the chief priests took counsel

that they might put lazarus to death also

Because on account of him many of the jews were going away and were believing in jesus

So not only were they plotting to kill jesus

They were also plotting to kill lazarus and it tells us the reason why

Because many of the jews were going away and believing in jesus after having seen that lazarus was there alive

They were coming to see jesus speak. Of course hear what he had to say see was he really?

He was really coming to see jesus speak

And so they were coming to see the risen from the dead lazarus. That's a pretty big deal

Right, and then we'll skip down to 17

Verse 17 says this and so the multitude who were with him

When he called lazarus out of the tomb

And raised him from the dead

That second hymn is jesus witness and it has a capital h by the way. So the first h is lazarus

The first says and so the multitude who were with him

That's jesus when he that's jesus called lazarus out of the tomb and raised him. That's little h

Lazarus from the dead were bearing him. That's jesus witness for this cause also

The multitude went and met him

That's jesus because they heard that he had performed this sign what sign

The raising of lazarus from the dead

Right the pharisees therefore said to one another

You see that you are not doing any good

Look the world has gone after him

So they started talking to each other saying all that preaching you're doing all that teaching of the old testament all that standing up trying to

Being

Controversy there's the word i'm looking for with jesus trying to be in controversy with jesus all that you're doing

You're not doing any good. Look the world is going after him

Verse 20 now there were certain greeks now these folks are from far away

Okay, their ancestry is from far away and some of them had traveled there for the festival and so on

So they were literally from far away. There were certain greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast

These therefore came to philip who was from vetsida of gallilee and began to ask him

So philip was a follower of jesus and he's involved in the whole wow, this is amazing stuff. That's side of gallilee

He's there and began to ask philip saying sir. We wish to see jesus

Philip came and told andrew andrew and philip came and they told jesus and jesus answered them saying

The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified now. We've talked about glorified that word a few times

Okay, does anybody remember my if you will easy way of remembering what glorified means?

Kind of yeah, I lift it up or shine a light on right the real

The real greek word means to shine a light on something

To glorify it is to lift it up or make it so people can see it or to shine a light on it

So people can see it right and he says the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified now

The reason you're thinking there that it means lift it up is because he's talking about being crucified

But not only being crucified right there's more to it than that

Says the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified

So you could say it this way now is the time for god to point the light to shine the light to lift up his son

To show everybody everything about jesus 24 truly truly I say to you

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies

It remains by itself alone

But if it dies it bears much fruit

Okay, so in other words if you take a grain of wheat

And you put it in a jar

Come back a month later you're going to have a grain of wheat in a jar

Come back a year later. You're going to have a grain of wheat in a jar

But if you put that grain of wheat in this in the dirt in good soil

The grain will burst open and cease to exist

But a plant will grow

Which will then produce seed not one seed but a bunch of seeds and then when the wind blows

Probably in the fall that seed will fall and then it will take root and every one of those seeds will die

And a whole cluster of wheat will grow up

And call it wild wheat and you can live off of it and it's quite filling and so on

But the bottom line is unless that seed falls into the earth and is destroyed ceases to exist

It remains by itself alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit

25

He who loves his life loses it

And he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal

Now he's not really talking literally about love and hate right this is you understand this is figurative language

All right, but it means if you're really attached to you really desire or really after the things of your life if you're about what's going on now

Then you will eventually lose all of that

So if you're about your family you love your kids you love your wife and there's nothing wrong with loving them

Right, but your eternal existence

Is determined by if you can put things in proper priority does your family

Come after god

Okay, so be careful good things of this life that we get attached to

He's saying can cause us to actually lose everything

And he who hates his life in other words he who prioritizes his life

After the things that god would put first

So that's and when it says your life it's talking about literally anything in this lifetime that you might get attached to

And it does say in this world shall keep it to eternal life or to life eternal

So in other words if you can put your money

In proper perspective and jesus is always first if you can put your time if you put your relationships your health

Your job your hobbies if you put your money in your life

Your job your hobbies if you put all of that in proper perspective

And put jesus first in everything so if jesus is first in your money if jesus is first in your time

Jesus is first in your hobbies jesus first in your relationships, then you can keep your relationships

You can actually redeem them if you will make them into something good that lasts all the way through this life into eternity

It'll take you right to the gates of heaven

And you don't have to go. I'm ashamed. I ever had that or I wish I had never done that

Right you don't have to regret how you used what god blessed you with if jesus can be first in those things

