Funeral Crasher 2

THE FUNERAL CRASHER

Part 2

“Loose Him!”

John 11: 38-44

Saw last time that two sisters—Mary and Martha—were commanded by Jesus to roll the stone away from the tomb.

They objected, revealing pride, shame, and unbelief.

Yet Jesus still required them to do what they could, that He might do what they couldn’t.

They finally had the stone removed, and:

First:

Jesus spoke to the impossibility.

Jesus “…cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”

“And he who had died came out…”—vs 44

Yet, notice: He was still bound!

“And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth.”—vs. 44

This story of Lazarus is a picture of the power of the gospel, by which dead souls are brought out of the grave of sin.

EPH 2:1; "And you has he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sin."

Now, I notice here that:

On both ends of the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection, Jesus required men’s involvement and obedience.

They were to remove the stone, and then were also commanded to remove the grave clothes.

Even after Jesus had called Lazarus out of the grave, he was still "bound hand and foot with grave clothes."

He was out of the grave, but not out of the grave clothes.

This means that:

He was not able to walk well—his feet were bound.

He couldn’t unravel himself—his hands were bound.

He couldn’t see—his eyes were bound.

He was alive from the dead, but still bound by the wrappings of his past.

This is why Jesus said to the people standing by, “LOOSE HIM AND LET HIM GO.”

Rolling away the stone was necessary preparation for resurrection.

But removing the grave clothes was necessary to living a resurrected life.

It’s one thing to be resurrected, but it’s quite another thing to live a resurrected life!

PRINCIPLE: The Lord does the quickening, but then calls the church to do the loosing.

When a person is quickened by the grace of God, they are not brought into the spiritual world as mature adults.

They are babes in Christ.

They yet carry memories and wrappings and trappings from the grave.

All they have is a new desire to do the will of God.

And the church is the one called to deliver them, to un-wrap the grave clothes.

Think back to your own experience.

Do you remember how others took the time to unwrap the face cloth and help you to SEE the will of God for your life?

Or how others helped you to understand where you need to change your attitudes?

Where you need to stop being critical?

Where you need to stop being hateful and bitter?

These things can still be there.

These grave clothes are not immediately and fully removed because you are born again.

NOTICE AGAIN: Three things were bound when Lazarus came out of the grave. And these three things represent three crucial functions of life:

HANDS: Your labor—how you spend your life

FEET: Your direction—where you go in life

FACE: Your sight—how you view your life

Now, watch this:

In the story of the Prodigal Son, Jesus describes the actions of the father when his wayward son returns home:

"But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet."—LUKE 15:22-24

First:

Bring forth the best robe

The “best robe” had to do with sight—the way he viewed himself.

The Prodigal’s view of himself is what the grave had given him.

He felt unworthy, unloved, unsuccessful, and unwanted.

To put the “best robe” on him had everything to do with redeeming his negative self-image so that his shame might be removed!

FACT: Lazarus couldn’t see the world as a resurrected man until the head wrap was removed.

And those brought to faith in Christ yet wear the grave clothes of how they viewed themselves prior to salvation—unworthy, inferior, guilty, failing, and lost.

They must be helped to see who they now are in Christ.

The Bible spends a lot of time telling us about who we ARE, not who we were.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”—2 Cor. 5:21

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Every time God tells us who we are in Christ, the old grave clothes of how we viewed ourselves are removed.

We are loosed!

“Put on him the best robe—the robe of righteousness.”

And then:

Put a ring on his hand.”

In Bible times, a ring was a sign of authority and sonship.

It actually carried the weight of the one who gave it.

Pharaoh bestowed the same honor on Joseph (Gen. 41:41-42).

“So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger.”

But the ring also points to the significance of the hands—which is what you do with your life, how you spend it.

The Bible says:

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”—Ecc. 9:10

Salvation or resurrection from spiritual death entails the redemption of your hands—how you spend the life God has given you.

“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”—Eph 4:28

Notice, he who took from others out of greed, now works to give to others out of compassion. REDEEMED!!!

And finally:

Put sandals on his feet

Slaves in Bible times were barefoot.

The Prodigal left with shoes on, but returned barefoot—having been a slave to his evil doings.

So the sandals in the story of the Prodigal are a picture of new found freedom.

The Bible teaches that before our salvation, we are spiritually barefoot, slaves to evil:

“…you used to be slaves to sin…”—Ro. 6:17

But when, like Lazarus, we are raised from the spiritual dead, the direction of our life is changed. We begin to walk in newness of life:

“…But now you wholeheartedly obey the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”—Ro. 6:17-18

As a slave to evil we had no choice but to follow an evil path. But no longer!

Jesus said in essence, “LOOSE HIS FEET AND LET HIM GO.”

As a resurrected man or woman, we can now follow a new direction—the path of life!

“Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”—Pr. 4:26-27

The message of Lazarus’ resurrection is:

Jesus raises from the dead, but the church is called to LOOSE THEM:

In their eyesight—how they see

In their hands—what they do

And in their feet—where they go

help new believers to pick out the right way, and direct them in the Word and in the way of Christ.