I.
Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 11:1-4
1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was
from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother
Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped
his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one
you love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This
sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may
be glorified through it.”
-- skip down to verse 17
17 On
his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four
days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many
Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary
stayed at home.
21
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have
died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last
day.”
25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in
me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me
will never die. Do you believe this?”
-- one more -- skip down to verse 43
43
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a
cloth around his face.
Jesus
said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
-- because Kim and I both work and tend to
have crazy schedules -- constantly running from here to there -- it’s rare for
us to find time to actually make a plan and go out and buy enough groceries to
get us through the week -- we tend to make supper plans on the fly -- and this
results in us going to the store too many times throughout the week
-- so, what happens is we call each other
and get an idea of what’s going on that day and that night and make a decision
about supper -- and one of us will run to the store and pick up whatever it is
we need -- and, because I work out at Moody, it’s generally easier for me to
just swing by and pick up stuff at the store on my way home from work
-- it works out well -- Kim will give me a
list over the phone and I’ll write down everything she needs and, honestly, I
can get through a grocery store in a hurry with a list -- I don’t just shop --
I go in like it’s a mission -- usually, we get the same stuff, and I know where
it is and I can run in, grab just what I need, and come out in a matter of
minutes
-- but, occasionally, I get tripped up --
for instance, one day Kim sent me to the store to get stuff for hamburgers, and
I came home with a large pack of sausage that wasn’t on the list -- and she
asked why I got them -- honestly, she’s quit asking now -- she’s knows it’s
useless
-- here’s what happened -- I was running
through the store with my list -- knowing exactly what I needed and where it
was at -- I was dodging people in buggies -- and skirting around families with
little kids in tow -- when it happened -- I smelled sausage -- and I love
sausage -- and I was hungry -- I had been at work all day -- so I followed my
nose right to the meat department where the store had a woman set up with a
grill cooking sausage right there in the store -- she was handing out free
samples -- she made me try two different kinds -- and I walked out of there
with an entire, family-sized pack of sausage that I had never intended on
purchasing
-- so, what does my purchase of sausage have
to do with our study in the Bible today? -- I’m glad you asked
-- we’ve been going over this sermon
series on the miracles of Jesus from the Book of John -- when we started this
series, I told you that there were seven miracles given to us in this narrative
-- and how it was important that there were seven -- in the Bible, the number
seven indicates completeness -- perfection -- wholeness -- it is seen as God’s
number, and indicates the completion and perfection of His work -- so, taken
together, these seven miracles were given to show us the complete and perfect
working of God through Jesus in His earthly ministry
-- we also talked about how these miracles
were given to us as signs that pointed us to who Jesus was and what His purpose
in coming to earth was -- through these miracles, we learned more about the
attributes and nature and power of Christ -- and they pointed to the reason for
which He came -- Jesus didn’t come just to preach and teach and heal for three
years and show us how to live as Christians -- no, as we all know, Jesus came
to die on the cross for our sins -- to give us eternal life through His atoning
sacrifice and to prove His victory over sin and death through His resurrection
-- the miracles point to this ministry --
every miracle was a sign -- from the turning of the water into wine and His
using the water purification jars as holders for the wine because the Jews
would no longer have to seek temporary purification through religious rituals
-- to the healing of the official’s son, the paralytic man, and the blind man
-- pointing to Jesus’ healing of our bodies and souls that would come from the
cross -- and, now, His final miracle in this gospel -- the raising of Lazarus
from the dead -- pointing to His ultimate purpose in coming to earth -- to be
the resurrection and the life for a people living in darkness
-- so, just like those sausage samples led
me to purchase the whole pack of sausages, each of these miracles was like a
sample of who God is and why Jesus came -- it was just a taste that promised
more -- it was just a bite -- to introduce us to the One who came to save us --
body, mind, soul, and spirit -- so that, we might receive the whole package of
Jesus
-- so that, we might become one with Him
and one with each other -- made holy and pure and reconciled to the Father
through His body and blood
-- the miracles were small glimpses of heaven
-- small samples of grace -- that pointed us to Jesus
-- this miracle we are looking at today --
the raising of Lazarus from the dead -- marks a pivotal point in this gospel --
no more miracles are recorded by John after this event -- from this point on,
the focus of the gospel of John is on the fulfillment of the purpose of Jesus’
coming to earth -- His death and resurrection -- that is why this miracle is
the last -- it is the overarching miracle -- the final sign that foreshadows
the good news that the Messiah has come to bring life to us all
-- so, let us end our time together in
this study of the miracles of Jesus by looking at one of the most familiar
stories in the entire Bible -- the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead
II. Scripture Lesson (John 11)
-- this is a long story -- it takes up
almost all of John Chapter 11 -- and there is just way too much for me to
unpack this morning -- so, we’re just going to hit the highlights that are
relevant to our purposes today
-- if you would, look with me now at John
11, and we’ll start in verse 1
1 Now
a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her
sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same
one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the
sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is
for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus
loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was
sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his
disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
-- the family of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus
are mentioned several times in the gospels -- you’re probably familiar with the
story of Martha getting upset at Mary because she wasn’t helping with a meal in
honor of Jesus one time -- that happened some time before the events of John 11
-- Mary, Martha, and Lazarus all lived in
Bethany, a small town about a mile and half east of Jerusalem on the
southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives -- there is some indication that
Martha and Mary may have lived by themselves and that Lazarus may have had his
own home there in Bethany, but that’s just a guess based on the context and
interpretation of the various passages -- what we do know is that Jesus loved
them and spent time in their homes and was comfortable there -- even when the
world was persecuting Him and plotting against Him, He found refuge and peace
in their home
-- so, when Jesus’ friend Lazarus takes
ill, the sisters do what we all should do in such a situation -- they cried out
to Jesus -- “The one you love is sick” -- we all know what they mean, even
though they didn’t come out and say it -- “Lazarus is sick -- come heal him”
-- they knew Jesus could do that -- they
had seen the miracles -- they knew about the paralytic man and the official’s
son and the blind man -- they knew that if Jesus came, He would certainly heal
Lazarus
-- but look what Jesus says in verse 4 --
this is key
4
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is
for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
-- God had a plan -- Lazarus’ sickness was
going to result in Jesus’ greatest ministry and miracle outside of the cross --
this was going to be the ultimate demonstration of God’s grace and mercy and
power so that God would receive glory and Jesus would be glorified through it
-- verse 17
17 On
his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four
days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many
Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary
stayed at home.
21
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have
died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last
day.”
25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in
me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me
will never die. Do you believe this?”
27
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God,
who is to come into the world.”
-- by the time Jesus reached Bethany,
Lazarus has died -- Mary and Martha’s homes were filled with mourners -- with
people from Jerusalem who had come to grieve with them -- to share in this time
of loss -- we understand these verses -- we’ve lived these verses -- we know
exactly how this felt to Mary and Martha and their friends
-- remember, Jesus said this sickness
would not end in death -- that this happened because it was intended for God’s
glory -- we know this -- but Mary and Martha didn’t -- they’re hurting --
they’re grieving -- they’ve lost their brother -- and their only hope didn’t
come in time to save him
-- verse 20 is what I call a pregnant
verse -- there’s a lot of meaning in there -- there’s a lot going on there --
it reminds me of C.S. Lewis’ novel, “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” --
if you remember the opening of that book, the land of Narnia is held in the
grip of cold and darkness -- with little hope that spring will come, bringing
light and life to their land once more -- but rumors and whispers can be heard
throughout the land -- “Aslan is coming, Aslan is on the move”
-- that’s what I picture here -- even
while the people are grieving -- even while the mourners are comforting Mary
and Martha in their home -- the word goes before Jesus and fills the ears and
hearts of everyone along the way -- “Jesus is coming…Jesus is coming”
-- those words bring hope where hope is
lost -- those words bring healing where sickness abounds -- those words bring
life where death is found
-- Martha heard those words -- with a
broken heart and without knowing what Jesus could do in this situation, she
went out to meet Him
-- “Lord, if You had been here, my brother
would not have died -- but even now, God will give You whatever You ask” --
this is a declaration of faith -- Martha’s come a long way from being just
concerned about putting together a meal for a friend -- she’s come to believe
in who Jesus is -- that He is one that God uses to bring healing -- and now
she’s asking for the ultimate act of healing, if that is even possible
-- Jesus replies to her in verses 25 and
26 with a pronouncement that is second only to His pronouncement from the
cross, “It is finished!” -- as she acknowledges her faith in the resurrection
at the last day, Jesus responds by telling her, “I am the resurrection and the
life -- he who believes in Me will live, even though he dies -- and whoever
lives and believes in Me will never die”
-- this is why Jesus came -- this is what
all the miracles were pointing to -- the promise of the resurrection and the
promise of eternal life -- it’s important to note both are promised here -- To
resurrect something means you bring it back from the dead -- It shows power
over death -- To bring something to life means that you give it new life -- it
become a new creation -- the old has passed -- the new has come -- that is the
promise Jesus is giving Martha here
-- remember that Jesus ultimately came to
do two things for us -- To save us from our sins -- to break the bonds of sin
and death -- the eternal death that was keeping us separated from God forever
-- and, He came to give us life -- not just to resurrect us, but to make us new
-- to give us eternal life -- life with Him -- that begins, not at death, but
at the moment someone believes in faith and receives Jesus as their Lord and
Savior -- as Jesus said in John 10:10, I have come that you may have life, life
to the full -- abundant life -- not just in the future, but here -- now -- on
earth
-- Martha’s faith is made complete on
hearing this power “I AM” statement from Jesus -- she boldly proclaims her
faith and says, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to
come into the world”
-- that’s the whole purpose of the
miracles -- that’s the whole reason Jesus turned the water into wine and healed
the sick and the lame and walked on the water and fed the 5,000 -- it wasn’t
just to draw a crowd
-- it was to bring them to this point
where Martha is right now -- believing that He was the Son of God -- believing
that He was the Messiah -- believing that He was the Savior God who came to
make us new
-- skip down to verse 38
38
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone
laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But,
Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad
odor, for he has been there four days.”
