Bridge Church Virginia Beach

April 5, 2026

SERMON: Uncommon Hope: Embracing Change in a Broken World

SCRIPTURE: JOHN 11:21-27

““Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.””
‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭21‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

INTRODUCTION: Because Jesus lives, your worst moment is never your last chapter.

Uncommon Hope:

1. Reaches Beyond the Present (v. 22)

“if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

2. Rest in God's Promises (v. 23)

"Your brother will rise again."

3. Relies on a person, not a plan. (v. 25)

"I am the resurrection and the life..."

4. Responds with personal faith. (v. 27)

"Yes, I believe you are the Messiah..."

CONCLUSION: What is your response to Jesus question? Do you believe?
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0.000000 7.680000 When did Christianity begin? That is a question that was posed to me last Sunday,
7.680000 12.920000 which was Palm Sunday after church, by my brother-in-law sitting at lunch eating
12.920000 21.800000 a steak. He said did it begin at the birth of Christ at his death or his
21.800000 28.160000 resurrection? As great as the birth of Christ was at first Christmas and as
28.160000 34.880000 great as and magnificent and brutal as the death was of Jesus the first good
34.880000 43.320000 Friday without the resurrection the birth and death of Jesus would hold no
43.320000 51.040000 significance but because he lives and because he arose on that first Easter Sunday
51.040000 59.540000 morning man we have hope today. Amen we have hope today. We're going to look at a
59.540000 67.780000 story found in John chapter 11. John chapter 11 is a powerful chapter it is a
67.780000 73.780000 story of a man who is dead who comes back to life. We're going to look at John
73.780000 81.560000 11 21 through 27 and it says this Lord Martha said to Jesus if you have been
81.560000 87.540000 here my brother would not have died but I know even now if you have a Bible
87.540000 91.820000 underlined that even now those are two powerful words God will give you whatever
91.820000 98.320000 you ask Jesus said to her your brother will rise again Martha answered I know he
98.320000 103.420000 will rise again in the resurrection at the last day Jesus said to her I am the
103.420000 108.520000 resurrection and the life the one who believes that me will live even though they
108.520000 116.880000 die and whoever lives by believing in me will never die do you believe this yes
116.880000 126.780000 Lord she replied I believe that you are the Messiah the Son of God who is come to
126.780000 133.200000 or come into the world today I want to talk to you just for a few minutes on this
133.200000 142.660000 subject uncommon hope because Jesus lives come on because Jesus lives your worst
142.660000 151.580000 moment is never your last chapter how many you like a good book how many you
151.580000 156.820000 like a good movie Mr. Salman turned me down in the monitor just a little bit I
156.820000 165.160000 love good books I love movies but I love books better just you know is what it is
165.160000 171.300000 and a good book has great characters a good or great movie has great
171.300000 177.320000 characters these characters have desires they have struggles and eventually in
177.320000 182.680000 the book or in the movie you see a transformation it takes life in the place of
182.680000 188.380000 the characters every good book every good movie has a plot sub plot has pacing
188.380000 195.480000 and it has structure the structure every every good book or movie is one where
195.480000 201.560000 there's a setup there's a confrontation and there's a resolution throughout the
201.560000 208.680000 movie almost sounds like a hallmark movie doesn't it a setup a girl comes on
208.680000 215.180000 and and she's dating this guy and discovers she no longer likes it she ditches
215.180000 224.120000 him and finds Prince Charming that's the confrontation you see this setup this
224.120000 228.760000 confrontation and the resolution is at the end of the movie they get married and
228.760000 237.200000 all the ladies said yeah wow all the men said forget it forget what is
237.200000 241.480000 happening in those crazy little movies I want to see taken one taken to and
241.480000 247.160000 taken three I want to see the Patriot the Gladiator I need some blood and guts but
247.160000 255.480000 even those movies have a setup a confrontation and a resolution and that's what
255.480000 261.880000 we see in this story in John chapter 11 we see a setup a confrontation a
261.880000 272.260000 resolution that happens throughout the the process of the story now as we
272.260000 280.680000 think about uncommon hope what makes the hope of the believer uncommon the
