Lazarus Resurrected

Text: John 11:19

19  And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

20  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

21  Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

22  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

23  Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

24  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

1.   The story of Lazarus is one of the greatest lessons of the resurrection, other than the resurrection of Christ Himself.

a.   The story started with the sickness of Lazarus, and this is interesting because we all have a sickness, which is sin. We find ourselves in a sin-sick state, without really knowing what to do in that state.

b.   Jesus found out about Lazarus' sickness in Verse 3:

John 11:3-6

3  Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

4  When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

5  Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

6  When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

             i.    Jesus didn't go to Lazarus right away. By the time Jesus got to him, Lazarus had already been in the grave for 4 days.

            ii.    With this in mind, remember what Jesus said in Verse 4 - that this sickness was not unto death, yet when He got there Lazarus was dead.

          iii.    This appears to be a contradiction. But remember that we serve a God who can call those things that are not as though they were.  This is the reason Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son.

          iv.    What does Verse 4 mean? If Lazarus is dead, what does it mean that Jesus said his sickness was "not unto death"? It means the Lord already knew what He was going to do.

c.        Verses 21-26

21  Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

22  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

23  Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

24  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

             i.    Like all of us, Martha had knowledge, but she had no understanding of what Jesus was saying at this point. So she told the Lord, if you had been here he wouldn't be dead.

            ii.    Have you ever felt that Jesus was too late?

          iii.    Jesus said I AM the resurrection. This is perhaps His greatest statement, showing that He does have the power to give life.

          iv.    Notice in Verse 25 He said "were" dead. This is going to be our testimony, that these bodies will be laid to rest, but our souls will live in eternity with Christ.

d.        This knowledge should not ONLY affect our future, because it also affects our past.

2.  When Jesus said it is finished, He said it is PAID IN FULL, meaning He has already paid for your sins, and all you have to do is accept it.

a.        Let's thank God for the blood of Jesus which cleanses us for all of our sin. Don't ever take your Salvation for granted.

b.        Colossians 3:1-2

1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

             i.    It is so hard to get Christians to understand their duty to the call of Christ.

            ii.    To be raised with Christ and yet still find yourself caught up in the affairs of this life is one of the greatest contradictions.

12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

             i.    The resurrection should affect us NOW, it should affect our ATTITUDE, the way we relate to one another. We have no business cussing people out.

iii.        Lazarus became a powerful example of how one's life can be changed by the power and the resurrection of Christ.

iv.        Jesus said I am the resurrection. People have a problem with the deity of Christ, but Jesus was always, is, and always will be God.

v.        1 Corinthians 15:51-58

51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Why should we be steadfast? Because we ALL serve a risen Savior, and one day we all will be standing before Him. Jesus died on the cross to save us from hell, the place that was reserved for satan and his followers. No one will ever be able to say they are in hell because they didn't know. You have the time to get it right. Getting it right is not about joining the right church or speaking in tongues or doing the right thing.