COMFORTING FACTS FOR THE BROKEN-HEARTED

John 11:1-27

John 11:1–27 (NLT)

1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha.

2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick.

3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”

5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus,

6 he stayed where he was for the next two days.

7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.

10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.”

11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!”

13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.

18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem,

19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.

20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

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

24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”

INTRODUCTION:

A - The greatest heart-break is when we lose a loved-one through death.

1) Especially when their death is an untimely one.

B - We must hold on to the good memories of that loved-one.

1) Relate some memories….

C - We must go to God’s word for comfort.

T.S: Let’s notice some facts from the Word of God to draw comfort from in the midst of our broken-heartedness.

I- JESUS LOVES US (John 11:1-5)

John 11:1–5 (NLT)

1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha.

2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick.

3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”

5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus,

A - The Word of God teaches us plainly that Jesus loves us.

1) ILL: Children’s hymn: “Jesus loves me”..

“Jesus loves me this I know,

For the bible tells me so.

Little ones to him belong,

they are weak, but he is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me,

Yes, Jesus loves me,

Yes, Jesus loves me,

the Bible tells me so.

2) He proved his love at Calvary.

(John 3: 16)

John 3:16 (NLT)

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

(Romans 5:8)

Romans 5:8 (NLT)

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

3) He has given his love-letter to assure us.

a) The Word of God tells us about His Love over and over .

II - JESUS WILL COME TO US IN THE MIDST OF OUR GRIEF (John 11:11-22).

John 11:11–22 (NLT)

11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!”

13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.

18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem,

19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.

20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

A - He has promised not to leave us comfortless in the midst of our grief.

(John 14: 16—18)

John 14:16–18 (NLT)

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.

17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.

1) He will come in the comforting presence of His precious Holy Spirit.

2) He will help us face the reality of our loss (vs.14).

3) He does not rebuke us for grieving, but comforts us. (vs.16)

B - We can tell Him exactly how we feel.

1) Notice that this is exactly what Lazarus’ sisters did (John 11:21, John 11:32).

John 11:21 (NLT)

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.

John 11:32 (NLT)

32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

2) He encourages us to do so.

(Hebrews 4:15—16)

Hebrews 4:15–16 (NLT)

15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

μετὰ παρρησίας = with bold confidence

(I Peter 5: 6-7)

1 Peter 5:6–7 (NLT)

6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

III - JESUS IS THE KEY TO LIFE ETERNAL. (John 11:25-27).

John 11:25–27 (NLT)

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”

A - Knowing Jesus personally is THE KEY to living forever.

1) Jesus is the way of salvation (John 14:6)

John 14:6 (NLT)

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

a) Begins with a recognition of your problem (Rom. 3:23; 6:23)

Romans 3:23 (NLT)

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 6:23 (NLT)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

b) Must recognize Jesus paid the price. (Rom. 5:8)

Romans 5:8 (NLT)

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

c) Must confess, believe, ask for eternal life (Rom 10:9—13).

Romans 10:9–13 (NLT)

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.

13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

B - The one who prepares to live never dies.

1) The one who has trusted his life to Christ never dies, but goes immediately into the presence of Jesus.

(2 Cor. 5:1, 6—8)

2 Corinthians 5:1 (NLT)

1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.

2 Corinthians 5:6–8 (NLT)

6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.

7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.

8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

(LK 16:22)

Luke 16:22 (NLT)

22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried,

2) ILL. D.L.Moody….”More alive than ever!”

IV - JESUS WILL REUNITE US WITH LOVED—ONES WHO HAVE GONE ON BEFORE US IS WE KNOW HIM (John 11:33—45).

John 11:33–45 (NLT)

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.

34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 Then Jesus wept.

36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”

37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.

39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”

41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.

42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”

43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”

44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.

A -Jesus wants us to be comforted with the certain knowledge that there will be a grand reunion in the sky for believers.

(I Thess. 4: 13—17)

1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 (NLT)

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.

17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

1. This reunion will last for eternity.

B -The key question is are you ready for that reunion?

1. You can be as of right now, if you will turn to Jesus in repentance &faith

CONCLUSION:

As family and friends, we must draw comfort from these four facts:

1) Jesus loves us.

2) Jesus will come to us in the midst of our grief.

3) Jesus is the key to eternal life.

4) Jesus will reunite us with saved loved ones who have gone on before us.

PRAYER FOR COMFORT