Lazarus

Sermon Style Sheet

Write that down in your formation Journal

Illustration

Sermon Text

Sermon Text: Scripture

Call to Worship

test

––––––––––––

Passage:

Formation Journal Page Number: 9:51-10:45

John 11:17 CSB

17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

John 11:41–44 CSB

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.” 43 After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 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.”

Opening Illustration:

Test

time

Getting into the Sermon

time

John 1-5 sabbath - is the holy

John 6-8 Plot

John 9 - heals someone does more work

John 10 - Jesus it’s clear but not explicit he is claiming to be God

John 11

John 11:1–3 CSB

1 Now a man was sick—Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. 3 So the sisters sent a message to him: “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

Why should we pray if he already knows?

It’s about relationship!

John 11:4–7 CSB

4 When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. 7 Then after that, he said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.”

John 11:11–14 CSB

11 He said this, and then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on my way to wake him up.” 12 Then the disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.” 13 Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought he was speaking about natural sleep. 14 So Jesus then told them plainly, “Lazarus has died.

They weren’t getting it. They didn’t understand.

OK so here is the question. Why did Jesus delay?

Jesus has healed from a distance before

First,

[The delay was to reveal his GLORY]

wanted to make sure that Lazarus was all dead

Miracle max

Mostly dead is still a little alive - when he is all dead there’s only on thing you can do - go through his clothes and look for loose change

So there was a big miracle flex here. Lazarus was not mostly dead - he was dead dead. He was go through his clothes and look for loose change dead.

In fact, when Jesus wanted them to roll the stone back, they said, we can’t do it because he smells! The body is decomposing.

Or as the King James version says - he stinketh.

I want you to say that with me - He stinketh.

He’s dead dead.

Part of the delay was to reveal His glory

And so, we can look at this and we can see the miracle in terms of the big cosmic show.

[Jesus delayed in LOVE]

But that can almost make Mary and Martha seem like after thoughts.

But they weren’t after thoughts.

Look at verse 5 again

John 11:5 CSB

5 Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus.

How did he feel about Martha and mary?

What’s the word -Love. He loved them

They aren’t an after thought.

[God’s purposes are both GENERAL and PERSONAL. ] They are general in the sense that God has big plans that involve cosmic power, the movement of nations and history.

But they are personal too - he sees the little guy. So he knows our days, our fears and our relationship with God and he organizes events for that too.

Think about a hurricane - what is God doing in the big picture? It’s not arrogant to look at that big picture thing and ask “what is God doing in my life.”

His purposes are both general and personal.

So while jesus was doing the work in history with Lazarus he was also working in the life of Mary and martha.

So how do we see that? I want you to think about it this way. George Barna - GALLOP POLLS

did a study on discipleship. He did a major study with tens of thousands of people and he mapped out our discipleship. I’m going to read through them, they’ll be projected and I want you to think about where am I? Where am I in this process.

[STEP 1 - IGNORANCE OF SIN] - these are people who don’t even know they have sin.

[STEP 2 - INDIFFERENT TO SIN]

[STEP 3- CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN]

[STEP 4 - CONFESSION OF SIN]

[STEP 5 - FAITH ACTIVITIES]

[STEP 6 - SPIRITUAL DISCONTENT]

[STEP 7 - EXPERIENCING PERSONAL BROKENNESS]

[STEP 8 - SURRENDER AND SUBMISSION]

[STEP 9 - PROFOUND LOVE OF GOD]

[STEP 10 - PROFOUND LOVE OF PEOPLE]

He has everything neat and tidy, its not always that because our hearts are static. We change.

But in order for us to move towards a real joy - we have to move through the pain.

Jesus wanted to bring them to an end of themselves so that they could submit and surrender and move forward into joy

I mean, think about it. They probably thought - we are Jesus’ favorite. He’s going to come through. He’s going to do what I want.

Maybe they became a bit presumptuous.

They sent a message to let him know they wanted him.

They weren’t sending him an invitation - they were fetching him, like you would a servant. Right. Maybe a high end servant - like a doctor - but none the less.

Look at what they both said -

John 11:21 CSB

21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.

John 11:32 CSB

32 As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!”

How are you praying? Are you trying to fetch God to solve your problems?

How often do we want God to work into our plan. Our desires.

