INTRODUCTION
Everyone got dressed this morning - Thankfully
But it Takes time to get dressed – To choose what we are going to wear.
Also the Clothes we wear reflects who we are.
Some of us wear the clothes of our Favorite sports team.
We get people who wears the Stormers jersey.
We immediately know that they are people of integrity and that we can trust them.
Then we get people who wears the Blue Bulls Jersey.
For them we can only say – Don’t worry. We are praying for you.
But in our spiritual lives we also wear certain clothes.
And one of those clothes that are worn is Burial clothes
Let’s read more about it this morning in:
John 11:38-44 GW
(38) Deeply moved again, Jesus went to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone covering the entrance.
(39) Jesus said, "Take the stone away." Martha, the dead man's sister, told Jesus, "Lord, there must already be a stench. He's been dead for four days."
(40) Jesus said to her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believe, you would see God's glory?"
(41) So the stone was moved away from the entrance of the tomb. Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me.
(42) I've known that you always hear me. However, I've said this so that the crowd standing around me will believe that you sent me."
(43) After Jesus had said this, he shouted as loudly as he could, "Lazarus, come out!"
(44) The dead man came out. Strips of cloth were wound around his feet and hands, and his face was wrapped with a handkerchief. Jesus told them, "Free Lazarus, and let him go."
In this scripture of the Bible we find that Lazarus was dead.
That is the only reason why he would be in a tomb dressed in burial clothes.
There should not, legally, be any other reason for a person to be dressed in burial clothes in a tomb.
So we see that Lazarus was indeed very much a dead man in a tomb dressed in burial clothes.
The same can be said of our spiritual condition.
There should be no reason for us to be bound and closed behind a bolder in a tomb, dressed in Burial Clothes, unless we are spiritually dead.
The questions are this: How do I get rid of those burial clothes and how do I assist others to get rid of their burial clothes?
But before we look at this, let’s look at some historical facts first.
Burial Preparation
The Hebrews didn't practice embalming in the way other cultures did, such as the Egyptians.
In ancient times it was the tradition when someone died, to take the body and to put spices and aromatic ointments on the dead body to help remove unpleasant odors.
The body would then be wrapped in linen strips of various sizes and widths.
John 19:40 GW
(40) These two men took the body of Jesus and bound it with strips of linen. They laced the strips with spices. This was the Jewish custom for burial.
Then the body would be covered in a burial garment.
Therefore, when a dead person was wrapped like this the hands and feet were bound.
Think off a mummy.
We also see this that, after Jesus died, a man named Joseph, requested permission to prepare Jesus' body "just the way the Jews have the custom of preparing for burial," using myrrh, aloes, spices and linen bandaging.
After Burial
Tombs were visited and watched for 3 days by family members and friends.
On the third day after death, the body was examined.
This was to make sure that the person was really dead, for accidental burial of someone still alive could happen.
If it was found that the person was indeed dead, the body would be treated by the women of the family with oils and perfumes.
We see evidence of this in the deaths of Lazarus and of Jesus.
So let’s look at what is needed to remove the burial clothes.
1. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO SMELL DEATH (SIN)
(39) Martha, the dead man's sister, told Jesus, "Lord, there must already be a stench. He's been dead for four days."
If we read the preceding verses we will find that Jesus knew that Lazarus was on his death bed.
However, He chose to stay another 2 days before embarking on the way to Lazarus – He said that God’s glory will be manifested.
Then He got to the tomb.
He knew that Lazarus was physically dead and in the tomb.
Nonetheless, He requests that the tomb be opened.
Lazarus has already been in the grave for 4 days.
It is a known fact that it would stink as the climate is very hot in that region.
Martha knew this and therefore she says to Jesus that, if they were to open the tomb, there would be a stench.
It is also very probable that the tomb was already opened the previous day as that was the third day and therefore the day of examination of the body.
His body would therefore also been showered with oils and perfume.
But it is obvious that this did not have the desired effect as Martha stills tells Jesus that there is going to be a stench.
Why does a dead body stink?
