Death, Where is your Sting

Welcome / Introduction

Good morning church!

Good morning if you are watching online!

What a blessed day to be in the house of the Lord

Please open your bibles to the Gospel of John 11:38-44

The title of this mornings message is

Death, Where is your Sting!

As this morning we are going to witness a man brought back to life

Amen

So let’s go ahead and read our passage for the morning

John 11:38–44 CSB

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. “Remove the stone,” Jesus said. Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, “Lord, there is already a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me. I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so that they may believe you sent me.” After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.”

Let us Pray

Illustration

The definition of a Miracle -

is an extraordinary event caused by the power of God

It is an event that cannot be explained using the natural laws of men

but instead it transcends the natural laws that we

as humans are bound to

we can think of the parting of the Red Sea

or even better

God creating something from Nothing

Ex Nihilo - is the word or phrase for that

And what miracles do is

Reveal

His presence

His Power

and His Purpose

So what does that mean for us as we read the Gospel of John

Well

What John has done for us so far throughout his gospel is give us a series of miracles or signs

as John calls them

So that what?

so that we may believe right

But what is interesting is that John calls these miracles

signs

instead of miracles

why is that?

So lets answer the question by asking

what does a sign do?

it points to something right?

I mean a sign isn’t the thing in and of itself

it is simply an object that is

pointing to something else

When you drive to restaurant

You don’t pull up to Texas Roadhouse

and sit under the sign and order your steak do you?

No, the sign points you to where the steaks really are..

When you go get groceries

You don't shop under the sign out front do you?

no, of course not

because the sign is there to point you towards the thing you want or need

And that was exactly what each of these signs did

they points us towards the one in which they proclaim

Now, we know that Jesus performed many signs

so many that all of the books in the world could not contain them

but, John did record 7 specific miracles for us

All for the purpose to point us towards Jesus

In chapter 2 we saw Jesus turn water into wine

pointing us to his power to bring joy, new life, and transformation

In chapter 4 we saw Jesus heal the officials son from several miles away

pointing us to his power over distance and sickness

In chapter 5 we saw Jesus heal the paralyzed man at the pool

pointing us to his power over sin

and His authority over the Sabbath

In chapter 6 we saw Jesus feed 5000 plus with just 5 loaves and 2 fish

pointing us to his power to provide for us not only physically, but spiritually as well.

as the bread of life

That was followed up in the same chapter by Jesus walking on water and calming a storm

which pointed to his Power over nature and our fears

then we fast forward to chapter 9 and after Jesus declared that he was the light of the world

he restored the vision of a man born blind

demonstrating not only his ability to heal

but his ability to bring us from spiritual blindness

to spiritual light

to bring us in fact

from darkness to light

Which brings us again to chapter 11

where we find the last Miracle or sign recorded by John

technically speaking I should say

We will see a pretty big miracle occur in John 19 and chapter 20

Now as to what this sign points to

well, you will have to wait until the end

Out text this morning is broken down to 3 points

as we unravel this last and most important miracle of Jesus

It is as if John was escalating the miracles with this being the pinnacle

with this being the mountain top

So, without further adou

Our first point of the morning

The Obedience of Jesus (V38-40)

The Communication with the Father (V41 & 42)

and finally the Command of Christ to Lazarus

“Come Out!” in (V43 & 44)

The Obedience

In V38 John says this John 11:38 “38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again,

If we remember from last week

Jesus was deeply moved by the emotions of his friends

and was in fact angry at the sin and death in the world

so much so that we saw that Jesus Wept

Now, its possible that as Jesus moved from where we left off last week to

the tomb of Lazarus

perhaps his emotions had settled some

but as he approached the tomb

as the place where his friend lay

comes into view

we can see these emotions come back

Kind of like we feel when we leave the funeral

and drive to the grave site

things even out a little on the drive

just before the hurting starts again when you arrive there

It is like this that Jesus “came to the tomb.

And this tomb

V 38 continues tells us “It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.”

The way these tombs would look back then

would be similar to this picture

as this is the picture of the garden tomb

we took this when we visited Israel

And what they would do is they would carve the tombs into the rock, into the hills and mountains

unless it was of course a cave

then they would simply alter the interior

by flattening the floor

and carve out “shelves” or benches in the walls to hold the bodies

and the more rich you were perhaps the more privacy you got

but for the most part they were shared

Now, I show you this tomb

because this tomb of Lazarus

would have looked very similar to the tomb

Jesus would be lay in

in just a few short days

And I firmly believe that Jesus knew that

And with this we begin to see the obedience of Christ

See part of the emotions we see of Jesus in V38

are tied to the emotions from last week

but they also tied to the fact that

He knew he was about to

lay down his life for those around Him

and frankly for us here today

And while Jesus did go to that cross and tomb willingly

He also went in obedience to His father

and by putting his eyes on this tomb

he was placing His eyes on His destiny

By placing His eyes on this tomb

The Lord of Life

was now directly confronting his opponent

death

as symbolized by

the very cave like tomb in front of Him

So He tells Martha in V39 to “remove the stone”

and this stone would have been there so that access could be made

but also so that things could be kept out

such as grave robbers and animal

She replies with “Lord, there is already a stench because he has been dead four days”