But so many people get so wrapped up in what's going on this life

I mean isn't is it easy to not get wrapped up in what's going on this life

We got phobias we had health concerns

We got bills coming in all these problems so many people get so wrapped up in what's going on in this life

and

Grip it so tightly

Jesus says if you do that you will lose it

Just a little further 26 if anyone serves me

As to say if you are a follower of jesus

If you are a disciple of jesus

let him follow me

And where I am

There shall my servant also be and so there's a little bit of figurative language here when he says follow him

He doesn't literally mean always follow him right because they couldn't even follow him to the cross you get that

But follow him like do what he does

Follow him listen

All right, let him be the leader let him be the one in charge

Right follow him follow his example see what he does and do what he does

Says and where I am there my servant also

Be if anyone serves me the father will honor him

So again if you want god to honor you then what do you do you serve jesus?

How do you serve jesus you follow jesus and do the same thing

Follow jesus and do the things that jesus would have you to do

Okay, so that's our primary text for the day. We're going to have a few supporting texts in a moment

First of all, I want to contrast for a second if I can jesus and lazarus

Okay, so we could have been talking about jesus when we say why kill him

I can't I can't find any really good reason to kill jesus. I know why they did it

They did it because he was accused of sedition or rebellion

Overthrowing the roman governor empire, right?

That's one of the main reasons and also because the blasphemy because he claimed to be god

The jewish people wanted him killed because he claimed to be god and that is a sin punishable by

Stoning

Not crucifixion, but stoning

So but the romans would crucify people who did certain things pirates

uh rebels

Right certain things that they would crucify them as a way of saying you don't ever want to do that

Right not just you're dead people like well, you know, I live really well and I die because i'm a pirate

That wouldn't be so terrible quick death, but crucifixion now. I don't want to die crucified. So i'm going to avoid being a pirate

So that was the whole idea. It's a step-up crime. It's worse

Right, and so he was probably the main reason pilot crucified him was he was a rebel or he was in sedition

This is also supported by the fact that he got a sign over his head while he was hung there saying

Here be the king of the jews, right? And so it was probably for rebellion or sedition

So I could kind of see that but the truth is at this point in time

Until they really put him up on trial

And he starts saying things like he's god. That's where he blasphemes and says they start thinking well

He claims to be god. So we should have him killed

Right, they could have stoned him theoretically. They really weren't supposed to be doing that

But the roman government kind of looked the other way for blaspheme, right?

So they would look the other way and let they were actually stoning people

But they really weren't supposed to be legally doing even stoning people, but they were doing it

But they couldn't crucify anybody but the romans could crucify and they could crucify for rebellion or sedition

So it wasn't until he got up there and they said well you they calling you the king of the jews

And he said yeah, it is as you say, you know, it's true

Basically is what jesus says and that's when right and so it wasn't really until the

Mock trials the fake trials are going on stuff that jesus really crosses the line

So at this point there really isn't a good reason a good legal reason to be putting jesus to death

more over

There were others who would come and claim to be the messiah not a big number people always make this out to be like dozens

But there was there was a couple right?

There's a guy named uh simon bark a hobo or something like that and he claimed to be the messiah

And and there was a guy that would come later like ad 135 long after jesus comes and he claimed to be the messiah

And he leads the jews in a revolt to try to cast off the romans. There's a couple of them

But there's never a time when those guys who were claiming to be the messiah. They're talking about putting them to death

So that doesn't really even make any sense, but then extend it one step further

Let's talk about lazarus versus jesus. Did lazarus do miracles?

Not that we know of did he preach publicly at the you know

The big amphitheater out there by the dead sea and thousands came and gathered were listening to him

And they're all getting baptized because of that no he didn't do that did he claim to be the king of the jews?

No, he didn't do that did he call himself god?

No, we didn't do that so all of the reasons why one might stretch and come up with I can kill jesus for this

Lazarus doesn't have any of it. He doesn't he's not in sedition. He's not in rebellion anything so there's

Only really one thing that jesus was doing that was causing a problem amongst the jews that lazarus was also doing just one thing

And that is they were bringing about new faith

Men were putting their faith again in god

They were repenting of old ways and turning to the god of the universe and saying I will live for god

That's really the only thing you can think of that lazarus was doing that jesus was also doing

But other men as I had said other messiahs other leaders of the jews had done this and they never talked about killing them

And lazarus didn't even do all the other things that made jesus different

To bring him to the place where they might kill him and now they're talking about killing him a large crowd of jews

Were coming not only to see jesus but also to see lazarus whom jesus had raised

So what was lazarus's crime?

