LOOSE HIM AND LET HIM GO!
John 11:1-44
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. I love little children – they see everything with ‘new’ eyes. We, as children of God, should have new eyes, fresh vision.
2. Sarah is a church member who likes to visit the elderly in a Senior Care Home. One day Sarah decided to take her 4-year-old daughter Hannah with her on her Care Home visit.
3. On arriving, Hannah was amazed and intrigued by all the old age appliances she saw everywhere -- wheelchairs, walking sticks, framed photographs, pill boxes, etc.
4. Then in one of the rooms they visit, Hannah stopped and just stared for some time at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass of water.
5. "So why are you staring at the man's teeth, Sarah?" asked Sarah. "You look surprised. What are you thinking of?"
6. "Well Mom," Sarah replies, "I'm thinking that the tooth fairy is never going to believe what I'm seeing!"
B. TEXT
1. 11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” KJV says, “Loose him, and let him go!”
C. THESIS
1. They lived at Bethany, a village nor far from Jerusalem, where Christ usually lodged when he came up to the feasts. The 2 sisters appear to be housekeepers and Lazarus to be retired.
2. It’s called “the town of Mary and Martha.” Bethsaida is called “the city of Andrew and Peter” (1:44). Your town may be known to God by the Christians who live there! [Think how important you are!]
3. Lazarus’ name means “assistance of God.” Bethany, his town, means, “the house of unripe figs” or “the house of misery.” (Unger) This meaning affected his sisters.
4. The message they sent was very short, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” We’re going to look at how Jesus answered. The title of this message is, “Loose Him and Let Him Go!”
I. WHY JESUS DELAYED
A. REMEMBER TO WHOM THEY APPEALED
1. This Jesus has the power to alter the forces of nature: to calm the winds and the waves; power to suspend the movement of the universe in answer to the prayer of one man. Jesus did miracles with many elements -- He made arms grow out, made bread and fish multiply, transformed water into wine. [I want to remind you who YOU appeal to!]
2. He didn't have to be present to work a miracle. He told the Centurion, "Go your way, your servant will be made whole." Another long-distance healing was the Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter.
3. No circumstances could stop him. No limits of time could be a factor. Nothing limited Him. He had the power to heal sight, restore hearing to deaf ears, speech to the mute; freedom to the demon possessed, healed to the lepers, and He’s moved with compassion – “touched with the feelings of our infirmities.” This is who they appealed to.
4. ILLUS. A Missionary named Cunningham was preaching in south China. A well-dressed Chinese man approached him and said, “I’ve heard you speak 3 times and all have had the same subject. Why don’t you change it?” Cunningham, surprised, asked, “What subject?” “Jesus Christ.” Cunningham said, “What did you have for dinner today?” “Rice.” “What did you have yesterday?” “Rice.” “What do you expect to eat tomorrow?” “Rice, of course; it gives me strength – it is my very life!” Cunningham said, “What you have said about rice, Jesus Christ is to our souls. He is the rice of life!” [Knight’s Master Book, pp.331-332]
B. DELAY WAS A SIGN OF GREATER LOVE
1. One would think that the Bible would next say, “When Jesus heard that he was sick, he stopped what He was doing and immediately went to him”…He “burned up the roads back to him.”
2. But He was planning to show His extraordinary love for them by performing a miracle greater than He’d done for anyone else. So He waited so that Lazarus might be dead and buried before He came. THE BIGGER THE PROBLEM, THE BIGGER THE MIRACLE!
3. By delaying, He let the situation become so hopeless and impossible, that no one but the Creator of the Universe could reverse it! God said in Ezekiel 37:11,13; “Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.”
C. WE OFTEN MISINTERPRET GOD’S DELAYS
1. DOES IT REALLY HELP TO WORRY?
40% we worry about, never comes to pass.
30% involve past decisions that cannot be changed.
12% focus on criticism from others who felt inferior.
10% are related to our health, which gets worse when we worry.
8% of our worries could be described as “legitimate” causes for concern. By the way, that’s 100% totaled.
2.We say, “If God has all power, why doesn’t He help me?” “If I had the power to make a difference, I would!"
3. That’s when we hear the All-knowing God say, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” Isaiah 55:8-11.
4. “Why does He wait so long? Till I’ve lost all my strength? Till I’ve lost my hope?”
5. The answer is simple: RESURRECTION LIFE IS NOT FOR THE LIVING, IT’S FOR THE DEAD! You don't get resurrected while you're alive, you get resurrected when you're dead.
6. It's not until we've died out to ourselves, all our efforts, have given up, resigned ourselves to the defeat of our efforts, had a stone placed over our tomb, that a change can come.
II. SYMBOLISM: THE DEAD ARE BEYOND HUMAN HELP
A. THERE WAS NO DOUBT LAZARUS WAS DEAD
1. After traveling back, Jesus found Lazarus had been dead 4 days. Several people (Elisha’s Host’s son, Jairus’ daughter, etc.) were raised on the day they died. The widow of Nain’s son may have been raised on the second day, but no one was ever raised after the third day. The number 4 – like the “four corners of the world” – was the number of completeness. Someone dead that long was irreversibly dead!
2. God wanted this miracle to be unquestioned, so He delayed to make the miracle more undeniable.
B. THOSE WITHOUT CHRIST ARE DEAD IN SIN
1. Lazarus’ deadness mirrors the deadness of people without Christ. Just as dead as Lazarus was, so is everyone in the world until they are raised from spiritual death by Christ. (Eph. 2:1, Col. 2:13).