Now we discussed this 4 days thing in some detail last week

when we stated they thought the the soul hovered over the body for 3 days

and on the 4th day

it would leave as decomposition would begin

and that was in fact their custom

on day 3 or day 4 depending on how you count

they would come back

roll away the stone

smell the body

and know that they were really dead

And this is what this is saying

John wants us to know Lazarus is really dead

by recording Martha’s reaction to this command

he solidifies that Lazarus was already decaying

and

John added the little detail of reminding us that Martha was the dead mans sister

to show us Lazarus is dead

he isn’t sleeping

he isn’t in a coma

he cannot be resuscitated

outside of a miracle from God right

And knowing

this Jesus tells Martha

loud enough for everyone around Him to hear it as well

John 11:40 “40 Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?””

See Martha

although she believed

although she had faith

had given up hope

her brother was dead

he had already been in the tomb 4 days

What else could Jesus do

other than morn and console her until the last day

But remember, Gods perspective is not

always seen by us

So what is now this hopeless situations

according to Mary and Martha

Will instead be used to

Glorify God

Now we dont see where Jesus

specifically said this to Martha

it could have been a discussion they had that was not recorded

or it could have been Him putting together a few verses

Either way, Jesus is going to use this situation

to bring His Father Glory

Now there is so much for us to unpack here that I wont even start

Instead

What I would like for us to pull out of this first point

is how Jesus’ obedience

Led to the fathers Glory

Despite all that he was feeling

all that he was seeing

Jesus never took His eyes off of His father

even as He was looking his fate

in the eyes

In fact everything Jesus did

His entire Jesus' life and ministry

was entirely focused on revealing the Father to the world.

He lived in perfect alignment with God's will

so that we,

so that people

could see the Father Glorified through Him.

In John 14:9-10, Jesus said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father... The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does His works."

Through Jesus’ obedient life,

His teachings, and miracles,

the world

can now see God's love,

holiness, justice, and mercy

in a tangible way.

But perhaps, Jesus’ ultimate act of obedience isn’t found here as he stares death in the face

No, the ultimate act of Jesus' obedience

was His sacrificial death on the cross.

In John 12:27-28, as He prepared for His crucifixion, Jesus prayed, "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.”

Jesus knew that through His death,

God’s glory would be revealed in the most profound way.

He knew that by submitting to the Father’s will,

He would display God’s perfect justice (punishing sin)

and His perfect love (providing a way of salvation).

This act of obedience glorified the Father by fulfilling His plan,

What This faking salvation possible for all who believe.f

But obedience doesn't stop with Jesus

It means Our Obedience Reflects God’s Glory:

See we get to help display the Glory of God as well

through our obedience

did you notice Jesus asked

Martha and those around Him to roll back the stone

Do you think Jesus needed help with this

he created the stone

he could have blinked and it would have moved

But instead, he let them participate in the glorification of his father

similar to how he multiplied the fish and bread to feed the 5000

but the disciples are the ones that passed it out

See

Just as Jesus’ obedience revealed the Father,

our obedience as His followers

allows us to reflect God’s glory to the world.

Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

When we live in obedience to God’s Word—

loving others,

showing mercy,

living righteously—

we become living examples of God's character.

we can become living examples of Gods glory

Our obedience serves as a witness,

drawing people to God

and showing them who He is

through our lives.

Through our obedience,

we get to participate in the mission of spreading the Gospel and making disciples.

See Jesus' obedience paved the way for our salvation,

and now we are called

to share that message with others,

bringing glory to God by leading people to Him.

But let us understand

obeying Jesus’ teachings is not just about rules or regulations

but about reflecting His life, His love, and His character to the world.

In John 15:8, Jesus says, "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples."

Now with all of that said, there is no way we can glorify God

There is no way Jesus could even glorify God

if He or we

Are not in constant communication with Him

with the Father

So as we move to our 2nd point we will see that

no miracle can be performed

without talking to God first

The Communication of Christ

After all of this transpires

they remove the stone as as he commanded

Jesus,

with the full attention of the crowd around him

says in V41

John 11:41–42“41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me. 42 I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so that they may believe you sent me.””

