Resurrection of Lazarus Part 3

John 11:43-44 NKJV “Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Raising Lazarus from the dead is at the top of the list of miracles Jesus performed.

He had been dead for four full days.

Rigor mortis had fully set in; so had decay.

According to custom, strips of cloth were wound tightly around the body—binding the jaw closed.

The feet were also bound together, and the hands were bound to the sides of the body.

So the jaw, the feet, and the hands were bound.

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When Jesus called him out of the grave, Lazarus came forth sort of waddling or hopping to the best of his ability....

There’s a children’s song called the “Lazarus Hop,” where children will hop toward someone playing Christ, like Lazarus was forced to hop out of the tomb toward Jesus.

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This incredible miracle caused many at the funeral to declare Jesus the Savior the Jews had long waited for.

But it is also a physical picture of a spiritual truth for you and me.

When you and I were saved, the Bible says we were “dead in our trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).

The same Greek word used to describe Lazarus’s dead body is used here to describe us before our salvation.

Just like Lazarus, we were dead and helpless until the voice of Jesus called us out of death into life.

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And like Lazarus, we were also in a dark place where no light penetrated.

The Bible says that Jesus “called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9 NKJV).

As Lazarus was called out of darkness into the light of day, we too are delivered from spiritual darkness into the light of God’s love.

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Now, imagine for a moment that you are Lazarus...

When Lazarus came back to life, he couldn’t see—his eyes were covered and it was pitch black in the cave.

And he couldn’t move well—he struggled to get on his feet...

Just like so many of us that are saved out of deep sin struggle to get on our feet, to walk like we should, to live like we ought to.

Lazarus awoke to find himself in a dark and lonely cave, all bound up but alive.

Though resurrected from the dead, he was still bound!

So he did what we also do when we come to life spiritually...He:

Moved toward the voice he trusted

He said, “I can’t see, I can’t talk, I can hardly move, but I can hop toward the voice that called me back to life!”

I can tell you, this is what I did when God called to me in a juvenile home at sixteen years old.

I was very bound up, but I hopped toward the voice I trusted.

Something about the voice of Jesus said, “You can trust Me.”

I didn’t trust most people, but I somehow knew I could trust the voice of Jesus.

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10: 27 NIV).

Today, you may have been burned by people, betrayed, gossiped on, walked out on, and it’s hard for you to trust.

But I tell you, you can trust the voice of the one calling you out of death into life!

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And also like Lazarus, when we walk out of death into life,

II. We are still wrapped in some of the grave clothes of our former life.

For instance, many of us are still wrapped up in the things we’ve learned to fear, and we need those grave clothes removed!

And some of us are still clothed in things we’ve believed about ourselves, negative stuff that didn’t come from God, lies from the devil.

And then some of us still drag behind the scraps of negative things others have told us about ourselves—cruel things, mean things that defined us down and not up.

Like Lazarus, these old grave clothes up keep us from being totally free.

We’re still hopping when we should be walking!

We’re still mute when we should be shouting His praises.

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Notice, it was his mouth that was bound so that he could not talk, his feet were bound so that he could not walk, and his hands were bound so that he could work, clap, or lift his hands to praise.

Speech bound, feet bound, hands bound—Though raised from the dead, these things still needed to be loosed!

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A. He was resurrected from the dead but he couldn’t testify with a bound mouth.

Some of you might still be bound in the same way—your tongue hasn’t been loosed to testify of what He’s done for you.

You freeze when you have the opportunity to tell others about Jesus.

Jesus says over you, “Loose him, and let him go!”

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B. Still others of you haven’t been set free to praise God by clapping or raising your hands in praise to His name—Your hands are bound.

Lazarus couldn’t raise his hands to heaven in praise, he couldn’t clap his hands or even reach out to embrace Jesus.

The Bible tells Christians to, “Lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting” (1 Tim. 2:8 NKJV).

The Psalmist encourages us: “Clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with a loud cry of joy!” (Ps. 47:1 ISV)

Perhaps there are some here who still wear the grave clothes of pride, or intimidation, or fear that binds them from openly praising God.

Jesus says over you, “Loose him, and let him go!”

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C. And Lazarus couldn’t walk the way he wanted to.

Our feet illustrate the path we take in life, our lifestyle, the direction we walk spiritually.

Lazarus wanted to walk toward Jesus but couldn’t.

And perhaps today some of those old “grave-clothes habits” have you bound, and hinder your ability to walk the path God’s called you to.

Even though the Bible says, “make straight paths for your feet” (Heb. 12:13 NKJV), you are hindered.

Jesus says over you, “Loose him and let him go!”

Jesus saw Lazarus’s bound mouth, hands, and feet just like He does ours, and commanded “Loose him and let him go free!”

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Now, let me cut straight to the chase with this.

Jesus didn’t set Lazarus free so he could go do his own thing.

No, Jesus set him free with a purpose in mind...

The Bible says that just a few days later Jesus was in Bethany and:

“A great many of the Jews” gathered, “not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead” (John 12:9 NKJV).

Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead to be a witness, living proof that Jesus was the resurrection and the life!

And this is why He also raised YOU from the dead!

To be a living witness of His power to save, heal, and deliver people from the power of sin!

LET’S PRAY

The past still clings to him, layer upon layer of grave clothes make it awkward for him to even move.

Jesus says, “Unbind him,” and then strip by strip, all of the clothing of his most recent past begins to fall away.

The past clings to us as well.

Memories, deep impressions—emotions, thoughts, experiences, habits, beliefs about who we are, messages from authority figures, messages from ourselves...

Some of these things cling to us and keep us wrapped up so that our speech is bound from giving God the glory.

Our feet our bound from walking in the path our destiny calls for.

Our hands are bound so that our work in God’s kingdom is hindered.

These are Lazarus clothes.

They cling.

They cloud our vision, dampen our speech, and impair our spiritual productivity.

LISTEN: Those who have been made alive in Jesus have no business waddling around in spiritual graveclothes!

I am talking about your way of life, your lifestyle and habits before Jesus gave you life.

I am talking about the sins and addictions that have you all tied up and that you can’t seem to shake loose.

I am talking about your marriage and your home life, your relationships and how you do your job.

How these areas of your life still reflect the “zombie life” of your past rather than the Resurrection life of Jesus!

The One who says, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life,” also says “Loose Him, Let him go!”

Are you still bound up with the lifestyle, sins and addictions of your old way of life?

The Bible declares, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, everything is brand new.” (I Cor. 5: 17)

Let Christ loose you and set you free! Because when “the Son sets you free, you are free indeed!”

NO, He raised Lazarus and died to save our sin sick souls for a purpose.

And what is that purpose...

Well ... our text [John 12:9] tells us “they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also.

Which simply means—that Lazarus was loosed for a purpose and that purpose...was for him to be a living witness for Christ.

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