Book of John, Chapter 11, March 17, 2024

It's time for the Champions in Christ broadcast with Rhonda Harrison on 1017

Bay FM.

Good morning. Welcome. Thank you for listening to Champions in Christ this

morning. We're going to go in our Bibles today and we're going to start in the book

of John. And to set the stage a little bit, we're going to enter into the Word

right after Lazarus had been raised from the dead, which was an amazing miracle

that Jesus performed while on the earth. Praise God. And we're going to start in

John chapter 11 verse 45 and it says, And then many of the Jews which came to Mary

John 11:45

and had seen the things which Jesus did believed on him. You know this was just

one of many miracles that Jesus has done. But because of this miracle, many of the

Jews were turning to Jesus and believing him to be the Son of God. And it goes on

to say, But some of them went their way to the Pharisees and told them what

things Jesus had done and then gathered the chief priest and the Pharisees a

council and they said, What are we going to do? This man does many miracles. You

know, Jesus is the miracle worker. Jesus is life and health to all your flesh.

Jesus is the peace you need. Jesus is the love you need. He's the strength you need.

He's all of it and he's come and came on this earth, died on a cross and rose again

on your behalf and mine. And so we're going to continue down 48. If we let him

alone, all the men will believe on him. The Romans shall come and take away both

our place and the nation. So they were worried about themselves. They were

worried about their position. They were worried. They were in fear, just bound in

fear, you know, and so let's keep going. And one of them named Caiaphas being the

high priest the same year unto them. You know nothing at all nor consider it's

expedient for us that one man should die for the people that the whole nation

would perish not. And this he spoke not of himself, but being the high priest that

year. He prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation and not for the nation

only, but that he also should gather together and one the children of God

that were scattered abroad. Then forth from that day, they took counsel together

to put him to death. What? That's right. They counseled together to put the son of

God to death. Who all he did was perform miracles and heal people, give them love

and joy and peace and forgiveness. All good, right? The God is good. The devil is

bad. Real simple. God keeps it simple for us. But we all know that Jesus really

came for the purpose of dying. Why? He was the lamb. He was the lamb without

blemish that would be slain for the world. Hallelujah. Praise be to God. And so

we're going to continue. Then sought they for Jesus and spoke among themselves as

they stood in the temple. What do you think that he would he come to the feast?

Now both the chief priest and the Pharisees had given a commandment that if

anyone knew where he was, they should tell them that they might go ahead and take

him. You know, they had this diabolical plan to murder Jesus. And it's pretty sad.

But Jesus did come to die for a purpose. But you know, he laid down his life and

that's clearly in the word that he said, no man takes my life, but I lay it down

because he had the power of God with him. You know, God, the father was with him

and never left him and never first took him. And neither do they forsake us. God

is always here. Everywhere we go, God is there and he never leaves us nor forsakes

us. So we're going to keep going. Chapter 12, then Jesus six days before the

Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus had been dead, but he was raised from the

dead. And there they made him a supper and Martha and Mary, Martha, Martha served.

But Lazarus was one of them sitting at the table. Can you imagine having someone

your brother in this case, it was their brother who died and had been dead for

four days and began to stink. He was in the tomb back then, you know, a cave with

a rock over it and he was raised from the dead. And now they're sitting at the

table, right? But then Mary took a pound of ointment of spiky, not a very costly

perfume and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. And the

house was filled with the odor of the ointment. Then said one of his disciples,

Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him. Why was it not this

ointment sold for 300 pence and given to the poor? And then he said, not that he

cared for the poor, but because he was a thief. He had the bag and he bore what

was in there. He'd been stealing from the bag, from the ministry. He'd been

stealing money and he was more, he was focused was money, not on Jesus, not on

love, not on people. But you know, Mary did this because she wanted to worship

him. She was anointing him for burial. She was preparing his body, but she was

doing it in an act of love. She didn't care who was there. She was focused. She

was focused and she kept, she was determined. She kept going no matter what

anybody said. And she just yielded to, to what she was to do. And then Jesus said,

let her alone against this day of my bearing has she kept this for the poor.

