John- Believe In Jesus And Live!-Part 6- " The Resurection And The Life" Series

John – Believe in Jesus and live!

Part 6

“The resurrection and the life”

John Chapter 11

Verses 1-44

Death

To many people this word strikes fear in their hearts

A feeling of panic

For others the word brings memories of days past

Flooding back like a tidal wave

We all fear death in one sense or another

A feeling of separation

Loss

Even

The word Death often seems so final

As I was preparing for today’s message and this topic

My mind kept going back to the movie Lonesome Dove

I the scene I see in my mind

As The Lonesome dove crew was crossing the first of many rivers

Shawn was bitten by Water moccasins and died

Gus said a few words over his body

Then said

Dust to dust

Now let’s let rest of us get on to Montana

Captain Call

Says

He’s right boys

The best thing you do with death, is ride off from it

Good advice

But

We know it is not that simple- never that easy

Death has affected every person sitting here this morning

And

We know that

Death often hurts

We all have had people we know

And people we love

Die

And even though we know that

Dying is a part of living

Death always derails us for a while

Even the loss of someone we did not know that well can set us back a bit

Even the loss of a pet can stop us cold

Hobble us for a while

Many here this morning have faced the very real reality or possibility , if only for a moment

Of our own death

We know

As much as we would like to

Riding off from death

Is not usually a possibility

In today’s message we are going to take a look at the death of a man

His name is Lazarus

He like

We all will

Faced death

He like we all will unless the Lord returns first

Closed his eyes in death

I want to look this morning at his death and the reactions of those who knew him

And

Those who loved him

Please open your bibles to John 11

And let me read you a little of this story

Let me read for you verses 1-16

11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair.[a] Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people[b] in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” 11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin,[c] said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

“A man named Lazarus was sick.

He lived in town called Bethany, just about 2 miles outside of Jerusalem with his sisters, Mary and Martha.

There are two men called by the name Lazarus in scripture

One from Luke 16 in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man

And the main character of our study today from John

This Lazarus was Jesus’ friend

Jesus had spent many days with him and his sisters Mary and Martha

Quite likely Jesus had shared many meals with this family

They had provided our Savior and the ones who traveled with him a bed a meal and companionship on more than one occasion

But today in the beginning of this passage

Lazarus was sick and his sisters had sent for Jesus to come