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What Are We Accomplishing?
John 11:45 - 12:11 February 9, 1997
Scripture: John 11:45-53
Prayer:
Introduction:
In John 9-11, we have seen Jesus heal the blind man for the glory of God.
We have heard him speak the truth as the Good Shepherd.
We have seen and heard him call forth Lazarus from the grave for the glory of God.
It remains for us to make a decision concerning the person of Jesus Christ, either by conscious choice or by default.
His presence demands action.
Neutrality was impossible (John 3:16-18; 1John 5:11-12).
The dividing line has been cast.
In John’s Gospel, the miracle of raising Lazarus from the grave is the dividing line beyond which Jesus now moves irreversibly toward the cross.
That has been God’s plan from the beginning, but now we see it clearly as the Jews irreverently plan to take his life with a vengeance because, as God, he dared to resurrect a life.
You see, Jesus dared to challenge the status quo of sacred opinion.
That opinion believed that the Messiah was coming, but that he wouldn’t upset their applecart.
Their Messiah would fit neatly into their own plans and keep them in power with no shake-up and no wake-up - a god of their own choosing and on their own terms.
They should have known better - to put God in a box.
It would seem they lost consciousness of a glaring definition of terms, “Who is God?”
They put the cart before the horse and they put themselves before God.
Their time would come.
Time, as always, is on God’s side.
And it would be God who was using them.
But for now, in light of God’s plan and their own foolishness, they ask an insightful question, “What are we accomplishing?”
The obvious answer would seem to be, “Nothing.”
But they refuse to see the obvious.
They see that all that they have worked so hard for is disappearing right before their very eyes.
And if they aren’t careful, everyone will follow after Jesus and they will have nothing to show for it.
They will incite the anger of the Romans and where will they be then?
They don’t realize that, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Let us look further into this passage to see the foolishness of trying to keep the status quo at all costs.
The theme for M.B.I.’s Founder’s Week this past week was, “Understanding the Times.”
Here we see a Jewish hierarchy who clearly did not understand the times to their own detriment (Mt.
23:37-38; Lk. 11:47-51; Acts 7:51-53).
God’s people in any generation must be able to read “the hand writing on the wall.”
And that information tells us that, although God remains the same (Heb.
13:8), generations change and cultures change, and we must remain pliable and teachable if we are to reach them.
It is to be either in conformity with Christ or not.
It is life or death.
*I.
Considering the status quo: (vv.
11:45-47a)*
* three types of people.*
* A.
The living: rejecting the status quo.
(v.
11:45)*
* *
* B.
The dying: seeking the status quo.
(v.
11:46)*
* *
* C.
The dead: embracing the status quo.
(v.
11:47a)*
* *
*II.
The dead speak.
(vv.
11:47b-48)*
* *
*III.
The dead decide.
(vv.
11:49-50)*
* *
*IV.
The solution confirmed.
(vv.
11:51-53)*
* *
*V.
The solution delayed.
(v.
11:54)*
* *
*VI.
The solution sought.
(vv.
11:55-57)*
* *
*VII.
Violating the status quo.
(vv.
12:1-11)*
* A.
The violation of social propriety: (vv.
12:1-3)*
* Jesus the Beautiful; sought by the living.*
* *
* B.
The violation of fiscal propriety: (vv.
12:4-8)*
* Jesus the Betrayed; sought by the dying.*
* *
* C.
The violation of political propriety: (vv.
12:9-11) *
* Jesus the Branded; sought by the dead.*
* *
*Conclusion:*
Jesus made a practice of violating the status quo.
The reaction he got from those in power was, “If you can’t control it, kill it.”
That was their game plan because they couldn’t control Jesus.
Their fear of losing their place (church) and nation drove them in the wrong direction away from the One who could keep it for them.
And more than ever today he is our only hope.
Do we have any fears that are driving us to the status quo entrenchment of an early grave, or are we willing to give release to the One who is able to make all things new and let him effect change?
Is our status quo good enough to maintain?
Would we rather die than give it up to change, even if it meant growth?
The “State of the Church” Address: What have we accomplished over the last year?
Programs:
Reorganized the women’s fellowship
Began a men’s fellowship group
Reorganized children’s Sunday School
Began a regular discipleship group
Began series of fellowship outings
Maintained Tuesday night visitation
People and Events:
Baptisms (2)
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