When something dies there are chemicals that gets produced during the decomposition of proteins.
Muscles and flesh and fibers and anything protein-like is broken down.
These chemicals are responsible for the rotting smell you get in dead animals and people.
And it is extremely difficult to curb this smell with anything.
Neither oils nor perfumes managed to do the trick.
Spiritual Dead and Stinking of sin
When we are spiritual dead we also stink – because of sin.
We are decomposing.
Anything that could have been used for God’s glory is destroyed, just as a dead person’s muscles, flesh and any other useful part decomposes.
Slowly but surely Satan will eliminate all the parts of you that God can use.
The thing is, when something decomposes, it stinks.
When we are in sin we stink.
That is why God cannot be close to us when we are sinners.
It stinks.
It is the stench of a dead body busy decomposing.
The Dead cannot smell sin
The dead cannot smell the stench of death.
Only the living can smell death.
Therefore, if you cannot smell the stench of sin it means that you are dead.
If you are surrounded by sin and sinful people and it is fine with you, then you are spiritually dead.
Then it means that you cannot smell death.
You cannot smell sin.
If sin is fine with you, then you are also dead.
Then it means that you refuse to obey God.
Listen to Paul in:
Ephesians 2:1-3 GW
(1) You were once dead because of your failures and sins.
(2) You followed the ways of this present world and its spiritual ruler. This ruler continues to work in people who refuse to obey God.
(3) All of us once lived among these people, and followed the desires of our corrupt nature. We did what our corrupt desires and thoughts wanted us to do. So, because of our nature, we deserved God's anger just like everyone else.
When you cannot smell the dead, it means that you are also dead – Dead in sin.
Oils & Perfumes
Now Satan will try to mask the smell of death, make no mistake.
He will use oils and perfumes and spices to keep the smell of sin under wraps.
He will try to make it seem fine, look nice.
He will try to make it seem that nothing is wrong.
Have you noticed that sin usually seems to be fine?
It doesn’t repel you, in fact it attracts you.
It makes me think of that plants that eats insects.
They attract insects by the way they look and smell.
It is inviting.
But when you receive the ability to smell sin, no amount of masking will keep you from smelling the stench of sin.
Satan cannot hide the smell of sin when there is people in the vicinity who have been made alive in Jesus Christ.
And Satan knows it.
That is why he would prefer that we stay away from the places that the dead frequent.
He does not want us to be in the vicinity of the dead, because we would be able to smell the stench of sin.
And when we smell the stench we might just be obliged to open the tomb and call out, “In the Name of Jesus Christ, come out!”
The Living also have a smell
When you are alive in Christ you also have a smell on you, but this time it is not a bad smell, it is a soothing aroma.
2 Corinthians 2:15-16 GW
(15) To God we are the aroma of Christ among those who are saved and among those who are dying.
(16) To some people we are a deadly fragrance, while to others we are a life-giving fragrance.
Gangrene
But Satan is not stupid.
If he cannot get the entire body to die all at once he will aim at getting parts of the body to die.
In medical terms it is called Gangrene.
The Definition of gangrene is as follows:
Localized death and decomposition of body tissue, resulting from obstructed circulation or bacterial infection.
The devil knows that if he is able to infect one part of your body, one part of your being, it would be possible for him to infect other parts of the body more easily.
He aims to isolate circulation form parts of your life.
That is why it is important to give your everything to Him.
If you do not connect everything to the life giving ability of Jesus, then you will eventually loose circulation to that part, there will be no blood, no energy, from God flowing to that part of your life.
And when he is able to isolate that part and it becomes dead, then it becomes useless and the possibility is very good that it will start to effect the other parts of your life as well.
So what do you do when you think that you might be contracting spiritual gangrene?
You need to ensure that circulation is restored to that part of your life.
You need to ensure that the living blood of Jesus Christ penetrate that part of your life.
If that part is so infected with gangrene that it effects the rest of your life without the hope of ever restoring it to its previous state, then there is only one thing to do.