You will have always, but with me, you will not always have. Cause he knew he

was getting ready to lay down his life. Much people of the Jews therefore knew

that he was there and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might

see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. You know, that's the thing.

Everyone was focused on the miracle instead of the miracle worker. You know,

when you worship Jesus, when you love on Jesus, when you give your life to him

every day, he will come pouring into your life. Supernatural things will

happen. And it could be such as you raise a den, you go, what? I can do that when

you're filled with the power of the Holy ghost. You can. Why? Because Jesus said

the things that I do, greater things will you do. So yes, it is, it is possible,

but you have to seek him. You have to spend time with him. You have to love on

him. You have to have the right motives. You know, when we, we look at Jesus and

his disciples, they were focused, they were determined. They kept pursuing God.

They kept per following the mission God had placed before him and they yielded

to the voice of God, right? Versus Judas, who had his own motive, who was focused

on money, who didn't see things the way Jesus did. He didn't allow his heart to

be surrendered. And so his attitude and actions followed such as his heart was,

as do all of us. Cause the Bible says, as a man thinks so is he, and out of the

abundance of the heart, you speak. And we all know that actions speak louder than

words. And when you love somebody, it has to be an action. You know, when you're

believing God for something, faith without works is dead. There has to be

action, right? So we see everybody's heart here as we're going along. Okay. And

then let's see, but the chief priest consulted that they might put Lazarus to

death. Also, they were thinking they'd put them both to death, but because by the

reason there were many Jews went away and believed on Jesus. On the next day,

many people were have come to the feast when they heard Jesus was coming to

Jerusalem and took branches, palm trees and went forth to meet him and cried,

Hosanna, blessed be the king of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord. And

Jesus, when he found a young donkey sat there on as it is written, fear not,

daughter of Zion, behold, the king comes sitting on a donkey. And these things

under his disciples did not understand at first. But when Jesus was glorified,

they remembered that these things were done as as he said, the people therefore

that were with him called Lazarus out that called Lazarus out of the grave,

raised him up from the dead, bore record for this cause. The people also met him

for they that heard he had done this miracle. The Pharisees amongst themselves

say, perceive thee, how do you prevail nothing? The world is gone after him. And

there were certain Greeks among them that worshiped and came to the feast. The

same also came to Philip, which were which was in Bethesda of Galilee and

desired him saying, sir, that we would see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew and

Andrew and Philip told Jesus. And Jesus said, the hour has come that the son of

man should be glorified. Barely, verily, I say unto you, accept of corn of wheat,

fall in the ground and die. It abides alone. But if it dies, it brings forth

much fruit. So again, verse 25, Jesus says, he that loves his life shall lose

it. And he that hates his hates his life in this world shall keep it life eternal.

Why is he saying that he wants you to enjoy your life on earth, but he wants

you to be eternally focused, focused on his plan for your life. Does he have a

plan for your life? Absolutely. He has a plan for all of us. He has a mission for

all of us to complete here on earth. You know, we are not promised tomorrow, but

you know, as you lock into God's plan, as you seek him and hunger and listen to

what he tells you to do and you do it, you will be blessed. It won't be without

persecution, persecution comes, but think about it. Life on this earth is but a

vapor and it's over, but eternal life is forever. So what we do here on earth does

count in our fruit in our account in heaven. So it's exciting. We can follow

the steps of Jesus. He goes on in verse 26 says, if any man serve me, let him

follow me where I am that he shall be also. And if any man serve me, him will

my father honor. Now my soul troubles. What shall I say? Father, save me from

this hour, but for this cause I came father glorify your name. You know, Jesus

was saying, Lord, if this cup can pass before me, if, if, if there's any other

way, but not my will, your will be done. That's surrender. You know, he could have

just gotten up and said, I ain't doing this. I'm moving on. I've got stuff to do

here on earth, but no, he wasn't earthly focused. He was eternally focused. The

Bible says for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. What joy, the joy

that he was going to take away the sin of the world, the joy that we as

believers would be reconciled with God forever. You know, he, he doesn't cover

our sin anymore with the blood of goats and bulls and the sacrifices they had to

do in the Old Testament. No, he gave us a better covenant. His blood, his precious

blood, who was, he was sinless. Hallelujah. He made the choice. He could have

sinned. He was tempted. The Bible says like we were, but he chose not. And because

of that, because of what he did by laying down his life, that's true love.