Was he in sedition was he out there telling everybody that jesus is the king of the jews nation to overthrow the roman empire?

No, that was not the case

Nobody that jesus is the king of the jews nation to overthrow the roman empire. No, that was never the message of christianity

Christianity was never even about overthrowing the roman empire

The jews just made it out to look like that so that they could have a reason

To appeal to pilate to crucify him that really was never what they were about

So was lazarus teaching overthrow the roman empire? No, was he a zealot? Did he carry a dagger on his waist? No, actually, that's peter

Right, so that wasn't going on

What did he do that they wanted to kill him?

He died

He died and was risen again by jesus. That's what he did jesus died and was raised

He was dead and now is alive

People were seeing jesus for the first time with fresh eyes because of what had happened to lazarus

Listen to the language

They were seeing jesus with fresh eyes for the first time because of what had happened to lazarus

Not because of what lazarus did because he didn't raise himself from the dead. He didn't preach the gospel

He's not recorded in here. Yes. He was faithful to jesus a follower after being who wouldn't be right

Yes, he was there to be seen what god had done in his life was clearly being seen

He was dead and now is alive and people were seeking jesus

Because of lazarus, but not because of what lazarus had done but what had been done to lazarus

I think it's one of our j's favorite as a matter of fact second corinthians chapter five

Second corinthians chapter five says as follows i'm going to begin reading in verse 15

It's talking to mostly really talking about us but written to the book of corinth and we're very much like corinth

The church of corinth in our day

I'll start in 14. So it's sort of sort of the beginning of a sentence

But it's a little bit of a

Sort of the beginning of a sentence although this whole thing strings together

so uh

Second corinthians 5 14 says this for the love of christ controls us having concluded this

That one died for all therefore all died. So let's get this straight

So lazarus is on the verge of being put to death

The jews have said let's put him to death and one of the two things that he did

That were causing them to want to put him to death was

He died and now we have paul saying that if jesus died for you

Then you died for the love of christ controls us having concluded this that one died for all therefore all died

So we died and he died for all

That they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. And so in other words

He's saying y'all died

And now are alive again therefore you should live for the one who died

So that you didn't physically have to die for your own sins and you should live for him now

That's essentially the exact same equation that lazarus was living through

16 says this therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh even though we have known christ according to the flesh

Yet now we know him thus no longer in other words

We don't see things the way we used to see things because we died and rose again

Therefore if any man is in christ he is a new creature the old thing passed away behold new things have come

Lazarus died came back to life and the old things had passed away

He wasn't seeing things the way he used to see them when he was laying on his deathbed going

Oh, what was me he was seeing things now the way he was seeing them after he was walking around having been brought back to life

It says in 18 now all these things are from god who reconciled us to himself through christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation

Namely that god was in christ reconciling the world to himself

But not counting their trespasses against them and he was committed to us

the word of reconciliation

A little further therefore we are ambassadors for christ as though god were entreating through us

We beg you on behalf of christ be reconciled to god you think that might have been the message of lazarus

I died i'm alive

Won't you believe this guy?

How could you not i died i'm alive believe him i died i'm alive believe him you see

21 he made him who knew no sin to be sent on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of god in him

people were seeking jesus because of

What they saw in lazarus not because of what lazarus had done but what had become of lazarus's life

It had become a living testimony his existence had become a lure

in 15 to 17

Of chapter 2 flip back a few pages of second corinthians you can kind of see this same equation

So we're in second corinthians same book back to chapter 2 15 to 17

And it says this for we are a fragrance of christ to god

Among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing

To the one and aroma from death to death to the other and aroma from life to life

And who is adequate for these things

For we are not like many

Pedaling the word of god but it's from sincerity but it's from god we speak in christ in the sight of god in other words

If you're living your life for jesus you're going to run into people are going to go

Yeah, I kind of like that and you're going to run to other people are going to go. I don't like that

And that's what was going on with lazarus having been dead a stench of death in the tomb

Risen again by jesus now he's there and his death

And burial and resurrection lazarus's death burial and resurrection was a testimony to everyone that he was running into

Everyone that he was running into that they needed to make a decision about this jesus

So should ours be not to get ahead of us jesus

Existence that's a testimony in and of itself that we need to make a decision about his being lord about his being savior

but

Lazarus existence had become the same thing a lure for people to listen and go wait

There is something here

And your life my life should do the same thing

Others were telling lazarus's story far and wide so that by the time the greeks got to the festival