280.680000 287.800000 uncommon hope I'm talking about is a confident expectation in the nature and
287.800000 295.440000 character of God are the promises of God this uncommon hope its source is the
295.440000 300.720000 resurrection of Jesus Christ the hope that the world offers the hope that we
300.720000 307.520000 hear about from day to day I hope you get better is more like a wish it's
307.520000 315.920000 luck it might happen there's a difference between the hope that Christ offers
315.920000 322.080000 and the hope that the world offers the hope that Christ offers finds its
322.080000 333.280000 source in him the hope of the world offers finds its source in itself and in
333.280000 341.660000 this chapter there is a great setup Mary Martha and Lazarus they live in this
341.660000 350.020000 small town in the land of Judea about a mile and a half or so outside of
350.020000 356.540000 Jerusalem it's a quaint town a pretty little village in the Judean hills it's
356.540000 362.380000 full of faith it's full of family it's full of laughter it's like a modern day
362.380000 370.900000 small town in America it's something that that is appealing to us because it
370.900000 376.060000 takes us away from the hustle and bustle but in that small town something
376.060000 384.940000 happened sickness came on Lazarus Lazarus got very sick to the point of death
384.940000 391.340000 and Mary and Martha became very depressed they became very anxious and
391.340000 397.340000 worried about what was going to happen to their brother Lazarus was Jesus' best
397.340000 403.180000 friend oftentimes when Jesus was in Bethany he would go to their house and eat
403.180000 410.100000 if you haven't heard yet Jesus was a foodie Jesus loved to eat he loved to sit
410.100000 416.620000 around tables in fact in heaven in the book of Revelation it shows us the
416.620000 422.300000 marriage lamb of the supper it is a table where all gods people sit around and
422.300000 430.660000 eat anybody ready for that eat with no calories amen and so they sin for this
430.660000 437.420000 Jesus who loves this family Martha Mary sin for Jesus Jesus is a way to
437.420000 442.660000 ministry the priests and the scribes are saying he's blaspheming because he's
442.660000 448.900000 declaring that he's the son of God and and Jesus discovers that Lazarus is sick
448.900000 454.900000 and he's dying and guess what happens he does nothing have you ever felt like
454.900000 460.700000 when you're in a bad chapter in life Jesus does nothing have you ever felt like
460.700000 466.420000 when you get worried Jesus doesn't you become anxious and Jesus never gets
466.420000 473.480000 upset when we think things should happen and Jesus is calm cool and collect
473.480000 479.640000 Jesus was calm cool and collect he didn't show up the first day in fact the sun
479.640000 485.680000 rose and it said the sun rose and it said and Mary and Martha became more anxious
485.680000 491.160000 they became more depressed they were probably saying where is this Jesus that is
491.160000 497.420000 the setup where is this Jesus where's he at I thought he loved his friend Lazarus
497.420000 503.860000 I thought he loved us he ate at our table we fed this clown read a little
503.860000 509.380000 emotion in the Bible don't sanitize it you want to read a good book read the Bible
509.380000 514.460000 it has everything in it come on it has plots it has twists it has so plots it has
514.460000 520.020000 great characters man it has a setup it has confrontation it has resolution and we
520.020000 530.020000 see the setup here and Jesus strolls in the town of Bethany four days late four
530.020000 541.900000 days late he was four days late folks Lazarus was dead why would Jesus wait
541.900000 548.740000 four days I believe Jesus understood it all in the Hebrew mind people were not
548.740000 553.540000 really dead until after the third day they believed on the third day the soul
553.540000 559.660000 separated from the body and at that moment that person was dead in the words of
559.660000 567.540000 our campus pastor down in curtuck Eric Fritz Lazarus was dead dead he was
567.540000 575.260000 graveyard dead and sometimes we find ourselves in spots in life relationships
575.260000 581.680000 problems where it feels dead dead and that's when Jesus shows up oftentimes Jesus
581.680000 587.120000 doesn't show up when we want him to show up he shows up where he gets the glory if
587.120000 590.920000 he would have came earlier they would have said he wasn't really dead he was just
590.920000 598.960000 asleep Jesus shows up here's the confrontation Martha hears that Jesus is in
598.960000 607.920000 town she runs out to meet him and in this confrontation we see three things about
607.920000 614.960000 uncommon hope first we see the uncommon hope reaches beyond the present look what
