06-03-2018 – Lazarus is Dead
These are the sermon notes from Sunday's bulletin:
06-03-2018
Lazarus is Dead
John 11:1-16
Read John 11:1-2... We are told that Lazarus, brother
of Mary and Martha from Bethany, near Jerusalem, is sick.
Read John 11:3-6... Mary & Martha send word to Jesus, “he whom You love is sick."
Jesus doesn’t go for two more days? But why not heal him long-distance? See John 4:46-53...
It would see that Lazarus was already dead when the messenger informed Jesus (see John 11:17).
Read John 11:7-10... The disciples are concerned about going back up to Jerusalem; they left there after the Jews tried to kill Jesus, it isn’t safe to return to Judea.
Jesus answers them with a really strange response (see verses 9-10).
We think of a day as 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness, but Jesus is not talking about a solar day.
John 8:12, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’”
Jesus gives believers eternal life; He is self-existent - He was not created, He is the Creator, eternally existent, the Almighty “I AM,” (Exodus 3:14).
There was a time when the universe did not exist; but there was never a time when God did not exist. Jesus Christ, the Word [Logos], is God, He has always existed.
In Christ was the light and life of God (see John 1:1-4; 1John 1:5-7).
Without the light of Christ there is only darkness.
John 9:4-5, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
All Christians are empowered to do the work of God. Do you see the meaning of John 11:9-10? Those who have Christ, walk in the Light of God’s Word, those who don’t believe in Christ walk in darkness, they are dead, void of the Life and Light of God!
Read John 11:11-16... Jesus tells the Twelve, Lazarus has “fallen asleep” and He needs to go wake him up.
Note: Sleep is a euphemism for death: in the OT the phrase “slept with his fathers” means to die (1Kings 2:10; 11:34); in the NT the phrase “fallen asleep” is applied to Christians who have died (Matthew 27:52; Acts 7:60; 1Corinthians 15:6, 51; 1Thessalonians 4:13-15).
Jesus says He is going to “awaken him out of sleep,” i.e., raise Lazarus from the dead. The disciples don’t get it, they think he’ll just wake up after he rested or well.
Jesus clears it up (verse 14), “Lazarus is dead!” Jesus is going there to raise him from the dead.
Usually it is Peter who opens his mouth at times like this (verse 16), saying what the other guys are thinking (cf. John 6:68-69), "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."
Thomas [Hebrew] and Didymus [Greek], both mean “the twin”. Thomas displays his love for Christ when he says, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” The disciples know going back to Judea will be dangerous.
The sadness of Lazarus’ death will turn to joy, as both Father and Son receive glory at Lazarus’ resurrection.
John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey [believe] the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John 5:26, "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself.” John 6:40, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”
1John 5:11-12, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”