This sermon could go into many different directions, I could preach on the resurrection of Lazarus as a type of the new birth or as a type of Christ’s resurrection. How He is never too late but always on time or evening the second coming.
Who here is going through some hard times? We live in a time where it seems that those born with silver spoons prosper while rest of us that were born with plastic spoons continues to struggle.
So many want a message about the sweet by and by; we know what is on the other side, the Bible tells me what is on the other side (streets of gold, mansions, marriage supper of the Lamb, no tears, new bodies, etc…) I know what’s on the other side and I know what it takes to get there but right now I am still dealing with what is on this side. I need a right now miracle I need strength now I need encouragement now, I need to be loosed and freed now.
One of man’s greatest fears is that of being buried while still alive, we see this scenario played out in film and watch in horror as the victim panics and claws and screams but are left alone six feet in the ground to slowly suffocate and die. In the church we have some that feel that way.
I want to talk to those of you that feel “buried alive”, you are conscious but bond, freed but still restrained. The enemy has placed you in the tomb and pronounced you “dead”! Some of you are in need of a “come forth” moment that moves you out of defeat and into victory; there is no need to wait til you make it to the other side to feel free, Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
I. Lazarus
Lazarus’ story begins in John chp. 11 where we are introduced to him there is very little information on this man all we know is he is the brother to Martha & Mary. You know Mary and Martha; Martha is the one that was slaving in the kitchen for a dinner party while her sister was at the feet of Jesus and would then anoint His feet with oil and dry them with her hair.
So we know his sisters but outside of that we know little about him. We learn that he is sick. The Bible doesn’t tell us about his sickness, we just know that he is sick and his sisters are asking for Jesus to come visit him. The Bible does say that Jesus loved this family. When Jesus’ receives the request He says in vs.4 …This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
After He makes this statement Jesus does something that contradicts what He said the Bible says in vs. 6 that He abode two more days where He was. He waited, we don’t know why He waited; the Bible doesn’t tell us that He did anything aside from just waiting.
Waiting is always a difficult thing we know that “they that wait upon the Lord…”
Time is like money now it is valuable to us, so waiting is not always our first choice, but we sometimes have to wait.
After He waits two days He tells His disciples that it is time to leave for Judea. They protest reminding Him of how the people tried to stone him there, but He insists that He must go and wake Lazarus from his sleep, His disciples not understanding what He meant said “if he is asleep, he shall do well”, which prompted Jesus to say “He is dead”.
When they arrive Lazarus has been in the grave for 4 days. It is interesting to note that Rabbis believed that the soul hovered near the body for 3 days. After that there was no hope for life to return to the body. But with God all things are possible.
A typical Jewish funeral would only last a day; if possible the dead were buried the same day to keep with the law of cleanliness, since the dead were considered unclean. The mourning process would continue for a week. Usually a funeral procession would consist of family and friends as well as profession mourners that were hired woman that would make a lot noise to represent the anguish of the family.
During the mourning process you would see outward signs of grief such as wearing sackcloth, placing dust or ashes upon the head, fasting, beating the breast and wailing. The wailing and lamentations were an announcement that a death had taken place.
The dead would be washed and wrapped in a linen cloth; unusually the mouth would be bond along with the hands and feet. If the family could afford it the body would be covered in spices and in paste, and these would be bound to the body by “roller bandages”. The paste would harden and impregnated the bandages until a hard preservative mould or cocoon was formed about the body.
Bodies typically did not remain in this state, after a period of time would pass they would be removed from their place and the bones would be placed in a “bone box” which was a box carved out from rock in which the bones would be placed to help free up space in the family tomb, this typically was the final resting place for the dead.
When Jesus arrives they are in the midst of the mourning week, this scene is much like a funeral or wake of today there are mourners and those that come out to show their respects and offer their condolences to the family. Covered dishes are brought and you notice people shaken hands, laughing, making remarks like “aint it a shame, they could have done so much”.
They had and we still have funeral procession, but I got a problem with that; it causes me to ask the question; where were they when they were alive?
Why is it that at funerals everyone comes out, it is like a family reunion, it seems like people like to come out when there is a birth and a death. They come out for the beginning and the end and never stay for the in between.
Go ahead and stick out one foot cause I am about to step on some toes, but keep one back cause you’re going to need that one to shout on later.
That same line of thinking is evident in the church we all gather around a new convert we are there for the born again experience we shout and have a good time and as soon as it is over we leave them to grow up in the Lord by themselves or think well the pastor will help them out, and then when they back slide and go back to their old ways we just say, “aint it a shame, they could have done so much”.
Church we need people to step up and disciple and will be there for those that are babes in Christ.
We need spiritual mommas and daddies to adopt these babes in Christ and help instruct them so that they may grow to be strong children of God. Don’t abandon them and walk away after the altar, wrap your arm around them and let them know you are there for them they need your support, prayers, etc…
You would not leave a new born out on the porch thinking it would take care of its self so why leave a new born babe in Christ at the altar to raise itself.
