When Jesus Shows Up, Death Backs Up!!!

1. Introduction.

Tonight, we come to the seventh and final sign recorded in John that absolutely, completely, and without a shadow of a doubt proves that Jesus is the Christ.

Last Wednesday, I asked what else could Jesus do to prove to these Pharisees that He was indeed the Christ. Well, He is about to top the cake. When we started John’s Gospel, I said these 7 signs, these seven miracles with a purpose, led to a crescendo, led to undeniable proof that Jesus is the Christ.

Tonight, we are going to a house in Bethany—a house that knew Jesus well. A house where:

Jesus had been welcomed

Jesus had been loved

Jesus had been served

We are going to see tonight, however, that the house is filled with sorrow. Lazarus is sick. Lazarus dies, and it seems like Jesus is too late.

Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt that Jesus was too late.

I mean you pray and pray, but heaven remained silent.

I mean you pray and pray, but nothing changed. Well, you are not in a club by yourself as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus experienced exactly what you experienced in that moment.

When you needed Him the most, inexplicably, Jesus was not there.

Well, I have something to tell you tonight. Jesus is never late. He is always on time, but He is always on time according to His schedule and not yours.

2. A Love That Doesn’t Always Look Like It

John 11:1–6 NKJV

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

Now, this is really interesting.

Lazarus is sick-evidently, gravely ill. His two sisters sent for Jesus, but Jesus tarried two more days in the place where He, Jesus, was.

Because of hindsight, we know what happens, but if you had been there in the moment, how would describe your feelings knowing that Jesus delayed for two days before coming to tend to Lazarus?

A. God’s delays are not God’s denials.

Jesus was not ignoring them—He was accomplishing something greater than they could see.

Look closely at verse 4.

John 11:4 NKJV

When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

What was about to unfold was for the glory of God. It was going to make it unmistakably clear that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Sometimes the Lord allows a situation to move from difficult… to desperate… to downright impossible—so that when He steps in, there is no question who did it.

No man gets the credit. No circumstance gets the explanation. God alone gets the glory.

Think about the Apostle Paul and his thorn in the flesh—he pleaded for it to be removed, but God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In Paul’s weakness, God was glorified.

Think about Stephen in Acts 7—stones were crashing down, his life was being taken, and yet heaven opened, and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Even in his death, God was glorified.

And dear friend, don’t miss this—every one of us has been given a race by the God of Heaven. It is a God-appointed course, and if we run it faithfully, if we endure it obediently, if we finish it trusting Him—our lives, whether in triumph or in trial, will bring glory to God.

B. Faith is tested in the waiting.

Anybody can trust God when He moves quickly—but real faith declares, “Even when I don’t understand, I still trust Him.”

Now let’s be honest—most of us struggle with patience.

We live in a world that wants everything fast: fast food, fast answers, fast results. We’ll say patience is a virtue—but then turn right around and try to hurry God along.

Dear friend: you are not going to speed God up.

God is never late, never early—He is always right on time. He knows exactly what you need, exactly when you need it, and exactly how to bring it to pass.

Here is the truth about patience—patience isn’t something you manufacture, it’s something God produces.

Galatians 5 teaches us that patience is a fruit of the Spirit. That means it grows in us as we walk with Him and yield to Him.

So when we get impatient… when we run ahead of God… when we try to force what only He can fulfill… we’re not just struggling—we’re stepping outside of obedience.

Because trusting God’s timing is not optional for the believer—it is a mark of a Spirit-filled life.

King Saul became impatient waiting on Samuel. Saul got out in front of God, and his kingdom was ripped from him and given to David. Becoming patient with the Lord is a sign of spiritual growth. It increases our faith.

3. A Death that Looks Final

John 11:14–17 NKJV

Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave four days—and that detail matters. In Jewish understanding, by the fourth day, death was beyond question. The body had begun to decay.

There was no doubt, no debate, no possibility—Lazarus was gone. Lazarus was graveyard dead.

All hope, humanly speaking, was gone. This situation was beyond human help:

No doctor could fix it

No remedy could reverse it

No effort could change it

And that is exactly where Jesus chose to step in.

I believe that’s why He waited. Not because He didn’t care—but because He was making it unmistakably clear: this is not something man can do—this is something only God can do.

Lazarus wasn’t mostly dead… he wasn’t barely alive… he was undeniably, completely dead. When Jesus called him out of that tomb, there would be no confusion about who did it.

Jesus will sometimes allow things to reach the point of impossibility on purpose.

Because as long as you think you can fix it… you’ll keep trying to fix it. As long as you believe it’s within your power… you’ll lean on yourself instead of Him.

So God, in His wisdom, will let you come to the end of your strength… the end of your resources… the end of your answers…

So you can finally discover the fullness of His power. Because as long as we think, “I’ve got this,” we’ll trust ourselves. But when we finally say, “I can’t,” that’s when God steps in and says, “I can.”

4. A Faith That Struggles But Speaks.

John 11:20–27 NKJV

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

Do not be too hard on Martha. She had faith. “Lord, if you had been here, Lazarus would not have died.” That’s faith.

She believed… but she was hurting.

She knew what Jesus could do, but she didn’t understand why He didn’t do it.

Now, how many of you have been in the exact same spot? Knowing that God could have done something but wondering why He did not?

Pay attention to verse 25. Jesus didn’t say, “I give resurrection.” He said, “I AM the resurrection.”

