Resurrection

God Tests Abraham - Gen 22:1-19; Heb 11:17-19

Takes place after Hagar and Ishmael have been sent away

The test comes from God both in timing and content.

The test requires total irrevocable sacrifice

Abraham got up early to obey

Abraham sees the goal on the third day

three days to wonder what the outcome was going to be

Final leg of the journey

Leaves servants and the donkey behind

There is a point past which only you and your sacrifice can go.

Faith Statements:

We will worship and then we will come back to you.

God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.

Isaac carries the wood.

Jesus had to carry the cross.

Abraham carries the fire and the knife.

Abraham prepares to sacrifice

builds an altar

arranges the wood

binds Isaac and places him on the wood

Jesus was bound to the cross.

takes the knife

God intervenes.

commends Abraham

provides a ram in place of Isaac

promises future fruitfulness

Lesson

Every gift/dream must be offered back to God at a time of his choosing.

Aaron's Staff - Num 17:1-11

Lesson

Resurrection happens in God's presence.

Resurrection demonstrates God's choice.

Job

Initial State - Job 1:1-5

Death Blow - Job 1:6 - 2:10

God's Statement - Job 38-41

Death of the Dream - Job 42:1-6

Final State - Job 42:10-17

Lesson

Your trial has unseen participants. - Eph 3:7-11; 1Pet 1:10-12

God can do whatever he wants to do!

Preparation

Main Passage

NIV

Hebrew Study Bible

KJV

The Message

NASB

RSV

Exegetical Idea

Subject

Tools: How, Who, What, When, Where, Why

Complement

Developmental Questions

Explain It: What does this mean?

Prove It: Is it True? Do I believe it?

Apply It: What difference does it make? So What?

Homiletical Idea

Purpose of the Sermon

Make it plain

Use accessible language and modern parables

Make sure people do something with the word God gives you for them.

Resurrection

Moses

Dreamt of liberating his people - Ex 2:11-12; Acts 7:23-25

Moses has to give up his dream - Ex 2:13 - 3:1

Moses' dream is reborn - Ex 3:1 - 4:20; Acts 7:35

Samuel

Called by God

Judges Israel

Rejected by Israel

Observes failure of Saul

Anoints David

David

Anointed by Samuel to be Israel's next King

Embraced by Saul

Pursued by Saul who wants to kill him

Becomes king

Elijah

Victory on Mt. Carmel

Disillusionment after Jezebel's threats.

God renews his mission

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead - John 11

Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus

Lazarus gets sick

His sisters send word to Jesus

Jesus takes no immediate action

Lazarus dies

Martha and Mary confront Jesus

Jesus responds by reminding them of who he is

Jesus weeps.

Jesus orders the stone removed

Jesus calls Lazarus

Lesson

Resurrection is for God's glory.

Resurrection has to wait until Jesus shows up.

You have to remove the stone.

Jesus' resurrection

Jesus in Gethsemane - Mat 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46

Jesus tortured, tried, sentenced, tortured, sentenced, crucified

Jesus buried

Jesus raised from the dead

Lesson

God doesn't ask us to do anything that he isn't willing to do himself.

When you're facing "death" pray so that you can handle it well.

It takes resurrection

The carnal mind cannot please God - Rom 8:1-14

The cross is God's judgment on our flesh. - Rom 8:3

The best human intentions can't fulfill God's purposes. - Rom 8:5-8; Gal 5:16-26

Our will must be completely surrendered. - Rom 12:1-2; Heb 10:1-10

We must obey to the point of complete vulnerability

Though he slay me . .. - Job 13:15

There is no umpire who can "call a foul" on God. - Job 9:32-35; Isa 40:13; Rom 11:34

We must be willing to let him deceive us if that were possible

Resurrection results in fruitfulness

Abraham ----> Isaac ----> Jacob . . .

Job was given twice as much as he had lost

Moses miraculously led Israel out of Egypt

Samuel anointed David

David lead Israel to victory

Jesus redeemed mankind

The centrality of the resurrection

If the dead are not raised . . . - 1Cor 15

Apostolic preaching - Acts 2:31; Acts 4:33

Declaration of Jesus' sonship - Rom 1:4

We will be united with Jesus in his resurrection - Rom 6:1-18; Philip 3:10-11

We are a resurrected people

We have a relationship with the Father

We don't use the Bible as a collection of magic verses.

Relying on magic verse proofs moves us away from relating to God.

The Bible preps us for our relationship with the Father

We pray

Reticulated python strangling an elephant.

Worship keeps the prayer channel open.

Resurrection - see Jesus with new eyes.