Read with me in:
Matthew 5:29-30 GW
(29) "So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it thrown into hell.
(30) And if your right hand leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it go into hell.
2. YOU NEED TO BELIEVE
(40) Jesus said to her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believe, you would see God's glory?"
Not only the person who is being raised from the dead, but also those who are with Jesus that day.
In fact, at this stage He was only addressing them.
He wasn’t speaking to the dead person.
He was speaking to those who were alive.
He was telling them to believe in order to see instead of to see in order to believe.
Many times we are also like Martha.
We want to see God’s glory before we believe.
We say that we believe that God can bring the spiritual dead to life, but then we stand back and we wait.
We wait in disbelieve.
We wait to see what God can do and then, and only then, will we take the next step of believing.
God has called us to make disciples.
He called us to bring the lost back to Him.
He called us to stand at the grave of the spiritually dead and to believe that He can bring them back to life.
How many times have we looked upon a spiritual dead person and thought to ourselves that that person is too far off and too long dead.
There is no hope of life there.
There is no way that person will ever become a Christian believer.
Let me tell you something…
Don’t give up your faith.
In fact, make sure that you strengthen your faith every day.
Believe that all things are possible.
All things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23)
God cannot manifest His Glory if there is unbelief.
Remember His words in:
Matthew 13:57-58 GW
(57) …But Jesus said to them, "The only place a prophet isn't honored is in his hometown and in his own house."
(58) He didn't work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
If we want to come to a place where spiritual dead people are brought to life, then we have to start with our own faith in Christ.
Only if we have faith can God manifest His glory in this area.
Only if we have faith can God raise the spiritually dead in Bassonia, Johannesburg, Alberton, South Africa, and the World.
Faith precedes action.
In Matthew 9:28-29 Jesus heals two blind men.
Listen to His words:
Matthew 9:28-29 GW
(28) …He said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they answered.
(29) He touched their eyes and said, "What you have believed will be done for you!"
Only through faith can we stand at the tombs of the spiritually dead and see them come to life.
Maybe you have been praying for the salvation of your husband or wife or son or daughter or mother or father or brother or sister or friend or enemy or whoever, but nothing has happened…Yet
You have asked God to make them alive in Him.
To give them everlasting life.
To raise them from their spiritual grave.
But in the back of your mind you do not belief that it will ever happen.
Only when you believe will you see God’s glory.
The believe must first come from you.
I need you to understand this this morning.
The onus for the manifestation of God’s glory lies with your ability and willingness to believe, not by God’s actions.
If there is no believe then we can stop what we are doing right now.
If there are no belief then we can seize to be a church, because we are supposed to reflect God’s saving grace, God’s glory to the world, to the spiritually dead.
And that can only be achieved where there is faith, where there is believe that something will happen as if it already happened.
My question is this:
Do you truly believe?
3. YOU NEED TO REMOVE ALL OBSTACLES
(39) Jesus said, "Take the stone away."
(41) So the stone was moved away from the entrance of the tomb.
When we are dead we are bound by sin, but Satan also tries to prevent us from leaving the tomb.
He places an obstacle or obstacles in front of us.
This can come in many different ways:
It can be:
Your Spouse
Your Family
Your Friends
Your Social Circle
Your believe System
Your own free will
Your pleasures
Your Job
Your weekend activities
Your Sport
Someone else’s husband or wife (Did I just say that out loud?)
Your Children
Your addictions
Your bad habits
False Doctrine
And many, many more…
Satan knows which buttons to press.
He knows what obstacle to place between you and Jesus.
What obstacle has he placed in front of you?
What obstacle is current between you and Jesus?
We are called to remove the Obstacles
But in this scripture it is also very evident that it is the responsibility of the living to help remove the obstacles in front of the tombs of the dead.
Did you get it?
Jesus told the living to remove the stone in front of the tomb of the dead.
We also read about this in:
Isaiah 57:14 GW
(14) It will be said: "Build a road! Build a road! Prepare the way! Remove every obstacle in the way of my people!"