This is an interesting and yet amazing prayer

First, the way he prays implies

that He has already been talking to God about this

This prayer implies that Jesus had already prayed for Lazarus

this prayer tells us that Jesus

had already prepared for what was about to take place

This wasn’t a last minute request

this wasn’t an

impulse or a reactionary request

This wasn’t some sort of hail Mary prayer

There had already been some time spent on his knees praying about this specific thing

And get this when he prayed

and He did it with hands raised

I guess he wasn’t raised Baptist

i kidding

But none the less as he prays this prayer

His is thanking the father for hearing Him

He has his hands raised

this was a common thing posture

they would raise their hands and look to the heavens

and audible prayers with hands raised was common as well

In fact talking to God out loud was more prominent then

then now

and it is something we should probably get back to

Now, we must understand by

raising His hands and speaking out loud

he wasn’t trying to impress anyone

Instead He was teaching others

through His prayers

when a teacher of the Jews would

Pray like this

his disciples would listen

and learn from what He was praying

Now, Jesus referred to God as His Father

showing his submission

and His obedience to Him

as we just discussed

And again, he knows the decision to raise Lazarus has already been made

Then he thanks Him

for hearing Him

Thats interesting

until we see that the OT

teaches that God hears the righteous

Psalm 34:15 and Psalm 145:19 attest to this

So therefore he is telling all of them around Him

and is telling us

that He is completely righteous

knowing that God heads his every word

And it is within this righteous relationship he has with his father

that He will be able to raise Lazarus from the dead

And by hearing this prayer

and by seeing this relationship

He wants them and us to know

that we can have this type of relationship

with Him

and with the Father

not a relationship that says we can do miracles no

there is plenty of that nonsense today

But a relationship that ensures that we know

He hears us

and that He is indeed the one sent from Heaven

And that is exactly what we get

when we believe

which as the end of V42 tells us

is exactly why He is doing these things

So what does all of this mean?

what are we to learn from this

very pivotal moment just before this great miracle is performed?

Well, it tells us that Jesus is in continuous and ongoing

prayer or communication with the father

Jesus had already been praying about Lazarus’ situation

before He stood at the tomb.

and His prayer revealed that He was

preparing for this moment long before it happened.

And doesn’t this

show us the importance of

being spiritually prepared

while seeking God’s will

ahead of time,

rather than waiting until a crisis occurs.

which I am afraid we are all too guilty of

See Because Jesus had been praying beforehand,

He knew that His actions were aligned with God’s will.

His prayer at the tomb was an expression

of confidence

that the Father had already heard Him.

And this again shows the deep trust Jesus had in the Father’s plan and timing,

even when faced with human grief and loss.

he was in constant communication with the Father

See just like Jesus, we should be in constant communication with God,

not just when problems arise.

But at all times

so that we are aligned with God’s will

and ready for whatever challenges

or opportunities come our way

See as believers, we should be praying for God’s guidance and strength

before opportunities arise,

and before trials come our way

so we can respond in faith when the moment comes.

knowing that because we have already prayed about this

that He will see us through it

Jesus didn’t stand at that tomb and try to figure out how he was going to raise Lazarus

scratching His head and formulating a plan

no, that plan was launched well before

with deep prayer and communication

This is what Jesus did

this is what Jesus teaches us,

and this is what we are to do

Could you imagine what the church could do

if we stayed in constant communication with the Lord,

if we talked to Him like He was sitting next to us all hours of the day?

What if every confessing and believing Christian

fell to their knees every day and night in prayer—

how much stronger would our faith be,

how much clearer would we hear His voice,

and how much more powerfully

would His Spirit move among us

Wow, if that happened

then we would see revival like never before.

The church would walk in unity,

lives would be transformed,

miracles would unfold,

and the world would witness the

unstoppable power of God

working through His people

All of this based upon the relationship we have

with the Father

through prayer

Because we cannot

have obedience

we cannot see God’s Glory

unless we have a relationship with Him

and that relationship is revealed

in our communication with him

and with other believers around us

So that when the time comes

we can hear the Command of God

which is our 3rd and final point of the morning

The Command

John 11:43 “43 After he said this, (after this prayer) he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!””

Notice this wasn’t a gentle plea

this wasn’t a faint whisper

this wasn’t a request

this wasn’t even an invitation

It was a shout with a loud voice!

this was a shout of raw

unadulterated

power

and authority

The Greek here is literally

Lazarus! Here! Outside!

you can even taste the authority here

It's a voice of authority like the one shouted

at our children to stop

just before they run into traffic—

a voice filled with urgency and love,

It's a voice authority like the one shouted

by Elijah when he called down fire from heaven—

a voice of divine power and authority,

demonstrating God’s might before the world.

