THE MASTER’S CALL

TEXT: John 11:21-28

 Introduction: I want you to consider a very familiar story in the earthly ministry of Christ.  This story is about the raising of Lazarus from the dead as given in John 11.

   Jesus had many earthly friends, but none closer than the family of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Their home seemed to be the favorite place for Christ to stop, or to rest.  Here were people who loved the Lord Jesus, who seemingly understood Him, who sought out his friendship, who learned, and communed at the Savior’s feet. One day, Lazarus, whom Christ loved, was ill. They sent messengers to Christ to bear the news to seek for Him to come immediately. I am sure they expected Him to come quickly.  Their thought was “Surely He will come . . . He whom thou lovest is sick!” The time sequence of things was that Lazarus died the very day that the messengers arrived to tell Jesus. Christ Jesus was four days coming to where they were, to the home in Bethany. Then Christ came to meet them; to be with them.

Martha calls for her sister with the words, “The Master is here and he calleth for thee!” I want to announce today that the Master is here and he calleth for thee!  Let us dwell upon these words and their meaning to us, now, today and tomorrow when the doubts and fears come.

   Let’s consider the Words of Jesus to Martha. 

I.          THERE IS POWER IN CHRIST’S PRESENCE: Who is this ONE?

A.        The Creator of ALL, the King of King, and the Lord of Lords is here.

B.        Many other names are given concerning Christ in the New Testament. Consider the “I Am’s in the book of John.

John 6:35 I am the bread of life 

John 6:41 I am the bread which came down from heaven.

John 6:48 I am that bread of life.

John 8:12 I am the light of the world:

John 10:7 I am the door of the sheep.

John 10:9 I am the door

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd:

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd,

John 11:25 I am the resurrection, and the life:

John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life:

John 15:1 I am the true vine,

John 15:5 I am the vine

C.        This One who is Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent. 

1.      He is the one who made all things and has all power.

2.      This one who never changes is here!

D.        The Master who is Sovereign, who calmed the boisterous waves, who dared to reach out and touch the leper and cleanse him, who gave sight to the blind, made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.  Now here He is the one who will restore life, He Is here!

E.        The One who said, “The Father and I are One!” John 10:30

F.         This is the ONE of whom she said to her sister “The Master is here and calleth for YOU!”

G.       I would desire to impress you individually, personally...that Christ is here. 

1.      He is here NOW! He said this “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

2.      He cares; He is concerned about you, and especially about your relationship to Him.

3.      No matter

a)      How large your problem,

b)      How difficult or how great your heartache, or sorrow,

c)      How detailed and complex your problem... the Master is here.

4.      The shame is that we put more stock into what we can see, feel, touch, smell or hear . . . but the Master is HERE and there is power in His presence! 

II.       THERE IS PURPOSE IN CHRIST’S PRESENCE: “and calleth for thee!”

A.        He Calls Us to Commune With HIM! 

1.      Mary oft sat at the feet of Jesus to hear His words, to be taught of Him and no sorrow at that time!

2.      Now all was changed, it was time to bow to His will, time to be alone with Christ. 

3.      Do you know Jesus as yours so you can commune with Him?

4.      Can you, midst the cares of this world bring those heartaches to Him?

5.      Have you neglected a relationship with HIM?

B.        He Calls All of Us To His Salvation!

2nd Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

1st Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

1st Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”

1.      Have you come to Christ Jesus for Salvation? To be free from guilt, to accept HIM, to be free from wrath and condemnation is what He offers you!

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

2.      Is He your personal Savior and friend?

1st John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

C.        He Call us to experience His compassion.

1.      He is the great comforter. 

2.      He wants us to come to receive His Divine consolation. Do we resist His love, his care?

3.      He said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”  (Matthew 23:37)  We know that this was written to the Jewish people in Jesus’ but it is very applicable to us today and we need to experience His compassion.  He loves us.

4.      He wants you to rest your troubled heart and soul with Him.  Yes, He is here, and He calleth for you... and He has many purposes! Why not come and enjoy Him? 

III.    THERE IS A PERSONAL ASPECT IN HIS PRESENCE! “He calleth for thee.”

A.        He Calls for YOU. This is a personal pronoun; this is very personal, it is singular.

B.        We can’t come to him, as a herd.  This is a very personal thing.

C.        We can’t deal with Christ in generalities!   This is a shame.  We see Nicodemus in the book of John, who came at night, tried to deal with Jesus in generalities. This just does not work. You can lose yourself in a crowd here on this earth but not with HIM.

                 Psalm 139

                 Fiftytimes in this Psalm alone we find the words “me”, “my”, "mine" and “I”. You could and should substitute your name in this Psalm.  It makes it more personal.  Why not do so He can meet the need of your and my heart today.

D.        Jesus would meet your heart need today, as if you were alone, the only person in this room as though there were no others!

E.        A woman, sick for many years, who has spent on doctors who did no help her, came and in the crowd touched the hem of his garment as an impersonal thing, but He said, “Who touched me!”  So He is concerned that you come to Him, trusting being open and honest about your own heart need.

CONCLUSION: Yes, He calls for YOU... to come to Him, to hear His Words To heed Him. To listen to His message to your heart!  To hear... accept.