We are not only called to believe
We are also called to remove the obstacles that are preventing people from coming out of the tomb
Are you doing it or have you become so consumed by your own life that you do not care about others.
That you do not care about the obstacles in their way.
There are people in here this morning that are crying for someone to help them remove the obstacles in their way.
There are people out there that, if the obstacle preventing them from coming to Christ can only be removed, will immediately come out of the tomb to meet the Messiah.
But because of our disobedience, because of our selfishness, they will have to remain behind the tomb stone.
How did you remove the obstacles in front of your tomb?
4. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS ONLY JESUS THAT CAN CALL THE DEAD TO LIFE
(43) After Jesus had said this, he shouted as loudly as he could, "Lazarus, come out!"
Joke:
A guy once said that it was a Good Thing that Jesus called Lazarus by name, otherwise all the dead people would have come alive.
We cannot call anyone to life from our own power and authority.
It needs to come from Jesus.
He is the one that will do the calling.
We are only the vessels that are used for Him to do the calling with.
It is only through Jesus that we can become alive.
Listen to what Jesus said in:
John 14:6 GW
(6) … "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.
He is the life.
We are not the life.
Nothing else is the life.
Only Jesus is the life.
And it is only when He calls that life can be restored.
The fact is, however, that He already called everyone when He died on the cross for our sins.
He called us to come to Him.
He called us in order for us to have a personal relationship with Him and with the Father.
He called us to life…
He said in:
John 6:53 GW
(53) … "I can guarantee this truth: If you don't eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don't have the source of life in you.
You have to adhere to His call.
It is a personal thing.
Up to now we saw that the living should assist in removing the obstacles in your way and that it is also they that needs to belief.
But this one, adhering to Jesus’ call to life is all you
The dead needs to understand this.
They need to understand that there is a measure of responsibility that lies on their shoulders.
It is called obedience.
Obedience to the call of the Lord.
Come out!
Become alive!
Follow me!
There can be all the faith in the world, all your obstacles can be removed, but if you do not take that initial step.
If you do not stand up and adhere to Jesus’ voice calling you.
Then there is nothing anyone else can do.
You won’t be able to blame anyone when you stand before the White Throne of God and God asks you why you never listened to His voice.
That is your responsibility.
That is all you.
If you are sitting here this morning and you know that you are spiritually dead, I want to encourage you to listen to Jesus’ voice.
He is calling you by name.
He wants you to become spiritually alive.
He wants you to listen to His voice.
Won’t you listen this morning?
Won’t you take that first step to everlasting life with Jesus in heaven?
What is keeping you?
And when you listen to His voice there is a promise:
Colossians 2:13-15 GW
(13) You were once dead because of your failures and your uncircumcised corrupt nature. But God made you alive with Christ when he forgave all our failures.
(14) He did this by erasing the charges that were brought against us by the written laws God had established. He took the charges away by nailing them to the cross.
(15) He stripped the rulers and authorities of their power and made a public spectacle of them as he celebrated his victory in Christ.
You are made alive and your sins are all forgiven
Every single sin is forgiven.
All you ever did wrong is forgiven.
That is God’s promise this morning.
5. YOU NEED TO LOOSEN THE HANDS AND FEET
(44) The dead man came out. Strips of cloth were wound around his feet and hands, and his face was wrapped with a handkerchief. Jesus told them, "Free Lazarus, and let him go."
Even after we are made alive, even after the obstacles keeping us in the tomb has been removed, there is still one thing that needs to be done.
We need to get rid of the burial clothes.
It is the burial clothes that prevent us from walking – The feet are wrapped
It is the burial clothes that keep us from working for the Lord – Our Hands are tied
It is the burial clothes that keep us from spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, from seeing His glory, from seeing His miracles – There is a handkerchief covering our face.
Jesus told the people standing there to Free Lazarus.
Just imagine if they also still had their burial clothes on.
How would they be able to free others if they are also bound?
How are they to see what to do if their faces were still covered?
Many people were made alive in Christ, but they are still wearing the burial clothes.
