"I Am The Resurrection And The Life.” Series

“I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.”

John 11:25

Message #7

Introduction: Today we are going to continue in our journey in the book of John. I know I have said this before but this is my favorite book in the Bible. It has some much truth within its pages. In this chapter are the shortest verse in both of our Bibles. It has only two words. “Jesus wept.” This verse is one that many people have memorized so they can say they have memorized some of the Bible. If you do not look closely, you will miss the riches and treasure those two words have in them. We will be looking at this verse as well as several others in this message. I want you to leave your Bibles open so we look at this together.

Job asks this question. Job 14:14

“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”

Death is not a popular subject. At the nursing home, we are see it regularly. In the past eighteen years, I have seen over two thousand people come to the nursing home. Not every one has died but I have been at the bedside of many people who was dying or died while I was working. One of our young people asked me one time what was the hardest part of working at the nursing home. I do not know what he thought my answer would be but this is what I told him. Residents come to the nursing home. They stay a while. You start caring for them. They get used to you. Then they get into your heart. They get sick and die. I have some rooms throughout the building in which I think of people who were in them and was my friend. But they died. Many times I have heard the voice of family members asking when these people will die and I reminded them that I am a nurse and not the Lord. He sets that appointment.

It was said that when a Greek philosopher drank the poison Hemlock, and lay down to die, he was asked by his friends, is there life after death? He replied, I sure hope so!

I have knocked on many doors and asked them life’s greatest question; if you died today, do you know if you will go to heaven? And I have heard many say- I Sure Hope So! You better know so. Death is an enemy we all face. Death is Not the end of the Line. Death is but a doorway that we pass through to eternal life. Death has been described as a departure from this life into the next. For the saved, it is heaven. For the lost, it is hell.

Let's take a walk into Bethany. Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived in Bethany. The Lord Jesus loves to come where you live and help you in your Bethany.

I. THERE WAS A DEADLY ILLNESS.

Vs. 1-2

“ Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.” “(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)”

We are not told what the disease was but it was deadly nevertheless. If we needed to know, it would have been in this passage. Many diseases in Bible were deadly because they did not have the medicines or doctors we have today. But these folks knew the Great Physician.

II. THERE WAS A DELIVERED MESSAGE.

Vs. 3

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

These sisters knew exactly to call. They delivered a messaged unto Jesus. Maybe this was the inspiration of the song “Tell it to Jesus”. He is the one we need to tell all of our problems first. Some one said one time that you call the doctor and but get hold of Doctor Jesus first.

What message did the include? We once again do not need to know. All we know is that Jesus was ask to come.

III. THE DELAY OF CHRIST Vs. 4-6

“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.” “ Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.” “When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.”

In Bible Institute, we had an evangelist who was from West Virginia. He preached from this passage. He made a statement that I remember so well. I wrote it down and remembered almost forty years later. “The Lord is never in a hurry but He is never late.” This chapter proves the statement is true. Jesus said that Lazarus' sickness was not unto death but for the glory of God. Yes, Lazarus would die but he would live again. His resurrection would show the glory of God and His greatness of the Lord Jesus.