The Church in Noble - Cornerstone
April 21, 2024
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  • A New Name In Glory
  • At Calvary
  • Doxology
  • I've Got Peace Like A River
  • Holy Forever
  • Wonderful Grace Of Jesus
  • In the light of Lazarus’ resurrection

    John 11:47-57

    The miraculous work of Jesus is now getting very real
    There is no denying what He has done, and the influence He is having on people
    How far did His power extend?
    Lazarus, dead four days, would have been in the spirit world
    Body would have begun to decay
    Jesus brought him all the way back!
    Focus on verse 48 - If this greatness continues, all will believe in Him
    This is NOT what Satan wanted
    This is NOT what the Jews/Pharisees wanted
    So, what to do…
    V. 53 - KILL JESUS - That’s the plan for the Passover week
    POINT TO USE: - Summary of John to this point
    John 1–11 5. The Climactic Story of Lazarus and the Passover Plot (11:1–57)

    The answer is that the religious authorities had a major problem with a person who did not fit their guidelines for acceptability.

    I may rant a little today - the Gospel of John to this point puts us in a position where we have to decide if we fit into the world’s guidelines, or if we fit into the Kingdom of Yahweh!

    The Power of Jesus is Clear

    The Awe…and Fear

    Many started believing
    Throughout this time, Jesus’ work and power was evident
    The very name of Jesus
    The voice of Jesus
    The presence of Jesus
    Unmistakable - demands response - NOW (He was rather urgent about it)
    This world? Or Jesus’ kingdom?
    Feed the human flesh? Or satisfy your soul?
    Few will surrender and follow
    The narrow gate - Matt 7:14
    Matthew 7:14 NASB95
    “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
    Most will flood that wide gate - leading to destruction - Matthew 7:13
    Matthew 7:13 (NASB95)
    “…for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
    This will all be sorted out - Judgment Day, when Jesus returns
    Until then…

    The Attacks

    Started with Satan - Genesis 3 and forward through history (sorry for the review, but you don’t have the Gospel without the Fall, without Genesis)
    Later - Prophets killed - for message of repentance
    Then…
    Killed Jesus - His message of repentance
    That really didn’t work, now did it?
    If killing Jesus did not work, then the fight must continue with attacks on His followers
    After the Gospels, the NT is about living for Him, in this world until He returns
    Many apostles were martyred (witness)
    All God asks of you? Live for Him; stand out in a world following Satan’s call to attack
    The enemy’s attack, designed to:
    Keep people lost
    Keep believers from growing
    (Pharisees: can’t stop Jesus, but let’s contain this growth…)
    Is it getting harder to live like a Christian?
    Bible-believing Christianity under attack
    The spiritual warfare comes out in the physical world…
    Heightened in 2020-21 - COVID gave an excuse for many - churches lost 30% of people - why?
    EXAMPLES
    Social/secular issues
    Since May 2020
    >300 attacks on Catholic churches - pro-life stance
    >100 attacks on crisis pregnancy centers, pro-life organizations and churches
    Others in the past decade
    NJ Teacher suspended for giving a student a Bible - who asked for one
    Football coach prays on the field after a game, placed on leave
    Atlanta fire chief fired for self-publishing a book on Christian moral teaching
    Marine was court-martialed for having a Bible verse above her desk
    BIBLICAL TRUTHS THAT PROMPT HATE
    Marriage - one man, one woman
    You are a bigot and a hater
    Gender/Sex - only two
    You are so intolerant - but what about “follow the science?”
    Education - (I expect the government schools to get this wrong)
    (Are your kids prepared with God’s Word there? Daniel and his friends were)
    Christian schools are threatened
    Kings College, Gordon College, Grand Canyon University
    And some Christian schools have already caved to culture
    Private schools; homeschoolers are targeted by activists and the world
    Homeschoolers are child abusers, don’t you know?
    Mental Health - hot-button talk today; very RARELY addressed Biblically
    The steps for treatment almost never involve God’s Word, the church, or Christian fellowship
    The world wants to treat, keep you “sick”
    GOD WANTS TO HEAL!
    How willing are you to share/live your views?
    Do your views line up with God’s Word?
    Are you afraid of expressing your Christian worldview? Because that’s a sign that it’s gotten to us.
    Look at our nation, even our local area:
    Weaker churches - feeling good feels better, much easier to just go along with the world
    Weaker families - divorce is easy answer, marriage isn’t even important anymore
    Weaker believers - Biblically illiterate
    Weaker culture - Built on man’s precepts
    “As a nation, the Biblical worldview is running on fumes…People see themselves as Christians, but…they are actually living out a watered-down, counterfeit worldview that looks more like culture around them than the Biblical Christianity they profess.”
    Arizona Christian University president Len Munsil
    HISTORICAL PATTERN
    Attack the Word
    Genesis 3 in the Garden
    Attack the godly, the prophets
    Kill Jesus
    That didn’t work
    So…Attack the Word, and believers who don’t really know it
    Attack on what is right, true, and godly
    Satan’s tactics - alive and well today
    He couldn’t kill Jesus and keep Him dead, so now you are His target
    Doubt, Fear, Pride, Independence
    “Freedom”