They have not gotten rid of that which prevents them from doing God’s work.
They are bound and not completely free.
Some people are still bound by past sins.
They cannot believe that they are good enough to do God’s work, because of what they have done as sinners.
Jesus made you free, he forgave ALL YOU SINS.
You are no longer a sinner, you are a free man and woman.
A new creation.
You are forgive.
Some people are bound by their own limitation
I cannot speak to other people.
I am too shy.
I stutter.
I do not know enough of the Bible.
I am an introvert.
I am not comfortable when speaking in front of others.
Did you see it?
I, I, I, I, I…
When are we going to break free from those burial clothes, take the leap of faith and say I am able to do all things through Jesus that strengthens me?
It is not from yourself, it is through Jesus Christ.
When Jesus is in you, the Holy Spirit will lead you and He will and He should take over.
You do not have to be shy anymore.
You do not have to worry about stuttering – Moses used that excuse.
You do not have to worry about speaking to others, because it should not be you speaking in the first place.
It should be the Holy Spirit speaking through you.
Make space for the Holy Spirit.
For once take a step back and allow Him to do what He does, through you.
Many times we are the obstacle preventing the Holy Spirit to work.
Some People are worried what other will say or think about them
Why do you worry what others will think of you?
Worry what God will think of you.
Those who have something bad to say about you or who mocks you are exactly the people who are dead.
It is them that needs to be raised up from the dead.
It is they that needs to hear the Gospel.
If you stay quiet because you are worried about what they will say or think, then you are missing the reason for Christ dying on the cross.
He came to earth for sinners.
He came for the spiritually dead.
When you keep quiet you are bound by fear.
And we did not receive a spirit of fear…
We are needed to loosen the burial clothes of those who have been raised from the dead.
But if we ourselves are still bound, how can we ever think of accomplishing it?
There are some of us sitting here this morning that will have to admit that they are still bound.
You cannot stand firm if your feet are tied.
Paul tells us to Stand Firm…
When your feet are tied it doesn’t take a lot of effort to push you over.
But when your feet are loosened you are able to stand firm against the attacks of Satan and his demons.
When your feet are bound it is easy for Satan to push you back into the grave, and to then place the rock in front of the tomb.
What is it that binds you?
What is it that keeps you from doing what God has called you to do?
CONCLUSION
I want you all to stand up and to close your eyes.
If there is anything that binds you this morning I want you to bring it up in your mind.
I want you to imagine that the thing that are binding you is the burial clothes…
Now I want you to imagine those burial clothes being loosened.
I want you to feel your hands being freed.
When you feel your hands being freed I want you to lift them up in the air and praise God.
Shake them around.
Feel the power and the authority you have in them.
You have the power and the authority to pray for the sick and they will be healed.
You have the power and the authority to demand the demons to leave.
I want you to image your feet becoming mobile.
Move your feet.
Rotate your ankles.
Receive where the Holy Spirit wants you to go to.
Maybe there is someone here in the service where He is leading you to.
Maybe there is someone you know and He is telling you to go to that person and give the Gospel to him or her.
I don’t know where the Holy Spirit wants you to go, but be sure of one thing.
He wants you to go somewhere.
Maybe you are in a spiritual battle with Satan and his demons.
Your feet are now loosened so you now have the ability to stand firm.
Take a stand against Satan.
Tell him this morning.
I am free!
I am standing against you!
You are already defeated!
No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against me in judgment The Lord will condemn.
This is my heritage from the LORD, and through Him I am righteousness. (Isaiah 54:17, KJV)
I want you to feel the handkerchief being removed from your face.
You become aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
You become aware of words coming into your spirit.
You become aware of messages becoming apparent in you.
You feel the Spirit moving this morning.
He needs you to convey a message.
He needs you to proclaim the Good News.
You feel that you are becoming free from those burial clothes.
Nothing is binding you anymore!
Nothing is keeping you from doing God’s work.
You are free!
I want you to give yourself to the Holy Spirit this morning.
I want you to offer everything to the Holy Spirit this morning.
