You Live
John 11:1-45
Intro: What do you want out of life?
Apparently everyone is looking for something more out of life, because all you have to do is watch a half hour TV show to be bombarded with anything and everything that will help you get the most out of life.
• Have more money to have more out of life…
• Have better health to have more out of life…
• Eat this or drink this…
• Wear this or don’t wear that…
Basically what it comes down to is the life you think you are living is not the life you really ought to be living and someone whose life is probably spiraling out of control is trying to tell you how to have the life they are living when in fact they need to get a life themselves!
But the fact is you only have one life to live, the one you have now…but the question of whether or not you are living it to the fullest is actually very relevant.
And when it’s all said and done nothing you put on it and nothing you purchase to put into it will give you life to the fullest anymore than anything you put around it…be it friends, a home, a car or whatever…where is the hope? How about in the numbers 3:16.
Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved…have everlasting life.”
That word “life” that Jesus uses is an interesting word, and I do believe an intentional word used by Him.
Thayer’s Greek definitions defines the word “life” used here as “zoe”, meaning:
1) life
1a) the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate
1b) every living soul
and…this is where it gets good.
2) life
2a) of the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through him both to the hypostatic “logos” and to Christ in whom the “logos” put on human nature
2b) life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.
God intends for us to have life and life more abundantly according to John 10:10.
This morning I want us to consider what this means by looking at a passage of scripture that not only deals with life, but deals with it’s polar opposite…death.
Read John 11:1-45 and pray.
Transition:
Life doesn’t always go the way we planned it.
I envisioned my first car being a ’65 candy apple red Mustang Convertible…instead it was an 81 Datsun 210 with maroon paint highlighted by rust spots.
And for some of you, this really is nothing.
You hoped to have happily ever after…and then the honey moon ended.
You hoped for a long healthy life…and now you are not sure how much longer you want it go on.
Maybe you hoped for happiness…but now a good night’s rest would be a dream come true.
That is what we find in our passage today.
The best friends of Jesus, outside the 12 Apostles thought it couldn’t be any better.
If Jesus needed a place to stay…he chose the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
When he needed a place to relax and a good meal, He knew that Mary, Martha and Lazarus could provide both.
They were the personal friends of the Messiah…how cool was that!?!?
This was the life…so they thought.
In verse 1 it tells us the Lazarus became sick…the best friend of the man who healed the sick was now sick; how?
In verse 3 we are told that Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus knowing that He would put everything else on the back burner for Lazarus….but did he?
In verse 6 it says he stayed two days longer where He was.
He did what!?!?!
Didn’t he know Lazarus was sick?
Yes He did.
Didn’t he know Lazarus could die from being sick?
Yes He did…look at verses 11-14.
Transition:
For the last 4 weeks we have been looking at the meaning of John 3:16…and our passage this morning not only sums it all up, but also re-emphasizes everything we have considered.
We see the love of God, we see the gift of God, we see belief in God and then we see the life given by God.
So this morning, let’s consider the 4th truth of John 3:16, You Live, by looking at 3 truths from our passage.
First of all…
1. Death is Guaranteed (vs. 14)
This is a something that we hate to think about, but it is also one that we must consider because it is a reality.
With only 2 exceptions in history that we find is Scripture (Enoch and Elijah)…death is batting .1000
Which means that in this room, unless Jesus returns we are all going to die…it is guaranteed to effect 100 out of 100 people.
Jesus was matter of fact with the fact that Lazarus died because I think He wanted us to understand that death is part of life.
Life begins, life ends.
That is a truth that the Holy Spirit inspired King Solomon to write a few hundred years earlier in Eccl. 3:1-2, “There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven: a time to give birth and a time to die;”
A common fear for many people is the fear of death…people are afraid of dying.
I’ll be honest dying isn’t something I’m looking forward to because it is something I haven’t experienced before…but its not something I’m afraid of.
Jesus even told us that we don’t need to be afraid of death.