614.960000 622.000000 Martha says to Jesus I believe she's mad I believe she's furious I believe her
622.000000 627.800000 grief gave way to anger I believe she ran up to Jesus and got all in he is
627.800000 634.140000 grill I believe she got up in his face I believe she was mad you can sanitize it if
634.140000 639.440000 you want to but I think she was furious she said this if you had a been here my
639.440000 646.880000 brother would not have died Jesus she's probably shaking her finger in his face but
646.880000 654.680000 I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask even though she was
654.680000 660.580000 in grief even though she was in despair she had an even now understanding of the
660.580000 666.560000 power of God that even now though he is in the tomb though he is dead even now God
666.560000 672.720000 will give you whatever you ask that is a powerful statement there see it reaches
672.720000 679.240000 beyond the present even now Martha's world was shattered she was full of grief
679.240000 686.440000 and loss and confusion but she has the faith to say even now she looks beyond the
686.440000 695.180000 present number two in this confrontation this uncommon hope rest in God's
695.180000 703.960000 promises I want you to notice what Jesus does at this moment he gives her a
703.960000 715.640000 promise before a miracle your miracle has to have a foundation your Christian
715.640000 720.420000 faith has to have a foundation we believe the foundation of the Christian
720.420000 727.400000 faith is not myth it's not legend it's not historical it is a person it is the
727.400000 732.160000 person of Jesus Christ that's why we're here today some of your seekers and
732.160000 735.140000 you just came in the building and you're like man it's crowded and I don't like
735.140000 740.540000 sitting as close to people I'm getting anxious you're in the right spot because
740.540000 747.140000 Jesus is the solution to all your anxiety rest in God's promises notice what
747.140000 756.580000 Jesus says to her your brother will rise again this lady's furious she has this
756.580000 762.600000 even now hope is even now faith he turns to her after this discourse he says your
762.600000 773.040000 brother will rise again chill out lady it's gonna be okay it's gonna be all right your
773.040000 780.840000 brother will rise again Martha new theology but her hope was future focus look what
780.840000 788.340000 she says I know he will rise again in the resurrection in the last day she had a
788.340000 794.140000 future focus and sometimes our hope is so way out there that it's not really
794.140000 802.020000 hope because a hope that Jesus was trying to give her was a present reality it
802.020000 806.940000 was right now it wasn't future focus many believers trust God
806.940000 814.620000 eventually but struggle to trust him immediately Jesus was trying to get her
814.620000 820.180000 to see the immediacy of where she was at and she put that hope way out that I know
820.180000 825.460000 one day he's gonna be resurrected at the last day and Jesus is like no he's
825.460000 831.020000 gonna rise again he's gonna rise again he's coming how many of us are
831.020000 836.100000 constantly when we are faced with darkness and and and deep darkness that
836.100000 840.900000 that comes into a chapter of our lives and and we always put it mail but next
840.900000 843.940000 week's gonna be a little better maybe next week's gonna be a little better maybe
843.940000 849.460000 a year down the road maybe next month my husband won't be so belligerent
849.460000 855.180000 maybe my wife will chill out next week maybe my kids will act a little better
855.180000 859.660000 tomorrow and we could put in our hope way out there come on somebody and we
859.660000 864.340000 keep fooling ourselves just like Martha was fooling herself and she didn't
864.340000 869.340000 under really understand what the hope that Jesus was offering her at that
869.340000 878.100000 moment say not only does it rest in God's promises but it relies on a person
878.100000 885.460000 not a plan in the darkest chapters of our lives whether it's depression
885.460000 891.220000 whether it's addiction whether it's divorce whether whether it's a death of a
891.220000 898.620000 loved one we often try to make a plan to get out of the trouble anybody like
898.620000 903.900000 that anybody when you're faced with situations man you spend all night
903.900000 910.580000 devising a plan in your head at work you're trying to figure it out you're
910.580000 915.060000 trying to make a plan I believe Martha was trying to make a plan her brother was
915.060000 923.660000 dead her hope was gone and she slipped over into logic and Jesus was leading her
923.660000 929.680000 to Lordship but that wrestle between logic I can figure this out I can make it