Can't come from home several days whatever or take a ship

For a week or two

To get to the festival they were already there going. I want to see this jesus

And this lazarus that he raised from the dead

Because if he raised lazarus from the dead he can raise anybody from the dead

I want to see that

And it ought to be like that if you're a follower of jesus, then people ought to encounter you and go wow

This is a man changed

This is a woman changed they don't do what they used to do

Right and you know they didn't know me

They don't have to because you can tell them what you were like and others can tell them what you were like

You can tell them what life was like and others can tell them what your life was like what you used to do the way you used

to be

But if you come into contact with the risen savior then you've been

Transformed made new but here's what I see in a lot of christians. There's no story to tell

Yeah, I believed in jesus and I got baptized and I go to church but there's no real difference between the old me and the new me

That's not the jesus I know

If there's no transformation if there's no change if there's no difference in between who you used to be and who

You are now then who did you meet?

Because it's not jesus because jesus has resurrection power

He transforms the lives of everyone that he encounters either with the stench of death and you go

Well, I don't want jesus and you run the other way and do all kinds of things that you should never do

Or with the aroma of life and you run with jesus

With jesus in you and with jesus all the way to the end doing amazing things that you never thought you could do

Now does this mean that you're suddenly going to be superman?

Right and have only one weakness ever no you have lots of weaknesses

You're still a human you have lost the eyes less than flesh pride of life and you always will

As long as you're here until you enter the gates of heaven

But your life like lazarus's life has become jesus's story

His story was jesus's story

But be careful because when your story has other aspects to it

I watched a movie this week pretty pretty awesome movie called overcomers made by the kendrick brothers the same people who made

Fireproof and prayer room and like that and it's about a teenage girl who uh she's an asthmatic as a matter of fact

And she's across it across country from the country of the world

She's an asthmatic as a matter of fact and she's a cross country runner

And she's the only member of the cross country team team where she's at and there's a man there

And he's a basketball coach and suddenly he has no basketball team because the steel plant closed down

There's nobody there and so he becomes a cross country coach

But the truth is he becomes a cross country coach only reluctantly

He's only half in you know, I mean, he doesn't really know how to be a cross country coach. That wasn't his thing

He was a basketball coach, right?

And his son at one point in time says to him, you know dad, he said you make us run as punishment

Why would anybody on the basketball team ever want to come out and run cross country when running is just punishment for basketball players?

and

So he's only really like half in there are aspects of him still a basketball coach

Not really a cross country coach

But there's a moment in time when he's already a professing christian was a moment of time when he realizes

He's not really running for jesus. He's not really full in full full on full press for jesus, right?

That's a basketball team. It means getting after the ball from the moment. They bring it in bounds, right?

So he wasn't really full press for jesus

And so he starts to to coach his one runner his cross country team as if he truly is

Doing what he's supposed to do. He's doing it as if he's doing it for the lord rather than doing it like a side job

right

As long as there are other aspects in your life that are not about following jesus

You're always going to look like

Confusion and hypocrisy to the world they're going to come to you because they've heard the story

I was just we're going to talk about a little bit of the team leader being so I was printing off some maps

In my office before church today in preparation for the team leader being and these maps show where the podcast of new heights fellowship

Is being listened to all over the world?

right danny and I were editing podcasts on wednesday for the life station and and we pulled up the map of where the life station podcast

Is being listened to all over the world the encouragement calls that go out to 1500 households all over toledo and a few

Some people move to indiana and stuff so they're they're reaching out pretty far too, but then we turn that into a podcast

17 countries all over the world people listen to this podcast

And so literally somebody could walk up to you on the street while you're wearing your new heights t-shirt

While you're wearing your new heights t-shirt, please do that by the way while you're wearing your new heights t-shirt

You don't have one get one right and they might go hey. I know new heights fellowship

I listened to their podcast while I was in indonesia

And they might do that right after you're busy doing whatever you're doing that's got nothing to do with jesus

As long as there are aspects of your life that don't have anything to do with jesus

Somebody who's heard the story and comes from afar and comes and sits in our chairs next sunday

Might be expected to find people who are on fire for jesus and what they find is people playing video games on their cell phone

Or or whatever else anything else but being totally focused on jesus

And that's a problem

I'm gonna tell you the story about a family that chartered a plane to go on vacation

It's a six seater plane six people in their family

um

and uh

While they're flying along the pilot the co-pilot are up there in the cockpit everything's going fine

They come back and there's a little extra seating room in the in the back area there because they have

Four small children and a husband wife four small children

So the children are kind of crammed into an area plane on the floor stuff

There's extra seat at a certain moment in time the co-pilot gets up from the cockpit and on the way back to the

Seating area where the family is riding they think to the vacation of their lives, right?

