This Sermon Was Prepared For Lexington Church Of God for use Sunday Night April 7th, 2002
“The Raising Of Lazarus”
TEXT: John 11: 1-15 (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION:
A. I believe that there is more to this story of Jesus raising Lazarus from
the dead than most realize.
For this story demonstrates the true nature of Christ.
This story exemplifies His AUTHORITY over death and sin.
This story is about the manifestation of His far reaching POWER to
reach into the grave and raise up the dead.
B. I believe that this story is about more than Jesus having the power and
authority to raise this natural body.
I believe it also demonstrates His power to bring one from the depths of SIN’S Bondage
Now Let’s Take A Look At The Scriptures;
I. The Love Of Christ
A. In verses 3-5 Lazarus’ sisters send for Jesus.
1. You see Jesus had stayed in their home and they had enjoyed
the fellowship with Him on previous occasions.
2. They had come to LOVE Christ and they had come to realize
His love for them because; a. He had stayed in their home.
Jesus had lodged with them on several occasions and I believe
He had come into their home by invitation.
b. They had enjoyed and returned His fellowship
3. Those who FELLOWSHIP with Jesus become aware of
His LOVE.
a. They come to know the GLORY and the POWER of His Presence.
b. Those who share fellowship with Christ understand the reach of HIS LOVE
B. Jesus had passed through Bethany many times, but it was Lazarus and his sisters that invited Jesus to come into their home and into their lives.
1. They knew Him as "a friend that sticketh closer than a brother" and not as just some stranger passing through.
2. They had come to know His Love because they had sought His fellowship and His presence in their home.
C. Notice the invitation that Martha and Mary send unto Jesus.
John 11:3 (KJV) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord,behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
1. Anyone who invites Jesus into their heart and life will come to know His LOVE.
2. He loves the sinner even though the sinner does not return His love or acknowledge His love.
Romans 5:8 (KJV)8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
D. Now notice the Words of Jesus following this invitation to intervene.
John 11:5-6 (KJV)5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
1. At first thought, this sounds very strange:
“Now Jesus loved Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus.”
2. But when He heard that Lazarus was sick He did not rush over to Bethany to check on him or to heal him.
3. Even stranger, He delayed His trip to Bethany two
more days.
E. How could He have loved them so, yet wait so long to meet their request?
1. My friend Jesus had something BIG in mind for this
family that He LOVED SO.
2. Something that would reveal His LORDSHIP not only
to this family, but to unbelieving Jews as well.
To those who were struggling to accept Jesus as
the TRUE Messiah.
3. Something that would manifest His Authority &
Power to ALL.
4. I believe it was out of His great Love for Martha, Mary and Lazarus that Jesus purposely delayed His trip to Bethany.
a. He was about to show this family a deeper love
than they had ever known before.
b. They were going to have an opportunity to
witness His POWER over the great enemies,
death and the grave!
C. What seemed to be a tragedy at first glance
would turn out to be a great privilege.
John 11:4 (KJV)4 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.
c. Jesus was going to give this family the first
hand experience of His power to bring someone
back to life, back from the depths of the grave.
II. The Second Lesson We Learn Here, Is That We Must
Die With Christ
A. After the delay, Jesus prepares to go to Bethany.
1. His disciples remind Him; "Master, the Jews of
late sought to stone you; and You are going there
again?"
2. Notice the Response Jesus gave;
John 11:9-10 (KJV)
9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
a. There are an average of 12 hours of light in a
day.
A man must work while it is day. Jesus applies this
same law Jesus applied unto His ministry.
Someone has a need in Bethany- I am here to work the works of My Father and I must go.
John 9:4 (KJV)4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
WE MUST GO WHILE THE DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY IS OPEN BEFORE US.
B. Jesus tells His disciples that Lazarus is asleep
and that he is going to Bethany to wake him up.
1. They miss the point
“Well if He is sleeping than he will get better.”
2. Jesus said “He is dead”
C. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not
there, to the intent ye may believe;
nevertheless let us go unto him.
1. The disciples were about to become familiar
with the TRUE meaning of beng RAISED BY JESUS.
2. When Jesus awakes you, nothing can hold you
back from the New Life.
D. Now look at the words of Thomas, who is already
struggling with dought; "Let us also go, that we
may die with him."
1. Thomas was afraid of being stoned to death by
the Jews.
2. But I would like to play on his words for a
moment;
If you go places with Jesus & If you are involved
in His works,
If you experience His resurrection power, then
you must die with Christ at the altar of
repentance.
III. The Third Lesson We find Here; There Is Hope For
The Hopeless.
A. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already
been dead for
four days.
1. Martha and Mary are in a state of morning for
their dead brother.
2. Many Jews had come from nearby Jerusalem to morn
with them.
