Learning from Lazarus - Pt. II
So that you may believe - Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 5 viewsAim: Continue to learn from death, burial and resurrection of Lazarus.
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
People and things
People and things
Do you think that people are always as you see them, or perceive them to be?
How about things, are things always the way you see them?
This is what we are going to be looking at this evening.
Quick Review:
Lazarus sick, sisters send for Jesus (11:1-3)
Jesus states will not end in death, but toe the glory of God (11:4-5)
Jesus delays going (11:6-7)
Disciples warning (11:8)
Jesus teaching (11:9-10)
Jesus intentions (11:11-15)
Scripture, just the scripture please
Scripture, just the scripture please
Scripture tells us much, much to help us to live godly lives. May we take the time to look at the scripture together.
16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” 17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
Who are the characters, people in this passage?
What has transpired to bring us to this point?
What mood is this scripture?
Where is this passage taking place?
What bold statement does Thomas make (v.16)?
What did Jesus find (v.17)?
Why did many Jews come (v.19)?
What did the sisters do (v.20)?
In summary what did Martha have to say (vv.21-22)
In summary what did Jesus have to say (vv.23-26)?
Finally, what was Martha’s assertion (v.27)?
Bold Faith
Bold Faith
We are told to have faith that is bold (1Tim3:13).
When you think of biblical people who were bold, who do you think of?
16 Then Thomas (called “Twin”) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go so that we may die with Him.”
Guzik said this about “twin”
“Church tradition says that Thomas was called the twin because he looked like Jesus putting him at special risk.”
While the other apostles thought, Jerusalem, you got to be kidding, no way, stay away from there. They want to kill you there.
Thomas if often called “Doubting Thomas” but is that accurate and is that biblical?
In reality what kind of faith did Thomas have? Why do you think so?
Thomas was calling the fellow disciples to go and die with Jesus
Thomas was showing his commitment to Jesus
Now when Jesus was resurrected it was Thomas who was honest, who was bold. He was out on the streets (remember he is the twin); and he made the bold statement “I will not believe unless I touch Him.
Old friends meet up
Old friends meet up
Old friends like to get together and catch up with one another, but that is not what the intention was for the sisters or Jesus.
17 When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem (about two miles away).
19 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. 20 As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him. But Mary remained seated in the house.
21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.”
Martha goes out to meet Jesus. Martha goes with a purpose.
What purpose do you suppose Martha has in this section?
Do we ever have an agenda, a supposed purpose that is not clearly stated at times?
Jesus had waited 4-days to get the Bethany.
There is a purpose to the delay. Jewish superstition said that a soul stayed near the body for three days, hoping to return to the body. It was accepted that after that there was no hope of “resuscitation”
Resuscitation (N): the action or process of reviving someone from unconsciousness or apparent death
In accordance with Jewish tradition there were many mourners there to console the sisters.
Another interesting fact, that sometimes they would hire mourners.
Martha may have felt disappointed by Jesus delay (4-days) for knew Jesus could hear a sick brother, but not resurrect a dead one.
Death was no stronger in His presence than disease but these did not realize this. They would think that death as the unconquerable. With disease men may grapple, and fight to overcome. But in the presence they are helpless.” - Morgan
Martha did not consider resurrection, but healing when alive, but still she kept her trust in Jesus.
Can we keep our trust in Jesus even when things don’t go the way we think they should go?
Martha was given a promise, she did not embrace it, but looked at it as a theological principle.
Hum, can we do that? Take a faith statement, promise and turn it into a theological debate or stand?
Jesus was speaking to her personally; Martha was thinking theologically. Jesus, in short is saying I’m all that you need right now.
“Some prayers would be all the better if they were shorter—all the better if they did not so much declare our own will as declare our confidence in the good will of Christ.” -Spurgeon
You have to love that the prayers, the requests from the sisters did not request, but knew He was good and their trust was in Him.
Martha offered an “even now” prayer.
If you are honest, have you ever doubted God and His will?
Jon Courson in brief says:
“We believe in the Lord’s ability to do miracles, but don’t believe will do things in our life now. we struggle with the Lord’s willingness. We believe who the Lord is, but don’t believe He will do something personally for me.”
Death does not mean death
Death does not mean death
As a Christian you may understand that statement, death does not mean death. Now let’s see how Jesus explains it.
What does death does not mean death mean?
How can we know that death is overcome, and by who and by what?
23 “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her. 24 Martha said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
24 Martha said, “I know that 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, even if he dies, will live.
26 Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.”
In our grief we think will meet again “someday,” Jesus is meaning right now.
“That resurrection in the last day shall be only by MY Power, and therefore I can raise him now as well.” - Alford
The Pharisee’s had a general belief in resurrection, but would be on the last day. The Sadducee’s did not.
Jesus did not claim to have power for resurrection. His claim was He is the resurrection and the life.
Know Jesus know resurrection and life; and to have Jesus.
Another good quote by Spurgeon
“It is clear that she derived very little consolation from the fact of a distant and and general resurrection: she needed resurrection and life to come nearer home, and to become more a present fact to her.”
Think about this.
Christians may die, but yet live
Christians maybe put in the grave, but the grave does not hold them for they are forever with the Lord
Humanity fears death, Christians only fear dying but know they will transition to an imperishable, uncorruptible body.
OK, so I’m using a lot of Spurgeon tonight. He has a lot to say on this matter.
“Death comes to the ungodly man as a penal infliction, but to the righteous as a summons to his Father’s palace.”
He would go on to say
To the sinner an execution, to the saint an undressing.
Death to the wicked is the king of terrors; to the saint the end of terrors and the commencement of glory.
Jesus calls for belief not a debate or intellectual assent.
Martha does make a true statement “You are the Christ, the Son of God.
Even in her disappointment, even in her grief she knows who He is and have her faith in Him.