Free to Rest - John 11: 17-27
So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." (John 11:17-27, NASB)
Sermon Summary
On Sunday, Pastor Jamey Bryant taught from John 11:17-27 in his message "Free to Rest," exploring Jesus's powerful declaration "I am the resurrection and the life." Using the humorous example of the "Bonsai Kittens" internet hoax from 2000, he addressed our deeper uncertainties about eternal destiny and whether we can be 100% sure of where we'll spend eternity. Through Martha's encounter with Jesus after Lazarus's death, Pastor Jamey showed how Jesus doesn't just have power over death—He IS the resurrection in the flesh, offering eternal life as a free gift to everyone who believes, with no fine print or conditions added. He emphasized that eternal life begins the moment we believe and can never be lost, taken away, or forfeited, challenging us to rest in this assurance rather than living in fear-based performance.
Sermon Summary
On Sunday, Pastor Jamey Bryant taught from John 11:17-27 in his message "Free to Rest," exploring Jesus's powerful declaration "I am the resurrection and the life." Using the humorous example of the "Bonsai Kittens" internet hoax from 2000, he addressed our deeper uncertainties about eternal destiny and whether we can be 100% sure of where we'll spend eternity. Through Martha's encounter with Jesus after Lazarus's death, Pastor Jamey showed how Jesus doesn't just have power over death—He IS the resurrection in the flesh, offering eternal life as a free gift to everyone who believes, with no fine print or conditions added. He emphasized that eternal life begins the moment we believe and can never be lost, taken away, or forfeited, challenging us to rest in this assurance rather than living in fear-based performance.
Discussion Questions
Fun Icebreaker: What's the most ridiculous thing you believed from the internet before realizing it was fake—or what's the worst "fact" you confidently shared with others that turned out to be completely wrong?
Connection: Pastor Jamey said Martha shows us "it's ok to have faith and grief at the same time." When have you found yourself in Martha's shoes, saying to God, "You could've stopped it, but You didn't"?
Self-Assessment: On a scale from "Bonsai Kittens believer" to "100% certain," where would you honestly place your confidence about your eternal destiny right now?
Practical Application: Pastor Jamey mentioned three reasons people struggle with assurance: theological confusion, performance thinking, and general doubt. Which one trips you up most, and what's one specific step you could take this week to address it?
Theological Tension: How do we balance the truth that salvation can never be lost with the reality that Christians still sin and struggle? What's the difference between resting in God's grace and taking advantage of it?
Vulnerability & Action: Pastor Jamey said when Lazarus was unwrapped, he was "100% alive—not 75%, not 90%." Who in your life needs to see that you're walking in resurrection power today rather than living like you're still wrapped in grave clothes?
Concrete Next Steps: Jesus asked Martha, "Do you believe this?" If eternal life truly begins the moment you believe, what's one area of "death" in your life (bad habit, sin pattern, broken relationship) where you need to start living in resurrection power this week?
Extra Credit
Look up John 3:16, John 5:24, John 6:47, and 1 John 5:11-13. How do these passages expand our understanding of eternal security and assurance of salvation? What common thread of "believing" versus "performing" runs through all of them, and how does this challenge the way many of us naturally think about keeping ourselves saved?
Connection: Pastor Jamey said Martha shows us "it's ok to have faith and grief at the same time." When have you found yourself in Martha's shoes, saying to God, "You could've stopped it, but You didn't"?
Self-Assessment: On a scale from "Bonsai Kittens believer" to "100% certain," where would you honestly place your confidence about your eternal destiny right now?
Practical Application: Pastor Jamey mentioned three reasons people struggle with assurance: theological confusion, performance thinking, and general doubt. Which one trips you up most, and what's one specific step you could take this week to address it?
Theological Tension: How do we balance the truth that salvation can never be lost with the reality that Christians still sin and struggle? What's the difference between resting in God's grace and taking advantage of it?
Vulnerability & Action: Pastor Jamey said when Lazarus was unwrapped, he was "100% alive—not 75%, not 90%." Who in your life needs to see that you're walking in resurrection power today rather than living like you're still wrapped in grave clothes?
Concrete Next Steps: Jesus asked Martha, "Do you believe this?" If eternal life truly begins the moment you believe, what's one area of "death" in your life (bad habit, sin pattern, broken relationship) where you need to start living in resurrection power this week?
Extra Credit
Look up John 3:16, John 5:24, John 6:47, and 1 John 5:11-13. How do these passages expand our understanding of eternal security and assurance of salvation? What common thread of "believing" versus "performing" runs through all of them, and how does this challenge the way many of us naturally think about keeping ourselves saved?
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