Matthew 10:28, “Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; but rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Don’t fear losing your life, but you do need to fear what the outcome can be if you don’t have faith in Christ.
Death is certain, and we can be certain that we are going to have to stand before God when it does come.
Heb. 9:27, “And just as it is appointed for people to die once--and after this, judgment”
Are you afraid of death?
You see, Jesus took care of that for you also.
In 1 Cor. 15:54-57 says, “Now when this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
Jesus lived the life you could never live and then died the death that you deserved…and claimed the victory over death for you.
Death is certain, but it is not something we need to fear if your faith is in Christ.
And this takes us to the next truth this morning; not only is death guaranteed but…
2. Life is Given (vs. 25)
Jesus gave this assurance to Martha because it appeared that she just wasn’t getting it.
Look back in vs. 20-24.
Jesus wanted her to understand, and you also that He is giving not only Lazarus the opportunity to live, but also she, her sister Mary and any and all who were willing to believe.
Read vs. 25-27…she believed.
And when Lazarus was called forth in vs. 43, you can rest assured that he had no problem believing also.
God has offered all of us this beautiful gift of life.
It is a gift, not what we can earn or hope to achieve…because we can never obtain it on our own.
He must give it to us.
Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death…”
Death is not only guaranteed, but it is what we deserve…it is our wages and our penalty.
Who here would like to work a fulltime job and receive no salary, no benefits, no credit, no recognition…no nothing.
God isn’t like that, His word tells us what we deserve for the work we have done.
But by simply believing, by placing our faith in God and what He has done we can have life.
What did He do?
He sent His Son, Jesus Christ into the world…born of a virgin and raised with out the pomp and circumstance that the King of kings and Lord of lords deserved.
And then from the age of 30 to 33 this Jesus went about proclaiming the kingdom of God was at hand, and you enter it by faith.
And then during the Passover of His 33rd year of life He offered Himself as the Passover lamb, the final and ultimate sacrifice to pay for the sins of mankind and humanity.
He gave His life, dying on the cross for your sins and my sins.
He took your place and mine so that we might not have to pay the penalty of an eternity of separation from God in hell…but instead enjoy the gift of life that He gives.
And it’s a gift He offers to you today when you Acknowledge that you are a sinner and you need forgiveness, Believe that JC died and rose again, and Confess Him as Lord.
Then and only then you WILL be saved.
Death is no longer something you have to fear, but it becomes just another promotion in life.
Have you accepted this gift of life?
And this takes us to our final truth this morning.
Death is guaranteed, but God gives us the gift of life and in doing so then, #3…
3. God is Glorified (vs. 4, 40)
When it’s all said and done, it is all for God’s glory.
What took place in our passage on this day was not a surprise to God…in fact, it was something intended by Him to demonstrate His power and His glory.
Read vs. 4 again.
God created earth for His glory…and by His grace we are allowed to partake of that glory as the pinnacle of His creation.
God also created heaven for His glory…and by His grace we are allowed to partake of that glory as His adopted sons and daughters.
In vs. 40 we are told…
If you only believe.
Transition:
Once more: What is keeping you from believing this morning?
God has a great gift of life for you if you are willing to believe.
And with that gift of life comes the gift of forgiveness…washing away your guilt and your shame along with it.
All it takes is believing.
In a few minutes we are going to go to the Lord’s table and celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.
It is here that we are reminded of what God did for us through the elements of bread and juice.
One representing the body of Christ broken on our behalf, the other representing the blood of Jesus Christ, the blood of the new covenant shed for the remission of our sins.
In 1 Corinthians 12 the Apostle Paul tells us that we search ourselves before going to the Lord’s table and not to approach it an unworthy manner.
What is unworthy?
First of all if you are not a born again believer…if you have not placed your faith in Christ alone, I want to give you the opportunity to respond right now.
If you are a born again believer, if you have sin in your life…and you know what it is, because it is probably popping into your head right now; I want to give you the opportunity to get that right with God right now.