929.680000 933.740000 happen I'm a self-made man you know I can fix this problem I can fix my marriage
933.740000 938.460000 I can fix my business I can fix this I can fix that and we try to fix our
938.460000 944.540000 spouses and guess what nobody wants to be fixed nobody wants to be a project
944.540000 952.460000 anybody like being a project don't marry a project marry a person oh man it's
952.460000 957.300000 good right there we'll talk about that next week next week begins a family
957.300000 962.260000 series call family ties amen
964.420000 977.340000 this uncommon hope rest and I promise it relies on a person and not a plan look
977.340000 984.620000 at this she says I know Jesus he will rise again and the last day of the
984.620000 995.280000 resurrection and look what Jesus says Martha Martha Martha wake up even the baby
995.280000 1005.260000 knows how to boy we love kids here at Bridge Church we all were one amen and he
1005.260000 1014.260000 says this I am the resurrection and the life she wanted a plan he gave her a
1014.260000 1025.420000 person she wanted some resolution and he gave her a person he did not give her
1025.420000 1033.060000 a plan he gave her a person Jesus doesn't point to an event he points to
1033.060000 1041.580000 himself resurrection is not merely something that Jesus does it is who he is he
1041.580000 1050.220000 is the resurrection and the life Jesus doesn't say I am a life he says I am the
1050.220000 1056.140000 life the thief comes to kill steal and destroy but I have come that you might have
1056.140000 1064.620000 life and life more abundantly that word life and John 1010 is the way it's the
1064.620000 1070.260000 God kind of life it's the abundant life God didn't just give you bios life he
1070.260000 1075.060000 sent Jesus to give you abundant zoe way life he didn't just come to give you
1075.060000 1079.300000 biological life there are many people that have biological life yeah they're
1079.300000 1083.940000 breathing they're inhaling they're exhaling but their dead is all get out
1083.940000 1090.060000 because the Bible says that we are dead and our trespasses and sin excluded from
1090.060000 1094.620000 the cross of Christ excluded from the resurrection if we don't have Jesus we
1094.620000 1098.020000 don't truly have life yeah we're breathing we're going through the motion we
1098.020000 1102.340000 wake up the alarm clock wakes us up the dog wakes us up and we walk around but we're
1102.340000 1111.640000 dead men walking without Jesus without Jesus the giver of life he says I am the
1111.640000 1119.820000 resurrection put away your plan put away your five-year vision and receive
1119.820000 1128.820000 me trust me believe me that was the confrontation the confrontation was hey can
1128.820000 1136.220000 I believe look here here's the resolution uncommon faith responds with
1136.220000 1147.060000 uncommon hope responds with personal faith a personal faith not a phony faith
1147.060000 1153.420000 not a faith that I received from my grandmother or my mother it's not a faith
1153.420000 1160.020000 I mean you know God has no grandchildren you do not inherit faith you choose
1160.020000 1169.140000 it God only has children he has no grandchildren I tell my children all the
1169.140000 1180.620000 time you have to have your own personal faith not dad's walk with God look what he
1180.620000 1186.340000 says in verse 25 and 26 and Jesus said to her I'm the resurrection and life and the
1186.340000 1191.300000 one who believes in me will live even though he they die and whoever lives by
1191.300000 1196.540000 believing look what that that says whoever lives by believing how am I going to
1196.540000 1206.380000 live by believing in me will never die notice what Jesus said in this passage
1206.380000 1215.140000 when he was going to Bethany he says my friend has fallen asleep and I'm going to
1215.140000 1223.180000 wake him up Jesus viewed death as just simply falling asleep my wife is
1223.180000 1230.140000 constantly asking me this question every day how do you fall asleep so fast I
1230.140000 1239.440000 get in the bed I kiss her good night and I start snoring she gets so mad she's
1239.440000 1245.740000 I don't understand it you fell asleep with your eyes open talking to me how do
1245.740000 1252.020000 you fall asleep so fast that's what Jesus was saying hey this guy's a sweet he
1252.020000 1259.340000 was dead if he believes in me he will never die and look what he asked look what he
1259.340000 1269.940000 asked Martha do you believe this do you believe this there's a set up there's a
1269.940000 1276.660000 confrontation of faith a struggle that confrontation gave way to a
1276.660000 1285.100000 resolution do you believe this Martha do you believe this I believe you had to