Greater love has no man except he laid down his life for another. That's what

the Bible says. So when you give your time and your energy to help someone else,

you're laying down your life. When you're helping those that are in the hospital,

when you're helping the fatherless, the homeless, the poor, when you're helping

anyone in need, you're laying down your life because you're giving your time,

your, your heart, your soul into whatever that is. You know, we all need help. The

body was meant to function together. You know, our hand can't function very well

if it's cut off from the body. Fingers can't function if they're cut off from

the hand. You know, God meant our physical body to be a foreshadow of the

spiritual body of Christ. We are all one body, all one body. When we get to heaven,

there's not a Baptist street and a Catholic street and a Presbyterian

street. No sir, no sir. And there's not a colors and streets either. So we, if you

cut yourself, we all bleed red, right? We're all the same family of God, but

you're only in the family. If you've surrendered, if you've given your whole

heart to him and received the free gift of salvation, because it cost him his

life, he expects you to lay down your life to surrender every day to him and do

what he says. Do you know he's a God of the universe? He's our heavenly father.

He knows it all. He knows it all. And guess what? He has a plan and his plan is

always the best one for you and the best one for me. So if we keep going in verse

35, Jesus said, yet in a little while is the light with you talking about himself.

Walk while you have the light, least darkness come upon you. For he that walks

in darkness does not know where he's going. While you have light, believe in the

light that you may be children of the light. Hallelujah. And when he spoke

these things, he departed and went and hid himself. And though he had done many

miracles before them, yet they did not believe on him. And thus saying, Isaiah,

the prophet might be fulfilled. This is a prophecy from the Old Testament. And he

spake, Lord, who has believed our report to whom has the arm of the Lord been

revealed? Therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said again, he has

blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see with

their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted that I should

heal them. And these things said Isaiah when he saw the glory and spoke of him.

Nevertheless, the chief rulers and also also many believed on him. But because of

the Pharisees, they didn't confess him. Least they should be put out of the

synagogue. You know, they were more worried about their position in this so

called church building versus the body of Christ. The church is not a building.

According to the word of God, the church is the whole body of Christ. You and me,

those of us that are believers, we are the body of Christ. We are his hands. We

are his feet. We are his voice. We go and do right? A church building is just a

place for the gathering of the saints. So it doesn't matter. You want to go where

that place is alive and people are honoring and lifting Jesus Christ, the

Son of God. And those three are one. The Bible says in verse forty four, Jesus

Christ said, he that believes on me and he and believes not he that believes on

me, believes not on me, but on him that sent me and he that sees sees him that

sent me. I have come a light into the world that whosoever believes on me

will not live in darkness. And if any man hears my words and believes not, I

don't judge him for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He

that rejoices of me and receives not my word, hath one that judges him. The word

I've spoken that same word will judge him in the last day for I've not spoken

of myself, but the father that sent me. He gave me a commandment that I would

say and I should speak. I know that his commandment is life everlasting and

whatsoever I speak, therefore even the father has said for me to speak. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Glory to God. We thank God for the word of God. You know, we don't

want to put our trust in man, our trust in position, our reputation. You know,

Jesus became of no reputation. He laid down deity. He came straight out of

heaven when he was born of a virgin Mary, right? So he laid down his royalty. He

laid down everything in heaven and became as a man and grew up like a little

boy, a carpenter's son. I'm sure he learned that craft very well. But you know,

the priests, the Pharisees, those that had a religious spirit, the form of

godliness, but denied the power thereof, they were all bound in fear, fear of

losing their position, fear of their losing their life. They didn't care that

Jesus performed miracles and really desired to see the best for the people.

