Resurrection Power

In Loving Memory of Sister Sandra Smith Greater Good Hope · Louisville, Kentucky Text: John 11 (key verses 4, 6, 25–26, 35, 41–44)

Introduction

Open by greeting the family by name, the pastor and church family, and all who loved Sandra. Acknowledge the weight in the room: we are here because love and loss have met.

Set the scene of John 11. There is a family in Bethany, two sisters and a brother, and Jesus loved them (v. 5). Even people Jesus loves get sick, and even homes Jesus visits face death. Grief doesn't mean God has left the house.

Make the connection: like Mary and Martha, this family is asking, "Lord, where were You?" John 11 answers that the same Jesus who stood at Lazarus' tomb is standing with this family today, and He brings power.

Transition: "In this chapter I see four kinds of power that will carry this family through: the Power of Perspective, the Power of Prayer, the Power of Patience, and the Power of Purpose."

I. The Power of Perspective (vv. 4, 11, 25–26)

The text: When Jesus hears Lazarus is sick, He says, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God" (v. 4). Later He tells the disciples, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth" (v. 11). The disciples saw death; Jesus saw sleep.

The point: What you see depends on where you stand. From the graveside it looks final, but from heaven's view it's a transition. Jesus tells Martha, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (v. 25).

Sandra's life: [Share how Sandra saw life, whether through hard times, sickness, raising children, or serving the church. Did she have a saying, a positive outlook, a way of finding God in every situation?]

Application: Family, don't let the grave have the last word on how you see today. We don't grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Sandra isn't lost; we know exactly where she is.

II. The Power of Prayer (vv. 3, 22, 41–42)

The text: The sisters' first move was to send word to Jesus: "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick" (v. 3). Even after the death, Martha says, "I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee" (v. 22). At the tomb Jesus lifts His eyes and says, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me" (v. 41).

The point: Prayer is not our last resort; it's our first response. Notice Jesus thanked God before the stone moved. Prayer thanks God in advance.

Sandra's life: [Speak to Sandra as a praying woman: her prayer life, prayer ministry, the people she prayed for, a time her prayers were answered. Many in this room are standing because Sandra prayed for them.]

Application: Sandra's prayers didn't die with her. Prayers are stored up before God (Rev. 5:8). The prayers she prayed over her children and grandchildren are still working. Now it's this family's turn to pick up the prayer mantle.

III. The Power of Patience (vv. 6, 17, 21, 32)

The text: When Jesus heard, He "abode two days still in the same place where he was" (v. 6). By the time He arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave four days (v. 17). Both sisters said the same painful words: "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died" (vv. 21, 32).

The point: Jesus' delay was not denial. He wasn't late; He was working on a bigger miracle. God doesn't run on our clock, and waiting on Him is never wasted.

The tender moment (v. 35): "Jesus wept." Even knowing He would raise Lazarus, He still cried with the family. God is patient with us in our grief, so it's all right to cry today.

Sandra's life: [Speak to her patience, perhaps through a long illness, waiting on God for a family member, her endurance, or how she was patient with people.]

Application: Family, you may have prayed for healing, and it didn't come the way you wanted. But God's timing is perfect. Sandra received the ultimate healing, and one day we'll understand it better by and by.

IV. The Power of Purpose (vv. 15, 40, 44–45)

The text: Jesus says, "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe" (v. 15). He tells Martha, "If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God" (v. 40). After Lazarus came forth, Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go" (v. 44), and many believed on Him (v. 45).

The point: Nothing in this story was wasted. The sickness, the delay, the tears, and the tomb all had a purpose: that God might be glorified and people might believe.

Sandra's life: [Speak to her purpose: her roles as mother, grandmother, sister, friend, church member, auxiliary or ministry leader, career, community work. What did she build? Who did she lift? What will people remember her for?]

Application: Sandra fulfilled her purpose, and now she's been "loosed and let go" from pain, sickness, and sorrow. The question for everyone in this room is whether you're living on purpose. Sandra's life should push you toward Christ. If someone here doesn't know the Lord, let today be the day her testimony leads you to believe.

Celebration / Close

Return to verse 25: "I am the resurrection, and the life." Build toward celebration: the same voice that called "Lazarus, come forth" will one day call again. Paint the picture of 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, when the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Close with the four powers woven together: Because of the power of perspective, we see beyond the grave. Because of the power of prayer, we're still covered. Because of the power of patience, we trust God's timing. And because of the power of purpose, Sandra's life still speaks.

Final word to the family: "Sandra is not in that casket, she's in His presence. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Ps. 30:5).

Optional: an invitation to discipleship, then a prayer for the family.