40
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the
glory of God?”
41 So
they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you
that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for
the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent
me.”
43
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a
cloth around his face.
Jesus
said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
-- the NIV tells us that when Jesus saw
Mary and the other Jews weeping with grief at the death of Lazarus that He was
deeply moved in His spirit and troubled -- other translations say that the
sight of Mary and the Jews weeping stirred Jesus to anger
-- what caused such extreme emotions
in Jesus? -- was it just the loss of a friend -- of someone He loved? -- no, I
don't think so -- I think it was related to the reason for which He had come
-- Jesus was moved in His spirit --
He became troubled and angry -- not just at the loss of His friend Lazarus --
but at the power and control that sin and death had on the human race
-- it was not God's original intent
for sin and death to bind us in chains -- it was not God's original intent for
us to live in fear of death -- this all happened in the Garden of Eden when
Satan tempted Adam and Eve and caused them to bring sin into this world --
separating them from God and causing them to die spiritually -- this is what
deeply moved Jesus -- this is what made Him troubled in His spirit -- this is
what made Him angry
-- so, Jesus asked to be taken to the
place where Lazarus lay -- and He stood at the door of that tomb, facing a
stone that separated the dead from Himself -- He told them to move the stone
away -- to get rid of it, for it would no longer be needed
-- Martha and the others protested
-- they couldn’t move the stone -- it needed to be there -- they always put a
stone on the grave of those who had died -- but, remember, this is a sign --
this sign is announcing that the old ways of death were done -- things had
changed because Jesus had come
-- so, the stone was removed -- and
Jesus prayed to the Father in the hearing of those gathered there at the tomb
-- and, in a loud voice, He called out, "Lazarus, come forth"
-- can you imagine what that sounded
like? -- can you imagine the power that went forth in that call to Lazarus? --
think about it -- the same voice that spoke life into being at the start of
time now spoke life into the dead -- all creation -- all of heaven and all of
earth -- would have reverberated with the power of Jesus calling Lazarus from
the grave
-- and, then it happened -- Lazarus
came out -- "take off the grave clothes," Jesus said, "and let
Lazarus go" -- with these words -- with this miracle and with this act of
removing the clothes that bound Lazarus in his death -- Jesus proclaimed
Himself as the Resurrection and the Life -- He proclaimed Himself the Messiah
-- God in the flesh -- God with us
-- Lazarus was freed -- not only
from the cold grip of death in the tomb -- but from the power of Satan and from
the power of sin and death that had held this world in bondage for thousands of
years
-- this was the miracle that pointed
to the cross -- and the resurrection of Lazarus was but a taste -- it was but a
small sample -- of the blessed hope we all now have through Jesus
III.
Closing
--
and, so, we come to the end -- the miracles of Jesus have been completed -- the
signs have been given -- everything has pointed the people to Jesus as their
long-awaited Messiah -- and, as the Son of Man is lifted up on the cross -- bearing
the sins of the world upon Himself -- He calls on us to see Him and believe
--
this was John’s purpose in writing his gospel -- this was Jesus’ purpose in
doing what He had done -- turning water into wine -- healing the sick and the
blind and the lame -- feeding the 5,000 -- walking on water -- and raising
Lazarus from the dead -- these were done for the purpose of proclaiming the
promise of the cross -- of proclaiming the Resurrection and the Life -- of
proclaiming hope for you and for me
--
as we end our study in these miracles of Jesus, I want to leave you with this
final thought -- the miracles of Jesus recorded in the gospels were given for a
particular purpose -- they were done for a reason -- but, miracles still
continue to this very day -- Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever --
the same God that raised from the dead and healed the sick and the blind and
the lame still works in the lives of people in our day and age
--
miracles may be rare -- God may not choose to heal those we love -- He may
allow trials and troubles into our lives -- we have to remember that God’s
focus is always on the eternal, not on the temporal -- and our present-day
sufferings are nothing when compared to the glory that awaits
--
yet still, although rare, miracles in this plane do occur -- we have to believe
-- we have to trust and have faith -- and we have to accept God’s will,
regardless of whether He moves in a supernatural way and does a miracle in our
lives or not
--
as Pat Robertson pointed out: "It
is better to ask confidently for supernatural help, even expect it - and
sometimes be disappointed - than not to risk asking at all -- God, of course,
can do what He wants, regardless of the faith or expectations of any human
being -- But it's part of His scheme of things in the universe to involve men
and women in His work - including miraculous work."
--
so, here’s the take-home message from this study of the miracles of Jesus --
miracles still occur -- Jesus still works in the lives of His people -- and He
calls us to join Him in praying and working and serving God in this world
today, keeping in mind our ultimate calling, which is to share the good news of
His coming, His atoning death, and His resurrection with those around us
--
let us pray
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