He stops and he puts on his

Parachute and he comes back in the seating area and he sits next to the exit door

The co-pilot is sitting next to the exit door with his parachute on

And the mom says hey, what's uh going what's with the parachute what's going on?

Uh, you know, is everything okay? And he's like, oh, yeah the pilot's got it. Everything's fine

I just thought I would sit here next to the door with my parachute on just in case

Nothing's wrong

Nothing's gonna happen

He's good. I mean he's flown planes. It's a light. He's the he's the best pilot i've ever known

But i'm just wearing this parachute

Sitting here next to the door just in case and you can imagine what is the very next thing out of the dad's mouth

He says

Are there parachutes for us too as long as there are aspects of things that you're

Trusting following working with in your life that have nothing to do with jesus. It's like you have a way out

I'm good. I'm following jesus, but I want to make sure that i'm the one that's in control of my relationship

I want to make sure that i've got enough money in the bank in case things go a little awry

Oh, yeah, I trust jesus with everything but I still got to make sure that I have enough money

I still got to make sure that he or she does what I want them to do

I still got to behave in a way that doesn't have anything to do with jesus

And keep my parachute on sit next to the door and do things my way instead of jesus is what yeah

He's got it. It's gonna be fine the plane's going where it's going we're gonna get there

I'm gonna sail right through the pearly gates when the time comes

But i've got to keep my parachute on and sit next to the door as long as there are aspects

of your life that have nothing to do with jesus when jesus is

Potential people come to hear your story and what jesus has done in your life all they're going to see is your parachute

That's it

They want to be saved they want to know about jesus they want to know what it means to be a follower of jesus

They want to see a miracle worker and an overcomer, but all they see is a man or a woman with a parachute

And do you really trust the pilot if you're sitting next to the door with a parachute on?

When you do a thing that is not inextricably linked to jesus in other words everything you do should be so tied to jesus

That he would not be ashamed if he himself were putting his hand to it

And you do things that are

Easily separated from who jesus is

then jesus in you jesus in your life and what jesus has done loses

Undeniably see when they came they saw jesus and lazarus and lazarus was there

Lazarus didn't bring his old life with him he just said i'm here i was dead now i'm alive follow jesus

I'm here i was dead now i'm alive follow jesus he didn't say i'm here i was dead are you giving up

Follow jesus he didn't say i'm here i was dead are you giving today i'm here i was dead are you serving today

I'm here i was dead can i talk to you about cows i'm here i was dead can i talk to you about favorite sports star

I'm here i was dead can i talk to you about the video game i like to play he didn't do any of that

He said i'm here i was dead now i'm alive follow jesus

That was lazarus's life that's what it had become and people were coming

And who knows how far to hear about jesus wanting also to see lazarus and i'm telling you

That there are people in the world who want to be saved and they want to come to jesus

And they want to do it and see what jesus has done in you

And if all they see when they come to you are your collection of parachutes your things that you're holding back from jesus

Then don't be surprised

When they walk away

unsaved

Oh, but wait a minute

Because something goes terribly wrong right then

Something goes terribly terribly wrong right then

Because of that man sitting in that cockpit or sitting in that uh

What you call it rest area if you will of the plane the cabin of the plane

The copilot says no there there's only two parachutes

In the entire plane

And now the guys like the dad or the family's like

We rented the plane

We paid for the plane

This our plane because no it's a pilot's plane the copilot's plane. It's not your plane

I don't care if you rented us for the day or not still our plane cost 20 you didn't pay

$20,000 30,000 for this plane still our plane. Okay. No, but but we rented the plane if anybody's getting a parachute. It's us

We got the money. We paid the bills. We put the fuel in the tank

We get a parachute take the parachute off. No, i'm not taking the parachute off the pilot. I don't know why you get all upset

I don't understand why you're all getting worked up here. Why are you crying? Why is she crying? I understand why she's crying

I'm just I'm wearing a parachute just just in case it's just in case it's not for real

We're not crashing. There's no problem. The pilot's still at the if you look in there the pilot's wearing the other parachute

What the pilot's wearing the other parachute? Jesus is gonna be fine. You understand?