But this is our relationships - think about a baby - a baby cries and you come fetch them. it cries, you feed it. Sometimes, you wait a little bit. Try to teach them, but they’ll get offended.

It’s like did you hear me?

If we aren’t careful, we start to think that everything is about me. I’m the center of the universe.

This is really the spirit of our age. This is what we know.

“Don't get caught up into the trap of changing 

yourself to fit the world. The world has to change to fit you.” Berry Gold

That’s what we swim in. It’s the idea that you are the center of the universe but also I’m the center of the universe and if you recognize that I am the center, I’ll recognize that you are the center.

So we’ll change language, moral standards, everything to accomodate you but you also have to accomodate me.

Thats the core of our heart. Jesus - if you had been on time. he wouldn’t have died.

Jesus - if you had been a little faster - I wouldn’t be sick.

Jesus if you had been a little quicker to hear my prayer then I my kids wouldn’t be like this.

We love Jesus - but we still kind of think that it’s about us.

This is the heart of step 6 - spiritual discontent. The novelty has worn off and you are asking yourself, is this all? Is this all God has to offer me?

I mean think about the heart of the gospel - Jesus did this - for me

[God’s delay is a loving reminder that we aren’t the center]

But we will never have lasting spiritual joy when stand over the Jesus and say, I ordered my steak medium rare and this is clearly well done.

You see jesus loves you too much to allow you to live in the delusion of your own superiority.

Jesus is the center of it all.

Look at this part.

John 11:21–23 CSB

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.” 23 “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.

Doesn’t it seem that she is hinting that Jesus could raise him from the dead? Shouldn’t she be excited about verse 23?

She’s not.

John 11:24 CSB

24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Look at what happened. Martha in 22 she wasn’t saying that Jesus could raise him from the dead now. Now it’s too late. He can’t do that.

She knows he is still powerful. She’s saying something like - your still powerful, I get it.

But she dismisses him.

North Carolina Everything went bad for us.

Romans 8:28 CSB

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

We are not the source of wisdom, there are things God can do both in your heart, through your life, in your situations, that you can’t even imagine.

[We don’t have the wisdom to be pessimists]

She is still placing her wisdom above God’s wisdom. She is convinced that she knows what’s what.

So look how Jesus answers her

John 11:25–26 CSB

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. Do you believe this?”

He’s like - no you don’t understand. the resurrection isn’t just something that happens - its something that I do!

I have the power! I am the resurrection and the life!

But Jesus is there pointing to himself and saying you don’t know what you are talking about. NO resurrection is too big - because I am the resurrection!

I’m the life.

Not you. You don’t know anything.

We get faced with the brokeness and we are at the crossroads of submission and that’s really where faith can get exciting.

This is where surrender comes. This is submission.

[We don’t declare the verdict we anticipate the resurrection.]

We think it’s dead dead but its just mostly dead.

Is it worth it ? If you are strong enough.

See here’s the deal. everyone suffers. THat’s the nature of this world.

But what should they have thought? They should have been asking - Jesus I know you love me, I know you loved him, what are you planning? I know this is scary and sad and I don’t understand, but I trust you. What are you doing?

Instead Martha, the one who said “I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

John 11:38–39 CSB

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 “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.”

But then look at how Jesus responds:

You know what she should have said

Father of the demon possessed boy said in

Mark 9:23–24 CSB

23 Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’? Everything is possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”

Life voice

John 11:40 CSB

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

Do you believe this?

Step 3 - in your soul and in your salvation Gospel

Do you believe you will see the glory of God if you believe?

I don’t know what that is going to look like specifically in your life.

But here’s what I would love for you as your pastor. I would love for you to be able to move through your brokeness to submission so that you can really enjoy God.

I would love to see you become the type of Christian that moves from submission to love and joy.

This is why really want Mercy Hill to be both multi cultural and multi generational.

Nicaragua - we are rich in faith.

But we also want to be multigenerational because this type of spiritual development takes years. Years, not months.

So maybe you looked at the scale and you said, I am a number 3 - starting to be concerned. Maybe you are step 6 you are feeling spiritualy discontent.

Listen to the words of Jesus again in verse 40

John 11:40 CSB

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

Are you willing to believe and take that next step?

If so, let’s pray together

Lord’s Supper:

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

Benediction:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD makes his face shine upon you and be gracious to you:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.