But then you see his true disciples such as Mary and Martha Lazarus and all of

most of the disciples. We won't count Judas because he was a lot like the

Pharisees. You know, they were the disciples were focused, determined, they

kept going and they yielded to the voice of God and hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Jesus stayed focused regardless of the ridicule he got, the persecution, the

death threats. He kept pressing on because for the joy set before him, he

endured. He endured the cross. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Glory to God. So we know that

Palm Sunday was all about them laying those palm branches as he walked in

when we read about him on the donkey. And they were honoring him saying,

Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed be the king of kings, the Lord of lords. You know, he's

the almighty God, the everlasting father, but we have to yield. We have to

surrender, surrender. And I just want you to look inside your heart right now and

ask yourself, am I fully surrendered? Do I give Jesus one hour of the day every

day? Or do I give him no hours and only one hour a week on Sunday? Jesus wants

to be fully in your life day and night. He wants to be a part. Talk to him just

like you talk to your friend because the Bible says he's a friend that sticks

closer than a brother. If you have a good brother, if you have a good friend,

Jesus is closer than that. So I want you to just think about it. Think about it.

I want you to really focus, look deep inside your heart. You know, let God,

you know, David, King David said in the Old Testament, Lord, search my heart and

know my ways and see if there'd be any wicked way in me. You know, Jesus did all

of this for you and for me. He wants to fulfill your life with great peace and

joy and love and kindness. And he wants to give you beauty for ashes. You know,

sometimes there are rocks in the road. There are curveballs thrown. There are

mountains we're climbing and feel like we can't get up to the top. But with Jesus

help, you'll not only get up to the top. The Bible says he makes you more than a

conqueror, more than a conqueror in every situation. He has planned no defeats for

you today. He wants you to reach out, reach out, just cry out, just call his name.

Jesus help, help me Lord. He'll do it. He'll do it right now. He'll do it today.

But if you'll surrender your heart, surrender everything within yourself,

your mind, your will, your emotions, your body, surrender. When we surrender and we

get to know him more, he will be there. He will pour into us. You'll feel this great

presence. You're probably feeling it now because I am in the studio. You'll feel

his presence come in the room. You'll feel him give you peace. He'll feel, you ask

him, fill me with joy, Lord. He'll fill you with joy, unspeakable and full of

glory. And you do know that the joy of the Lord is your strength. The strength you

need to get through anything comes from the joy of the Lord comes from his

presence, comes from worshiping him, comes from reading his word. Because why?

Because the Holy Spirit brings the word alive. The Holy Spirit comes upon you.

When you ask Jesus in your heart, he feels you to overflowing, overflowing. He

wants to hear from you today. And I pray right now in Jesus name before we play

this song, that you'll prepare your heart, that you'll just clear your mind, that

you'll just lift your hands and you'll just say, I surrender. I surrender, Lord.

I surrender to your will. I surrender to your way. I surrender to your plan and

your purpose in my life. I can't do it anymore. Or maybe you've done a great

job. I just say, Lord, I've done, I've done a great job in my own strength, but

what can happen when I include you in the plan? And as you do that, we're gonna

play this song. Just surrender. Just press in. Just press in. And I'll come back in

just a moment.

Find me, Lord, as you draw me near. Desperate for you. Desperate for you. I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

I surrender.

Hallelujah. Lord, we surrender. And if you surrendered right now, we want to give you opportunity

to rededicate your life or to give your life to Christ for the first time. Just say, Lord,

I receive you. I receive your free gift. Forgive me. Wash me clean. In Jesus' name I declare

you, Lord. And I want you to go out and tell somebody that you did that. And that's witnessing

that you have made Jesus your Lord. And you can connect with us at Champions in Christ

3 at gmail.com. That's Champions in Christ 3 at gmail.com. We'll send you a new Bible.

Want you to go out and make it a great day. And remember, God loves you. We love you.

You are a champion in Christ.

You are a champion in Christ.