Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
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Anger
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Conscientiousness
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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Two things you hope people say about you at your funeral?
Plan to make that hope come true?
2 days longer.
Confident the end result would not be Lazarus’ death, he stayed.
12 hours in a day.
Time was short in the greater scheme.
He had been in the tomb 4 days.
Jews customarily buried the dead on the day of death.
That puts the timing of his death on the day Jesus got the message.
Jesus wasnt waiting for Lazarus to die, he was already dead.
The resurrection on the last day.
Some Jews believed there would be no resurrection.
Jesus wept.
His weeping is directly related to the failure of His followers to recognize that the Son of God was in their midst!
He had just reacted to the loud wailings of the hired mourners with ‘angered’ and ‘perturbed’.
They had missed the point!
Jerusalem refused to come to Him.
Disciples future.
Disciples weaknesses.
Do you know what a conjunction is? Conjunction Junction.
I dont know whose voice it was that sang those School House Rock songs, but when I hear it I’m 7 years old sitting in front of my grandmother’s tv with milk and oreos and LIFE IS GOOD!
And But Or The grave is but a conjunction, joining this life with life continued, perfected.
vv 14-15
The love between Jesus and these 3 siblings.
The gospels record the strengths that come from Mary and Martha’s personalities.
We see the love Jesus had for Lazarus expressed in this very chapter.
I am the resurrection and the life
When Jesus makes His way to Bethany, both Martha and Mary, separately, make the same statement: Lord, if you had been here our brother would not have died.
Jesus makes the great I AM statement here: I am the resurrection and the life.
He did not say this of Lazarus but in light of the circumstances Lazarus was in.
His body had no life in it.
The sisters believed there would be a resurrection, and a life to follow.
Jesus is opening their eyes to Himself as the Resurrection.
As the Life.
Jesus wept.
His weeping is directly related to the failure of His followers to recognize that the Son of God was in their midst!
He had just reacted to the loud wailings of the hired mourners with ‘angered’ and ‘perturbed’.
They had missed the point!
Jerusalem refused to come to Him.
Disciples future.
Disciples weaknesses.
A growing faith: the difference between healer and power over death
We see this incredibly encouraging truth emerge from the story.
The sisters both saw Jesus with the power to heal.
His simple presence would have kept death at bay.
They believed, on the day Lazarus died, that Jesus presence would have set that right.
They believed, on the day Lazarus’ life was restored, that Jesus had power over even death!
Their faith had been growing up to the point of Lazarus’ death, and now even more!
God will grow our faith as far as we will let Him through any given circumstance.
If I wallow in my circumstances.
If I find myself like Peter, standing on the water, but taking my eyes off Jesus, I will no longer allow Him to increase my faith.
vv.
36-37 A divided response: tender affection and cruel cynicism.
Those who were gathered to mourn were already divided on the nature of Jesus.
This would only further split that rift.
The table is set for the glory of the Father and the Son:
Lazarus come forth!
The retelling of this story has taken on many forms.
It is a joy to celebrate Jesus’ power over death.
It is probably true that had Jesus not named Lazarus specifically, many others in that tomb would have reconstructed and come walking out.
Let’s remember that Jesus waited 2 days before He came to Bethany.
Ever wondered what He did in that time?
“Father, what am I allowed to do that will glorify you?
My compassion is telling me to RUN there now!
Hold me steady.
Keep me according to your will.”
I want to tell you that Jesus strutted up to that tomb, calling Lazarus to come out.
The theme from Rocky began to play… but I cant.
Jesus knew this one act would bring more heat on him (and the 3) than any single act He had done on earth.
It would hurl Him straight toward Golgotha.
And Lazarus did come forth!
But imagine that for a moment: What made it ok to re-enter the world with all the same problems?
Even more.
I’m sure the day he died, Mary and Martha cried for him not to go.
To come back.
He didnt for them.
Only Jesus!
He loved Jesus.
Walking out was an act of obedience.
Real obedience.
Not acquiescence, But that obedience was rooted in a deep love that made it ok to leave the (at least) peace or even very presence of God.
He was walking toward Jesus.
Lifeway wasnt waiting to sign him to a book deal.
Hallmark didnt call to get the movie rights.
In fact, the Jews put him right next to Jesus on the post office most wanted board.
In this world, when Jesus calls us, we often are leaving the chaos, stress, difficulty of this current life.
So walking toward Jesus looks pretty good.
Lazarus’ two deaths
This wasnt the only time Lazarus died.
It wasnt even the best time.
The next time, he got to stay dead!
Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?
Do you believe that you will see the glory of God?
That glory is something this mortal body cannot withstand.
He had to protect Moses so that this same glory wouldnt kill him.
John the revelator tried to put in to words what he saw.
But he was using a very limited vocabulary to describe a limitless God.
The restoration of Lazarus’ life compared with the resurrection and glorification of Jesus.
This is a thrilling story with a sad interlude and a very happy ending.
“Mamma,” she said, “one day Enoch and God took a walk together.
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