Stewarding Your Emotions pt. 3

“Lazarus Come Forth”

Lead not Driven

John 11:8–10 NKJV

8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

Day and Night:

This verse has two meanings

The days work must be finished in the day time

Meaning tasks must be finished before the daylight ends

Often times the unrest and hurry of life are often due to the fact we are trying to catch up on the work that should’ve been done today

Prolonged confrontation

some of us bury ourselves in tasks that we should’ve done and it buries us in stress and put us in debt for tomorrow

He’s also saying:

Get your life right with God before it’s too late

Don’t wait

John 11:11–14 NKJV

11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” 12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

This part of the story is funny to me

The way that John writes his account:

-Jesus says something, the disciples miss-interpret it

-He says something else and they question it

-Jesus is constantly correcting them and challenging them to think differently

-The disciples are constantly trying to make sense of what he’s saying in the natural

-Jesus corrects them with how they should respond spiritually

John 11:15–16 NKJV

15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” 16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

Thomas what are you talking about?

Interesting the optimism that Jesus exhibits here:

“I’m glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe”

“The death of Lazarus brought a crisis to Jesus, and he was glad, because it gave him the opportunity to demonstrate in the most amazing way what God can do”

REMEMBER that

When you are up against something and your emotions want to take you to a dark place, rejoice cause God is about to show up in the most amazing way!

BUT it has to be connected to our Faith

John 11:17–19 NKJV

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 away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

Mourning the dead (Jewish Culture):

Deep mourning lasted for 7 days

the first 3 were days of weeping

during the 7 days it was forbidden to anoint oneself, to put on shoes, to engage in any type of business or study

It was also forbidden to wash

This was the atmosphere that Jesus was walking into

He was walking into a house of mourning

Even if we’re the only ones we have to change the atmosphere

No matter whats going on out there in here we change the atmosphere

John 11:20–27 NKJV

20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But 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 at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

But even now I know that whatever YOU ask of God, God will give you

Speaking out her faith

Jesus speaking His Faith

John 11:32–34 NKJV

32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus was troubled:

The situation was provoking a faith reaction from Him

The word Groaned there in the greek is that he’s almost angry

Have you ever been so upset with something it drives you to anger

Sometimes are emotions are there to push us to change or take action

John 11:35 NKJV

35 Jesus wept.

The shortest scripture in the Bible with maybe the biggest impact

John had written his whole gospel on the theme that in Jesus we see the mind of God

To the Greeks the primary characteristic of God was a word they used:

Apatheia- which means a total inability to feel emotions whatsoever

The greeks believed in a completely passionless, isolated and compassionless God

A lot of people still preach this type of God

But he cares about you and cares about what you’re going through

The greatest thing Jesus did was to bring us the news of a God who cares

John 11:38–40 NKJV

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

He told them to take away the stone

We have to put our faith to action

When things are going badly of the situation doesn’t look good, its up to us to believe

John 11:41–42 NKJV

41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

The design of God is that every one of us should be living proof of His power

John 11:43–44 NKJV

43 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 graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Closing:

Life and your emotions will try to put stones in your way

Put up road blocks with your emotions

You can only elevate to the level that you are able to control your emotions

Lazarus’ fate was sealed

His life was buried in the reality that there was no hope for Him

If Jesus you would have only caught it earlier

Someone of you are thinking because you’re older, your stuck in your ways

If I had just changed when I was younger

If I hadn’t gone through that divorce

If I hadn’t gone through that, I would be different

God is a God that cares and wants to bring broken or dead situation back to life

Romans 10:13 NKJV

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”