Sermon Tone Analysis
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Graveyard Religion
Ron Dunn
Colossians 3:1-10
Would you open your Bibles to the book of Colossians, chapter 3. I am going to read the first ten verses.
It's a little book hiding right behind Philippians—a little book with a big message.
If then you are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.
Practice setting your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory.
Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth such as fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
For which things sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience, and in the which you also sometime walked in them, when you lived in them.
But now you also, put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, out of your mouth.
Stop lying one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with its deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him.
I want you to take a little trip with me tonight.
We won't be gone long.
I want us to go to a little town by the name of Bethany.
When we arrive in this small town, the first thing that we notice is that there is something unusual going on.
No body riding a bicycle up and down, blowing a trumpet, but there is a lot of commotion.
Something unusual is happening in this sleepy little town.
So we ask somebody, what is everybody all astir about?
What's going on?
Oh, you must be a visitor.
You haven't heard.
You know Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha?
Well, he died a few days ago, and that prophet Jesus from Nazareth has just come.
Rumor has it that he is going out there and raise Lazarus from the dead.
We are all going out there to watch.
Well, I know this much.
I want to see that too.
So we fall in behind the crowd, and after awhile we find ourselves standing in front of a tomb with that crowd.
The stone is rolled away.
Jesus has prayed a very strange prayer.
He said, Father, I'm asking you to do this, but I don't really need to ask because you and I already have this settled.
I am just saying this out loud so that everybody will know we are together on this.
After he said that, he said, Lazarus, come forth!
Everybody had their eyes fixed on the dark mouth of that tomb.
You could hear, if you listened carefully, some movement.
Suddenly, Lazarus appears.
I don't how he appeared.
He was wrapped in grave clothes, so I've always wondered how he got of the tomb.
He either had to hop out, or he floated out.
He couldn't walk in those grave clothes.
Hopping out seems a little irreverent, so I feel like he kind of floated out there.
Everybody was amazed.
Jesus said, loose him and let him go.
And they did; they unwrapped him.
And there was Lazarus, dead four days, and yet restored to life.
Of course, Mary and Martha are beside themselves, falling over Lazarus, falling over Jesus, loving them, thanking them.
Everybody is so excited.
Everybody wants to get close to Lazarus.
Somebody picks up a few scraps of the grave clothes to take back as a souvenir.
They can't believe this.
Jesus has raised this man from the grave.
After awhile, as people do, they tired of that miracle.
They begin to drift back to their homes.
Mary and Martha asked Jesus to come back with them, and they would fix him supper.
Mary, Martha, and Jesus start walking down the road toward their house in Bethany.
They haven't gone very far when suddenly Martha asks where Lazarus is.
Mary said she didn't know, that he was there just a few minutes ago.
They looked back toward the tomb and saw no sign of him.
Martha said, he must be back there talking with somebody, giving his testimony.
Mary, you go back and tell Lazarus to come on home because I'm fixing supper for the Lord.
Well, I don't think Mary was all that keen on going back to that tomb, but she usually did what her sister said.
She got back to that tomb, and there was no one there.
She looked everywhere.
Lazarus was not anywhere to be found.
All of a sudden she heard some movement down in the sepulcher and cupped her hand and said, Lazarus, are you down there?
From within came the dim little answer, I'm here, Mary.
She couldn't imagine what in the world Lazarus was doing in that tomb.
So she very cautiously stepped down the steps into that sepulcher, stood there a moment so her eyes could adjust to the dark, and when they did, she couldn't believe what she saw.
There was Lazarus sitting over on the slab of stone rewrapping those grave clothes back around his body.
Mary couldn't believe what was going on.
Mary said, Lazarus, what in the world are you doing?
Martha sent me, and you know how sister is.
She is going to be mad at both of us if we don't get home right now.
She is fixing supper.
What in the world are you doing?
And he's just sitting there wrapping those grave clothes around his body.
Lazarus said, well, I guess it does seem a little strange to you.
I'll try to explain.
You know that I spent four days here.
The first day I got here I thought I couldn't take it, but you get accustomed to things.
After being here four days you kind of settle in and begin to feel a little bit at home.
I know these grave clothes aren't the latest style, and, as a matter of fact, they don't smell too keen.
But you know I got so used to wearing the grave clothes, they kind of fit me.
It's like an old easy chair.
I thought I would just stay down here for awhile and wear these old grave clothes.
Maybe Martha could bring me some meals.
I'll be out after awhile.
It's hard to leave.
I just ought to stay here for awhile.
Mary can't believe what she is hearing.
She is saying, Lazarus, Lazarus, don't you understand? Jesus has raised you back to life.
You are no longer dead; you no longer belong in this cemetery; you no longer belong in this tomb and those grave clothes.
Lazarus, everything you are doing is inconsistent with the new life that Jesus has given you.
Now, if you know your Bible very well, you'll know there was a point in that story at which I departed from the facts, not the truth.
Ridiculous!
I'll bet Lazarus was so glad to get out of there.
I'll be he was so anxious to get out of those grave clothes, you couldn't see for the dust he was kicking up trying to get out of that place.
He was gone.
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