2. Eph. 2:1-5; “You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world….But because of his great love for us, God…us alive with Christ…it is by grace you have been saved.”
3. Col. 2:13 says, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.”
C. ONLY GOD CAN RAISE THE DEAD!
1. Medical science has made some great advances. They can give shocks to a heart to stop it and shock it again to start it up again.
2. But contrary to the Frankenstein movie, even with our sophistication, we can’t raise the dead. BUT GOD CAN!
3. Resurrection is not only an event – it’s a Person! Jesus Christ is the Resurrection! “I’M THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.” Like a high voltage electric line, contact with Jesus brings jolting results!
4. Contact with Jesus was all that was needed – but something stood in the way – a STONE.
5. Jesus needs for us to do two important ministries in order for Him to raise people from being dead in sins and trespasses:
III. FIRST: TAKE AWAY THE STONE
A. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN STONE REMOVED?
1. Light of the other world would come into the tomb. People dead in sin need the Light of the Gospel preached to shine on them.
2. Fresh Air/ wind would come into the tomb of death. The dank air would be driven out and the winds of the Spirit begin to stir their lives.
3. Then the Command of Christ can come to their ears, to “Arise!”
4. But first, WE MUST TAKE AWAY THE STONE!
B. GOD WON’T DO YOUR JOB FOR YOU
1. Someone asked, “If God can raise the dead, can’t He also move the stone?”
2. There are some things He wants us to do, which He won’t do for us.
3. He’s not going to PRAY for us;
“ “ “ “ read your BIBLE for you;
“ “ “ “ PAY YOUR TITHES for you;
“ “ “ “ put your SHOES on for you. You’re supposed to do those. It’s the same with WITNESSING.
IV. SECONDLY, “LOOSE HIM AND LET HIM GO!”
A. GRAVECLOTHES
1. This scene of Lazarus waddling out of the tomb in graves clothes is a picture of every new-born child of God, who, though alive from the dead, still needs assistance in throwing off the vestiges of the old life.
2. When people get saved, they’re still bound by the HABITS of the dead, and by the THOUGHTS of the dead.
3. Some people become Christians, then fail God, and say, “I’m so embarrassed; I don’t think the Lord can love me anymore.”
4. We don’t need to criticize them, but loose them, help them get free, restore them. Paul said, If someone is “overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.” Gal. 6:1.
B. THE RESURRECTION FROM LAZARUS’ PERSPECTIVE
John 11:44 “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave cloths: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, loose him, and let him go.”
1. He heard Jesus calling his name, and when he opened his eyes he was in for a surprise. He was in a tomb, laying on a deathbed, wrapped in a cocoon with death spices all over him against his skin. But despite his encumbrances, he got up and waddled out of the tomb.
2. He (Lazarus) could not free himself. He was helpless; he needed immediate assistance. As believers we can’t do the things that God has called us to do still bound by our grave clothes.
a. He COULD NOT TALK/SING. His face was bound with a napkin. So he couldn’t praise the Lord yet. He couldn’t shout!
b. He COULD NOT CLAP/ WALK. He was bound hand and foot. He was alive, but still couldn’t function as a New Creature! He couldn’t raise his hands; he couldn’t get excited about the Lord. WHY? Because he still had his grave clothes on!
3. Never close the book of your life when GOD HAS NOT FINISHED writing your story. Never hang up when GOD IS STILL ON THE LINE with you. Hang in there. GOD IS STILL
WORKING IN YOUR LIFE.
C. JESUS SAID, “LOOSE THEM!”
1. To loose others, you yourself must be loosed.
2. I John 3:8 “For this reason was the Son of God manifested; that he might destroy the works of the devil”. The word “destroy” in the Greek language is the word “loose”.
3. You must have freedom yourself to impart life to someone else! To “loose” is to help them come out of the old life.
4. Do you have enough life to loose others?
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: Problems with coming back to life
1. A London woman was wrongly identified as a drowning victim and declared dead at an inquest. When she showed up to tell them their mistake, they told her “Only the High Court can alter a verdict so until you can quash the verdict, you must remain legally dead.” [7700 Illus. #3037]
2. Mario Mamelli of Sardinia, Italy, went to city hall for a new identity card and was told that he had been officially dead for 19 years and that, by remaining alive, he was breaking the law! [7700 Illus. #3038] As a New Creature you may have problems
B. ILLUSTRATION: TRUST JESUS
1. A climber in the Alps had come to a perilous gap in the ice where the only way to get across was to place his foot into the outstretched hand of his guide
2. Told to do this by his guide, the climber hesitated a moment as he looked into the gloomy depths below. Seeing his hesitation, the guide said, “Don’t be afraid, sir. This hand has never yet lost a man!”
3. You can have the same trust in Jesus Christ. His nail-scarred hands have never failed to save those who put their trust in Him. Won’t you put your trust and your problems into His hands today? [Knights 3000 Illus., p. 21]
B. THE CALL
1. How many need new life from God this morning?
2. Jesus holds the keys to death, Hell, and the grave! There’s nothing your facing that He’s not the Master of.
3. Have some of your prayers been delayed? Does it seem like God hasn’t answered your prayers? Let’s pray!
