Paul Kaak - May 6, 2018
The Resurrection and the Life
In the story of raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus says to his friend Martha "I am the resurrection and the life." In identifying himself with life, new life, and real life, and by demonstrating his heartfelt love for the hurting, and in the act of calling his friend back from the dead, the glory of God is unmistakably seen in Jesus. But his approach is a curious one. He delays. He gets angry. He weeps. He brings his friends, and us, a resurrection mindset that affects the past, the present, and the future. As "the life" who will die (soon, as a result of his miracle) he aims to show himself as the powerful one, who lives by his own agenda and as a result, offers compassion and knowledge of God, at the deepest levels.
Scripture References: John 11:17-44
From Series: "This is Who I Am"
Our new lead pastor, Grant Myles-Era, recently preached on the centrality of Jesus, asking a question that so many others in the gospels asked whenever they encountered Jesus: “Who Is This?” This same question should always be on our lips when we experience Jesus. After all, He so often surprises us and flips our expectations; He is always dependable but never predictable, ever-faithful but never boring, always surprising and always wonder-filled. In this series, we take Jesus’ own words about who He is, focusing on the seven “I AM” statements found in the Gospel of John to recognize who He is. But we will go further, seeking to discover who we are - in light of who He is - as His body in this world.