Well, you wear your parachute. You don't wear your parachute that doesn't change whether jeep where jesus winds up in yet. He's gonna be fine

So the pilots wearing the other parachute copilot's wearing a parachute if i'm that man, we got us a problem here right now

You take those parachutes off for one me and one of my wife

Let's find some rope strap the kids to us and the plane goes down. We're getting off

This is what happens. They look at you. They come wanting to see jesus

They wanted to see what jesus did in you and they can't

And now we have a problem

Because they still want a parachute if there is a hell they still want to not go to hell

So at best they accept jesus and begin to live like you do wearing a parachute

If that's your situation

Problem is

If you're wearing a parachute because you'll bail out of the jesus plane if it seems like you're wearing a parachute

That's not worth anything because sometimes the jesus plane does go places where you don't want to go

Do we not recall the stories of the new church standing in the coliseum

Praying and not even fighting back as the lions ripped them to shreds

And the

After nero claimed that it was their fault the christians fault that part of rome burned and all of rome begins to persecute christians and churches and churches have to meet underground

Do not understand that even today in many countries it is illegal to do what we are doing right now

But we are doing what we are doing right now

We are doing what we are doing right now

Today in many countries it is illegal to do what we are doing right now

Lazarus's story became a story in which jesus had acted

Lazarus didn't put on a parachute he gave his life completely over to the one who raised him from the dead

To keep your parachute on to keep aspects of your life to confuse the issue if you will is nothing but idolatry

If you have a lifeline in case this jesus thing doesn't pan out you are lost

If you have a lifeline in case the one man who was god in the flesh who died on the cross for your sins and rose again on the third day

Stayed to start the church and the church told you about jesus and you supposedly got saved you have a lifeline in case that doesn't work out

You think well I could walk out of the church and never come back again if new heights fellowship could cease to exist as a church and it wouldn't affect you

Are you are lost?

Are you not t saved and are you going to hell? 592 00:49:27,720 --> 00:49:33,160 You are saved when you trust your whole life into the hands of jesus with no parachute

This is more than a story in which jesus had acted

Lazarus's very real life had become an allegory for the very real truth

That you must completely trust jesus with all that you are or perish without him

We're in our conclusion now as we talk about that an allegory is a story that has a hidden meaning

But the beauty of allegories is the meaning is not meant to stay hidden

Anyone looking

Can find it

Galatians chapter 3

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

Galatians chapter 3 if you want to flip there in your bibles we have two references left and then we'll be done for the day

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

Galatians chapter 3

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

It comes after the corinthians

They just didn't get as big a letter and that's how they wound up further back galatians 3

I'm going to read 26 to 28

And this is what it says follow along with me if you brought your bible

For you are all sons of god through faith in christ jesus for all of you were baptized into christ

Who were baptized into christ have clothed yourselves with christ

There is neither jew nor greek there is neither slave nor free man

There is neither male nor female for you are all one in christ jesus

You see if you accepted jesus christ as your lord and savior and were baptized

Indicating that you've put your old life behind you and now living for jesus then every time someone comes to you at your most

inconvenient moment

When you don't think anyone is looking when you're having your worst day your car just broke down your house falling apart

You're in pain your sorrow your relationship sucks your money's not there at your worst moment every time someone comes to you

When they come to you they should see jesus now. I understand. That's a high standard. You don't have to be perfect

It's not like that

They should see jesus even when you're screwing up that looks like oh

That probably wasn't the best witness I apologize I understand i'm i'm just a human following jesus

Please understand that i'm totally transformed from who I used to be

And I realized that what I just did

Probably wasn't the way to show you that but listen to me life is in jesus

Hell is where we wind up without him heaven is where we wind up with him when he is in us

So your witness is that you are a human your witness is that you are trying every moment of every day

To be the man or woman that jesus would have you to be because you're following him to the best of your ability

That is your witness not that you're perfect not that you get everything

Right, but that you have said I have no parachute

Romans 6 5 to 11 then and these are our last verses to the day

Say this

For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death

Certainly, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection

Knowing this that our old self was crucified with him that our body of his body

With him that our body of sin might be done away with that. We should no longer be slaves to sin

for he

Who has died is freed from sin and who died by the way he died for us and that he died for us

All have died

Verse eight now if we have died with christ we believe that we shall also live with him

Knowing that christ having been raised from the dead is never to die again death no longer has master over him

For the death that he died he died to sin once and for all but the life that he lives he lives to god

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive to god in jesus christ

When I think of lazarus I think of a man

Who never should have had a death warrant issued for him

He didn't do anything

Jesus did everything

When I think of me

I think of a man who didn't do anything

Jesus did everything

How about you?