II. Dead is Alive when Jesus is around.
Lazarus wasn’t the only funeral He went too. In Luke 7:11-17 Jesus goes into the city of Nain where a funeral is taken place, He comes upon the procession where He meets the widow who is about to bury her only son. For her this is not only a sad day over the loss of her only son but now she will return to a life of nothing.
She would have no home, money, or inheritance since a woman in those times could not inherit from her husband if a kinsman did not redeem her she would become the responsibility of the church commissioned by the law in Deuteronomy 10:18; 24:17-21.
The Bible says He had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. Just like the nature of our Lord He cares for the poor and outcasts of society. Here this woman has lost all and unless someone steps up and redeems her because she cannot take a job, the only work a woman of those times had was that of a prostitute.
Before this woman has time to figure out her next move, before she can weary herself with who will redeem her, before the Church decides to cut her a check, before she had to make the decision to degrade herself Jesus steps in the picture. Ps 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows…
After He comforts her He steps over to the body and he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. The young man comes back to life by the power of the Living Word of God; JESUS!
In Mark 5:22-24 we read about Jairus’ daughter who at first is ill and needs healing but by the time Jesus arrives she is dead. He goes into the room where she is And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
Also on His way to raise the dead He can still stop and heal the sick as was the case with the woman with the issue of blood.
The dead can never stay dead when Jesus is around, He can take a funeral a time of sorrow and make it one of the greatest days of your life. He turns the darkness into light just by saying the Word.
What does this got to do with Lazarus and you, I just wanted to affirm to you the words of Paul in 2Co 13:1 In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. I wanted to remind you that if He did it once or twice He can do it again for you. He is not a respecter of persons.
III. Take off your grave clothes!
Jesus is taken to Lazarus’ tomb; has the stone rolled away and calls for him to come forth. When Lazarus came forth he was bound head to toe in grave clothes.
In our churches today our sanctuaries have become mortuaries. In the pews you have scattered around the bodies of those that once had life. Some are in their grave clothes while others are in bone boxes. In the pews there are those that are bond and there are those are broken.
Whether you are wearing a linen cloth or a suit or dress when it is placed on a body of the deceased it becomes grave clothes. It is a sign to all that this body is dead.
Our churches are filled with men GQing their suits and ties from the traditional to modern and bold, the ladies model their beautiful dresses and matching shoes and jewelry. Sadly those that come in with such beauty are only sporting their grave clothes.
Yeah outwardly life may be evident but inwardly there is only death and despair.
Many of us have been pronounced dead and placed in our grave clothes and buried alive. The grave clothes are a type of bondage Satan has wrapped people up and convinced them they are dead; Grave clothes are not necessarily what I am wearing but a state of being and a state of mind.
Grave clothes represent our faith (unbelief), hope, dreams, promises, prayers, addictions, your past, depression …etc. Grave Clothes represent our limited beliefs in what GOD can do in our live. One problem is that some of our grave clothes are so comfortable we don’t want to take them off.
Many of us are saved but still act as though we are still in the grave we continue to act as though we are spiritually dead, we act as though we are in a spiritual blackout. We act like a powerless generation. A people without hope, but through Jesus Christ we are spiritually alive we are born again.
When we are revived and resuscitated we don’t need to lie there we need to arise and walk. We need to walk in the light because GOD has called us out of darkness into the marvelous light it. Sometimes the grave clothes that we have to take off is our own power. We have to be stripped of our own power to allow GOD’s Power to manifest.
Job said naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart, The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed by the name of the Lord.
The Lord Gives and the Lord can take things away. The Lord will strip you down of your pride and humble you so that he can lift you up and so that he can use you for his glory.
GOD will strip you down so that you may know that you will still serve him when you are stripped down and if you are ready to still say for GOD I live and for GOD I die then you are ready to move into the next level in your life.
So many start out alive but get wrapped up in grave clothes and though you are alive on the outside you are dead inside and get buried alive.
GOD is trying to get you to a certain place and move you into another level. He is trying to move you into another level of Grace and another level of mercy and another level of favor, another level of his anointing, another level in our relationships, another level in your finances but you have to take your grave clothes off in order to get there.
Grave clothes represent death’s grip and hold on you and satan would have you bound but we bind satan right now in the name of Jesus.
He is calling you out of the tomb and out of the grave clothes; underneath the grave clothes are garments of praise, robes of redemption. Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
You have been bound head to toe, but it is time to come out, your mind is clear of troubles, your hands can now be raised to praise, your feet can now dance.
I am calling those that are dead to come out!!!(example of someone in the tomb with grave clothes on)
For us to live is Christ, I am alive not because of the trees converting co2 into oxygen or because my heart is pumping blood (body examples) I am alive because of Jesus… I live not for me or you I live because of Him and for Him!
Why seek the living among the dead…this isn’t a grave yard…this is the praising place!
We have abundant life…not redundant life, stop trying to fake it to make it, and take hold of your victory…come forth, come forth out of (examples)
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Grave clothes
Signify death…
They bind…