3. These Jews were looking for a Messiah to come
but would not accept Jesus as the Messiah.
4. Now they are about to see Jesus raise the dead.
B. Martha hears that Jesus is coming and she runs out
to meet Him.
1. Mary is so upset that she remains in the house.
2. All hope seems lost.
3. If only Jesus had arrived earlier.
V. 21 “Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had
been here, my brother would not have
died.’
4. Mary says the same thing in verse 32, so it is
obvious that they thought it was not too late for
Jesus to do anything for Lazarus on this side of
Glory.
5. They felt that it was TOO late, Jesus didn’t get
there in time before their brother died, so Jesus
has done all He can do on earth for
Lazarus WRONG!
C. Some of you have a brother or a sister or some
other person whom you love dearly who is lost in
sin and you have prayed for their Salvation.
1. But they seem to only move deeper into sin and
further away from God.
2. Satan says; There is no use to continue praying,
God has done all He can do for them on this side
of Heaven. Give it up.
3. You may feel like its over, your loved one is
destined to go to hell.
4. Its NEVER TOO LATE FOR GOD!
Jesus tells Martha: “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha: “Oh I know that He will rise again at that last day”
Jesus “I am the resurrection and the life, he that believes in Me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live”
5. “Though He were dead”
“yet shall he live”
D. They move to the tomb, people are weeping as though it was
all over.
1. When Jesus saw the crowds weeping and morning, He was grived,
grieved for their failure to grasp the TRUTH
2. He was grieved for their failure to understand the POWER He
possesed and the authority the Father had given Him.
V. 35 “Jesus Wept”
3. I do believe that Jesus was touched by the tears
of Mary & Martha.
4. He is touched by your trails and your tears, but
He responds when we touch Him in prayer.
Heb 4:15 (KJV)15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; …”
E. If you have loved ones who are lost, backslidden or
cold, or maybe you have a loved one who is greatly
sick remember this:
“Prayer moves God, and God moves man”
1. Jesus said: Matt. 17:20 “…If ye have faith as a
grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove hence to yonder place;
and it shall remove; and nothing shall be
impossible unto you.”
F. As Jesus wept before them, the Jews said; “How
Jesus must have loved him.”
1. Notice the next words;
John 11:37 (KJV)37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
2. We have heard that this man has opened to the
eyes of the blind, but if he did then could not
he have saved His loved one from Death?
They just didn’t know!
3. If Jesus had arrived in Bethany and healed Lazarus before his sickness brought about his death
those same people would have said: "Oh he just got well
on his own."
or "Well that what good doctors can do"
IV. The Fourth Lesson We Learn Here Is That We Must Take Away Doubt
A. Verse 39 Jesus said “Take away the stone”
1. I believe that the stone represents any obsticle
that stands in the way of faith.
2. That stone represents a hinderance.
B. Martha “Lord he has been dead for four days, by now
he stinks”
1. Martha is struggling with her faith.
2. But Jesus responds: “Have I not already told you,
if you will only believe, you will see the GLORY
of God?”
Heb 11:6 (KJV)6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
C. In verse 41, they took away the stone from the
enterance of the Tomb.
1. Once they removed the stone, Jesus went into
action!
2. It seems that Jesus had already prayed about this
situation and knew that He was acting in the
will of the Father.
John 11:41-42 (KJV) 41 “… And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.”
V. The Fifth Lesson That We Learn Here Is That When Jesus Says Its Enough, It’ll Be Enough!
A. Verse 43 Jesus cried with a loud voice “Lazarus come forth!”
1. I believe that as we pray for the salvation of
our loved ones who are currently living in
darkness (sin), that Jesus can speak a word
and bring them forth from death unto life!
2. It may be your prayer, it may be your faith that
breaks sin’s grip from their life!
3. Don’t give up only believe.
4. If you have a loved one who is sick, don’t give
up, pray and believe.
B. I really like what verse 44 says:
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
1. “He that WAS dead”
2. Jesus can speak to the sins that have your love
ones bound and He can the the sicknesses and the
diseases that bind our loved ones and
say; unto them, Loose them, and let them go.
C. Many people have be won to the Lord because of
what they have seen God do in someone else’s life.
1. They have seen God answer the prayer of the
Christian.
2. They have seen the change that God has made in
the lives of the converted.
3. Or they see someone miraculously healed as the
prayers of faith went up and they came to belive
upon the Lord for their own Salvation.
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
4. And of course there will always be those who wont
believe no matter what:
46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
What Do You Believe?
THE RAISING OF LAZARUS PROVES THAT GOD CAN & WILL RAISE YOUR LOVED ONES FROM THE GRAVE OF SIN---
AS WELL AS FROM THE GRAVE OF THE NATURAL BODY!