1285.100000 1289.620000 shake her a little bit do you believe this Martha you've seen all the miracles you
1289.620000 1294.820000 seen the power displayed through my life do you believe this notice what she says
1294.820000 1301.180000 yes I believe that you are the Messiah the son of living God Messiah the
1301.180000 1309.380000 one and one the savior of the world and he takes Martha and Mary at that point and
1309.380000 1317.720000 he says take me to the place where you laid Lazarus take me to his tomb Lord don't
1317.720000 1321.460000 go there don't go there don't go to that dark place don't don't go to that
1321.460000 1326.220000 place of death don't go to that place of hurt and pain and agony Lord you can go
1326.220000 1333.660000 any place but don't go there no he said take me there take me to that place I like
1333.660000 1338.860000 what the King James version of the Bible says it simply says this when Jesus says
1338.860000 1346.220000 take me to that place they say he stink it by now anybody got any part of your
1346.220000 1352.740000 life that stinks by now come on everybody has a chapter in the story of their
1352.740000 1359.240000 life that stinks we only show people the chapters that we like on social
1359.240000 1370.420000 media Disney World can come the Dominican the Canadian trip the Alaskan
1370.420000 1378.460000 cruise the baby being born we never show people our tears we never show people
1378.460000 1384.220000 when we get mad enough like Peter and we cost why because we don't want to show
1384.220000 1396.420000 people the dark places that stink if oh English by now but God already sees the
1396.420000 1402.100000 stinking parts of our lives and he's not put off by those stinking parts actually
1402.100000 1408.260000 he's attracted to it just as he was attracted to the grave of Lazarus when he
1408.260000 1417.940000 gets there he tells him move the stone God partnered with them God will ask you to
1417.940000 1424.100000 do what only you can do and he will do what only he can do they move the stone
1424.100000 1429.660000 and this is what Jesus did as you're standing this is what Jesus come on stand
1429.660000 1437.340000 that's what yeah what did he do what did he do this is what he did outside of the
1437.340000 1446.180000 tomb they move the stone and he steps there I think in a voice that that sent
1446.180000 1458.300000 shock waves in hell and against death because this was a a phototype a foreshadowing
1458.300000 1467.940000 of his own resurrection he said Lazarus come forth and often think about you know
1467.940000 1472.740000 why did he say Lazarus why didn't he just say come forward that came to this
1472.740000 1479.740000 realization if he would have just said come forth every dead body over the hills
1479.740000 1490.500000 of Judea that were in the graves would have came up but he named the name of
1490.500000 1501.020000 Lazarus and Lazarus while dead heard God's voice come on somebody I believe he
1501.020000 1510.100000 wants the name the dark chapter of your life and he wants to say come forth and
1510.100000 1517.940000 Lazarus had no choice he came up out of the grave bound by grave close and
1517.940000 1525.940000 Jesus said lose him and let him go the dead man came alive when Jesus spoke I'm
1525.940000 1530.500000 telling you today you can come alive and all you have to do they didn't have a
1530.500000 1538.100000 plan they just believed Jesus stop with the logic pass you you don't believe in
1538.100000 1541.100000 reason you don't believe in logic you don't believe in education I have an
1541.100000 1548.780000 earned doctorate but I'm not gonna allow my mind did it get in the way of the
1548.780000 1554.680000 supernatural power that comes from the resurrection of Jesus Christ it's
1554.680000 1562.800000 powerful it's powerful today the resurrection is powerful say pastor what do I have
1562.800000 1568.040000 to do here it is the resolution wasn't Lazarus coming out of the grave the
1568.040000 1576.480000 resolution was do you believe this Martha said yes Lord I believe that's the
1576.480000 1580.960000 resolution in your life to trust in the Lord with all your heart lean not in
1580.960000 1584.520000 your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge him you'll direct your
1584.520000 1590.560000 path your resolution is is not more understanding not more planning your
1590.560000 1598.560000 resolution is simply believing do you believe this let's power it's what I thank
1598.560000 1605.080000 you for the grace of God on our lives today I pray right now that you had
1605.080000 1610.320000 touch hearts God there are people that are in dark chapters in their lives God
1610.320000 1614.640000 may they have an uncommon hope that finds its source in the resurrection of
1614.640000 1621.546750 Jesus Christ from the dead our hope is built on a person not a plan