Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: John 11:1-4; 11-14 17-44 (NLT)

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.”

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.”

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.” 28 Then she returned to Mary.

She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.

30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him.

31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep.

So they followed her there.

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.”

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!”

Introduction: I stumbled across an article once that showcased the messages left on a number of funny tombstones.

Here lies Lester Moore; Four slugs from a .44;

No Les No More.

-- Tombstone Arizona

-- Dentist's Tombstone--

John Brown is filling his last cavity.

I told you that I was sick!

-- Georgia Cemetary, USA

Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake; Stepped on the gas instead of the brake.

-- Pennsylvania Tombstone, USA

The children of Israel wanted bread, And the Lord sent them manna, Old clerk Wallace wanted a wife, And the Devil sent him Anna.

-- England Tombstone

Here lies Ezekial Aikle Age 102 The Good Die Young.

In a Thurmont, Maryland cemetery: Here lies an Atheist All dressed up and no place to go.

Here lies my wife, I bid her goodbye.

She rests in peace and now so do I.

Dear Departed brother Dave he chased a bear into a cave

Here Lies Good Old Fred.

Great big rock fell on his head.

Here lies Clyde whose life was full until he tried to milk a bull

Here lies the father of 29.

He would have had more but he didn't have time.

Tonight we continue our series entitled “Eyewitness News” as we take a look at another story of someone who had an eyewitness encounter with Jesus.

Tonight we’ll be reading one of my favorite passages from scripture in John 11: the story of when Jesus raised a man named Lazarus from the dead.

Thesis: We are all condemned to death by our sin, until Jesus steps in!

Transition: 4 Truths from Lazarus’ Encounter with Christ

I.

He Was Dead

a. (John 11:14) Before Jesus shows up on the scene, Lazarus is already dead.

b.

In the same way, before Jesus shows up in our lives, we are already dead.

c.

The unsaved person is not just sick; he or she is spiritually dead.

Colossians 2:13 (NLT) You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away…

d.

When a person is physically dead, she does not respond to such things as food, temperature, or pain.

e.

When a person is spiritually dead, he does not respond to spiritual things.

She has no interest in God, the Bible, Christians, or church.

f.

God warned Adam that disobedience would bring death.

i. Physical death (the separation of the spirit from the body)

ii.