Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week I shared two things that I believe God is speaking over this church family.

In 2018 God is going to set his people free to worship him.

In 2018 God is going to free his people to do the work of the Kingdom

With those things in mind, turn with me over to

Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.

Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”

29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.

It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.

And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.

Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.

Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”

29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.

It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.

And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.

Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Jesus is the Truth, The Life, and The Way

in verse 25 Jesus tells Martha that she will see her brother again because of Who He is - and What He has done (or in her case - will do)

In just three chapters, when Jesus is getting ready to leave this earth and he is comforting his disciples, He talks about what lies ahead for them.

In 14:6 he says I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The New King James Version.

(1982).

().

Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Last night with my Aunt Lisa - 70 years in the church and bitter towards its attitude and teachings

If Jesus is the Way, The Truth and the Life, than His church should be the same.

The New King James Version.

(1982).

().

Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Jesus goes to the grave of his friend, Lazarus

He tells the to take away the stone

When Jesus resurrected from the dead we read that the angel rolled away the stone.

Then in verse 44, after he calls his friend out from the grave, he tells the people to loose him and let him go.

What did Jesus do here in these two commands to the people standing around the grave?

First - He got them involved to raise the level of their faith in him.

Second - He did things in a way that made them participators in what He was doing.

Even in his prayer he says - Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.

Father - I want the people to hear me say this so that they would believe

The New King James Version.

(1982).

().

Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

What did Jesus tell the people to do?

First - remove the stone - that which kept the dead separated and imprisoned from the living

Second - Loose him - untie him, unbind him

and let him go

-that which keeps the living from being productive

What were they? - remnants of being dead.

Introduce Theme for 2018

Our theme for this new Year is One Word - Unhindered.

Meaning of unhindered - not restrained or held back

I believe that God is looking for a people - a church that is not restrained or held back.

The thing that affected my dear relative is the fact that she sat in churches all of her life who evidently were restrained and held back

And in response her life became the same

And now she finds something that seems freeing to her and in fact is to her mind and understanding and she is full steam into it.

And for right now, the church has suffered another casualty.

Our verse for the new year is right here out of and it’s verse 44

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.

Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

We as the church are called to pray for and be used by Christ to remove that which separates the dead from the living.

The problem is that many times we become the stones - as with the story that I heard from my loved one last night.

We as the church are to untie those that have been brought back to life through salvation from those things that link them to their death.

Their addictions

Their brokeness