We have supernatural expectations - faith vs. hope

Faith is being sure of what we hope for . . . - Heb 11:1

Put your hands on her and she will live - Mat 9:18

If I just touch the hem of his garment I will be healed - Mat 9:21

We love our enemies. - Mat 5:43-48

We have resurrected wallets / pocketbooks.

We establish resurrected communities.

We're not content to follow God by ourselves.

We love God's children - Heb 10:24-25; 1John 3:11-20; 1John 4:19-21; 1John 5:1

We finish the Father's work

My food is to do the will of him who sent me and finish his work. - John 4:34

It's not enough to have spiritual conversations with people - we need to get them saved. - 2Cor 5:16 - 6:10

Ministry Systems Dynamics

Reinforcing Feedback

Vicious Cycles

Backsliding

Virtuous Cycles

Sanctification

overflow of giving - 2Cor 9:6-15

sowing seed

Balancing Processes

faucet/eye/hand system filling a glass of water

Balancing Processes With Delay

thermostat

shower temperature control

Limits To Growth

Church grows to point where intimacy is lost

Shifting The Burden

Drug addiction

Sexual addictions

Television addictions

Escalation

arguments

arms race

Tragedy Of The Commons

multiple flocks on a singlle field

environmental pollution

Success To The Successful

Growth and Underinvestment

attendance falls off due to crowding before new space is achieved

Accidental Adversaries

Employee / Company example

employees are rewarded for political gamesmanship

company is rewarded for pursuit of growth rather than development

Traditional Church and the Arts

Traditional Church and other Areas of Gifting

Fixes That Fail

EGC Questions

Question 1

We don't ask:"How will WE get a building in the South End?"

We ask: How can OUR COMMUNITY provide a BUILDING for us?"

Question 2

We don't ask: "How do WE plant CHURCHES?"

We ask: "How does THE CITY plant CHURCHES?"

Question 3

We don't ask: "How do WE stop CRIME?"

We ask" "How does the CITY stop its OWN CRIME?"

Question 4

We don't ask: "How does EGC do EVANGELISM?"

We ask: "How does the CITY do EVANGELISM?"

Question 5

We don't ask: "How do WE set up an urban training school for uban ethnic ministry leaders?"

We ask: "How do urban ethnic ministry LEADERS work with a seminary to SET UP their OWN urban training school?"

Question 6

We don't ask: "How can WE get more urban ethnic students into Christian schools?"

We ask: "How can urban ethnic STUDENTS recruit their OWN PEOPLE to Christian schools?"

Question 7

We don't ask questions THAT PRODUCE: short-term, counterproductive ends

We ask QUESTIONS THAT PRODUCE: long-term multiply-productive ends

Question 8

We don't ask QUESTIONS that: make us design OUR organization to DO a task

We ask QUESTIONS that: force us to find how the SOCIAL REALITY we are working in will become the PRIMARY DOER of the task

Reflect on John 11

Have you ever felt that God was "late" showing up to take care of your problems?

Have you ever felt that God didn't really care about your problems?

Did Jesus' delay mean that he didn't love Mary, Martha, and Lazarus?

What is the most significant thing in your life that God has resurrected?

Reflect on Mat 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46

Have you ever faced a situation that you could only handle by praying?

Describe a time when you had to struggle to submit to God's will.

Describe a time when you were unable to get others to "keep watch" with you in prayer.

Reflect on Acts 2:31; Acts 4:33; Rom 1:1-4; 1Cor 15

How does the resurrection of Jesus fit into the entire Gospel story?

What does Christianity mean if Jesus was not raised from the dead?

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean in your own life?

Reflect on Rom 6:1-18; Philip 3:10-11

According to these passages, what does Jesus' resurrection do for us?

Are you experiencing the victory over sin described here?

Reflect on Mat 9:18-25; Heb 11:1

Do you have supernatural expectations for your day to day life?

How does your faith line up with the definition of faith in Heb 11:1?

What things are you certain about when you approach God? Is your certainty based on something that the Bible says?

What things are you only hopeful about when you approach God? What does the Bible say about the things you're hoping for?

Reflect on Gen 22:1-19; Heb 11:17-19 (repeated from last week)

Has God ever called you to sacrifice something that he promised you?

Has God ever called you to sacrifice any of your dreams?

Abraham got up early in the morning to sacrifice Isaac. How about you?

Has God ever resurrected a dream of yours after you gave it up?

Reflect on Job 1-3, 38-42 (repeated from last week)

Have you ever suffered a great loss? What happened?

How would you feel about God showing you off to Satan?

In his grief, Job cursed the day he was born. Can you relate to his feelings? Why or why not?

Does God's statement provide Job with any answers to his suffering?

Can you relate to Job's response to God? Why or why not?

Resurrection (Part 2)

Pastor Rocklyn E. Clarke - Sunday November 19, 2006