Its the shout of authority like the

one of the Israelites

just before the walls of Jericho came crashing down

Is the shout of Gideons Battle Cry

For the Lord and for Gideon

It is the voce of Jesus on the cross

saying “It is finished”

and it is like the should of the angels

when they announce the return of Jesus

on the last day

It's the same voice that

that Jesus called to Lazarus,

"Come out!"—

a voice that commanded

life to break forth

from the tomb,

a voice that caused the dead to arise

a voice that brings life from death

showing that not even death

can stand in the way of God's glory.

I read that Jesus command here was so deep

so authoritative

that if he had not specifically

said Lazarus

all of the dead would have come alive

from every grave in the world!

as will happen on day in the future

Now with this command

John 11:44 “44 The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.””

What an amazing sight to see right

Do we see now why Jesus delayed his travels

Do we now see how God can work great things for good

even in the face of tragedy

Now this dead man, now alive

came out

we can almost see him shuffling around

making his way to the door of the cave

now remember he wasn’t wrapped like a mummy

he could still move

but we was wrapped up

and we can see him

shuffling his feet

wobbling like a penguin

his newly restored eyes blinded by

the light as he exits the tomb

and that reminds me that this isn’t just one miracle

no, in that grave God did so much more

as He repaired his muscles so that he could stand

and he reversed the decay of his lungs and heart

so that his blood would flow again

God restored his balance so that he could walk

God restored his sight so that he could see his way out

God restored his hands so that he could feel his way out

God restored everything about him

when he raised him from death to life

And that is so amazing isn’t it

Because that is precisely how Jesus restores us

spiritually

when he brings us from

death, to life

Now we don’t get to see the end of this story

it kind of just stops there with Jesus

commanding the crowd to help unwrap him

So we don’t get to see the love

restored between Mary, Martha, and Lazarus

We don’t get to see the embrace of Lazarus and Jesus

as he gets to see his friend again

We don’t get to see the tears Mary and Martha wiped away

But let us remember

That Jesus entered into their grief

he felt their pain

Knowing that he would be able to fully take it all away

at the proper time

Conclusion

So as our morning comes to an end

We can finally answer the question we asked at the beginning

which is

what does this sign

point to?

So within this last and final miracle that John writes for us,

that we see this sign

is pointing to the fact that

Jesus has the power and authority

to bring life from death,

He has the power to face death

look it in the eyes

and produce life

It points to and even foreshadows a future resurrection as well

one that will occur in just a few short days

when Christ himself will beat death

once and for all

now, let us also understand

that this is much more than a physical resurrection with

a foreshadowing of what will come

It is also about spiritual resurrection and life as well

Just as God brought Lazarus back to life,

He offers us spiritual life ,

a new life

based upon His promises

and decrees

See just as Lazarus was physically dead in the tomb,

we to are spiritually dead in our sins.

Just as Lazarus was bound and lifeless in the grave

we, too, are bound and lifeless to the ways of this world

And it is through Christ and Christ alone

that we can be given life

and rescued from this death

Now we must understand that

Lazarus did nothing to bring himself to life;

it was entirely the power and authority of Jesus

that commanded him to rise.

In the same way,

we do nothing to earn or initiate our spiritual rebirth.

It is God who calls us, just as He called Lazarus by name

and what did Lazarus do?

he responded.

He came out of that tomb

Just like when God calls our name,

what are we to do

we are to respond in faith

John 5:24 affirms that when we hear His word and believe,

we pass from death to life.

See it is by God’s grace that we are brought to life,

not our efforts.

we in no form or fashion earn this

See it doesn’t matter who we are or what we did

where we came from

or how long we were there

we don’t have to be good enough

for Christ

because we don’t have to earn our salvation

God gives that to us as a gift

not based on us

but based on His goodness

New life that is secured due to His life and resurrection

not ours

and this life that we find in Christ

is a life that is fulfilling

a life that is abundant

a life that is eternal

It is in fact a promise for all who believe.

Just as Lazarus stepped out of the tomb and into the arms of Christ

we too

are to step into the fullness of life that Christ offers,

Because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life,

In Him,

death is not the end

but simply the doorway

So let us embrace the truth that in Christ,

we are made new,

we are made alive

we are restored

So if you do not know Christ as your Lord and Savior

Do not ignore his calling

hear his voice

and come out of that grave of

sin and self righteousness

And come into the light and life

that only He provides

Repent,

turn from your ways of this life

and turn to Him

Because it is at

that point

that we may be obedient to Him

it is at that point that we

will be in constant communication with him

so that we may hear His commands

And in that we can boldly declare, “Death, where is your sting?”

For it is in Christ, that we have victory over death,

Let us Pray!