Victory In Death
Notes
Transcript
A Very Sick Man
A Very Sick Man
Lazarus of Bethany was very sick. He was sick to the point of death. As we read this event it would be easy to dismiss this sickness and death and say we know that Jesus is going to bring him back to life. This would trivialize what is happening in Lazarus life.
Lazarus suffered in his sickness, his sisters worried about his life, and he died. All of these happened to a family that Jesus loved dearly. The point here is that people that are close to Jesus are not exempt from suffering.
Lazarus suffered in his sickness
Lazarus suffered in his sickness
When Lazarus got sick his health deteriorated quick. The Bible doesn’t say what type of sickness it was, but it took his life quickly. We see that he is suffering through the message his sisters sent to Jesus. They told Jesus that Lazarus was sick. The implication is you need to come and stop the suffering and save his life.
Many of us in here have suffered in sickness to varying degrees. Some have had COVID, the flu, colds and other viral illnesses that caused suffering. There are still others that are currently managing chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart issues, asthma, and many more chronic illnesses. Still others have faced more critical illnesses such as cancer, heart attack, or kidney failure. Some may have illnesses of the mind such as Dementia or Alzheimer. As you can see, suffering in illness is part of life. It is not an indicator of God’s love.
Suffering illness can be a vehicle for us or others to draw near to Christ. If you have ever been really sick, i’m sure your prayers became very sincere. This is because you have no control over your wellness. It is only Christ who can heal.. He may heal through a doctor, medicine, or miraculously. He may not heal at all. He may use our suffering as our ministry.
Worrying Loved Ones
Worrying Loved Ones
Lazarus sisters loved him dearly. They did not want him to suffer or die. They did what anyone close to Jesus should do. They sent message to him for help. They knew that he could fix the problem and take their concern away.
If you have ever had someone in your life that was very sick. Typically it is a spouse, parent, child, or best friend that is sick. These are people that you really pray hard for because the level of your concern is correlated to the depth of your relationship. The prayer request that we get on Wednesday night are not nearly as important to us as those that affect those that are closest to us.
We too should carry our concern for our loved one to the Lord. Notice however the sisters did not ask Jesus to heal Lazarus. They simply let Jesus know that he was sick. The implication may have been to come and help but they didn’t ask for it. This is important because they trusted more in what Jesus could do than what they wanted and though was best.
I am not saying that when we have a sick loved one we should not ask for Jesus to make them well. What I am saying is that we should accept whatever the Lord chooses to do. We should not question the goodness or love of the Lord if He does not answer our prayer in the way we want.
Lazarus Died
Lazarus Died
Lazarus died a real death. We will see that when Jesus got there he had been in the grave 4 days. This means that Jesus even missed the funeral.
Death is not a pretty sight. One theologian said that he was not afraid of death, but he was afraid of dying. Let illustrate with a question? If you could know how you were going to die, would you want to know? Are you okay with where you will be after you die? There is a difference in these question.
The sisters were agonizing in the mourning process. The pain of death of a loved one is very real. It typically hurts more than a physical hurt.
So with all of this why did Jesus simply not make him well? The answer is in his answer
Victory In Death
Victory In Death
4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” John 11:4
Jesus said three things here. He said first Lazarus sickness would not end in death, second his sickness would end in the glory of God, and third that Jesus would be glorified in this.
Sickness is not to end in death
Sickness is not to end in death
One might say that this did not happen because Lazarus died. Notice what Jesus said! He said it would not end in death! Just because Lazarus died didn’t mean it was the end. Jesus determines the end! We will find out that Jesus is going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus is the one who determines when we are finished here on earth.
Jesus has power over death.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thess. 4:13-18
This is our hope as believers in Christ. Death is conquered and but a mere transition from this temporary home to our eternal home. We can take comfort in this. Our hope is also in the rapture that will let some people escape death and just be taken to heaven. THIS WOULD BE MY PREFERENCE!
So how does this happen and what happens if someone dies?
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
The bodies we will receive when we get to heaven will not be like the bodies we have today. The bodies we have today are perishable. The new body will not be perishable. The old body is affected by sin and dishonor. The new body will not be affected by sin but by the glory of God. The old body is affected by the natural desires, the new body will be affected by spiritual desires. There are many other differences that we don’t have time to discuss. If you are interested in this please see me afterwards.
Sickness for the glory of God
Sickness for the glory of God
God can use sickness in our life to bring glory to God. By God bringing Lazarus back to life, it demonstrates His power over death.
Westminister Shorter Catechism says:
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?
A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.
The purpose of our creation is to bring glory to God. This is why God made us. We can glorify God in one of two ways. The first is salvation. God demonstrates his victory over death and sin by offering salvation through His Son Jesus Christ sacrifice for sin on the cross. The second way we bring glory to God is by judgment. Many people don’t like to hear this but, God receives glory by pouring out his judgment on those who reject His son Jesus Christ. The point is God will receive glory in your life. The question is how? This is determined by what decision you make regarding Jesus.
Son of God glorified in sickness
Son of God glorified in sickness
This miracle happened just weeks before Jesus was going to be crucified. No one had ever raised someone from the dead who had been in the tomb 4 days. There were a lot of people at the tomb when Jesus called on the Father to raise Lazarus from the dead. Then he proclaimed those beautiful words.
“LAZARUS, COME FORTH!” Jesus called Lazarus from death to life. He can do that! He recieved glory by doing it. He is still doing it today.
He takes the old dead sin sick soul and calls it to life.
2 And you [a]were dead [b]in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the [c]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, [d]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the [e]mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead [f]in our transgressions, made us alive together [g]with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Eph. 2:1-6
Apart from salvation in Jesus Christ we are dead. He calls us to life through repentance and belief. He calls us by name. You can be saved this morning. Is He calling you out of death into life this morning?