Resurrection is not just an event—It’s a Person.

John 14:6 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Romans 10:9–10 NKJV

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Jesus asked Martha if she believed. Not “Do you understand everything?” Not “Can you explain it all?” But “Do you believe?”

Do you believe? John’s entire gospel is written so that you can believe.

John 20:30–31 NKJV

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

5. A Savior Who Feels Your Pain

John 11:32–35 NKJV

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.” Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.

Jesus knew He was about to raise Lazarus—and still, He wept.

He felt the pain of Mary and Martha. He saw every tear. He entered fully into their grief.

And dear friend, that means something for us tonight—He sees your pain, He knows your sorrow, and He is not distant from your suffering.

But I believe there is something even deeper happening here.

Jesus knew exactly where Lazarus was. For four days, Lazarus had been in the presence of God—safe, whole, and at peace. And now, in order to fulfill the will of the Father and display the glory of God, Jesus was about to call him back… out of paradise… and into a broken, sin-stained world.

We’re not told explicitly, but it is not hard to imagine that this, too, weighed on the heart of our Lord.

While we may smile at the thought of Lazarus coming out of that tomb, I seriously doubt his first reaction was to rejoice over being brought back to earth.I have it on good authority that he wanted to slap Mary and Martha.

God’s power never cancels His compassion.

Some people struggle with that. They say, “If God is sovereign, why does He allow suffering? Why didn’t He stop it?”

But listen carefully—God is not cold, and He is not careless. He is fully sovereign… and fully compassionate at the same time.

Death was never God’s original design. It entered the world because of sin—because mankind chose rebellion over obedience, darkness over light, death over life.

And ever since then, God has been working out His redemptive plan—entering into our pain, walking with us through suffering, and ultimately conquering death through Jesus Christ.

So yes, He feels. Yes, He cares. Yes, He weeps. But His compassion does not mean He will act outside of His perfect will or contrary to His Word.

Instead, it means this:

Even when He allows something we don’t understand…He is still present, still loving, and still working for His glory and our good.

6. A Command That Requires OBEDIENCE.

John 11:38–40 NKJV

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 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.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

They came to the tomb, and Jesus gave a command that must have stunned everyone standing there:

“Roll away the stone.”

And Martha, speaking what all of them were thinking, said:

“Lord… by this time he stinks.” “Lord, he’s been dead four days.” “Lord, he’s already decaying.” “Are you sure you want to go there?”

If we’re honest, we’ve all stood where Martha stood.

We’ve all looked at what God was asking and thought,

“Lord… this doesn’t make sense.” “Lord… this is uncomfortable.” “Lord… it’s too far gone.”

And just like Martha, we hesitate. We resist. We question.

But it is obedience that positions us to see the miracle.

If that stone had never been rolled away, nobody would have seen what Jesus was about to do. The power was His—but the obedience was theirs.

And Jesus said to her: “Did I not tell you, that, if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?”

Can’t you just hear Him saying that to us today?

“Didn’t I tell you… if you would just trust Me… if you would just obey Me… you would see My glory?”

I wonder how many blessings we’ve missed…How many answers we’ve delayed…How many miracles we’ve never experienced…

All because we let doubt talk us out of obedience.

They had to move the stone before Lazarus walked out. And some of us are sitting back, waiting on God to move— while all along, God is waiting on us to obey.

God is sovereign, and His power is His alone—but in His design, He often chooses to work through the obedience of His people.

Think about salvation.

You weren’t saved automatically. There came a moment when you had to respond—to repent, to believe, to place your faith in Jesus Christ.

That response didn’t earn your salvation—but it was the means by which you received it. And in the same way, in the Christian life, obedience doesn’t earn God’s power—but it positions us to experience it.

So the question tonight is simple:

What stone has God told you to move? Because on the other side of your obedience…just might be the very thing you’ve been praying for.

7. A Voice That Brings Life Out Of Death.

John 11:41–44 NKJV

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. 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.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 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.”

Jesus prays… then cries out: “Lazarus, come forth!” (v. 43)

And a dead man walks out of the grave.

The power is in the Word of Christ.

Lazarus didn’t help. Lazarus didn’t cooperate. Lazarus was DEAD. But when Jesus speaks—death has to listen.

This is a wonderful picture of salvation.

Ephesians 2:1 NKJV

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

As a lost person, You weren’t sick—you were dead, but Jesus called your name… and gave you life.

Jesus says, in verse 44, “Loose him, and let him go.” Lazarus came out alive—but still bound. That’s a picture of discipleship.

Salvation gives life, but growth removes the grave clothes.

Conclusion: What in Your Life is Dead?

What in your life feels like Lazarus?

A marriage that seems dead

A prayer that seems unanswered

A heart that feels cold

A loved one far from God

You’ve said, “Lord… it’s too late.” But Jesus says: “Roll the stone away.”

Some of you have sealed up areas of your life and said, “It’s over… it’s done… it’s dead.”

But if Jesus is still on the throne—It’s not over.

He’s still calling names. He’s still bringing life. He’s still raising the dead.

If you’re lost—you need life

If you’re saved but bound—you need freedom

If you’re hurting—you need to come weep at His feet

When Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth,” He expected a response.

When Jesus steps in: Graves open… Chains fall… And dead things live again. Will you come, or will you stay in the grave?