    The Choices

    Distractions/Priorities - Don’t think the attacks are here? Look around…
    Every single day - you choose how important following Jesus is in your life
    We talk, complain, praise, whatever….
    What do we DO? Big ones here, locally
    Sunday priorities, for example
    Busy-ness of life, local youth activities, Family reunions and activities
    A believer’s response? Do you know Hebrews 10:25
    Hebrews 10:25 NASB95
    not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
    Your child - the best underwater basket weaver, and the tournament is on Sunday…
    Won’t get a trophy, but how about showing kids what it means to get a crown?
    Family activities - tell your family you’ll be back in a couple hours, or that you’ll be late for the activity
    It’s really OK!
    Traveling? Find a local church on Sunday
    Jesus DIED, so we could be here!
    CHALLENGE:
    Don’t complain about culture and the news unless you are actually doing something about it
    Want revival? It starts at home
    It’s not someone else’s job!
    If distractions and priorities we just discussed are ones affecting you…
    And you are unwilling to change…
    Then expect more of the culture you already see and complain about
    CLOSING
    Jesus’ popularity led the opposition to feel the need to silence Him
    Power and prestige - their priority
    So with that threat, Jesus had to die
    Follow Jesus, or kill Jesus
    One man, dying for the nation
    One man dying for the world
    Caiaphas literally prophesied the Word of God, not aware of the magnitude of those words
    Jesus changes lives - and our culture feels the need to silence Him, even today
    Jesus never intended for His work to stop
    He just handed the job to the church, with followers called disciples, until He returns
    Oh, and He gave us help - the Holy Spirit
    Is that enough for us?
    To the core here, who seem to have priorities straight - I praise God for you!
    Good question to ask - what can I do?
    Pray
    Be the example you’d like to see
    The “wins” - the good news
    Thousands of believers baptized in France on Easter
    Hundreds saved recently at a rally by Franklin Graham
    Young people here, trusting Jesus
    Wednesdays - Bible study
    Prepared, equipped - that’s what a disciple is
    Living in a world wanting nothing to do with Jesus
    2 Timothy 3:17 NASB95
    so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
    Being part of discipling others, you up for that?
    That’s my goal for you, for us
    That’s God’s plan for your life
    Yes, His plan, I know His plan for you
    To grow
    So you can defend the truth
    So you can stand out in this world where evil and wickedness rule
    A world where they’d really like Jesus to just go away
    Jesus demanded followers to be disciples
    So there, you have that opportunity
    If YOU won’t do it, who do you expect to?
    It’s not really that hard to make a statement in support of Jesus
    So, what are you willing to do, besides talk about doing something
    The culture around us desperately needs surrendered followers of Jesus to show them a different way
    If they walked in here, is that you?

      • Matthew 7:14NASB95

      • Hebrews 10:25NASB95

      • 2 Timothy 3:17NASB95

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The Church in Noble - Cornerstone
cornerstone@wabash.net
618-723-2779
https://cccnoble.faithlifesites.com
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